The Gray Man

By: Andrew Wing

The Gray Man is a 2022 American action thriller film directed by Anthony and Joe Russo (Avengers: Infinity War, Avengers: Endgame), from a screenplay the latter co-wrote with Christopher Markus and Stephen McFeely (Avengers: Infinity War, Avengers: Endgame), based on the 2009 novel of the same name by Mark Greaney. The film stars Ryan Gosling (La La Land, Blade Runner 2049), Chris Evans (Avengers: Endgame, Knives Out), Ana de Armas (Blade Runner 2049, No Time to Die), Jessica Henwick (Iron Fist, The Matrix Resurrections), Regé-Jean Page (Bridgerton, Sylvie’s Love), Dhanush (prominent Indian actor who works in Tamil cinema), Wagner Moura (Elysium, Narcos), Julia Butters (American Housewife, Once Upon a Time in Hollywood), Alfre Woodard (12 Years a Slave, Clemency), and Billy Bob Thornton (Bad Santa, Fargo).

Produced by the Russo brothers’ company, AGBO (Extraction, Everything Everywhere All at Once), it is the first film in a franchise based upon Greaney’s Gray Man novels. The film focuses on the CIA agent Court Gentry (Gosling), who is on the run from sadistic mercenary Lloyd Hanson (Evans) upon discovering corrupt secrets about his superior (Page).

An adaptation of Greaney’s novel was originally announced in 2011, with James Gray (The Lost City of Z, Ad Astra) set to direct Brad Pitt, and later Charlize Theron in a gender-swapped role, though neither version ever came to fruition. The property lingered in development hell until July 2020, when it was announced the Russo brothers would direct, with both Gosling and Evans attached to star. Filming began in Los Angeles in March 2021, before wrapping in Prague that July. With a production budget of $200 million, it is among the most expensive films ever made by Netflix.

The Gray Man began a limited theatrical release on July 15, 2022, followed by its digital release on Netflix on July 22. The film will be followed by a sequel with Gosling reprising his role and a spin-off.

THE GOOD

I have yet to read the book, but ever since this project was announced back two years ago in July 2020, I have been beyond excited. The main reason being the two actors who were attached to star in the film in both Ryan Gosling and Chris Evans. I mean it really doesn’t get much better than that, to be honest. I mean Gosling is my second favorite actor just behind Adam Driver after seeing him star in two of my all-time favorite movies in La La Land and Blade Runner 2049. As for Chris Evans, I love everything about him. He is Captain America for christ's sake, the man is a living legend. More than that, the man can legitimately act. Don’t believe me? Go check out Rian Johnson’s 2019 whodunnit Knives Out, which is another one of my favorite films from the past five-plus years. Aside from those two guys, the fact that the Russo brothers were going to direct an action film was phenomenal because they clearly know how to do that after directing probably four of the top ten MCU films. Despite all the good things it had going for it, the Russo brothers did direct Cherry last year, a movie I thought was quite bad, so I had a tiny bit of skepticism. Nevertheless, I checked it out the first thing I could, so keep reading to find out if it matched my otherworldly expectations, or if it was another post-Marvel dud from the Russo brothers!

It was neither. It, unfortunately, didn’t match my expectations, but that’s more of a me problem and it doesn’t take away from the fact that was a good movie that was really entertaining, that was also a massive improvement over Cherry! I think the reason I didn’t vibe with Cherry was that it was more of a drama movie than the Russo brothers have done before. There is no denying that their bread and butter is action and they put that on display in The Gray Man. I will address the action scenes, in particular, a little later, but the scale of this movie was massive. They used all of their $200 million budget and gave us one hell of an enjoyable watch. It truly was a tactically aggressive and almost brawny assassin action film that just proves that when it comes to making an action movie, these two guys are at the top of the food chain.

Enough about the Russo brothers though, it’s time to talk about the main selling points of the movie, Ryan Gosling and Chris Evans. First with Gosling, as he is the lead actor in The Gray Man. Gosling crushed it here, and as much as I liked Chris Evans, he carried the film for me. Gosling just has this natural stoic toughness that we have seen from him in all of his films that is unexplainable, and that’s why I love him and he is one of my favorite actors. Now I hope he keeps taking dramatic roles in the future so he can get a damn Oscar which he might do in Greta Gerwig’s Barbie which comes out next year, but at the same time, I would have nothing wrong with him starring in more action movies because the dude is a beast. No wonder he is married to Eva Mendes. 

Next with America’s Ass himself, Chris Evans. First things first, if you aren’t a Chris Evans fan, you just have something wrong with you. Evans captured our hearts from the first time he played Cap, and we were all crying in Avengers: Endgame when he passed his shield down to his best friend Sam Wilson. If you say you weren’t, you’re just lying to yourself. Aside from the MCU though, he has shown just how talented of an actor he is, especially in Knives Out when he played the antagonist. And his performance in that was a huge reason why I was so excited to see him play the villain in this, and he did not disappoint. He can just play a smug piece of shit so well, and while I still thought we should’ve got more from his character, I loved everything he brought to the table here. 

Now with this being an action thriller from the Russo brothers, you know we have to talk about the action scenes. I thought they were fantastic and they really kept me interested in this movie. They were all entertaining and engaging, and the fight choreography was fantastic. To be specific, the first fight scene that introduces us to Gosling’s character Court Gentry, and the last fight scene between the two stars of the film were incredible and lived up to the hype. More than that, the whole last act of the film was fucking awesome as it was just straight action from start to finish.

THE BAD

As much as I enjoyed watching two of my favorite actors on screen, there is just no way I can call this an above-average action movie. There were great fight sequences, don't get me wrong, but it was just nowhere close to competing with some of the best the action genre has seen like the John Wick franchise and the Mission: Impossible film series. Those movies are truly elite and have some of the best singular films the genre has ever seen, and I was expecting The Gray Man to be on that level, but it just wasn’t. However, I will definitely still keep the faith and hold out hope because as I mentioned, it’s already been announced that the film will be followed by a sequel with Gosling reprising his role and a spin-off series too.

Now that that is out of the way, we need to discuss what I thought were the two biggest problems with the film. First with the script, which I thought was most definitely a clichéd one. It’s tough because the writers Christopher Markus and Stephen McFeely have proven in the past with MCU films that they can write a good script and balance out the drama, action, and humor, and while it wasn’t terrible, it just wasn’t good enough. As I said, it was full of clichés and other stereotypes we know too well from other action films, and it was at its worst in the first thirty minutes of the film if you ask me. From the encryption keys to the data leaks, it was just all stuff we as an audience are tired of seeing, and if you throw in some of the other cringy dialogue we got too, it just felt like lazy writing to me.

The second main problem I had with The Gray Man was its pacing. I have seen other critics refer to the film’s pacing as “breakneck pacing”, and after watching it, I can agree with that. It just moves way too fast, and it reminded me a lot of, to refer to another action film, John Wick: Chapter 3 - Parabellum, the movie I find to be the worst of the John Wick franchise. It was even worse in The Gray Man though because of this being the first film of the franchise that's main duty was to entertain, which it did, but to also introduce us to the characters and develop them. And at the end of the day, as much as I loved both Gosling and Evans’ characters, they both could’ve used more character development, and so could the majority of the rest of the cast, especially Ana de Armas’ character.

THE VERDICT

Despite it not reaching the levels of the John Wick franchise or the Mission: Impossible film series due to a stereotypical script and some poor character development, the Russo brother’s book-to-screen adaptation of The Gray Man is still a thrilling piece of entertainment that sees two of the best in the business in Ryan Gosling and Chris Evans go face-to-face on the big screen.

All in all, I thought Gosling and Evans carried the film with their chemistry, but the action sequences were as great as you’d expect considering who’s in the director’s chairs.

TED TAKES RATING - 7.4/10

The Gray Man is now streaming on Netflix. Check out the latest trailer below.

Nope

By: Andrew Wing

Nope is a 2022 American science fiction horror film written, directed, and co-produced by Jordan Peele (Get Out, Us) under his Monkeypaw Productions banner. It stars Daniel Kaluuya (Get Out, Judas and the Black Messiah), Keke Palmer (Akeelah and the Bee, Hustlers), Steven Yeun (The Walking Dead, Minari), Brandon Perea (The OA), Michael Wincott (Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves, The Crow), Wrenn Schmidt (For All Mankind, Boardwalk Empire), and Keith David (The Thing, They Live). In the film, two ranch-owning siblings (Kaluuya and Palmer), with the help of a tech salesman (Perea) and a renowned cinematographer (Wincott), attempt to capture and sell video evidence of an unidentified flying object.

Peele officially announced his then-untitled third directorial film in November 2019. Palmer and Kaluuya joined in February 2020, with Yeun being cast the next month, and Peele revealed the title in July 2021. Filming took place during fall 2021 in northern Los Angeles county, before wrapping in late November.

The film premiered at the TCL Chinese Theatre in Los Angeles on July 18, 2022, and was released in the United States on July 22, 2022, by Universal Pictures.

