Movie Review - The Wrecking Crew

Director: Ángel Manuel Soto
Genre: Action/ Comedy
Runtime: 124 minutes
Year: 2026
Starring: Dave Bautista, Jason Momoa, Temuera Morrison, Morena Baccarin, Romaita Fox, Frankie Adams, Claes Bang, Jacob Batalon, Stephen Root

Description: Estranged half brothers Jonny (Jason Momoa), a volatile suspended cop, and James (Dave Bautista), a disciplined Navy SEAL, reluctantly reunite in Hawaii after their private investigator father is murdered, triggering a dangerous clash with Yakuza operatives.

Review: With “The Wrecking Crew” director Ángel Manuel Soto brings a true throwback to the action comedies of the 80s and 90s. The film relies entirely on the immense physical strength and comedic talent of the lead actors. Although the chemistry between powerhouses Jason Momoa and Dave Bautista is undeniable and the action scenes are delightfully over-the-top, the film’s predictable plot leaves it stuck in the middle of the pack withing the buddy genre.

The film follows two estranged half-brothers after the mysterious death of their father, who was working as a private detective in Hawaii. Both men reluctantly return to the island. As they struggle their deep-seated frustrations, they become entangles in a dangerous conspiracy rife with political corruption, illegal casinos, and ruthless yakuza operations. Together, they must dismantle the criminal organization to protect their family.

The biggest stringy is undoubtedly the duo. Jason Momoa is clearly having a blast playing the impulsive loose cannon, which clashes perfectly with Dave Bautista’s deadpan and serious demeanor. Their bickering and witty banter carry the film during the moments when the story stalls.

The action is also top-notch: hard-hitting, old-school stunts with plenty of very brutal confrontations that fans of the genre are sure to appreciate. Where the film falls short is in originality. It follows the familiar “Lethal Weapon” formula so closely that almost every plot twist can be predicted miles in advanced. And the villains lack the depth to truly make an impression.

“The Wrecking Crew” is highly entertaining, perfect for an evening of mindless entertainment. The fantastic chemistry between Bautista and Momoa elevates the film, but the lack of an original story keeps this action comedy just average.  

Rating: 3/ 5

20s Movie Review - Four Good Days

Director: Rodrigo Garcia
Genre: Drama
Runtime: 100 minutes
Year: 2020
Starring: Glenn Close, Mila Kunis, Stephen Root

Description: A mother (Glenn Close) helps her daughter (Mila Kunis) work through four crucial days of recovery from substance abuse.

I WATCHED THIS MOVIE FOR MY 2025 MOVIE CHALLENGE.
WEEK 5: A FILM WITH MILA KUNIS
 
Review: That motherly love knows no bounds can be seen in again in “Four Good Days”, in which heroine addict Molly is back on her mother Deb’s doorstep after yet another failed rehab attempt. Deb hesitates at first, but eventually relents when Molly turns out to be eligible for a drug that combats addiction. For this Molly has to stay clean for four days and she can’t stay at the clinic. Deb has to help her survive these crucial days.

It's a gripping drama, that frustrates at times, escpeciallu since not all of Deb’s actions are equally believable. The story of Deb and Molly reconnecting, trying to rekindle their bond and having to fight this battle together, is touching and emotional. But I never felt emotionally invested in either of them. And the ending was very rushed.  Good performances by both Glenn Close and Mila Kunis though.

Rating: 3/ 5

10s Movie Review - The Ballad of Buster Scruggs

Director: Ethan Coen, Joel Coen
Genre: Comedy/ Drama
Runtime: 133 minutes
Year: 2018
Starring: Tim Blake Nelson, Clancy Brown, Zoe Kazan, Tom Waits, James Franco, Stephen Root, Liam Neeson, Harry Melling

Description: Six tales of life and violence in the Old West.

I WATCHED THIS MOVIE FOR MY 2022 MOVIE CHALLENGE.
WEEK 25: A MOVIE WITH MULTIPLE STORYLINES
 
Review: A film by Joel and Ethan Coen is always something to look forward to. That Netflix allowed the famous brothers to make a film and gave them a free hand in it makes it even more interesting. The results is an anthology of six stories, all set in the Old West and highlighting an aspect of life in the Wild West.

“The Ballad of Buster Scruggs” has a book as a window for the narratives. An unknown person opens the book and we dive into the first story. It bears the title of the film and is delightfully ridiculous. Tim Blake Nelson plays the smiley cowboy from the title and comes across as somewhat simple. But he manages to win every fight he gets into. That;s how simple the premise of the first story is.

The other five are more or less the same, but there is enough cleverness in them and references to modern times to keep engaging. Gradually, the tone of the film also changes and the lightheartedness disappears. In ‘Meal Ticket’ Liam Neeson plays the callous impresario of a man without arms and legs. The wretch recites poems, but sees his audience shrinking. This was my favorite story. In ‘The Mortal Remains’ we follow a group of people in a carriage. This is my least favorite of the stories and a bit boring actually. Other stories stand out, like ‘Near Algodones’ where James Franco plays a bank robber, or ‘All the Gold Canyon’ with a starring role for musician Tom Waits as a prospector. The stories are not connected, so it’s sometimes difficult to get into them properly.

