Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves

When it comes to films based on games/board games, Hollywood hasn't produced many of them. With the exception of "Clue" 1985, "Battleship" '12, and even "Jumanji" 1995, there haven't been that many. The reason escapes me, except it could possibly be because of all the comic book films produced. So,it's refreshing to see "Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves" released, even though it's based on a roleplaying game instead of a board game. 

A charming thief, Edgin (Chris Pine) and a band of unlikely adventurers including, Holga (Michelle Rodriguez), Xenk (Rege-Jean Page), Simon (Justice Smith) and Doric (Sophia Lillis), undertake an epic heist to retrieve a lost relic, but things go dangerously awry when they run afoul of the wrong people including Forge (Hugh Grant) and Sofina (Daisy Head). This film, based on the roleplaying game of the same name brings the rich world and playful spirit to the big screen in a hilarious and action-packed adventure.

Others to round out the cast are Chloe Coleman as Kira, Edgin's daughter, Will Irvine as Tobias, Kyle Hixon as Guard, Spencer Wilding as Gorg, Nicholas Blane as Chancellor Anderton and Bryan Larkin as Chancellor Norixius.

This was humorously and whimsically directed by Jonathan M. Goldstein ("Vacation" '15, "Game Night" '18) plus TV and shorts, and John Francis Daley ("Vacation" '15, "Game Night" '18) plus TV and shorts. These two filmmakers aren't exactly seasoned when it comes to the feature film biz, however considering they have TV and shorts under their belts was pivotal in helping them to find their way around directing such a huge undertaking. The pacing in this was spot on and was able to keep that humorous side to the story so as to convey the lightheartedness of the characters to their audience. They will most certainly receive more work as they should, because if this is only their third feature film direction, I would definitely like to see what they'll do next. This was whimsically written in such a fun way by Goldstein, Daley and Michael Gilio. Even though Goldstein has the brunt of the experience here, the collaborative effort was obvious throughout. I really don't know anything about the game--never played it, but suffice it to say, I feel that if this story was approached in a serious way, I probably would not have seen it. I really feel that the writers here chose the correct path to take with this story, because it truly made it so much more appealing and entertaining. It was almost written in a satirical way which is a plus in my book. The script was cohesive and tight--I really didn't feel the two plus hours of running time.  And, the visual effects predominantly created by ILM (Industrial, Light & Magic) and MPC (Moving Picture Company) were seamless and actually enhanced the story even more. 

Since I've never played the roleplaying game, I can't say if you like the game, you'll like this, however, this film was a rollicking, funny, adventurous, fluffy film that is pure escapism at its finest. And in this day and age, with all the 'stuff' going on out there, this a great way to spend two and a quarter hours to simply escape into. If you like to see this really close, it's also presented in an IMAX format as well. Grab the popcorn!

Out of 4 Stars: 4                                          Rated: PG-13                                           134mins.

A Good Person

As we draw closer to the summer film season where we are thrown a barrage of action, adventure, animated, and explosive movies, we are offered a small film about addiction, alcoholic issues and the process in coping with them in the form of "A Good Person". Films like these would need to be released prior to summer lest it would be lost amongst  all the 'fluffy' films.

Daniel Adams (Morgan Freeman) is brought together with Allison Johnson (Florence Pugh), the once thriving young woman with a bright future who was involved in an unimaginable tragedy that took his daughter's life.As grief-stricken Daniel navigates raising his teenage granddaughter, Ryan (Celeste O'Connor) and Allison seeks redemption, they discover that friendship, forgiveness, and hope can flourish in unlikely places. Both Allison and Daniel's families are pulled through the ringer through this tragedy and the consequences thereof.

Others to round out the cast are Molly Shannon as Diane Johnson, Allison's mother, Chimaza Liche as Nathan Adams, Daniel's son, Ignacio Diaz Silverio as Quinn, Zoe Lister-Jones as Simone, Toby Onwumere as Jesse, Nichelle Hines as Molly, Oli Green as Thomas, Alex Wolff as Mark and Brian Rojas as Diego.

