Category: Action

TOMB RAIDER (2018) movie review

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3:10 TO YUMA movie review in haiku

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The boy rides the crux

Of becoming his hero:

Outlaw or father

Crowe and Bale strike true

As likable outlaw and

underdog rancher

The old west’s ying yang

Justice rides the 3:10 train

Gunslingers roundup

STAR WARS IX (2019) movie review

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*spoilers; also don’t be shocked by a positive review… and don’t hate SW8 lovers…

REVIEW:

The finale’ to three trilogies has a lot to live up to, especially after the controversial penultimate Ponzi scheme that was the Rian Johnson debacle. Once again playing to OG fans in the safest of safe ways, JJ Abrams blinks past the memory of two years ago and allows respect to renter the universe. Sure, mock the risk-averse take on a timeless classic, but don’t tell me you don’t love Rey’s new kick flip force moves, or throwback speeder races, or a visit to Endor.

This time, Luke’s saber must be earned, falling rocks mean something, pogs get only a flash, and you can continue to ship Poe and Fin. Abrams fans will also see revivals from favorite faces of Charlie from Lost and two favorite characters from JJ’s hit 90s TV series Felicity: Greg Grunberg and Keri Russell . This film has everything from Sarlackian sinking sand pits to movable monster chess, Wookies in handcuffs, and Lando Calrissian.

It’s a date with the old franchise that raised you – plus a few of the new tricks like lightspeed skipping and interdimensional force fighting. Leia’s role is a perfect compliment to her character and career. And my favorite aspect of this film was the new perspective on the balance of the force that created resolve and unexpected connectivity between all nine films: Rey uses the force to heal. All others use the force to see or to fight, but Rey follows her heart and lays a hand of healing on her enemies, building relationship, forging heroes.

Kylo Ren’s journey becomes the echo of the Anakin story we all cared enough to follow over four decades. The which, I am grateful to have lived through. Star Wars and I have had a long journey together, and in this great wide universe, there will be conflict but we are never alone and there is always hope.

 

RATING:  7.5;  C+ …not the hateful 8th, but perhaps a recap of 7. I gave the “Honest Trailer” for this one all aces.

MISSION IMPOSSIBLE: FALLOUT (2018) movie review

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If you’ve waited for the summer blockbuster to arrive, the action is finally here in MI: Fallout.From every Tom does-his-own-stunts Cruise classic rooftop run to helmet-less Top Gun throwback motorcycle ride, the now quintessential action hero must face harder crashes and crazier action, taller towers and gravity-defying thrills.Throw a mustachioed Superman in there and the fists of fury will fly.Now toss in a little romantic tension and the gang of old friends going rogue with Tom yet again in order to diffuse a few plutonium bombs.Add a chopper chase, stormy parachute drops, street races in Paris, and London tower climbs, and you’ve got a #1 summer film.It’s a stunt movie fueled by themes of mercy for the innocent, for the weak, for the one and for the many.It’s a cavalcade of mind-bending feats, each one topping the next. The decent script offers a load of exposition, but enough twists and tension to keep it interesting. The mission, if you CHOOSE to accept it…

“A storm is coming…”  
“I am the storm.”

ANT-MAN and The WASP (2018) movie review

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Expect Marvel – that primary color palate and pert pacing. Expect Rudd’s quick wit of puns and one liners. Expect hard kicking Ghost girl to startle, but never during warm family moments.Expect to see Evangeline Lily showing the many seasons of emotion as seen in Kate from Lost all rolled into this one film.More size-shifting spectacles make this yet another fun classic Marvel hero flick. See it and you’ll get exactly what you expect: an Ant Man & aWasp.

JURASSIC WORLD: Fallen Kingdom (2018) movie review

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Jeff Goldblum tried to warn them. He tried to warn us all. He said, , “Life finds a way.”So, as fast as you can add an ellipses to the same movie title,  the dangerous become the endangered. In this serialized sequel, the raptor and our old pal the T-Rex reign as as the natural antagonists turned underdogs who must escape island destruction via live volcano lava as well as the grasp of greedy business men and their maniacal soldiers before they face another extinction or worse, weaponization.Predator to prey, this film seeks to prove that all it takes is a muscular raptor trainer, an executive party planner turned activist, and a small agile girl to save both the dinos and the world from an inevitable fate, a fate that was perhaps set the second Dr. Hammond played God in ‘93.