20s Movie Review - Thunder Force

Director: Ben Falcone
Genre: Action/ Science Fiction/ Comedy
Runtime: 106 minutes
Year: 2021
Starring: Melissa McCarthy, Octavia Spencer, Jason Bateman, Melissa Leo, Bobby Cannavale, Pom Klementieff
Description: In a world where supervillains are commonplace, two estranged childhood best friends (Octavia Spencer, Melissa McCarthy) reunite after one devises a treatment that gives them powers to protect their city.

I WATCHED THIS MOVIE FOR MY 2025 MOVIE CHALLENGE
WEEK 35: A FILM WITH OCTAVIA SPENCER
 
Review: Director Ben Falcone has his wife, actress Melissa McCarthy, star in his films pretty regularly. No matter if their movies are a hit or miss, they continue to work together. This time, they combine their forces for “Thunder Force”. McCarthy plays Lydia, who accidentally gains superpowers. And now, together with her estranged best friend from school she is trying to fight the villains, the so-called Miscreants, in their city.

This movie is not good. In any case, it’s not Melissa McCarthy’s fault. She has the timing and talent to turn any half-baked idea into something that can pass for mildly amusing. Octavia Spencer also delivers an excellent performance as the brilliant but introverted friend Emily. However, there is little chemistry between the two. They don’t feel like two women who grew up together and have a close bond despite all the tension. A palpable friendship is exactly what this film needs the most.

“Thunder Force” contains superhero clichés. And clichés don’t bother me when done well, but that’s not the case for this film. Parents who must be avenged, strange names for alter egos, having to learn to control one’s powers. And little humor is drawn from this. At best, there are a few funny moments. Half-baked funny ideas that are not very well developed.

I could have gone along with it, if it was some sort of parody film. But whenever something ridiculous does appear, it seems out of place. Like Jason Bateman’s characters, called The Crab. He has crab claws instead of hands, which does indeed look laughable, but its mainly strange and not funny. As it’s clearly intended to be.

What remains is a predictable action comedy, with few jokes.

Rating: 2/ 5

10s Movie Review - The Equalizer 2

Director: Antoine Fuqua
Genre: Action/ Crime/ Thriller
Runtime: 121 minutes
Year: 2018
Starring: Denzel Washington, Pedro Pascal, Ashton Sanders, Bill Pullman, Melissa Leo

Description: Robert McCall (Denzel Washington) serves an unflinching justice for the exploited and oppressed, but how far will he go when that is someone he loves?

Review: Four years before, “The Equalizer” made it clear to us that ex-CIA agent Robert McCall, who lives in anonymity, doesn’t stand injustice very well. This made for an exciting and strong crime thriller, that I liked more then I thought I would.
And then there was the sequel. It has a slow start and the mission stays unclear for some time. The biggest problem of the film is that it has many side stories, or smaller missions, that eventually lead to the big one. This way “The Equalizer 2” lacks focus and makes you less invested then the first film.
I do still like the character, especially during that one mission where he is teaching some cocky business men a lesson, after them sending a young female intern intoxicated home in the cab that McCall is driving.
Of course, the fact that McCall can continue doing what he is doing without any law enforcement cutting in, is a but implausible. That’s the fact for both movies. But here is started to bother me a bit, since he leaves many dead bodies or injured people behind.
I didn’t hate this movie, it was entertaining enough. But I wasn’t as invested as I was in the first movie and that’s clearly the better of the two. I don’t think we need a third film.

Rating: 3/ 5

10s Movie Review - The Equalizer

Director: Antoine Fuqua
Genre: Action/ Crime/ Thriller
Runtime: 132 minutes
Year: 2014
Starring: Denzel Washington, Chloë Grace Moretz, Marton Csokas, David Harbour, Melissa Leo, Bill Pullman, Haley Bennett

Description: A man (Denzel Washington) who believes he has put his mysterious past behind him cannot stand idly by when he meets a young girl (Chloë Grace Moretz) under the control of ultra-violent Russian gangsters.

