A Quite Place Part II

A Quite Place Part II is the highly anticipated sequel to the 2018 original. It picks up where the first left off; after the loss of husband and father, Lee Abbott, and the destruction of their family home, the matriarch of the Abbott family, Evelyn, must now take her young children beyond the sand path to seek help. Knowing that the venture into the unknown in highly risky, they will have to rely on each other to survive not only the sound hunting aliens but also any other threats lurking around the corner.

John KrasinskiI’s creative writing and direction helped to bring a well thought out continuation to the original. Although not as suspenseful as the first; it was still quite the thriller. My only critique is that because it was so great and I was so locked in; I really wanted to see how it was going to end. I think it would have been better if they wrapped it up and instead of leaving it as a cliff hander, open for a third film.

As usual Emily Blunt is a superb actor. Her ability to command the screen and showcase a wide variety of range was impressive. She was a tough mother, making sacrifices and doing anything it took to ensure hers and her children’s survival. The character development was strong and really helped you connect and want to root for Evelyn and her children. The addition of Cillian Murphy and Djimon Hounsou were also unexpected and exciting. Cillian has done end of the world type movies before so I didn’t feel like this was much of a stretch for him but I still liked his complicated character that was still battling through the mourning period. Djimon’s role was a bit different than other roles of his I’ve seen in the past, so I enjoyed watching him in this new part as a community leader and protective parent.

Even though I’m not super excited about a third film, I will still definitely check it out, in hopes that they will finally give us all the keys to unlock the end of this story.

Fatherhood

 

Fatherhood is a Netflix produced comedy-drama starring Kevin Hart and Alfre Woodard. It is based on Two Kisses for Maddy: A Memoir of Loss and Love by Matthew Logelin. The film follows a father who is forced the raise his baby, Maddy, on his own after the unexpected death of his wife.

I thought that the plot was a refreshing take on the life of a single Black father. It was great to see this movie help change the narrative; to see a man in a leading role, taking full responsibility for his child was just what we needed, in this day and age, to see on screen.

The casting was great. I enjoyed the diversity of the group and everyone’s performances were fantastic; especially that of the young lady, Melody Hurd, who played the role of Maddy Logelin. She stole the show for me with her spunk and wit. Kevin Hart was also impressive. He took a risk with his performance and it paid off. It was not his typical comedic role. He brought something deeper and more meaningful to the character of Matt Logelin. You could feel his pain and sadness but also the dedication to his daughter, which was his reason for moving forward.

Although this movie did not bring me to tears it was a close call from time to time. If you are looking for a heartwarming movie with comedy sprinkled throughout; this is the one for you.

The Last Thing He Wanted

 

The Last Thing He Wanted is thriller adapted from Joan Didion's novel of the same name. Set in 1984 during the during the Reagan/Bush administration; it follows Elena McMahon, a D.C. journalist, played by Anne Hathaway. When Elena’s father falls ill, out of guilt, she is looped into his shady dealings in Central America, causing risk to her life as an unsuspecting source of a story she had been trying to break for multiple years.

Benjamin Lee of The Guardian says it best, this is "a two-hour film packed with too much and somehow not enough, The Last Thing He Wanted is a thing that no one wanted." The script was too rushed so the speed of relationships being developed didn’t make sense. Additionally, the lack of character development made it incomprehensible as to why Elena was in the situation she as in the first place.

The cast was star studded with the likes of Anne Hathaway, Willem Dafoe, Ben Affleck and Rosie Perez. The acting from the entire cast was pretty good given the lack of strong backstories for the characters.

The ending was unpredictable and the editing was interesting but none of that was enough to save this film. I'd recommend skipping this one.

The Hitman’s Bodyguard

 

The Hitman’s Bodyguard is an action-comedy starring Samuel L Jackson, Ryan Reynolds and Salma Hayek. It follows Reynolds as Michael Bryce, a top tier UK- based private bodyguard who unwittingly takes on a new client, whom he has an unfavorable history with, Darius Kincaid, a hitman, played by Samuel L Jackson. His task is to get Kincaid to The Hague where he must testify at the International Criminal Court. With all sorts of obstacles in there way, will they be able to put their differences aside and work together to make it to the trial safely and on time?

When I originally saw the previews for this movie, I thought that the plot was uninteresting and it didn’t look very funny to me; so I purposely skipped it for a few years. What gave me a change of heart was the sequel that is set to come out soon. Seeing the previews and Salma Hayek’s promotional tour really encouraged me to give the first one a second chance.

I thought that the sets were beautiful; especially the Netherlands locations.

The action choreography was really great. The fight sequences were crisp and during the higher octane sequences involving car, motorcycle and boat chases, everything was very intricate and entertaining.

Regarding the casting, I liked Reynolds and Hayek’s placement. They were funny. Reynolds was typecast but I still enjoyed his comedic puns and stunts. I also liked that this was a more unconventional role for Hayek and she brought so much intelligence and fierceness to her role that you wanted to see more of her than just the few scenes she was in. Which is why it's great they are doing a sequel with her as the lead. Where the casting took a dip for me was with Samuel L Jackson and Gary Oldman. It was unrealistic seeing Jackson as an actively working hitman. He was not young or agile enough for the role and he also didn’t always do the gun choreography confidently. As for Oldman, they casted him as Vladislav Dukhovich, a stereotypical Russian bad guy. Not only is Oldman not Russian; his attempt at a Russian accent was atrocious. To be honest, casting Russians as the bad guys is so played out at this point. I wish they would have come with a fresher idea.

With that being said, even with the gaps in casting, I was still pleasantly surprised by the outcome of this movie. It was action packed, funny, and also an unconventional story about love.

Peppermint

 

Peppermint is a revenge action thriller starring Jennifer Garner. It follows a mother, after experiencing immense loss, and after no one being held accountable, she takes it upon herself, as a vigilante, to seek the justice she feels that she deserves.

I thought that the plot was interesting but there were too many holes in the story. It wasn’t believable and it was predictable from almost the beginning.

The fight and action sequences were well choreographed but were also incredibly far-fetched. It’s hard believing a woman as small as Gardener could hold her own fighting multiple grown men at once.

I also had an issue with the lack of character development. Garner did a descent acting job with what she had to work with but it was hard connecting to her character because of the lack of any sort of meaningful backstory.

In the end this movie was a waste of time. It was a lazy attempt at a vigilante film and was not worth seeing.

Legend

 

Legend is a 2015 British crime drama starring Tom Hardy, Emily Browning and Taron Egerton. It is a biography loosely based on the lives on infamous gangers Ronald and Reginald Kray during their rule of the London crime scene in the 1950s and 60s.

Tom Hardy is a fantastic actor and you really could tell the difference between the two characters he played with all of the subtleties in his demeanor. He brought a wide range of emotions and did a great job leading this cast. How he was able to toggle from being a manic schizophrenic to a calm and collected yet still very deadly ring leader was quite impressive. I haven’t seen Emily Browning in many things but I liked the innocence that she brought to the role. She and Hardy had great chemistry together. As for Taron Egerton, I have seen him in a few things, I feel like his performances are hit and miss at times but this one was a hit. He was unrecognizable to me.

The script had touches of comedy in it and I liked the narration idea. I thought that the plot was interesting however I struggled fully committing to this story, so it took me a few days to get through it. There were also some creative liberties taken for entertainment purposes, so the storytelling was not completely accurate either.

Overall the movie was okay. It isn’t one that I would watch again but it was worth seeing Hardy’s performance.