This was directed with such pathos and soberness by Zach Braff ("Garden State" '04, "Night Life" (TV movie) '08, "Wish I Was Here" '14, "Self Promotion" (TV movie) '15, "Going in Style" '17) plus TV, shorts and a music video. Considering Braff directed and wrote this film, he either 1) was an addict himself, or 2) he's known those that have been addicted, because the subtle nuances that Pugh went through were so realistic on her road to addiction. The intensity (subtle or overt) of these characters were delineated with such precision that almost made you cringe. Certainly the actors, especially Freeman and Pugh, are amazing, however it is still the talented directing that carries this film. This was also incredibly well written by Zach Braff ("Garden State" '04, "Wish I Was Here" '14) plus shorts. Again, Braff was amazing in his screenplay in delineating what an addict goes through and is able to showcase that not all addicts are strung out on elicit drugs, but a vast many people become addicted while on prescribed drugs--usually for being injured, i.e. a fall, vehicle accident, etc. His script was cohesive, sequenced properly, concise and gave the audience that feeling of hopelessness for these characters, but also a sense of redemption for them as well. 

When going to the multiplex to see this, keep in mind that you're not necessarily seeing this film for the entertainment factor as much as for the heavy message that lines the story. I think all people can relate to this subject matter in that we have either been are are still addicts, or know of someone (either friend or family) that has been or are still addicts, so this should hit home with many. It's sobering and a painstakingly incredible perspective of addiction that will produce many questions. Also, the other reason for seeing this is for the amazing craft (acting, directing and writing). Kudos to Braff for giving us an incredible expose on an otherwise ignored subject.

Out of 4 Stars: 4                                            Rated: R                                                   128mins.

John Wick: Chapter 4

When the :John Wick: franchise began in 2014, who knew it would become the series it has become? But, after seeing the first film, I was hooked. This is about a man that is a man's man, does not take prisoners, but has a certain amount of morals--he knows the difference of right and wrong. So, now that "John Wick: Chapter 4 " is in the can, we see even more of this guy righting wrongs.

John Wick (Keanu Reeves) uncovers a path to defeating The High Table. But before he can earn his freedom, Wick must face off against a new enemy, the Marquis (Bill Skarsgard) with powerful alliances across the globe and forces that turn old friends into foes as in Caine (Donnie Yen). With a price on Wick's head, he has to turn to Winston (Ian McShane), Charon (Lance Reddick), the Bowery King (Laurence Fisburne) and Shimazu (Hiroyuki Sanada). Will Wick win or will he be cut off at the pass?

Others to round out the cast are Shamier Anderson as Tracker, George Georgiou as The Elder, Clancy Brown as Harbinger, Aimee Kwan as Mia, Marko Zaror as Chidi and Rina Sawayama as Akira. 

This was directed with incredible intensity and grit by Chad Stahelski ("John Wick" '14, "John Wick: Chapter 2" '17, "John Wick: Chapter 3--Parabellum" '19). Since the only feature films this filmmaker has directed have been the entire 'John Wick' series, it would not only be fitting that he direct this film, but also in order for this film to have that similar feel to its predecessors, Stahelski would simply have to be behind the camera. This film was a white knuckler in watching this unfold, having the heaping amount of intensity, action and adrenaline that one would certainly expect from this franchise, however this director simply pulled out all the stops. I believe he's earned his 'stripes' in that he has many projects in the works. If you like Stahelski brand of directing, his "Kill or Be Killed" and "Rainbow Six" are both in pre-production. This was equally well written by Shay Hatten ("John Wick: Chapter 3--Parabellum" '19, "Army of the Dead" '21, "Army of Thieves" '21, "Day Shift" '22) plus TV and Michael Finch ("Predators" '10, "The November Man" '14, "Hitman: Agent 47" '15, "Countdown" '16, "Interrogation" '16, "American Assassin" '17, "Blood Brother" '18), which is based on characters created by Derek Kolstad. Assuredly, Hatten received first billing of this film since he was one of the writers for the last installment of the franchise, even though Finch had the lion's share of the experience. Even though I am a true 'John Wick' fan, when I noticed the running time of this movie, I took a double, and even triple look at that running time and wondered what could be put in this screenplay to have to take 169 minutes to say? Well, one could've knocked me over with a feather, because this length of film definitively moved right along. The writing was cohesive, tight, concise all the while housing the longest stunt fight I've seen in years if not ever. There's a bit of a surprise at the end of this if that woos you into the theater. 