I WATCHED THIS MOVIE FOR MY 2021 MOVIE CHALLENGE
WEEK 49: A MOVIE THAT’S PART OF A SERIES
 
Review: Robert McCall is a good citizen who works in a hardware store. He has an obsessive-compulsive disorder, in which he does and arranges everything in perfection. He doesn’t sleep much, if at all. At night he goes to a café to read, bringing his own tea bag. During one night he meets a young prostitute Teri. She is ordered by her Russian boss Slavi to go with several rich and nasty men. After Teri is beaten into the hospital by Slavi, and old feeling comes to McCall’s mind and he tries to buy her off. Unfortunately, Slavi doesn’t take up the offer and that’s when Robert McCall’s true nature comes out. He decides to retaliate against Slavi and his accomplices on his own, much against the wishes of the head of the Russian mafia, who sends assassin Teddy to McCall. During the cat and mouse game that is going on between them, McCall has to pull out all the stops to stay out of the hands of this unapproachable killer.
The premise of the film is not all that original, but the execution is. Robert McCall is a character you can easily sympathize with, also thanks to Denzel Washington who plays him. The man can do no wrong.
The movie is action packed ad has a lot of tension, but also makes room for character development. Especially for McCall, who, like I stated before, is a very likeable character and you can’t help but root for him. I don’t think this movie would have been as good if McCall was played by someone else.
The final confrontation is amazing, I loved that part of the film. Bloody and violent, but very cool.
“The Equalizer” is a really good film that liked much more then I expected too.  

Rating: 4/ 5

TV Show Review - I Know This Much is True (Mini Series)

Season: Mini Series
Genre: Drama
Number of episodes: 6
Year: 2020
Starring: Mark Ruffalo, Kathryn Hahn, Melissa Leo, John Procaccino, Rosie O’Donnell, Juliette Lewis, Imogen Poots, Archie Panjabi, Bruce Greenwood

Description: Middle-aged Dominick Birdsey (Mark Ruffalo) recounts his troubled relationship with Thomas (also Mark Ruffalo), his paranoid schizophrenic twin brother, and his efforts to get him released from an asylum.

Review: If Mark Ruffalo doesn’t get an Emmy for this, I don’t know anymore. In the drama series “I Know This Much is True”, Ruffalo plays a double role.
The first episode of “I Know This Much is True” is a test whether this series is for you or not. This mini-series shows a lot of misery and misfortune and if you can’t handle that, skip it. The brothers Birdsey, both portrayed by Mark Ruffalo, don’t have a happy life.
We come to know that the twins never found out who their biological father is. Dominick and Thomas were raised by their mother and their harsh stepfather Ray. Thomas is schizophrenic and extremely paranoid, which dominate Dominick’s life and it always had a negative influence on his life. But a new low is reached when Thomas cuts off his hand in a library and he is send to a strictly guarded institution.
“I Know This Much is True” is based on a book, which was edited by director Derek Cianfrance, who is know for movies like “Blue Valentine” and “The Place Beyond the Pines” (also not very happy stories). Cianfrance doesn’t hold back in showing everything the brother go through and that makes this drama very heavy. That’s why this series is not for everyone. But when you do sit through it, you are rewarded with a beautiful story.
The care for his brother has been a burden for Dominick all his life. And every time he wants to distance himself, it seems something bad happens. His marriage suffers from it as well.
But he is not alone. When he needs help, there are his ex Dessa, his best friend Leo, his brother’s doctor and even his stepfather. He also has a manuscript that was written by his late grandfather, that is being translated from Italian to English, where he tells the story of how he came to America. That way, Dominick tries to put all the pieces of his family history together. He hopes his depressing life will be given more meaning.
This is a series that you don’t let go easily. And you really need to sit down and focus for this in order the be able to take it all in. Mark Ruffalo is amazing. I can see that Ruffalo gave his all while portraying both the struggling Dominick and schizophrenic Thomas. You actually see two different people, instead of just seeing the same actor twice with a different look. This is a lesson in acting.
Trust me, don’t miss this series, if you can handle it.

