MOVIE REVIEW: GOOD LUCK, HAVE FUN, DON'T DIE

 

Claiming to be from the future, a man takes hostages at a Los Angeles diner to recruit unlikely heroes to help him save the world.

Director: Gore Verbinski

Cast: Sam Rockwell, Haley Lu Richardson, Michael Peña, Zazie Beetz, Asim Chaudhry, Tom Taylor, Juno Temple

Release Date: February 13, 2026

Genre: Action, Adventure, Comedy, Sci-Fi

Rated R for pervasive language, violence, some grisly images and brief sexual content.

Runtime: 2h 14m

Review:

Good Luck, Have Fun, Don't Die plays like an off the wall hybrid of Terminator and Shaun of the Dead that embraces the insanity of the general concept which boasts a fully committed turns from its cast led by Sam Rockwell.  Gore Verbinski ends his nine-year hiatus with a lively return to the big screen which has him untethered for any restraints which makes for an aggressively busy and random film that works more often than not.  At its core, there’s a cautionary satire that serves as the beating heart of the story that’s surprisingly thoughtful even as the onscreen events get increasingly outlandish.  It does make for a chaotic experience which is sure to keep the majority of the audience off balance even though there are plenty of familiar elements at play.  Verbinski’s film rarely takes a breath as it seemingly throws everything at the wall which makes it easier to overlook the concepts that don’t work as well as others.  He’s blessed with a game cast who displays an impressive level of trust in the director’s vision, embracing it at every turn.  Sam Rockwell is perfectly cast as the soldier from the future tasked with saving humanity from their impending doom.  His manic energy works well for the character since he’s gone through a seemingly endless cycle of trial and error trying to find the correct combination of people to allow him to complete his mission.  He is still able to bring an understated nuance to his performance which gives the character more depth than it originally lets on.  The supporting cast is made up of a series of recognizable faces who all get their moments to shine.  Haley Lu Richardson and Juno Temple get the larger portion of the supporting screen time with both delivering solid work even though their character’s feel strangely under developed.  Each character is given intriguing backstories but there’s not much else offered up outside of the most basic character traits.  Faring even worse are Michael Peña, Zazie Beetz and Asim Chaudhry who are all fun but given equally one-dimensional characters that feel like they should be more impactful than they are.  The film has some dead spots which would have been better utilized to flesh out the characters to make the most of the two hours plus runtime.  It keeps Good Luck, Have Fun, Don't Die from being truly special but there’s still plenty to appreciate about this gonzo tale on well-worn tropes that makes it all feel timely and fresh.  

B+

MOVIE REVIEW: A WORKING MAN

 

Levon Cade left behind a decorated military career in the black ops to live a simple life of working construction. However, when human traffickers kidnap his boss's daughter, his search to bring her home uncovers a world of corruption far greater than he ever could have imagined.

Director: David Ayer

Cast: Jason Statham, Michael Peña, David Harbour, Jason Flemyng, Arianna Rivas, Noemi Gonzalez

Release Date: March 28, 2025

Genre: Action, Thriller

Rated R for strong violence, language throughout, and drug content.

Runtime: 1h 56m

Review:

A Working Man, David Ayer's second collaboration with Jason Statham, is self-serious but entertainingly over the top at the same time which makes it feel like an old school, 80's actioneers likely due to the influence of Sylvester Stallone who co-wrote the script.  Ayer brings his usual grim style to the proceedings while lifting bits and pieces from the John Wick franchise in the form of garishly, cartoonish villains that populate the vast underworld that Statham is tasked with annihilating in steady succession.  The script does try to humanize Levon Cade with relationship to daughter, but it never lands the way it should since Cade is pretty much an invincible killing machine with a singular mission.  Statham has made a career of playing these sorts of characters with his steely gaze even as he unleashes increasingly violent and extreme forms of violence on whoever stands in his way.  Michael Peña and David Harbour have small supporting roles with each popping up sporadically throughout, but neither is given much to work with outside of the most generic characteristics.  Harbour's character in particular seems to be screaming for a bit more depth which the script never offers.  The villains are equally forgettable with each serving as paper thin versions of countless clichéd bad guys we've seen before.  The final act starts to border on Schwarzenegger's Commando territory without the one liner as we watch Statham's Cade mows down wave after wave of bad guys.  A Working Man will make people of certain age feel like they've been transported back to the 80's where action films weren't terribly concerned with logic as much as it was with kicking ass.  

