Movie Reviews
‘Creed III’ review: ‘Rocky’ movie a knockout — even without Rocky
“Rocky” is likely one of the solely decades-old movie franchises on the market to which I say: Preserve making extra, please.
The heart beat-pounding “Creed III” is the ninth film within the collection. And though there’s nary a point out of Sylvester Stallone’s Rocky Balboa on this one, the indomitable spirit, grit and coronary heart that made the 1976 authentic a shock hit continues to be alive — 47 years later.
Operating time: 116 minutes. Rated PG-13 (intense sports activities motion, violence and a few sturdy language). In theaters.
How outstanding that these tales proceed to be so gripping.
The viewers is aware of precisely what’s going to occur each minute, and but we’re below its spell proper till the top, like a favourite childhood bedtime story — during which two indignant dudes knock every others’ tooth out.
Sensible star Michael B. Jordan does double-duty in “III,” returning to play Adonis Creed and directing a movie for the primary time — the person is a champ at each athletics and aesthetics.
Lately Adonis, who heroically grew to become World Heavyweight Champion, is retired and well-known, like a Tom Brady or Roger Federer, and principally having fun with the quiet life as a dad and supportive husband of music producer Bianca (Tessa Thompson) in Los Angeles.
Our-guy-taking-a-breather is a difficult second for any “Rocky” film.
The hero has not solely conquered the metaphorical stairs of the Philadelphia Museum of Artwork — he’s sitting on the high of them in a La-Z-Boy.
How, then, this time round, can the jaded high canine convincingly return to being the inspiring underdog?
Enter Damian Anderson (Jonathan Majors). At the beginning of “III,” throughout a flashback to 2002, teen Adonis is the right-hand man of rising-star fighter “Diamond Dame,” and the 2 get caught up in a violent tussle outdoors a liquor retailer.
Again within the current day, Dame has simply gotten out of jail and reveals up unannounced at Adonis’ boxing health club to say he needs to combat once more professionally.
Wracked with guilt about that terrible night time from their previous, Adonis lets him in — inadvertently throwing his personal life into chaos.
It’s solely March, and Majors is already the 12 months’s hardest-working villain. His Kang the Conquerer was by far the very best a part of the in any other case nauseating “Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania” two weeks in the past.
It’s a serious aid to look at Majors snarl and connive as an outdated good friend with an ax to grind in an really good film.
His unnerving, frayed-wire presence lights a hearth below Thompson, too.
Frightened Bianca senses that Adonis is preserving a harmful secret about Dame from her as the 2 work to mum or dad their younger daughter, who’s deaf.
Their marriage is strained and far more poignant and sensitively written right here than it was within the overcomplicated second Creed movie.
Each battle with newfound domesticity since they had been each at their peak of recognition just a few years earlier when she was nonetheless a pop star, and Jordan and Thompson play their family tensions relatably — even from a luxurious mansion in Los Angeles.
“Creed” just isn’t immediately some hushed-tones living-room drama, nevertheless.
Adonis will get his coaching montage and ultimately does return within the ring.
And Jordan — donning the director gloves — has a nifty trick for filming his character’s climatic bout.
It’s a shrewd sequence that eschews loud flashy thrills for breathless psychological depth.
Whereas “III” is a reasonably simple film on its face, its simplicity is of the highly effective, biblical kind.
In fact, the “Rocky” franchise has at all times winked to David and Goliath, however this time, in Donnie and Dame, we get a modern-day Cain and Abel.
Which is which? You be the choose.
Movie Reviews
New Life (2024) – Movie Review
New Life, 2024.
Written and Directed by John Rosman.
Starring Sonya Walger, Hayley Erin, Tony Amendola, Ayanna Berkshire, Nick George, Jeb Berrier, and Blaine Palmer.
SYNOPSIS:
A mysterious woman on the run, and the resourceful fixer assigned to bring her in. Their two unique stories inextricably link, as the stakes of the pursuit rise to apocalyptic proportions.
