I do want to watch this at the cinema

*Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse (2023)
*The Flash (2023)
Elemental (2023)
Asteroid City (2023)
Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny (2023)
*Insidious 5 (2023)
*Mission: Impossible - Dead Reckoning - Part One (2023)
*Oppenheimer (2023)
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem (2023)
Last Voyage of the Demeter (2023)
Blue Beetle (2023)
*Dune: Part Two (2023)
Wonka (2023)
Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom (2023)

* indicated I really hoping they don't suck

One other that I had not included in my list is The Bogeyman

See what the rest of the year holds....

I did go watch Knights of the Zodiac 2023... It is VERY MEH!

Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse (2023)

Bar the second Venom movie, Sony's Spider-verse movies are showing Disney-Marvel the lost art of storytelling.

The origins story of Gwen Stacy/Spier-woman i great!

Hollywood's de-coupling with China is very displayed (in a good way).

I really like this movie.

There were parts I was concern about how long the movie was
I hope Sony can continue the great story telling.

I highly recommend this!

My Two Sen.

Sorry to hear that....

The Boogeyman (2023)

What a treat!?!

An actually scary horror movie!!!

I was kept at the edge of my seat.

I had squirmed.

I had shut my eyes.

I was concern for the characters in the movie!!!

Good job Rob Savage!!! I shall keep an eye out for your work!!

My Two Sen

As long as more milk can be have....

The Little Mermaid (2023)

Wow, no love for this movie here...

What a difference 34 years make.

Why did I say that?

When the animated movie Little Mermaid was release in 1989, it was make or break for Disney Animation.

Disney Animation had been floundering (get it, a character in Little Mermaid is called Flounder) since Wlat Disney's passing. Disney animation always made their animated movies, WITHOUT script. They continued to do so after Disney's passing. I believe Jungle Book was the last Disney animation Walt was involved it. So what came after Jungle Book (1967)?

The Aristocats (1970)
Robin Hood (1973)
The Rescuers (1977)
The Fox and the Hound (1981)
The Black Cauldron (1985)
The Great Mouse Detective (1986)
Oliver & Company (1988) (I did not even watch this... Not yet)

After The Black Cauldron many thought that Disney Animations days are numbered. Studio funds were reduced to the project put into Disney Animation products and if you had watch The Great Mouse detective, it looks more like TV movie rather than a feature animated movie.

Michael Eisner who was the head of Disney put his foot down and only greenlit The Little Mermaid (1989) project IF an actually script was written and used for the animation project.

It was a smashing success and a renaissance of sort occurred during the period for Disney.

Now we have the live action The Little Mermaid.

Most of the songs remain from the 1989 animation movie. Some are even expanded and new songs were written.

Why did I say what a difference 34 years makes?

When it was announce that Halle Bailey was to play Ariel in the live action movie, that news almost broke the internet (not is a good way).

It did not matter that Disney got

1) Javier Bardem as King Triton
2) Melissa McCarthy as Ursula
3) Disney spent 350 million dollars to product this movie.

They did not matter.

The public has spoken and before their even watched the movie, Halle Bailey, Ariel does not make.

I want to make things clear, I almost did not watch this at the cinema.

The general consensus out there is not good.

Unlike the rescue of the Disney Animation by the 1989 animation movie, this may end up losing Disney ALOT of money.

ALOT.

There are three new songs and one of them is actually very VERY good.

As for Disney prince go, Jonah Hauer-King is a very very good match to the animated Prince Eric.

Melissa McCarthy killed as Ursula

I can see where the money went in the movie.

In my humble opinion, some money could have been saved. Disney was over enthusiastic about the movie and over indulged in the production....

I did enjoy the movie.

The end was tweaked and I am still not sure if I agree with the tweak...

Overall it is actually a good live action adaption of the animated movie.

Do yourself a favour, go watch this with your love ones or little wants.

You will find yourself humming with Melissa McCarthy when she does the "Poor Unfortunate Souls".

I kid you not!!

My Two Sen

This post has been edited by Mov_freak: Jun 5 2023, 10:38 PM

The Flash (2023)

The movie started with a bang.

It actually looked like a continuation of Zack Synder's Justice League.

The new Flash suit is great!

What stumbled me at the beginning was... Ron Livingston now plays Henry Allen (in Justice League, Billy Crudup played that role).

Just a small stumble mind you... moving on.

What was the main stumbling block for me was


How did Barry learn about the speed force etc?

It was never explained.

I blame the choppiness on the reshoots and I understand there were many...

Overall I do believe it was worth watching.

It is entertaining.

Watch this at the biggest screen you can find.

When the movie works, it works! There are flaws....

My Two Sen

This post has been edited by Mov_freak: Jun 15 2023, 02:51 PM

Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny

The first arch is 100% Indiana Jones.

It was entertaining!!!

