There’s a lot of forgettable romantic comedies, probably more so with That Nerd Show since it’s not something we really cover, but we do love heartwarming films even if there’s a romantic element to it. And this week I found myself not being able to look away and enjoy watching a movie with heart, honesty, and what I like to call, a true love story because not every love story works out. Sometimes you fall in love and you don’t end up the girl or the guy. Cooper Raiff’s film, Cha Cha Real Smooth is probably one of the more honest films that I have come across and I wasn’t disappointed. You can watch it on Apple + and I don’t think you’ll be disappointed.

The story is about a young man fresh out of college try to find his way in the world and after having moved back with his mother and stepdad, find work hosting Bar Mitzvahs when he makes them more entertaining than the parents putting them on. There he meets an older woman with an autistic daughter and strikes up a friendship that eventually leads to love. Unfortunately, she’s already engaged to someone else. But what’s unique about this story is his main friendship is not necessarily with the mother, but with the autistic daughter who he helps babysit and then becomes someone that the daughter can rely on when she can be very picky. There are two stories going on, his friendship with the daughter and how it affects his life especially as a big brother when he’s trying to offer sage advice to his younger brother about women and then the mother he falls in love with.

As I said it’s a very heartwarming story and Cooper Raiff does an amazing job not only as writer and director, but as the lead actor portraying a man who doesn’t quite have it full figured out, but accidentally gets inspired by the love for someone he really can’t have. This movie is made great by the performances of him and Dakota Johnson and also, the introduction of Vanessa Burghardt who plays the autistic sister, Lola.  Plus, Andrew’s mom who is also bipolar, played by Leslie Mann and the Lovable Brad Garrett who plays the stepdad.  I don’t know if I would characterize this movie as a happy movie, but heartwarming and honest. There are moments that make you laugh and cry, that’s a good thing, but more importantly will make you feel that life is still going to work out even if it’s not how you expect it or want it to work out. Happiness is out there and sometimes we just have to find it, especially if we’ve been searching in the wrong place. I think feel that’s the main theme of this film.

There isn’t anything I can really complain about, the pacing is good, and the film doesn’t drag especially when you get to the most honest scenes in the film. All characters are likable, even Joseph, the fiancé when you’re not necessarily rooting for him, but you find that he’s not a bad guy at all. I think Jewish families will connect to this film a lot more especially with their experience of how it portrays the cutthroat world of Bar Mitzvah parties. If there’s one thing about the film that I could critique then it is sometimes the scenes with the two brothers in the bedroom at night linger too long and even though the filmmakers mean well with these poignant conversations between the brothers, they’re not the most important part or help drive the story when the most important relationships are between the characters of Andrew, Domino, and Lola. But they are sweet scenes

Overall Cha Cha Real Smooth is an adorable film marked by great performances from an outstanding cast. It’s a heartwarming story that makes you root for the everyday guy who doesn’t always get the girl and sometimes we need on the stories like that. Love is great, but you don’t always end up with the girl or the guy and that’s okay! But my hats off to Cooper Raiff for making a film full of heart that we can all relate to. And Dakota Johnson is always at her best when she portrays characters that are imperfect and not a sexy even though she herself is gorgeous. She is at her best playing characters that are struggling to figure it all out and have a lovable innocence…. the everyday girl or the girl next door if you will. I would say that the casting in this movie is what makes it almost perfect and worth watching.

The final Jurassic Park film is here. A franchise dating back to 1993 has finally come to an end by bringing back all the original cast along with the new generation for one final fight against mad scientists and dinosaurs. It’s hard to believe there have been six films in the Jurassic Park franchise. I don’t think anybody would have expected that nearly 30 years ago, but they’ve been fun, to say the least. Jurassic Park: Dominion it’s about the world trying to coexist with dinosaurs after they have pretty much escaped from the theme parked islands they came from. The big question still looms, can man and dinosaurs coexist and how will it affect the current ecological system. At the beginning of the movie, we find Owen and Claire Protecting the young girl they rescued in the last film. And while they are not exactly newcomers, we reintroduce old characters, Alan Grant, Ellie Sattler, and Ian Malcolm from the original movie. At the center of the story is the crazy mad scientist with his billion-dollar company trying to control dinosaurs and genetically alter them or learn from their DNA in an effort to cure disease and hunger, of course, for a profit. He’s Jurassic Park’s version of Dr. Frankenstein. And yes, we have seen this before in the world of Jurassic Park. They are scientists with good intentions or so it would seem.

Jurassic  World: Dominion is a fun movie, and it was nice to get the old gang back together, witch a connection to the original film because having Laura Dern, Sam Neill, and Jeff Goldblum back together again always makes for a good film. But I question whether it was necessary, did we really need them or was it just for the sake of nostalgia? I’m not saying I didn’t enjoy the movie, but there was nothing in this movie that I hadn’t seen before. If this film is anything then it’s a great bookend to a fun franchise by connecting two generations in the Jurassic Park franchise. It’s kind of like the Rise of Skywalker, but for the Jurassic Park universe. It’s fun and nostalgic, but you’ve seen it all before, and everybody is there just to remind you why you loved the original film in the franchise, to begin with. There are a lot of great action scenes, and it does truly feel like a globetrotting adventure. Chris Pratt is great as Owen and who doesn’t love Bryce Dallas Howard. Jeff Goldblum is always entertaining as Dr. Ian Malcolm, but it’s all way too familiar with nothing new and that is the film’s biggest flaw. I have no complaints about the characters, I love them all, and having them all work together is cool. Sam Neil and Laura Dern are just as lovely as ever and will you feel like you’re watching the first film all over again. But the sad truth is nothing can quite capture the magic of the first Jurassic Park film. Mostly what works in this film are the great action sequences and the fantastic chemistry among the cast.