THE GOOD

The time has finally come! Ask anyone close to me, and they will tell you that Nope was easily my most anticipated film of 2022. The number of times I watched the incredibly ambiguous trailer, and forced those close to me to watch it just so I could hear Daniel Kaluuya perfectly utter the phrase “what’s a bad miracle?” was probably unhealthy. I mean how could I not be excited? It is the third directorial film from Jordan Peele who this time was taking on my favorite personal genre, science fiction, and it also had him reuniting with Kaluuya who was the star of his 2017 debut film Get Out. The hype for this film was absurd and I saw it as soon as I could, so the question is, did it live up to the hype? Keep reading to find out!

Without any hesitation, the answer is yes. It did live up to the hype. Jordan Peele man. The guy is a truly talented filmmaker and after Get Out in 2017, Us in 2019, and now Nope, he hasn’t even come close to missing. What he has done in the past five years is remarkable, and that is why he is already through three films, one of my, and I’m sure many others, favorite directors working today. It is just his pure originality when it comes to his storytelling that is so unique nowadays when so much of what we consume comes from other IP, and you can tell he has a true love for the horror genre. The other thing I love about Peele is his ambition as a filmmaker and storyteller. He is not just one of the most exciting filmmakers we have today, but he is one we truly need. He means something to us as cinephiles as all of his movies mean something and say something, and that was exactly what he did with Nope in his third outing as writer/director.

Peele’s direction in Nope was honestly flawless in my opinion. The way he crafted this film was amazing. It was a spectacle to tell you the truth and it honestly felt like I was watching a cinematic event. He clearly had a strong grasp on both the sci-fi and horror genres just with the way he paid homage to previous legendary films. I’ve already mentioned that I love my science fiction, but I really am not too big on horror just because nowadays it has become so gore-based. But with Peele in this, he focuses more on the supernatural horror which I think is scarier, and more than that, he does horror in a way that folds society in on itself and makes us look at how scary we are as human beings. And Jordan Peele has mastered that and does it better than any other director out there. Also, as the director, he was able to test some of the best talents in the industry with very heady and highbrow concepts, and we really see those with his script. 

First things first, this script is wholly original. Now I’m sure some people might have a few problems with the script just because of how the film ends which I will touch on later in the review, but as a whole, this script was magnificent. It was full of tension, and this dark and eerie vibe that made your skin crawl, but it also contained a lot of humor and just the perfect amount of social commentary. All in all, Jordan Peele is the fucking man, and I would love to see him get Oscar nominations for both his direction and his original screenplay because he deserves it.

Jordan Peele will definitely get the most praise for Nope, and deservingly so, but goddamn are all of the performances across the board amazing! I never thought I’d say this in a movie that starred Daniel Kaluuya, but I have got to start with Keke Palmer because she was the absolute standout of the film for me. Yes, that’s right I said Keke Palmer, the actress that most of us know from her days as a child actress for both her roles on Nickelodeon and also some stuff on the Disney channel. But she has grown up since then, and with her performance in this, I’d say she is about to break out as a star. I was just buying everything she was selling here. She was funny, dramatic, and her chemistry with Kaluuya was phenomenal. I honestly can’t see any other actress in her role which is crazy to say, but she carried this film, and I can’t wait to see what she does next.

Now onto the guy that rightfully deserves the first billing he got here, and that is Daniel Kaluuya. Kaluuya is so damn good in this, and while it might not have been as good as his performance in Get Out, it was such a completely different performance and that is arguably more impressive. He plays the character OJ, a very shy and reserved person who just keeps to himself, and I was blown away by what Kaluuya did with his character. Honestly though, and I don’t think I’m crazy in saying this, but Kaluuya might be a top five actor in Hollywood at the moment. I mean he is definitely a top five favorite actor of mine, but who in the past five years has put out as many incredible performances as he has? Maybe Adam Driver, and I couldn’t resist because he is my favorite actor, but from Get Out to Queen & Slim, to Judas and the Black Messiah which earned him what I think is the first of many Oscars for him, to now this, Kaluuya is an absolute superstar and I cannot wait to see what is next for him.

Kaluuya and Palmer definitely were the best of the bunch when it came to the performances in Nope, but there are so many other supporting performances that need to get mentioned. Steven Yeun was fantastic as he gave us his most confident performance I think of to date as the sort of secondhand antagonist in the film. And I know I said Keke Palmer might break out as a star after this, but the same can be said for Brandon Perea, an actor I had never seen before, who played the tech salesman, Angel. Perea was pretty much the comic relief character alongside Palmer here, and he was really funny, but there was something else about his performance that just made his character so great and just someone you wanted more of. And to finish on the performances before we get to the technical elements of Nope, I have to touch on Michael Wincott’s performance. Similar to Perea, I had never heard or seen him, but he crushed it, and boy oh boy does he have an intimidating voice.

In conclusion, being the cinephile that I am who appreciates all aspects of film, I need to highlight Nope’s technical elements, specifically the music and the cinematography. First with the music that was done by Michael Abels. Abels did the music for Peele’s previous two films, and just like in those, the music was great here. The music really enhanced the dark and eerie feeling I briefly mentioned earlier, yet it somehow felt grander and larger than any other score he has ever composed. I just hope he and Peele work together on all of Peele’s future films because they just get it. Oh, and speaking of Peele and his collaborators, he needs to keep working with the film’s editor Nicholas Monsour because the film was perfectly edited and flowed very nicely.

Now onto the cinematography which Hoyte van Hoytema did. I am such a sucker for some good cinematography, and while Roger Deakins (Blade Runner 2049, 1917) is the absolute GOAT, van Hoytema is right up there with the best of them. Other films he has shot include Her, Ad Astra, and three Christopher Nolan films: Interstellar, Dunkirk, and Tenet, and Nope is in my opinion one of his best works. I am no cinematography expert, but I’d assume it’s a challenge to shoot something that is not there but is there in post-production thanks to the visual effects, which were outstanding by the way in Nope, but it really felt like van Hoytema was just shooting UFOs, and that combined with the way he shot the beautiful Agua Dulce desert in northern LA have me wanting him to get a Best Cinematography nomination so freaking bad.

THE BAD

News flash: I loved Nope. As I said, it lived up to the hype, and I really got everything I wanted out of this film. I won’t listen to anyone who calls it bad, but I will say there are definitely some areas where one could critique. The first is the fact that this just wasn’t as good or rather as impactful as Peele’s first two films, both of which I would give very high ratings. However, the biggest critique the film has was the ending and how it wrapped up. I was fine with how things ended, to tell the truth, but I’d be lying if I said it wrapped up just how I wanted it to. 

Also, after reading a ton of other reviews on the film, I have consistently seen people blasting the film’s subplot that deals with Steven Yeun’s character’s backstory. It was definitely weird, and maybe it didn’t make perfect sense and you had to wait a while to know more about it, but I was able to put the pieces together and see how it connected to the story as a whole. Lastly, it also was probably a good fifteen minutes longer than it needed to be as it had some unnecessary scenes. All that said, I still ate this movie up, I cannot wait to rewatch it, and I will spend the next six months praying that it gets a Best Picture nomination!

THE VERDICT

In his third outing as writer-director, the brilliant Jordan Peele’s Nope is a sci-fi horror that is an absolute spectacle that needs to be seen on the biggest screen possible. Sure, maybe it doesn’t hit the same marks as his previous two films, but his ambitious direction and beautifully original screenplay that is full of horrifying, yet intriguing concepts and metaphors on today’s society make me say this is one of 2022’s best thus far.

It also features another great Daniel Kaluuya performance, and one from Keke Palmer that absolutely stole the show. Aside from that, the technicals are all top-notch, from the VFX to Hoyte van Hoytema’s mind-blowing cinematography, to the terrifying creative sound work, and a breathtaking score from Michael Abels.

TED TAKES RATING - 9.2/10

Nope is now playing only in theaters. Check out the latest trailer below.

Elvis

By: Andrew Wing

Elvis is a 2022 biographical musical film directed by Baz Luhrmann (Moulin Rouge!, The Great Gatsby), who co-wrote the screenplay with Sam Bromell, Craig Pearce, and Jeremy Doner. The film follows the life of rock and roll icon, singer and actor Elvis Presley, told from the perspective of his manager, Colonel Tom Parker. It stars Austin Butler (The Dead Don’t Die, Once Upon a Time in Hollywood) in the title role with Tom Hanks (Forrest Gump, Saving Private Ryan) as Parker, and Olivia DeJonge (The Visit, The Society), Helen Thomson (Kangaroo Jack, A Man’s Gotta Do), Richard Roxburgh (Van Helsing, Hacksaw Ridge), Kelvin Harrison Jr. (Waves, The High Note), David Wenham (The Lord of the Rings film trilogy, 300), Kodi Smit-McPhee (Let Me In, The Power of the Dog), and Luke Bracey (Point Break, Hacksaw Ridge) in supporting roles.

It was announced in 2014 that Luhrmann would be directing an Elvis Presley biopic, though the project was not officially announced until March 2019. Butler was cast in the title role that July, beating out several high-profile actors. Filming began in Luhrmann’s native Australia in January 2020, but paused from March through September following the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic. Filming wrapped over a year after it began, in March 2021.

Elvis premiered at the Cannes Film Festival on May 25, 2022, and was released theatrically by Warner Bros. Pictures in Australia on June 23, 2022, and in the United States on June 24. The film has so far grossed over $159.4 million worldwide against its $85 million budget.

