STILL: A Moving Documentary

Canadian-born actor, Michael J. Fox  has a story to tell, and no matter how many times he falls down or breaks another bone, he’s going to tell it.  Parkinson’s Disease stands no chance against Michael’s sheer determination to continue living life, with no short supply of love and laughter.

Still, directed by Davis Guggenheim, is a documentary filmed with Michael narrating, along with a creative tool of using clips from many of his tv/film characters. These are meshed in to reflect what he was actually going through at the time and works brilliantly. Featured were two key roles in his career; Michael as Alex P. Keaton in the tv series Family Ties and his portrayal as Marty McFly in the iconic Back to the Future movies.  Oh and who couldn’t forget his hairiest role, the campy 80's flick, Teen Wolf (a personal fav!). There was also archival moments of Michael's real life sprinkled in with his family which were very touching. 

While early in his career, eating jelly packets to survive as a Hollywood actor was common.  It was really evident though that Michael had a real uniqueness that would send him skyrocketing to success. Of course, it came at a price as there are the in-between moments in the film where he shares his battles with addiction and the not so glamourous moments of hiding his battle with Parkinson's. That is until one day, the heavy weight was lifted off his shoulders, and Michael J. Fox revealed his diagnosis to the world.

Although we can see the deterioration of his body as the tremors take over in some scenes, there is an overpouring of love for this man who refuses to pity his circumstances. 

Using his celebrity status for good, Michael has advocated for Parkinson's research funding and has raised over 1 billion dollars through his non-profit foundation; The Michael J. Fox Foundation .  

He wants to find a cure and we really want there to be one.

💜Trailer: Still

Getting Into Mischief: A Christmas Carol Goes Wrong Review

Welcome to December!  I just celebrated my 42nd birthday – so thank you so much for all the wonderful wishes.

As the holiday season stumbles upon us, I've been working my way around the globe and feeling pretty cozy right now in the UK. After all, it is the home of delicious Yorkshire Pudding, putting on the kettle for tea at any given time, and gleefully watching countless episodes of Monty Python - as we must always look on the bright side of life.

So if you’re like me, then it won’t be a surprise when I tell you that A Christmas Carol Goes Wrong, created by Henry Lewis, Jonathan Sayer and Henry Shields, while directed by Richard Boden and Adam Meggido, should definitely be added to your list. 

During this Christmas special, the Mischief Theatre Company are at it again, proving that The Cornley Polytechnic Drama Society are way in over their heads. They’ve been banned from ever appearing on the BBC again. To our delight, they are not giving in to such rubbish, and decide to hijack a live production of Charles Dickens’ classic, A Christmas Carol.  

In theatre, thespians rule the stage. While forgetting their lines, stagehands awkwardly appearing in scenes, dodging falling props, it’s clear that there can be only one – only one Scrooge, so someone needs to be incapacitated!  

It was a great opportunity to be able to see this and share my thoughts! The cast was absolutely brilliant and I was in stitches from the performances by the Henry’s (Lewis & Shields), Jonathan Sayer, Derek Jacobi, and more. There is no shortage of puns, physical comedy and just all sorts of shenanigans that will leave audiences wondering who spiked the egg nog. 

No spoilers, but if you don’t watch this, I am telling you, yule be sorry. 

💜Make sure to check out all the other incredible works from Mischief

Afterlife Delight: Spirited Movie Review

Well it’s that time of the year and as much as I love watching the old classics, I always like to see what kind of new variations of holiday films come out.   Last year, Zoey’s Extraordinary Christmas won me over and as it stands right now, not even into December yet, Spirited has me awaiting the dvd release to come out so I can buy it and add to our growing movie collection!

Directed by Sean Anders, Spirited takes Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol and flips it on its head, spins it magically around while adding plenty of musical numbers and modern-day relevance that deserve their own hashtag. 

