A young airline security guard is blackmailed by a mysterious passenger who threatens to smuggle a dangerous package onto a plane on Christmas Eve.
Director: Jaume Collet-Serra
Cast: Taron Egerton, Sofia Carson, Danielle Deadwyler, Jason Bateman
Release Date:December 13, 2024
Genre: Action, Crime, Mystery, Thriller
Rated PG-13 for strong violence, bloody images, some language and suggestive references.
Runtime:1h 59m
Review:
Carry-On is an old school potboiler in the vein of Die Hard that takes full advantage of strong performances from Taron Egerton and Jason Batman engaging in a tense game of cat and mouse. Jaume Collet-Serra confidently sets up the premise after quick introductions to the main characters before he moves right into the meat of the story. The story itself will never be considered smart by any extent, but it does a solid job of keeping your attention especially as the stakes get progressively higher. He consistently maintains a steady rhythm to the tension even as the script takes increasingly ludicrous twist and turns. Taron Egerton brings his likeable everyman energy to the proceedings which works perfectly for the central role. Egerton is able to give his character a believable sense of being out of his depth initially before rising to the occasion. He's able to bring a sense of authenticity to the role that probably doesn't come through in the hands of a lesser performer. Jason Batman is clearly relishing his role as the seemingly omnipotent ringleader. His measured, controlled diction and delivery are perfectly suited for his role as the mastermind. He can imbue his character with a cold, calculating, detachment that gives him a palpable sense of danger throughout. The two don't share many scenes together but their verbal interchanges pop and ultimately make the film work. Danielle Deadwyler makes the most of her screentime as an FBI agent on the trail of Bateman that leaves you wishing the film had given her a more prominent role. She is given a particularly fun action sequence set to Wham's Last Christmas which is sure to be one of the more memorable moments in the final act. That final act does stretch out longer than necessary which ultimately keeps Carry-On being truly memorable.
Can-do koala Buster Moon and his all-star cast of animal performers prepare to launch a dazzling stage extravaganza in the glittering entertainment capital of the world. There's just one hitch -- he has to find and persuade the world's most reclusive rock star to join them. What begins as Buster's dream of big-time success soon becomes an emotional reminder of the power of music to heal even the most broken heart.
Director: Garth Jennings
Cast: Matthew McConaughey, Reese Witherspoon, Scarlett Johansson, Taron Egerton, Tori Kelly, Nick Kroll, Jennings, Peter Serafinowicz, Jennifer Saunders, Nick Offerman, Bobby Cannavale, Pharrell Williams, Halsey, Chelsea Peretti, Letitia Wright, Eric André, Adam Buxton, Bono
Rated PG for some rude material and mild peril/violence
Runtime:1h 50m
Review:
Garth Jennings's Sing 2 is a fun breezy family film that's easy to enjoy. Sing 2 doesn't break any new ground or really dig deep into any big themes so it's not quite as impactful as some of Pixar's films. It understands what it is and provides a fizzy, colorful jukebox musical that's always fun and entertaining regardless of how old you are. Matthew McConaughey leads the film as the go getter koala Buster Moon. Much like in the original, you get the feeling that McConaughey really enjoys voicing this character because he disappears into the role so much so that you occasionally forget it's him behind the microphone. Reese Witherspoon, Scarlett Johansson, Taron Egerton and Tori Kelly all return with each getting a chance to show off their impressive singing voices. Newcomers Bobby Cannavale, Chelsea Peretti and Halsey are all great fun with the latter clearly having a great time. Bono who plays the reclusive rock star lion is far better than expected in his limited role. Sing 2 is an easily digestible family film that works well as mindless entertainment for kids and parents alike.
An epic musical fantasy about the uncensored
human story of Sir Elton John’s breakthrough years.
Director: Dexter Fletcher Cast: Taron Egerton, Jamie Bell, Richard
Madden, Bryce Dallas Howard Release Date: May 31, 2019 Biography, Drama, Music Rated R for language throughout, some drug
use and sexual content Runtime: 2 h 1 min Review: Rocketman is a thoroughly entertaining jukebox
musical/biopic of Elton John. Director
Dexter Fletcher style and structure give the film a pulsating energy from the
get go. Fletcher’s direction gives the
film a certain type of energy that differentiates from the more paint by the
numbers feel of Bohemian Rhapsody. As
such, it’s feels like a better made film from start to finish and it’s hard not
to think about Julie Taymor’s underrated Across The Universe which had a
similar feel. At the center of the
entire thing is Taron Egerton who deserves all the accolades that are sure to
come his way during award season.
Egerton has long been doing impressive work across multiple films
outside of The Kingsman series but here he just embodies Elton John. His performance and singing are just superb
throughout the entire film. The supporting
cast is just as strong even if some of the characters feel a bit more like
types as opposed to fully formed characters.
Richard Madden is impressively enigmatic as John’s first manager and
lover while Jamie Bell performance is quieter and more subtle but just as
effective. Ultimately, your enjoyment of
the film will come down to your enjoyment of musicals and Elton John’s timeless
music, outside of those caveats, Rocketman is sure to please.