THE GOOD

It seems crazy that we are just now, 45 years after his death in 1977, getting a biopic on the rock and roll icon Elvis Presley. I mean the man was a sensation and he is arguably the biggest and most popular singer right up there with Michael Jackson to be completely honest. Despite the long wait though, we finally got a biopic on Elvis and it came to us from the one and only Baz Luhrmann. Luhrmann hasn’t made as many films in his directing career as say Martin Scorsese, but the guy absolutely has his own style and he clearly has a profound love for music, so I thought he was the perfect choice to direct this film. Also, once I saw the initial trailer for Elvis and saw Austin Butler as the titular character, I was blown away and I couldn’t wait to check this baby out and see how he would portray the “King of Rock and Roll”! Despite all of my excitement, it is just the truth that there have been some bad biopics so far this century, and you throw in the fact that Luhrmann has been known to make a stinker a time or two and that Butler has never been in the lead role in a feature film before, there was definitely a chance this could be a disaster. So without further ado, was this the flop that some people were projecting, or was it the Elvis biopic we have all been waiting for? Keep reading to find out!

I won’t keep you waiting, It was definitely the one we have all been waiting for. Now I, like many others, have definitely been feeling a little bit of musical biopic fatigue after Bohemian Rhapsody in 2018, Rocketman in 2019, and last year’s Respect (see my full review here), but Elvis was the best of all of those I think. I enjoyed it a lot and it was just a good time for lack of a better phrase. Ever since seeing it, I have been singing “Suspicious Minds”, my personal favorite Elvis song, on repeat. And the reason I found it to be the best of those other musical biopics I mentioned is mainly because it had undoubtedly the best lead performance of all of them, and that belonged to Austin Butler.

Now despite his good looks, before this movie Austin Butler was definitely not a household name. He was in an episode of iCarly way back in the day and also some stuff on the Disney Channel, but he really impressed me back in 2019 as he played the serial killer member of the Manson family, Tex, in Quentin Tarantino’s Once Upon a Time in Hollywood. All that said, after his role in this, Austin Butler’s name will never be forgotten. There is no denying that Austin Butler is the best part of this movie. Absolutely none. 

I really don’t think there could have been a better casting choice because he does look a lot like Elvis, but it was so much more than that. It never felt like he was just doing some lame impersonation of Elvis, but rather you could tell he did his homework and just got lost in the role. He just feels so effortless in this role and I really felt like I got a sense of Elvis’s personality thanks to Butler’s portrayal. He nailed the voice, the dance moves, and all of the stuff he needed to get right, and because of that, he damn well better get a Best Actor nomination at the 95th Academy Awards. I’d be fine if he won, but it’s way too early to predict that because for the rest of this year we still have films coming out that feature some star big name actors like Leonardo DiCaprio, Hugh Jackman, Adam Driver, and Christian Bale just to name a few.

Now onto the crazy Australian that is Baz Luhrmann. Like I previously mentioned, he definitely has put out some stinkers and I have mixed feelings about him as a director, but I’d say this was one of his better products he has ever put out. What he does worked here truthfully because the movie was really energetic, colorful, and just hard not to be entertained by. Also, like I said, the man clearly has a deep passion for music and I did appreciate greatly the way the music was handled here from the touches of modern soundtrack to the way he did all of Elvis’s music to also make that sound more modern. All in all, I really liked how Luhrmann did all of that and his style worked basically perfectly here.

Continuing with the music as a whole, the musical sequences we got here are incredible. I really liked how they tried to hit on Elvis’s love for the crowd, and they did that very nicely in all of the musical sequences. They just did a brilliant job at showing the excess of all of that and really showing how much of a performer Elvis was. I mean really the best scenes of the movie were the ones where we got to watch Elvis passionately perform, thrive on stage, and just be true to who he is. Every time he took the stage he was trying to prove who he was as an artist and the musical sequences did that exceptionally.

There were so many other things I liked about Elvis that I just needed to touch on. First, the costumes were truly glorious and this movie will definitely be in the running for that at the Oscars. I also loved the production design in every scene, and I just can’t say enough about the sound in this movie from start to finish. And lastly, even though I didn’t love Hanks’ character that he plays in a fat suit that I will touch on more later in the review, the makeup in this movie was still very good. Oh, and the Doja Cat song “Vegas”, which incorporates elements from Big Mama Thorton’s “Hound Dog”, was awesome and it will likely get a Best Original Song nomination too.

THE BAD

Alright, here we go. I never thought I’d be saying this but the hands down worst part of this movie was Tom Hanks. I know, you can call me crazy. I’m not taking anything away from Hanks, because he is truly one of the greatest actors of all time, but boy oh boy this was not it. Hanks was fine I guess and I’m sure people will like his performance because he is Tom Hanks, but I really think the main problem was just that he got cast in this in the first place. Now I know you need star power to get people in the seats, but I mean they could’ve picked literally anyone else. I mean there are a bunch of overweight actors in Hollywood they could’ve picked, or they could have just picked someone who is actually Dutch. I don’t know, maybe it’s just me, but it was just such a distraction seeing Tom Hanks play the antagonist of Colonel Tom Parker with a Dutch accent in a fat suit, and I thought he was so so out of place.

Also, I brought up the fact that Baz Luhrmann has his own style because he definitely does, and while I think I vibed with it more than I usually do, I could still definitely see people being annoyed by it. For example, the first act of the movie truly might give you a headache or even whiplash just by the way it was edited and the way it zooms through Elvis’s life at extremely fast speeds. The editing in this movie as a whole was just insane. There is a lot of wacky shit, a lot of split screen stuff, wild transitions, and I just wasn’t a fan of all the overediting. That said, I would put money on it getting a Best Editing nomination because the Academy is stupid, so much so that Bohemian Rhapsody, a terribly edited film, actually won for Best Editing back at the 91st Academy Awards in 2019.

My last complaint I had with Elvis is that it is basically a Wikipedia page biopic if that makes sense. Don’t get me wrong, I liked the final product but it follows his entire career told through the perspective of his manager. Now I still enjoyed it, but there’s no taking away the fact that Elvis was a pretty generic musical biopic in terms of the story. We just moved way too fast, which is weird given the film’s way too long of a runtime, and it left us with a very general impression of Elvis at the end of the film rather than the personal or lasting impression we wanted it to have on us.

THE VERDICT

Despite the generic storytelling, wacky editing, and what I thought was a bad Tom Hanks role, Elvis is still one of the best musical biopics we’ve gotten in the past few years, thanks mostly to Austin Butler’s unbelievable transformative performance as the “King of Rock and Roll”! Butler just crushed every aspect of this role and he is more than deserving of a Best Actor nomination.

Aside from that, Baz Luhrmann’s style was perfect for this story, and he gave us one of the most energetic and colorfully vibrant movies in recent memory. He also gave us some great musical sequences and a banger of a soundtrack too, but more importantly, Luhrmann does achieve the film’s goal of giving the audience a deeper appreciation of Elvis.

At the end of the day, I do think that audiences already have been and will continue to dig this movie a lot, and if this continues to be a mega hit like Bohemian Rhapsody was back in 2018, it might even be able to nab one of the ten Best Picture nominations, but we will just have to wait and see.

TED TAKES RATING - 8.1/10

Elvis is now playing in theaters. Check out the latest trailer below.

Where the Crawdads Sing

Where the Crawdads Sing is a 2022 mystery drama film directed by Olivia Newman, from a screenplay written by Lucy Alibar. Newman is best known for her debut film, the 2018 Netflix original drama First Match, which she wrote and directed. Where the Crawdads Sing is based on the best-selling novel of the same name by author Delia Owens. Published in 2018, the book was selected by Reese Witherspoon for her book club helping with the trajectory that would eventually lead to the big screen. Witherspoon also serves as executive producer on the film.

Abandoned as a girl, Kya raised herself in the dangerous marshlands of North Carolina. For years, rumors of the marsh girl haunted Barkley Cove, isolating the sharp and resilient Kya from her community. Drawn to two young men from town, Kya opens herself to a new and startling world; but when one of them is found dead, she is immediately cast by the community as the main suspect. As the case unfolds, the verdict as to what actually happened becomes increasingly unclear, threatening to reveal the many secrets that lay within the marsh.

The cast includes Daisy Edgar-Jones, Taylor John Smith, Harris Dickinson, Michael Hyatt, Sterling Macer Jr., and David Strathairn.

Where the Crawdads Sing made its debut in theaters on July 15th, courtesy of Sony Pictures Releasing.

THE GOOD

I have been a movie guy for as long as I can remember, more than likely since before I could even walk. I guess you could look at me as Jim Carrey’s Chip character in the movie Cable Guy, partially raised by movies and television shows, just slightly less clingy and certainly not as psychotic. But in all seriousness, movies have always been at the center of my universe. When it came to reading, not so much. I mean sure, I read plenty of books in high school, like the classic The Catcher in the Rye, but that was required. After high school, my interest in reading faded fast, and when people mentioned a book they thought I should read, I would always respond by saying I will watch the movie when it comes out. But as it happened I matured into a productive member of society, and in the process discovered that I enjoy reading a good book.

