Well this is going to be one of my short and sweet reviews because, there really isn’t much to this quick hour and 40 minute film. Which was kind of the problem. CHURCHILL is about Winston Churchill obviously, but it only focuses really on four days of his life, the four days leading up to D-Day and his rallying speech. Mainly how he was against the operation to begin with, but out of passion, afraid that they would not win, and over 20,000 soldiers would die for nothing. His wife trying to calm him down, he tried do to everything he could to stop the troops from ever entering the beach.

Well, we all know what ends up happening, spoiler alert, D-Day happens anyway and the allies eventually stop Hitler and his regime. While the movie was watchable it was a little bit of a bore. I would’ve rather have a whole 2 hour and 30 minute film about the entirety of one of the world’s greatest leaders. Especially with Brian Cox in the role. He is excellent here, but I feel like a story focused on something else would of taken his excellent performance and made it classic and award worthy. His wife, played by Miranda Richardson is good too, but she mainly just gets mad at him and has to calm him down a couple of times, to understanding what his mind is going through.

I didn’t learn a lot about Winston Churchill in this film, and I feel like that was a crime, like I was robbed. So I can’t recommend this really other than to say maybe just watch it for Cox’s performance? I don’t know. The movie literally had no purpose. I get what the screenplay writer was trying to do, to avoid that ‘bio’ pic. But sometimes the ‘bio’ pic is exactly what we need. This could’ve been included in the bio pic, but for only like maybe 10-15 minutes of screentime? Yeah…that would’ve been better.

WONDER WOMAN is unfortunately DCEU’s final nail in the once hopeful DC Comics franchise coffin. Time to throw in the towel and let Marvel rule all. There is no way to turn this around…Yes, Zach, they will believe this at first. Yes, they will be fooled by you, they will think that you really didn’t like Wonder Woman. They will be shocked and very, very sad. Little do they know is that you’re actually tricking them. Yes. They have no idea that you really think that Wonder Woman is a giant 180 in the right direction. There are no clues that you think this is one of the year’s best films, and definitely the best DCEU movie to date (even though the count right now is only four). Oh yes, you really feel that DCEU, after this point, could be like Sleeping Beauty, where both Gad Gadot and director Patty Jenkins have kissed the DCEU passionately and maybe has finally awoken the sleeping giant. Wait…whoa, just blacked out for a second there…I didn’t say that out loud just now…did I?

Wonder Woman is (lame pun intended) wonderful. And like my inner thoughts above, it is the best DCEU movie to date (not comparing it to the standard DC films like The Dark Knight, which will never be dethroned of it’s #1 status), and definitely will be in my top ten films of the year. This film makes Suicide Squad look like it was written and directed by Harambe. It is extremely well acted, sure as shit entertaining, perfect pacing, lots of cool draw dropping action and Patty Jenkins shows that female directors need to be given the chance to direct cool big pictures like this. I can’t tell you how surprised I am by how well this film worked on every single level I can think of.

I mean, really the only two complaints I have is that come of the CGI work was just a little, tiny, tiny bit shaky and that the final act, while still gung-ho astonishing, felt like it borrowed too much from the finale of Batman V Superman. But those are two minor complaints. The movie is completely owned and ruled by Gal Gadot. She was one of the best parts of Batman V Superman and this picture proves that the best parts weren’t a one and done deal. Gal Gadot, in my opinion, is one of the strongest, nicest, prettiest, and bravest women on the planet. This film was made to make the lead carry a lot of her shoulder’s. But God damn, does Gadot make it look so easy. The chemistry between her and Chris Pine is not only realistic, but the movie takes it time with it, where every beat and payoff feels completely earned, to the fact where you might be hiding a few tears in the finale. This whole thing is Gal Gadot though. She IS NOW officially Wonder Woman, in that it’s basically like Hugh Jackman and Wolverine, where I’ll never be able to see someone else in the role.

