Black & A Half

The Longest Running Comedy Podcast In Seattle. Probably.

Review: Dungeons & Dragons:Honor Among Thieves

Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves (2023)
PG-13  ‧ Adventure/Fantasy  ‧ 2 Hours 20 Minutes

Written by John Francis Daley, Jonathan Goldstein & Michael Gilio

Directed by John Francis Daley & Jonathan Goldstein

THE CAST

Chris Pine, Michelle Rodriguez, Rege-Jean Page, Hugh Grant, Justice Smith, Sophia Lillis, Choloe Coleman, Daisy Head

THE STORY

(In their own words). A charming thief and a band of unlikely adventurers embark on an epic quest to retrieve a lost relic, but things go dangerously awry when they run afoul of the wrong people.

Michelle Rodriguez plays Holga and Chris Pine plays Edgin in Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves from Paramount Pictures and eOne.

THE BEST


The BEST things about the film

  1. The Story – It’s a really fun and exciting story.
  2. The Ensemble – The actors really do a great job of giving the sense that these are people who know each other really well. It feels like long-time friendships and a clear loving bond between them all. They do wonderful jobs acting off of one another helping move along the script.
  3. The Humor – I found the film really funny. Played perfectly even within the ridiculous character situations they were put in. They consistently played the truth of the moment and brought on the laughter. 
Justice Smith plays Simon, Rege-Jean Page plays Xenk, Michelle Rodriguez plays Holga and Chris Pine plays Edgin in Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves from Paramount Pictures and eOne.

THE WORST

The WORST things about the Film

  1. There are a couple of predictable elements in the film, but I am largely forgiving of them as they seemed to be inevitable things that had to happen in this type of story. 
Daisy Head plays Sofina in Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves from Paramount Pictures and eOne.

THE COMMENTS

This Dungeons & Dragons film is everything I could have hoped for in an adventure film.  It was fresh, funny, moved along quickly, the acting was really good, the ensemble really played really well off of each other. 

One of the first questions I get from people about the film is “Will I like it if I’ve never played Dungeons & Dragons before?” The answer is yes. I’ve only played it myself a couple of times, despite being a well-known nerd amongst my peers. So I did not notice most of the in-world references they made, but I never felt like I was missing anything, I didn’t even realize I missed little things until I talked to some of my guests at the screening. For our press screening I brought with me three people who in their own life play Dungeons & Dragons as Dungeon Masters, and they filled me in on a bunch of the little “inside baseball” jokes or references I didn’t catch. So, I will say that your experience will be even richer if you’ve played it before, but it’s still an amazingly entertaining movie without that knowledge.

Michelle Rodriguez plays Holga, Justice Smith plays Simon and Chris Pine plays Edgin in Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves from Paramount Pictures and eOne.

THE LESSON

The love that is with you is more important than the love that you look back on. 

IS IT REWATCHABLE

Yes, I can’t wait to see it again. 

THE FINAL WORD

This film is the most fun I’ve had in the theater this year. It is a fast-paced, fun adventure, worthy of the Dungeons & Dragons moniker. Chris Pine leads a stellar ensemble with poise, humor, and foundation of love and friendship for this band of thieves. You do not have to have ever played D&D to enjoy this film, but if you have, you will really enjoy the insider nods to that world. This film has everything I could hope for from an adventure film. I was very much a skeptic that they would ever make a good film in this franchise and I am more than happy to be proven wrong. More action adventure films should be this well-made. 

Sophia Lillis plays Doric in Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves from Paramount Pictures and eOne.

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

Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves gets a Love It.

THE TRAILER

THE MEME REVIEW

Review: The Tender Bar

Tender Bar Review (2021)

R ‧ Coming of Age Drama ‧ 1 hour 46 minutes

Directed by George Clooney
Screenplay by William Monahan

Based on The Tender Bar by J. R. Moehringer

Review by Silas Lindenstein

THE CAST

Ben Affleck as Uncle Charlie
Tye Sheridan as J. R. Moehringer
Lily Rabe as Dorothy Moehringer
Christopher Lloyd as Grandpa
Daniel Ranieri as Young J. R. Moehringer
Rhenzy Feliz as Wesley
Briana Middleton as Sidney
Max Casella as Chief

THE STORY

Set in 1970s Long Island,[2] 9-year-old J. R. Maguire and his mother Dorothy move back in with his grandparents following her breakup with his father. There, he forms a bond with his Uncle Charlie, the owner of a local bar. Charlie acts as a surrogate father to J. R. and encourages him in his pursuit of becoming a successful writer. Charlie’s mother is determined that he will go to Yale or Harvard and become a lawyer.

THE REVIEW

Watching The Tender Bar is like getting a big hug from an Aunt you like. It’s a comforting hug. It feels nice because it’s familiar. It isn’t the best hug, you’ve had hugs like this before, and you’ll have them again. It’s nothing special, but it’s nice. 

The Tender Bar is ripe with the nostalgia you expect from a coming of age story.  A lot of it is familiar, even if you can’t place it exactly; the boy who wishes his Dad was around, and gets more love from his Uncle and his friends than he ever could from his Dad. Dreaming of a better life when they get older and getting to see the slow crawl toward that something better. 

So the story is okay. The premise is alright. The acting….that’s where this film really shines. Ben Affleck is really great as Uncle Charlie, the “smarter than everyone else in the room Uncle” who owns a bar called The Dickens. Affleck is so natural and speaks and matches the tone of film just perfectly. He’s charming, funny, kind, and empathetic. He’s the uncle we all want and he plays it with very little effort. 

Our main character is split into two actors, the young  J. R. Moehringer played by Daniel Ranieri  and the older JR played by Tye Sheridan. Both do an exceptionally well job portraying the lead character, their innocence while marching forward in life is very relatable, slightly awkward, and fun. 

