Avengers: Endgame

Avengers: Endgame is a walk down memory lane. It is the final act in an almost 20 yearlong franchise, starting with the first Iron Man in 2008. It picks up 5 years after Avengers: Infinity War. In this film the surviving heroes are trying to deal with the aftermath of Thanos’ wrath.

This is not your typical action movie. It was full of strong character development and the script was full of depth and heart. Although the plot was mostly predicable there were some great twits at the end. The action sequences were high quality and very entertaining. Especially the female focused, girl power, scenes.

Some parts didn’t seem realistic and lost me, especially when they were talking about changes in time. I also wish that there was some more time spent with some of the characters but overall the time was spent well with all of the main characters.

I think those who that did a binge of some of the previous movies was a good idea. I wish I would have done the same to have had more context in this film. I would suggest the following to watch or re-watch before Endgame: the 1st Captain America, 1st Thor, 1st Avengers, Ant Man & the Wasp, Black Panther, Captain America: Civil War and obviously Avengers: Infinity War.

I found this film to be a proper final act, worth the wait. It was a 3 hour saga but didn’t feel like it at all. If you are looking for something funny, heart wrenching and in the end, incredibly rewarding, I would recommending checking this one out. Just know, your theater will be packed and there is no good time for a pee break so make sure you take care of that before the movie starts.

Instant Family

Instant Family is a comedic drama starring Mark Wahlberg and Rose Byrne. They play a married couple, Pete and Ellie, who decide they want to start a family as foster parents. They go in looking for one child but their plans are drastically changed when they discover that they child they want to adopt has two siblings. 

I found the plot to be really entertaining and endearing. I thought that the script was funny and at times really pulled at the heartstrings.

The acting was really great from the entire cast and the character development was also well done. I’m not a huge fan of Wahlberg but I did like his character in this movie. He was really relatable and funny. To me who stole the show though was Byrne. She portrayed a kind, engaging yet awkward and hilarious character.

There were parts that were trying to push the button a bit too much and weren’t really hitting on the funny scale for me but overall I really liked this movie. If you are looking for a comedy full of heart and occasional tear-jerking moments, this is the one for you.

Incredibles 2

Incredibles 2 is the sequel to the 2004 Disney classic, Incredibles. It picks up shortly after the original. Super heroes are now outlawed and but one man wants to reverse that law. With the help of Helen Parr aka Elastigirl they work to change the minds of the public while her husband, Bob Parr aka Mr. Incredible, is dealing with the role switch and is on Daddy Duty.

This movie has been 14 years in the making but they didn’t miss a beat. The majority of the voice actors from the original came back for this which was great. The animation was well done. The plot was a bit predictable but entertaining. I liked the twist at the end. Additionally, I appreciated how this movie focused more on the female characters. The script was well written and the themes about teamwork and trusting one another were great.

Overall the movie is a fun, family friendly journey that I would recommend checking out. You don’t even have to see the original. The writers did a good job of making this a completely separate movie, one that anyone can pick up on.

Mile 22

Mile 22 is a high action, spy drama produced by and starring Mark Whalberg. He plays, James Silva, a leader of a top-secret military unit. He and his team are tasked with smuggling an Indonesian double agent, police officer, who has information pertaining to the destruction of American, out of his country. 

The plot for this movie was interesting unfortunately there were a lot of holes in it. It was not very realistic, especially during some of the action sequences where huge waves of bad guys are shooting at the good guys and they miss but the good guys kill them on the first try. My husband compared them to Puttys in a Power Rangers TV show and I found that to be very accurate.

Also, there was too much dialogue, and at times the conversations were too fast paced. It was as if the writer thought talking fast and in some kind of poetic fashion would make the characters sound smarter but not everyone is a poet and not one of these characters came though me to as particularly intelligent.

Additionally, there was zero character development and a lot of questions left unanswered. Like many of its similar genera predecessors, they have already prepped this movie for a sequel, but I have no interest in seeing it.

There wasn’t much to this movie at all. To me it was just a glorified fight sequence. The combat choreography and stunts were amazing, especially from Iko Uwais who played Li Noor. I thought that he was the most interesting thing about this movie. I found his acting to also be very good. I would really like to see him in some movies with better production. He unfortunately couldn’t save this movie. Therefore, I would recommend skipping this one.

A Simple Favor

A Simple Favor is a dark comedy starring Blake Lively and Anna Kendrick. Kendrick plays Stephanie is a single, stay at home mother and vlogger, who is heavily involved in her son’s school. She befriends Emily, a very private, working mom, after their children, who attend the same elementary school, become friends. Shortly into their friendship Emily goes missing, so Stephanie decides to take it upon herself to investigate her disappearance. 

