The Creator

2023 20th Century Studios

Rated: PG-13

Length: 2 hr 13min

Action ~ Adventure ~ Drama ~ Epic ~ Sci-Fi

Directed by: Gareth Edwards

Starring: John David Washington, Madeline Yuna Voyles, Gemma Chan, Ken Watanabe, Sturgill Simpson, and Allison Janney.

NIRMATA:

¹ (Nepalese for The Creator) The mysterious unknown architect of advanced A.I.

² A Being worshipped by Artificial Intelligence as their creator; savior; God

SYNOPSIS:

The evolution and integration of Robots and A.I. has permeated and changed every aspect of life in the near future. In 2055 as Robot driven A.I. has surpassed man, A.I. accidently detonates an Atomic Bomb in Los Angeles. This starts a war between A.I. and Humanity. The West vows to drive A.I. into extinction, while A. I. vows to drive humanity into extinction. The West drives A.I. into the New Asia region consisting of east and south Asia. The USS NOMAD Space Station has been developed to hunt and destroy A.I. bases. Word has spread that A.I. has developed a weapon that could destroy the once thought indestructible NOMAD.

A covert military operation is planned to enter New Asia, find and destroy the new A.I. weapon. John David Washington stars as US Army Sergeant Joshua Taylor who has gone undercover in New Asia as part of the mission. As he tracks and finds “The Weapon” he discovers it is a child-size “Simulant” with growing powers to control technology with supernatural ability. He names the child “Alfie”, short for Alpha after the name of the operation. Alfie is played by newcomer 7 year old Madeline Yuna Voyles. And the race is on to protect Alfie from getting back into the hands of the A.I. and protecting her from his own forces who seek to destroy a child.

Visual Effects, CGI, and Filming:

Absolutely stunning scenery for a sci-fi movie. The effects and visuals were literally out of this world. A dash of Star Wars, a pinch of Blade Runner, a bit of I-Robot, a little Terminator, and an essence of Edge Of Tomorrow. I thought the Visual effects, CGI and the filming were all incredible.

John David Washington:

Absolutely a great performance. I remember him in BlacKkKlansman and just saw him in The Piano Lesson. Denzel has got to be proud, I think he is absolutely carrying on in his Father’s footsteps and completely doing a great job at it. Watching this I could hear Denzel in his voice and demeanor, even though he has his own style and character. This is a guy to watch as one of the next big Hollywood Stars. Great job in this one.

Madeline Yuna Voyles:

Madeleine is the star of this movie without question. The young Actress from San Diego, California was 7 years old when she acted in this movie. Her first role and in my opinion she absolutely nailed it. Obviously a completely natural talent with an incredible depth of emotion at her disposal. She has already garnered nominations for Best Young Actress and Best Actress in a Science Fiction Movie. I loved every minute of her screen time performance. Keep your eyes out for this one….again, one to watch as one of the next big Hollywood Stars.

Script/Writing/Storyline/Directing:

Somebody somewhere mentioned swiss cheese…. I think the line was this script has more holes than a slice of swiss cheese. I couldn’t agree more. It was as if each scene was absolutely perfect on it’s own merit, but from different scenarios. Like a patchwork of independent stories. Sure the central theme was there but there was so much that just felt stitched together from different fabric entirely. I felt like everybody did the best they could do given the limitation of the direction they were led in by the director.

Final Thoughts:

I am a huge Sci-Fi fan. Blade Runner is one of my all time favorite movies. The premise of the movie is so time relevant given the current advancement of A.I. and Robotics. I just saw where robots are becoming lifelike very quickly and Elon Musk just said that A.I. has already surpassed all human knowledge….and that was last year. It won’t be long before A.I. draws it’s own conclusion about the human species being absolutely useless for the future of this planet.

John David Washington and Madeline Yuna Voyles gave absolutely outstanding performances. This was a joy to watch and visually stunning to see BUT…….. it should have been much more. This should have been a Blockbuster of a movie, a touchdown. The ball got dropped somewhere and my suspicion is in the script/Directing Department. That being said I liked it, I loved John and Madeline’s performance and chemistry, but something was off that kept this from being the tremendous award winning Sci-Fi Epic Blockbuster it should be.

Regardless of what I think, you owe it to yourself to give it a watch and experience The World of The Creator.