It’s not one of the best movies by the Coen Brothers and certainly not one of my favorites, but definitely worth a watch.

Rating: 3/ 5

TV Show Review - The Book of Boba Fett (Season 1)

Season: 1
Genre: Science Fiction/ Adventure/ Action
Number of episodes: 7
Year: 2021
Starring: Temuera Morrison, Ming-Na Wen, Pedro Pascal, Timothy Olyphant, Rosario Dawson, Sophie Thatcher, Jordan Bulger, Jennifer Beals, Amy Sedaris, Stephen Root, Danny Trejo

Description: Bounty hunter Boba Fett (Temuera Morrison) and mercenary Fennec Shand (Ming-Na Wen) navigate the underworld when they return to Tatooine to claim Jabba the Hutt’s old turf.

Review: “The Book of Boba Fett” may seem like an interlude while we wait for the third season of “The Mandalorian”, but this series about the tough bounty hunter is a worthy successor to the Disney+ original. But you first have to get through the first four episodes. Because at the point, you might have the feeling you want to give up on the series. It feels a bit directionless. But when we get to episode 5, the series becomes more interesting and worth your time. Just sad that a number of old acquaintances are needed to bring this about.
Boba Fett is one of the most popular characters in the Star Wars universe. We get to know more about his background in this series and we get so see his face more often.
The show has a fragmented narrative style. Fett moves into the former palace of the late Jabba the Hutt to run the city of Mos Espa on the desert planet Tatooine. The moments when the fearless Fett takes things in his stride and takes on a corrupt cowardly mayor are interspersed with his backstory. We see how Fett wakes up more alive than dead and seeks refuge with a Tusken tribe, retaliates their brutal slaughter, and recruits Fennec Shand, whom we remember from “The Mandalorian”.
The many flashbacks take place s Fett recharges himself in his bactatank. It results in unfortunate and endless alternations of snippets of his memoirs from the past and macho behavior and competitions to squash the present. Where it’s all supposed to lead becomes clear only when a concrete goal and enemy loom.
Like “The Mandalorian”, “The Book of Boba Fett” comes from the min of Jon Favreau, who has apparently received approval from Disney to work on several Star Wars spin-off series. Understandably so, as “The Mandalorian” was a hit despite its completed missions that always spanned an episode.
This time around, Favreau has a longer story arc in mind, but it will take event the true fan of the Star Wars universe to hold their attention. This all changes when the fifth episodes comes along. Then we get the level we wanted to experience all along. It’s then that Favreau’s larger plan becomes clear.  
The last three of the total seven episodes are not only a feast for the eyes, but also a mix of new angles and a feast of recognition. It’s just sad for “The Book of Boba Fett” that the main character hardly had anything to do with the success of these final episodes, because he’s barely in episode 6 and not at all present in episode 5. I think Boba Fett is such a popular character because he is so mysterious and we didn’t know much about him. He is probably not interesting enough to devote an entire TV-show to.
All in all, “The Book of Boba Fett” has a slow start, but eventually redeems itself due to some familiar faces and a great build-up to “The Mandalorian” season 3.

10s Movie Review - On the Basis of Sex

Director: Mimi Leder
Genre: Drama
Runtime: 120 minutes
Year: 2018
Starring: Felicity Jones, Armie Hammer, Justin Theroux, Sam Waterston, Kathy Bates, Stephen Root, Jack Reynor, Ben Carlson, Chris Mulkey

Description: The true story of Ruth Bader Ginsburg (Felicity Jones), her struggles for equal rights, and the early cases of a historic career that lead to her nomination and confirmation as U.S. Supreme Court Associate Justice.

Review: In a sea of dark suites with ties, a blue flared dress suddenly appears, stocking-with-seams underneath. It is 1956 and Ruth Bader Ginsburg is rather out of place at Harvard University where she is starting her law studies. The new batch is welcomed by the dean who consistently refers to them as the ‘Harvard man’. He wants to know from the handful of female students why they are taking the place of the man.
That much has changed in male-female relationships since then is partly due to people like Ruth Bader Ginsburg. “On the Basis of Sex” looks back at the career of the lawyer who has devoted her working life to straightening out what is legally skewed between women and men.
Felicity Jones is fantastic as the earnest student who, married young and becoming a mother, struggles to find her way in a professional world where men are the ones who get pats on the back. Extraordinary that her husband and professional colleague Martin Ginsberg wo naturally shares her outrage at an unequal society. And becomes the main homemaker.
The film mainly underlines the historical importance of that career and the film is worth watching. I loved seeing her grow. Ruth Bader Ginsberg is one of the most inspirational women in history. She became an icon. The film shows beautifully how the little Jewish New Yorker who grew up debating stuck to the letter of the law while the world around her was rapidly changing.

