Tuesday, February 27, 2024

Madame Web

With all the financial woes that has befallen Marvel Studios, they certainly need a hit. Since Disney owns Marvel, I'm not quite sure why this was made in conjunction with Columbia Studios. With all that Marvel has produced, the premise of "Madame Web" certainly has a captivating story, however each scene has a tendency to be a bit predictable. 

In a switch from the typical genre, this story tells the standalone origin story of one of Marvel publishing's most enigmatic heroines. The suspense-driven thriller stars Dakota Johnson as Cassandra Webb, a paramedic in Manhattan who, after a life-threatening situation, develops the power to see the future...and realizes she can use that insight to change it. Forced to confront revelations about her past, she forges a relationship with three young women, Julia Cornwall (Sydney Sweeney), Anya Corazon (Isabela Merced) and Mattie Franklin (Celeste O'Connor) bound for powerful destinies...if they can all survive a deadly presence in the form of Ezekiel Sims (Tahar Rahim).

Others to round out the cast are Mike Epps as O'Neil, Emma Roberts as Mary Parker, Adam Scott as Ben Parker, Kerry Bishe as Constance, Zosia Mamet as Amarla and Jose Maria Yazpik as Santiago.

This was directed with grit and adrenaline by SJ Clarkson ("Toast" (TV movie) '10) plus a plethora of TV. Considering that this filmmaker has only a TV movie under her belt (as far as a movie is concerned), is amazing that she was able to capture the emotions from her actors as well she did. Definitively, having the huge amount of TV experience only served her well, and with this, created a suspenseful feel of this project. She will receive more film work. It was effectively written by Matt Sazama, Burk Sharpless, Claire Parker and SJ Clarkson, based on a story by Karen Sanga, Matt Sazama and Burk Sharpless. Really, with the amount of experince the two writers, Sazama and Sharpless have, they could've solely written this screenplay. As I've mentioned in prior reviews, typically when there are more than two writers on any given film, it can become bogged down and somewhat disjointed--hence, too many chefs in the kitchen. So, since there was a bit of disjointedness and it being a bit long-in-the-tooth, less writers only could've improved this. Mind you, it wasn't a wash, but simply needed a bit more polish. And, the visual effects predominantly designed by Digital Domain and Outpost VFX were seamless and basically assisted in the telling of this story. 

If you are a Marvel fan, you'll love this. I'm not particularly an avid fan however the premise of this definitely saved this film. There were a couple of areas of predictability, but not so much that one could mouth the actor's words. And Dakota Johnson was also a great choice of Cassandra. This is the quintessential popcorn film, so go and enjoy.

Out of 4 Stars: 3                                      Rated: PG-13                                    116mins.


Sunday, February 25, 2024

Ordinary Angels

Films based on true stories, and more to the point, those that are inspirational, faith based are much needed in this day and age of a seriously problematic world in which we live. So, when I saw my first trailer on "Ordinary Angels", I knew that this was going to be an uplifting film, but also one that shows us what we can do if we stick together as a people.

Based on a remarkable true story, this centers on Sharon Stevens (Hilary Swank), a fierce but struggling hairdresser in a small town outside of Louisville, Kentucky back in 1993-94, who discovers a renewed sense of purpose when she meets Ed Schmitt (Alan Ritchson), a widower working hard to make ends meet for his two daughters, with his youngest daughter, Michelle (Emily Mitchell) waiting for a liver transplant, Sharon sets her mind to helping the family and will move mountains to do it. What unfolds is the inspiring tale of faith, everyday miracles, and... ordinary angels.

Others to round out the cast are Nancy Travis as Barbara Schmitt, Ed's mother, Tamala Jones as Rose, Drew Powell as Pastor Dave Stone, Amy Acker as Teresa Schmitt, Ed's wife, Nancy Sorel as Virginia, Stephanie Sy as Amy Chan, Stephanie Hughes as Ashley Schmitt, Ed's daughter and Dempsey Bryk as Derek, Sharon's son. 