City Of Lies

2021 Saban Films

Rated: R

Length: 1 hr 52min

Crime ~ Drama ~ Mystery ~ Thriller ~ True Story

Directed by: Brad Furman

Starring: Johnny Depp, Forest Whitaker, Rockmond Dunbar and Neil Brown Jr.

“The only thing more notorious than the murder was the cover up…….who killed Biggie?”

This Movie and the following review are based on the True Story of the unsolved mystery and murder of two of Rap Music’s biggest stars, Tupac Shakur and Biggie Smalls.

Suge Knight, an ex NFL Football Player for the Los Angeles Rams, started Death Row Records with Rappers Dr. Dre and The D.O.C. in Los Angeles in 1991. In 1995 Suge posted a 1.4 million dollar bail for a young aspiring Rapper named Tupac Shakur. The following February 1996 they released Tupac Shakur’s All Eyez On Me to great commercial success. In September 1996 Tupac was killed in a drive-by shooting three hours after Tupac, Suge and others attacked a Southside Compton Crips gang member after a Mike Tyson Boxing Match.

Christopher George Wallace, AKA The Notorious Biggie Smalls, was a New York Rapper and the first Artist to sign to Sean “Puff Daddy” Combs Record Label Bad Boy Records in 1993. There developed an infamous rivalry between the East Coast Bad Boy Records and The West Coast Death Row Records. Underground rumors started circulating after Tupac’s death that Sean Combs and Bad Boy Records might have been responsible for the rapper’s death. On March 8th, 1997 Biggie and the Bad Boys entourage attended a Soul Train Music Awards after-party in Los Angeles. As they were leaving a car pulled up alongside and fired six rounds into Biggie’s vehicle killing him.

Los Angeles Police Department Detective Russell Poole is assigned to the case of Biggie’s murder and spends the next twenty years and the rest of his life trying to answer the question, Who killed Biggie Smalls? 1n 2015 Los Angeles Times Investigative Reporter Darius “Jack” Jackson is assigned to write about the Murder of Biggie Smalls. That led him to the now disgraced and retired Detective Russell Poole. Their journey to find and expose the truth leads the both of them on a trail of corruption, politics, gangs, drugs, crimes and murder that involves The Los Angeles Police Department.

Detective Poole had a theory that Suge Knight paid corrupt LAPD Police Officers to assassinate Biggie Smalls to draw attention away from the fact Suge Knight was responsible for Tupac Shakur‘s murder. Fearing he wanted to leave Knight’s record label, Suge had Tupac killed and then tried to divert the blame to Biggie and Bad Boy Records by having Biggie killed. Essentially throwing the blame onto the infamous East Coast – West Coast rivalry.

Johnny Depp stars as Detective Russell Poole and Forest Whitaker stars as Journalist Darious “Jack” Jackson. Johnny Depp and Forest Whitaker both deliver powerful performances in this movie. It is a subject I do not know much about, but am familiar with. It is a fascinating story and exposé of the depths of the corruption in The Los Angeles Police Department and the murder of two young Black Music Artists. It is a story that needs to be told. Interestingly enough, this film was made in 2018 but never released until three years later in 2021. Makes you wonder why? More politics? More cover-up?

Completely under the radar apparently, because I never heard about it. I came across it by accident on Amazon Prime the other night as Plane ended and City Of Lies started playing. It immediately got my attention and I am glad I watched it. Enlightening to be sure. Even if you are not a Rap Music fan, I think it is worth watching. It is a little hard to follow the storyline as it is laid out so you really have to pay attention. But I definitely recommend it.

Two Thumbs Up!

Plane

2023 Lionsgate

Rated: R

Length: 1 hr 47min

Action ~ Adventure ~ Thriller

Directed by: Jean-François Richet

Starring: Gerard Butler, Mike Colter, Yoson An, and Tony Goldwyn.

“The crash was only the beginning…….”

Gerard Butler stars as Captain Brodie Torrance, an airline Pilot for Trailblazer Airlines. He is piloting Flight 119 on New Years Day from Singapore to Tokyo. There are 114 passengers and three crew members on board. At the last minute Louis Gaspare (Mike Colter), a fugitive wanted for murder is being brought on to the plane by the police. Handcuffed and with a police escort, he is escorted to the back of the plane. As Captain Brodie and his Co-Pilot Samuel Dele (Yoson An) prepare to take-off they notice that their flight plan takes them right through a very bad storm.