My love for movies hasn’t changed either, and instead, I found a way to combine the two. I jump at the opportunity to read a book that is either based on a movie that I have always considered a favorite, like Black Hawk Down for example or when a trailer for a movie or series releases that is based on a book I try and read it before the movie comes out, like the Netflix original film The Gray Man (our preview and trailer here), which I am currently reading. When the trailer for Where the Crawdads Sing dropped, all I was hearing was how incredible the book was and how excited fans of the book were for the movie. So naturally, I grabbed a copy of the book, and my wife and I both gave it a read, and boy was it good! She of course finished it first and nagged me to finish so we could have our own little book club discussion. Naturally, my wife and I quickly became a part of the crowd anxiously awaiting the middle of July when the film would finally hit theaters. Well, that day is finally here. Did the movie live up to the best-selling page-turner? Keep reading to find out!

I’ll admit I was nervous simply because of the fact that book-to-film adaptations tend to have an uphill battle when it comes to living up to the expectations of the source material, but I am pleased to report that Where the Crawdads Sing is a very worthy adaptation that was able to bring this amazing book to life. I genuinely enjoyed this movie which for me felt very much like a journey as I re-lived the incredible life of Miss Catherine Danielle Clark, aka Kya Clark, or better known as The Marsh Girl. As I sat there in the theater consisting mostly of women in their late 60s, I was anxiously waiting to see how the story would play out on the screen, and it did not disappoint. Kya’s secluded shack in the marsh was exactly how I envisioned it, and just like when I read the book I was in awe of the tranquil, albeit very lonely, life she led. When a book I really like becomes a movie, I am hit with a hefty case of FOLSO (Fear of Leaving Something Out). Okay sure I just made up that acronym, but it doesn’t make it any less true.

Books simply have too much content to fit in a movie without making it 5-hours long, which is why they are often made into a series or at the very least a two-part movie. For this reason, we as fans of the book and eventual viewers of the film are left hoping they include our favorite parts of the book, but the reality is the powers that be, in this instance being Lucy Alibar who wrote the screenplay, are mostly concerned with including enough to ensure the story feels whole. And I have to say, she did one heck of a job with Where the Crawdads Sing. And it was no simple task as Kya’s journey is told in a span of several years, with important moments in her life taking place from when she was just a little girl, right into adulthood, and eventually leading up to the incident that lands her in a courtroom with her life and the freedom she holds so dear hanging in the balance. Viewers need to see the Kya we fell in love with in the book, and I believe that is exactly what we got with this movie. Just a job well done all around.

Where the Crawdads Sing puts a premium on all of the necessary elements that make or break a film. The casting decisions were perfect making for some stellar acting and genuine chemistry between the leads, the pacing of the story fell into place nicely and unraveled just how I had hoped, the cinematography was fantastic, and the score/soundtrack made everything feel real. The film has some intense scenes with lots of drama and suspense, but also tells a great love story and includes plenty of heartwarming and sometimes very sad moments. You might want to bring a few tissues to the theater just in case. The book tells a fairly elaborate story and jumps back and forth between timelines as we learn more about Kya and her journey, and the film found a way to tell the story in the same way. Just like the book, the mysterious death of a well-known local man and subsequent murder investigation quickly became the talk of the town, particularly once the Marsh Girl became the primary suspect. The film flows extremely well and the 2-hours really fly by, thanks to the fact that the story has so many interesting elements giving screenwriter Lucy Alibar plenty to work with. The book left quite an impression on me, and I am thrilled to say the film did as well.

When it comes to Where the Crawdads Sing, a major plus for the film is the acting which needless to say would make or break a film based on such a beloved novel. Fans of the book already had a vision of what the characters should look like, and I have to commend the casting team for the amazing job they did here. First and foremost, the gorgeous and talented Daisy Edgar-Jones was the perfect choice for Kya, better known as the Marsh Girl. As beautiful as she was fiercely independent to a fault at times, Edgar-Jones felt like she jumped from the pages of the book onto the screen. As a fan of the book it really was quite an experience watching her become this character. She did her justice and then some. This movie simply does not work without the right person in this role, and she was just fantastic throughout. Time and time again I found myself just lost in her eyes, and no matter what when I looked at Edgar-Jones I saw Kya, it was unmistakable.

My next favorite character in the book was also very well cast, and that would be Taylor John Smith who took on the role of Tate. A huge part of Kya’s journey, Tate’s character is a constant presence with quite a unique story arch as it relates to his connection to Kya. Like a lemonade stand on a scorching summer day, I was buying what he was selling. From his infectious smile to his genuinely good-natured demeanor and high character, which translated perfectly from the book, Smith owned his role. Another very important character who is at the core of the film’s backstory is that of Chase Andrews, played by Harris Dickinson. I won’t go too in-depth at the risk of spoiling anything for those of you who haven’t seen the movie or read the book, but he is a pivotal character. Dickinson was tasked with playing a tough role in terms of some of the scenes he is involved in, and he does a really nice job remaining believable even during some of the more intense moments. I really like Dickinson as an actor who was fantastic in the 2021 action thriller The King’s Man (our full review here), which you can now stream on HBO Max and Hulu.

Aside from Kya and Tate, I am fairly confident that any fan of the book would say that the next most important casting decision rested with two other pivotal characters, which would be Jumpin’ and Mabel. I fell in love with Jumpin’s character in the book right from the start, and in each chapter I looked forward to Kya’s next interaction with him. His wife Mabel followed his lead as the two became the beating heart of Kya’s support system. As a girl who was shunned and written off by nearly every other person in her life, she was forced into becoming independent and self-reliant. But even so, Jumpin’ and Mabel sacrificed a great deal to look out for and protect this little girl from the start. I was beyond nervous about who they would cast as Jumpin’, and I thought Sterling Macer Jr. was fantastic in the role. His intentional demeanor and sheer kindness came to life with Macer Jr.’s performance, and that put an ear-to-ear smile on my face. I am so glad he was given this opportunity and he is deserving of some praise because this movie does not work as well as it did without him.

Michael Hyatt, a great actress who is best known by me for her role in the FX series Snowfall, takes on the role of Mabel. Hyatt is known for playing strong roles, and I loved her as Mabel. Her relationship with Jumpin’ was a critical part of the book, and she had incredible chemistry with Macer Jr. in the film. Hyatt is one of those actresses that can say a lot without saying anything at all, she just gives you that look and you know exactly what she is trying to say. So yeah, I was very pleased with how two of my favorite characters were portrayed on-screen. I also really liked the decision to cast veteran actor David Strathairn as lawyer Tom Milton. In order for it to be believable that Kya would open up to a lawyer, it needed to be someone who had a welcoming presence and also someone that really seemed to fit within the world that Kya knew. Milton was a local man who had crossed paths with Kya before, and I thought he nailed his role. Logan Macrae played the role of Jodie Clark and he was incredible as well. Even though he didn’t get a ton of screen time, he was involved when it mattered and I was very impressed with him. He was another one of my favorite characters in the book. Rounding out the cast is Garret Dillahunt who was great as Pa, Jojo Regina and Luke David Blum who did a nice job as young Kya and Tate, Will Bundon who I really liked as young Jodie, Ahna O’Reilly as Ma, and lastly, Bill Kelly who I thought did a very nice job as Sheriff Jackson.

On the technical side of things, Where the Crawdads Sing genuinely impressed me. I’ve touched on it some already, but any book that translates to the big screen has a great deal of ground to cover. First, anyone who read the book is expecting a certain feel for the film, plus readers have already envisioned what the film should look like when appearing on-screen. With that being said, I honestly feel like they knocked it out of the park. Taylor Swift fans will be very pleased with her original song Carolina which she wrote and performed for the film. It is the perfect way to close out the film as it plays during the end credits.

The cinematography from the talented Polly Morgan really made me feel like I was right there with Kya digging mussels out of the marsh in North Carolina, and the score/soundtrack from Mychael Danna set the tone and no doubt helped to bring some tears down the faces of viewers. The weight of the more dramatic or even just more exciting scenes were felt thanks to the film’s soundtrack. The camera work helped to make the story feel more intimate which was great, with several unique and well-intentioned shots to really capture the feel of the book. Director Olivia Newman clearly bought into the vision and made it a reality. The books setting is almost entirely in the marsh and the film sticks with that continuity making for a gorgeous and very satisfying experience.

THE BAD

Believe it or not, I don’t have many things to complain about when it comes to Where the Crawdads Sing, but I guess that shouldn’t be too surprising if you have been paying attention to this review. With sky-high expectations thanks to a best-selling novel that has been devoured by book clubs all over the world, it was going to be a fine line turning it into a quality movie but they managed to do just that, and then some. Admittedly I was teetering a bit during the opening of the film as it sort of felt like they were going out of their way to kickstart the backstory by forcing some of the dialogue, but I soon realized that was necessary as they had to get to a good starting point as quick as possible to ensure the key elements of the story were included. The film did leave out a few key parts that I would have liked to have seen, but screenwriter Lucy Alibar found a way to effectively tell Kya’s story without making too long of a film.

And let’s be honest, the book club crowd isn’t surviving a movie longer than 2-hours, I mean all of that wine at home sure isn’t going to drink itself. And that’s not a diss, I love books and I also love wine. True story. The ending felt a bit rushed, but again it did touch on what made the book so great and gave me the emotional conclusion to the story I was looking for. Although Jumpin’ and Mabel are a big part of the film, I would have liked to have seen a bit more of their backstory that the book touches on especially since they are crucial to the story. I will say that the acting was a bit shaky during the younger years, primarily the actors playing young Kya and young Tate, but it wasn’t that big of a deal as they played a pretty small role all things considered. So yeah, not much else negative to report.

