Review: Top Gun: Maverick

Top Gun Maverick (2022)
PG-13 ‧ Action ‧ 2 Hours 17 Minutes

Written by Peter Craig; Justin Marks

Directed by ‎Joseph Kosinski

THE CAST

Cast

THE STORY

(In their own words) After more than 30 years of service as one of the Navy’s top aviators, Pete “Maverick” Mitchell is where he belongs, pushing the envelope as a courageous test pilot and dodging the advancement in rank that would ground him. Training a detachment of graduates for a special assignment, Maverick must confront the ghosts of his past and his deepest fears, culminating in a mission that demands the ultimate sacrifice from those who choose to fly it.

Tom Cruise plays Capt. Pete “Maverick” Mitchell in Top Gun: Maverick from Paramount Pictures, Skydance and Jerry Bruckheimer Films.

THE REVIEW

Top Gun Maverick is a film gushing with nostalgia of the first film while providing just enough new story to drive a new tale.  Fans of the original will enjoy the many call backs including bars songs sung, Cruise cruising around on a motorcycle, beach sports scenes, and wise cracking arrogance. 

The film succeeds on many levels, especially as a sequel. It takes the established character we know, shows us how things have been going since we last left off 30 years ago, and then furthers that character’s journey while reminding us of the ghosts of his past.  As a sequel it is nearly perfect. This will likely go down as one of the top sequels ever done.

As an actor, Tom Cruise does a fine job playing the charismatic and rule-pushing Maverick. A man who is haunted by the loss of his best friend in the first film. Someone who seems two of not allowed himself to advance in his career, a sort of atonement or perhaps simply to make the loss worth it. If he can’t be the best, there was no reason for him ever to have pushed the limits that caused the accident.

There’s also an element of the film that is both a good choice and a weakness in the film. The “enemy” in the film is named as “Nato adversary” but they never name a country or allude to what it might be. Which works well in the sense that the film can now play anywhere and will work in any time period, but also kills the stakes for the film. Keeping the enemy faceless doesn’t give depth to the villain, and you need a good villain to make a great hero.

While I liked the film, I am struggling with all the glowing reviews of the film that I’ve read. I thought it was okay, not the best action film in years. The fighter aerials are truly outstanding, it’s not like this film is moving the genre forward in any way. I don’t see other filmmakers using this as a blueprint going forward. If anything, it just used the standard action film formulas that we are used to. The film was somewhat predictable, which I think adds to the comfort feelings we all have with it. It’s very familiar, because we’ve seen this film outline before. Maybe I simply lack the Top Gun DNA that seems to be embedded in most of film lovers. I really, really wish I could like this film as much as everyone else seems to, but I just don’t. I don’t dislike it, but I doubt I’d watch it again on my own.

Overall, Top Gun: Maverick works as a film and is well worth the viewing in IMAX.  You need the optimal film quality to really appreciate Tom Cruise’s hair.

MONICA BARBARO PLAYS “PHOENIX,” JAY ELLIS PLAYS “PAYBACK,” AND DANNY RAMIREZ PLAYS “FANBOY” IN TOP GUN: MAVERICK FROM PARAMOUNT PICTURES, SKYDANCE AND JERRY BRUCKHEIMER FILMS.

THE BEST
BEST things about the film

  1. Action flight sequences. 
  2. Perfect blend of nostalgia of the first film while moving the film forward 
  3. Loved that we dropped into the middle of his love interest’s story and didn’t play the exposition game with us.  They just let it unfold to us and allowed us to discover their past as the scenes unfold.
  4. Tom Cruise’s hair. 

THE WORST

The three WORST things about the Film

  1. Are there no Motorcycle helmet laws in this Top Gun world?
  2. While I think they made a smart move by not identifying an enemy country, it really killed the stakes with them fighting a faceless anonymous enemy. Why should I care. 
  3. Pretty predictable.

THE LESSON

It doesn’t matter how fast you go, you can’t outrun the ghosts of your past.

THE FINAL WORD

Probably one of the top film sequels made.  While I did really enjoy it, I’m a bit surprised at how extreme the praise the film has been. If you were a fan of the original, I think you are in for a real treat.  If you haven’t seen the original, go see it first so you can experience the joy others are getting. 

THE VERDICT
My 3L system gives me the choice to Love It, Like It, or Lose It. 

Top Gun Maverick gets a Like It. 

THE TRAILER

THE REVIEWER

ABOUT SILAS

When he’s not reviewing films or interviewing people for the Black & A Half podcast, Silas Lindenstein can be found in the greater metro Seattle, WA working as a real estate agent helping people buy and sell homes, or performing stand up comedy to fellow nerds. He has a wife and three children and desperately wants to learn to make the perfect homemade pizza.

