Power Ballad

Usually films about srongwriters are typically based on a true story about real writers or performers, however "Power Ballad" is created out of pure fiction which makes it truly intriguing. Certainly when it comes to songwriters and performers, many aspects of what occurred in this has happened in true life, so it did come across of a film based on real life. 

When Rick Power (Paul Rudd), a past-his-prime wedding singer, meets fading boy-band star Danny Wilson (Nick Jonas) during a gig, the two bond over music and a late-night jam session. But when Danny turns one of Rick's songs into the hit that reignites his career, Rick sets out to reclaim the recognition he believes he deserves--even if it means risking everything he cares about. "Power Ballad" is a feel good story about music, self-respect, friendship, and the price of ambition. 

Others to round out the cast are Peter McDonald as Sandy, Rory Keenan as Binzer, Paul Reid as Bernie, Keith McErlean as Kyle, Emma Rose Creaner as Claire, Rick's wife, Beth Fallon as Aja, Jack Reynor as Mac, Havana Rose Lui as Marcia and Robert Mitchell as George.

This was directed with grit, sequencing and an impressive amount of harmony when it came to the chemistry between Rudd and Jonas by John Carney ("November Afternoon" '96, "Park" '99, "On the Edge" '01, "Once" '06, "Zonad" '09, "The Rafters" '12, "Begin Again" '13, "Sing Street" '16, "Flora and Son" '23) plus TV, a TV movie and a short. Clearly this filmmaker has an impressive resume of work, so obviously he was able to put this film together with quality all the while being able to induce an interesting yet compelling story. Carney is from Ireland, so it's no surprise that this was shot in that country. It was equally well penned by writers John Carney (See above resume). and Peter McDonald ("The Bachelor Weekend" '13) plus TV and shorts. Certainly Carney has the lion's share of the experience here, however McDonald definitely had clever input, especially him playing one of Rick's friends and pulled it off well. These filmmakers, being from Ireland are truly talented in their respective positions and would be interested in seeing more work from them. The only aspect I can see that maybe was touted to high was that this actually ends bitter-sweetly, instead of being a film that will cause all to stand up and cheer. Actually, its ending turned out more poignant than otherwise, but when you're expecting a certain ending and it doesn't happen, it seems, at first, somewhat of a letdown. 

As aforementioned, this film's ending was not only poignant, but it was actually realistic which made it a film that will continue to make you think well after the end credits roll. I'm actually glad it didn't end with a nice bow at the end. And the chemistry between Rudd and Jonas was incredible, and a film performance I've not seen from Rudd that was Oscar worthy.

Out of 4 Stars: 4                                     Rated: R                                       108mins.

Tuner

When one thinks of a safecracking or heist type film, they often think of "Ocean's Eleven" 2001 or maybe "The Italian Job" 2003. These were high-end heist type films, so when a small gang of robbers decide to break into a safe and can't, who do they contact? Safecrackers are us?

Niki White (Leo Woodall), who is a gifted young piano tuner, who happens to suffer from hyperacusis, a heightened sense of hearing which makes hearing too loud of noises causes a detrimental backlash, draws the attention of criminals, who see his talents as useful for opening safes as well as for tuning Steinways. With his once promising musical career over, he works across New York with his mentor Harry Horowitz (Dustin Hoffman), encountering an array of characters , including composition student Ruthie (Havana Rose Liu), with whom he forges an unexpected connection. Niki's safecracking work threatens his budding romance with Ruthie and pulls him into increasingly dangerous territory.

Others to round out the cast are Lior Raz as Uri, Tovah Feldshuh as Marla Horowitz, Harry's wife, Gil Cohen as Yoni, Nissan Sakira as Benny, Jean Reno as Maestro Marius Maissner, Jean Yoon as Dr. Madeline Richard and David Reale as Travis Conway.

This was brilliantly sequenced, staged and paced incredibly by director Daniel Roher ("Ghosts of Our Forest" '17, "Once Were Brothers" '19, "Navalny" '22, "Blink" '24, "The AI Doc: Or How I Became an Apocaloptimist" '26) plus TV and shorts. The cohesiveness, fluidity and sequencing of this filmmaker is stunning and with every film he directs, he only gets more accomplished. If you like his style, his "Positano" is being filmed as of present. It was equally delineated well by writers Daniel Roher ("Once Were Brothers" '19) plus shorts and Robert Ramsey ("Destiny Turns on the Radio" '95, "Life" '99, "Big Trouble" '02, "Intolerable Cruelty" '03, "Man of the House" '05, "Soul Men" '08) plus TV and a video. Even though Roher has only one other feature film credit, Ramsey certainly made up the difference. These two writers are truly consummate and am curious to see any film by either of them. And, of course, the acting by Leo Woodall was incredible and has quite a future in film. His performance in "Nuremberg" in 2025 was riveting. And supporting actors, Hoffman, Feldshuh and Raz were strong and credible. 