This was effectively directed with raw emotion by Jon Gunn ("Mercy Streets" 2000, "My Date with Drew" '04, "Like Dandelion Dust" '09, "Do You Believe?" '15, "The Week" '15, "The Case for Christ" '17). Certainly this filmmaker knows his way around an inspirational, faith based film project, so he was right in his comfort zone with this. His ability to encourage his actors to emit the emotions that were needed to convey to the audience the extreme importance of the situation was simply amazing, all without creating a maudlin atmosphere. It was equally well written by Meg Tilly (TV), and Kelly Fremon Craig ("Post Grad" '09, "The Edge of Seventeen" '16, "Are You There God? It's Me, Margaret" '23) plus a short. I'm not sure why Tilly received top billing with the writing, unless it was her influence to get this made or perhaps she knew of the family involved? Not sure, but regardless, this script was sequenced well, cohesive and concise. Typically, these types of films can get a bit moody and can emit a long-in-the-tooth feeling, however this obtained none of that and certainly kept my attention and, at certain points, kept me on the edge of my seat. Hilary Swank gave a riveting performance as Sharon, and if she was anything like Swank portrayed, Sharon certainly didn't know the meaning of the word 'no' as was mentioned in the film. And Alan Ritchson's performance as Ed was certainly believable and he carried it off well. 

If you like inspirational, faith based films, you'll like this, but even if it isn't your type of genre, there is definitely something for all of us to learn here. This film has it all: love, desperation, faith, unity and fear all rolled up into a story that will truly make you stand up and cheer for the survival of this small 5-year-old little girl. 

Out of 4 Stars: 4                                        Rated: PG                                            118mins.


Friday, February 23, 2024

Drive-Away Dolls

One of my favorite filmmakers is that of the Coen Brothers. They've written and directed so many amazing films: "Raising Arizona", "Fargo", "Burn After Reading", "The Big Lebowski" to mention a handful. The trailer of "Drive-Away Dolls" didn't really intrigue me, but since I realized that Ethan coen directed and co-wrote it, I assumed that was a for sure deal. Wow, was I way off.

This comedy caper follows Jamie (Margaret Qualley), an uninhibited free spirit bemoaning yet another breakup with a girlfriend, Sukie (Beanie Feldstein), and her demure friend Marian (Geraldine Viswanathan) who desperately needs to loosen up. In search of a fresh start, the two embark on an impromptu road trip to Tallahassee, but things quickly go awry when they cross paths with a group of inept criminals along the way. How possibly could these two women be able to break away from the clutches of these criminals?

Others to round out the cast are Joey Slotwick as the goon, C.J. Wilson as the goon, Colman Domingo as the chief, Pedro Pascal as the collector, Bill Camp as Curlie, Matt Damon as Senator Gary Channel, Connie Jackson as Aunt Ellis, Gordon MacDonald as Cicero's waiter, Sam Vartholomeos as Bart and John Menchion old man at Slappy's.

This was directed with the caliber we would expect from either Coen Brother, this being Ethan ("Blood Simple" '84, "Raising Arizona" '87, "Miller's Crossing" '90, "Barton Fink" '91, "The Hudsucker Proxy" '94, "Fargo" '96, "The Big Lebowski" '98, "O Brother, Where Art Thou?" 2000, "Intolerable Cruelty" '03, "The Ladykillers" '04, "Paris, I Love You" '06, "No Country for Old Men" '07, "Burn After Reading" '08, "A Serious Man" '09, "True Grit" '10, "Inside Llewynn Davis" '13, "Hail, Caesar" '16, "The Ballard of Buster Scruggs" '18, "Jerry Lee Lewis: Trouble in Mind" '22) plus shorts and a video. It is amazing how this filmmaker can extract certain emotions, albeit it in bizarre situations and the actor comes across as seemingly normal. It definitively makes any particular scene normal and easy to watch even if the character is falling apart. Ethan and his brother, Joel are consummate pros when implementing this format. Where this film starts falling apart is in the writing by Ethan Coen ("Crimewave" '85, "The Naked Man" '99, "The Man Who Wasn't There" '01, "Gambit" '12, "Unbroken" '14, "Bridge of Spies" '15, "Suburbicon" '17) plus many others, TV, shorts and a video, and Tricia Cooke (a short). Normally Ethan Coen is a well-rounded, well thought out writer, however with this film, there were too many places of choppiness, continuity issues that were fairly obvious and gratuitous everything. Look, I knew that the two main characters were lesbian--just friends, one of them would have sex with a post if need be, but certainly any woman walking down the road and we have to be made witnesses of it. Then, there couldn't just have been a handful of expletives--there were a plethora of them. Even the violence was a bit over-the-top, but nothing like the prior two aspects--this is a Coen film after all. Even though Tricia Cooke's experience is very limited, it was incredibly difficult to pin any flaws in this on her considering Coen's vast experience. I'm not sure what happened to Coen--a bad day at the laptop? Not sure, but suffice it to say, this is definitely not one of his better efforts. Maybe next time. 