Ryan Reynolds, who plays Clint the “nonredeemable” is a perfect match for Will Ferrell, The Ghost of Christmas Present.  As they dance and sing, revealing vulnerabilities, it’s just a joy to watch. When we add in Octavia Spencer, who is Clint’s assistant and the apple of Christmas Present’s eye, it’s a triple threat of happiness that you feel in your heart.  

Then we come to the songs, which I will mention my top 3. 

🎶Good Afternoon is a hoot and the amount of choreographed work is exceptional, including both Will and Ryan learning how to actually tap-dance and spending many gruelling sessions perfecting their techniques. If you are a performer, or even have watched like a fly on the wall of the physicality that goes on, you can applaud these guys.  

🎶View From Here (Riverwalk), an introspective song that sings like one’s diary or even our inner conscious, which includes a brief yet whimsical scene that just gets you feeling even more warm and fuzzy.

🎶Ripple is another hit, and I think a real earworm that holds a lot of meaning especially lyrically. It’s a big and bold production, as it should, and gives hope in a world that is just so confusing to navigate sometimes.

And so friends, not just during the holidays but all year round, let’s try to do a little good. 

💜Spirited Trailer

*Side note: Now the movie isn't all egg nog and jazz hands. It is heavy-handed with profanity at times, and does include some heavy topics that people may feel uncomfortable with. So, if you are watching with young kids (rating is PG-13), that's something to keep in mind. However, we all have to learn and grow, so instead of shying away and pretending these realities don't exist, open up the dialogue.

Selena Gomez: My Mind and Me Review

Reaching pop stardom beyond her wildest dreams, the pressure of perfection has been no stranger to Selena Gomez. With her first exciting appearance on Barney and Friends, to a big break on the Disney Channel circuit, it was only the beginning. 

Directed by Alek Keshishian, we get to see when the make-up comes off, the smiles go away, some of the lowest of lows, as Selena talks openly about her feelings of never being good enough. She can’t even grab a bite to eat without the paparazzi in her face, snapping photos and asking about her painful breakup with Canadian pop superstar, Justin Bieber. It is the price of what comes often with fame. 

Riddled with anxiety and depression for years, we can see Selena is hanging by a thread, but she pushes onward. After a complete and total breakdown and dealing with lupus - a complex autoimmune illness, looking further for answers, a diagnosis of bipolar disorder finally fits the puzzle pieces together. It's now time to take a step inward and let the healing begin.

Before you roll your eyes and think another young celeb who can’t appreciate what they have, Selena is genuinely hurting and I think this biopic does an excellent job at documenting six years of her personal journey.  Again, this may look totally different from what someone else experiences, but let's give some grace instead of criticism of what "mental illness" should look and feel like.

Despite the struggles, it is evident that Selena's heart is huge and although she is clearly in a position of influence, having a team of people around her and access to care that many do not have, philanthropy gives her purpose to keep going in this life and to help those who still don’t have a voice. 

By the end of the film, we just want to give her a big hug and let her know that she is in fact, more than enough.

💜My Mind & Me Trailer

Need help? Here are some resources you might want to check out:

💜National Institute of Mental Health

💜Canadian Mental Health

💜Lupus

Seasons Of Change: 2022 Halloween Flicks

Hello my Ghoulish fiends! Halloween is just around the corner and whether you are excited for trick-or-treaters, plan to get dressed up in your favourite costumes, or intend to spend quiet time honouring  our spirited souls, it's always good to include a movie or two in the mix!  

I'm excited to share a few new ones that have popped up this year, as well as some old favourites. You can always transport back to my other blog posting that has even more movies and nostalgic series that bring me joy especially during the Halloween season.

With only a run time of 53 minutes, Werewolf By Night was a lovely little homage to many Universal Classic monster flicks, combined with some Twilight Zone eeriness. The monster hunter characters were great, in particular Jack (played by Gael García Bernal) who has an interesting role as a lycanthrope superhero of sorts. This short tale had such fantastic cinematography and black and white effects. It is definitely worth a watch.  I hope Marvel comes out with more of these, in particular something extra vampy.

