At the Movies with Kane and BN

[Kane52630]

F1

I can't wait for F2 when Dominic Toretto and Ricky Bobby show up.

An unbelievable crowd-pleaser of a sports movie that is fueled by the '90s/'00s Jerry Bruckheimer era of filmmaking. This was everything I was wanting out of Top Gun: Maverick, which never really jelled with me. The director Joseph Kosinski is truly our next Tony Scott in so many ways, with how he uses the high-end visuals and vibes to highlight and elevate the story. Seeing this on IMAX was incredible. On paper, this is a very formulaic sports movie centered around Formula 1 racing, and it's got all the tropes possible, but it's done on such a high level that it still works, and you're still very much invested in these characters. It's like a combination of Days of Thunder, Rush, Ford v Ferrari, and even Moneyball in that way. And this movie would not have worked without Kosinski and Claudio Miranda's visual designs, but more importantly, Hans Zimmer's synth-inspired soundtrack, which is 50% of why this movie works. I thought Brad Pitt, Damson Idris, Kerry Condon, and Javier Bardem were great in this and they all had their moments. Overall, easily the best entertaining popcorn movie of the year, and it's definitely worth seeing on IMAX to get the full effect.
4.5/5

 

[Kane52630]

Jurassic World: Rebirth

You could probably buy a country with that amount of candy product placement.

A shockingly well-made Jurassic film that admittedly does borrow heavily from the original trilogy, especially Jurassic Park III with a decent cast. The first half of the film does feel like the film Gareth Edwards always wanted to make after making his debut with Monsters. The movie in the first half also becomes Jaws in a way that doesn't wholly rip it off. It's pretty lean with the story and it makes a world difference seeing them actually shot on location for the majority of the film. Really enjoyed Mahershala Ali, Scarlett Johansson, and Jonathan Bailey who were fun and exciting. The T-Rex scene feels like it came out of nowhere but it was easily the best scene in the movie. The whole mutant dinosaurs part didn't feel as weird as the previous trilogy even when D-Rex shows up at the end. Still, it's a movie that feels like a copy of a copy but this is better than most copies. Overall, it's probably my 3rd favorite of the series which isn't saying much.
3.5/5

 

[Kane52630]

Superman

You'll believe a man can finally have a personality and fun after a dozen years.

Pretty terrific. It took an entire universe of dour and uber serious comic book films to finally give us a Superman who actually acts like Superman and who does good. James Gunn did a fantastic job bringing us into the world right away without wasting screentime to explain how it all started. You do see the tendrils of universe building within the DC universe without having to put too much focus on it. The All-Star Superman look and feel to it is pretty apt, and it's got scale and scope while also making it look vibrant and colorful. David Corenswet is fantastic and gave this Superman a real personality with ideas that we haven't had since the Donner era. Rachel Brosnahan played her Lois Lane perfectly, just like Margot Kidder and Dana Delany from Superman TAS. Nicholas Hoult might be the best live-action Lex Luthor we've got, and that's saying something. All the outer DC heroes played by Nathan Fillion, Edi Gathegi, Isabela Merced, and Anthony Carrigan were great, and setting up the foundation for the future Justice League was really well done. While the movie does handle its sci-fi shenanigans and has a ton of laughs, the movie also deals with heavy subtext on geopolitics, whether it's about immigration or Palestine/Israel. Overall, it's one of the better movies of the year, and it's a fantastic way to open up your universe and keep you wanting more.
4.5/5

 

[Kane52630]

Eddington

Man, Ari Aster really wanted to hone in on how long and insane May 2020 felt with this runtime.