I also like how the marketing of this film is hiding a lot of secrets from you. Not going to spoil them here, I promise, but let’s just say the trailers do not give away the whole film. Not by a long shot, especially the ending. The DCEU does have one advantage over the Marvel EU thus far. The villains are already highly compelling and interesting. Marvel is still struggling to figure this out. The villain(s) in this though are menacing and actually pose somewhat of a significant threat. While the villain in this is in the background most of the time, when revealed, is a nice, juicy, meaty role.

When Wonder Women goes into action, everything in this is well shot, where you can see what is actually happening. Patty Jenkins directed this movie with perfection. And to think, she was supposed to direct Thor 2 until Marvel didn’t have enough enthusiasm to let a female director take the reigns of that movie. Well, we see how Thor 2 turned out didn’t we? I guess Marvel is now kicking their own ass with their decision. This movie is a complete adventure thrill ride. When Diana Prince steps out onto the World War I front line, that action scene was instantly one that is going to burn in audiences minds forever. Really, really cool stuff.

There is nothing left to say except you need to go and see Wonder Woman in a theater immediately. No excuses. This is the real deal where the DCEU actually feels like it is starting to get a pulse, and Wonder Woman was the “CLEAR!” moment this franchise needed. If anybody spoils this for any of you, shame on them. It is really a wonder that this film worked, with all the troubled production. But maybe that was just some asshole trying to get a rise out of people. Because Wonder Woman is not just a wonderful summer picture, but a wonderful superhero film, and a wonderful film period. Let’s cross our fingers that Justice League works as well as this.

Ranking of DCEU Films

1. Wonder Woman
2. Man of Steel
3. Batman V Superman: Dawn of Justice
4. Suicide Squad

Let me give you a word of warning: so far, before this Pirates movie, I have only thought the first one was fantastic. Dead Man’s Chest is only half a good movie, At World’s End feels like a disappointing remake of Matrix Revolutions, and At Stranger Tides is frankly a piece of absolute shit. So when I say that PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN – DEAD MEN TELL NO TALES is the best Pirates film since the first one, and the only other one I actually enjoyed immensely…you know I have to be telling the truth.  In fact when you wake up early on the weekend to make a 9 am showing like I did, and the movie captivated you the entire time, you know that you won’t make that movie swab the poop deck of your mind.

What the movie does well is try to be it’s own adventure. I know that On Stranger Tides did as well, but On Stranger Tides completely relied on Johnny Depp to bring the whole movie together, and it failed completely. It didn’t try to make you care about Ian McShane or Penelope Cruz’s character, and the Tree of Life MacGuffin was used so stupidly I can’t even fucking remember why they wanted to find it in the first place. I guess to live forever? Which if I wanted to watch a movie that pulls that off I’ll just stick The Last Crusade in my Blu-Ray player again. This MacGuffin, the Trident of Poseidon, actually has different purposes, not just for one character, but for ALL of the characters, where you actually want them to reach the goal because the goal is extremely important to the plot.

And while some people might think it is lazy writing, the film introduces new characters that have to do with past Pirates characters that we care about, so it actually has us default to care about them a little bit. But their acting also works as well. Brendon Thwaites and Kyra Scadder…(I’m not looking up how to spell her name so I’ll say the girl from The Maze Runner movies) are actually quite good in this and bring some chops that were missing from Ian MacShane and Penelope Cruz from the last adventure. The film also does a great job by not just relying on Johnny Depp to bring the movie together. He is there a lot, but the film gives equal time to the other characters so we don’t get sick of Depp’s performance like we did with On Stranger Tides. I also like that there are really two MacGuffin’s in this film, where the black compass that we have seen Depp with throughout all the movies, has an interesting role to play.