Halloween Ends...or has it?  If you're not familiar with this horror-ific franchise, I would suggest to watch the other films to just delve more into the saga of Michael Myers. Although in this one, they do a rewind of some pivotal kill scenes, plus a rehashing of the tragedies in the town of Haddonfield,  so you are not going in totally blind. 

There was plenty of suspense throughout the film, a few irritants tossed in, but definitely a lot of brutal scenes that might have you squirm in your seat if you're more of the squeamish type, so stay alert, my friends. 

Was it the best out of all the others? Not in the least, but I think we're all here for Jamie Lee Curtis. She was amazing, reprising her role as Laurie and letting us know that when it comes to her masked-murderous foe, Michael Myers, if you can't stand the heat, get out of the kitchen!

Teen Wolf is an 80's comedy and coming-of-age werewolf tale, starring the beloved Michael J. Fox, as Scott Howard, just your ordinary geeky guy who is trying to figure out who he is, with and without the all extra fur. Who doesn't love a werewolf who can play basketball? 

The wonderfully grotesque and pun-worthy Crypt Keeper is back to tell a tale in Bordello of Blood. Although rated poorly by many, I fondly recall this film with its heavy metal and glam soundtrack. It's a terribly corny flick, with raunchy humour, groan-worthy acting, but it's a great one to just sit back and have fun watching. 

Finally, we have The Hunger tv series, created by Jeff Fazio and presented b Tony and Ridley Scott. No one gave me chills down my spine like Terence Stamp, and in this horror anthology; The Hunger, he hosted each short story in a way that would surely tingle all your senses, like The Secret Shih-Than. 

This provocative British/Canadian series opened up quite a new world for me that I never knew existed before, but was incredibly liberating, even though subject matter was rather taboo at the time, and still might be today for certain types of people.   

If anyone remembers, it was aired here in Canada on a tv channel called Showtime - with its tagline Television Without Borders.  Every late Friday evening, they would have "Friday's Without Borders" which had content that pushed the limits for a more mature and rather open-minded audience. Taking over the series was the late, David Bowie, who in my opinion did a good job, but I'm still partial to the British charm of Mr. Stamp.  

💜Let me know what you'll be watching this Halloween or what plans you may have! I love hearing  from you, so drop a comment below, or feel free to privately e-mail me using my web form!

December Movie Buffet: Pick and Choose!

December is here and I’ve just blown out my candles – 41 to be exact.  It's been a crazy time and I think I have more than 41 grey hairs to match, probably way more, but I think that's relatable. My escape is often movies, just to reset my perspective on issues that I might be dealing with, to find some kind of inspiration amongst the chaos, or  to just be entertained. Laughter is the best medicine, it hosts a ton of benefits and being married to an entertainer, there's always something to laugh about around here and a reason to harvest the joyful moments that catch you by surprise. 

So now it’s time to watch all our favourites again this year like Die Hard (hey it IS a Christmas movie!), Scrooged, National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation, and probably every single romance tale from Love Actually and The Holiday, to even a few terribly-acted, what-is-with-that-sweater?! Hallmark ones. Most likely, I will watch those ones alone, as subjecting Bill to those might result in divorce papers. (Insert awkward laughter)

I did a full holiday movie list that you can check out here, which has some unique holiday movies you might not have heard of before.

The movies listed below are not all holiday-themed,  but still worth mentioning, just in case you are not really in the jingle jangle spirit or maybe want to add them to your list for future movie-watching.

 

American Hero – Set in New Orleans, the city is riddled with crime, and Melvin, played by Stephen Dorff is part of the problem, engaging in all the behaviours that would rarely be deemed as superhero qualities, even with telekinetic abilities. Underneath the rough facade lies a vulnerable broken man, with a burning desire to see his estranged son, who deserves to know his father.