Review: Doctor Strange In The Multiverse Of Madness

Doctor Strange In The Multiverse of Madness  (2022)
PG-13 ‧ Action/Adventure ‧ 2 Hours 6 Minutes 

Written by Michael Waldron

Directed by ‎Sam Raimi

THE CAST

Benedict Cumberbatch, Elizabeth Olsen, Chiwetel Ejiofor, Benedict Wong, Xochitl Gomez, Michael Stuhlbarg, Rachel McAdams

THE STORY

Doctor Strange meets a familiar stranger from another earth. Thus begins an adventure through the multiverse to save an innocent and to save his own earth. 

(L-R): Rachel McAdams as Dr. Christine Palmer, Benedict Cumberbatch as Dr. Stephen Strange, and Xochitl Gomez as America Chavez in Marvel Studios’ DOCTOR STRANGE IN THE MULTIVERSE OF MADNESS. Photo courtesy of Marvel Studios. ©Marvel Studios 2022. All Rights Reserved.

THE REVIEW

Disney is known to keep their films’ major events and plot twists secrets, but for Doctor Strange In The Multiverse of Madness they have taken their secrecy to new levels in that the general description the film’s plot posted all over the internet is not even accurate. 

“Dr. Stephen Strange casts a forbidden spell that opens the doorway to the multiverse, including alternate versions of himself, whose threat to humanity is too great for the combined forces of Strange, Wong, and Wanda Maximoff.”

That’s not even close to an accurate description of this film.

What is? Well, the film starts off straight into action and I can’t even tell you what happens without giving away a major spoiler for the rest of the film. 

What I can tell you is that Disney skated the line with a PG-13 film that they early on called the first horror film in the MCU. The film doesn’t really hit the level of horror, but there are some really chilling and scary moments. I really do wish they had been willing to sacrifice some box office money and make an actual Rated R movie because this movie was ripe for it. Instead of being a horror, it is just the normal Marvel Action film with some horror elements for some sections of the film. 

The film is full of fan service. Some things that they have been clamoring for years. And yes, I think we will get some explanations on how some of the recaptured Marvel properties like Xmen and The Fantastic Four will be integrated into the future.  If you’ve watched the Marvel What If… Series on Disney+, I think you will have some extra enjoyment of this film. 

For me, the film starts off very exciting but then drops off immediately. We then have a very slow build for the duration of the film. In the first 20 minutes I wasn’t even sure I was going to like the film, but then it got better with every passing minute. 

Elizabeth Olsen as Wanda Maximoff in Marvel Studios’ DOCTOR STRANGE IN THE MULTIVERSE OF MADNESS. Photo courtesy of Marvel Studios. ©Marvel Studios 2022. All Rights Reserved.

This is a movie that will command a second or third viewing because it has so many Easter Eggs and cameos. I really want to dissect a lot of what we saw. 

The scale of this film is huge. It expands the potential universe in ways that are hard to imagine. It is probably the most interconnected film of any other film. Do not a bring with you to the movie someone who isn’t’ familiar with a good portion of the MCU. They won’t know what is going on a lot of the time and you’ll spend time explaining things and missing out a lot of enjoyable moments. 

Doctor Strange is a flawed superhero. His ego controls him at times. Wanda is very flawed, but that can be expected considering her roots as a villain. Wanda has had so much happen to her and this film is as much about her flaws as it is Doctor Strange.

Is the film good? Yes. Is it the best film yet? No. It has some really interesting moments, we get some better insight into Doctor Strange, realizing that as arrogant and hard to like  as he is at times, we get the best version of Doctor Strange out there.  

THE BEST

Three BEST things about the film

  1. It gets better and better every minute of the film. 
  2. I like that they don’t waste time with backstory and just sump into the film. 
  3. The cameos. So many cameos and easter eggs. 
Benedict Cumberbatch as Dr. Stephen Strange in Marvel Studios’ DOCTOR STRANGE IN THE MULTIVERSE OF MADNESS. Photo courtesy of Marvel Studios. ©Marvel Studios 2022. All Rights Reserved.

THE WORST

The three WORST things about the Film

  1. I can’t imagine someone watching this that doesn’t already know the universe. Not a good introduction movie.
  2. I wish the movie had gone for a Rated R horror. It backs off and it could have been SO GOOD.
  3. Some of the special effects were surprisingly not very good that it took me out of the film for a moment.

THE LESSON

Trusting other people to take control is hard.

THE FINAL WORD

The most interconnected MCU film we’ve had yet. Genre bending, universe expanding, and full of fan service. It is a film that must be seen in a theater. 

THE VERDICT
My 3L system gives me the choice to Love It, Like It, or Lose It. 

Doctor Strange In The Multiverse of Madness gets a Like It.

THE TRAILER

THE REVIEWER

ABOUT SILAS

When he’s not reviewing films or interviewing people for the Black & A Half podcast, Silas Lindenstein can be found in the greater metro Seattle, WA working as a real estate agent helping people buy and sell homes, or performing stand up comedy to fellow nerds. He has a wife and three children and desperately wants to learn to make the perfect homemade pizza.