If you like this franchise, you'll be in "John Wick" heaven, and even if you're not, there's enough, stunts, car chases, adrenaline, action and just pure escapism for you to vege into. The visuals, stunts, non-stop action will most assuredly be the quintessential roller coaster ride. Enjoy this, I know I did! It's also shown in an IMAX format as well.

Out of 4 Stars: 4                                               Rated: R                                               169mins.

Shazam! Fury of the Gods

When "Shazam!" first appeared back in 2019, it was an interesting concept in that a teenage boy's alter ego became that of an adult. It was a, sort of, superhero version of the 1988 film "Big" whereas a young teenager wishes he were big, goes to sleep and wakes an adult. both characters are still kids, but in an adult body. So, after seeing "Shazam! Fury of the Gods", that surprise element no longer being evident, it makes the film not seemingly as fresh. 

This film continues the story of teenager Billy Batson (Asher Angel) who, upon receiving super powers from a wizard (Djimon Hounsou) by reciting the magic word "SHAZAM!", is transformed into his adult Super Hero alter ego Shazam (Zachary Levi). This story centers around the daughters of the god Atlas, Hespera (Helen Mirren), Kalypso (Lucy Liu) and Anthea (Rachel Zegler). They claim that the wizard stole Atlas' scepter which possesses much power, so these daughters are on Earth to get it back since it subsequently ended up on Earth. So, this is basically a tug-of-war with Shazam and his crew and the daughters to showdown which has the stronger powers. 

Others to round out the cast are Jack Dylan Grazer as Freddy Freeman, Grace Caroline Currey as Mary Bromfield, Faithe Herman as Daria Dudley, Ian Chen as Eugene Choi, Adam Brody as super hero Freddy, Ross Butler as super hero Eugene, D.J. Cotrona as super hero Pedro and Meagan Good as super hero Daria.

This was as well directed as its predecessor by David F. Sanders ("Lights Out" '16, "Annabelle: Creation" '17, "Shazam!" '19,"I Flip You Off for Four Hours" '20, "The Culling" '22) plus TV, shorts and videos. Because of the Shazam character being basically a kid in an adult body emotionally, having the same director was pivotal in that a different director could potentially cause the personas of that character to come off as different enough to throw off the story. Levi certainly seems very comfortable in his kid/adult role, however it truly takes fine directing to pull this off from one film to the next. It was also executed well by writers, Henry Gayden ("Earth to Echo" '14, "Shazam!" '19, "There's Someone Inside Your House" '21) plus TV and a short, and Chris Morgan ("Cellular" '04, "The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift" '06, "Wanted" '08, "Connected" '08, "Fast & Furious" '09, "Fast Five" '11, "Fast & Furious 6" '13, "47 Ronin" '13, "Furious 7" '15, "The Fate of the Furious '17, "Fast & Furious Presents: Hobbs & Shaw" '19) plus TV and a video, based on the Shazam! DC creation by Bill Parker and C.C. Beck. I'm at a loss of why Gayden received top writing billing over that of Morgan since Morgan clearly has the lion's share of experience. Possibly the reason is most likely because Morgan's name wasn't attached to the original whereas Gayden's name was. This certainly exceeded my expectations of how this film was going to unfold. Don't get me wrong, there were some flaws, such as it was a bit slow in a couple of places in which the running time could've been cut about 5-10 minutes and wouldn't have lost any impact on the story. Also, this constant cat-and-mouse game between the two worlds got a little tiresome, but it was still able to give its audience that one two punch. And the visual effects predominantly created by Double Negative, Weta FX, RISE Visual Effects and Scanline VFX were seamless and were able to enhance the film for the large screen.