The Flight Director assures them that they will be fine flying into the storm. It is a shortcut and if they fly high enough they should avoid the worst of the storm. They take-off and shortly after encounter the storm. They climb high enough to avoid the turbulence, and at first everything seems to be ok. Then all of a sudden there is a lightning strike and the plane loses it’s avionics. As it gets tossed around, Captain Brodie takes a good hit to the side of his head. The Officer escorting Louis Gaspare and a stewardess who were unbuckled get knocked around like a couple of rag dolls and are killed.

Captain Brodie decides to use the ten minutes of battery power they have left to land as quickly and safely as possible, otherwise they will drop out of the sky and crash. They bring the plane under control and prepare to land in the water, but at the last possible moment Captain Brodie sees land. They manage to land on a dirt road and stop the plane with minimal damage but soon realize that it is a hostile island with no authorities. Gangsters and criminals run the island and Captain Brodie and Louis Gaspare team up to find a way to get the passengers out safely.

Like the tagline says, “The crash was only the beginning……..” It is a thrilling action adventure that will keep you on your toes. Gerard Butler is a bad-ass in this right behind Mike Colter who completely goes rogue and mercenary on the local criminal population. There is a lot of tense drama as they fight their way through trying to escape. Gerard Butler did a movie I reviewed last year entitled Last Seen Alive. I gave it and Gerard a pretty negative review, BUT he redeemed himself with this one. The Gerard Butler I’m used to, the down to earth normal guy who’s not afraid to kick your ass if he needs to. Anything he needs to do to save his passengers. He is the Captain and they are his responsibility and he takes that very seriously.

Yup, this is a good one!

Two Thumbs Up!

Daniella Pineda as Bonnie Lane, Gerard Butler as Brodie Torrance, and Yoson An as Samuel Dele in PLANE. Photo Credit: Kenneth Rexach
Courtesy of Lionsgate

Mike Colter as Louis Gaspare in PLANE. Photo Credit: Kenneth Rexach
Courtesy of Lionsgate

PLANE Movie Poster
Courtesy of Lionsgate

A Little White Lie

2023 Saban Films

Rated: R

Length: 1 hr 40min

Comedy

Directed by: Michael Maren

Starring: Michael Shannon, Kate Hudson, Don Johnson, and Zach Braff.

“I only wonder if your little deception plays out as a comedy or a tragedy……… Is there any difference?”

Michael Shannon stars as Shriver, an alcoholic handyman living in an apartment building in New York City. One day he receives a letter from Acheron University in California, sent by an English Professor and organizer of the school’s annual Literary Festival Simone Cleary (Kate Hudson). She had sent numerous letters to different Shriver’s around the country trying to contact the writer C. R. Shriver. C. R. Shriver was infamous for writing a very popular novel titled The Goat twenty years ago and then disappearing without a trace. She has invited Shriver to attend their annual Literary Festival as the main guest, all expenses paid.

Shriver decides it is worth a free trip even if he must impersonate a writer and has never written anything in his life. As the movie progresses we see Shriver argue with his alter ego about his lie and deception. Shriver drinks a lot and becomes drinking buddies with another of the school’s faculty T. Wasserman (Don Johnson). As the deception continues and Shriver is threatened by exposure, the drama and comedy grow. The question you ask as the plot thickens is, Who is the real Shriver? Is it Michael Shannon? Or is he just a drunk imposter? The other writers at the literary quickly realize that their is something off about the man who says he is the writer Shriver.

Shriver in German means writer, a bit of tongue in cheek in the plot. The movie is based on the 2013 Novel by Chris Belden titled Shriver. It is a bit of a satirical look at writing and fame, and all the pompousness of being a “Writer”. I loved watching Michael Shannon in this, he kept me guessing as it played out. And it was definitely a different role for him. Don Johnson is ………typical Don Johnson, Kate Hudson was good as Simone Cleary. It was nice to see M. Emmett Walsh as Professor Arthur Baldwin and Peyton List was interesting as Sophie Firestone.

It starts out a little slow but I couldn’t look away wondering where it was all going. As it moves along it keeps you wondering who is the real writer Shriver. It is a comedy and a funny look at the world of writing. I liked it. I really liked Michael Shannon in this as well as the familiar faces of Don Johnson, Kate Hudson and M. Emmet Walsh.

