Monday, August 26, 2024

The Ending of "Alien: Romulus" is a Letdown

 

by John Zenoni


‘Alien: Romulus’ is just one more unnecessary entry in the ‘Alien’ franchise. The original from 1979 and its sequel, ‘Aliens’, released in 1986, are the best of the films and - as I have told my moviegoer friends - Ridley Scott should have stopped with those two. I will say that this latest did have a couple of good scares and is better than the last two but the story is just not believable, particularly since the cast looks like a bunch of high school kids! The ‘surprise’ ending also was such a let down considering what the filmmaker and special effects team could have done. Needless to say, another disappointing and not needed ‘Alien’ film.

Friday, August 16, 2024

"Longlegs" Review

 

by John Zenoni


So, not only was I nervous about going in to see this film, as I really do not care for that genre anymore, but I was also apprehensive, as I was not sure what kind of quality film this would be. There are so many attempts at scare/horror today and most of them are failures. However, I will say that ‘Longlegs’ definitely gives others a run for their money. While not the scariest film I've seen, it's very creepy, indeed. It's one of those slow-burning films that stays with you after you leave the theater.

While the story alone about a serial killer is messed up (creepy) and the cast does a credible job, the absolute highlight has to be the performance given by - and he is also a producer of the film - Nicholas Cage. As usual, in most of his latest roles, he is so bizarre and yet he fits into the character of Longlegs perfectly! He definitely freaked me out and this is one film I will not watch again, as once is enough!

Thursday, August 15, 2024

"Deadpool & Wolverine" Has Been Done A Thousand Times

 

by Robert Zenoni


Okay! So, Deadpool & Wolverine was the first movie I’ve seen in theaters since Spiderman; No Way Home. And for me it had its funny moments and a nice ending; cool action scenes but overall it's a movie that’s been done a thousand times. Our protagonist finds out something is wrong, he finds someone who doesn’t want to help him to end up helping him and they succeed in the end. The plot is simple, and that's fine because what else are you going to do for a “super hero” movie.

Ryan Reynolds and Hugh Jackman are good in the movie and seem to have a good chemistry. And everything is timed pretty well for punchlines to jokes. There is some blasphemy and there are scenes throughout the film people may think are too much -- which is just up to the person. Overall, good movie and it was cool to see in the credits that his son and wife made secret cameos, along with some people you would not expect.

Wednesday, August 14, 2024

"A Good Girl's Guide to Murder" Review

 

by John Zenoni


What a great murder mystery series! The latest Netflix entry, ‘A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder’, delivers on so many levels, most importantly the storyline and performances. I have never read the books on which this series is based but this adaptation is so good that I'm going to have to read them and I do hope they will continue making new episodes!

The main character, Pip, played by Emma Myers, keeps you so engaged with her brilliance and intuition that you can’t wait to see what she's going to uncover next. In this series, Pip lives in an area where young schoolgirl Andie Bell was supposedly killed by her lover, Sal Singh, five years prior, who is said to have killed himself after leaving a confession. Pip teams up with Sal’s brother, Ravi, to dig further into the crime to see if all this is actually true and once the digging starts they uncover things that don’t add up. This series definitely pulls you in and keeps you guessing! Highly recommend!

Thursday, August 1, 2024

"Chernobyl" Review

 

by Robert Zenoni


I’m a little late to the party but… FANTASTIC! FANTASTIC! FANTASTIC! Like all tragedy, disaster, destruction and death, we as humans don’t read into more than what we feel comfortable doing, especially when we were not born at the time it happened. So all my life I was like, “Wow, Chernobyl that’s terrible…. anyways...” But now I do have an interest in this subject matter because it’s just so important to remember history. 

Chernobyl is a great series that tells its audience what the social, economic, political and literal fallout was when the Chernobyl nuclear power plant reactor core number four exploded and is known as the worst nuclear disaster in history. This shows tells you how the Soviet Union tried to cover up the disaster and how nuclear physicist Valery Legasov was boots on the ground and helped save millions of lives. Along with telling you about all that, it shows you what happened to the men who were at the reactor; first with all the radiation they absorbed along with all the people of Pripiyat, the city closest to the power plant. 

I know this is more of a praising session than a review but it's a fantastic and brutal series. So prepare yourself if you haven’t seen it but it truly is fantastic. Jared Harris and Stellan SkarsgĂ„rd are great and the shows poses the question, "What is the cost of lies?" In this instance, anywhere from 4,000-93,000. That is the cost of lies. Enjoy the show!