A truly gonzo neo-western that is also an in-your-face political and social satire about America in 2020 during the pandemic. It's a movie with a million social commentaries squeezed into one movie, and while I don't think a lot of them are as well fleshed out individually, the amount builds up over time into a crazy 3rd act. It is pretty much Ari Aster trying to make Network, Civil War, Bacurau, and mainly No Country for Old Men into one film. Joaquin Phoenix and Pedro Pascal were incredible in this, and what they both represent is pretty obvious and on the nose (much like the rest of the film), but also interesting in where it leads. There is an action set piece that is so inspired by the gun fight that happens in No Country for Old Men, and it completely elevates the movie for me. Much like Alex Garland's Civil War, it's a movie that will ultimately piss off people on both extreme sides of the political spectrum while also commenting on doomscrolling culture. If I got any criticism, it would be that it does take its time and it does have multiple endings. Overall, I really dug it.
4/5

 

[Kane52630]

The Fantastic Four: First Steps

Who knew the literal plot point of a Fantastic Four movie would be "WE SHOULD TAKE BIKINI BOTTOM AND PUSH IT SOMEWHERE ELSE!"

Pretty decent, albeit very insular and safe for a Marvel film. It's directed by Matt Shakman, who created WandaVision, and you can pretty much see his retrofuturism influences in this film as well as the original Fantastic Four comics, with a little bit of The Jetsons thrown in. I really enjoyed the first half of the film where they try to explore a alternative 1960s New York where the Fantastic Four are the only well-known heroes and celebrities. It does feel like TV at times, and it works better when they are exploring the characters. I thought Pedro Pascal, Vanessa Kirby, Ebon Moss-Bachrach, and Joseph Quinn were pretty good in this, but I feel like something was missing chemistry-wise. I think the 2000s movies had better camaraderie between each other. As far as Silver Surfer and Galactus, I thought they were properly handled and they got some interesting moments that will probably matter in the future MCU movies. Overall, while it didn't completely wow'd me like Superman or even Thunderbolts, this was a pretty well made movie that did its job.
3.5/5

 

[Shinobi Shaw]

The Fantastic Four: First Steps

Who knew the literal plot point of a Fantastic Four movie would be "WE SHOULD TAKE BIKINI BOTTOM AND PUSH IT SOMEWHERE ELSE!"

Pretty decent, albeit very insular and safe for a Marvel film. It's directed by Matt Shakman, who created WandaVision, and you can pretty much see his retrofuturism influences in this film as well as the original Fantastic Four comics, with a little bit of The Jetsons thrown in. I really enjoyed the first half of the film where they try to explore a alternative 1960s New York where the Fantastic Four are the only well-known heroes and celebrities. It does feel like TV at times, and it works better when they are exploring the characters. I thought Pedro Pascal, Vanessa Kirby, Ebon Moss-Bachrach, and Joseph Quinn were pretty good in this, but I feel like something was missing chemistry-wise. I think the 2000s movies had better camaraderie between each other. As far as Silver Surfer and Galactus, I thought they were properly handled and they got some interesting moments that will probably matter in the future MCU movies. Overall, while it didn't completely wow'd me like Superman or even Thunderbolts, this was a pretty well made movie that did its job.
3.5/5

Your movie reviewing license is still suspended.

 

[Kane52630]

View attachment 142906

Your movie reviewing license is still suspended.

It aint my fault they made the Fantastic Four into an expensive 2 hour tv show.

 

[Kane52630]

Before Sunrise

What if the play about the cow is actually about the milkshakes poem?

Also, this is a perfect movie.
5/5

 

[Kane52630]

Happy Gilmore 2

It's wild that they got Shooter McGavin playing the Joker from The Dark Knight Returns.

Well, this was very mediocre, long, and predictable for a sequel to a beloved comedy in the 90s. It's got the late-stage Adam Sandler problem of making something that should be funny more stern and serious than it needs to be while also doing a lot of nostalgia bait. It's also filled to the brim with cameos between the athletes, comedy stars, and his own kids... It's actually more about the cameos than trying to tell a funny golf movie. In a way, this reminds me of Good Burger 2 more than anything, where they are trying to catch lightning in a bottle again. I will say there are some really good moments that are scattered throughout the movie, but they're few and far between. Overall, a harmless nothing burger with a couple of fun scenes.
2.5/5

 

[Kane52630]

Together

That was exactly the Spice Girls song I was hoping they would play.