As much as I liked this film, the plot was filled with old tropes and the mad scientist is the same kind of Dr. Frankenstein we’ve seen before in films, just in different clothing. And this mad scientist wasn’t even that good. Nothing against Campbell Scott as an actor, but we expect our mad scientists to be a little bit more flamboyant, especially when they feel like what they do isn’t wrong. I guess the film is the ultimate metaphor that humanity doesn’t learn from its mistakes, and they really are a stupid species. But I don’t need to watch a Jurassic Park film to know that and there are much better stories that perpetuate that truth. This is a typical summer blockbuster movie with lots of great action and fantastic monsters where you don’t really need a good plot. And throughout most of this film, the scenes and the terrain within the film just remind you of what made the original film fantastic. It’s all too similar, but if there are truly some unique action scenes then they would be with the plane crash. Then again, it’s not like we haven’t seen a plane crash in Jurassic Park. Didn’t that happen in the third film? However, Jurassic Park has become an old and tired franchise that doesn’t have any legs left to stand on so I’m glad that this is the final film. I’m not saying it’s a terrible film, as I said, it’s a great bookend to the franchise. It’s just an okay film trying to capture the same old magic and doesn’t really deliver. It’s not like this year’s Top Gun: Maverick or not only does it capture the same feeling magic from the original film but goes beyond. Jurassic  World: Dominion is a stylish film, but at times even the dinosaurs look too animatronic.

If you go see this film, see a matinee, that’s my recommendation. There was really no reason to make this Jurassic Park film except to have a good ending to the franchise and bring back the original cast. I like nostalgia as much as the next person, but this is a film that can have easily been seen on a streaming service. The only reason that you’ll see this movie in a theater is for all the great action scenes with dinosaurs, but that alone can’t fix the plot. And even though there’s a great social commentary on corporate greed, it’s unnecessary. This film isn’t going to change corporate greed or how humanity feels about it. There’s nothing new that we haven’t seen before. Even the cute story of the raptor, Blue having a child and no one having to rescue that Raptor can’t save this movie. At this point it’s like the Fast and the Furious franchise… You watch the movie because you’ve seen all the rest and you got to see how it ends, you got to complete the journey. I’m not saying that I completely hate the film, but it’s barely average and you shouldn’t pay a full price movie ticket for it. This would be a good film for the dollar theater if they still existed or a good rental. But I will give it a few extra points because it was great to have the original cast back even if it was unnecessary. But hey, sometimes we just need that kind of fun to escape our own shitty world that we live in and at its core, Jurassic Park is a monster movie, they’re good for escape!

The Lincoln Lawyer comes to Netflix. It’s a series based on Michael Connelly’s famed lawyer series about Mickey Haller. And for the first time, somebody got the character right. No offense to the Matthew McConaughey movie that came out years ago, it was entertaining, but Matthew McConaughey didn’t exactly fit the profile of the character. After all, Mickey Haller is half American and half Mexican and as described in the books looks a little South of the border. The series focuses on the second Lincoln Lawyer book called The Brass Verdict whereas the movie with Matthew McConaughey was actually based on the first novel so in a way, the series is just continuing the character’s story from the movie and that’s one of the best parts about this series as it keeps a linear story. In addition, Netflix for the most part found the perfect actor to play Mickey Haller, Manuel Garcia-Rulfo. He’s a Hispanic-American actor dad and embodies this character a lot better than Matthew McConaughey did in the movie. It’s a good series and one that you should get into especially if you’re already done with Ozark. While the movie was entertaining and gave a cliff notes version of the first novel, this 10-episode series really does get to explore who the character is and the big case that he will take on after being away from the law for 18 months. He’s still the confident defense attorney he always was, but this time he takes over the law practice of a fellow defense attorney that he had dealings with in the past and along with it a high-profile murder case of a producer who was accused of murdering his wife and her lover. As we’ve talked about before in reviews, sometimes an 8 to 10 episode series is better to fully flush out a story than a 2-hour movie. I think they did a lot better job with the character from Michael Connelly’s books than the previous movie did.

What makes this series worth watching is the whole of the story isn’t crammed into two hours, it slowly takes you into the investigation with this high profile also introducing you to the main character. Even if you’ve never read the books or seen the previous movie after 10 episodes you will feel like you know Micky Haller. Not only do you get to really see him try a case in a court of law over multiple episodes the story doesn’t feel rushed and it takes the time for the audience to really get to know all of the characters. That was one of my criticisms of the movie because as entertaining as Matthew McConaughey was in the film, there’s so much going on that you really don’t have time to stop and breathe or get to know the characters. One of the more interesting things about the main character is he has two ex-wives, one he shares a daughter with and one that actually works for him. This story is his foray back into the law. It’s a high-profile case and you immediately get the sense that he’s not up to the challenge, but step by step over 10 episodes you see him come back into his own and become the great defense attorney he was always known for. What makes this story strong and a great show to check out on Netflix is the performances from the cast. Manuel Garcia-Rulfo is definitely a better choice to play the character than Matthew McConaughey, it’s almost as if he was born to play this character. Neve Campbell does an incredible job playing his first ex-wife and mother of his child. I don’t know if she was any better than Marisa Tomei from the film, but she does an equally adequate job of portraying the character. The best scenes in the movie are him in court. Where has the movie had very few scenes where he got the shine, there’s a lot more in this series. But also, you get this really great investigation and how two of his cases were connected to each other. Everybody did a great job and I think The Lincoln Lawyer stories are definitely better suited as a series than trying to do a movie.