THE VERDICT

An immersive book-to-film adaptation boasting beautiful cinematography and captivating performances from leads Daisy Edgar-Jones and Taylor John Smith, Where the Crawdads Sing defies lofty expectations and delivers an entertaining story of love, loss, and incredible perseverance. Bringing to life the complex and inspirational story of the outcast known as the Marsh Girl, the film prioritized the source material from start to finish which was huge in terms of how well everything worked. I’m honestly confused by the criticism from the majority of so-called critics, but as far as I can tell most of them either haven’t read the book or just like to complain. I’ll admit that the film does feel like in many ways it caters to fans of the book, but as a film based on a hugely successful book, isn’t that sort of the point?

As I touched on earlier in the review, a 2-hour film can’t possibly include everything from the book and it was missing a few things I would have liked to have seen, but that is just par for the course. So many elements of the book that were left out would have required separate build-up easily adding 20 to 30 minutes to the film which is not feasible for the average moviegoer. But at the end of the day, the right decisions were made and the film works very well as is. If you haven’t read the book I HIGHLY recommend it, but you can absolutely see the movie before reading it. To be honest, going that route will not only make it so you can appreciate the movie that much more, but it will also allow you to really get sucked into the book. I had been looking forward to the release of Where the Crawdads Sing for quite some time, and it left me genuinely satisfied and wanting more. I can’t wait to see it again. Ignore the out-of-touch critics who can’t seem to get out of their own way and check this one out in theaters, you won’t regret it.

TED TAKES RATING - 8.3/10

Where the Crawdads Sing is now playing only in theaters. Check out the official trailer below.

Hustle

By: Andrew Wing

Hustle is a 2022 American sports drama film directed by Jeremiah Zagar (directed We the Animals back in 2018), from a screenplay by Taylor Materne and Will Fetters. The film stars Adam Sandler (Happy Gilmore, Uncut Gems) as an NBA scout who discovers a raw but talented player (Juancho Hernangómez) in Spain and tries to prepare him for the NBA draft.

Current Minnesota Timberwolves player Anthony Edwards plays the main antagonist, Kermit Wilts in the film, while Queen Latifah (Beauty Shop, Girls Trip), Ben Foster (Hell or High Water, Leave No Trace), Robert Duvall (The Godfather, Kicking and Screaming), and Heidi Gardner (Saturday Night Live) also star. Icon and NBA superstar LeBron James acts as a producer through his SpringHill Company banner for the film as well.

Hustle was released by Netflix on June 8, 2022.

THE GOOD

For those who don’t know me, I am a huge basketball fan. I played all the way up throughout high school and I even coached a middle school basketball team at my former middle school this past winter, so when I saw there would be a sports drama film revolving around my favorite sport of basketball, I knew I couldn’t miss it! More than that, once I saw the trailer for Hustle and saw that not only one of my favorite actors Adam Sandler was leading the way, but that Juancho Hernangómez, a real NBA basketball player who played on my favorite sports team, the Boston Celtics, for a little bit last year, was starring alongside Sandler, I was so pumped for this! However, as much as I love Sandler, he has been in some pretty bad movies in the past ten years and there have also been some brutal sports drama films in the past decade, none worse than Draft Day, so I was still skeptical about it. So was it another garbage sports movie, or was it one of the better ones? Keep reading to find out!

It was the latter! Just like a film I recently reviewed in Chip‘n Dale: Rescue Rangers (see my full review here), you can go right ahead and chalk this one up as one of the biggest surprises of the year. This movie was just a good time from start to finish. Now like I previously mentioned, there have been some bad sports dramas in the past few years and despite my love for both sports and movies, I really am not the biggest sports movies guy just because of how many bad ones there have been. But this one was absolutely not that. It really was one of the better sports movies, and honestly one of the best basketball sports movies, and a big reason why is because this is first and foremost a character drama focused around Adam Sandler’s character, Stanley Sugerman, a scout and coach for the Philadelphia 76ers.

It’s rare to see a sports movie that doesn’t revolve around someone that wasn’t either a player or a head coach, but what they did worked here and that’s mainly because of the performance we got from the Sandman himself, Adam Sandler. Adam Sandler truly is unlike any other actor. The man is definitely known for his comedy because he has been cracking us up for nearly thirty years, but he has also proven time and time again that he can be a great, and I mean great dramatic actor too. You don’t believe me? Just go watch Punch-Drunk Love, The Meyerowitz Stories, and Uncut Gems. And even if you don’t take my advice and go watch those, you will believe me after watching this because he has done it again. Don’t get me wrong, he has a lot of funny moments, but he just killed it here in all of the dramatic moments. I would love to see him in either Grown Ups 3 or Hubie Halloween 2 because I’ll eat that slop up, but I really would encourage him to keep taking roles like these so he can continue to shut the haters up by showing what he is really capable of. I’ll stop there, but I just gotta say this in case he reads this, I love you, Adam Sandler, you are the man!

As good as Sandler’s performance was, and there is no denying that he carried this film, current Minnesota Timberwolves player Anthony Edwards who plays the main antagonist, Kermit Wilts in the film, was freaking awesome in his first film role. Ever since Edwards got drafted into the NBA a few years ago as the top pick, not only has he got buckets, but he has shown in his media availability that he has an amazing personality and a hilarious sense of humor, so it makes sense that he was good in this. But still, the fact that he played this villain role as good as he did is unfathomable, and I might get some heat for this take, but he reminded me a lot of the Apollo Creed character in Rocky. For real though, his character was a complete a**hole and I hated him and it was because of how well he played this part.

Aside from the performances, Hustle had great writing from Taylor Materne and Will Fetters, and directing from Jeremiah Zagar. It takes a lot to make a sports drama film nowadays feel unique and all of those guys somehow did it. How? I’ll tell you. This movie really stood out to me because of its emotion, its characters, and just all of its dramatic elements. Those in charge just did a really good job at connecting with the audience and making you care about the characters and what was going on in the film. I genuinely cared about the main characters and this movie touched me emotionally. Seriously though, it almost had me tearing up at one point. I could go on, but I was just locked in from the start when it came to Hustle and that is all a credit to those that put it together.

As for some of the other small things that I liked about Hustle, I quickly get to touch on some of the other performances. It was great to see Robert Duvall in his small role because well, it’s Robert Duvall. I also really liked Queen Latifah in her role as Sandler’s character’s wife. I was also blown away by the kid performance we got from Jordan Hull as Alex, Stanley’s daughter. And if you know me, you knew this was coming, but I loved Ben Foster’s role in this too. Similar to Edwards’ character, Foster played just an absolute scumbag that you hated so much and that is all thanks to Foster’s acting chops. Lastly, the film was edited very nicely, especially all of the basketball scenes which is usually not the case when it comes to sports films. But it worked here because they got real basketball players and taught them how to act rather than doing the opposite.

THE BAD

Nobody can say this is a bad movie. Nobody. There is just too much to like here for anybody to hate on it. However, despite how much I enjoyed this movie, it still had an abundance of sports movies cliches, an unnecessary amount of inspirational quotes, montages that run way too long, and just a level of predictability that we have come to expect from all sports movies. That just comes with the territory at this point, but it really didn’t take away from the overall product too much.

One more small critique and I know I brought up how good Anthony Edwards was in his first film role, the same could not be said for all of the real NBA players we got in this, unfortunately. Juancho Hernangómez was fine, but some of the other smaller cameos were just bad. Call me biased here because as I already mentioned, I am a diehard Celtics fan, but all the performances we got from the real 76ers players didn’t do much and what f**k was Kyle Lowry doing in this? The dude literally said one word and I just rolled my eyes when I saw him on screen, but my hatred for Kyle Lowry (the basketball player) is a story for another day.

THE VERDICT

In what is Adam Sandler’s love letter to the game of basketball, Hustle is easily one of the better sports dramas of the past decade and it is just the feel-good film of all feel-good films. Sandler gave us yet another great dramatic performance and he continues to show that he should be taken seriously as a dramatic actor. Other than that, the LeBron James-produced film was unique and extremely emotional, and it also featured a fantastic performance from NBA player Anthony Edwards as the film’s antagonist.

If you are a basketball fan like me, you just need to watch this movie. It caters to fans as it has some fantastic nods to the NBA and the basketball world as a whole with awesome cameos from NBA players and reporters. Overall, this movie works and it is no doubt one of the surprises of the year!

TED TAKES RATING - 8.2/10

Hustle is now streaming only on Netflix. Check out the latest trailer below.

Thor: Love and Thunder

Thor: Love and Thunder is a 2022 superhero film directed by Taika Waititi, and co-written by Waititi and Jennifer Kaytin Robinson. The film is based on Stan Lee’s Marvel Comics character Thor, produced by Marvel Studios and distributed by Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures. It is a direct sequel to Thor: Ragnarok (2017) and the 29th film in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU). Filming took place entirely in Sydney, Australia. Waititi returns to the director’s chair after making his Marvel debut with 2017’s massive hit Thor: Ragnarok (our full review here). I will fully admit my allegiance as a Taika Waititi fanboy, but there is no denying the fact that he tapped into the greatness that is Chris Hemsworth as Thor by finally allowing the films to have the unique identity they have been missing.

