Tag: Stanley Tucci

Fountain Of Youth

2025   Apple TV+

Rated:  PG-13

Length:  2 hr  5min

Action ~ Adventure ~ Mystery

Directed by:  Guy Ritchie

Starring:  John Krasinski, Natalie Portman, Eiza González, Domhnall Gleeson, Arian Moayed, Laz Alonso, Carmen Ejogo, and Stanley Tucci.

Life Is About The Adventure

Fountain of Youth promises a whirlwind globetrotting treasure hunt packed with family drama, ancient mysteries, and the seductive allure of eternal life. At its core, this film is about two estranged siblings, Luke (John Krasinski) and Charlotte (Natalie Portman), who reluctantly reunite to chase a mythical treasure that could change their lives forever. Luke, the reckless adventurer son of a famed archaeologist, drags his sister out of her comfortable but squeezed life as a museum curator in London. Their quest? To find the legendary Fountain of Youth, funded by a terminally ill billionaire whose motives become as murky as the clues they follow through Ireland, Switzerland, and Egypt. Along the way, they dodge international law enforcement, clash with a secretive group sworn to protect the fountain, and confront the chasms that years of separation have carved between them.

Guy Ritchie delivers his signature brisk pacing with visually arresting chase scenes and fight sequences, creating a sleek adventure movie that never asks you to think too deeply. The script is littered with nods to classics like Indiana Jones, National Treasure, Uncharted and Tomb Raider,  making it feel comfortably familiar with a slightly different twist on the Treasure Hunt movie. John Krasinski and Natalie Portman deliver solid performances, their sibling chemistry thrust into sharp focus as the magical environment tests their resolve. Supporting roles, particularly from Domhnall Gleeson as the enigmatic benefactor, Esme Bianco (Eiza González) as a fierce guardian of the fountain, and Stanley Tucci as The Elder in charge of the guardians of the fountain add welcome unpredictability and energy.

While the movie channels the familiar thrills of treasure hunts past, this time it’s the special effects that truly steal the show. Guy Ritchie’s knack for lively pacing remains intact, but the VFX team brings an extra layer of wonder to the screen, especially when the action reaches the legendary fountain. Shimmering water, surreal bursts of color, and dazzling transformations create a spectacle that’s both magical and memorable. This climactic sequence isn’t just eye candy, it injects real energy and awe, elevating the stakes and reinforcing the film’s central theme of chasing the impossible. Stylistically, the costumes and soundtrack keep things vibrant and lively; a quirky J-pop track and lush floral patterns mark the film’s funnier and more flamboyant moments.

Fountain of Youth still leans on genre conventions and lighthearted family drama, but the special effects, especially in the fountain scenes, make this quest feel fresh again. For viewers who crave blockbuster magic, these moments transform the film from a pleasant diversion into something truly cinematic.

Give this adventure a go!

Don’t forget the popcorn!

Uncharted

Conclave

2024   Focus Features

Rated:  PG

Length:  2 hr

Drama ~ Thriller

Directed by:  Edward Berger

Starring:  Ralph Fiennes, Stanley Tucci, John Lithgow, Sergio Castellitto, Lucian Msamati and Isabella Rossellini.

What happens behind these walls will change everything.

His Holy Father, The Pope has died of a heart attack. The Dean of The College of Cardinals Thomas Lawrence (Ralph Fiennes) is summoned to the Pope’s death bed, and following Church procedure, The Pope’s Ring is removed and the seal of the Pope removed from the ring. The Pope’s body is removed from his room and the room is sealed by Dean Thomas Lawrence. He then starts the proceedings to convene The Conclave, notifying and calling all the Cardinals to Rome to participate in the election of a new Pope. As the Cardinals arrive from all over the world, there is a surprise appearance by a Cardinal from Kabul, Afghanistan that no one knew about.

Cardinal Vincent Benitez was appointed a Cardinal by the Pope In Pectore (In Secret) last year. As The Conclave commences and The Cardinals are sequestered, there are politics, conspiracies and secrets that rise to the surface in the chambers of the Conclave. There are four front-runners in the bid for the new Pope;

It gets very political very quickly as the members choose who to support and who has the best chance of being the new Pope. As the voting takes place day by day, secrets and scandals rise up to oust the chances of the front-runners one by one. There are illicit sexual relations, illegitimate children, bribery and Political scandal that rocks the Conclave as the Cardinals attempt to elect a new Pope. It is a very interesting look at The Hierarchy and Politics of the Catholic Church. And the process of The Conclave and electing a New Pope.