A fun and bizarre horror drama that uses relationship themes like co-dependency as a way to get some interesting body horror. I thought it was great how Alison Brie and Dave Franco used their real-life relationship and chemistry in order to make you buy into the characters relationship. I thought some of the scares worked better than I was expecting, and while some parts do get predictable, they keep it interesting enough to make you care for what's going on. It definitely has shades of Midsommar, The Substance, Barbarian, and most importantly The Thing. Overall, a really fantastic movie by Michael Shanks.
4/5

 

[Kane52630]

The Naked Gun (2025)

Shout out to P.L.O.T. Device, must be one of my favorite devices out there.

So hilarious. It is so good to have a true theatrical comedy again, whose only mission is to make you laugh literally every minute in the film. Akiva Schaffer did a great job putting the work into the spoof game and making sure there's a joke or sight gag every 30 seconds that works. Liam Neeson, Pamela Anderson, and the rest of the cast did a great job, and they did a great job making sure the comedy wasn't done ironically in any way. It feels like a Naked Gun movie, but also stuff like Airplane! and Austin Powers. Overall, fun movie. I hope they make 50 more of these every year.
4/5

 

[Kane52630]

War of the Worlds (2025)

This is like watching your 65 year old uncle play Five Nights at Freddy's.... as H. G. Wells intended.

This was so f**kin awful. It's unbelievable that this War of the Worlds adaptation exist in the most blatant Amazon Prime commercial done as a cheap SyFy original from 15 years ago staring a confused Ice Cube. It's so bad it's baffling and it takes the screenlife horror/thriller genre and just sh*ts on it for 90 minutes. Ice Cube playing a Homeland Security operative is right up there with Mark Wahlberg playing a highschool science teacher in The Happening, you don't buy it for a second. By the time it gets to the 3rd act it becomes so comically bad as it becomes an ad for Amazon. Overall, one of the worst movies I've seen in years.
0.5/5

 

[chintai80]

War of the Worlds (2025)

This is like watching your 65 year old uncle play Five Nights at Freddy's.... as H. G. Wells intended.

This was so f**kin awful. It's unbelievable that this War of the Worlds adaptation exist in the most blatant Amazon Prime commercial done as a cheap SyFy original from 15 years ago staring a confused Ice Cube. It's so bad it's baffling and it takes the screenlife horror/thriller genre and just sh*ts on it for 90 minutes. Ice Cube playing a Homeland Security operative is right up there with Mark Wahlberg playing a highschool science teacher in The Happening, you don't buy it for a second. By the time it gets to the 3rd act it becomes so comically bad as it becomes an ad for Amazon. Overall, one of the worst movies I've seen in years.
0.5/5

LOL i just finished watching double toasted's review of this just a few minutes ago and korey said he loved this because it's so awful that it made him laugh

"get away from that!"

 

[Kane52630]

LOL i just finished watching double toasted's review of this just a few minutes ago and korey said he loved this because it's so awful that it made him laugh

"get away from that!"

Every Ice Cube reaction in this movie deserves it's own youtube clip lol

 

[Kane52630]

A Minecraft Movie

You know when it's rough out here when I'm only noticing how well they did the clothing CGI on that queen pig thing.

Really terrible. There's maybe a good 15-20 minutes where it's set in the real world, and it feels like a Jared Hess movie (IE Napoleon Dynamite), but it quickly devolves into brainrot slop. I guess you can say Jack Black and Jason Momoa aren't phoning it in, but nothing they do is fun to watch. Everyone else is stumbling aimlessly into this CGI greenscreen bulls**t extravaganza. I guess this movie makes sense to people who have played Minecraft, but I don't get it. Overall, I've already forgotten it.
1/5

 

[Kane52630]

Weapons

It's like Zach Cregger saw the Campbell's Soup Snowman commercial as a kid and got extremely inspired to make it f**ked up.