Review – The Unbearable Weight Of Massive Talent

The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent (2022)
R ‧ Action/Comedy ‧ 1 Hour 47 Minutes

Written by  Kevin Etten &‎ Tom Gormican

Directed by ‎Tom Gormican

THE CAST

  • Nicolas Cage
  • Pedro Pascal
  • Sharon Horgan
  • Ike Barinholtz
  • Alessandra Mastronardi
  • Jacob Scipio
  • Neil Patrick Harris
  • Tiffany Haddish

THE STORY

(In their own words) Unfulfilled and facing financial ruin, actor Nick Cage accepts a $1 million offer to attend a wealthy fan’s birthday party. Things take a wildly unexpected turn when a CIA operative recruits Cage for an unusual mission. Taking on the role of a lifetime, he soon finds himself channeling his most iconic and beloved characters to save himself and his loved ones.

THE REVIEW

Nicholas Cage is obviously a massive talent. He has what most actors dream of….a distinct voice and style of acting that draws people. 

Above all though, he’s an artist.  I believe that it takes true artistry to be self-reflective and The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent is a great opportunity for Nicholas Cage to be self-reflective and self-deprecating.  Nicholas Cage shows he is not afraid to make fun of himself and how self aware he is of how the public at large sees him.  The film is a clear fictional version of Cage, but clearly painted with a lot of truth. Truths that lesser men may not be able to handle. 

The essence of the story is that a financially struggling Nicholas Cage takes a million dollar paycheck to attend a fans birthday party. While there, he learns that his fan may be a high profile drug lord and the FBI wants his help to save a woman they believe is being held on the estate. 

The results of this are a wonderful, refreshingly original comedy. Cage is a comedic force in the film. It’s a great tribute to Nicholas Cage that will be enriched by how many films of his you have seen, the good and the bad. The film is part buddy comedy, part action comedy, but whatever it is doing, it is consistently funny. 

I love how self aware the film is…, it’s so layered. It’s almost a movie within a movie within a movie. Are we watching what happened or a story told about what happened? 

There are really only two points of the film I didn’t care for. One, is that I think a film focusing on the celebrity of a Hollywood actor shouldn’t have so many other recognizable faces co-starring. I think it takes us out of the film. It constantly reminds me that the story isn’t real because Nicholas cage is pretending he’s talking to an agent when it’s obviously Neil Patrick Harris. Give us unknown actors for these roles. 

The second point is the end of the film. I can’t tell if they just ran out of time, or just weren’t sure how to end it. But I felt as if I was robbed of a solid ending to the film with a little bit of slight of hand. 

Javi Gutierrez’ (Pedro Pascal, left) and ‘Nicolas Cage’ (Nicolas Cage, right) zooming through the mountains of Mallorca, Spain. Photo Credit: Katalin Vermes/Lionsgate

THE BEST


BEST things about the film

  1. Original
  2. Self-Aware
  3. Pacing
  4. Very funny.

THE WORST

The WORST things about the Film

  1. I don’t feel like we get the ending we deserve. 
  2. I wish other actors in the film were not so well known. I really like the idea of Nick Cage the movie star being amongst all these regular people. But having other semi-stars around him takes away the potential realness feelings of some of the scenes. I really wish the roles played by Tiffany Haddish, Neil Patrick Harris, and Pedro Pascal were played by unknowns, even though they do a fine job. 

THE LESSON

Being a Hollywood star doesn’t mean life is easy. 

‘Nicolas Cage’ (Nicolas Cage) greets ‘Javi Gutierrez’ with a ‘Palm Hold Fist’ salute as he arrives in Mallorca, Spain. Photo Credit: Katalin Vermes/Lionsgate

THE FINAL WORD

A very funny love letter to Nicholas Cage that could only work being starred by Nicholas Cage himself. It is hilarious, self-aware, and very inventive. 

THE VERDICT
My 3L system gives me the choice to Love It, Like It, or Lose It. 

Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent gets a Love It.

THE TRAILER

THE REVIEWER

ABOUT SILAS

When he’s not reviewing films or interviewing people for the Black & A Half podcast, Silas Lindenstein can be found in the greater metro Seattle, WA working as a real estate agent helping people buy and sell homes, or performing stand up comedy to fellow nerds. He has a wife and three children and desperately wants to learn to make the perfect homemade pizza.

Review – Fantastic Beasts 3: The Secrets of Dumbledore

Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore (2022)
PG -13 ‧ Fantasy‧ 1 hour 42 Minutes

Written by David Heyman

  • J. K. Rowling
  • Steve Kloves
  • Lionel Wigram
  • Tim Lewis

Directed by ‎David Yates

THE CAST

  • Eddie Redmayne
  • Jude Law
  • Ezra Miller
  • Dan Fogler
  • Alison Sudol
  • Callum Turner
  • Jessica Williams
  • Katherine Waterston
  • Mads Mikkelsen

THE STORY

(In their own words) Professor Albus Dumbledore knows the powerful, dark wizard Gellert Grindelwald is moving to seize control of the wizarding world. Unable to stop him alone, he entrusts magizoologist Newt Scamander to lead an intrepid team of wizards and witches. They soon encounter an array of old and new beasts as they clash with Grindelwald’s growing legion of followers.