C+

MOVIE REVIEW: MOONFALL

 

The world stands on the brink of annihilation when a mysterious force knocks the moon from its orbit and sends it hurtling toward a collision course with Earth. With only weeks before impact, NASA executive Jocinda "Jo" Fowler teams up with a man from her past and a conspiracy theorist for an impossible mission into space to save humanity.

Director: Roland Emmerich

Cast: Halle Berry, Patrick Wilson, John Bradley, Michael Peña, Charlie Plummer, Kelly Yu, Donald Sutherland

Release Date: 2h 10m

Genre: Action, Adventure, Sci-Fi

Rated PG-13 for violence, disaster action, strong language, and some drug use

Runtime: 2h 10m

Review:

Roland Emmerich's latest sci-fi disaster film is a campy busy mess of a film that never embraces it's overall absurdity and just have fun with it.  Emmerich's film feels more like a relic from the early 2000s with it's tired redemption arches and shoehorned product placement. Halle Berry, Patrick Wilson and John Bradley do the majority of the heavy lifting with the main story thread.  Patrick Wilson does the best he can with the material but at least he doesn't phone it in like Halle Berry who looks like she's just a collecting a paycheck here.  John Bradley is likeable as the conspiracy nerd and he seems to be the only one who's having a good time.  A secondary story thread drags the entire film down with a pointless earthbound subplot dealing with the leads kids and some overly persistent thieves.  That subplot is as ludicrous as it is boring and could probably have been excised from the film altogether and streamlined the story.  A third act reveal is a goofy fun but thematically interesting even if the movie doesn't explore it in any sort of depth.  Moonfall is the type of film that will run on cable endlessly which will make for perfect background noise.  

C-

MOVIE REVIEW: TOM AND JERRY

 

A legendary rivalry reemerges when Jerry moves into New York City's finest hotel on the eve of the wedding of the century, forcing the desperate event planner to hire Tom to get rid of him. As mayhem ensues, the escalating cat-and-mouse battle soon threatens to destroy her career, the wedding, and possibly the hotel itself.

Director: Tim Story

Cast: Chloë Grace Moretz, Michael Peña, Colin Jost, Rob Delaney, and Ken Jeong, Nicky Jam, Bobby Cannavale,  Lil Rel Howery, William Hanna, Mel Blanc, June Foray, Frank Welker

Release Date: February 26, 2021

Genre: Animation, Adventure, Comedy

Rated PG for cartoon violence, rude humor and brief language

Runtime: 1 h 41 min

Review:

Tom and Jerry is very much a throwback on multiple levels.  The titular pair are some of the most iconic characters in the history of animation with this being the second outing on the big screen.  It’s not the mess that the 1992 film but still scattershot and uneven for its runtime.  The live action hybrid works fairly well even though there are multiple times that you can tell the cast is reacting to air or placeholders.  Its still a very impressive feat on a technical level and the animations looks wonderfully fluid.  It’s hard to watch this without getting some Who Framed Roger Rabbit vibes in spots with a more family friendly approach.  The story and direction are harmlessly broad for the most part but there are bits of edge, some of which works well while others fall flat.  Tom and Jerry mostly stay true to their classic iterations which is a win for people who remember the classic shorts.  The human cast is solid if bland with Chloë Grace Moretz carrying the larger portion of the film, Moretz is a talented actress but her delivery here feels a little wooden and uninspired.  Her character never really connects as a fully formed entity but just a vessel to move the story along.  Michael Peña likewise doesn’t feel as naturalistic as he usually does which leads me to be believe that there might be a disconnect between the live actors and their animated counter parts.  As such, we are left with an overlong film that works in spots but lulls in others.  Tim Story’s film would have benefited from trimming but overall it’s a solid mindless family film that’ll keep most kids entertained. 

C+

MOVIE REVIEW: THE MULE

Broke, alone and facing foreclosure on his business, Earl Stone takes a job as a drug courier for a Mexican cartel. His immediate success leads to easy money and a larger shipment that soon draws the attention of hard-charging DEA agent Colin Bates. When Earl's past mistakes start to weigh heavily on his conscience, he must decide whether to right those wrongs before law enforcement and cartel thugs catch up to him.