A fantastic meld of horror and comedy that only a sketch comedian can make, and that is also a commentary about American suburbia. This feels like he wanted to make his own version of Magnolia, but done as a horror/comedy. Some stuff feels like it was inspired by Prisoners, The Shining, The Empty Man, The Black Phone, and of course, Barbarian for obvious reasons. I thought the handling of the characters was pretty interesting, and seeing how the lines connect was fun to watch. Josh Brolin, Julia Garner, Alden Ehrenreich, Benedict Wong, Austin Abrams, and Cary Christopher were really good in it. While the movie stays mostly a drama with some horror elements, the movie turns into a straight sketch comedy in one of my favorite unexpected twists for a movie, and then it becomes a full-on horror/comedy. The way Zach Cregger shot it was also really fun and interesting because of how real it feels while also giving you some very dreamlike/nightmareish qualities. The movie's 3rd act is easily my favorite, and it's where it really dials it up in a way that is super unexpected and fun. Overall, a lot of fun, it's one of my favorite horror movies of the year, and you can totally see him make a Resident Evil film after this.
4.5/5

 

[Kane52630]

Nobody 2

Missed opportunity of having a Clark Griswold cameo, only for Bob Odenkirk to murder him.

Not bad, but not as inventive and clever as the first one, which sucks because I really wanted to love it because it's got Timo Tjahjanto directing. This is essentially a National Lampoon's Vacation-style comedy with some high-intensity action about a small town with corrupt cops, but to me, it never fully gels together. You can tell that Timo obviously toned down his style of violence, but you do have a couple of moments in this that stick out. Bob Odenkirk is really good in this, as always, but everyone around him feels like they are from a different movie, especially Sharon Stone, who shows up out of nowhere, overacting her ass off. I thought the first hour was the best part, and it stuck to its premise, but 3rd act feels like it wanted to be something else. Overall, still had fun even though this movie was a bit of a mess structurally.
3/5

 

[Kane52630]

Honey Don’t!

Honey Don’t!... forget to include a 3rd act.

A stylistic neo-noir dark comedy that has all the elements of trying to tell a detective story, but the story itself is pretty surface-level and half-baked. It's definitely an improvement over Drive-Away Dolls, but it still feels like this needed more time to cook and more time with the 3rd act, which is kinda non-existent. I thought Margaret Qualley, Aubrey Plaza, and Chris Evans were decent in it, but not enough to elevate the film. The best thing about this movie is the costume designs and the cinematography by Ari Wegner, who is trying her best to make the movie look like an all-time classic. Overall, not bad but not great besides the cinematography.
3/5

 

[Kane52630]

A Working Man

I like how random that one sh**ty apartment looks exactly like something you'd see in Silent Hill.

Pretty abysmal that feels like some direct-to-video slop that Steven Seagal or Chuck Norris would have made 30 years ago. It's got every single bit of "every man but secretly a badass" action movie clichés that are poorly done and drags this movie down. Jason Statham is doing Jason Statham as always, particularly his lesser-known stuff like Safe and Homefront where he has to save a kid from random mobsters that's supposed to be a commentary about human trafficking, but it never works. None of the action was interesting or original, and there were so many bizarre moments that felt random or random sake. Overall, it's pretty boring and awful.
1.5/5

 

[Kane52630]

Predator: Killer of Killers

I like how by the time you get to the end, you're like...
[In Vincent Hanna's voice] This crew is good.