THE REVIEW

Returning to the world of Harry Potter created by JK Rowlings is always a treat.  The third film in the Fantastic Beasts spin off franchise welcomes us back to the magical universe as Newt Scamander delights us with even more fantastic beasts as he and his companions, including Dumbledore, set off to foil the plans laid out by the notoriously evil wizard Grindelwald.

I really did enjoy the fim. It is always fun taking a journey in the Wizarding World that Rowlings created. Fans will have a great time continuing this story. The pacing is fast, the characters are interesting, the special effects are surprising and delightful,  and the story is one that really hooked me in for the film. 

That said, overall it feels like a rushed story. The film doesn’t know if it’s a middle act or the end of a trilogy. We have many subplot lines from previous films wrap up as if it’s the end, despite them still having more that could be worked on, but major plot lines are still up in the air.  Originally planned as a 5 part film series before the creator of the world JK Rowlings’ offscreen Twitter antics have somewhat put a damper on the value of the Wizarding World property and potential future. So it may be that they tried to finish off some of the stories prematurely in case they don’t get a fourth or fifth film. 

The other spot hurting the film is the events around the casting of Grindelwald. The first two films the part of Grindelwald was played by Johnny Depp, but because of offscreen events, Depp was replaced by Mads Mikkelsen, which is disappointing on several levels. While Mikkelsen’s take on the role is fine, he is a completely different energy than Depp and it makes his storyline a bit disconnected from the previous. I really would’ve loved to see the chemistry between Judd Law (Dumbledore) and Johnny Depp as we’ve waited for three movies to see them together but are let down with that never getting to happen.

THE BEST


Three BEST things about the film

  1. It’s just an amazingly fun world to get to see people play in. 
  2. The Character’s journeys
  3. Jude Law’s Dumbledore is very impressive

THE WORST

The three WORST things about the Film

  1. It completes too much without finishing the story. Odd to know whether this is the final film or more to come.
  2. Unfortunately Johnny Depp’s presence is missed. Mads Mikkelsen is too big of a change of actor to keep continuity.
  3. A little bit overdone in its comparison to modern day politics. Could have been more subtle

THE LESSON

Never underestimate the ability of the general public to be easily manipulated.

THE FINAL WORD

This visit to the world of Hogwarts is still fun though not extraordinary. It is a fun world to see the world further explored, though from a story point of view the film struggles not knowing if it is the final act or the middle of the story. 

THE VERDICT
My 3L system gives me the choice to Love It, Like It, or Lose It. 

Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore gets a Like It.

THE TRAILER

THE REVIEWER

ABOUT SILAS

When he’s not reviewing films or interviewing people for the Black & A Half podcast, Silas Lindenstein can be found in the greater metro Seattle, WA working as a real estate agent helping people buy and sell homes, or performing stand up comedy to fellow nerds. He has a wife and three children and desperately wants to learn to make the perfect homemade pizza.



Review – Morbius

Morbius  (2022)
PG-13 ‧ Action Adventure Drama  ‧ 1 hour 44 minutes


Written by Matt Sazama Burk Sharpless

Directed by ‎Daniel Espinosa

THE CAST

Jared Leto, Adria Arjona, Matt Smith

THE STORY

(In their own words) Biochemist Michael Morbius tries to cure himself of a rare blood disease, but when his experiment goes wrong, he inadvertently infects himself with a form of vampirism instead.

THE REVIEW

The problem with Morbius isn’t so much that it’s bad, it is, it is definitely bad, but that I never cared about any of the characters to have feelings about the story.

Morbius is Sony Pictures latest botched use of a Marvel character. Morbius is sort of a vampire, in that he sucks blood, but mostly his powers are the likes of a bat. He doesn’t appear to have lost his soul or be allergic to garlic or anything. Morbius is one of the characters Marvel sold the license to Sony while needing cash.  At least Sony is consistent in the botching of characters, so you aren’t really surprised at this really, really bad origin story.

The film starts off with two beginnings because they don’t even know how to really start the film. In its second first scene we see Morbius meet his friend Milo when Milo joins the treatment wing he is in. They both suffer from some rare blood disease requiring several transfusions a day. This scene lasts, maybe 5 or 6 minutes, which appear to be unimportant, but really are. In so that throughout the rest of the film they keep speaking of their lifelong friendship and how important of a friendship it is…but they never really showed that, they didn’t show us an important friendship being built. It was just such a weak opening that it set the weak foundation for the rest of the film. 

The film isn’t unbearable to watch, but it is a great lesson in bad storytelling, bad dialogue, bad cinematography, and mediocre acting. If they hadn’t cast Jared Leto the film should have gone straight to on demand. 

And the film doesn’t even end with any sense of fulfillment of the story they tried to tell, just an obvious set up for sequels. 

This film also included the possibly worst post credit scenes done. There’s two of them. If you get through the film you might as well stay for both. 