And I’ll get this also out of the way. Yes, you get to see Orlando Bloom and Keira Knightly in this, but just a warn of warning, one character gets about 5 minutes of screentime, and the other maybe two minutes, so don’t rely on their nostalgia to make you like the film. I would be also remiss if I didn’t mention that the action sequences in this movie are all pretty awesome. Yes, you get the cool ship pirate battles with cannon balls galore but this film has so much more fun stuff in it. You get a great sequences of not just a bank safe but an entire bank building being dragged through a town, a cool sequence with zombie dead sharks trying to keep two of our heroes, and the finale (I don’t want to spoil it here) is the most memorable of all 5 movies, with incredible set design and special effects. Yes, it is even better than the finale of the first film.

Also, the movie finally had some balls on some of the fates of the characters. It managed to course correct one fate of a character I didn’t care with what they did with him/her in the last couple of films, and not everyone survives this journey, which I appreciated (everything can’t all be happy and hunky dory). Also, Javiar Bardem makes the next best villain since Geoffrey Rush in the original. I never really cared for Ian MacShane or Davy Jones in the other sequels. Be sure to stay through the entire credits for an extra important scene possibly setting up the next film (although I kind of don’t like what they might be doing) that gives two important characters one or two more minutes of screen time.

But I really really really enjoyed this Pirates film, and I can’t see why critics aren’t enjoying this one as well, especially when they enjoyed the so-so Dead Man’s Chest and meh-meh At World’s End. This movie is entertainment in spades and will definitely check this out again. Maybe I liked it so much because On Stranger Tides is one of the biggest pieces of shit at the bottom of the adventure ocean. But this film gets a promotion, and is nowhere near having to walk the plank for this Movie Pirate.

We all know that PG-13 comedies don’t work anymore. That’s why every comedy I am thinking of that comes out this summer, like BAYWATCH, Rough Night, Girl’s Night Out, are all rated R. Can you think of the last PG-13 comedy that actually worked? We need the dick, fart & vagina jokes. The ones that are clever at least. There are some R rated comedies that don’t work though. You can have the dick, fart & vagina jokes, but they aren’t that clever, and the chemistry of the actors can’t be there. With this, the jokes are hit & miss, it kind of drags a little in the middle, but the chemistry of all the actors, especially Johnson and Efron, make this film a very perfect, if ultimately forgettable, perfect one time Netflix watch.

I was bringing up PG-13 comedies because if this was PG-13, it would’ve been absolutely awful. While the jokes hit or miss, the jokes that do work are completely raunchy and wouldn’t worked edited for TV. While I think the mainstream critics are right on some of their critiques of this film, they are being a little too harsh. This food is not awful at all, at least watchable, and somewhat entertaining. It actually has  a story, and the magic charisma that Dwayne Johnson brings to every film is here and it works very well, especially with Efron. In fact, all the characters here work. Daddario has great romantic chemistry with Efron, and Rohrbach has great chemistry with the fat kid. And I also like that the fat kid didn’t have to win her the entire movie, that she actually liked him the whole time and just needed to display a little confidence to get to the next stage in their romance.

Also, Chopra (who is the main lead in TV’s Quantico), although VERY underused, made a great villain. I haven’t seen an episode of Quantico, but here acting here works, I just wished they used her a little bit more. I loved all the different names Johnson was giving Efron the entire movie, especially one that will make you laugh really hard because of it’s directness. The thing that could’ve rocked this movie into greatness though was if it poked more fun at itself, kind of like how 21 and 22 Jump Street did. There are a couple of jokes of how lifeguard’s doing what they are doing in this film is kind of ridiculous, but it doesn’t take that joke to the next level, and instead becomes buries itself in the plot that doesn’t matter, and gets a little too serious for it’s source material.

I saw this at the Alamo Drafthouse, which always has a great 30 minute pre show with selected baffoonery that gets material from Youtube that relates to the film that is about to play. I saw a bunch of ridiculous shit from Baywatch over the years, and the pre show kind of got me really amped because I saw a bunch of opportunity to really kick the old ridiculous show in the balls while also being ridiculous in its own right. And like I said, there are a couple of jokes in their, but it doesn’t take any of them where they need to go. It really is a missed opportunity and will ultimately what will make the film kind of forgettable for me in the long run.