So adventures ensue and there’s a lot of shoot-ups and a pivotal moment where Melvin’s heart stops and the typical “I’m gonna change after this life altering experience” begins, yet not without its complications.

There are a lot of moments of “that could never happen” so strap yourself in for suspending your disbelief. Aside from an overabundance of profanity and some stuff that might be taken as insensitive/offensive, the bonds of friendship pull you in and keep you invested. Also there are some pretty cool action scenes. 

If you can take anything out of this movie, it would be Melvin’s best friend, Lucille (Eddie Griffin) who is always wheeled by his side (yes he’s in a wheelchair). A great character, yet suffers from similar motivation to change his own circumstances. You need a bestie to hit you with reality checks whenever you get out of line, so I thought these two were paired well together.

Laggies – The word “laggies” translates to “one who lags behind” and so the movie explores life’s journey of unknowns, tapping into emotions once forgotten, yet worth revisiting and maybe even letting go of. Craig, played by Sam Rockwell is once again a delight on screen, add in Megan (Keira Knightly - with an American accent!) and the sensational Annika, played by Chloë Grace Moretz. It also had a wonderful soundtrack, including Ben Gibbard’s achingly beautiful song; It’s Never Too Late.  Absolutely loved it - Bill often picks out some great movies for us to watch together.

Hunt For The Wilderpeople is absolutely weird and wonderful. There is so much to discover in the movie and each character has its own story to tell, especially Ricky (Julian Dennison), who is rebellious but with a huge heart and just wants to belong somewhere, anywhere. Hec, Ricky’s foster father, played by Sam Neill feels just right. He's a guy that marches to the beat of his own drum but with gusto and spirit. I will not forget to mention how breath-taking some of the scenery is too, my longing to visit NZ grows stronger each day.  The movie is incredibly funny and humanly-touching. If you like the humour and style of Taika Waititi who also directed unique films like Jojo Rabbit, What We Do In The Shadows, you'll definitely love this one.

Kiwi Christmas. Materialism on Christmas, you don't say!? Of course that would have anyone running for the hills, or rather this time scooting away from the North Pole. However, Santa's vacation doesn't go as planned, as his trip to New Zealand via his rocket sleigh (yes I said rocket sleigh) breaks down and his cover is blown when two kids find out who he is and tries to help him back to the North Pole before Christmas. 

I loved "Stan" aka Santa, played by Kari Väänänen and sure the predictability factor is smack dab where you'd expect it to be, but it didn't matter one iota. The wacky humour, the joyful spirit captured, the beauty of NZ, and the overall message just makes this a great one for everyone to enjoy.

Zoey’s Extraordinary Christmas  I don’t think I was quite expecting the emotional punch that this movie brought over what seemed like a common holiday premise of trying to bring everyone together at Christmas for the first time after the loss of a loved one. The emotional connection you feel with each character’s “heart song” as they call it, is just so unexpected but powerful.

The film does touch on painful subjects like post-partum depression and the complex feelings that come with grief, loss and bereavement, so considering my personal woes of what I deal with during the holiday season and probably what a lot of people battle with, this one hit incredibly hard.

The choreography was done beautifully too especially in one specific scene with Zoey (played by Jane Levy) and Max (played by Skylar Astin) creating the last tear drop on my face with a beautiful version of Cyndi Lauper’s Time After Time. The romance had my heart bursting.   

I never knew about the tv series - Zoey's Extraordinary Playlist , mainly because I'm not quite a tv watcher overall, but it might be worth checking out. 

💜As always, I love to hear your comments, so you can leave a message below or e-mail me your favourite holiday or non-holiday films that made your 2021.

November Movie Buffet: Pick and Choose!

Happy November everyone!

I am sitting here at my computer desk, chomping away at the last bits of Halloween candy. Okay that’s a lie, there is a pantry full of candy because we got overly-excited by the higher number of kids trick or treating this year and thought maybe we don’t have enough and no one should come to door and leave empty handed. The influx of kids dwindled though, and so here we are now, just me and the remains of a Swedish berries wrapper.