Rating: 4/ 5

Movie Review - Bombshell

Director: Jay Roach
Genre: Drama
Runtime: 108 minutes
Year: 2019
Starring: Charlize Theron, Nicole Kidman, Margot Robbie, John Lithgow, Allison Janney, Malcolm McDowell, Kate McKinnon, Connie Britton, Mark Duplass, Stephen Root, Mark Moses, Brooke Smith, Richard Kind

Description: A group of women take on Fox New head Roger Ailes (John Lithgow) and the toxic atmosphere he presides over the network.

Review: Based on a true story. “Bombshell” tells the explosive story of the women that broke the silence and accused Fox News boss Roger Ailes of sexual harassment.
“Bombshell” takes on the scandal that many people, mostly Americans, already know about. And this film shines a light on the events that took place during the process. And it’s a typical way of telling a true story the Hollywood-way: lots of sensation but lacking depth.
If this film didn’t have such a strong cast, it would be disposable and forgettable. The film should be more uncomfortable, giving the theme it deals with. There are only a few moments where you feel this discomfort. For instance when the three main women of the story are standing in an elevator. Not saying a word you can see them questioning themselves: did you also…? Or the scene where Kayla (Margot Robbie) meets with Roger Ailes and he asks her to stand and turn around, because it’s a visual medium. But he also asks to see her legs, eventually ending in Kayla pulling up her skirt up until her underwear. This scene shows that most women at Fox News owe their careers by doing something like this or even more. Sadly these kind of scenes are a minority.
The film also, for the most part, focuses on Megyn Kelly (Charlize Theron), when it was Gretchen Carlson (Nicole Kidman) who blew the whistle. I found this an odd choice.
All performances in this film are great. And also a shoutout to the makeup department.
It’s an easy watch and has its moments, but overall “Bombshell” could have been a lot better.

Rating: 3 / 5

100 Movie Challenge 2017 - # 88: Mike and Dave Need Wedding Dates

Director: Jake Szymanski
Genre: Comedy/ Romance
Runtime: 99 minutes
Year: 2016
Starring: Zac Efron, Adam Devine, Anna Kendrick, Aubrey Plaza, Stephen Root, Jake Johnson

Description: Two hard-partying brothers (Adam Devine, Zac Efron) place an online ad to find the perfect dates for their sister's Hawaiian wedding. Hoping for a wild getaway, the boys instead find themselves out-hustled by an uncontrollable duo (Anna Kendrick, Aubrey Plaza).

Review: Mike and Dave are two brothers that always manage to make a party more fun. But not according to their family, because to them they ruin every party. Now their little sister is about to get married and Mike and Dave’s parents want them to bring proper dates to the wedding. Nice girls. They decide to put an add online. Alice and Tatiana see this add and can’t wait to take a free trip to Hawaii and become their wedding dates. But they aren’t nice girls. They party just as hard as Mike and Dave. They manage to fool the boys and they tag along with them to the wedding in Hawaii.
The plot is simple and anything but original. And the humor is juvenile and distasteful. The leading characters, Mike, Dave, Alice and Tatiana, are all just characters. They are to ridiculous to be believable as actual people. Maybe Dave a little bit, but the other three aren’t.
Zac Efron and Adam Devine do see like they had tons of fun making this movie, and that somewhat rubs off on the audience. And I did laugh on occasion. But overall, “Mike and Dave Need Wedding Dates” is an average silly and predictable comedy.

Rating: 2,5/ 5

100 Movie Challenge 2017 - # 55: Buffy the Vampire Slayer

Director: Fran Rubel Kuzui
Genre: Action/ Fantasy/ Comedy/ Horror
Runtime: 82 minutes
Year: 1992
Starring: Kristy Swanson, Donald Sutherland, Paul Reubens, Rutger Hauer, Luke Perry, Hilary Swank, David Arquette, Stephen Root, Thomas Jane, Ben Affleck, Seth Green

Description: A flighty teenage girl (Kristy Swanson) learns that she is her generation's destined battler of vampires.

Review: I think more people saw the TV show than the film, but this is definitely a fun watch. It’s not as spectacular and dark as the series, because it focuses more on the comedy than the horror. But still very watchable and entertaining.
Kristy Swanson plays Buffy and Luke Perry is her love interest. Donald Sutherland plays Merrick, not very spectacular though. Rutger Hauer is the villain but doesn’t get a lot of screen time. Paul Ruebes, aka Pee Wee Herman, plays the villains sidekick. His death scene is hilarious by the way.
For horror fans this might not be satisfactory, but if you like the comedic kind with a low budget and no special effects, you will be happy. This story sounded ridiculous when it first came out, but eventually it got millions of fans because of the TV show.

Rating: 3/ 5