Erik M.

John Wick: Chapter 3 - Parabellum is a fast-paced action-oriented martial arts and gun-play fest with the lead character trying to survive being a marked man with a very high bounty on his head and very few friends to turn to! Halle Berry joins the fun as a reluctant ally who's also a deadly fighter in her own right. If you need an adrenaline-fueled 2 hrs of fairly mindless and violent escapism, this is your one-stop fix.

Erik M.

Take a bit of Gorillas in the Mist and Shawshank Redemption and you have a pretty solid basis for Instinct, a drama about an anthropologist/primatologist who left behind civilization and his family to study mountain gorillas in Africa and comes back seemingly insane and a murderer. Anthony Hopkins stars as said individual, at times catatonic and others erudite, locked away in a prison that should have been closed years ago. Cuba Gooding, Jr. stars as a ambitious Psychiatrist who at first wants to study the unbalanced man for his own professional gain but then grows fascinated by what could have drove a scientist to violence. What follows is that exploration-trying to reach the man who grew to shun humanity-including his own daughter-and a subplot about bringing some humanity to a place bereft of it. This is NOT Silence of the Lambs, and at times Cuba is given the difficult task of carrying the film. Sometimes slow, clunky and even forced, the "good" apes vs "evil" humans story strains and lurches along, well-meaning but a bit breathless by the conclusion. Some violence, but not gratuitous, and not all that hard to follow, Instinct just was an OK film that's not a feather in anyone's hat that had starred in it.

Erik M.

Hidden Figures is a historical drama about three women of color who were gifted mathematicians that ultimately assisted NASA in getting John Glenn into space during a pivotal point during the US/Russia Space Race. Often dismissed and barred due to their gender and race, Katherine Johnson, Dorothy Vaughn and Mary Jackson stand their ground and contribute to the success of NASA. This is a nice companion film to other movies about early space exploration and the people behind them.

Erik M.

Total Recall is fast-paced science fiction action-adventure that challenges what is real by having the main character of Quaid experiment with a "virtual holiday" where he could be anyone-in this case, he may or may not be a heroic character like in the James Bond films trying to stop a corporate villain and his lackeys who are on Mars. Arnold Schwarzenegger's Quaid struggles with identity, his wife trying to murder him, a mutant uprising and scores of henchmen to save the day and maybe figure out if this was all a dream or not! Fun, sometimes silly, with a deadly midget in fishnets handling a really big gun and a 3-breasted mutant.

Erik M.

Real Steel is sort of a "Rocky" film with large robots. Charlie is a former boxer who uses an older model battling robot to regain his confidence, reconnect with his estranged son, Max and become a hero to many! OK robot fight scenes, a charismatic Hugh Jackman and simple plot make this easy watching for science-fiction and sports (boxing) enthusiasts alike.

Erik M.

Misery is an adaptation of a Stephen King bestseller that pits an unstable self-proclaimed #1 fan named Annie Wilkes against a popular author Paul Sheldon, played disturbingly by Kathy Bates and a tormented James Caan, respectively. Annie grows furious when her favorite character is killed and the latest book by Sheldon offends, so she wants him to address these slights, or else! What follows is a battle for survival to the death as he realises the demented Annie won't let him leave. It's a frightening look at the dangers celebrities sometimes face from psychotic stalkers/fans. For Halloween or any time a good psychological horror-thriller is needed, watch Misery.

Erik M.

Mimic is an effective science-fiction horror film directed by Guillermo del Toro that pits hapless humans against large, murderous bugs that were created during an attempt to use genetic engineering to solve a crisis that then further evolved, making them large, vicious and able to "resemble" in low-light conditions humans in long coats. The bugs, resembling a cross between mantis and cockroach, are grotesque and frightening. The story revolves around efforts trying to prevent the monstrous insects from escaping the subways, breeding uncontrollably and eating everyone they meet! Good monster fun.

Erik M.