Yesterday I abandoned my coworkers, turned my back on the best weather day of the budding summer, and hid inside a dark cinema with a monster monarch and pop music king.
Spoiler level here will be mild, nothing you wouldn't know from trailers and clips.
First on my agenda, Godzilla: King of the Monsters.
With Earth threatened by Titans and eco-terrorists, it's the King of the Monsters himself to the rescue.What I expect from a Godzilla movie, first and foremost, is for the monsters to be huge and impressive. Godzilla: King of the Monsters delivers that in spades, and I didn't even see it on the biggest/best screen at my cinema. I can only imagine how spectacular it looks in IMAX! The CGI sleek and effective, and the light effects on various creatures add some punch to a movie that, overall, is rather dark and sometimes hard to see. The disaster and even weather effects are also a sight to behold. A cast that boasts names like Bradley Whitford, Sally Hawkins, Vera Farmiga, Kyle Chandler, and Ken Watanabe might ordinarily be relied upon to elevate a movie beyond "just a monster movie," but, unfortunately, this monster movie is the equivalent of cement shoes on its actors. I was a little embarrassed to watch such quality talent utter this poorly-crafted dialogue, and I groaned out loud more than once at putrid attempts at humor. That aside, Bear McCreary's score smacks of old-school Godzilla pictures, and solid wall-to-wall action makes for a fast-moving couple hours of summer escapism.
Godzilla: King of the Monsters runs 131 minutes and is rated PG13 for "sequences of monster action, violence, and destruction, and for some language."
It's not the best Godzilla movie ever, but King of the Monsters certainly isn't the worst. Of a possible nine Weasleys, Godzilla: King of the Monsters gets six.
Next on the docket, a movie for which it feels like I've been waiting forever: Rocketman, a musical fantasy based on the life of Elton John.
Dearest reader(s), I am utterly in love with Rocketman. I want to talk about this movie. I want to talk about this movie a LOT. If you don't care to dive right into the thousand words that will undoubtedly follow, just get off the couch, put away the laptop, and get out to the cinema now. Do it. If you *do* want to dive right into my thoughts on Rocketman, well, here ya go...
The first words I said to anyone about Rocketman were: "That's not just the best movie I've seen this year; that's the best movie I've seen in ten years." While it'd take a bit more careful consideration to see how close that statement is to actual fact (it's only been nine years since two new entries, The Social Network and How to Train Your Dragon, jumped into my all-time top ten), I'll stand by the enthusiasm. Rocketman is a truly extraordinary cinematic achievement.
Rocketman is staged like a Broadway musical, with John recounting his childhood, rise to fame, and difficulties with addictions and relationships through musical numbers. The film moves deftly from heartbreak to passion to euphoria without ever feeling disjointed or like it's lost its way. Though the real strength of the musical numbers lies in John's timeless tunes, the staging bursts with fantastic choreography and brilliant costumes. John's story is fascinating enough in its own right, but here it's brought to life with a theatrical flair reminiscent of Bob Fosse's brilliant biopic All That Jazz, another of my all-time top-ten movies, which I was disappointed to discover recently is not available for rental or streaming...if I want to watch it, I have to dig out my old DVD. How very 1998!
Rocketman features top-notch work from a delightful cast. Taron Egerton gives up every inch of himself to *become* Elton John, and if I had the whole of the Internet I couldn't say enough about his performance. Masterful, exceptional, and entirely expected of Egerton, who is unfailingly extraordinary. He does his own singing here, too, in case anyone was wondering. If Egerton perfectly captures the cacophony of Elton John, Jamie Bell's stalwart Bernie Taupin serves as the movie's quiet cornerstone. Bell has been turning in brilliant performances literally since he was a child, and this one moved me to tears more than once. The remainder of the cast, particularly Richard Madden as John's sexy, sleazy first love and manager John Reid, fantastically fleshes out the highs and lows and brights and darks of John's world, nary a weak link to be found among them; even the young kids are terrific.
Following so quickly on the heels of the Queen/Freddie Mercury biopic Bohemian Rhapsody, comparisons are inevitable, so, for whatever it's worth, here's how the two films stack up for me. Throwing no shade at Bohemian Rhapsody, which I loved, Rocketman is a much better film. The most objective and therefore critically relevant reason is simple: It's just more self-aware. Bohemian Rhapsody wanted so very badly to be taken seriously, and ultimately it succeeded, but for my money it skimmed too lightly over the dark times and hard questions to earn it. Rocketman was only ever billed as a fantasy, so, though it's based on some real-life people and happenings--and not all happy ones--it could always be whatever it wanted...and it is EVERYTHING. More subjectively, though I'm a big fan of Rami Malek, I've always believed Taron Egerton could do anything, and in each and every project he proves me right. Malek was terrific as Freddie Mercury, but Egerton inhabits Elton John in a way I've seldom seen, not even from the most experienced and decorated performers. Finally, Queen made some epic, legendary music and I love all of it, but it's never moved me in the way Elton John's music does, and that's allowing for the fact that my favorite Elton John songs--Madman Across the Water and Funeral for a Friend/Love lies Bleeding--are unrepresented in this picture. So...if you're going to make the comparison, for me it's not a hard call: Rocketman is a better movie than Bohemian Rhapsody by far and in every way.