I don’t really have many complaints about the series, I very much enjoyed it. But, because it’s a story written by Michael Connelly who also does the Harry Bosch novels, it also very much feels like a Harry Bosch story. You almost expect Harry Bosch to pop in at some point. And here’s a little-known fact that you may not be aware of unless you’ve read the books, Harry Bosch is his older half-brother. It actually, kind of explains that in the new Bosch Legacy series on Amazon through a flashback, but my point is you feel like these two characters would be working together to solve a crime. It has the same feel as the show Bosch as all of the character’s lives intertwined with one another so while this might seem like a complaint, it really isn’t, I think fans will want a crossover of some sort is all I’m saying and there are crossovers within the novels. The other critique that I have is the show doesn’t fully explore his relationship with his daughter which is prevalent throughout the books. It seems like all the other relationships with the characters were fully fleshed out over 10 episodes, but that was the one that was neglected the most. Hopefully, that will be fixed if there is a season too. With this being the first season and reducing this character to the law after an 18-month absence the series does have a hard time balancing him getting back into the swing of things and the courtroom aspect of the story. I don’t know if it was balanced enough in the right way, especially with the narration of Mickey explaining his process to his new driver that he meets in the first episode. The first season has to make enough time for the audience to get to know the main character. I feel like we’re just getting started and this is why we will need at least a season two on Netflix. But overall, there isn’t much to complain about, it’s easy to get through these 10 episodes and feel like you have a complete story just like Bosch on Amazon. As I said it very much has the same feel.

This is a good series to check out on Netflix and they do the story right by having it played out over 10 episodes. This is another example of why you need multiple episodes to tell a proper story. The cast is great especially Manuel Garcia-Rulfo as Micky Haller. Just like with Bosch, they found the perfect actor to play this character and if you’re a fan of the Bosch series, then you will definitely like this so it’s certainly worth checking out. The first season does a great job introducing us to this character and his world even if it’s based on the second novel of The Lincoln Lawyer series. You don’t have to read the books or watch the movie to be familiar with anything, this is a good starting point. With LA as the perfect backdrop for a location, it lends itself as its own character in the story so that you don’t feel like this story can take place anywhere and that’s certainly a good thing. I highly recommend The Lincoln Lawyer for your next series on Netflix, even if you’re not a fan of courtroom dramas, the investigation aspect of this story is great. Also, the characters are easy to connect with and are entertaining enough to make you keep watching until the end. Netflix has done a good job with this series and hopefully, we’ll get more seasons based on other books because Mickey Haller is one of the more interesting fictional lawyers who definitely needs to be explored through a series on a streaming channel. And this series will pretty much make you forget that there is a Matthew McConaughey movie about The Lincoln Lawyer.

Bosch is back. Season 7 may have ended his run as a police officer, but we’ve got Bosch Legacy which gets into his time as a private investigator. Season 1 is out and if you’re a Bosch fan, you’re going to love it. I have to admit, I’m not feeling any loss whatsoever with the cop show ending because Bosch is back and better than ever. It may not be as good, but it’s still great because it’s Harry Bosch and Titus Welliver is always fantastic. Season 1 of Bosch Legacy picks up a year after the events of season 7. Harry is making his way as a private investigator and Maddie is a few months into her first year as an LA police officer. Bosch stays independent, but does investigative work for the lawyer Honey Chandler, who is still recovering from being shot in the last season of Bosch. There are some things that I miss about Bosch like being a police officer, but there’s a lot to like about his character as a private investigator because he has more freedom and doesn’t have to deal with the politics that was always embedded in the LA Police department. And of course, he never takes easy cases and like a good boy scout always does the right thing, especially when he’s hired by a billionaire to find the immigrant mother and son he left behind in his early twenties to go work for his father. The big case of season 1 is Harry trying to track down what happened to them when there aren’t any good records on this Hispanic family.

One of the things I’ve always liked about Bosch as you have multiple storylines going on at the same time. As past seasons went by, Maddie became much more of a prime character, especially after her mother dies so half of this season is about her being a police officer and the daughter of a legacy. Her story is probably a little bit more interesting because it’s about her trying to figure out what kind of police officer, she wants to be especially as her precinct is hunting down a serial rapist.  Bosch had always been more focused on Harry’s investigations, Bosch Legacy is split evenly between him and Maddie and what Honey Chandler’s stories. I enjoyed how they split the stories up and we see how their lives intertwine this particular season. It’s a different style than we’ve normally seen, and I think it works well for all these characters that we’ve come to love. Don’t worry, Harry is still Harry and you get plenty of his way of doing things. However, it’s interesting to watch Maddie grow as a police officer and find where her empathy is when it comes to being a cop. She even questions whether she made the right choice. If you been watching Bosch since the beginning then you don’t have to be reintroduced to everything because the story picks up after season 7, but for those who are coming into it late, you will need to go back and watch the past seasons to understand all of these characters and how they got to this point. This show is for fans who have been there since the beginning, it’s not really for newcomers. But I hope new fans discover Bosch through the series. It’s a 10 episode season and nothing really drags, there’s excitement in every episode and nothing is wasted. I didn’t find any part of it boring or anything lingering too long, 10 episodes was the right amount. It feels very familiar and that’s a good thing. Now there are new characters introduced, especially the tech savvy Mo Bassi who’s basically Oracle to Harry Bosch’s Batman. He also loves jazz so it’s a great partnership between old school and tech school.