But the critics are wrong, this movie isn’t horrible at all. It’s the perfect Netflix watch late night with friends while drunk or (I’ve never even smoked a cigarette so I’m just guessing) high as fuck. The film kind of drags in the middle, and the action sequences could’ve been more planned out, ridiculous, and fun, are kind of tame. But the film ultimately keeps it out of being mediocre from the chemistry of the leads and the good jokes that stick the landing. And the film has one of the better blooper reels in the credits that I have seen in a really long time. You won’t miss anything by seeing this in the theater, but if you are bored on a long hot summer day and you don’t want to be in a crowded pool area, you could do a lot worse than seeing this film.

So when I first posted on my Facebook page that I was seeing EVERYTHING, EVERYTHING I had also posted an in depth prediction about what was going to happen in the movie. The question is: was my prediction correct? Well, I am not going to tell you, because either giving you a yes or a no, will spoil the film a little bit. So even though I can say this movie is quite predictable, I can only say that as a fact as I have seen wayyyyy too many movies and know how stuff like this is going to go and I actively search for it. A lot of audience members will be surprised by what goes on and what happens. But the real question is, how is it as a movie? It is honestly a cute little movie that is basically harmless that makes a very great film to go on a date with or Netflix and chill at home to. (And yes, I am insinuating that people will have sex after their date watching this film).

I don’t need to really get into the plot, because as someone I know so eloquently put it, “it’s basically Bubble Boy with much heavier dramatic themes.” Instead of a boy, it’s a girl, and instead of a bubble, it is a specially designed house that keeps the girl’s disease, severe combined immunodeficiency, from going haywire. A boy moves in next door, and they fall in love, making her more eager than ever to leave the house with him and risk her illness. I have to admit that it was nice the movie didn’t overstay it’s welcome and is a tight 95 minutes that doesn’t add any fluff or filler to make it longer.

Although I think the movie is predictable, it ultimately works because of the performances and chemistry between the two leads, Amandla Stenburg (Rue from The Hunger Games), and Nick Robinson (older kid in Jurassic World and The Kings of Summer). The conversations that they have with each other and their awkwardness feel real and not just reading off lines in a screenplay. When they text each other, instead of just showing the words on screen, the filmmakers choose a unique device in making them actually talk in a kind of fantasy like diner that the girl created a model of because she is an inspiring architect. Doing this throughout the film made the picture bring out emotions and feelings that as you know, just reading a text on screen could not convey.

Being a tight 95 minutes, I bet you the book goes into deeper things I would’ve liked to see a bit more of. Like the main character’s relationship with her nurse and the nurse’s daughter. It could’ve also dived into the main character’s relationship with her mother a little bit more and maybe had even shown the accident that took her brother and father away when she was a little girl. Kind of want to read the book now because I feel it would’ve complimented the movie well to give more weight to ‘everything.’

But this movie does has it’s charms, and works a lot better than some of the other dramas like this that try and force feed you feelings without being emotionally earned. The movie earns all of this with good dialogue, performances, and creatively showing us them texting each other than just the texts on screen. If the movie hadn’t done that at all, this film would’ve just been lost in the romantic crowd. Another thing is I wish it would’ve been a little bit more unpredictable. I really wish I could go into spoilers explaining how it could’ve. But once you’ve seen the movie you will know exactly what I meant. There are a couple of places this movie could’ve gone and had plenty of opportunities to take us there. But ultimately, you have to blame the book for that, since I heard this is a pretty close adaptation. So…I guess the author is to blame for that? If I could talk to the author, I would say you have a great story, you just need to take some risks, and here is how.