This film has it all, adventure, drama, humor and redemption all rolled up in a slickly done film to please all. The writing, directing, acting and cinematography by Lowell A. Meyer was enthralling as it was captivating.

Out of 4 Stars: 4                                         Rated: R                                        108mins.

Pressure

We've all seen different strategies in which to plan an attack for a war, but how about a general in WWII hinging his attack prior to D-Day on a meteorologist report? Well, in "Pressure" this is what exactly happened to ensure the US attack toward the Germans at Normandy was successful.

In the seventy-two hours leading up to D-Day, all the pieces are in place except for one key element--the British weather. Britain's chief meteorologist officer Captain James Stagg (Andrew Scott) is called upon to deliver the most consequential forecast in history, locking him into a tense standoff with the entire Allied leadership. The wrong conditions could devastate the largest ever seaborne invasion, while any delay risks German intelligence catching on. With his only trusted aide Lieutenant Kay Summersby (Kerry Condon) to confide in, and haunted by a catastrophic D-Day rehearsal, the final decision rests with Supreme Allied Commander Dwight D. Eisenhower (Brendan Fraser). With only hours to go, the fate of the war and the lives of millions hang in the balance. 

Others to round out the cast are Chris Messina as Captain Irving Krick, Damian Lewis as Bernard 'Monty' Montgomery, Tamsin Topolski as Liz Stagg, James' wife, Con O'Neill as Air Marshal Leigh Mallory, Alexander Hanson as General Omar Bradley, Jojo Macari as Andrew Carter, Robert Portal as Admiral Bertram Ramsay, Joshua Hill as Casey and Toby Williams as Bryant. 

This film was brilliantly sequenced well by director Anthony Maras ("Hotel Mumbai" '18) plus shorts. Even though this filmmaker has limited feature film experience, his shorts has certainly served him well. It was concise, paced and staged well. Undoubtedly this director will assuredly receive more work. It was cleverly written by David Haig ("My Boy Jack" (TV movie) '07) and Anthony Maras ("Hotel Mumbai" '18) plus shorts, based on a play by David Haig. First of all, I had no idea that the attack on the Germans on D-Day hung on weather and if the weather was willing to work with the US or not, and secondly, this certainly made a unique and original premise on the entire war genre. The meteorologists were in a differing position of what kind of weather was to occur on June 6, 1944. It's no wonder that Haig was brought in to assist with the creation of the script since the film was based on his play and the tenseness and gut-wrenching emotions kept the audience on the edge of their seats. Really, other than a couple of small places of choppiness in script, this story was spot on. 

If you like the genre of war, you will love this, especially since the premise of this film is like nothing you've seen. The directing, acting, especially by Fraser and cinematography by Jamie Ramsay bsc/sacg was exquisite. It's like going back in time to a time that was fraught with uncertainty, but in other ways, was a much simpler time compared to our world today.

Out of 4 Stars: 3.5                                       Rated:PG-13                                   100mins.

Star Wars: The Mandalorian and Grogu

When the original "Star Wars" premiered back in 1977, who knew that this massive franchise would've lasted 49 years with no end in sight? Of course, during that time, there have been sequels, prequels, multiple storylines, and many different characters which have stemmed from the original cast or just plain new along the way. Well, now we have "Star Ward: The Mandalorian and Grogu" to add to that continually growing franchise.

The evil Empire has fallen, and Imperial warlords, namely Lord Janu (Jonny Coyne), remain scattered throughout the galaxy. As the fledging New Republic headed up by Colonel Ward (Sigoury Weaver), works to protect everything the Rebellion fought for, they have enlisted the help of legendary Mandalorian bounty hunter Din Djarin (Pedro Pascal) and his young apprentice Grogu to rid of these warlords once and for all. The Mandalorian's initial assignment is to rescue Jabba the Hut's nephew, Rotta the Hut (voice of Jeremy Allen White) from the clutches of Janu, and then things go amazingly awry. 

Others to round out the cast are Steve Blum as Zeb Orrelios, Matthew Willig as Hogsberth, Hemky Madera as Commander Baro, Martin Scorsese as voice of Hugo Durant, Rick Famuyiwa as Jib Dodger and Paul Sun-Hyung Lee as Captain Carson Teva. 