Director: Clint Eastwood

Cast: Bradley Cooper, Laurence Fishburne, Michael Peña, Dianne Wiest, Andy García

Release Date: December 14, 2018

Genres: Crime, Drama, Mystery

Rated R for language throughout and brief sexuality/nudity

Runtime: 1h 56 min

Review:

The Mule is surprisingly funny, occasionally reflective entry into Clint Eastwood’s resume.  Eastwood’s film is impressive for its measured approach at making an unlikable character incredibly likeable.  Eastwood can be credited for this since he’s the star and director.  His performance is heavy on grandpa-ism which makes Earl Stone easy to like.  There are a few odd moments in the film where you get the feeling that Eastwood is trying to say something about race but he never really commits to that thread.  As a self reflective film, you get the sense that this subject matter hits close to home for him.  So much so that he beats you over the head with the “family is what matters” message.  Still the film offers a bevy of strong performances from Eastwood and his supporting cast even if the story itself is a bit simplistic.  

B-

MOVIE REVIEW: ANT-MAN AND THE WASP

Scott Lang is grappling with the consequences of his choices as both a superhero and a father. Approached by Hope van Dyne and Dr. Hank Pym, Lang must once again don the Ant-Man suit and fight alongside the Wasp. The urgent mission soon leads to secret revelations from the past as the dynamic duo finds itself in an epic battle against a powerful new enemy.

Director: Peyton Reed

Cast: Paul Rudd, Evangeline Lilly, Michael Peña, Walton Goggins, Bobby Cannavale, Judy Greer, Tip "T.I." Harris, Hannah John-Kamen, Abby Ryder Fortson, Randall Park, Michelle 
Pfeiffer, Laurence Fishburne, Michael Douglas

Release Date: June 8, 2018

Genres: Action, Comedy, Crime

Rated PG-13 for language, drug use, and some suggestive content

Runtime: 1h 50min

Review:

Ant-man and The Wasp is an interesting pallet cleanser after Avengers Infinity War.  Its scale is markedly smaller which should come as no surprise since it’d be hard to top the scale of Infinity War.  As such, Peyton Reed delivers a fun film that’s fun but ultimately feels inconsequential.  It’s a strange juxtaposition simply because it’s an enjoyable film that’s carried by the cast’s endless charisma but it doesn’t really add up to much.  Paul Rudd does his dead pan Paul Rudd deal which is always fun but the film’s really boosted by Evangeline Lilly taking a more active role in this entry.  Lilly and her perpetually rosy cheeks give the film a nice boost of energy with her character fitting right in with Rudd’s Ant-man.  Michael Peña and Walton Goggins are both solid in supporting roles, each providing real highlights during the film.  Sadly, Michelle Pfeiffer appearance is more of a cameo than anything else.  I’d have enjoyed a bit more of her and Michael Douglas as opposed having her character essentially serve as the film’s Mcguffin.  Still, Peyton Reed directs a fun little film that’s has some inventive action sequences and laughs to boot.  It’s not one of the best Marvel films but it’s a solid entry.

B-

MOVIE REVIEW: THE LEGO NINJAGO MOVIE

The battle for NINJAGO City calls to action young Master Builder Lloyd, aka the Green Ninja, along with his friends, also secret ninja warriors. Led by Master Wu, as wise-cracking as he is wise, they must defeat the evil warlord Garmadon, who also happens to be Lloyd's dad. Pitting father against son, the epic showdown tests these fierce but undisciplined modern-day ninjas as they learn to check their egos and pull together to unleash the inner power of Spinjitzu.

Director: Charlie Bean, Bob Logan, Paul Fisher

Cast: Jackie Chan, Dave Franco, Michael Peña, Fred Armisen, Abbi Jacobson, Justin Theroux, Kumail Nanjiani

Rated PG for some mild action and rude humor

Genres: Animation, Family, Comedy

Review:

The LEGO Ninjago Movie is a fine addition to the blossoming franchise even if the sheen is starting to wear off just a tad.  The movie is full of all the pop culture references and self aware humor we’ve seen in previous installments.  The best thing this film has going is Jackie Chan.  Jackie Chan shows up in the opening and closing but supplies the film with its heart Master Wu.  Justin Theroux is a lot of fun as the villain even if he’s just doing a Will Arnett impression throughout.  Theroux and Dave Franco have fun chemistry in the second half of the film.  The main issue with the film is that the plot and overall story seems hacked together.  The story lacks any sort of real flow even though there are still lots of like here.  That probably speaks to the general fun in the franchise, where even a lesser entry still delivers.