I could get more into details about why this film is so bad, but honestly I feel like I wasted so much time already with this film, I want my life to move on. This film doesn’t deserve a critics review, it deserves a roast.

THE BEST


Three BEST things about the film

  1. Special Effects
  2. It felt short.
  3. All the lines were clearly heard over the sound. 

THE WORST

The three WORST things about the Film

  1. Had no interest in characters.
  2. Dumb choices after another. Which is bad writing.
  3. There is just no sense to most of it. Even fantasy worlds have rules to follow.

THE LESSON


Don’t experiment on yourself.

THE FINAL WORD

It took a while, but Sony has finally released a film to make Hulk not the worst superhero film ever made. Thank goodness this isn’t part of the MCU.

THE VERDICT
My 3L system gives me the choice to Love It, Like It, or Lose It. 

Morbius gets a Lose It. 

THE TRAILER

THE REVIEWER

ABOUT SILAS

When he’s not reviewing films or interviewing people for the Black & A Half podcast, Silas Lindenstein can be found in the greater metro Seattle, WA working as a real estate agent helping people buy and sell homes, or performing stand up comedy to fellow nerds. He has a wife and three children and desperately wants to learn to make the perfect homemade pizza.

Review – The Lost City

The Lost City (2022)

PG-13 ‧ Action/Adventure/Comedy ‧ 1 hour 52 Minutes

Story by Seth Gordon, Written by  Oren Uziel; Dana Fox; Adam Nee; Aaron Nee

Directed by ‎Aaron Nee, Adam Nee

THE CAST

Sandra Bullock; Channing Tatum; Daniel Radcliffe; Da’Vine Joy Randolph; Brad Pitt; Oscar Nuñez

THE STORY

(In their own words) Reclusive author Loretta Sage writes about exotic places in her popular adventure novels that feature a handsome cover model named Alan. While on tour promoting her new book with Alan, Loretta gets kidnapped by an eccentric billionaire who hopes she can lead him to an ancient city’s lost treasure from her latest story. Determined to prove he can be a hero in real life and not just on the pages of her books, Alan sets off to rescue her.

Sandra Bullock and Channing Tatum star in Paramount Pictures’ “THE LOST CITY.”

THE REVIEW

Let me get straight to it with film because it’s been a while since I’ve been this excited about a comedy. The Lost City is easily the best comedy I’ve seen this year and I honestly can’t imagine enjoying another film this year as much as I did this one. It ls laugh out loud funny, perfectly paced, wonderfully acted, and had the audience I watched the film with absolutely rolling from beginning to end. 

Sandra Bullock returns to this genre that she absolutely owns in The Lost City playing romance novel author Loretta Sage. While I wouldn’t have really considered Channing Tatum as a good pairing for her, this movie showed me that these two need to work together a lot more. The comedic timing and chemistry between these two was flawless.  I don’t think there is another current leading actress who performs physical comedy as well as Sandra Bullock does; from her awkwardness of sitting on a stool to rolling out of a hammock, she finds a way to bring laughter to such simple movements. Her reactions to her circumstances or Channing Tatum’s butt are never too far keeping her grounded in the real world, but stretched just far enough to milk the scene for all the comedy she can. 

Daniel Radcliffe shines as the villain of the film, billionaire Abigail Fairfax. While Radcliffe’s charm makes you instantly disarmed, that only feeds into making his villainous acts a little unexpected and therefore impressive. He’s a wonderful comedic villain, which I wasn’t expecting, and really wants me to see him as a bad guy in a more serious film. 

The Lost CIty is an adventure that I don’t want to spoil. Is some of the plot a little predictable? Yes. Do they take quite a lot of liberties in dealing with plane flight times? Yes. But those minor elements are easily dismissed when you are presented with such a wonderful, well-crafted, fun adventure.  And there are enough unexpected surprises in the film to make up for anything. Also, when predictable moments happen, the comedy that they create out of the situation is superb.

Sandra Bullock and Daniel Radcliffe star in Paramount Pictures’ “THE LOST CITY.”

THE BEST

Three BEST things about the film

  1. Very funny. Extremely. I was shocked at how much I laughed at this film. Probably the funniest comedy of the year. 
  2. Lots of unexpected turns that are also memorable. 
  3. Wonderful chemistry between leads. 

THE WORST

The three WORST things about the Film

  1. Minor issue with ending. 
  2. Some predictable moments.
  3. Lacks logic to timeline of events.

THE LESSON

Don’t be afraid of opening the door and seeing what’s next.

THE FINAL WORD

Easily the funniest film of the year and I find it hard to imagine anyone with a heart and soul not liking this film. 

THE VERDICT
My 3L system gives me the choice to Love It, Like It, or Lose It. 

The Lost City gets a Love It. 

THE TRAILER

THE REVIEWER

ABOUT SILAS

When he’s not reviewing films or interviewing people for the Black & A Half podcast, Silas Lindenstein can be found in the greater metro Seattle, WA working as a real estate agent helping people buy and sell homes, or performing stand up comedy to fellow nerds. He has a wife and three children and desperately wants to learn to make the perfect homemade pizza.