LOWRIDERS basically follows the Cliched Plot and Human Relationship book from front to cover, but I have to say that it does feature Supergirl Melissa Benoist at her absolute sexiest. The film mixes in that “oh so familiar poor boy on the streets but he’s a great artist that wants so much more and for his art and name to be recognized  and gets a girl that recognizes that talent”, with “his family is divided between giving his loyalty to his older brother who just got out of prison or his “used” to be drunk father that just wants his son to work on lowriders at the custom shop that he owns.” You can completely see the whole movie right? Well you can, so the film then has to work on performances and entertainment value alone, which thankfully, it does.

I’m not saying that it is a great movie though, but I am saying it is a great Netflix watch. You get to see some pretty beautiful and custom cars and again, like I said, a very sexy Melissa Benoist. If the movie had garnered even a ounce of unpredictability, it could’ve boosted itself into a very good category. The problem is, the audience will know what will happen scenes and scenes away before the characters make those actions. There is going to be a scene where the father confronts the older brother. You know who the winner of the Lowrider contest they have in the middle of the film is going to be. You know whether our main character will get his art or his name out there or not. You know what will happen the climatic scene. You know there will be a forgiving scene as well. You know how the story will end.

If I let you sit in a room all by yourself for 10 minutes, you could tell me completely what happens in the beginning, middle, and end. No question about it. But instead of coming out as just another boring storytelling sausage link, you at least get a hot dog with some of the chili and cheese fixings entertainment wise. The performances are all there, including Theo Rossi as the brother, Demian Bichir as the father, and Gabriel Chivarria as the protagonist. And again, Melissa Benoist as the girlfriend to the protagonist. This is basically The Fast and The Furious meets any family drama without any of the racing. (I take that back, there is a kind of chase near the end that is Fast and the Furious on a very calm relaxer drug)

There is something that happens in the third act that you could completely argue with me is unpredictable. Maybe for you. But there would be literally no way to advance the story other than a lawsuit, which would be boring. It also sets up the way too predictable finally. I guess you could say that this movie is one of my guilty pleasures. There is so much going against it that me liking it I had to have been in some sort of a mood while watching it for the first time. Maybe it will not hold up in repeat viewings. But the fact is I was never really bored, the acting is there, and the short run time of 95 minutes completely flew by. There are “lower” things you could be doing with your time.

First off, way too long of a title. Second off, Richard Gere’s performance is absolutely amazing and one of his best. Third off, not a bad film at all! NORMAN: THE MODERATE RISE AND TRAGIC FALL OF A NEW YORK FIXER is about a Jewish business man, Norman Oppenheimer, desperate to make contacts to make a name for himself, that buys a pair of expensive shoes one day to a low-on-the-totem-pole Israeli politician, whose life dramatically changes when that politician becomes the Prime Minister of Israel three years later. Thankfully, the film doesn’t just rely on Gere’s performance but shows an interesting aspect to politics and deal making in general that pulls the entire project away from mediocrity to a film a recommend watching one day if you have the time.

You haven’t heard of this film? Of course you haven’t, it is only playing in independent cinemas and Cinemark Legacy right now, but it did run pretty well in the festival circuit earlier this year and last year. Watching Norman going around and trying to make all these contacts and business deals that he doesn’t know whether he can fulfill or not is very intriguing and nerve wracking. You want to believe in the character of Norman so much that you want to see him pull all of this off, but know that the man is actually grasping at straws. When he triumphs, the audience feels it, but when he fails, it hits the audience deeper, knowing that the newfound success could of in no way lasted because of Norman’s other handshakes that have been going on.

And I’ll say this, the movie completely sticks the landing, meaning the ending. The ending is one of the best parts of the movie, with all the pieces of the puzzle and all of the holes being filled. It’s an emotional climax that will truly make you think. Don’t worry, won’t spoil it here, but that leads me to the case that the title of this movie is the worst thing about it. Not only is it too long, but it is also kind of a spoiler per say. They should’ve just called it Norman The Fixer or maybe it’s original title Oppenheimer Strategies. But there have been movies with atrocious bad titles that have ended up being good, so just add this one on to the list.