The first half of writer/director John Rosman’s New Life is intentionally confounding, and the payoff is more than worth it. Centered on Hayley Erin’s on-the-run Jessica and Sonya Walger’s fixer Elsa, the latter has been contacted by an organization to find and bring in the former. What’s especially odd is that while Elsa is portrayed as the hardened, no-nonsense villain in this scenario, with Jessica aware that someone is after her for some reason and means business, the film is also taking time to incorporate more grounded and human elements such as this agent going to the early stages of ALS.
Jessica is, or possibly was, a fiancé, as evidenced by the wedding ring and blood on her face. Or perhaps she murdered him. Naturally, she also doesn’t say much to the few friends she meets up with, which is logical considering she wants to stay hidden. She is trying to protect a small circle of friends at a farmhouse, but from what danger? There are also flashbacks to Jessica’s life with her partner Ian (Nick George), camping in the woods, which is sure to inevitably explain part of what’s happening here.
Choosing to withhold clear motives for each character feels like it could have easily been a recipe for disaster or a sign to mentally check out early, but the lived-in performances and sensitive treatment of the material, especially something as serious as ALS for a character still committed to the job, ensure intrigue.
At that halfway mark, New Life shifts from cat-and-mouse thriller to horror, although I will leave the subgenre unspecified. That’s not to say the reveals are the only reason to watch this gutsy balancing act of genre because the characterization is also effective. There is also an element of conspiracy that could have been explored more deeply, although it’s also understandable why it’s not considering everything else being juggled.
What can be said is that the practical effects are detailed, and the horror sequences themselves are intense. The meticulously handled slow build to something that could have easily been written off as generic also allows something familiar to feel suspenseful and exciting. It’s worth stressing that the film isn’t necessarily doing anything new within that subgenre but gets away with trafficking in some of the more popular tropes because of its unorthodox structure and strong character work.
While New Life does lead to a riveting finale that makes the most of its transition into horror and major stakes for the world’s fate, it doesn’t quite reach the profound statement that it seems to be ambitiously aiming for. Still, as an exercise in unpredictability and connecting with characters despite the bare minimum information, it succeeds and announces John Rosman as a cleverly twisted filmmaker to keep an eye on.
Flickering Myth Rating – Film: ★ ★ ★ / Movie: ★ ★ ★ ★
Robert Kojder is a member of the Chicago Film Critics Association and the Critics Choice Association. He is also the Flickering Myth Reviews Editor. Check here for new reviews, follow my Twitter or Letterboxd, or email me at MetalGearSolid719@gmail.com
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=embed/playlist
Movie Reviews
Movie Review – Tarot
Read Time:1 Minute, 16 Second
Tarot, the name of this movie, can be credited as the best thing about it. While the movie had a healthy pace and an interesting storyline, the acting was forced at best, and it was exceptionally predictable. I’m all over these types of movies, and I couldn’t leave fast enough.
If you are looking for an edge of your seat, nail biting horror movie you are going to be sorely disappointed. If you’re cleaning your house and need some background noise, then you’ve found your match. Unless you have to pay for it, then I would skip it.
——Content continues below——
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I hate dogging movies like this, however it’s warranted here. Tarot is simply not worth your time, there’s other options out there.
Grade: D+
About The Peetimes: I recommend the 2nd Peetime. It’s pretty long and most of the Peetime was shown in the trailers. The 1st one works just as well but it is a little bit shorter.
There are no extra scenes during, or after, the end credits of Tarot.
Rated: | (PG-13) Horror Violence | Drug Content | Bloody Images | Some Strong Language | Terror |
Genres: | Horror |
Starring: | Avantika, Olwen Fouéré, Jacob Batalon |
Director: | Spenser Cohen, Anna Halberg |
Writer(s): | Nicholas Adams, Spenser Cohen, Anna Halberg |
Language: | English |
Country: | United States |
Plot
When a group of friends recklessly violates the sacred rule of Tarot readings, they unknowingly unleash an unspeakable evil trapped within the cursed cards. One by one, they come face to face with fate and end up in a race against…
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Aspiring author. Would like to finish his “Zombie Revelations” trilogy if he could break away for working on RunPee and the cottage he’s building for RunPee Mom.