Review – X (2022)

X  (2022)
R ‧ Horror • 1 Hour 45 Minutes

Written by Ti West
Directed by ‎Ti West

THE CAST

Mia Goth; Jenna Ortega; Martin Henderson; Brittany Snow; Scott Mescudi. 

THE STORY

(In their own words) In 1979, a group of young filmmakers set out to make an adult film in rural Texas, but when their reclusive, elderly hosts catch them in the act, the cast soon find themselves in a desperate fight for their lives.

THE REVIEW

Horror is not my “go to” genre. It’s one that I’ve really tried to enjoy, but mostly I get too scared to watch alone, and reviewing movies can mean watching a lot of movies by myself. So, if it weren’t for a friend offering to attend the press screening for X with me, I wouldn’t have gone, though I was intrigued. 

I was mainly intrigued since the film is being distributed by A24 Films and over the last year, I’ve come to find that A24 Films tends to release surprisingly good films.  So I had a hunch I might enjoy it. And I did, I actually really enjoyed the film, though there is a lot to digest from it. 

The basic part of the plot is a group of young filmmakers are setting out to shoot an adult film. The director, Wayne,  wants it to be a huge financial success like Debbie Does Dallas. The cinematographer, RJ, wants it to be a more artistic film than most pornos. He wants it to be a high quality film and raise the genre up as a whole, that’s his mission and reason for doing the film, aside from just paying the bills.  Which is fitting because my impression of the film was that it was really raising the bar on horror films. It was shot with much more finesse than most horror films. Its acting is solid throughout, the writing is really good, the film moves in different directions than you suspect, and manages to captivate you as a viewer, not to just see what the next brutal killing will be, but you want to know how the story will end.   

This is also the second film this year I’ve seen Jenna Ortega in, and I have to say she is turning in some wonderful performances recently. I think she’s showing that she is going to be a force in cinema really soon. She’s not alone in a solid acting performance, but she is the character that gets to experience a major change during the story. She’s the only one that makes a choice to change her life and it’s compelling to watch. The entire cast does a very fine acting job. It’s one of the best ensemble pieces of the year so far. 

The film is tense. There is a huge amount of build up for the true action gets started. It lays a lot of groundwork in the beginning of the film, but in a really good way. The first hour of the film is used really well to set up how this thing will finish. Just excellent pacing throughout. 

There are also a couple of really cool editing choices. Superfast back and forth jump cut edits of different locations  and of what is happening. They are nearly jarring to the point of looking like a mistake when it first happens, until you realize they are making a deliberate choice. 

This is really a first rate film, not just an excellent horror. The sum of the parts of this make it a really good film. But don’t be fooled, it is a horror. There’s some graphic slashing scenes that aren’t for the faint of heart, it’s a horror. A really good one.  

DSC_2846.NEF

THE BEST
Three BEST things about the film

  1. Unexpected twists. 
  2. I like that it’s not just a slasher horror. It was actually very cinematic and had some heart to it. 
  3. Well developed characters. 

THE WORST

The WORST things about the Film

  1. Some ridiculous choices by characters to advance the plot. 
  2. Too convenient for many parts.

THE LESSON

Ask permission from homeowners before you shoot a film in their property.

THE FINAL WORD

A surprisingly elevated horror film, bringing an artistic eye to a genre where you don’t expect it. 

THE VERDICT
My 3L system gives me the choice to Love It, Like It, or Lose It. 

X gets a Like It 

THE TRAILER

THE REVIEWER

ABOUT SILAS

When he’s not reviewing films or interviewing people for the Black & A Half podcast, Silas Lindenstein can be found in the greater metro Seattle, WA working as a real estate agent helping people buy and sell homes, or performing stand up comedy to fellow nerds. He has a wife and three children and desperately wants to learn to make the perfect homemade pizza.

Review – Alice (2022)

Alice (2022)
R ‧ Drama/Thriller ‧ 1h 38m


Written by Krystin Ver Linden

Directed by ‎Krystin Ver Linden

THE CAST

 Keke Palmer; Jonny Lee Miller; Common; Gaius Charles; Alicia Witt

THE STORY

(In their own words) Alice, an enslaved person yearning for freedom on a Georgia plantation, escapes through the woods and stumbles through time into the year 1973. After she meets a disillusioned political activist, she confronts the lies that kept her enslaved.

THE REVIEW

The biggest thing about Alice that I couldn’t shake were the words from the trailer, ‘Inspired by true events”. I had to research this after seeing the film. Turns out,  In 1960 a Black woman was found to be still held in slavery in the south.  There are so many incredible injustices that have happened to Black Americans over the last couple hundred years, even after I think I’ve heard all the stories there are to tell, I find an all new story. 