Honestly, there’s not really any complaints I have about Bosch Legacy. I do miss how Harry dealt with all the politics in the police force because he was always a thorn in the side of people playing politics and usually did the right thing. One of the advantages of him being a private investigator is he’s basically playing a character that doesn’t have to give a shit unless he wants to. He answers to no one, and he doesn’t play any games, even when people are trying to hunt him down. While Harry definitely gets into gunfights and he can’t necessarily stay away from violence, I do admit that it just isn’t the same as when he was a police officer and have the authority to do stuff. But being a hard-nosed old-school private investigator that kind of takes the law into his own hands makes for an interesting character. Although I thought we always saw that with Harry Bosche so it really isn’t anything new. There isn’t really anything to be disappointed about because it’s still the same old Bosch even though he’s a private investigator now. But one thing to know about this season is it’s not going to be like any other season where they wrap things up until the next big case, this season leaves you with a cliffhanger. I’m warning you now and it will be even more disappointing if we don’t get a season 2, which we probably will because Bosch whether it’s on Amazon or it’s other channel IMDb TV, is still one of the most popular shows on the streaming Network and worth watching.

So, wondering if you should check out Bosch Legacy, well, of course, you should. If you’re a fan of Bosch then it’s a no-brainer, start binge-watching it now and you won’t be disappointed. With the introduction of new characters that are easy to like it adds some new things to the familiarity that you find in Bosch Legacy. And it’s hard not to like Maddie if she has come into her own while trying to figure out what kind of police officer she will be. We’ve watched her grow up on this show,  she is tough as nails and a pain in the ass just like her old man. You could probably do a show of just her as a police officer and it would be great, although it probably is too much like Nathan Fillion’s The Rookie. It will take a little getting used to seeing Bosch as a private investigator, but if you’re a fan of the character then you’ll still like this part of his life. I hope they do more with Maddie and season 2 and from what we’ve seen in this first season, they certainly will. It looks like she’s going to make one hell of a police officer. One of the best things about this series is to see the relationship between Honey Chandler and Harry Bosch since the first time we see them in season 1 is when she’s questioning him on the “stand” and he clearly doesn’t like her. It’s been great to see their relationship blossom. But yes, Bosch Legacy is definitely worth watching, and let’s hope that they continue making more seasons. Harry Bosch never disappoints and having his story and Maddie’s story more intertwined since she’s now the police officer that’s an interesting dynamic to the show. Bosch Legacy is one of the best shows on the Amazon Network just the last 7 seasons of Bosch.

When you get together with your friends and make a movie it should always be fun and it should come across in the film. That’s what I saw when watching the Texas film, Green Ghost and the Masters of the Stone. Charlie Clark, an El Paso car dealer made a film about superheroes with a great Hispanic cast including Danny Trejo. Now I know what you’re thinking, some car salesmen just up and made a movie, it can’t be that good! Is it on the same level as a Marvel movie, no, but it doesn’t have to be, to be a fun movie! That’s why we go to the movies, we want to be entertained, we want to have fun. That’s exactly what superhero movies are for, they’re not meant to be Citizen Kane or Schindler’s List. But not all superhero movies have to be on the same level as Marvel or DC, you can still make an independent superhero movie and it can be fun and entertaining. And it can certainly be worth watching! That’s what this movie is.  It was fun and I can’t wait to watch it again. I think the best part about this movie is it doesn’t take itself too seriously, it knows what it is and it’s not trying to be an Avengers Movie or Justice League. The most brilliant part of this movie is the overdubbing and homage to Asian martial arts movies that have bad dubbing. It feels like a martial arts movie from the ’70s.

Who makes those kinds of movies anymore! As I watch the film, I honestly felt like Charlie Clark and people he knew in the film industry just got together and had fun making a movie with a lot of different tropes you see in superhero movies and martial arts movies. Too many times a film will try to be something that it’s not. It’ll try to be too serious when it should just be entertaining. Martial arts action movies aren’t meant to be inspiring and give us great life lessons, we watch them for the action. The same thing with a superhero movie. So when you have a superhero film that is more of a satire about a superhero’s origin story, you have to appreciate that kind of filmmaking. We know what we get with Marvel in DC, but a satire with lots of great action and cool special effects that would rival any Marvel movie, yes please, give me that kind of film just to be entertained.

These are the kinds of movies that turn out to be cult classics. The story is about a car salesman who learns that he is part of a bigger destiny, where he, along with family members have to save the world. He has secret powers and when the family unites, they use the power of a magic Stone to defeat darkness and stave off the Apocalypse. Yes, of course, we’ve heard this kind of story before, but that’s not the point. What if you had a superhero who can’t unlock his full potential unless he wears his Mexican wrestler outfit, hence the Green Ghost, which is brilliant! Sure, it’s a little bit goofy, and of course, you have the drunken martial arts wise men, one of them played by Danny Trejo. Yes, not original, but still funny, just like the machete movies.