It is very dramatic and political, there are intense opposing viewpoints on which direction the Church should head directly related to The New Pope that will lead the way. The Traditionalist wants to return the Church to it’s old ways, the progressive wants to align the church with the modern times, and the conservatives have their own views on which way the church should go. It is very dramatic and pulls you right in wanting to know how it all plays out. As the scandals and mysteries pop up Dean Thomas finds himself playing Detective trying to get to the bottom of them. A Pope must be free of any scandal or any seemingly unholy activity. He must be above human temptation, free of man’s sinful ways, a step down from God himself.

The Movie was great, a great story and religious political thriller with a captivating look inside the workings of the catholic church. But the end……that was unexpected. I did not see that coming and it leaves me with more questions than answers. They could have just ended the movie with the election of the New Pope, but they attached controversy to the New Pope right at the very end. Why you may well ask, I did. Was it the previous Pope’s intention to set all this controversy up to install this new Pope so that his vision and work would be carried forward? Or was it his intention to make a point about The Church’s views on Sexuality?

I don’t have an answer for that, like I said it left me with more questions than answers. It was like a monkey wrench thrown in at the end to make you think and ponder what if or why. I am not a fan of movies that end this way, I like a movie to come to a solid conclusion and not leave you hanging….or at least set itself up for a sequel with the previous events at least concluding that chapter of the story. They could have left out the monkey wrench and it would have been a great movie.

The Electric State

2025   Netflix

Rated:  PG-13

Length:  2 hr  8min

Action ~ Adventure ~ Sci-Fi

Directed by:  Anthony and Joe Russo

Starring:  Millie Bobby Brown, Chris Pratt, Ke Huy Quan, Jason Alexander, Woody Harrelson, Anthony Mackie, Brian Cox, Jenny Slate, Giancarlo Esposito and Stanley Tucci.

“Rage with the Machines.”

THE BOOK:

The Electric State  A Graphic Novel by Simon Stålenhag   2018

In late 1997, a runaway teenager and her small yellow toy robot travel west through a strange American landscape where the ruins of gigantic battle drones litter the countryside, along with the discarded trash of a high-tech consumerist society addicted to a virtual-reality system. As they approach the edge of the continent, the world outside the car window seems to unravel at an ever faster pace, as if somewhere beyond the horizon, the hollow core of civilization has finally caved in.

THE MOVIE (Netflix Tudum):

In the world of The Electric State, the ’90s look a little different. Sure, plaid flannel shirts and grunge black eyeliner are still in, but a catastrophic war between humans and robots has left the world scarred and divided. With robots banished to a remote wasteland, an uneasy peace has been reached — but it may not last for long.

The Electric State tells the story of Michelle ( Millie Bobby Brown), a young woman traveling with a sweet but mysterious robot. The pair reluctantly team up with eccentric drifter Keats (Chris Pratt), and set out on a cross-country road trip to find Michelle’s younger brother. Along the way, they have to navigate an electrified, retro-futuristic US landscape with eerie similarities to our own time.

The Electric State is an explosive adaptation of Simon Stålenhag’s 2018 graphic novel of the same name about a young girl and her small yellow toy robot who travel west through a high-tech wasteland. The Russos’ version takes the story concept and runs with it, expanding the world while remaining true to the emotional threads Stålenhag weaved into his work.

“I’m blown away by the movie,” Stålenhag told Netflix. “It was an amazing experience watching things that I have drawn come to life this way. What resonated most with me was the emotional core of the movie, which is the need for family. Even though the movie has changed genre from the book a bit, that main core is still the same and has been expanded on beautifully.”

The Russos and writers Markus and McFeely were in communication with Stålenhag throughout the film’s development, and he was pleased to see the creative liberties they took to make the film stand on its own. “They asked me questions about the timeline and backstory, but it’s their work,” he said. “They’re the best in the world at what they do, and to see them work on a project that comes from me, it’s beyond satisfying, surreal. I am so positively surprised by the end result.”

THE REVIEW:

I didn’t know that the movie was based upon a book until after I watched the movie. I included a lot of information about that because I think I would have had a better appreciation of the movie if I had known that going in. After the fact, looking at the illustrations of the book, the movie does a great job of bringing those illustrations and the book to life. I love Millie Bobby Brown and I think she was good in this, but I don’t think the movie would have survived with another actress. Chris Pratt was good as well but I think the stars were Millie, Cosmo and Devyn Dalton. Devyn Dalton is the Motion Capture actress that played Cosmo.

I appreciated all the robot characters, they started to grow on me. Herman (Anthony Mackie), Mr. Peanut (Woody Harrelson), Popfly (Brian Cox) and Penny Pal (Jenny Slate) were my favorites, after Cosmo of course. Yes, they started to feel like human beings to me. They drew me in to their struggle to be accepted. Robots co-existing side by side with Humans. And to quote Millie in the end, “We are going to do it right this time.” I liked it, but if you don’t like Robots and Sci-Fi, you’re gonna think it was dumb.

Again, take a look at the book the movie was based on, you’ll appreciate it more.