The supporting players in this, while small, are good, but ultimately just serve to boost Gere’s performance. You have a lot of famous faces like Michael Sheen, Steve Buscemi, and Dan Stevens, that fill in really unimportant roles that were mainly hired to boost up the poster and get people in seats. I should mention that the Israeli Prime Minister, played by Lior Ashkenazi, is the only other sort of stand out performance in this. That’s the only other really meaty role, especially toward the end.  But Richard Gere alone should make you want to watch his film. He has always been an extraordinary actor but here he is masterful. He has all of Norman’s tics, facial expressions, and concerns down pat, and I would watch this movie again simply by just watching his performance alone and leave out the story elements.

But like I said, the story elements make the entire film work. This film isn’t a masterpiece per say, but it is very, very good. This is one of the films I am more likely to remember down the line than not, especially it’s masterwork of an ending. My only real complaint about the film is the title and a little of the pacing in the middle. But if that is all you have to complain about, best to maybe keep it to yourself.

No, I’m not reviewing the once great television series starring Zachary Levi, I’m reviewing the movie (which you can only see at Cinemark West Plano right now), CHUCK, starring Ray Donovan’s Liev Schreiber about boxer Chuck Wepner, who was the inspiration for Sylvester Stallone writing Rocky which won a shit load of rewards. Chuck was a okay boxer, known mainly for almost going a full 15 rounds with Muhammad Ali back in 1975 (we get to see this fight, which is one of the highlights of the film). As far as sports biographical pics go, it is harmless, not being great, but definitely not being bad, too long, or boring either. If you are a sports biographical pic, and you are neither great nor bad, you kind of get lost in the crowd.

Which is what will happen with this film for me. I’d say in a couple of years I will hardly remember it other than I thought it was a good one time watch with a stellar performance by Schreiber. I have a feeling though an extra 30 minutes that seemed to be missing from this film could’ve gone either way. It could’ve made it too long and boring and not added much to the film, or it could’ve made the film more in-depth, better, with more amounts of character development. I don’t know unless I see this 30 minutes. Not to say the film was edited badly, but the movie is only an hour and 40 minutes, which for a biographical pic, is quite short.

I would’ve honestly liked to see Wepner actually fight the bear (yes, he fights a bear in a ring as a publicity stunt claiming to be true, looked it up and it was) but I guess it would’ve been really bad CGI and PETA would’ve been pissed. But looking over Wepner’s career, the movie hardly ever goes into the thick of it. Instead we are mostly treated to his downfall (with drugs of course) after he takes Rocky filming all those awards too seriously and starts to use that as a crutch when talking to people. I would’ve also liked to see his relationship with his second wife Linda develop a little bit more than it did (played by the underused but always wonderful Naomi Watts). I also forgot to mention this: Jim Gaffigan has a small role as one of Wepner’s friends, and what a role it is. You can hardly recognize Gaffigan at all in his zany role. If there is another reason to maybe check out the film one day, it is Gaffigan as well.

There is unfortunately nothing new with downfall pictures anymore. I think if the film would’ve focused a little more on Wepner’s success in boxing mixed with the downfall, it would’ve been a more memorable picture. Maybe a little boring, but a little more accurate and meaty.  Also the guy that plays Stallone in the film is excellent and I’m wondering why they didn’t show Wepner sueing Stallone like he did in real life, that would’ve been interesting. Instead, the film will get lost with all the other boxing/sports biographical pics you have already seen. And if you miss this one, you don’t really miss anything other than a decent one time watch that you will forget mere months or years later. I feel a little bad but I can’t deny that the boxing pic, with the exception of Creed a couple of years ago (and some of Bleed For This), is dead. I recommend, but not enough to go out and seek.