Spider-Man: No Way Home

 

Spider-Man: No Way Home picks up where the second film in the installment, Spider-Man: Far From Home, left off. With Peter Parker’s identity revealed by Mysterio and him framing Parker for his death, Peter goes to Dr. Strange to make everyone forget, but when he interferes with the spell, he causes the opening of a door to the multiverse.

I thought that the plot was unforeseeable, engaging and full of nostalgia. The dialogue was well written and funny. I particularly enjoyed that they re-ran Uncle Ben’s famous line, “With great power comes great responsibility” and I thought that the themes around second chances was well laced throughout the story.

Like every film, it was full of sharp costumes, high action, well-choreographed fight sequences and crisp CGI. The acting from the entire cast was also great. I also liked that there was more character development with Peter's friends, Ned and MJ. It is easy to feel a connection to these characters.

In my opinion this was the best Spider-Man movie I’ve seen to date. As Tom Holland has said in interviews, this is a true celebration of the last 20 years of Spider-Man cinema and I couldn’t agree more. This was a well thought out, heartfelt tear-jerker was the perfect closure to the teenage version of this Spider-Man’s trilogy. Up next is Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness.

Christmas Inheritance

 

Christmas Inheritance is a romantic comedy/drama that follows Ellen Langford, a New York City heiress known more for her partying ways than her leadership skills. So when her father is ready to step down as CEO, he sends her to their small New England town, with only $100, to test if she's ready to take over her father's company.

The cinematography and story gave me a very lifetime movie vibes. The plot was predictable, but I did like the themes around privilege, being resourceful, family traditions and small town values.

I appreciated the diversity in casting. There was descent acting from all, with some actors I've seen before, but mostly new faces. The main protagonist, Eliza Taylor who played Ellen Langford was likeable, showed a lot of growth in her character and overall did a pretty good job leading the cast.

In the end, this was not my favorite in the Netflix Holiday Universe (NHU) movie but it was cute and heartfelt. 

The Last Duel

 

The Last Duel is a Ridley Scott directed historical drama based on the 2004 book The Last Duel: A True Story of Trial by Combat in Medieval France by Eric Jager starring Matt Damon, Adam Driver, Jodie Comer and Ben Affleck. It is the retelling of Knight Jean de Carrouges’ request to a duel with his former friend and squire, Jacques Le Gris, after his wife Marguerite de Carrouges accuses Le Gris of rape.

The screenplay is was written by Nicole Holofcener, Ben Affleck, and Matt Damon. The writing was creative in that it provided three contradictory perspectives, formatted as distinct chapters, for each of the main characters. Shalini Langer for The Indian Express described the key he themes perfectly as the “delusions of men, the idea of consent and the often greater price of speaking up for women” against their oppressors. These themes are sadly still very relevant, even over 700 years later.

Even though the script was well written I was disappointed that there was no French spoken. The characters are supposed to be French but the main actors were all American or British and spoke in their native accents, which I felt was lazy in the direction of these characters.

I thought that the hair, makeup and costumes well done and fit the era perfectly. The fight sequences were also gritty and choreographed quite well. The only distraction for me was Ben Affleck’s character, Count Pierre d'Alençon, as a blonde. I know based off of his interviews that he wanted this character to separate himself from everyone else, because of his royal rank, with the distinct hair color but this choice was not a good one. He should have either gone a different shade of blonde or just done a different color all together.

The entire cast did well playing off one another but for me Jodi Comer stole the show. I’ve been a fan of Comer’s since her portrayal of Elizabeth of York in the 2017 Starz historical miniseries, The White Princess. In this role she really gave such great range and believability. You really felt for her character and the immense pressure and stress she was under during these times.

Even though this didn’t top Ridley Scott’s best work, Gladiator, it was still very well made and thought provoking. The Last Duel is definitely a film worth checking out.