Thor is on a journey unlike anything he's ever faced -- a quest for inner peace. But his retirement is interrupted by a galactic killer known as Gorr the God Butcher, who seeks the extinction of the gods. To combat the threat, Thor enlists the help of King Valkyrie, Korg and ex-girlfriend Jane Foster, who -- to Thor's surprise -- inexplicably wields his magical hammer, Mjolnir, as the Mighty Thor. Together, they embark upon a harrowing cosmic adventure to uncover the mystery of the God Butcher's vengeance and stop him before it's too late.

The cast includes Chris Hemsworth as Thor, alongside Tessa Thompson, Natalie Portman, Christian Bale, Taika Waititi, Chris Pratt, Jaimie Alexander, Pom Klementieff, Dave Bautista, Karen Gillan, Sean Gunn, Jeff Goldblum, and Vin Diesel.

Thor: Love and Thunder made it’s debut in theaters on July 8th, as part of Phase Four of the MCU.

THE GOOD

I can’t even begin to explain how pumped I was to see Thor: Love and Thunder. To give you some perspective, once the first trailer released I knew right there and then, this was THE movie I needed to see in 2022. No matter what happened, I would be seeing it as soon as humanely possible. Like any red-blooded American, I love me some Chris Hemsworth and his Thor character. Like honestly, what’s not to love?! I mentioned briefly my admittedly unhealthy infatuation with the talented and always hilarious director/writer/actor Taika Waititi, and he was a big part of my excitement after what he did with Thor: Ragnarok, I mean he changed the game in my opinion and completely shifted the tone of the Thor franchise. So, with the anticipation building up to the point where I could barely breathe, and not to flex my VIP status or anything but I made my way to an early (and of course exclusive) showing for Thor: Love and Thunder, and I was so damn ready. Now we all know how dangerous it can be to have such high expectations for a film which was in the back of my mind, but as the previews concluded I grabbed a handful of popcorn and thought to myself, “It’s game time!!”. So, did Thor: Love and Thunder live up to my impossible expectations? Keep reading to find out!

Damnit Taika Waititi you sly sonuvabi**h, you’ve done it again! Move over John Krasinski and Emily Blunt, Hollywood has a new power couple! I’m talking about a collaborative work couple of course in Waititi and Chris Hemsworth. Let me just start by saying I was back and forth on whether I should do this review right away or not since I would be seeing the movie again soon, and I have been trying to gather my thoughts since seeing it. It is just such a difficult thing to have such high expectations, try and soak everything in as a fan, while also trying to remain critical. But, I decided I needed to give the people what they want so here we are! Also I am basically writing this review as I process my thoughts on the film, so bare with me just in case I come across as slightly scatterbrained.

So yeah to continue with my opening, I loved this movie! Thor: Love and Thunder doesn’t waste any time bringing back the infectiously entertaining feel of Thor: Ragnarok which is surely something fans will appreciate. I was locked in from start to finish, laughed out loud a ton, damn near stood up and danced with the epic soundtrack, and more than anything else I was just so damn excited to finally be seeing yet another Waititi Thor film. To be honest I just want everyone to see this movie ASAP so I can talk about all of my favorite parts without ruining anything. Just earlier I laughed out loud randomly while thinking about a scene from the movie and my wife looked at me like I had 6 heads. Just so many ridiculous scenes and great one-liners. What can I say, the struggle is real.

Considering Taika Waititi’s involvement in the director’s chair as well as co-writing the screenplay, we knew comedy would be a big focus. Thor: Ragnarok was a massive hit because of the comedic tone throughout and those expecting that to continue will not be disappointed. We do get a balance of serious and funny as far as the underlying themes of Thor: Love and Thunder, but I would say that comedy is still more prevalant even though it is a closer balance compared to Ragnarok. The film is driven by two primary storylines, the storyline involving Gorr the God Butcher which essentially involves everyone, and the storyline between Thor and ex-girlfriend, Jane Foster. Gorr is a fantastic bad guy and I loved the story arch for his character from start to finish, and in many ways he embodied the all-encompassing feeling of power similar to the late great Thanos (RIP).

Similar to Thanos, Gorr’s reasoning for his madness makes sense and is even relatable. This allows for a much more developed antagonist sure to get viewers invested. The Thor and Jane storyline is both serious and sad, but also very goofy and ridiculous. I mean Jane has always been sort of a soft spot for Thor, and they take full advantage of that with Thor: Love and Thunder. It’s the typical first love who got away scenario and you somehow come face to face with them and realize you haven’t even started getting over them. They even go as far as adding another layer of jealousy between Thor’s new and improved Stormbreaker hammer, and his other old flame the original Thor hammer. In many ways the screenplay is corny for this reason, but at the end of the day love is corny, right? I mean that’s why my wife watches the stupid Hallmark channel for hours on end as soon as Christmas is 60 days away or less.

Clearly we have to talk about the incredible cast involved with Thor: Love and Thunder, which is just loaded with talent from top to bottom. It of course starts with the man himself, Chris Hemsworth. It’s honestly hard to talk about this guy without gushing about him, but I will do my very best. He is without question the best casting decision for the MCU in terms of the overall success of his respective films alongside Chris Evans as Captain America. With only 47 acting credits to his resume, which somehow seems low, Hemsworth made his big-screen debut in Star Trek (2009). He would land the role of Thor soon after which would serve as what would ignite his amazing career. Soon after the debut of Thor in 2011, he would star in The Cabin in the Woods (2011), which is severely underrated, three movies in 2012 including The Avengers, Snow White and the Huntsmen, and Red Dawn, and would go on to become a staple in just about every Marvel film that could justify an appearance from the great Thor, as well as a few comedic roles including a supporting role in the 2016 Ghostbusters reboot.

It is extremely difficult to picture Hemsworth as anything other than Thor at this point, but he was great in a few intense military thrillers including 12 Strong and the Netflix original film Extraction. Bottom line, he has become one of my favorite actors and what Taika Waititi did with his character in Thor: Ragnarok was next level genius. I remember reading interviews with Waititi prior to Ragnarok releasing who kept saying how funny Hemsworth was and that his comedic talents were being wasted. Well, those days are gone. The new and improved Thor is pure delight on screen, and I loved his character in Thor: Love and Thunder. I could talk about the infamous naked scene but you’ve all seen the trailers, plus I don’t want to start sweating considering I just took a shower. I’m kidding of course, sort of.

Next I just need to talk about my longtime obsession with the gorgeous actress Natalie Portman. In a weird way I always related to Thor’s obsession with her, she is just that girl next door and the definition of wholesome. From her breakout role way back in 1994 as Mathilda in the incredible crime thriller Léon: The Professional, she has been a favorite of mine. If you haven’t seen that movie, you need to. It is currently streaming on Netflix and Hulu, so you have no excuse not to watch it. You can thank me later. That was just the start for an illustrious career as she played in Heat (1995), Zoolander (2001), Garden State (2004), The Black Swan (2010), and her debut as Jane Foster in the original Thor (2011). Born Natalie Hershlag on June 9th, 1981, she was the first actress born in the 80’s to win an Academy Award as she took home Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role for Black Swan. She was next-level good in that movie which to be honest was a bit too much of a psychological mindfu*k for my taste. As versatile as she is beautiful, Natalie Portman has always been a memorable actress and I was thrilled to find out that she would pay a prominent part in Thor: Love and Thunder. Not only is she just perfect in this role, she is a big reason why the film works so well because of her chemistry with Hemsworth. She is also just a great actress in general so the more dramatic scenes were no problem at all for her.

The other primary roles belong to Taika Waititi himself as Korg, Christian Bale as Gorr the God Butcher, and Tessa Thompson as King Valkyrie. Korg, probably my favorite character in Thor: Ragnarok, was amazing once again and I just cannot get enough of Waititi’s New Zealand accent, it just cracks me up every time. He is Thor’s right hand man here and is along for the entire ride for Thor: Love and Thunder which made me so, so happy. I am still waiting on either a spin-off film or a Disney+ series featuring Korg, so they better get on it! Christian Bale taking on the role of Gorr was pure genius. I remember when the trailer released giving us our first look at Bale, and I was on Cloud 9. Like here is this upper-echelon acting talent taking on a big role in one of my most anticipated movies of the year. I was just beside myself, and he CRUSHED it. Bale was almost unrecognizable and honestly had some The Machinest vibes, and so much of his character relied on facial expressions and mannerisms, and he was without a doubt the man for the job. He was pure nightmare fuel, and his performance was just fantastic and a big reason why the overall story of the film held so much weight. Thompson picked right up where she left off in Thor: Ragnarok, and was great yet again. She has this sort of cocky attitude that she clearly adopted from Thor, and it just works for her.

As far as the rest of the cast, the supporting talent was amazing as well. I won’t give away the names of a few familiar faces that will have fans excited, but Russell Crowe was awesome as Zeus. Even though Zeus and Thor are both mighty Gods, the two couldn’t be more different. Thor looks like he could walk on to a starting NFL roster, while Zeus looks like he just took on Joey Chestnut in a buffet eating competition. Okay admittedly that is a little harsh as Crowe doesn’t look that bad, but he was great in this role and surprisingly funny. His back and forth banter with Hemsworth was a highlight of the film, and something I honestly did not expect. Hemsworth comes across as funny in a very effortless way, and somehow Crowe channeled that and did the same. Overall kudos to him making an impact on Thor: Love and Thunder to the point where he definitely left a lasting impression on me.