A bit out of the usual, but instead of just sharing some movies, I am also going to include a tv series that some of my readers might be interested in watching, as well as a comedy special that generated a lot of heat!

Mapleworth Murders - A hilarious 12-episode parody series that follows a murder-mystery writer named Abigail Mapleworth (played by Paula Pell) who solves homicide murders in her small town of New Woodstream, with the help of her socially-awkward, dry-humoured Aussie niece, Heidi, played by Hayley Magnus.

Think of what “Murder She Wrote” would be like in today’s world, if a young millennial Angela Lansbury posted her findings on Instagram Stories/Reels and had no filter in conversing with others. I’m not quite sure what drove me to check this out, but after the first episode, I felt compelled to watch all 12 episodes over two nights. 

Paula Pell is hilarious and such a fun character to watch. She’s a bit saucy, sassy, and bumbles around gathering evidence for the whodunit reveal, while suffering through many terrible double-entendre jokes that may not be everyone’s cup of tea. If you can get used to the screeching of “There’s been a MAAAHRDER!” then check this one out.

Driving Lessons - Definitely a different role for Rupert Grint, well-known for his role in Harry Potter. A coming-of-age story that offers also a slight coming-out-of-age feel as the young and the wise meet up to discover the world around them in unusual and unconventional ways. Julie Waters, who plays an eccentric alcoholic actress, is quite fantastic and I think really steals the spotlight for much of the movie.

Secret Life of the Long Haul Flight: A Qantas Experience - I've been watching these incredible documentaries on aviation and all the intricate details that go into a single flight experience and they are fascinating. This one was especially interesting showing behind the scenes of the 11,000 mile journey from London, England to Sydney, Australia. It also had a personal element of documenting a few of the passengers' stories on why they were going the long-haul route.

Overboard - Probably not new to any of my 80’s movie fans, but couldn’t leave out Overboard, the original 1987 with Kurt Russell and Goldie Hawn, plus yes the head vampire from the cult classic; Lost Boys – Edward Hermann! Everything about this movie goes...well... overboard, but it’s delightful and sweet and fun, unlike the dreadful remake that I wish was never made.

  

The Closer - The stage is often known to be the safest place for a comedian because they have the mic and the power to say what they want, in the way that they want. There’s often no rules, so you either go in knowing that something is going to offend you, or you stay home (or in this case turn off the tv). Alike many in the show biz industry, especially at the level that Dave Chappelle is at, you never truly know what the comedian is really believing because after all, comedy is often just that...an “act” a performance to cause a reaction from the audience. There are of course exceptions where a comedian/entertainer behaves consistently the same on and off the stage.

After watching, I’ll say that I can see from various points of view of how the joking at the expense of certain demographics and making some comments takes a cheap shot at human decency in general. I think there is a really delicate line when someone says “so you can’t take a joke?”

I know groups that found Dave’s jokes to be spot-on hilarious and others that feel like as they put it to me “he made us feel like we should go back into the closet.” I think too much emphasis was just drilled into the audience on specific points Chappelle wanted to make, but delivered sloppy – in my opinion. Some of his other specials seemed to be crafted better and had more opportunities for laughs.

I didn’t find a lot of the jokes funny at all, in some ways, I was a bit exhausted after the hundredth glory hole joke, and felt he was really lashing out instead of generating some deep thoughts in a way that could be embraced with more heart - less crassness. The ending of course was a mixed bag of emotions and I’m still trying to process that.

Not knowing who Dave Chappelle is underneath the comedian portrayed on stage, from his behaviour since the show, I would still encourage him to seek some counselling. I think there are a lot of unresolved feelings brewing because we all know "tears of a clown, when there's no one around."

💜As always, I love to hear your comments, so you can leave a message below or e-mail me your thoughts!

October Movie Buffet: Pick and Choose!