Holiday in the Wild

 

Holiday in the Wild is a Christmas romantic comedy starring Rob Lowe as Derek and Kristin Davis as Kate. On the eve of her second honeymoon trip to Zambia, Kate’s husband surprises her with a divorce, so she chooses to travel alone where she re-discovers herself at an animal conservation camp.

The story was a bit on the predictable side but it was still a well written and engaging. The themes about finding yourself and finding love again were great.

The vastness of the landscapes and the animals were impressive with only one ball drop toward the end, where it seemed like they where doing re-shoots and the green screen looked poorly done.

Rob Lowe and Kristin Davis had great chemistry. I hadn't seen many of their performances before this, as I wasn’t ever a fan of either of them, but I really enjoyed their dynamic. They both were great actors who were extremely likeable. Overall, the entire cast worked well together and I loved the diverse authenticity of the majority of the group

This is by far one of my favorite Netflix Holiday Universe films. It was super cute and heartfelt; even a bit of a tear jerker. A truly great movie to get you in the holiday spirit.

A Christmas Prince: The Royal Baby

 

A Christmas Prince: The Royal Baby is the final installment in the A Christmas Prince trilogy. It picks up one year after Queen Amber and King Richard’s wedding with a royal baby on the way. 100 years after the last signing of a scared truce between the nations of Adlovia and Penglia, Amber and Richard host King Tai and Queen Ming of Penglia to renew their bond, but when the treaty disappears, Amber and Richard must find it before time runs out and the peace between their two nations is jeopardized.

I thought that the plot was unique and slightly less predictable than the first two. In keeping with the theme of the original there were quite a few running jokes from the first installment which I enjoyed.

Thankfully the hair, makeup and costumes were much better, even though the varying size of Amber’s baby bump was a bit of a distraction.

The overacting from some of the actors was also a distraction but overall I thought that the cast did well playing off one another. Everyone seemed to finally be in their groove on this one. I was also happy to see that Amber’s friend Melissa got more screen time and more character development. Additionally there were quite a few more diverse characters which was great to see.

A Christmas Prince: The Royal Baby was surprisingly better than I thought it was going to be. It wrapped up nicely and also managed to redeem itself from the disappointing second installment.

A Christmas Prince: The Royal Wedding

 

A Christmas Prince: The Royal Wedding is the Netflix Original sequel to 2017’s A Christmas Prince. It picks up a year after Prince Richard has been crowned king. It follows Amber as she learns to assimilate to royal protocols while also trying to find her voice to call some of her own shots.

I liked that they did a cute play on some of the scenes from the first movie but overall this story was extremely predictable in its plot, even more so than the original.

It also gave me low budget Lifetime movie vibes. This was particularly evident when it came to the character Amber’s disheveled hair and makeup and the cheap looking costumes for the entire cast.

Speaking of casting, I liked that they diversified a bit more. Amber’s friends, Melissa and Andy, got additional screen time in this one but their characters were still pretty one dimensional. Additionally Amber’s stylist Sahil was way too much. I’m sure he was supposed to be funny but it just came off as overacting and annoying. King Richard’s sister, Princess Emily, played by Honor Kneafsey, had all the best one liners and really helped to carry this one.

In the end though, this wasn’t as good as the original. It felt like everyone just dialed it in with a lot of corny dialogue and awkward acting.

A Christmas Prince

 

A Christmas Prince a Netflix Original Christmas themed romantic comedy starring Rose McIver, Ben Lamb and Alice Krige. When Amber, a magazine journalist, played by Rose McIver, is sent on her first ever assignment, to the fictional foreign country of Aldovia, she has no clue what she’s in store for. In an attempt to get a first-hand take on what’s going on with the illusive Prince Richard, she ends up going undercover as a tutor and discovers there is more than what meets the eye with the alleged playboy prince.

This was your typical feel-good Netflix Christmas film. It was heartwarming and light hearted. Although quite predictable, and not entirely realistic, I still liked the themes around what family really means, taking a chance at love and following your dreams.