This was a lot of fun, even though I wasn't totally feeling it by the time it got to the 3rd short. The Viking and Samurai segments feel like surface-level short stories that feel like something you'd see in Love, Death, & Robots, but once it got to the WWII segment, it all clicked together so well. Also, how they tie it all in with the last 20 minutes is where Dan Trachtenberg succeeds the most. They do a solid job with the world-building, and I thought the animation was great when it's in action mode. Overall, I can't wait to see where they continue this past Predator Badlands which I can't wait for.
3.5/5

 

[Kane52630]

The Roses

I still love the art of movies and shows trying to capture meme culture and failing every time.

A pretty fun and witty dark comedy about a failing marriage and the troubles of a relationship, with some great performances by Benedict Cumberbatch and Olivia Colman. I never saw the original, but I thought Jay Roach and Tony McNamara did a fantastic job making this feel real and poignant without making it too serious, and the British romcom humor helps a lot. Overall, I dug it a lot.
3.5/5

 

[Kane52630]

Caught Stealing

Shout out to seatbelts, Flushing Meadows, and Duane building his website.

This was an incredible crime thriller by Darren Aronofsky that takes pride in showcasing late 90s NYC as authentically as possible, with a lot of fun, tension, and a sense of humor. The movie does a great job of always having something going on, and having the "on the run" structure works incredibly well. Between Austin Butler, Regina King, Zoë Kravitz, Matt Smith, Liev Schreiber, Vincent D'Onofrio, and so on, it's got a fantastic crew of actors that mix well together, and to me, Butler finally grows into his own as a leading star. It's shot and directed beautifully by Aronofsky and Matthew Libatique, and some of the chaotic action and story beats feel like something from Scorsese or the Coens or even the Safdies. They also do an incredible job of set dressing to make it believable that this takes place in 1998. Overall, this is easily one of my favorite movies of the year.
4.5/5

 

[Kane52630]

Splitsville

I honestly did not expect to witness one of the longest nonsensical fight scenes since They Live in my screwball romcom.

I really loved this, it's a hilarious screwball romcom about open relationships that would have probably been made during the Apatow era of I Love You Man and Forgetting Sarah Marshall. There's also some incredible indie-level filmmaking here, and I love the camera work where it consistently flows really well like a one shot. Dakota Johnson, Adria Arjona, Kyle Marvin, and Michael Angelo Covino were all great in this, the chemistry was great and self-aware, and I thought the comedy worked as well. Overall, one of the funniest movies I've seen this year.
4/5

 

[Kane52630]

The Conjuring: Last Rites

Annabelle is out here like Danny Devito when a Tim Burton project gets announced.

Very surprised how much I enjoyed this after being extremely disappointed with Michael Chaves's last Conjuring film. This feels like a major step up from the last one, where it feels like you're watching the first film, where you do care for the characters and the new family that is involved. It's also got some tinge of watching The Omen series or the later Exorcist films, but it's sadly one of them where the horror isn't nearly as scary as I want it to be. Still, I thought the story of Ed and Lorrane and the family was interesting enough, and they give Mia Tomlinson, who plays Judy Warren, the center of the story, and I thought her performance was great. They also do a good job with the production of making it feel like you're in 1980s Pittsburgh. I thought the resolution was a bit lackluster, but it didn't really ruin it for me. Overall, a solid movie for this franchise to go out on.
3.5/5

 

[Kane52630]

Highest 2 Lowest

$17.5 million just seems oddly specific for a ransom.

A mixed bag of a crime drama by Spike Lee that works so much better in the second half of the film. The movie works best when it's a love letter to NYC and explores the outside, and it's at its worst when it's a dry chamber piece with some of the most bizarre, whimsical TV music playing in the background. I thought Denzel Washington was pretty good in it playing a music exec and ASAP Rocky was pretty good later on. I thought Jeffrey Wright was good, but I couldn't tell if he was playing the character poorly or if he was playing a really accurate"Nation of Islam" Muslim convert. While I don't think the movie overall works, the best scene in the movie is easily the money drop off/chase, where it showcases NYC so well, as well as the confrontation scene at the end. Overall, it was a flawed but solid Spike Lee joint.
3/5