My point is sometimes superhero movies take themselves too seriously and to make one that is more of a satire makes for a better film than half the stuff we see every year and review that’s critics. What Charlie Clark is giving us is a fun goofy superhero movie that will keep us entertained and I will even admit that it is a better film than some of the Marvel origin stories. Not only did they put together a great Hispanic cast with Kuno Becker, Marko Zaror, Renée Victor, Sofia Pernas, Elpidia Carrillo, Pepe Serna, and Danny Trejo. Green Ghost is a well-put-together film that looks just as good as any superhero movie that we ever reviewed. Plus, it’s nice to have a superhero film where you get a bit of an antihero. It’s clear that this was a passion project by Charlie Clark and it’s a good one. I like the film very much and even though it’s not the best superhero movie ever made, it’s a funny, goofy, satirical action movie that’s just great entertainment. That’s something I can’t always say about a movie.  It’s one I think everybody should check out.  It may not get a wide release in theaters, so what, it’s definitely worth the rental, and I for one look forward to owning a copy on Blu-ray. It may not be the superhero movie we really wanted,  but it’s the one we need these days.   I applaud the efforts of Charlie Clark and his crew in making a fun Texas superhero movie that gives moviegoers pure entertainment.

Another Great British comedy that you should check out! Starring Helen Mirren and Jim Broadbent, the film is called The Duke. It’s about Kempton Bunton, a 60-year-old taxi driver who was accused of stealing Goya’s Portrait of the Duke of Wellington. And I have to say that this was a charming film that made me laugh and certainly appreciate the Great performances of Helen Mirren and Jim Broadbent.  Honestly, have they ever made a bad film! British comedies like these are always great for American audiences because it’s usually about something that we didn’t know much about and in a lot of cases, can relate to. Kempton was a humorous character who was always fighting for the common man, he would get fired from jobs because he stood up to bosses who treated minorities poorly. He would protest the government for unnecessary taxes. One of the most popular British taxes was on the ability to watch the BBC, you had to have a license which would be the equivalent of NBC CBS, or ABC charging to watch their stations if you had a simple TV antenna… Sometimes we don’t appreciate the fact that in other countries you had to pay to watch all TV and no TV station was completely free. But he became famous for the alleged crime of stealing a priceless painting and his trial brought shockwaves throughout British society in the 60s. He’s the type of character that we can all appreciate because he fights for the rights of the working man.

I enjoyed this movie. It’s not the best movie ever seen, but it’s a heartwarming and charming film with great performances. The entire cast does a great job in telling this funny and inspiring story that happened 60 years ago. I would say that Jim Broadbent is perfect for this character if you’ve ever watched any old footage of Kempton Bunton… He gives a delightful performance that will keep you laughing all the way to the end of the film. Overall, the pacing is good and the film doesn’t drag on. It’s only about 90 minutes so you won’t feel like you’re sitting there too long watching this movie. The movie doesn’t really need to be any longer than it is for you to know the basic story. And like most period films that are set in England, you will get a great history lesson of what it was like at that time, especially the political climate. In a lot of ways, it kind of reminds me of Pirate Radio.

But the film isn’t without its problems. Like all films that tell a true story, especially a historical one, there’s only so much of the story that you can really tell within a 90 or 120-minute run time. There’s obviously more to this story than what we’ve seen in the film. While I enjoyed the film immensely, it did leave me wanting to know more. It left me with more questions about the main characters and the aftermath of what happened. Sometimes a documentary works better in telling the overall story. I wonder if a documentary about what happened would not have been better. But a documentary can’t capture wonderful performances by great actors. The film’s biggest flaw is not pacing or unlikable characters that can distract you from the overall story, it’s that the film only centers on a small part of the overall story. I feel like as an audience we need to know more about these characters and how they got to the point where the painting was stolen. And we certainly want to know more about them after the trial, but the film only gives us a glimpse. If there’s one thing that this film does very well, it will make you curious enough to go do research on the characters and the whole story… Maybe that’s the point. After all, there’s only so much story you can tell in 90 minutes so it’s a bit of a catch-22. If it feels like a perfect 90-minute movie, it’s only part of the story.

Overall, it’s a good film, made great by the performances of Helen Mirren and Jim Broadbent. They create such likable characters that you root for them throughout the film and you want to know more about the real characters in the story. As I said before, the film is charming, and it will keep you laughing. It’s a nice distraction if you’re having a bad week. But I do think that a documentary about the whole story would be better. Then again, I don’t really want that because it can’t capture the great performance of Jim Broadbent who brought the character of Kempton Bunton to life. It’s definitely worth the price of a matinee at the theater with a nice glass of wine, but you certainly wouldn’t be wasting your money if you rent it on demand for dinner and movie night. There are so films that are a waste of time, this one is not so I encourage you to check it out… You will not be disappointed, even if you only watch it once!

It’s an espionage double feature starring Chris Pine. That’s right, he has two espionage thrillers coming out within a week of one another, so for the purposes of this review we will look at both films. The first movie is All the Old Knives starting Chris Pine and Thandie Newton. This film is very much a slow burn and in a lot of ways feels like you’re watching Tinker Taylor Soldiers Spy. I admit, I did like the film even if it’s not the best spy film out there. It’s the kind of old-school espionage story where there’s not a lot of action but slowly draws you into the conspiracy at the heart of the story. This movie is about a rogue agent that has to be drawn out after an asset tells the CIA that one of their own has betrayed them. Chris Pine plays the character who has to find the truth. Classic espionage stories don’t really exist anymore, the best espionage stories always seem to take place during the Cold War, and even though intelligence gathering is still very prominent, it’s not like it used to be when America had one main adversary in the world. The best parts of this film are the performances and all the misdirection between the characters until we get to the truth. You won’t get a lot of action, but that also makes the story better.