Jaws was the first summer blockbuster film and this horror-adventure classic still has teeth! A summer swim by a young woman visiting the New England beaches of Amity starts the terrifying tale of a giant shark terrorizing a seaside community, which forces a concerned police chief named Brody to team up with a visiting enthusiastic scientist named Hooper and a seasoned local seaman called Quint to hunt the voracious fish before the body count keeps climbing, spelling ruin for the town! Roy Scheider, Richard Dreyfuss and Robert Shaw drive the film, while the shark keeps viewers at the edge of their seats! While the clothes have changed and some facts about sharks have come to light since the 70s, Jaws remains one of the very best "fear of what lies in the depths" movies to date.

Erik M.

Tolkien is a look back at the man behind such classic fantasy stories as The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings and his formative years, from a young studious boy who lost both his parents early, through his struggle to survive school and WW1, his relationships with his friends and the young woman who would become the love of his life and the basis for his heroines. This is a historical drama that gives a glimpse at what made the man who would go on to make one of the most beloved book series to date. Very English and pretty interesting--but do not expect Orcs or high action here.

Erik M.

Passengers arouses conflicted feelings as it at times tries to be somewhat comedic, romantic, a science fiction drama and even a story about survival. A commercial colony ship is making its almost 100 year long journey towards a new home for its 3000+ occupants when a malfunction causes one of the hibernation pods to awaken a lone passenger named Jim. He soon realises that he's alone except for an android, holographic displays and other technical wonders that are on the decline. He then, suffering from loneliness and a creeping awareness that something's wrong, awakens another passenger, Aurora, and they try to make the best of their situation together on the vast ship for a time, until the reality of the ship's problems and the circumstances surrounding Aurora's awakening threaten to drive the couple apart and their situation grows more dire. There is some good drama and chemistry between Chris Pratt and Jennifer Lawrence at times, but the story puts them in an uneasy corner; is it OK to love someone who not only gained an unfair advantage over that other person (by accessing her private data while she was still in hibernation) but then condemned her to his own fate to stave off his loneliness? Perhaps the viewer isn't meant to ponder the implications of what he did, but that's part of their relationship challenges and whether they overcome that decision-and his initial lie regarding her awakening. Theirs is difficult voyage, in more ways than one. The happy ending seemed a bit too on-the-nose, for this reviewer, anyway.

Erik M.

In this comedy-drama, Molly Shannon plays an animal lover who's grief for her recently-deceased canine companion leads her to extraordinary lengths that transform her life while increasingly alienating her friends and co-workers in her overly-spirited attempts to include them in her newfound cause! Laura Dern, John C. Reilly and Regina King also star. Offbeat and sympathetic to the sorrow driving the main character and ultimately her wanting to help animals. OK for a once visit, but tough on replay value.

Erik M.

The sequel to M. Night Shyamalan's Unbreakable and Split, Glass brings Bruce Willis' heroic Dunn, James McAvoy's monstrous and demented Horde and Samuel L. Jackson's intellectual and tormented villain Mr. Glass together for a showdown-after a lengthy bit in a secure psychiatric center were shady individuals "process" such aberrations as themselves. Here, the whole notion of Superheroes and Supervillains gets dissected, and the story takes some twists-but this is a somewhat slower ride than Split, and towards the 4th act, one is left a bit weary. By introducing a third column involved at nearly the end, the movie calls for a sequel which might never be, despite it being a financial success at the box office. Watch with that last caveat.

Erik M.

Split is a thriller-horror tale that focuses on James McAvoy's ability to play a multiple personality-afflicted psychopath who, among his twenty-plus alternate personas, is a savage man-beast that is immensely strong, hard to hurt, kidnaps and feeds upon teenage girls, and is judgmental in an almost Socio-Darwinian way. The audience catches up with the twisted Kevin as he's snatched and confined 3 latest victims. Over the course of the film, the audience learns about one of the girls and slowly doles out bits concerning Kevin and his most frequent alternate personalities until things get increasingly disturbing/horrifying until strange and terrible truths are revealed. Fans of both McAvoy and Anya Taylor-Joy-as one of the victims-will not be disappointed! M. Night Shyamalan is in true form with this film.