From a technical standpoint Thor: Love and Thunder leaves no stone unturned as expected. The action sequences are over-the-top and aplenty, and it is made clear from the start that the film will not be taking itself too seriously, not even for a second. The CGI is fantastic but is also pretty cheesy at times which is definitely by design. After the films opening sequence you will have a pretty good idea of what to expect going forward, and I personally thought the decisions they made worked in terms of the feel and the tone of the film. I mean, at one point Thor decides to ride on his Stormbreaker (his fancy new axe) like he is Bette Midler in Hocus Pocus 2. Just process that for a second and you’ll have a pretty good idea as far as what to expect with Thor: Love and Thunder. And don’t get me wrong, it was glorious. I loved the attention to detail and the cinematography, as well as it balanced tons of color and a colorless black and white theme that was very Sin City/300-esque towards the end of the film. The only thing we were missing was a Gerard Butler appearance. Lastly, I haven’t experienced goats that added as much to a film since Black Phillip from the 2016 horror film, The Witch. Even though they scream quite a lot, you can rest assured the goats in Thor: Love and Thunder, who were absolutely hilarious, are not disciples of Satan himself.

I have to talk about the soundtrack for this movie, because it is just amazing in every conceivable way. Now I am someone who can appreciate a wide range of music mainly because ultimately I ignore genre, if I like the sound of something, I will give it a chance. This dates back to my middle school days in the late 90’s where I could be jamming out to DMX Ruff Ryder’s Anthem right before I left the house for the bus stop, and the next thing you know I am all fired up because Backstreet Boys Everybody (Backstreet’s Back) is playing on the radio. I mean talk about the confusing days of your formidable years. Also, I had a teacher who would play Enya on test days because she said it would help us focus, and guess what, she was right! I would continue this trend through my college years and just crush hours of homework listening to the Enya greatest hits album. So as soon as Thor: Love and Thunder opened with Enya Only Time with Thor wearing the most ridiculous robe you’ve ever seen, I immediately thought to myself, “Let’s fu#king go!!”. I knew the soundtrack was going to be amazing, but what a start. From there we get a welcomed extra helping of Guns N’ Roses, as well as a little Mary J. Blige, and even some Ciara. Bottom line, this soundtrack is already on my listening queue.

The visuals, which are admittedly pretty damn ridiculous more often than not, are just so much fun. I can’t even begin to describe some of the earlier enemies that Thor makes quick work of, but they looked like something you might start seeing if you ate the wrong mushrooms while hiking. You get what I’m saying. It just speaks to the creativity of Waititi if you ask me, and also stays in line with the wonkiness of the Guardians of the Galaxy films, at least early on. I really liked the craziness and just tried to take it all in. I doubt you are going into this movie expecting dark and gritty, because if you are, you will be disappointed. Not to say it doesn’t have a gritty feel at times, particularly during the scenes with Christian Bale’s Gorr the God Butcher. They did a great job making him seem super creepy and a worthy foe for Thor or any other God brave enough to get in his way.

In closing, Thor: Love and Thunder satisfied my insatiable appetite for all things Taika Waititi and Marvel. It was action-packed, hilarious, serious enough at times, and driven by an impactful backstory. The cast couldn’t have been better, and the technical elements of the film left very little to be desired. To be honest I am still trying to wrap my brain around the fact that I actually watched Thor: Love and Thunder, mainly because it feels like I have been excited for it for so long. Reuniting Thor and Jane Foster was just genius if you ask me, and allowed the film the chance to focus more on Thor as more than just this God/superhero. All of the pieces of the puzzle just seemed to fit together and left me as a big fan of Marvel and the Thor movies, more than satisfied.

THE BAD

Okay so now for the critical part I mentioned briefly earlier. Part of the reason why I was back and forth on doing this review right away was the simple fact that I went in expecting another Thor: Ragnarok, and that just isn’t necessarily what I got. Now I am not saying that as a bad thing, but not only was it a high bar, it was also Taika Waititi’s first opportunity to delve into the Thor character and he went all out. Although as a viewer I wanted more of everything that I loved about Ragnarok, he was determined to give us something with a bit more substance. For that reason in ways Thor: Love and Thunder feels like the little brother of Thor: Ragnarok in terms of the overall scale as well as what I considered to be non-stop humor, but the more I think about it the more I appreciate what they did. I am talking about this in the bad section to prepare you as the viewer in terms of the differences between the two films.

Thor: Love and Thunder almost feels like the origin story of the character in comparison, because in many ways it is. The film puts a great deal of focus on how Thor and Jane Foster came to be, and that requires some buildup. Plus the comedy is a bit more spread out in comparison to Ragnarok, which again I wouldn’t necessarily say is a bad thing, just something to consider. I also feel confident that taking the time to really reintroduce Thor to viewers, we are setup for some great follow-up film potential. Plus even though I was more than okay with it the film can be very goofy at times, which could rub some viewers the wrong way.

THE VERDICT

A cast stacked with talent including a great new villain in Christian Bale as Gorr the God Butcher and one of the hardest hitting soundtracks in recent memory, Thor: Love and Thunder proves yet again that Taika Waititi and Chris Hemsworth are a force to be reckoned with. This movie was a blast to watch, and just seeing Thor and Natalie Portman’s Jane Foster back together again was worth the price of admission in itself. Even with my lofty and seemingly unreachable expectations, I left the theater with a big smile on my face. And as I thought about the film last night and today while writing this review, I honestly can’t wait to see it again tomorrow and I am positive I will appreciate it even more. I talked about why viewers expected Thor: Raganarok 2.0 may find themselves slightly disappointed, but this is just a different film as far as the overall feel trajectory of the backstory. Thor: Love and Thunder still packs a hefty comedic punch but also has a great deal of substance, and may even cause you to push out a tear or two, so just be prepared for anything. The pacing is great and the just under 2-hour runtime will absolutely fly by, and you will be staring at the end credits before you know it.

Bottom line, Thor: Love and Thunder is a cinematic treat and something I recommend seeing sooner than later. Also be sure to stick around for the two post-credit scenes, you don’t want to miss them. As a fan I am giddy and cannot wait for what’s coming next.

UPDATE: I went to see the movie a second time, and I am pleased to say that I enjoyed it that much more. Do yourself a favor and ignore the pessimistic people who prefer to complain about literally everything, you will be better for it. #teamthorloveandthunder #teamtaikawaititi #gettothetheater

TED TAKES RATING - 8.9/10

Thor: Love and Thunder is now playing only in theaters. Check out the latest trailer below.

Minions: The Rise of Gru

Minions: The Rise of Gru is a 2022 animated comedy from directors Kyle Balba and Brad Abelson, from a screenplay by Brian Lynch and Matthew Fogel, based on characters from Cinco Paul. In the same Despicable Me universe, the film is a direct sequel to the 2015 spin-off Minions.

In the heart of the 1970s, amid a flurry of feathered hair and flared jeans, Gru is growing up in the suburbs. A fanboy of a supervillain supergroup known as the Vicious 6, Gru hatches a plan to become evil enough to join them. Luckily, he gets some mayhem-making backup from his loyal followers, the Minions. Together, Kevin, Stuart, Bob, and Otto--a new Minion sporting braces and a desperate need to please--deploy their skills as they and Gru build their first lair, experiment with their first weapons and pull off their first missions.

The cast includes Steve Carell as Gru, Pierre Coffin as the Minions, along with Taraji P. Henson, Michelle Yeoh, RZA, Jean-Claude Van Damme, Lucy Lawless, Dolph Lundgren, Danny Trejo, Russell Brand, Julie Andrews, and Alan Arkin.

Minions: The Rise of Gru made it’s debut only in theaters on July 1st, courtesy of Illumination.

THE GOOD

I feel like the Despicable Me films have been around forever, which is sort of true considering the debut film released 12-years ago, almost to the day way back in July of 2010. With adorable animation and a stacked cast of voice actors lead by Steve Carell, success was inevitable. I loved the first film and even purchased the 3D Blu-ray when it came out. The oblivious little yellow weirdos known as minions quickly became a fan favorite, so it is no suprise that after the 2rd Despicable Me film released in 2013, they would turn back the clock and give us a glimpse of how these guys came to be with the 2015 film, Minions.

An origin story to try and explain how these guys became so obsessed with serving the ultimate super-villain, I personally enjoyed the first film and felt like it served as a great setup for the inevitable sequel. So now 7-years later we have Minions: The Rise of Gru which aims to real-acclimate audiences with Carell’s iconic character. Was it a great addition to this successful franchise or just another pointless sequel? Keep reading to find out!

I really enjoyed this movie! Minions: The Rise of Gru is simply a fun time at the movie theater for the entire family. When you are looking for an animated film that effectively appeals to adults and younger audiences alike, look no further! The animation is incredible as expected, the screenplay is a seamless continuation of the first Minions movie while also expanding on the Despicable Me films, the comedy is wholesome and aplenty, and everything is neatly tied in a hour and 30 minute package to help parents out. I was personally smiling from ear to ear the entire time, and my 3-year old literally never took his eyes off the screen which is probably why he was covered in honey mustard by the end of the movie.