This was sequenced well with grit by director Jon Favreau ("Made" '01, "Elf" '03, "Zathura: A Space Adventure" '05, "Iron Man" '08, "Iron Man 2" '10, "Cowboys & Aliens" '11, "Chef" '14, "The Jungle Book" '16, "The Lion King" '19) plus TV movies, TV, video games and a music video. As with his other big-budget films, he certainly knows his way around working with multiple units to insure proper staging, pacing and continuity which was paramount with this film, He has become a recognizable filmmaker that we've come to trust and be rest assured of a tight, cohesive film. It was effectively written by Jon Favreau, Dave Filoni and Noah Kloor, based on characters created by George Lucas. Although this film does produce interest after a while, it simply is basically predictable and assuming as the film is introduced. After a point, I could seemingly predict how the next scene would be played out. Even though Filoni's experience is within the 'Star Wars' franchise, it was for the TV medium, otherwise Favreau, having the lion's share of the experience, simply kept this script together. Kloor, while certainly having viable input, just needs more work under his belt. Was it a wash? Of course not! It had adventure, drama, humor all with those amazing visual effects predominantly by ILM (Industrial, Light & Magic) who has been producing the visuals since the inception of Star Wars. The characters were well thought out and definitely captured the audience's attention. 

If you're a 'Star Wars' fan, this will undoubtedly put you in that happy place. Being based on Lucas' characters will help and with effective directing, photography by David Klein asc, and visuals, this will please. If you like that up close and personal feel, this is also presented in an IMAX format as well. 

Out of 4 Stars: 3                                      Rated: PG-13                                        132mins.

 

In the Grey

The director, Guy Ritchie has been involved in many films, most that don't have an overly original premise, however, his incredibly distinct style makes these films stand out above so many other similar films. His slick style is why he's become a popular filmmaker--so much so, that it becomes pure joy and great entertainment to see his films, and "In the Grey" is no exception. 

"In the Grey" follows a covert team of elite operatives including Sid (Henry Cavill), Bronco (Jake Gyllenhaal) and Rachel (Eiza Gonzalez), who live in the global shadows, as comfortable wielding power and influence as they are automatic weapons and high explosives. When a ruthless despot Manny Salazar (Carlos Bardem) steals a billion-dollar fortune, the team is sent to steal it back on what would be for anyone else a suicide mission. What begins as an impossible heist gets much worse, spiraling into an all-out war of strategy, deception and survival.

Others to round out the cast are Fisher Stevens as William Horowitz, Rosamund Pike as Bobby Sheen, Michael Vu as Ed Glover, Mohammed Al Turki as Wolfgang Klose, Kojo Attah as Andre Baker, Jason Wong as Gucci Reyes, Emmett J. Scanlan as Mick Dunne, Christian Ochoa Lavernia as Jonathan Moreno and Gonzalo Bouza as Javier.

This was directed with the trademark, grit, intensity laced with slickness by the incomparable Guy Ritchie ("Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels" '98, "Snatch"2000, "Swept Away" '02, "Revolver" '05, "RocknRolla" '08, "Sherlock Holmes" '09, "The Man from U.N.C.L.E." '15, "Aladdin" '19, "The Gentlemen" '19, "The Covenant" '23 "Fountain of Youth" '25) plus other films, a TV movie, TV, shorts and music videos. I can't mention enough about Ritchie's distinct directing style since it is so compelling, and it is so distinct that, after a few minutes of running time, I can be clear that it is a Ritchie film without knowing the title. The photography by Ed Wild bsc, along with the slick editing by Martin Walsh ace, and Jim Weedon clearly had Ritchie's name and style on it. It was also executed well by writer Guy Ritchie ("Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels" '98, "RocknRolla" '08, "King Arthur: Legend of the Sword" '17, The Gentlemen" '19, "Wrath of Man" '21 "The Covenant" '23) plus other films, TV and shorts. While this film carried an interesting premise with lethal operatives working 'in the grey'--hence the name of the film, there were a couple of inconsistencies and choppiness within this script. It, like some other films, start with bringing its audience into a scene where bombs and bullets were flying, and then takes us back as a flashback, so we end up to where we 'came in at, and then continues, and this is a captivating format, but it could've been polished a bit more. But this certainly wasn't enough to detract from the excitement and explosiveness of the film. If you like this writer's style of writing and directing, his "Viva La Madness" is being filmed presently.

If you're a Ritchie fan, like I am, this will hit home with you. This filmmaker has worked his way up the directing ladder, and it hasn't been easy, but he has proven himself time and again. His style and slickness to his films carries an avid fanbase and will continue to do so. This is a rollicking, humorous, thrilling and explosive film for all to enjoy. 

Out of 4 Stars: 3                                           Rated: R                                           96mins.

The Sheep Detectives

We've seen many live films that utilize animals where they are able to speak to each other by using computers and animation, such as "Babe" 1995, "Babe: Pig in the City" 1998 to mention a couple. These types of films are usually films that are from the heart, and "The Sheep Detectives" is no exception. This film is as wonderful as "Babe" was. 