Erik M.

Unwilling to let this franchise rest, MIB: International is a forced, mildly entertaining and unnecessary sequel that follows Agents H and M (Chris Helmsworth as Henry and Tessa Thompson as Molly) as they try to stop shape-shifters and a race that conquers planets by merging their DNA with the conquered. Blink and you'll miss cameos by the worms and the pug dog. Changing the location of the story to outside the USA adds some accents and a hint of a British sensibility but not even the inclusion of Liam Neeson and Emma Thompson can help this dry and tame tale.

Erik M.

The third installment in the Starship Troopers franchise is much like the prior 2-the voracious and driven alien insects battle the expendable human soldiers while each tries to gain an advantage, developing new tactics and weaponry. Charismatic Casper Van Dien returns to lead the troops, while Jolene Blalock plays an attractive but merciless captain. Here, closer to the books upon which the series is based, the humans get to use mechanical suits. There is an element of religion that shows up, absent from the prior films, otherwise it's almost a made-for-video rehashing, for the most part, that's fine enough for major fans but others might grow a bit bored.

Erik M.

The battle between humanity vs the bugs rages on, and this time a small group of soldiers are trapped in an overrun facility while a new, deadly tactic by the murderous insects threatens to give them a decided edge! Mostly more of the same guns, blood, and bursting bits with gun-ho combat, with the added element of isolation and possible infiltration. Can the least trustworthy among those humans there actually help turn the tide? Watch and see.

Erik M.

Starship Troopers is a science fiction action-warfare film that has a satirical edge-the fascist and TV-addled humans and a vicious species of insect are locked in a brutal, unrelenting battle for supremacy and survival as colonization expands further outward into space. The story follows a dedicated group of young warriors as they go deeper into enemy "bug" territory and try to eradicate the menace who turns out to be smarter, deadlier and more driven than they had imagined. Fun for fans of Casper Van Dien, Denise Richardson, Michal Ironside and Dina Meyer among others as well as anyone who'd enjoy a bloody near-nonstop brawl between monsters and people.

Erik M.

Brandon Breyer is not your average teen. His ominous arrival at Brightburn, Kansas starts out as a fulfilled wish for his adoptive parents but soon after he reaches puberty everything changes and their family dream becomes a terrible nightmare in this horror-thriller that takes the premise of "Superman" and churns out a gory, vicious tale of a killer child whose abilities make him a mean menace! From the people who made Super, but minus any humor. Enjoyable supervillain run amok movie.

Erik M.

Cats (2019) is a big-budget film based upon the long-running musical about a group of felines that live together and long for a chance for rebirth. Despite a cast that includes such names as Taylor Swift, Idris Elba, Jennifer Hudson, Ian McKellen, Francesca Hayward and Rebel Wilson, this Cats fails to land on its paws and falls, hard. Sadly, even a re-release that attempts to clean up unforgiving CGI mishaps might not save Cats from being dated, dull and misguided. Taylor Swift tries to elevate the film but she's not given enough screen time for such a herculean labor. Even fans of the original musical will wonder at this poor production and struggle to find something redeeming. Stick with the original.

Erik M.

Rogue One is an interesting story that fills in a gap between Episode III and IV-telling a tale about the heroic efforts of the Rebellion before Princess Leia's message seeking help from Obi-Wan Kenobi reached Luke Skywalker on Tantooine. Felicity Jones plays Jyn, a young woman who suffers tragedy as a child and becomes an important-if less known-figure in the efforts to thwart the evil Empire! Like all of Disney's Star Wars stories to date, it is more darker, desperate and violent than its predecessors. Some of the spirit is missing, and there's something eerie about Peter Cushing's return as Grand Moff Tarkin via CGI. This is still a worthy installment into the Star Wars legend and should be watched even if it doesn't have the iconic main cast of characters and possesses a darker tone.

Erik M.