Certainly if you're a true Coen aficionado, you'll probably respect this.I surely do like the Coen Brothers work, however this just didn't cut it for me. The best aspect of this is the short running time. If one has to see this, I recommend Netflix, so if it isn't to your liking, there's not a good amount of waste.

Out of 4 Stars: 1                                     Rated: R                                            87mins.

Tuesday, February 20, 2024

Lisa Frankenstein

Eleven years ago there was a small independent film called "Warm Bodies" with Nicholas Hoult and Teresa Palmer about a young woman meeting and befriending a zombie which was a heartfelt film. Well, with "Lisa Frankenstein", we have a young woman meeting and befriending a corpse, however whereas "Warm Bodies" was much tamer than this film, both were similar yet had their respective originality.

This is 1989. A coming of RAGE love story about a misunderstood teenager, Lisa (Kathryn Newton) and her high school crush, who happens to be a handsome corpse (Cole Sprouse) after a set of playfully horrific circumstances bring him back to life, the two embark on a vengeful, murderous journey to find love, happiness... and a few missing body parts along the way. Lisa is misunderstood due to witnessing her mother's gruesome death a number of years prior, which leaves her hurt, fearful and isolated. Where is a person able to reconnect with others? How about a cemetery.

Others to round out the cast are Carla Gugino as Janet Swallows, Lisa's stepmother, Liza Soberano as Taffy Swallows, Lisa's stepsister, Joe Chrest as Dale Swallows, Lisa's father, Henry Eikenberry as Michael Trent, Jenna Davis as Lori, Trina Lafargue as Tricia and Bryce Romero as Doug.

This was directed with such clarity and subtle humor by Zelda Williams ("Shrimp" (TV movie) '18, Kappa Kappa Die" '20) plus music videos and TV. Surely this writer doesn't have a plethora of feature film experience, but since she has directed a fair amount of videos, this has served her well. Her ability to transform Lisa's change from this withdrawn, unpopular teenager into a popular and a virtual extrovert was genius since Lisa's change was amazingly subtle. She will receive more work. It was written by Diablo Cody ("Juno" '07, "Jennifer's Body" '09, "Young Adult" '11, "Paradise" '13, "Ricki and the Flash" '15, "Raised by Wolves" (TV movie) '17, "Tully" '18, "Most Likely To" (TV movie) '18, "So Much" (TV movie) '21) plus TV, videos and a short. With all the films this writer has penned, "Juno" is probably her best which is ironic considering it was her first film. She definitely is focused on 'rights of passage' films, this film proving that. This film simply takes the 'rights of passage' concept and makes it over-the-top in a bizarre and odd story. Even though Cody's trademark is the growing pains of people and written in a quirky format, this is still way 'out there' for even Cody. She is such a talented writer that, even if one isn't in love with some of her premises, they can't deny that the film is written well. Other than a small area of continuity issues and a small amount of choppiness, this film was unique and well worth the watch. 

If you're a Diablo Cody fan, you will be very comfortable with this, however, if you're not used to her work, you might want to Netflix something a bit tamer, like "Juno". This way to can see her talent, but not be faced with work that is quirky and odd on a good day. I enjoy her work which is primarily why I finally went to see this and it was Cody--true to form.

Out of 4 Stars: 3                                            Rated: PG-13                                    101mins.


Sunday, February 18, 2024

Bob Marley: One Love

We've seen many biopics about different musical artists, i.e. Ray Charles, Aretha Franklin, Johnny Cash, Loretta Lynn, James Brown, Elvis Presley, but not one that represents the art of reggae music, until "Bob Marley: One Love" was released. What makes this stand out more than the others is the effort that Marley put to emphasize the importance of love and unity of humankind.

This story celebrates the life and music of an icon who inspired generations through his message of love and unity. On the big screen for the first time, discover Bob Marley's (Kingsley Ben-Adir) powerful story of overcoming adversity and the journey behind his revolutionary music. 
It all starts in 1976 and chronicles the events through 1978 with his Bob Marley: One Love concert segment. We learn how he met his wife Rita (Lashana Lynch) who is also part of his group Bob Marley and the Wailers and his collaboration with his creative team headed up by Chris Blackwell (James Norton) and his publicist, Don Taylor (Anthony Welsh). Through all the turmoil he and others endured due to the uprising in Jamaica, Bob Marley ultimately succumbs to skin cancer and passes away on May 11,1981 at the age of 36. 