I laughed out loud a ton, and at times even looked around to make sure I wasn’t the only one. I mean a minion thinking that going across country on a big wheel was a good idea is just comedy gold. It just felt like such a genuinely fun film that deserved to be made, and never for a second overstayed it’s welcome. We often complain about sequels but I felt like the origin story of Gru was necessary, and if anything it made me that much more of a fan of the Despicable Me films.

It should come as no real surprise that the voice acting in Minions: The Rise of Gru was fantastic. You have Steve Carell leading the way once again as Gru, and he is just so, sooooooo good with this character. Carell has the voice of Gru down to a science to the point where I bet he talks like Gru in his sleep. Pierre Coffin crushes it as the Minions yet again. One of these days I will understand what the heck those little guys are saying. Taraji P. Henson is a welcome addition as Belle Bottoms. Russell Brand, who was a favorite of mine in the first Despicable Me as Dr. Nefario makes his return and is a welcomed addition once again.

The great Michelle Yeoh is given a golden opportunity as Master Chow which she of course knocks out of the park. One of my favorite voice actors outside of Carell is without a doubt my guy Jean-Claude Van Damme as Jean-Clawed. I mean aside from the incredibly creative name, he is amazing in this. The ageless Alan Arkin is great as Wild Knuckles., Dolph Lundgren tears it up as Svengeance, and old Danny Trejo takes on and owns the role of Stronghold. Even the very small roles are voiced by some incredible comedic talent including Jimmy O. Yang, Lucy Lawless, Steve Coogan, RZA, Will Arnett, and Kevin Michael Richardson. I mean, is that a stacked cast of voice actors or what?! Just stellar from top to bottom.

I really liked all of the extra sort of fan service elements of the film as well, including a fun reference to the primary antagonist from the first Despicable Me film, as well as a fun shoutout to Sandra Bullock’s Scarlett Overkill character from the first Minions film. You could tell that the writing team was determined to get the most out of Minions: The Rise of Gru, and I felt like they did just that. Fans were given reason after reason to go back and re-watch the earlier films, and once you left the theater you still wanted more.

For me that is the sign of a truly effective sequel or prequel film, and everything just came together nicely. I won’t get too in-depth on the technical side of things mainly because people know what to expect when it comes to a Illumination film, but Minions: The Rise of Gru looks incredible. The animation is pure eye-candy, and they took full advantage of it with all of the awesome action sequences. I also really loved the music for the film from talented composer Heitor Pereira, who also did the music for last years 2021 Paw Patrol: The Movie (just don’t tell my son).

THE BAD

Minions: The Rise of Gru isn’t perfect, but the final product brings much more good to the table than it does bad. Feedback for the follow-up to the 2015 Minions film has been better for several reasons. First, an origin story tends to feel a little slow no matter what you do, and when you add in a bunch of main characters that just speak gibberish for an hour and a half, it can be easy to lose audiences. Luckily even though Minions: The Rise of Gru is technically an origin story, the foundation has already been set for the main character giving the writing team plenty to work with.

With that being said, even though the writing was a positive for the film, it was a bit limiting as they seemed to play it safe for the most part. I felt like we were missing that new character that jumped off the screen and could maybe have ignited another spin-off film. I also felt like we didn’t get as many action sequences as I was expecting, which is too bad considering how great the film looked. I do feel like they may have held back for what will likely be another film for the franchise. But beyond those minor complaints, Minions: The Rise of Gru did what I wanted to do which is why I was very pleased with the film.

THE VERDICT

An energetic and good-hearted sequel packed with laughs and the top-tier animation we’ve come to expect from the talented crew at Illumination, Minions: The Rise of Gru is a ton of fun and kept my 3-year old glued to the screen right up until the end credits. Summer movie season is about the big blockbusters first and foremost, but it is also about the films that we can take the miniature versions of ourselves to go see. This is the 4th film I have taken my son who turns 4 at the end of the year to see, and as someone who sees the majority of movies solo I can’t even begin to explain how much it means to be able to share the love of cinema with him. To say that I am a proud dad would be an understatement.

Parents crave kid-friendly flicks that clock in at an hour and a half give or take, and find a way to appeal to them while also keeping the kids locked in. Minions: The Rise of Gru gets the job done and then some, which is why I can in good conscience recommend that you pack the kids into the minivan and head to the theater. My son and I are looking forward to a second viewing, and hope they decide to do a follow-up film.

TED TAKES RATING - 7.9/10

Minions: The Rise of Gru is now playing only in theaters. Check out the latest trailer below.

The Tender Bar

The Tender Bar is a 2021 coming-of-age drama film directed by Academy Award® Winner George Clooney, and written by Academy Award® Winner William Monahan, based on the Pulitzer Prize winning author J.R. Moehringer's memoir.

It tells the story of J.R., a fatherless boy growing up in the glow of a bar where the bartender, his Uncle Charlie, is the sharpest and most colorful of an assortment of quirky and demonstrative father figures. As the boy’s determined mother struggles to provide her son with opportunities denied to her — and leave the dilapidated home of her outrageous if begrudgingly supportive father — J.R. begins to gamely, if not always gracefully, pursue his romantic and professional dreams — with one foot persistently placed in Uncle Charlie’s bar.

Starring Academy Award® Winner Ben Affleck, Tye Sheridan, Christopher Lloyd, and Lily Rabe.

The Tender Bar made its debut in select theaters on December 17th, 2021, and on Prime Video on January 7th, 2022.

THE GOOD

If you know me, you know I LOVE me a good coming-of-age film. I mean, if it has coming-of-age in the synopsis, I will give it a watch. I actually spend substantial amounts of time researching the best coming-of-age books to be turned into movies just so I can read the book and then watch the movie. I wish I was kidding. So this brings me to my review at hand, which is on The Tender Bar, a drama film with a sprinkling of comedy based on J.R. Moehringer's memoir. Did it scratch my coming-of-age itch or was it just another forgettable run-of-the-mill drama? Keep reading to find out!

I really enjoyed The Tender Bar from start to finish and felt like the film itself did a fantastic job translating J.R. Moehringer's memoir to the screen. The film had heart and told a story that mattered as we watched this extremely intelligent kid grow up without a father. Instead of letting that be the excuse for why he never did anything with his life he gravitated towards his uncle who provided guidance that would shape him into the man he would become. I really loved the sense of family and community within the bar which to me showed how important human connection is and the fact that sometimes people who are not blood relatives can still become family.

The combination of the screenplay and the acting was the primary reason why The Tender Bar worked so well, with the casting decisions being paramount to it’s success. I am a huge fan of Ben Affleck for obvious reasons, but I have liked Tye Sheridan as an actor ever since he broke out in the indie coming-of-age drama Mud back in 2012. If you have yet to see it, I highly recommend checking it out. Sheridan takes on the titular role of JR, with Affleck playing Uncle Charlie. The chemistry between the two carried the film in my opinion, and Uncle Charlie’s no BS and down to earth personality was infectious.

The bond he shared with the men at the bar will make you wish you had better friends, or at least genuine friends like they had back in the day. These men also acted as extended Uncle’s to JR in a way as he spent so much time with them. I really liked Lily Rabe and thought she delivered a very convincing role. Daniel Ranieri was fantastic as younger JR and definitely made an impression. Plus who doesn’t love Christopher Lloyd, who was fantastic in a supporting role as JR’s no nonsense grandfather.

The Tender Bar may not light the world on fire with it’s technical elements but I still thought we had plenty to love here. The ability to get viewers into the time period is huge for a film like this to work, and I thought they did a fantastic job with that. George Clooney did a heck of a job behind the camera, serving up a ton of purposeful shots that resonated with viewers. I thought cinematographer Martin Ruhe did a really nice job as well bringing early 70’s Long Island to life. The bar called The Dickens, a play on words for author Charles Dickens, felt like the sort of place you wanted to spend all of your time. I mean sure it would likely mean you were an alcoholic, but still definitely worth it. And the early 70’s era cars parked out front, what a time to be alive. Dara Taylor did a really nice job to round things out with a great soundtrack as well.

THE BAD

The Tender Bar is a great all-around film but it’s not without its fair share of flaws. The good undoubtedly outweighs the bad, but it still suffers from some of the same issues we get when a book translates to the screen. Because this is based on an autobiography, at times things feel like they are dragging a bit more than they should, or perhaps they decided to include certain things and leave others out that hurt the overall impact of the film in the end. But like I said none of these issues deliver crushing blows to the final product, just worth pointing out.

THE VERDICT

A sweet and authentic coming-of-age story that explores the complicated social class hierarchy in a unique and constructive way, The Tender Bar is equal parts enjoyable and introspective and is absolutely worth a watch. As I talked about in the review I very much enjoyed this film, and not just because I am a sucker for a good coming-of-age movie. I loved the time period as well which was the icing on the cake for me, and Ben Affleck and Tye Sheridan have an unmatched chemistry on-screen. While it’s not perfect and does suffer from pacing issues at times, it is a still a film director George Clooney can be proud of and one I absolutely recommend checking out.

TED TAKES RATING - 8.2/10

The Tender Bar is now streaming on Prime Video Check out the latest trailer below.