In this witty, new breed of mystery, George (Hugh Jackman) is a shepherd who reads detective novels to his beloved sheep every night assuming they can't possibly understand. But when a mysterious incident disrupts life on the farm, the sheep realize they must become the detectives. As they follow the clues and investigate human suspects, such as Caleb Merrow (Tosin Cole), Ham Gilyard (Conleth Hill), Beth Pennock (Hong Chau) and Reverend Hillcoate (Kobna Holdbrook-Smith), they prove that even sheep can be brilliant crime-solvers. And with Officer Tim Derry (Nicholas Braun), an affable but ill-equipped police officer, the sheep save the day. 

Others to round out the cast are Julia Louis-Dreyfus as voice of Lily, Chris O'Dowd as voice of Mopple, Regina Hall as voice of Cloud, Bryan Cranston as voice of Sebastian, Patrick Stewart as voice of Sir Ritchfield, Brett Goldstein as voice of Ronnie, Bella Ramsey as voice of Zora and Rhys Darby as voice of Wool-Eyes. 

This film was directed with wit, heart and compassion by Kyle Balda ("The Lorax" (co-directed) '12, "Minions" '15, "Despicable Me 3" '17, "Minions: The Rise of Gru" '22) plus videos. Even though this filmmaker has only directed totally animated feature films, this live film with super-imposed speaking of the animals certainly uses animation to achieve this effect. His ability to stage and pace this film was consummate, and he will eventually make the transition from totally animated to totally live films very soon. It was equally written with heart and soul by Craig Mazin ("RocketMan" '97, "Senseless" '98, "Scary Movie 3" '03, "Scary Movie 4" '06, "Superhero Movie" '08, "The Hangover Part II" '11, "Identity Thief" '13, "The Hangover Part III" '13, "The Huntsman: Winter's War" '16) plus TV, based on a screen story by Craig Mazin, which is based on the novel "Three Bags Full" by Leonie Swann. When I saw my first trailer on this film, my first impression was that it was doable, and after viewing it, it was a wonderful, heartwarming and humorous film. It was cohesive, concise and sequenced well. I recommend this movie highly.

This film has it all: wit, heart, humor, redemption and love all rolled up into a great way to spend a couple of hours. The writing was tight and the directing was exquisite. This is a film for the whole family, and in a world that has been turned upside down, this is certainly something that is so needed today. I'd give this a 5 star out of 4 stars if that was possible. Grab the popcorn and enjoy this gem!

Out of 4 Stars: 4                                            Rated: PG                                              109mins.

Desert Warrior

War films are about as common in Hollywood as crime dramas, and just about every war has been addressed, i.e. WWI, WWII, Vietnam, Korean, Civil, Revolutionary, Middle East certainly. But even if a film is not directly based on an actual war, we have "Desert Warrior to ponder over. 

Set in seventh-century Arabia, Princess Hind (Aiysha Hart) defies her fate, refusing to become a concubine to the ruthless Emperor Kisra II (Ben Kingsley). Fleeing into the desert with her father, she is hunted by a merciless army and forced to trust a legendary bandit (Anthony Mackie) with secrets of his own. Rising from fugitive to fearless warrior, Hind unites warring tribes for a final stand--the Battle of Dhi Qar, a clash that will change history. 

Others to round out the cast are Sharlto Copley as Jalabzeen, Sami Bouajila as Hani, Ghassan Massoud as Al-Numan, Lamis Ammar as Medicine Woman, Ramsey Faragallah as Ibn QaBisah, Younes Bouab as Aasif, Said Boumazoughe as Samir, Geza Rohrig as Al Hamerz, Alain Saadeh as Yazid and Omar Al-Atawi as Shepherd Boy.

This was directed with such delineation and dissection of characters by Rupert Wyatt ("Subterrain" '01, "The Escapist" '08, "Rise of the Planet of the Apes" '11, "The Gambler" '14, "Captive State" '19) plus TV and shorts. Considering all the diverse characters, this filmmaker was able to establish, through his actors, a definite distinction between one another. It was captivating, enough that I'm encouraged to see how his "Boxman" is treated which now is in pre-production. It was written interestingly by David Self, Rupert Wyatt and Erica Beeney. Both Wyatt and Beeney have collaborated in other films, but clearly felt they needed someone that obtained a bit more experience, so enters Self, who certainly has the lion's share of feature film experience. The premise was definitely an interesting one, and with the exception of a couple of places of disjointedness and that it was a bit long-in-the-tooth, it was entertaining and for sure a swashbuckler. It probably would've faired better with only two writers--this is a common mistake with other films, where there's just too many hands in the pot. But even with these aspects, it was still a film worthy of viewing, if for no other reason than for its sweeping cinematography by Guillermo Garza. 

If you like war films or even films that deal with conflicts due to property or religious, etc, this will fit the bill. The photography, costumes, acting, especially by Mackie, Hart and Copley were all stunning and definitely kept the audience's attention. 

Out of 4 Stars: 3                                        Rated: R                                   127mins.