Others to round out the cast are Tosin Cole as Tyrone Downie, Umi Myers as Cindy Breakspeare, Nia Ashi as teen Rita Marley, Aston Barrett as family man Barrett, Anna Share Blake as Judy Mowett, Naomi Colman as Marcia Griffiths, Alexx A-Game as Peter Tosh, Michael Gandolfini as Howard Bloom and David Kerr as Junior Marvin.

This was brilliantly directed by Reinaldo Marcus Green (" Monsters and Men" '18, "Joe Bell" '20, "King Richard" '21) plus TV and shorts. What absolutely amazed me was how peaceful Bob Marley was while all were losing their heads around him, which I'm sure Marley was like in real life. Green was able to harness that energy in Kingsley Ben-Adir, who portrayed Marley so as to emit those extreme opposite emotions compared to the friction at the time, and this is the product of fine directing. It was written better than I initially gave it credit for by Terence Winter, Frank E. Flowers, Zach Baylin and Reinaldo Marcus Green, based on a story by Terence Winter and Frank E, Flowers. Considering there were four writers involved, I was amazed that it was as coherent as it was. Usually if a film is written by more than two writers, it seriously becomes bogged down with inconsistencies, choppiness and continuity issues. This certainly wasn't perfect--it had some choppiness and jumped around a bit, but it definitely kept my attention and was executed with conciseness all the while giving its audience an interesting story. There were many flashbacks that could've been cut to a degree that might have added to the choppiness, but still a compelling story. Ben-Adir gave a riveting performance as Marley and could receive an Oscar nod come that time. We'll see. 

As biopics go, this was definitely one of the better ones--story wise. The acting, directing and the music were played out with finesse and were simply incredible. If you're a Bob Marley fan, you'll love this. His family were involved in the producing and acting of it and totally back up this film hugely. I definitely recommend this film. 

Out of 4 Stars: 3.5                                      Rated: PG-13                                           108mins.

Friday, February 16, 2024

Land of Bad

Ever since the 'James Bond' films back in the 1960s, we have seen a plethora of espionage films coming out of the Hollywood machine. We've seen "The Day of the Jackal", Three Days of the Condor", Body of Lies", "Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy" to mention a few, but now we have "Land of Bad" to add to that ever growing list".

Russell Crowe and Liam Hemsworth, are part of a covert Special Forces operation in the South Philippines which spirals into a brutal 48 hour battle for survival. When an elite extraction team is ambushed deep in enemy territory, rookie officer Kinney (Liam Hemsworth) is left outnumbered, but determined to leave no man behind. With an air strike closing in, Kinney's only hope hinges on the guidance of Air Force drone pilot Reaper (Russell Crowe) and staff sergeant Nia Branson (Chika Ikogwe) to navigate unknowable danger where every move could be their last.

Others to round out the cast are Milo Ventimiglia as Sugar, Luke Hemsworth as Abel, Ricky Whittle as Bishop, Daniel MacPherson as Colonel Packett, Gunner Wright as Captain David Andrews, Robert Rabiah as Saeed Hashimi, Joey Vieira as Trevor Pinner and Lincoln Lewis as Airman Rusty Cummins. 

This was directed with brutal intensity and grit by William Eubank (""Love" '11, "The Signal" '14, "Underwater" '20, "Paranormal Activity: Next of Kin" '21) plus a music video. This was intensely helmed by a filmmaker that knows wartime grit and brutal situations better than most directors out there. The brutal situations he put Liam Hemsworth through was amazingly realistic that you felt as if you might be viewing a documentary. Surely, this film is a true test of Hemsworth's acting ability and passing in spades. It was also incredibly penned well by writers David Frigerio ("Wreckage" '10, "The Sognal" '14, "Crypto" '19) plus a short and William Eubank (""Love" '11, "The Signal" '14). This was written in such a way that one would've assumed that it was based from a book about a true story, but as we see, it is a fictional script which makes this even more compelling. Was this perfect? No, but the very small places of slowness, which probably might have been purposed, didn't hinder the premise and the execution of this story at all. There's been so many films based on true stories, which are fine, but it's so captivating to see something original that comes from a writer's mind. The stunts, photography, editing and believable acting truly made this the film it is. 