Is it a Hollywood Blockbuster? No. Is it for everyone? No. But if you have any interest in writing, reading Novels or Michael Shannon it is worth a watch.

So what is that? One or two thumbs up? Or how about a pair of eyes…..worth a watch? A New rating system is mandatory……….so says I

Bobby

Hot Frosty

2024 Netflix

Rated: PG-13

Length: 1 hr 32min

Christmas ~ Comedy ~ Fantasy ~ Romance

Directed by: Jerry Ciccoritti

Starring: Lacey Chabert, Dustin Milligan, Katy Mixon Greer, Lauren Holly, Chrishell Stause, Joe Lo Truglio, and Craig Robinson.

“You’ll never find the warmth unless you venture out into the cold. Good things happen to you when you venture out into the cold.”

Lacey Chabert stars as Kathy Barrett who lives in the small town of Hope Springs, New York. It is Christmastime and there is snow on the ground, cold in the air and Christmas decorations all around town. Her husband, who was a handyman, died of cancer two years ago. Her heating furnace is broke, the roof leaks and there is a broken step on her staircase. Every morning when the alarm goes off she deals with the cold in her empty house, the broken step as she goes down the stairs and empties the bucket catching the snowmelt from the leaky roof. Then she heads downtown where she owns a little diner named Kathy’s Kafé.

Her Chef Isaac looks out for her making sure she is well fed and runs the Diner in her absence. After the breakfast rush, Kathy delivers lunch to her friends Theo and Mel across the street who own Reclaimed Rags, a clothing shop. Mel tells her she has something for her, she had just gotten in a red winter scarf and it reminds Mel of the night she met the love of her life Theo. Mel thought of Kathy and wants her to have it. Kathy passes the snowman display in the center of downtown and notices one of the snowmen doesn’t have a scarf. She decides that’s where the scarf belongs and places it around the snowman’s neck.

Later that night as the town has gone to sleep, the snowman comes to life. Seeing himself in a store window and realizing he is naked, he breaks the glass on Reclaimed Rags storefront and steals clothes to wear. The next morning as Kathy arrives downtown to work at her Diner she notices a man (Dustin Milligan) wearing only coveralls talking to the other snowmen. Concerned about his well-being she talks to him and he tells her that after she placed the scarf around his neck last night, he came to life. Kathy is convinced that he is a drifter that is not quite right and invites him into the diner to warm up and get some hot food. She is concerned about him as she realizes his skin is ice cold to the touch and might have hypothermia so she takes him to the town Doctor.

Kathy takes him home with her while she tries to figure out what to do with him. Over the course of the next several days he grows on Kathy as Jack (the name she got from the coveralls he was wearing) continuously shows his gratitude at her saving him from being a snowman. Meanwhile the town Sherriff Nathaniel Hunter, who has delusions of being a great crimefighter and law enforcement man, vows to bring the culprit to justice for breaking the Reclaimed Rags storefront window. Jack Snowman causes quite a stir around town with the women who see him, and can’t seem to stay out of sight as Kathy has instructed.

So Jack the Snowman is hot because his inner core is ice, hence the name Hot Frosty. He is slowly melting (sweating) as the days pass and Sherriff Hunter hunts down the new criminal in town. It is a Christmas Movie, a Holiday Rom-Com complete with a love story, a snowman come to life, an over achieving Sherriff and a town full of people who believe in the Christmas Spirit. There are shades of the movies Jack Frost and It’s A Wonderful Life in Hot Frosty. In Jack Frost a man becomes a snowman, in Hot Frosty, a snowman becomes a man. Similar to It’s A Wonderful Life, the towns people come together to raise money to help free Jack from the mean old Sherriff who tries to control the town.

It is everything you would expect from a Christmas movie, it is Cheesy, Campy, Goofy, Funny and Heartwarming. Lacey Chabert is very likeable as Kathy, Dustin Milligan grows on you as he warms up on screen, and Craig Robertson is hilarious as the overachieving Sheriff trying to “catch his man”. There is a scene right after the end as the credits roll where Craig Robertson and Joe Lo Truglio are outside singing and playing a keyboard in the snow….

Crime doesn’t pay

not in here, not today

here in Hope Springs.

Don’t try and break the law

It’ll be a tragic flaw

here in Hope Springs……

As they show clips of outtakes and bloopers from the set. Don’t miss it, it’s hilarious.

Definitely worth a Christmas watch.

Two Thumbs up!