Are you ready for some October movies?  Spooky season is upon us but this blog will not be about Halloween films. If you're anxious though, you can check out my Fangs For The Memories - Halloween Favourites, as we've been delving into some of our favourites lately. 

Moving along, we’ve watched some interesting flicks lately that I wanted to blog about. Maybe you’ve seen them or perhaps you’ll give them a go. 

I’ll start off with You Will Meet a Tall Dark Stranger.  I was a little iffy when I noticed that Woody Allen was writing and directing this because his style is rather an acquired taste, one that often I don’t care for. However, it looked intriguing enough with a good cast, especially Anthony Hopkins and Gemma Jones.  

With the entanglement of marital distresses, identity crisis, broken authored-dreams, and of course a charlatan doing what they do best – sucking the last pennies out of the vulnerable, the movie pokes fun at a lot of these themes yet delicately also shows the darker side of erupting chaos within the characters. There’s a lot of uncomfortable laughs yet still manages to offer some reflection and optimism of restless situations. 

Next up, 30 Nights, directed by Tom Metz III  The old trope of sex becoming non-existent once your married and have kids is put to the ultimate test in this raw and hilarious independent flick that involves 30 nights of “assignments” to save a marriage.  

I didn’t think this was going to be as good as it was.  Super cast, especially Nick and Willia, played by Johnny Giacalone and Mandy Kaplan.  They had such great chemistry on-screen and every assignment they had to endure, it was passionately ridiculous. I also loved Dan Fogler who played Dr Ling, their zany sex therapist.   

Definitely for mature-audiences, but you may spruce up things in and out of the boudoir a bit after watching this – or you might realize 'good vibrations' are just meant for listening to The Beach Boys, and that’s a-okay too.

Old – M. Night Shyamalan.   Most of the movie was spent “wait, how can that happen? - “that makes no sense at all.”    There is that level of suspension of disbelief, like in practically all the Die Hard movies, but this one stretched the limits.  The characters were uninteresting,  the dialogue was tragic and although I figured out what was going to happen fairly early, I was quite bored, although one scene was so disgusting that I did jolt in my chair for a brief second and had to look away.  The movie wants to go deeper into moral and ethical dilemmas, but never quite makes the leap. 

Don’t You Forget About Me.  A documentary, directed by Matt Sadowski, all about a group of film makers who cultivate a plan to meet their beloved writer/director; John Hughes, who changed the landscape of movie-making forever with classics like The Breakfast Club, Ferris Bueller’s Day Off, Pretty in Pink, etc.  

It is fascinating to see clips of past actors talking about their time with Hughes, especially a lot of introspective commentary from well-known actor, writer/director, Kevin Smith.  We also get a glimpse of the impact Hughes had on so many people, including many adolescents today.

Critics are always a reminder of how vulnerable we can be as humans and some are able to take the punches and others disappear never to be heard from again, in order to preserve any dignity they can still hold onto from the past. John Hughes died of a fatal heart attack, so although it was never confirmed, could there be a chance he died of a broken heart?

John Hughes' life remains a mystery and the only thing that appears to be real is the fact that he enjoyed pizza, at least twice a week. I can hear him say “a lovely cheese pizza just for me.” 

Lastly, Freeguy.  Watching the trailer I didn’t really have any interest, but Bill and I were curious to see whether it would be any good, and it was fantastic.  Creative concept, visually stunning effects, great characters, and those pull-at your-heart-string moments that are predictable, but they still just feel right.

Ryan Reynolds was awesome but I will say that  Antwan, played by Taika Waititi was my favourite character.  His razor sharp wit, charismatic weirdness is just unmatched.  If you have no idea who I am talking about, please check out Jo Jo Rabbit or the underrated, What We Do In The Shadows. 

So there you have a bunch of movies that you can watch while you’re chowing down on your Thanksgiving feast (some movies more suitable than others to watch WITHOUT the whole family, but you be the judge on that one)  this long weekend, or really whenever you want. 