If you like espionage/war type films, you will love this. The cast was comprised by an eclectic group of actors that definitely know their craft. This film has it all: explosions, amazing stunts, action, thrilling situations, intensity and even a little comic relief. This is the quintessential popcorn flick which has to be seen on the large screen to take in the gritty intensity involved.

Out of 4 Stars: 4                                             Rated: R                                          113mins.

Tuesday, February 13, 2024

The Zone of Interest

Most films based on wars, this being WWII, typically are about one side pitted against another. And, instead of the film being riddled with bombs and bullets, we are offered the private lives on one German family attempting to live a nice life even if Auschwitz concentration camp is right next door in "The Zone of Interest".

The commandant of Auschwitz, Rudolf Hoss (Christian Friedel) and his wife Hedwig (Sandra Huller) strive to build a dream life for their family in a house and garden next to the camp. It is difficult for them considering that, throughout any given day, there is consistent yelling, screaming and gunshots occurring at the camp that they are earshot of. What is a nice WWII German family to do? So, the comparison becomes unnerving. 

Others to round out the cast are Medusa Knoff as Elfryda, Daniel Hotzberg as Gerhard Maurer, Sascha Maaz as Arthur Liebehenschel, Max Beck as Schwarzer, Wolfgang Lampl as Hans Burger, Ralph Herforth as Oswald Pohl and Freya Kreutzkam as Eleanor Pohl.

This was directed with such subtlety and grit by Jonathan Glazer ("Sexy Beast" 2000, "Birth" '04, "Under the Skin" '13) plus TV, shorts, music videos and videos. While people in the concentration camp were being tortured, the German family, the head of the household as the commandant, were more concerned about their everyday life and how those issues can be resolved--the difference is stunning. The lives of this family were portrayed in such a nonchalant way like this lifestyle happens all the time. His work was stunning! It is also written by Jonathan Glazer ("Commission" '97, "Birth" '04, "Under the Skin" '13) plus shorts, based on a novel by Martin Amis. All in all, this script was effective--the premise is certainly original considering it's a war film, however, the story was a bit disjointed, especially during the first 45 minutes. And, even though this was a direct contrast of this German family living a normal life while prisoners at Auschwitz were going through their own hell, I felt that the contrast wasn't as obvious as it should have been. One could hear the prisoners at the camp, but it wasn't as clear as it could've been. I'm not saying that the difference needed to be gratuitous, but the difference could've been more delineated. This portrayed as a dry comedy would've been tantalizing, but with all that's been in the news of late, it probably would have been in poor taste. The direction, acting, especially by Friedel and Huller was stunning, as was the cinematography. One could write a societal thesis on this of how people can become used to their surroundings, no matter how horrific. Today, people have become so out of touch with others that we simply can ignore someone who's in peril just because they don't want to be involved. There certainly isn't much difference between the two scenarios.

It is surprising that this film has been nominated for Oscars--best picture, director and adapted screenplay. Direction, most assuredly, but for picture and screenplay? There were so many other films out there that were not nominated that, in my opinion, were more worthy, It's an interesting film--the best aspect of it being the premise, however the script simply needed a bit more polish,

Out of 4 Stars: 2.5                                        Rated: PG-13                                          104mins.    

Friday, February 9, 2024

Out of Darkness

We've seen a number of films that involve the early beginnings of Man, and they typically are grim at best. Surely, thousands of years prior had to be challenging times, but when one looks at films, such as "Quest for Fire", the 'dawn of man'  sequence of "2201: A Space Odyssey" or even "Caveman", there is truly a definite pattern. Now we have "Out of Darkness" to add to that slowly growing list.

A small boat reaches the shores of a raw and desolate landscape, a group of six, including Beyah (Safia Oakley Green), Geirr (Kit Young), Adem (Chuku Modu), Ave (Iola Evans), Odal (Arno Luning) and Heron (Luna Mwezi), have struggled across the narrow sea to find a new home. They are starving, desperate, and living 45,000 years ago. First they must find shelter, and they strike out across the tundra and forge towards the distant mountains that promise the abundant caves they need to survive. But when night falls, anticipation turns to fear and doubt as they realize that are not alone.

Others to round round out the cast are Rosebud Melarkey and Tyrell Mhlange as Neanderthal people. 