Rose McIver did well in the role of Amber. Even though her character doesn’t always have the best intentions, in the beginning, she did still come off as likeable. I also thought that her character’s unique and quirky fashion sense stood her apart from everyone else and was an important part of her character development. I was also really impressed with her American accent; I would have never guessed she was from New Zealand. Regarding the rest of casting; there was not enough diversity in the group and her friends needed a lot more character development.

Overall, this was a decent straight to video story, with beautifully festive landscapes and sets that really helps to get you in the Christmas spirit.

Red Notice

Red Notice is a Netflix distributed action comedy starring Dwayne Johnson, Ryan Reynolds and Gal Gadot. The film was written, directed, and produced by frequent Johnson collaborator, Rawson Marshall Thurber. In the film Johnson is a FBI agent, out of his jurisdiction, hunting down the #1 and #2 art thieves in the world, who are in search of three bejeweled eggs gifted to Cleopatra around 41 BC.
I liked the change in sets throughout the globe and the costume design was sleek and sophisticated which worked well for the theme. I also thought that the fight choreography was crisp and well executed.
The script was easy to follow and fun. There were quite a few plot twists and turns that I didn’t see coming, which I appreciated. The character personalities definitely played toward the type casts of Johnson, Reynolds and Gadot. Johnson was yet again the cop, Reynolds was the comedy relief and Gadot was the sexy tough one.
Even though the typecasting didn't leave much room for any of these actors to stretch in their dramatics, I still liked how they played off of each another. They are three bankable stars who never outshined one other but instead lifted each other up. I also appreciated the diversity in the rest of the casting. I liked that there were a couple of strong female characters that lead each of their respective groups. My only criticism would be that I would have liked a little bit of a deeper dive on the character development. Especially for Gadot’s character, The Bishop, who was pretty one dimensional.
Overall the movie was okay. This is the kind of movie that is that is worth seeing once and then done. It's one of those types of movies that isn't really thought provoking; it's one that you could multitask to while it's playing in the background as it won't require your full attention. Unfortunately there are talks of a sequel or possibly a trilogy. At this point I'm not excited about that but if this does get green lit I hope that they can make some improvements.

Venom: Let There Be Carnage

 

Venom: Let There Be Carnage is the Marvel/Sony superhero action sequel to 2018's Venom. Andy Serkis directed this film with Tom Hardy and Michelle Williams reprising their roles. It picks up where the original left off with Venom and Eddie Brock, trying to lay low but struggling to co-exist with each other. When Brock gets the opportunity to rejuvenate his career by interviewing serial killer Cletus Kasady, an unexpected encounter leads to Kasady also becoming a host to an alien symbiote. With Kasady, a deranged murderer on the loose, Brock and Venom must put aside their differences before they lose all that is dear to them.

Andy Serkis is known more as an actor in performance capture roles like Gollum in The Lord of the Rings trilogy, so I was a bit surprised when I found out he was the director. By the end of the movie I was impressed and thought that he did a great job delivering a well put together and entertaining story that was much better than the original.
The script was funny and entertaining. The Venom part of the dialogue was hilarious. The Venom and Eddie Brock dynamic had so many parallels to a real couple’s relationship. It was quite entertaining watching them navigate life together.
Tom Hardy’s performance was really impressive once I also found out that he also did the voice for Venom. He is such a physical character actor and delivers his lines so comedicly, it’s easy to watch him on screen, he was the star of this show. His tribute to Beverly Hills Cop was also a cool little nugget.
I was surprised that Michelle William's role of Anne wasn’t recast after her terrible performance in the first film, but I’m happy to say that she and Tom Hardy had much better chemistry this time around. In the original film she also had a terrible wig that I'm glad they fixed in the sequel.
Naomie Harris who played Frances Barrison aka Shriek was one of the most interesting characters for me. Harris transformed into someone unlike any other that she has played before. It was great to have seen her not be held down by typecasting and being able to tap into this different type of role.
Overall this was a very entertaining film and as always, be sure to stick around for the end credit scenes. I’m looking forward to the third and hopefully there will be some Spider-Man cross overs in the future as well.