B-

Cindy Prascik's Reviews of Sicario & The Martian

 

 

 

 

Dearest Blog: Yesterday it was off to the pictures for a promising pair, Sicario and The Martian.

 

Spoiler level here will be mild, nothing you wouldn't know from the trailers.

 

First on my agenda: Sicario.

 

A tactical specialist for the FBI is recruited for a multi-agency operation targeting a drug kingpin.

 

Dear Reader(s), I was a HUGE fan of the TV series The Bridge, so when I started seeing trailers for Sicario, I thought, "The Bridge on the big screen, with a li'l Josh Brolin stirred in for good measure? SIGN ME UP!" The movie does have its twists, but it definitely includes all the "law vs. cartel" aspects you'd expect, too.

 

To wit: It will surprise exactly no one that a film about running down a cartel boss is not for the faint-hearted. Sicario is brutal, and it does not flinch in its presentation of violence and gore, though torture is mercifully more implied than explicitly shown. It's all about ugliness, with the occasional surprisingly pretty moment. In a world of dirt and shacks, suddenly there's a silhouette framed against a stunning sunset, a frame of breathtaking beauty. Emily Blunt is fantastic in the lead, a competent, confident woman who lands in a situation she doesn't fully understand and can't control. For the second time in as many weeks, Josh Brolin turns up as a vaguely obnoxious guy that you'll kinda like anyway, and Benicio Del Toro all-but steals the show. The proceedings are accompanied by a menacing, magnificent score (composed by Johann Johannsson) that perfectly enhances the movie's tense tone. There are many moving pieces in Sicario, but, at almost an even two hours, it never feels muddled, slow, or long.

 

Sicario clocks in at 121 minutes, and is rated R for "strong violence, grisly images, and language."

I anticipated greatness from Sicario, and I'm pleased to report it exceeded my expectations. 

 

Of a possible nine Weasleys, Sicario gets eight.

 

Next up: Ridley Scott's The Martian.

 

A space mishap leaves a presumed-dead astronaut alive and alone on Mars.

 

Box office reports indicate that, if you went to the movies this weekend, you probably saw The Martian. And you loved it, didn't you? Seems everyone did. Well, almost everyone...

 

First, the positives: The Martian is a great story, and very well acted. A strong supporting cast is uniformly solid, but it's essentially up to Matt Damon to ensure you aren't rooting against astronaut Mark Watney's rescue. Damon does a fine job; he's believably smart, funny, and likable, yet also beautifully plays those moments of despair bound to beset a person in his situation. It's worth noting that, for all the movie's meant to be taken seriously, it does not hesitate to get a shirtless Matt Damon onscreen as early and as often as possible. There's a shortage of Sebastian Stan (would you even believe I wrote this if I didn't say it?), but it's nice to see Stan, an excellent actor in his own right, in something worth watching. I'm a long-standing Stan Fan, but outside Marvel projects, I'm pretty sure he hasn't done a decent movie or show since the short-lived NBC series Kings. The Martian's effects are big and sweeping, not in the same universe (see what I did there?) as the visual magnificence of Interstellar, but certainly worth seeing on the big screen. It's played for laughs, but there's also a proper disco-stompin' soundtrack that'll leave you humming ABBA's Waterloo for the next week or so.

 

The negatives? Despite all that, The Martian is pretty boring for pretty frequent and pretty significant stretches. You've no reason to care whether anyone outside of Watney lives or dies. The off-Mars sequences at NASA are actually far more interesting and entertaining than the movie's galactic bread and butter. If we're being honest, I looked at the clock a LOT and was fidgetingly anxious to wrap it up before the movie's halfway point.

 

The Martian runs an excessive 141 minutes, and is rated PG13 for "some strong language, injury images, and brief nudity."

 

It's a good movie, maybe even a great movie, but on the heels of Sicario, 

 

The Martian just didn't feel all that special. 

 

Of a possible nine Weasleys, 

 

The Martian gets six and a half.

 

Until next time...