When the second arch started, we are pulled back to reality... Indiana Jones is in his 80s... and it shows...

Harrison Ford had made a success of playing loveable scoundrels, namely in Star Wars and Indiana Jones.

Also in the second arch, we are introduced to Phoebe Waller-Bridge as Helena Shaw.

The whole movie from this point is trying very hard to make the audience love her as a loveable scoundrels....

It is a hard sell....

The last and sad thing is, the MacGuffin in this is also a hard sell.

Long story short, this is slightly better then Kingdom of the Crystal Skull and have to add, it is not nearly as good and the first three...

On last thing I also learn in this movie that to never offend Steven Spielberg, you won't believe what happened to Mutt Williams...

My Two Sen

Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One (2023)

Now, this looks like a 300 million dollars production.

Kudos to Tom Cruise, for showing the industry how to spend close to 300 millions and having it show on screen!!

Tom Cruise seems to have conquer every movie genre, Action, Drama, RomCom.

The only genre he had fail to make an impact on it... Horror!!!

This movie is action pack.

Action pack to the gills.

Will four huge movies bombing at the Box Office (Little Mermaid, Elementals, The Flash and Indiana Jones 6) summer blockbusting looks, to borrow a term from the current generation seems.... meh!

Well based on what I had just watch, this movie may make 1 billion, worldwide. A true blue summer blockbuster!!!

It is NOT flawless.

The positives far exceeds the negatives.

I do not read up on movies I look forward to watch, so this movie had several surprises in stored for me.

There are two things that I may nitpick on, namely,

Tom Hollands recently lamented that why did the industry tout Tom Cruise's Top Gun 2 reviving cinema going, when his Uncharted brought in 400+ millionin the same year.

Kid, watch this movie. You still got ways to go...

That's it, that's My Two Sen.

Oppenheimer (2023)

I cannot talk about Christopher Nolan's Oppenheimer, without talking about Roy Orbison: Black and White Night (1988). This intimate concert of his had Tom Waits, Jennifer Warnes, J.D. Souther, Jackson Browne, k.d. lang, Elvis Costello, Roy Orbison, T-Bone Burnett, Bonnie Raitt, Steven Soles, Bruce Springsteen, playing instruments and singing backup!!!

Christopher Nolan's Oppenheimer has Cillian Murphy, Emily Blunt, Robert Downey Jr. & Matt Damon as "leads" and have to add followed by Alden Ehrenreich, Jason Clarke, Josh Hartnett, Alex Wolff, Josh Zuckerman, Florence Pugh, Dane DeHaan, Josh Peck, Jack Quaid, Rami Malek and Casey Affleck (some in blick and you'll miss them) in small roles.

I don't think anyone else in Hollywood now would have the clout to attract such an assemble of talents to be in his/her movie!!!

Could Christopher Nolan has single handedly put Hollywood back to work?

I am getting ahead of myself.

First and foremost, get you head in the right frame of mind before heading into this movies.

This is a dialogue-ee and drama driven movie.

You have to have a rudimentary understanding of World War II, the aftermath of the nuclear bombing of Japan and the Red Scare in the States during the 50s. Otherwise, you will be

A) Bored
B) Lost
C) Both the above.

I honesty know more about Einstein and Stephen Hawkins compared with Oppenheimer.

Nolan seem to be geniunely want to unfold this persons story to the world as "honestly" as he possible can.

Every single actor brought their A game.

Robert Downey Jr. is flexing his acting muscle like nobody's business showing he can be more then a assholey-wiz billionaire.

Pushing practical effect to display a nuclear explosion (some fans speculated his actually detonated a really nuclear bomb for the shot ) is no easy feat!

I whole heartedly applaud him for this work.

My concern is, are there alot more people who would do the same?...

My Two Sen.

Aww... Shucks you have to go make me blush....

This post has been edited by Mov_freak: Jul 24 2023, 11:19 AM

Barbie (2023)

Never in a million years did I think I would watch this at the cinema...

I did.

You know what, I like it!

Like Scream that likes to quote it is Meta, Barbie IS Meta without saying it over and over again.

The courage of Greta Gerwig to pay homage to Stanley Kubrick at the beginning os the movie tickled me well.... pink!!

Margot Robbie plays Barbie perfectly.

Ryan Gosling has some cojones playing Ken.

The whole movie is just so... surreal and everyone did great!

Not seen America Ferrera in awhile and she probably has one of the best monlogue I have heard, in a long time.

Is it WOKE.

Yes and have to add woke done right.

Equality is just that. May the best person get the part/job etc. Regardless of gender.

One gender does not have to berated the other to oblivion for the other to thrive...

The cinema usher at the front of the cinema actually made sure that I know I am watching Barbie because I gave him a ticket for the movie Barbie!!!

So I have to reiterate, I went to see Barbie live action movie and like it.

