How it Ends

Not another post-apocalyptic survival movie!!!  How many times can Hollywood take Mad-Max, The Road, and Blackout, throw some other actors in it and try to churn it out as new twist on the genre.  Well, I am a fan so keep em coming!  I liked this one for a few reasons but I will give you the old fashion Molina Film Review Good, Bad, and Ugly on this one!  The Good:  Cool unexplained reason for the meltdown.  Weird weather, total electronic darkness, and a fast reaction by the people to become chaotic.  I also liked the tense relationship between main actor and Father in law.  The Bad:   So many wasted opportunities for the plot line to move into great directions.  What is going on, where did they go, and who is that?  The Ugly:  Some good, and some really, really bad acting/writing.  There were times where I laughed out loud it was so forced.  Overall, I enjoyed this one, the fact that the main actor wasn't a complete bad-ass with a weapon and that he didn't understand the situations he was in made it worth while.  This is a good watch and will keep you entertained.

FYI:  Many of the military members were actual members of the Canadian Army

***1/2

Red Sparrow

What a terrible position to be in as an American Spy.  You get roped in, seduced and used with a sexy and beautiful young Russian spy forced to use her body as a weapon.  Sounds horrible to me!  Just go ahead and kill me before manipulating me into a sensual sex game with a "Sparrow"spy.  On top of all that, the class hot shot in Sparrow School is J-Law, and she isn't shy showing her skin in this flick!  I was very much not interested in this movie as I thought it was going to be just a rip off of Atomic Blonde, (which was awesome).  Little did I know it was going to be really good and surprising with the plot twists, action, gore and nudity.  I have also never really been attracted to Lawrence, but wowza!  She is super sexy in this one!  Basically she is an A List Russian Ballerina who ends up getting hurt and is reduced to the low portion of society.  She is then recruited by her slime ball Uncle to be a "Red Sparrow" spy and seduce for secrets.  Her first target, an American spy who needs a new contact for his assignment.  Next thing you know, they are shacking up!  It's not an Oscar worthy movie, and it is a bit predictable but well worth your time!

FYI:  Lawrence spent 4 months practicing ballet 3 hours a day for this role.

***1/2

Good Time

Good ole shovel face is out for blood again, but this time he ain't drinking it.  This isn't your cheesy, weirdo, fan girl vampire movie, that's for sure!  I will start off by saying I hate Pattinson, he is a creepy type of actor who never really shines for me.  He is awesome in this one as a low life dirt bag who is racing through the night to correct his terrible decisions.  The story starts out with him and his mentally challenged brother in a botched bank robbery.  They are on the run and the brother (played brilliantly by the director) gets caught and put into lock up.  Pattinson must enter the depths of a shady city in order to find him and get the cash to set him free.  There is outstanding 80's throwback music for the score, some great slow burning cinematography, and great nail biting action.  This is an extremely underrated movie with a surprisingly great plot.  Amazon Prime right now, give this one a serious look!

FYI:  Most of the actors in this film are ordinary people cast to play the specific parts.

****1/2

Antibirth

The "Just Say No" slogan was pretty good in the 80's.  Nancy Reagan had a pretty good idea for the time but we have evolved since the Cold War, and it is time to increase the intensity a bit.  This movie could very well be the answer for a dont do drugs campaign for high school kids.  It revolves around a burn out stoner who lives in a drug induced haze who happens to take partying a little to far one night.  She wakes up with no memory and something growing in her womb.  A baby you ask?  Well it may be a bit more than that, but you have to watch!  There are some serious gross out scenes and the whole thing is a bit weird but very interesting!  Natasha Lyonne is outstanding as the crude, waste of space, and Meg Tilly comes out of nowhere almost unrecognizable.  I love Sevigny, and was disappointed that she didn't show skin, but was still great.  Give this odd tale a shot on Netflix, but make sure your not eating while you watch, especially anything with cheese. :)

FYI:  With a $3.5 Million budget, this film was a total flop.

***1/2

Hereditary

How much do you actually know about your family?  I mean really know?  Especially those who are older or may have passed on.  What did they do with their lives and what direction did they take to preserve the future of their family?  Well, if your family is anything like this one, you're fucked!  This movie has been impatiently anticipated as one of the scariest movies of all time.  I would disagree but I would also say it is one of the most well made horror movies of all time.  The first 30-40 minutes is a more heartbreaking and sad film than anything.  It really makes you feel despair, and emotional but when you least expect it, it turns on you to become pure horror!  The slow burning horror scenes are extremely well done from the lighting, to the actions, to the premise and situation of each minor detail.  It chills your bones and sticks with you as the creepy almost too real relevance of terror.  This is absolutely one for the horror and suspense fan but be sure to keep your eyes open, you don't want to miss the subtle freakishness of background scares throughout.

FYI:  The son really breaks his nose on his desk during the filming.

*****

Incredibles 2

Stupid, and totally unrealistic!  Seriously, a family of animated heroes who can save the world, with a baby!?!?  Lame!  Okay, I'm kidding, I have been waiting for 14 years to see the sequel to the best  animated Disney movie of all time!  It didn't disappoint, at all!  I have always loved the voice cast here and with it beginning exactly where the last one left off was perfect.  It makes you think you didn't miss a beat in the lives of the Incredibles.  Great villain with a cool way of taking over the world.  Although I loved all the characters in this movie, Jack Jack really stole the show!  The new supers had some fun powers and their innocence was greatly appreciated.  This is another Pixar smash that will go down in the books as another one of the greatest.

FYI:  Edna Mode is voiced by director Brad Bird

*****

Hostiles

Did you hear the one about the Cowboy, the Indian and the widow who walks into a bar?  Well this aint it, but it is almost as good as the quality of that joke!  The year is 1892, this is a time period where human life of a different race really doesn't matter.  Going across the prairie lands as a white man your biggest worries are Cheyenne, Comanche, and Apache.  As a Native American your biggest threat is the civil war soldier, or the white hunter.  Now throw in a widow who just had to bury her family and you've got yourself a wild ride.  This was a great slow burn that had some amazing acting.  Each role was written specifically for the actors playing their parts and I have to say, Bale was incredible.  There is a genuine chemistry between him and the Natives he is escorting across the west and he plays the role of a seasoned and somewhat damaged soldier perfectly.  A disturbing time period that is portrayed as true to life as you would expect.  Give this one a watch, its great!

FYI:  A few actors suffered from heat stroke as the majority of the movie was filmed outside.

****1/2