No Time To Die

 

No Time To Die is the twenty-fifth film in the James Bond franchise as well as the fifth and final portrayal of Daniel Craig in the role of the British MI6 agent. It picks up where Spectre ended with Bond, having left active service, is attempting to close the chapter of his life Vesper Lynd, when he is recruited for a rescue mission, by his friend, CIA Agent Felix Leiter, reprised by the incomparable, Jeffrey Wright.

This plot was a proper finale for Craig’s Bond. It was high action, full of surprises and suspense. There were a lot of Easter eggs to pay homage to the previous movies over the last 60 years and the story, that started with Casino Royal in 2006 came full circle. 

Like all Bond films, it was filled with great acting from the entire cast. Craig did a great job portraying the growth of Bond from a more reckless, selfish, new 007 in Casino Royal until now, a more tenured, mature and selfless man. Lashana Lynch as Nomi was a breath of fresh air. I liked her confidence and dominance of the scenes. I also enjoyed the casting of Ana de Armas as Paloma. She was independent, likeable and formidable. Overall I liked how the women have evolved in the Bond series from pretty damsels in destress aka Bond Girls to autonomous, self-sufficient, diverse women. I hope that they continue this type of casting in the future. My only critique here is that I would have liked a bit more character development for some of the newer additions to the cast.

With this movie dropping six years after the release of Spectre, I obviously had my hopes up that this would be the best one yet. Unfortunately, it landed somewhere in the middle for me, when comparing all of Craig’s Bond movies. It didn’t come close to Casino Royal or Skyfall, but it was better than Spectre and Quantum of Solace. With that being said, I look forward to seeing how they continue to advance this franchise into the 21st century, and hope that some of the rising stars in this film make their way to the next adaptation.

The Harder They Fall

The Harder They Fall is a revenge western about a man is looking to avenge the murder of his parents. The film stars Jonathan Majors, Idris Elba, Zazie Beetz, Regina King, Delroy Lindo and Lakeith Stanfield.

The plot was interesting and engaging. There was a descent twist at the end, that was a bit foreseeable with the buildup, but still entertaining.

The acting was pretty good. I liked seeing the range that Regina King and Idris Elba gave in the more villainous type of roles. Zazie Beetz was a unique casting for me but I liked seeing her as a character that was off brand for her. The lead, Jonathan Majors, was unknown to me but I thought that he did well as the captain of this ship.

The director, Jeymes Samuel, had said that the soundtrack was very important and was incorporated during the script writing process. It was heavily influenced by reggae and spirituals. I thought it was an odd selection and wasn't a huge fan of the song choices, they felt too far off from the stereotypical musical genre for a western.

For me, The Harder They Fall, was a proper straight to video type of movie. One that you don’t have to pay super close attention to understand and enjoy. Although this isn’t one I’d watch again, it was worth the watch.

After We Fell

After We Fell is the third installment in the After franchise. It picks up where the second film left off. Hardin and Tessa are still struggling to work out some of their communication failures as a couple while also trying to figure out how to manage some new revelations that could tear them apart for good.

At this point I know what I am getting with these stories. They are very intensely charged and overly dramatic yet still entertaining with plenty of steamy, sexy scenes. I liked the plot twist at the end of this movie and think that the script was better written than the second film.

I appreciated Josephine Langford's character, Tessa’s attempt at getting some independence in this film and growing as a person. I am however still having hard time rationalizing Hero Fiennes Tiffin's character, Hardin’s behavior. I would have hoped by the third film he would have matured more and I saw hints of it in parts of the movie but overall it was still the same emotional and childish antics. The Tessa and Hardin relationship is hard to justify at times. Sure, they have a strong physical connection but that seems to be all they have in common. They clearly can’t trust one another and manage to create drama that doesn’t exist in their relationship which can be quite frustrating to watch.

There was an attempt to continue the diversity in casting, with Hardin’s friend, Lillian, and a couple of characters from the first two movies coming back, which I appreciated. However, it would have been nice to get a deeper dive on all of their characters. Additionally, there were four recasts, which made it hard to follow who was who in this one. Thankfully this film and the next film were shot back to back so it won’t be as hard to keep up next time.

Overall, I thought that the movie was better than After We Collided but still not one I'd watch again. I’m also going to reiterate what I had mentioned in my review of After We Collided, which was that I'm not a huge fan of romanticizing unhealthy relationships, something I feel is common in movies adapted from young adult novels, but I'm going to finish this ride in hopes of more growth and maturity in the final film, which is expected to drop sometime this year.

Don't Look Up

 

Don’t Look Up is a satirical comedy that follows two collegiate level astronomers, a professor of astronomy and his doctoral candidate at a Michigan State University, who have discovered a comet that will destroy the world. As they embark on a media tour to warn mankind, they discover that not everyone wants to hear what they have to say.

Don’t Look Up stars Jennifer Lawrence, Leonardo DiCaprio, Meryl Streep, Cate Blanchett, Jonah Hill and Tyler Perry. With this many stars in one movie it could have been overwhelming but everyone did a great job playing off one another. The character development, however, could have used more work. I would have liked more of a back story on Meryl Streep’s character. She played the President of the United States, Janie Orlean. You could tell that she took pointers from pervious disgraced presidents. She was funny, calculated, conniving yet also quite delusional. It would have been great to get more of a deep dive on her character. I would have also liked more character development for DiCaprio’s character, Dr. Randall Mindy, the astronomy professor and family man who struggles speaking up for himself and Jennifer Lawrence’s character Kate Dibiasky, the eccentric MSU doctoral candidate who initially discovered the comet.

The plot was thought provoking with an unexpected ending. The script was full of humor and presented itself as a well thought out mockery of the world's reaction to the current climate crisis.

If you are looking for a comedy that is also a conversation starter, I’d definitely recommend checking this one out.

The Unforgivable

The Unforgivable is a Netflix distributed drama based on the 2009 British miniseries Unforgiven. The film stars Sandra Bullock, Vincent D'Onofrio, Jon Bernthal and Viola Davis. After serving 20 years for murder, Ruth, played by Bullock, is looking to reconnect with her sister but quickly learns that not everyone is ready to forget or forgive her past.

The plot was interesting but at times, it was slow moving. The cinematography was creative in how it did brief flashback of moments, similar to how a thought would be in your mind. All of these thoughts in the end helped to put the story’s puzzle together.

Regarding casting, I appreciated the attempt to add some diversity and liked that the strong leads were women. Viola Davis is a superb actor. I was not expecting her in the role she chose but I like that she always does something different. Sandra did a great job leading this cast of talented actors. She was able to really get you to connect and feel for her character, Ruth. She was able to show so much in her expression without even saying it. The sadness, the loneliness and the trauma her character experienced were evident in her emotions and the way she handled herself.

Overall this was a pretty good movie with an unexpected twist. You can’t always judge a book by its cover and that is what I would say about the theme and some of the more negative reviews about this film. The Unforgivable if full of depth and heart and it is worth watching.

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.