 

MOVIE REVIEW: THE MARTIAN

During a manned mission to Mars, Astronaut Mark Watney (Matt Damon) is presumed dead after a fierce storm and left behind by his crew. But Watney has survived and finds himself stranded and alone on the hostile planet. With only meager supplies, he must draw upon his ingenuity, wit and spirit to subsist and find a way to signal to Earth that he is alive. Millions of miles away, NASA and a team of international scientists work tirelessly to bring “the Martian” home, while his crewmates concurrently plot a daring, if not impossible, rescue mission. As these stories of incredible bravery unfold, the world comes together to root for Watney’s safe return. Based on a best-selling novel, and helmed by master director Ridley Scott, THE MARTIAN features a star studded cast that includes Jessica Chastain, Kristen Wiig, Kate Mara, Michael Pena, Jeff Daniels, Chiwetel Ejiofor, and Donald Glover.

Director: Ridley Scott    

Cast: Matt Damon, Jessica Chastain, Kristen Wiig, Jeff Daniels, Michael Peña.

Release Date: Oct 02, 2015

Rated PG-13 for Injury Images, Brief Nudity and Some Strong Language    

Runtime: 2 hr. 22 min.    

Genres: Action/Adventure    

Review:

Ridley Scott’s The Martian is a welcome return to form for the acclaimed director.  The film is a visually stunning and thoroughly engaging story of survival.  It’s an impressive achievement since it the type of film that focuses on a single character.  The story can be described as a mixture of Castaway and Gravity sans manufactured sentimentality.  The man at the center of the film is Matt Damon’s Mark Watney.  Damon’s performance is impressive because it steers clear of the typical tropes we’ve seen previously, keeping the performance rational and fresh.  Damon dominates the first half of the film and it’s to the film’s benefit.  The story starts to falter just a bit when it loses focus on Damon and starts throwing a myriad of supporting characters some of which are more distracting than interesting…..Kristin Wiig & Donald Glover immediately come to mind.  I would have preferred more characterization on Watney’s crew which gets the short end of the stick.  Minor quibbles aside; The Martian is a thoroughly enjoyable survival story which earns the most of its 2 hours plus run time.

A-

Cindy Prascik's Review of Fury

Dearest Blog, today it was off to the pictures to wage war with Brad Pitt's Fury.

Spoiler level here will be mild, nothing you wouldn't know from the trailers.

As World War II draws to a close, an outmatched US tank crew undertakes a dangerous mission.

Well, dear reader(s), I'll be straight with you: my interest in Fury can best be described as "at least it's not that Nicholas Sparks thing." It looks like my kind of movie, and the cast is (mostly) terrific, but for some reason the trailers did nothing to excite me. Figuring I'm gonna need this one come awards time, though, I set out today hoping to be pleasantly surprised.

Fury is being lauded as an honest look at war, and that may well be, but it's otherwise a total dud.

The characters are broadly drawn caricatures, and the dialogue is so badly written it might as well be Twilight. Every incident, every encounter, every happening is more predictable than the last, straight out of the tear-your-heart-out War Movie Playbook.

The cast actually IS mostly solid and can't be faulted for the film's failings, with the notable exception of Shia LeBeouf.

A great actor inhabits a character so you forget whatever you might know of him, personally, but LeBeouf is so profoundly unlikable that whatever acting skill he possesses is nowhere near up to that task. Even Brad Pitt seems somehow diminished, following so quickly on the heels of Robert Downey, Jr.'s and Denzel Washington's most recent starring turns.

If Fury gets credit for putting the horrors of war on up-close-and-personal display, it also has to take the blame for dawdling overlong on just about everything, resulting in an excessive runtime that could and should have been trimmed by at least 20 minutes. If this mess makes a ripple come awards season, I shall fail to feel even the tiniest bit of shame for keeping I, Frankenstein on my year-end top ten list!

Fury clocks in at 134 minutes and is rated R for "strong sequences of war violence, some grisly images, and language throughout."

I never go into a movie set on hating it, and honestly expected to come out of Fury impressed despite myself, Instead, the only fury to be had was my own, for seven bucks and two hours I can't get back.

Of a possible nine Weasleys, Fury gets four.

Until next time..

You each owe me $1.40.