My Two Sen.

Haunted Mansion (2023)

Do the hits continue?

LaKeith Stanfield leads this outing of Haunted Mansion (bear in mind Eddie Murphy did headline one in 2003) Others characters includes Owen Wilson, Danny DeVito, Rosario Dawson, Jamie Lee Curtis and Jared Leto(?).

Going back to the 2003, I don't remember liking it when I watched in way back then.

The premise of this latest interation seems more plausible.

What I like about the movie is the script, the script is decent.

The acting is great.

The last time I saw Danny Devito is probably in Jumanji 3. He is chaotically good here.

So casting is good.

The down side is that to make this PG13, Guillermo del Toro original script was drop and a new one was written. I would probably had like the one by Guillermo, more.

The reason it took so long to write this review was I actually re-watched the 2003 version before writing this, I actually preferred the "Ghost" effects more in the 2003 because it looks more organic (more practical effect).

I did find this latest offering entertaining.

My Two Sen

Dear all. I will not be watching The Meg 2 due to all the really nad reviews it is receiving. Will save up for the next best thing.

Blue Beetle (2023)

Well, 2023 summer blockbuster had be... a rollercoaster ride.

Many many BIG productions turns out to be duds...

DC this year is probably still riling from, how hard The Flash bomb after the reviewers calling it the greatest super heroes movie made!

It BOMB spectacularly... (I did not think it was that bad. The production cost was way too high and the lead... Just had too many bad reporting prior...)

Even before Blue Beetle had launched there are soundbites saying this would bomb even harder...

I would like to ask, how to you even have an opinion about something if you have not even seen it? Can clairvoyance be true??

I have watched this and I can tell you this is a GOOD superhero movie.

Is it Avengers Infinity War level good?

It took Marvels many a movies to build up to Avengers Infinity War, that is NOT EVEN A FAIR comparison...

Think more along the lines of watching Iron man for the first time. You don't know what to expect and you were taken for a grand ride.

I am not suggesting this gives you the same feeling.

How can it possibly do that with all the superheroes movie released since Iron Man.

I am saying that it is an origins movie and should be judge on it's own merit.

Xolo Maridueña (what a name) does good.

I will award him the "most embarrassing super hero moment" award!!


Susan Sarandon does a good meanie

And this movie really show Fast and Furious and Shazam what it means to be a family.

I really enjoyed this.

Give this a chance and who knows, maybe you will enjoy it too!

My Two Sen

I think the film distributor probably got cold feet after it under performed in the States

Or maybe there is a taboo character and it did not pass the censors...

The Nun II

Hello kiddies.

The seventh month (Chinese calendar has passed) and that has not stop the creepy ghouls from crawling out of the wood works and of course your local cinema for that matter.

After the release of The Nun 2018, there were criticism that it... lack scares.

I kinda like it.

I like how that movie "brought" the conjuring movies universe out of America

The setting was very spooky and have to add the story could have been scarier.

Fast forward to 2023, after a scary pandemic, can The Nun 2 conjure out more scares.

The short answer is YES!

Again the European setting after WWII is really "cinematic" the first kill is really BRUTAL!

The recall of Sister Irene is.... I lack tact... is really implausible. The only reason I can think if is her recall to the "case" is to have a fall "person" if the situation when south (eg Father Burke did not make it)...

Sister Irene (Taissa Farmiga) and Frenchie (Jonas Bloquet) and the main lead. With additional characters Debra (Storm Reid, whom I last saw in Invisible Man), Kate (Anna Popplewell, syes I am as surprise as you) and Sophie (Katelyn Rose Downey).

The second death is .... also brutal but strange as in no one queried about it (a delivery person dies/go missing and the store she worked for did nothing???)!?!

Then again I have watched enough horror movies to insist on logical when none exist... (I should have known better).


The scares are will designed and executed.

Overall this is a much better horror movie compared with the first The Nun.

Just don't try to look for logic.

My Two Sen

A Haunting in Venice (2023)

Honestly.... I have never read an Agatha Christie book.

Based on research, the script for this movie is based on her, Hallowe'en Party book.

They had changed the location of the book from the English countryside to.... Venice... hence the title....

I believe many a people maybe excited for this movie because our national pride Datuk Michelle Yeoh is in it.... and she is in it for like 5 minutes.... give or take.

Admittedly, the minutes she is in the movie, she did steal the scenes and for that I am grateful.

Tina Fey is actually great here too.

The first half of this movie is pure Kenneth Branagh, there is a "lightness" and "humor" to it.

The second half of the movie got heavy....

So many dark secrets.

Sooo many burdens.

The very last reveal, how does the person carry that....

Like the first two movies, there is a health dose of cynicism, and I have to add it still did not prepare me for this movies level of it...

If you like the first two movies, you will like this two!

My Two Sen