I found the script to be well thought out and at times quite witty. The plot was interesting; it had a Gone Girl vibe to it. I thought it was going to be predictable but was pleasantly surprised by some of the twists and turns throughout the film. Although some parts were far-fetched I was still willing to go along with the ride.

I liked that this film was female-centric with its two strong leads. Both Lively and Kendrick did a great job in their very different roles. Lively the seemingly put together, fashionable mother with the perfect life and Kendrick, the nerdy, seemingly naïve mother who just wants a friend.

Overall, I thought that the movie was entertaining and fun. Nothing Oscar worthy or noteworthy but not a time waster. If you are looking for a black comedy with a little bit of mystery, this could be the one for you.

Bumblebee

Bumblebee is the origin story for the Autobot Transformer of the same name. Set in 1987, Bumblebee is forced to go into hiding, after suffering some major injuries in battle. When he is discovered by Charlie, a young girl struggling to find her place in the world, at a California junk yard, they realize they will have to work together to save Earth. 

There were only a couple of things that I liked about this movie, the soundtrack and the CGI. The movie was set in the 80s so all of the music was new wave and 80s pop, which was fun. The CGI during the Transformer fight scenes were pretty good. It looked as if some of it was choreographed by a MMA specialist which was entertaining.

There was a lot however, not to like about this move. The acting was not that great. I have discovered that John Cena is basically the same in everything, so I wasn't very surprised by his movie choice nor his lack of range. Hailee Steinfeld played the lead. I don’t think that she should have been the one to carry this movie. I liked her in the Pitch Perfect movies as a minor role more than I liked her in this. Her portrayal of Charlie was not convincing nor did I feel a connection to her character or any of the others besides the robot, Bumblebee. The script was corny and the plot predictable. The movie didn’t feel very original, as there were definitely some scenes that were taken from previous Transformer movies. Overall this was not a very good movie. It tried to have some heart and comedic timing but it didn't really hit for me. I think it could pass with the kids but not with adults.

Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse

Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse is the Oscar & Golden Globe winner for Best Animated Feature Film. It’s the origin story for Miles Morales, a Black teenager who becomes Spider-Man. Along the way of coming into his own, he crosses paths with five more Spider super heroes from other dimensions. Together they must stop a threat that will impact all of their realities.

The plot was a bit predictable but entertaining. I liked the twist on having a minority Spider-Man and the diversity among the cast of animated characters.

I enjoyed the modern hip-hop soundtrack and thought it was appropriate for the era and location, which was New York.

Even though I liked the movie, I thought that it was a bit too long. The cinematography was good for the most part, but sometimes during the scenes where the “The Super-Collider” is being used to access parallel universes, the colors are just so bright and it’s not super clear what is going on. Additionally, I thought that there were too many extra “Spider” super heroes. Some of them were pretty corny. I think they could have done with just 2 extra instead of 5. For someone who never read the comics I thought it was a bit overwhelming. That also lea to a lack in character development, for some of the co-characters. I'm hoping they can make up for it however, in the squeal.

In the end I found this movie to be a cute, family friendly film with a strong moral compass. One that shares some great values and can be enjoyed by all.

The Mule

The Mule is the Clint Eastwood directed drama, loosely based on the biography of a World War II veteran who became a drug mule for the Sinaloa Cartel in his 80s. Clint Eastwood plays the lead role, Earl Stone (based on the real Leo Sharp).

I thought that the plot was interesting. Once I found out that the script was based on a true story, I read the original article about Leo Sharp and found it to be so crazy that I wanted to see how this movie would play everything out.

I also wanted to see this movie because it had some positive responses from critics for Eastwood’s acting. I however came out of the movie, thinking his performance was nowhere near Oscar noteworthy, just okay. I was not completely convinced by his portrayal nor did I ever feel truly connected to any of the other characters, as they all came off pretty one dimensional. As a side note, something that has bothered me about Eastwood, especially within the last 5-10 years, is that he always plays someone a little bit racist, which he was able to effortlessly weave into this character as well.

The movie was almost two hours long and an hour in I was wondering when it would wrap up. I found the film to be slow moving with parts that felt disjointed. It was dry and boring. I also didn't like how they ended the movie. They didn't talk about where the real Leo is now, nor anything about his family. In the end, I’m glad I didn’t waste my money on this movie. For those interested in this story, I would recommend just reading the New York Post article, which ends up being much more interesting than this movie.