The other well done aspect of the film is the direction. The tone of the film is hit just right by director George Clooney. He does an excellent job of directing really solid moments of the film that engage you with the characters and make you root for them. He also has impeccable comic timing and makes sure that the comedy in the film runs through without being over the top or out of tone with the rest of the film. 

What stops the film from being truly great is that there is nothing new or overwhelmingly moving about the film. There isn’t a stand out scene that blows you away. It’s a solid film, but one that doesn’t make you feel like you are

seeing something incredibly special. 

THE BEST

Three BEST things about the film

  1. Ben Affleck – Golden Globe Nomination and my pick
  2. Skillful Direction
  3. Story  Well adapted from the book

THE WORST

The three WORST things about the Film

  1. Can feel slow at times
  2. Story jumps from little kid to young man quickly. 
  3. Nothing New to the story. Coming of age story is now when I was coming of age. This makes me feel old

THE LESSON

Everyone needs an Uncle Charlie.

THE FINAL WORD

You don’t watch this kind of film because you want to learn more about humanity, you watch it because of the comfort that nostalgia allows. You watch it because you are finally seeing your generations growing up on the big screen. You watch it because it will give you warm feels and you don’t risk a lot.

Will you laugh?

Yes, at times. 

THE VERDICT

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

The Tender Bar gets a Like It

The Tender Bar is available to watch for free on Amazon Prime with membership.

ABOUT SILAS

When he’s not reviewing films or interviewing people for the Black & A Half podcast, Silas 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.

Episode #177: Reviews of Dune and Needle In A Timestack with Guest Dylan Cole

Dylan Cole joins Silas today to review the upcoming films Needle in A Timestack out on VOD October 15th (only Silas Reviews this) and Dune out in theaters  everywhere and HBO MAX October 22nd.  Dune review starts at minute 22:44

#SFCS

Episode #175: Reviews – Shang-Chi & The Legend of Ten Rings & CODA



This is a Black & A Half Reviews edition. Silas reviews the films Shang-Chi & The Legend of Ten Rings & CODA. #SFCS

Episode #172: Moving Forward & Reviews of The Fare and Another Version of You

This week Silas and Samantha discuss what they want to do moving forward, Silas’ feelings on animated shows, and reviews of two streaming films from 2019, The Fare and Another Version of You.

Episode #138: B&H Reviews: Holidate & Yes, God, Yes

On this week’s episode Silas reviews the films “Holidate” and “Yes, God, Yes”. Both recent additions to the Netflix library. 

Episode #137: Jingle Jangle (Not The Drug)

Samantha & Silas talk about the therapeutics of comedy, the new Washington State Covid restrictions. Then, starting at approximately 36:35, they start talking about the new netflix Christmas film Jingle Jangle, A Christmas Journey.

Episode 134: B&H Reviews: The Banker, On The Rocks, & Borat Subsequent MovieFilm

Another edition of Black & A Half Rews. This week Silas reviews; The Banker, On The Rocks, and Borat Subsequent MovieFilm. Here’s the show notes of when each movie is reviewed, so that you can skip any you don’t want to here.
4:47 – The Banker
11:38 – On The Rocks
18:01 – Borat Subsequent Movie Film

Episode 131: B&H Reviews: Vampires Vs The Bronx & The Forty-Year-Old Version

This week Silas reviews Vampires Vs The Bronx and The Forty-Year-Old Version.

Ways to support Black & A Half!!!

Please give us a 5 star rating and review & subscribe to us on iTunes!

Become a supporter on Patreon for a small monthly donation: www.Patreon.com/blackandahalf

Sponsorship

This episode is brought to you by Silas Lindenstein at Skyline Properties. If you are in the Seattle area and looking to buy or sell a home. Email Silas at Silas@SilasGetsReal.com or text him at 206-351-9230.

If you are out of the Seattle area but looking to buy or sell a home, you can also support Black & A Half by getting a real estate referral partner from Silas. Email him for more info.

Beyond Technique Coaching by Samantha Rund.

Samantha is an actor, comedian, and coach who has performed on stage and screen across the country. Recently, she can be seen on 3 Busy Debras on Adult Swim. She is passionate about enriching and empowering people’s lives through the arts. Her coaching business Beyond Technique Coaching uses performance principles to help people bring more of their whole selves ( voice, body, and mind) to their lives and work. www.samantharund.com
Check out her latest coaching video here.

Episode #120: Black & A Half Reviews – All Together Now – Unknown Origin – Cobra Kai

This is a Black & A Half Reviews Episode. This episode Silas reviews the new Netflix Film “All Together Now”, A film out of Spain called “Unknown Origin”, and the series “Cobra Kai”


Ways to support Black & A Half!!!


Please give us a 5 star rating and review & subscribe to us on iTunes!

Become a supporter on Patreon for a small monthly donation: www.Patreon.com/blackandahalf

Sponsorship

This episode is brought to you by Silas Lindenstein at Skyline Properties. If you are in the Seattle area and looking to buy or sell a home. Email Silas at Silas@SilasGetsReal.com or text him at 206-351-9230.

If you are out of the Seattle area but looking to buy or sell a home, you can also support Black & A Half by getting a real estate referral partner from Silas. Email him for more info.

Beyond Technique Coaching by Samantha Rund.

Samantha is an actor, comedian, and coach who has performed on stage and screen across the country. Recently, she can be seen on 3 Busy Debras on Adult Swim. She is passionate about enriching and empowering people’s lives through the arts. Her coaching business Beyond Technique Coaching uses performance principles to help people bring more of their whole selves ( voice, body, and mind) to their lives and work. www.samantharund.com
Check out her latest coaching video here.

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