I grew up reading Cold War espionage novels from great authors like John le Carré, Robert Ludlum, and Ian Fleming. Their stories were not about shootouts and in a lot of ways weren’t always about secret assassinations. At the heart of these stories were always agents who were trying to find secret information that could stop a war or find a mole, or even turn an enemy agent. That’s why this story feels like a classic espionage novel because the main part of the film is the conversation between Chris pine’s character and Thandie Newton’s character, leaving you to question yourself, whether one of them betrayed their country during a terrorist plot years before. I found myself not wanting either one of them to be a mole, both characters are sympathetic, and I think that’s marked by their brilliant performances. I could have sworn that this movie was from the 1950s. But the best part of this movie and what makes it worth watching is how their conversation is blended with flashbacks that help drive the story until you get to the end and are caught by surprise. The movie slowly draws you in. Everybody is great in this movie.

However, what I do complain about is even though it is a slow burn and the use of flashbacks is meant to give the story more action, we get a lot of needless conversation that draws out the ending and it makes this movie longer than what it needs to be. You could have easily cut out 15 minutes and made this movie better. But it’s also easy to ignore something like that when you have such great performances. And, I also have to complain that there isn’t enough action. I know that goes against everything that makes this film good, but putting action at the right moment does drive a story, it gives it the perfect pace and for the most, the heart of the story is just a conversation between the two main characters. I don’t necessarily mind cat-and-mouse games, it certainly works when it comes to heightening the intensity in the movie. However, there are times that this movie is a little too slow and takes a little too long to get to the point or even the misdirection that will keep you interested.

These are minor complaints. If you’re looking for an action spy thriller, then this is not it. It is a classic espionage story where the characters play a cat-and-mouse game to uncover the truth behind the CIA’s mole. If you know that going in, then you won’t be so bored by the movie, and I could see how an audience would be bored with it if they’re looking for action. This is definitely not a James Bond movie and it doesn’t need to be. Great storytelling can be effective when you slowly draw out the story only to be surprised in the end. But as I said before, it is the performances of Chris Pine and Thandie Newton that make this movie worth watching. Chris Pine is absolutely believable as a CIA agent, unlike the very lackluster Jack Ryan movie he did years ago. You’re sympathetic for the characters which can only be done if you have great performances. And the brilliant part of the story is there is no absolutely right answer in the end. If you’re a fan of classic espionage then you will enjoy this film. If you’d like to Tinker Taylor Soldier Spy, you’ll like this film, and you should definitely check it out on Amazon Prime.

The Contractor

The second espionage thriller with Chris Pine is The Contractor. It’s a high-octane thriller that reunites him with Ben Foster after they both had a great showing in the movie Hell or High water. The Contractor is far different than All the old Knives. If you’re craving action in an espionage movie, then this is the Chris Pine Movie for you. The best way I can describe it is it’s like Chris Pine decided to do a Bourne Identity movie. There’s not much to the story, but you will get a lot of action and I’m not saying that’s a bad thing. Chris Pine can definitely do an action role, he’s certainly believable. I could see him as Jason Bourne if Matt Damon had never done the role. The story is about an army special forces soldier who is drummed out of the military and in order to make enough money to stop drowning in debt, he accepts a job with his best friend being a private contractor. Essentially, he goes to work for a private special forces firm and when a job goes sideways, the best way for the company to clean up its mess is to kill all those who did the job. I don’t really consider this a spoiler because it’s not hard to figure out what’s going to happen.

First off, let’s just get this out of the way. This is not a great movie, the best parts of the movie are the action scenes. And if you’re looking for a repeat of the magic that Chris Pine had with Ben Foster from Hell or High water… Just go watch that movie again. Well, I don’t want to make the comparison to The Bourne Identity too much, I honestly feel like that’s what I was watching and if that’s the story you’re going to tell, isn’t this story better told in a series. The movie starts out a little slow but once the action starts, we’re off to the races until the very end and because the action moves so quickly, we don’t get that much of a story. That’s this movie’s biggest downfall, it doesn’t take the time to explore what could have been a great story on why Chris Pine’s character is betrayed and how he’s going to fix it in order to save his family. You can’t tell this kind of story in 1 hour and 45 minutes and expect it to be that good. This is the kind of story that needs six to eight episodes because there’s so much more happening behind the scenes than just some rogue leader of a private special forces unit who has to clean up his mess when everything goes wrong. Kiefer Sutherland plays the leader of this outfit and I found myself wanting to know more about his character. Nothing is really explained about his character.

Great espionage thrillers take the time to tell all parts of a story, especially the backstory. An important part of storytelling is how your characters got to where they are at the beginning of your movie or your series. You can certainly tell that throughout flashbacks and that’s one of the things they did in All the Old Knives really well. And unfortunately, there’s only two good scenes in this movie that bring out the human element to the story or more specifically make you care about the characters. One is the scene where Chris pines character is talking to the Marine who just tried to kill him and finds out more about who is trying to kill him. And the other scene is with the character who runs the safe house when they’re having dinner.

I enjoyed the action in this movie and Chris Pine was great at it, but to tell a great espionage thriller you have to have a proper amount of action and drama… The story can’t be all action. There are moments when as the audience, we have to catch our breath. A slow burn to the investigation within your story is just as important as the action sequences and there has to be a good balance between those things. I feel like with The Contractor they just went for action and that’s it. Like I said, it’s like they wanted to make their own version of The Bourne Identity. But here’s what does work in the film. The performances are great. Yes, we could have seen a lot more with Chris Pine’s character and Ben Foster’s character. All that could have been explored more if this had been a series, but they have great chemistry together and it is evident in this film. Kiefer Sutherland does make a great leader of a private special forces firm. It’s not like the casting wasn’t good, we just didn’t get as much with the characters as we could have if this had been a series. Like for example, J.D. Pardo, who played the Marine has a short amount of screen time and he is an actor that has a great presence on the screen and a lot of charisma. If you don’t know what I’m talking about then go watch Mayans MC… It’s almost a waste to have him in this film if you’re not going to let him do anything except a few fight scenes.