Alice is a powerful and emotional film. Opening up on the slave Alice, played by Keke Palmer working on a southern plantation, on what appears to be the early 1800s, it seems like we are going to have a typical story of a slave owner and his mistreatment of the slaves. But there are early hints of something wrong, something mysterious. One of the slave hand speaks of his father meeting a man who could make fire from his hands (a lighter). These little mysterious things pop in letting us know something is off. 

The master of the plantation is obsessed with Alice. After she secretly marries her boyfriend, the master becomes very upset and tells her husband he is going to send him away for
“breeding” purposes. And later, the master then forces himself upon Alice. Here is where you will get a lot of complaints. You will hear criticisms of torture porn or something like that. Because there are way too many movies of Black people in slavery and they often have rape scenes. It’s almost a trope at this point. But it’s really hard to tell a story involving that time and make it seem realistic without showing the horrors of what was happening. If a filmmaker doesn’t show the extreme ugliness of what was happening they can get accused of glossing it over and making it not seem so bad. It’s really a catch 22 for filmmakers dealing with this era. 

At this point, after a series of events involving her husband, Alice escapes the plantation, and makes her way onto a 1970’s modern interstate highway, where she faints upon almost getting run over by a semi truck driven by Frank, played by musician/actor Common. Frank takes her to a hospital and it is at this point that we realize she is not a time traveler, she isn’t crazy, she was being held in an unbelievable situation. She is caught between wanting to help her family she left behind and worried about not being believed by local police and sent to an insane asylum.  This is also the deep south in 1973, the police aren’t likely to be very helpful to her anyway.

The film has some really great moments. Keke Palmer’s performance is a masterpiece. Her acting is raw and emotionally open. Following her through each discovery is incredible. The pacing of the film is really nice, the story is compelling throughout, and it really does a wonderful job mixing the thrill and mystery in the beginning of the film, without giving away too much of what is going on. 

It’s an unnerving story, and it really does its job of compelling you to tell other people about it. While the specifics of the story are made up, the fact that the basic event of the film is true is both mind boggling and profoundly gut wrenching.  First time director Krystin Ver Linden did an exemplary job of crafting the film with the right tones, for in some ways this is two films in one. One is the world of slavery that Alice starts in before she finds the rabbit hole to freedom. Both worlds were distinctly different but clearly in the same universe. That’s what takes a lot of skill. 

This film made me tell all my neighbors about it and what the film is based on. What else can you ask from a film? It takes a really good film to make you talk about it and the source material, and this pulled that off. I urge you to take a look at this Sundance premiering film as it opens up nationwide. 

THE BEST


Three BEST things about the film

  1. The story is really engaging. 
  2. Acting performances are solid throughout. 
  3. Writing of the story and dialogue  is excellent. 
  4. Finally a twist on the traditional “slave” stories. 

THE WORST

The WORST things about the Film

  1. The time on the “outside” happens too fast. She should learn the history a lot slower. But I don’t know how to solve that and keep the pacing going. 
  2. It’s hard to keep watching the violence on Slaves movie after movie, but like mentioned before, how do you show the horrors without the horrors.

THE LESSONS

Doing the right thing is never wrong.

Just because a story is unbelievable doesn’t mean it isn’t true.

THE FINAL WORD

A compelling and thought provoking film that you’ll want to tell others about. 

THE VERDICT
My 3L system gives me the choice to Love It, Like It, or Lose It. 

Alice gets a Love It from me. 

THE TRAILER

ABOUT SILAS

When he’s not reviewing films or interviewing people for the Black & A Half podcast, Silas Lindenstein can be found in the greater metro Seattle, WA working as a real estate agent helping people buy and sell homes, or performing stand up comedy to fellow nerds. He has a wife and three children and desperately wants to learn to make the perfect homemade pizza.

Review – The Adam Project

Reviewed by Silas Lindenstein

The Adam Project (2022)
PG-13 • Scifi/Adventure • 1 Hour 43 Minutes

Written by Jonathan Tropper; T.S. Nowlin; Jennifer Flackett; Mark Levin

Directed by ‎Shawn Levy

THE CAST

Ryan Reynolds, Mark Ruffalo, Jennifer Garner, Walker Scobell, Zoe Saldaña, Catherine Keener

THE STORY

(In their own words) After accidentally crash-landing in 2022, time-traveling fighter pilot Adam Reed teams up with his 12-year-old self on a mission to save the future.   

The Adam Project (L to R) Walker Scobell as Young Adam and Ryan Reynolds as Big Adam. Cr. Doane Gregory/Netflix © 2022

THE REVIEW

I’m a sucker for any sort of time travel based film. Add in a nice size portion of snarky Ryan Reynolds, and I’m grabbing my popcorn ready for a good time.

And that’s what The Adam Project provides. It’s a good time. It has a weird plot relationship with time and how your action in time will affect the future….but you have to let that go…we don’t really know how that could all work. Let it go and just enjoy the story.

For me the best part of the film was Walker Scobell playing young Adam to the older  Ryan Reynolds version of the character. Walker did a great job of picking up the ticks and speaking patterns of Ryan Reynolds and incorporating them into his character, making him extremely believable as a young Ryan Reynolds. 