This was directed with such visualization by Andrew Cumming (shorts and TV). Considering he has no feature film experience, it is amazing of the expertise he has...whether he has an abundance of experience or not. The expressions of the actors simply imbued the emotion that was needed in each and every scene. It was equally penned well by writer Ruth Greenberg (a short).  Again, considering she has zero feature film experience, this script was incredible. The premise of the film actually goes much deeper than the trailer depicts. Sociologically, this was a group of people representing the emotions of different people. The more fearful the individual, the quicker they died--the more they fought to survive, the longer they lasted. Isn't this the way our society seems to run? The only imperfections I could see was that there were a couple of areas of continuity issues, otherwise a powerful story. Are both the writer and director naturals? Not sure, but suffice it to say they should receive more work.The cast was effective and had obvious chemistry between each other. The fact that none of the actors were anything known in the acting realm, actually gave a more realistic approach to the story. 

This isn't a film for all--it has subtitles of a language called Tola. This definitely makes it much more realistic and thus believable. And, there are many areas in script where the actors use a fair amount of expressions to convey communication, so some people might get impatient. But others who can appreciate this approach will revel. It's a very original approach to filmmaking which makes this worthy of the price of admission. 

Out of 4 Stars: 3.5                                    Rated: R                                          98mins.



Friday, February 2, 2024

Argylle

Espionage films have been a main staple genre that Hollywood has produced for decades. Usually they are written in a dramatic way, however, "Argylle" has been written practically as a spy spoof or satire in that when it comes to creating most, if not all the stereotypical spy films, however they were written, this brings out all the stops in parlaying a good deal of wit when it comes to this genre. 

Elly Conway (Bryce Dallas Howard), the reclusive author of a series of best selling espionage novels, whose idea of bliss is a night at home with her computer and her cat, Alfie (Chip). But when the plots of Elly's fictional books--which center on secret agent Argylle (Henry Cavill) and his assistant, Wyatt (John Cena), and their mission to unravel a global spy syndicate--begin to mirror the covert actions of a real life spy organization. Quiet evenings at home become a thing of the past. Accompanied by Aidan Wilde (Sam Rockwell), a cat allergic spy, Elly (carrying Alfie in her backpack), races across the world to stay one step ahead of the killer's as the line between Elly's fictional world and her real one begins to blur. 

Others to round out the cast are Bryan Cranston as Director Ritter, Catherine O'Hara as Ruth, Richard E. Grant as Director Fowler, Dua Lipa as Lagrange, Ariana DeBose as Keira, Samual L. Jackson as Alfie, Tomas Paredes as Carlos and Daniel Singh as Armed Guard #1. 

This was slickly and brilliantly directed by Matthew Vaughn ("Layer Cake" '04, "Stardust" '07, "Kick-Ass" '10, "X-Men: First Class" '11, "Kingsman: The Secret Service" '14, "Kingsman: The Golden Circle" '17, "The King's Man" '21) plus a short. This filmmaker directs in a similar vein of that of Guy Ritchie in that both direct in a very slick way, quick editing to show frenzy, premises can be similar, and they are typically dramatic with a fair amount of humor or comedy. Vaughn's 'Kingsman' films are very much helmed in that way. If you can appreciate this director's brand, his "Courage" is in production. It was penned very well by Jason Fuchs ("Rags" (TV movie) '12, "Ice Age: Continental Drift" '12, "Big Thunder" (TV movie, creator) '13, "Pan" '15, "Wonder Woman" (story) '17, "I Still See You" '18) plus a short. Again, the slickness in which this was executed was sheer genius--the editing, stunts and photography was synchronized so well that it seemed effortless. Other than a very small continuity issue and a couple of very small places of slowness, this script soared. If I had to choose any of the actors of stealing the show, it would that of Sam Rockwell as Aidan, although all in this this was cast perfectly. The trailer of this film is one of the reasons I went to see this--it has got to be one of the best trailers I've seen in years, and the film definitely lived up to it.

If you like Matthew Vaughn's 'Kingsman' films, you love this. In fact, when the end credits start rolling, wait, because inserted within the credits, there is a teaser clipping, so there will be a sequel for sure. This is a great 'popcorn' film to sit back and relax and have a ton of fun with this roller coaster ride filled with several twists and turns. 

Out of 4 Stars: 3.5                                           Rated: PG-13                                         139mins.