Thor re-finds his mojo as he goes after the god-destroyer. Natalie Portman, as a worthy person to hold Mjolnir, has also transformed into a Thor god (to help manager her cancer). God-destroyer vanquished. MCU has truly lost its way if this is indicative of the story-telling and world building they are planning to engage in. The over the top attempts at cheeky humor mostly fall flat.
2 stars (out of 5)
Following directly on the heels of #1, Lino is seeking out the corrupt former cop who was responsible for killing his brother. Of course the corruption goes deeper (or higher?) than he knew so his job is more difficult and more dangerous. He makes it part way... I guess there will be a #3.
3 stars (out of 5)
A sort of Fast and Furious feel coming from France. A convict (Lino) is given early release on the condition that he work for a special police unit tasked with stoping drug trade in the country. Their particular niche is intercepting go-fast cars used for delivery of drugs and money. Hence the need for a magical mechanic. Problem is, a corrupt group in the police make some poor choices and Lino goes after them. I think better than Fast and Furious because there is more story, even at the cost of less car chases.
4 stars (out of 5)
Sixteen episodes of fantastic drama. This Korean legal series is set in a law school where scandal abounds. The criminal law professor is accused of murder and each of his students is somehow connected to the resulting cases. And they all participate in the real life prosecution or defense of these cases. The characters are all well written and have depth and idiosyncrasies that are revealed over time. And each episode ends with a reveal to send things in new directions. And all well wrapped up in the end. Love it.
5 stars (out of 5)
Season 1
A series of animated shorts that fill out the star wars universe. The first season are all anime produced by Japanese studios. There is no running theme through this set, but each in independently a showcase for what storytellers can do in a well developed world. I will say, if you only watch one, watch Season 1, Episode 1. One of the most creative and visually interesting portrayals I have seen. Loved it...
4 stars (out of 5)
Polish action movie where the protagonist is a former NATO special ops soldier. When her son (who she gave up for adoption at birth for his own protection) is kidnapped, she is pulled back into action to protect him and engage with former and new enemies. She is in many ways a typical badass woman action hero. Somehow, though, this has a different feel than American or even Asian action. Our protagonist simultaneously exudes strength of body and character and melancholy that is never a key character component.
4 stars (out of 5)
So I'm not a D&D fan, never played, completely naive about the culture, etc. I say this to provide context for my expectations for this movie... none. I had heard complaints from "the community", but those mean nothing to me, without a history. The movie is a comedic fantasy telling of a thief who lost his wife, takes on one last job to get a "wife-bringer-backer" talisman, gets caught, loses his daughter, and spends the rest of the movie winning her back. This most reminded me of The Princess Bride, without being quite so iconic. Or maybe Romancing the Stone? I don't know. I quite enjoyed it as a light hearted, occasional chuckle (who's not going to laugh at an obese dragon) fantasy romp. Definitely better than the Mortal Kombat movie, which I also had no connection to.
3 stars (out of 5)
A high school girl is killed on her campus, but finds that her spirit sticks around. She meets other spirits who are also stuck to the school. Her obsession becomes finding out what actually happened to her (how she was killed). Helps that she can actually still converse with her living best friend. Scooby Doo meets Sixth Sense?
3 stars (out of 5)
French action thriller that doesn't really fit any of the trope styles, and yet somehow fits them all. It isn't traditional former black ops soldier a la Bourne Identity, it isn't revenge thriller a la Taken, it isn't white knight a la Equalizer. But mesh them together and you get a sense of the feel. Maybe a French Jack Reacher? Adam is an off the books hired gun for the French government that is called in to clean up (i.e. find and kill) a suspected terrorist. He has to rapidly infiltrate a local crime family to get at the terrorist cell. Everything goes exactly as planned, while not going to plan at all but he still succeeds. I would watch more of the Adam Franco character.
4 stars (out of 5)
JLo is a former military trained sniper. Her backstory suggests that she didn't see any job prospects for someone of her talents in the civilian world, so fell in with some arms dealers. When their deals crossed even her moral boundary, she turned to the FBI. But the bad guys find her, so she has to send her newborn child into witness protection. Twelve years later, the kid is discovered, the bad guys still hold a grudge and only JLo and her mother bear instinct can protect the daughter she never knew. In many ways, standard action faire.
3 stars (out of 5)
Historical fiction telling of the signing of Michael Jordan by Nike. Clearly they had fun with setting the scene of 80's pop culture (Phil Knight in day-glo aerobics wear). And everybody comes up smelling like roses. Fun, and maybe just because that was my sports history they were telling.
4 stars (out of 5)
Forest Whitaker plays an assassin who is indebted to a mobster for saving his life. He adopts the way of the samurai, which makes him very good at what he does, and also oddly bad at it. Ultimately, and probably the most obvious plot resolution ever, it leads to his downfall. Dark and moody, but achieves its moody-ness by just not having many words. Largely forgettable.
2 stars (out of 5)