Movie Reviews
Prasanna Vadanam Movie Review – Gulte
2.75/5
2 Hr 26 Mins | Thriller | 03-05-2024
Cast – Suhas, Payal Radhakrishna, Rashi Singh, Viva Harsha, Nitin Prasanna and others
Director – Arjun Y K
Producer – Manikanta J S, Prasad Reddy T R
Banner – Arha Media, Little Thoughts Cinemas
Music – Vijai Bulganin
Suhas has become one of the bankable actors in Tollywood. He is now out with his latest film, Prasanna Vadanam, based on a man with face blindness. Directed by Arjun YK, let’s review the film here.
Plot
Surya(Suhas), a Radio RJ meets with a terrible accident and ends up with a rare disease named Prosopagnosia. Due to this, he gets face blindness and cannot identify the faces of people around him. One fine day, he witnesses the brutal murder of a young girl. He informs the cops but instead gets embroiled in the case. Left with no choice; he approaches top cop Vaidehi(Rashi Singh) for assistance. But things turn on its head and multiple cases are now filed on Surya. The rest of the story is about how Surya proves his innocence with the help of his girlfriend Adhya(Payal Radhakrishna).
Performances
Suhas is known for his versatile characters gets a tailor-made role in Prasanna Vadanam. As he has a unique disease, the scope for him to perform uniquely is high in the film, and Suhas lives up to all the expectations. His performance in the second half is highly impressive and arrests you till the end. Nithin Prasanna, who was last seen in Ambajipeta Marriage Band, delivers yet another bankable performance. The various shades he showcased in his performance were impressive. Rashi Singh, who played the top cop, was decent, but she should have worked more on the expressions in the latter part of the film. Viva Harsha was okay, and so was Payal Radhakrishna.
Technicalities
Vijay Bulganin composed the music for the film, and his songs are quite ordinary. None of the songs register with the audience, but the background score is quite impressive. The sound design neatly elevates the proceedings and is composed in a stylish manner. The camera work is so-so and one cannot complain keeping the budget in mind. The production values are also okay, and there is nothing much to rave about. The editing is perfect as the narrative is crisp and to the point.
Thumbs Up
Suhas
Interval twist
Thumbs Down
Lag in the second half
Songs
Flashback
Analysis
Making thrillers is one of the biggest tasks for any writer-director. But newcomer Arjun YK has chosen a story with face blindness which is something new for Telugu cinema. So, this itself makes things interesting for Prasanna Vadanam. Prasanna Vadanam starts on a very interesting note, and the best part is that director Arjun does not waste any time entering the conflict point in the film.
Once the heroine is introduced, the love track gets a bit boring, but that too passes, and things become interesting for the audience. Once the crime is committed, the concentration shifts towards the cops and how they will deal with the case. But the way director Arjun brings in the half-time twist is superb and unexpected. As the director reveals the man behind the murder, things become a bit difficult for the director to handle the proceedings.
This is when the proceedings become slow and a bit dull. Also, the reason behind the motive of the murderer is not showcased convincingly. Also, the way Suhas behaves in the second half looks a bit odd. As he has face blindness, the director could have added more drama and played with the effects, but that does not happen, and things move slowly until the pre-climax.
Director Arjun has potential and narrates the film well for the most part. However, way too many cinematic liberties and a lack of hold on emotions are some of the drawbacks. Prasanna Vadanam has decent moments that hold your attention. However, one needs to prepare for the pace and lack of depth in the proceedings as well.
Bottom Line – Passable Thriller
Rating: 2.75/5
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