10s Movie Review - The Big Short

Director: Adam McKay
Genre: Drama
Runtime: 130 minutes
Year: 2015
Starring: Ryan Gosling, Christian Bale, Steve Carell, Brad Pitt, Marisa Tomei, Rafe Spall, Jeremy Strong, Melissa Leo, Margot Robbie, Selena Gomez, Karen Gillan, Finn Wittrock, John Magaro, Hamish Linklater, Jay Jablonski

Description: In 2006-2007 a group of investors bet against the US motgage market. In their research they discover how flawed and corrupt the market is.

Review: “The Big Short” is based on the true story of fraud within American banks, right before the financial crisis. Four outsiders try to expose these banks and want to make money from it at the same time. Dr. Michael Burry starts this, when he discovers that most mortgages aren’t as safe and secure as they seem. Most banks think he is crazy and there are only a few others that believe him.
The cast of “The Big Short” is one to be proud of. They are all big names in Hollywood and are all seemingly enjoying the roles they’re playing. Christian Bale portrays the eccentric Dr. Michael Burry, Steve Carell is the loud Mark Baum, Ryan Gosling is the slick Jared Vennett and Brad Pitt plays the reluctant Ben Rickert. All characters are well-developed and the performances are fantastic.
And that’s where I’m going to stop with the positive, because aside from this, I hated this movie. And it’s not the director or the style it is filmed in. It’s simply the theme and story. Adam McKay tried so hard to create an intense and interesting film with the somewhat dry material he had. But in my opinion he didn’t manage to do that. At least not for me.
The film is too long and it drags. I think 90 percent of the dialogue and story didn’t interest me at all and sometimes I had no idea what they were talking about. This movie made me feel dumb, but then again I don’t know much about the financial world nor am I interested in it.
Don’t get me wrong, it’s not a bad movie. Because it’s well-made and all performances are great. Most critics praise this movie and it’s a typical film for the Academy Awards. “The Big Short” simply didn’t do it for me because of the theme it was dealing with. And if a movie’s theme doesn’t appeal to me and I can’t sympathize with any of the characters, you lose me as a viewer.
A movie not for everyone, and I’m sadly one of the haters. And I don’t often share the more unpopular opinion.

Rating: 2,5/ 5

100 Movie Challenge 2014 - # 34: Prisoners

Director: Denis Villeneuve
Genre: Drama/ Thriller/ Crime
Runtime: 146 minutes
Year: 2013
Starring: Hugh Jackman, Jake Gyllenhaal, Terrence Howard, Viola Davis, Maria Bello, Paul Dano, Melissa Leo

Description: When Keller Dover's (Hugh Jackman) daughter and her friend go missing, he takes matters into his own hands as the police pursue multiple leads and the pressure mounts. But just how far will this desperate father go to protect his family?

Review: On Thanksgiving the young daughters of the Dover and Birch family go missing. Fathers Keller and Franklin go looking for them, but can’t find them. Around the time the girls went missing, a mysterious RV was spotted and Detective Loki goes to the owner. Alex Jones is arrested, but eventually the cops let him go. Keller is sure Alex is responsible.
Fans of feel-good movies should be warned, because this film has a grim atmosphere. Just when you think you figured it out, the film comes with some masterful twists. This makes “Prisoners” everything but predictable and you never see the actual ending coming.
The cast of “Prisoners” did a tremendous job. Hugh Jackman and Jake Gyllenhaal stand out. Jackman is known for his friendly character, which makes his performance even more impressive. Jake Gyllenhaal has a more introvert way of acting, which fits his character of detective Loki perfectly. Paul Dano was also cast very well as Alex Jones.
Director Denis Villeneuve did a perfect job and this is definitely one of the best films of 2013. If you like darker movies, this is just what you need. “Prisoners” will make you gasp for air and leave you breathless in the end. But no worries, this film is worth that.

Rating: 5/ 5