The idea for this movie was great, but they failed to deliver, simple as that. It’s okay for the action sequences, but the story seems familiar and there’s not enough backstory to make us really care about what’s going on. A good espionage thriller should make the audience have a vested interest in the story and sometimes that’s why you need the slow burn as I mentioned before. But the thing with great ideas is to be more than just an idea… you gotta deliver with the story, or you just have a wasted film or series, and more importantly, a waste of a great cast. Writers and directors have to give the actors something to work with. This is one of those films where I wouldn’t have minded a three-hour movie so it makes me wonder if this film was cut short by the studio and who’s to blame for wasting such a great idea and making what is a “B” version of a story we’ve already seen. This isn’t a movie that’s worth renting on premium high demand for $20 or even going to the theater to see. It may be worth a good rental just for the action, but sadly The Contractor doesn’t live up to what it could have been!

Leave it to Judd Apatow to make a movie about shooting a film during the pandemic. We knew films like these were coming, but it’s always best to have a comedy instead of a serious and depressing movie to remind us of the horrible experiences that we had to go through. The film I’m talking about is The Bubble. Imagine being stuck at a remote location and having to quarantine for at least 14 days in one room before you can even start shooting. Now imagine that it’s the fifth sequel of a stupid action movie franchise where there will be a lot of CGI and over-the-top spectacles. The best way that I could describe this movie is it’s a cross between Tropic Thunder and the David Mamet film, State and Maine. It’s a film within a film and pretty much a mockumentary about making a film. I am certainly not knocking that idea because I think that those are some of the funniest movies around and let’s face it, Judd Apatow certainly has a flair for comedy. I really did enjoy this movie, so much so that I’ve already watched it twice and you should too on Netflix.

Here’s what makes this movie funny, it’s the great cast that they put together for the film who all have their roots in comedy. Of course, Leslie Mann will be in the film and she’s always great. But I think the two stars who almost steal this movie are Keegan-Michael Key and Karen Gillian. But it’s not jut them.  We are so used to seeing Pedro Pascal and more serious or action-oriented roles like the Mandalorian, I think people forget that he can be extremely funny in movies. And David Duchovny has a dry wit that makes him very humorous. And I dare you not to laugh at Fred Armisen. I even have to compliment Iris Apatow, the younger daughter of Judd and Leslie playing the self-centered, stuck-up, dancing pop star who is essentially just famous on TikTok.

Yes, it’s a wonderful cast and with the additions of very funny, comedic English actors, you have the makings of a hilarious film that will entertain you, especially when they’re making fun of big corporate studios who don’t really care about the actor’s best interest. This could have very easily have been tropic thunder during the pandemic. The story is simple, it’s about a group of actors trying to make this movie that has gone way over budget and is taking too long to make while being trapped by the studio. So, once they find out what’s up, they will escape at all costs. What makes this movie work…the performances, everybody’s great! I don’t think there’s anybody who makes this a lesser film. I’ve said it before, a great cast can always make a film better than what it is.

If I had to be critical and give you a few complaints about this movie, then I would say my biggest pet peeve is some of the camera angles as if you’re viewing the movie through the phone like you’re watching TikTok. As somebody who doesn’t really like that social media app, it was annoying at times. But it also works for the young pop star character who gets everybody to be in her dance videos. Essentially, they’re mocking these kinds of videos on TikTok, which I do very much enjoy. The only other critique I really have is that sometimes when you have so many funny actors in a film, they do kind of overshadow each other and it can be a little bit much. Yes, I’m saying that sometimes there could be too much comedy to where the really, really funny moments don’t seem that funny, but that also happens when you’re essentially making a mockumentary. And if you’re going to make a film about the film industry during the pandemic, that’s the only way you can do it. I do make comparisons to Tropic Thunder and sometimes there was a little too much comedy in there that you didn’t catch everything until you watch it two or three times, especially by Robert Downey Jr. It’s the same for this movie, but maybe that’s on purpose because  you should watch this movie more than once. However, I’m probably being overly critical at what is simply just a funny stupid movie that essentially makes fun of one of the worst times in our history, especially for the film industry and the only way to truly get through tough times is to find a way to laugh.

Judd Apatow has made an entertaining movie for Netflix that is worth watching and certainly more than once. There’s probably a certain truth to how actors tried to film during the pandemic or the Studio’s attitude when they might be facing financial hardships. But the best part of this film is all the great performances. All of the cast has great chemistry and just like the fictional cast that’s returning for the 5th sequel in a franchise, I could see everybody getting back together to make another movie. That’s the brilliance of Judd Apatow actors that work well with one another and that’s why you see some of the same actors popping up in his films. I don’t know if this film is worth a full-price movie ticket, but it is certainly worth watching in the theater with a little bit of day drinking. It’s even better at home when you’ve had a tough day and you need a good laugh. It won’t win any awards and that’s okay, but I think it’ll be one of those cult favorites that we come back to on Netflix 20 years down the road just like Tropic Thunder and perhaps that’s the best compliment I could give it. So, I encourage you to definitely check it out, it’ll be one of the best things you watch on Netflix!