The underlying drama of the film is young Adam and his mother(Jennifer Garner)  dealing with the grief over the somewhat recent loss of Adam’s father. There’s a particular stand out scene between Garner and Reynolds as they talk about losing someone and how that affected each of them. It’s a wonderfully played scene, honest, raw, and a nice dramatic break from the rest of the film.

The rest of the film is lot of fun laser shooting, and hand to hand combat, and space ships, and trying to figure out how to deal with this time travel mess they’ve gotten themselves into. 

It’s a fun movie, nothing more, nothing less. Luckily it stars some pretty great talent that helped elevate it from more than it is. Don’t think too hard during this. Just enjoy.  

THE BEST


BEST things about the film

  1. Fun Time Travel Story
  2. Very Funny
  3. Some touching moments
  4. The kid actor does a great imitation of Ryan Reynolds, really seeming like a young version. 
The Adam Project (L to R) Zoe Saldana as Laura and Ryan Reynolds as Big Adam. Cr. Doane Gregory/Netflix © 2021

THE WORST

The three WORST things about the Film

  1. Kind of predictable.
  2. Nothing super memorable about the movie.
  3. Villain is really lacks depth.

THE LESSON

Misdirected anger hurts the wrong people.

REWATCHABLE?

Yes

THE FINAL WORD

A light hearted scifi time travel adventure that is not a bad way to spend a Friday night enjoying. 

THE VERDICT
My 3L system gives me the choice to Love It, Like It, or Lose It. 

I give The Adam Project a Like It

THE TRAILER

Review – Turning Red

Review by Silas Lindenstein

Turning Red  (2022)
PG ‧ Animated Coming Of Age Comedy ‧ 1 hour 40 Minutes


Written by Julia Cho and Domee Shi 

Directed by ‎Domee Shi 

THE CAST

Voices of Rosalie Chiang, Sandra Oh, Ava Morse, Maitreyi Ramakrishnan, Hyein Park, Orion Lee, Wai Ching Ho and James Hong

THE STORY

(In their own words) Set in Toronto between 2002 and 2003, Turning Red centers around Meilin “Mei” Lee, a confident 13-year-old Chinese-Canadian who is torn between staying her mother’s dutiful daughter and the chaos of adolescence. However, one morning, after she has a nightmare, she is horrified to discover that she has turned into a giant red panda, later learning that her ancestors have a shared history with the species. Whenever she gets too excited or stressed, she “poofs” into the red panda time and time again.

THE REVIEW

Let me say first of all that I did like the film. I actually think it’s a rather important film. It touches on changes teen girls have in real life that is addressed in a natural and non-ick factor way that a lot of other material treats it. That normalization is important for not just girls, but everyone. This is probably also the most diverse cast of any previous films.  It’s not even set in the USA. There’s a lot of cool stuff about this film.  My big problem is that I wish I liked it more. 

The film seems to do nearly everything right about a film. It has a compelling story, the voice acting is great, it’s funny, etc. but I feel like I didn’t relate to the character enough. Then I worry that that is just built in misogyny not enjoying something fully because it was a story that wasn’t about me. Or maybe my expectations for Pixar films are just too high? This film was originally supposed to be released in theaters, but the Pandemic has been used as the reason it is not and instead releasing it for free on Disney+. Disney is releasing other big films in theaters, so either Disney doesn’t trust parents will bring their kids to the theater or they simply don’t have faith in the film that it will draw. 

The film is fun. It’s a celebration of a girl ready to start her path toward adulthood. It’s about changes in a person that start to draw attention from your peers and how you deal with it in a healthy way.

It’s really hard not to enjoy a film about a girl suddenly becoming a Panda when she experiences too much emotion. It’s like a cute Incredible Hulk. And learning to control emotions is a recurring theme in a lot of art. The dangers of emotion can never be overexploited, but finally we are looking at it from a different point of view.

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THE BEST
Three BEST things about the film

  1. Wonderful representation.
  2. Great original mythology.
  3. Very funny.

THE WORST

The WORST things about the Film

  1. Unclear consequences, like how do they know it would be bad to stay the Panda. 
  2. Animosity between the grandma and mother seems unnecessary.

THE LESSON

  1. Don’t hold back for anyone. 
  1. We’ve all got a messy loud inner beast but we never let it out. 

THE FINAL WORD

A fun story about change that is refreshingly different and captured through the lens of a teenage girl. 

THE VERDICT
My 3L system gives me the choice to Love It, Like It, or Lose It. 

I give Turning Red a Like It. 

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THE TRAILER

Available On Disney+ Streaming March 11th

ABOUT SILAS

When he’s not reviewing films or interviewing people for the Black & A Half podcast, Silas Lindenstein can be found in the greater metro Seattle, WA working as a real estate agent helping people buy and sell homes, or performing stand up comedy to fellow nerds. He has a wife and three children and desperately wants to learn to make the perfect homemade pizza.