Rocketman clocks in at 121 minutes and is rated R for "language throughout, some drug use, and sexual content."
Rocketman will break your heart and mend your soul. I haven't stopped smiling since I saw it, and I can't wait to see it again. There aren't nearly enough Weasleys to give this movie the rating it deserves, so I'm just going to beg you: GET OUT AND SEE ROCKETMAN NOW!
“Kingsman: The Secret Service” introduced
the world to Kingsman - an independent, international intelligence agency
operating at the highest level of discretion, whose ultimate goal is to keep
the world safe. In “Kingsman: The Golden Circle,” our heroes face a new
challenge. When their headquarters are destroyed and the world is held hostage,
their journey leads them to the discovery of an allied spy organization in the US called Statesman, dating back to the day they were
both founded. In a new adventure that tests their agents’ strength and wits to
the limit, these two elite secret organizations band together to defeat a
ruthless common enemy, in order to save the world, something that’s becoming a
bit of a habit for Eggsy…
Director: Matthew Vaughn
Cast: Taron Egerton, Colin Firth, Julianne
Moore, Edward Holcroft, Mark Strong
Release Date: Sept 29, 2017
Genres: Action Adventure
Rated R for sequences of strong violence,
drug content, language throughout and some sexual material
Review: Kingsman: The Golden Circle is a solid if flawed follow up to the surprise hit.Matthew Vaughn delivers more of what made the
first film so much fun but the follow up seems to lacks a bit of spark that
made the original work so well.That’s
not to say it’s not an entertaining film, because in spurts it’s a lot of fun,
but it just feels overstuffed.The film
is helped by a strong cast with some welcome additions but you can’t help but
think that Vaughn could have made better use of the talent on hand.Jeff Bridges and Channing Tatum roles are
pretty much glorified cameos with HalleBerry and Pedro Pascal having the beefier roles.Julianne Moore is fun as the villain even if
her character is slightly underdeveloped.She’s good fun but doesn’t approach the level of Sam Jackson’s lisping
villain from the first film.Kingsman:
The Golden
Circle has a lot to offer for fans of the original but unfortunately it
leaves you wishing it’d been trimmed and streamlined a bit before its release.
Dearest Blog: Yesterday it was off to Marquee Cinemas for a peek at Kingsman: The Golden Circle.
Spoiler level here will be mild, limited to a couple non-plot-related things you won't have seen in the trailers.
Their headquarters destroyed and their resources gone, the Kingsman (Kingsmen?) ally with their American cousins.
Kingsman: The Secret Service was my number-one movie of 2015. As it seems I'm saying a lot this year...even a great sequel to a great movie is without that element of surprise that makes the original seem so special, but that reality in no way diminished my expectations for Kingsman: The Golden Circle. I'm pleased to report the movie exceeded all of them.
There's a lot to discuss here, but I feel duty bound to start with Taron Edgerton. Still minus the status that would give him top billing in a movie of which he's clearly the star, he IS a star, perfectly hitting every note of the many sides of Eggsy. I love this kid. The Golden Circle's supporting players are a who's who of mega-stars and awards darlings, including returning favorites Colin Firth and Mark Strong, Halle Berry, Channing Tatum, Jeff Bridges, Julianne Moore (clearly having the time of her life as the picture's number-one baddie), and, yes, Sir Elton John in what's sure to be one of the most talked-about appearances of the movie year. This film is right up my alley in every way, and such a tremendous cast can't help but elevate it beyond what it might have been otherwise.
The Golden Circle hits the ground running with a wacky chase through the streets of London, and, for over two hours, it never lets up. The action is spectacularly choreographed and never gets old despite being almost non-stop. Humor is consistent and organic, never shoehorned in just for the sake of it. Oh, and on that topic, remember that bit you hated at the end of the first Kingsman? (Well, I'm assuming you hated it, it seems everyone did.) The sequel actually makes that right, so obviously that Matthew Vaughn himself might well have prefaced the moment with, "Hey guys, this is how that was SUPPOSED to work." I have heard a couple people say The Golden Circle is too much fun, but I can't imagine what anyone means by that. This sequel is so much fun that everything should aspire to its heights!
Kingsman: The Golden Circle clocks in at 141 minutes and is rated R for "sequences of strong violence, drug content, language throughout, and some sexual material."
Kingsman: The Golden Circle is a clever, fast-paced, well-acted good time, an absolute can't-miss on the big screen. Of a possible nine Weasleys, Kingsman: The Golden Circle gets nine.
Fangirl points (buckle in, there are a lot of them!): Keith Allen! Emily Watson! Bruce Greenwood!
OMG that weird mashup/cover of Cameo's Word Up! How about John Denver's resurgence in 2017 cinema?? And...Mark Strong, you can come sing Country Roads with us here in West Virginia any ol' day!