Sandra Bullock is at her best when she does comedy and that is an understatement when it comes to her latest movie The Lost City. I’m not saying that she hasn’t been good in dramatic roles, I mean she did win an Oscar for a dramatic role, but she has always been better at comedy. The Lost City was a lot better than I thought it was going to be. And I love to be surprised by how good movies end up being. This film may not win anybody an Oscar, but it will definitely make you laugh. Plus, I get to do something that I never thought I would do and that is praise Channing Tatum on his acting. For the first time, I get to say that Channing Tatum did a fantastic job in a movie. And no offense to all the women who like the Magic Mike movies, I would never review one at That Nerd Show and certainly never watch the movie.  Now before we get into why you should see this movie, yes, it may be a cheesy rip-off of Romancing the Stone. That’s okay because any satire about romance writers living in one of their adventures always makes for a good story, especially if you have the right amount of comedy. The Lost City is about a romance/adventure writer who gets kidnapped along with the cover model for her books to find a priceless treasure, which an eccentric billionaire thinks may be real and needs the author to find it. Yes, I know what you’re thinking, you’ve seen this movie before, but The Lost City doesn’t have a great Billy Ocean soundtrack! And it’s okay if this movie feels familiar because it’s still funny.

What makes this movie truly work is not the story itself because yes, it’s a little far-fetched and in some ways feels like a B-rated Indiana Jones adventure, but the fantastic performances of Sandra Bullock, Channing Tatum, Daniel Radcliffe, and Brad Pitt. Sandra Bullock essentially plays the same character that she did in the movie The Heat, the no-nonsense know-it-all who’s the smartest one in the room. But, she plays it brilliantly and her sarcastic wit in the movie will keep you in stitches. I have really been amazed at Daniel Radcliffe’s comedic chops. He certainly isn’t known for comedy but if you haven’t seen his show on TBS called Miracle Workers where he’s one of God’s minions then you’re missing out. His performance is great as the psychotic billionaire who, while you know is wrong, you can’t help but feel sorry for in his quest to find this priceless treasure so much so that he’s willing to kidnap a romance writer. And like I said before, I think this is one of the best roles Channing Tatum has ever done. I still maintain that he should never be in nerd movies and I definitely don’t want to see him as Gambit in the Marvel Universe. However, he plays a caricature of himself, the dimwitted pretty boy trying to be the hero that he will never be. Essentially, he’s kind of making fun of himself and I applaud Channing Tatum for knowing what his role is in this movie. He does a great job while still being sexy for all the ladies.

The truth is while I have ragged on Channing Tatum over the years, it’s never been so much about him that I think he’s been miscast in roles. He is better at comedy than he is in action and dramatic roles, especially what we consider nerd movies. Don’t get me started on why he should never have been in a GI Joe movie! Now I do have to say that the best performance in this movie by far is Brad Pitt, who plays the gung-ho hero that sets out to rescue Sandra Bullock’s character. First of all, can we just admit that Brad Pitt is great at comedy as well! If you don’t think so, then watch him in Burn Without Notice or any of the ocean 11 movies. He and Channing Tatum played off each other well as the straight man and comedic relief. Really, Brad Pitt played the role of any hero in a romance novel perfectly. I don’t think people give Brad Pitt enough credit for how good of an actor he really is and how well he chooses his roles, whether it’s a gritty action movie, war movie, or a comedy.

Sure, it’s not a great movie that’s going to win any major awards.  It very much is a satire on romance adventures and the adventures they write. The movie doesn’t take itself too seriously. However, one of the complaints I do have is sometimes the movie doesn’t always know what it wants to be. Most of the film is comedic, but there are times that it is being serious when (SPOILER) they find that the real treasure was two people who loved each other and were buried with one another. I think that’s where the movie goes off the rails. It’s trying to be Romancing the Stone too much because Romancing the Stone really was just an adventure movie filled with a lot of good comedy. The Lost City is not really an adventure movie and shouldn’t have any serious tones or great metaphors about life. This movie doesn’t have to have some lesson about true love or any mystery about the cover model and the writer actually getting together. It’s obvious what will happen and that’s okay. One of the best movies about love and life where you know exactly what’s going to happen is Kevin Smith’s Zack and Mirii Make a Porno… we know how it’s going to end, but it’s the journey that makes the movie worth watching. Same thing when it comes to The Lost City. The pacing for the most part is great except when they slow down to have the more dramatic part of the movie which is unnecessary. The best parts of this movie is when it’s funny and a little over the top. The cast are at their best when they’re being funny. The other major critique that I have is the lost temple where they find the treasure, it looked too CGI…it looked fake. Maybe that’s not a major thing to criticize, but it was obvious that it was fake and we’ve all seen better CGI in movies.

Overall, this is a funny movie. It’s a great date movie and it has a great cast. It’s a good movie to see in the theater even if it’s just a matinee. The story is written for men and women. And while I do think Brad Pitt for the most part steals the movie with his performance, Channing Tatum does deserve applause for essentially making fun of himself in the movie. I am happy to give him credit where credit is due considering I have ragged on him over the years. What can I say, he just needs the right roles!  Sandra Bullock was great, but I also feel like she was always going to be and it shouldn’t be a big surprise. The Lost City is definitely a movie worth watching and it’s always at its best when it’s not taking itself too seriously. In a lot of ways, it is the perfect satire on romance stories and the writers who pen them. I’m not even complaining about romance books because even though they may be considered trash, they know they’re audience just like this movie knows it’s audience. I could even see a sequel to this movie and that wouldn’t be a bad thing. For me, it’s a good 7 even though it’s not perfect because if nothing else, I was greatly surprised by how good it is.  If you’re wondering, yes, I will certainly watch it again and I bet you will too.