MOVIE REVIEW: END OF WATCH

END OF WATCH




David Ayer's End of Watch stars Michael Peña and Jake Gyllenhaal as a pair of L.A. cops and close friends who work to keep the streets safe. Shot in a found-footage style, the movie follows the duo as they make enemies with a major drug cartel and attempt to lead happy personal lives. ~ Perry Seibert, Rovi

Director: David Ayer

Cast: Jake Gyllenhaal, Michael Peña, Anna Kendrick, Frank Grillo, America Ferrera.

Release Date: Sep 21, 2012

Rated R for sexual References, Pervasive Language, Some Disturbing Images, Some Drug
Use and Strong Violence

Runtime: 1 hr. 49 min.

Genres: Drama

Review:

End of Watch is an aggressive film which feels like a cop version of into The Heart of Darkness. David Ayers uses a lot of filming techniques to get give his film a crazy kind of energy that makes the more mundane parts of the film seem less so. His style works for the most part but occasionally it’s more distracting than it needs to be, detracting from the quality of the story and excellent performances on display. Jake Gyllenhaal and Michael Peña have some of the best chemistry I’ve seen in ages in this type of film. Each works off each other extremely well. Their performances have a tangible and believable sense of authenticity throughout. It’s the best performance from both in a long while. They are the heart and soul of the film, creating an impressive connection with the audience even as the story gets more and more extreme, occasionally veering into implausibility. The supporting cast fills out the character’s world well, adding to the film’s overall quality and compounding the emotional punch the climax delivers.

B

Movie Reviews: OBSERVE AND REPORT

Saturday, April 11, 2009
Movie Reviews: OBSERVE AND REPORT
IN THEATERS

OBSERVE AND REPORT

As head of security at the Forest Ridge Mall, Ronnie Barnhardt (Seth Rogen) takes his job very seriously, enforcing mall rules with an iron fist. When a flasher strikes Forest Ridge, Ronnie sees a chance to display his unappreciated cop skills and bring the felon to justice, and, at the same time, impress his dream girl (Anna Faris) and win a coveted spot at the police academy.

Cast: Seth Rogen, Ray Liotta, Michael Peña, Anna Faris, Dan Bakkedahl

Director: Jody Hill

Opened .April 10, 2009

Runtime: 1 hr. 26 min.

Rated R for sexual content, violence, pervasive language, graphic nudity and drug use

Genres: Black Comedy, Comedy

Review:

If you are going into Observe and Report expecting to see the same Seth Rogan you’ve seen in his Judd Apatow films you’ll be sorely disappointed here. Observe and Report is about as non mainstream as comedy come. Director Writer Jody Hill pushes his film near or over every boundary and isn’t afraid to test the audiences, a long full frontal flasher scene comes to mind, and prod them to see how much we can take. This film is funny but not in the way you’d expect from the advertising. It’s the darkest kind of humor mixed with some truly brutal set pieces that are as funny as they are brutal. Seth Rogan totally breaks from his usual lovable loser shtick and gives Ronnie a complexity and depth that’s shockingly impressive. He shows the type of range that I didn’t know he was capable of and makes me think that if this would have been a straight drama it could have been a kid brother to Taxi Driver. Ronnie is a sad even pathetic individual whose delusions of grandeur are incredibly out of reach. Anna Faris also delivers a slightly off kilter performance, her character isn’t the sweet lovable bimbo from The House Bunny. Instead she’s fairly despicable self centered individual who’s as vapid as she is vain. Ray Liotta is effective as the detective who butts heads with Ronnie while working on the flasher case. Michael Peña is memorable as Ronnie’s right hand man who works his perm as well as his lisp. Veteran actress Celia Weston does fine work her in a small role as Ronnie’s boozy yet sweet mother. Aziz Ansari also has a small but memorable role as a mall vendor whose has a slight dislike for Ronnie. Most of these characters are just horrible or unbalanced individuals; Collette Wolfe’s Nell, who’s smitten with an oblivious Ronnie, is sweet and lovable. Jody Hill’s direction is sharp and aggressive, keeping the eye interested in what’s occurring even in some of the most mundane sequences. There’s a sharp shift from humor to sadness that borders on poignant. It’s the type of film that keeps you off balance and unsure of what to expect from one moment to the next. Observe and Report is a daring follow up to Jody Hill’s first film, The Foot Fist Way, and one that might surprise and shock a lot of people.

B+