💜Have you seen any of these? Leave me comments below, or if you're feeling shy, send me an email using my webform. I always love to hear your comments! 

Fall Movie Buffet: Pick and Choose!

Well hello my blogger friends! Welcome to almost Fall (Autumn). As the sun sets sooner in the evening time now, we’re getting ready to store away our tank tops/shorts and replace them with flannel PJs and cozy sweaters!  So get out your pumpkin spice latte or a cup of hot cocoa with plenty of tiny marshmallows and enjoy some movies that I wanted to share with you.

Let's start out with a little R-E-S-P-E-C-T

Respect is the story of the Queen of Soul, Aretha Franklin. It's one that you need to see! It’s a very intimate look into Aretha’s life, never holding back on sensitive topics like childhood trauma, domestic violence and addiction. Of course with any biography, take it with a grain of salt on all the details recollected. This film may also be triggering for some, so keep that in mind.

Aretha, played by Jennifer Hudson, is phenomenal in this role. It’s also quite surprising to see a Wayans Brother impressing me so much, but Marlon Wayans was intense playing Ted White, Aretha’s first husband.

The music was amazing to hear, and although some time-line scenes felt a bit disjointed at times, it was really inspiring and interesting to note how much advocacy Aretha was part of and after so much devastation, she finally found her voice among the darkness, right up to the time of her passing.

 

Ah 1985! Tuff Turf is just a wild adventure of a new kid in town Morgan Hiller, played by James Spader (keeping with the 80's - well known for his yuppiness in movies like Pretty in Pink – a personal favourite), who comes face-to-face with the head gang leader in a battle of not only who gets the girl, but who keeps the girl. We also have a very young Robert Downey Jr who is pretty adorable (boys with eyeliner – gah!) and plays Morgan’s friend, Jimmy.

Although I was blown away by a scene where James Spader starts singing “We Walk the Night” by Paul Carney  sadly, I did find out he was only lip-synching. Could have fooled me though!

Another cool fact, the soundtrack has "People Who Died" by the Jim Carroll Band, so that should be a reason to check it out.

 
Apple Pie. A time warp to the groovy disco 70’s era with this artistic cult-classic by director, Howard Goldberg, that is just so strange that I am not quite sure what to think.

Jacques Blinbaum, played by the late, Tony Azito, who is freakishly downright freaky looking in all his form and mannerisms, tells what feels like a fabricated story of his youngster coming-of-crime escapades and how he faked his own kidnapping in order to get a large sum of money from his parents as ransom.

Arriving in Manhattan, we witness his transformation into some sort of caped pseudo-hero, getting himself into more imagined (or maybe real, I don’t quite know) trouble along the way.

This film is all over the place with a lot of moments of HUH?! There is plenty of violence, sometimes just out of nowhere. Other scenes are just confusing and plain right odd, including a food fight that breaks out in a fancy-smancy restaurant. Then towards the end, you’ll get a big musical montage which I thought was going to be a bigger part of the movie than it was. It’s fun though, it has all the Daryl, Hall and Oates vibes, but goes on...and on.... and on.... for as long as a single camera shot of Quentin Tarantino’s.

If you’re up to it, take a slice out of this one and make sure to add a big scoop of ice cream for the brain-freeze of 1 hour 30 minutes.

Don’t Breathe 2 --- Don't hold your breath on this one!

It starts off pretty intense and who doesn’t love a good home invasion, but then fizzles out. I don't mind a predictable film, but ugh, it kind of ruined it for a thriller. I won't say anymore in case you want to watch.

The fight scenes are bruuuuutal, I had to turn my face away for a few scenes. I swear I thought though Brendan Sexton III was Stephen Dorff throughout the whole film.

One thing remains though, Navy Seal vet Norman, (played by Stephen Lang) remains a total bad-ass.

Definitely felt the first one was more compelling and riveting for a thriller, but you be the judge for yourself.

💜Have you watched any of these? If so, leave me a comment or send me an email using my form! I'd love to hear your thoughts.