Certainly, if you liked this films' predecessor, you'll love this. It has all that a family, popcorn and escape film would have: action, adventure, humor, excitement and great visuals all rolled up into a nifty film. This won't really shock you, but, wow, there will be a next installment. I know, what a shock. If you like that real close up and personal feel, this is also presented in an IMAX format as well. 

Out of 4 Stars: 3                                      Rated: PG-13                                     130mins.

Moving On

When it comes to comedies, Lily Tomlin and Jane Fonda are a magical combination. Whether it be the uproarious "Nine to Five" '81 or even more recently this year's "80 for Brady", their ability to practically finish each other's sentences is set in stone. However, with "Moving On", I don't believe it was their lack of presence in the film than it was a bit in the writing that caused this film to be needing more.

Jane Fonda and Lily Tomlin star as estranged friends Claire and Evelyn respectively, who reunite at a good friends' funeral with Claire bent on revenge of the petulant widower, Howard (Malcolm McDowell). Meanwhile, as Claire is at the wake, she runs into Ralph (Richard Roundtree) whom she was married to years prior and has since divorced. As Claire and Ralph start to reunite, both Evelyn and Claire learn to make peace with the past and each other. Can any peace really happen with such dysfunctional people attempting to be civil for the funeral's sake?

Others to round out the cast are Catherine Dent as Molly, Sarah Buns as Allie, Howard's daughter, Marcel Nahapetian as James, Santina Muha as James' mom and Eddie Martinez as James' dad.

This was effortlessly directed by veteran Paul Weitz ("American Pie" '99, "Down to Earth" '01, "About a Boy" '02, "In Good Company" '04, "American Dreamz" '06, Cirque du Freak: The Vampire's Assistant" '09, "Little Fockers" '10, "Being Flynn" '12, "Admission" '13, "Grandma" '15, "Bel Canto" '18, "Fatherhood" '21) plus TV. This filmmaker is one of those stables in Hollywood, yet a constant staple in today's filmdom. With all compliments, Weitz is the quintessential director that any audience can depend on in giving them solid performances by his actors. Just take a peek at his resume and you'll see what I mean. It was executed fairly also by writer Paul Weitz ("Antz" '98, "Nutty Professor II: The Klumps" 2000, "About a Boy"'02, "In Good Company" '04, "American Dreamz" '06, "Cirque du Freak: The Vampire's Assistant" '09, "Being Flynn" '12, "Grandma" '15, "Bel Canto" '18, "Fatherhood" '21) plus TV and a short. Even though Weitz has been a screenwriter longer than a director, this simply carried a bit too many places of slowness and places that one wondered why they were even in the film. I think it would've been funnier and more effective if rhese rwo lead characters were attempting to con or even blackmail Howard instead of trying to simply kill him. The latter just doesn't seem as funny as the former. Mind you, where parts of the premise lacked, the banter between Claire and Evelyn was first rate. This was more of a comedy/drama instead of just a comedy, and I felt that since it was only a comedy, I realized that I was a bit disappointed since it did get a bit more dramatic, but after a point, the story did pick up and became the film we were all looking for. 

Certainly if you're a Fonda/Tomlin fan, you'll love this since they are consummate pros. It's a film that reunites the likes of these two very talented actors and that was all I needed to get me into the multiplex. Paul Weitz is a talented filmmaker, but even pros have their off days. 

Out of 4 Stars: 2.5                                          Rated: R                                           85mins.

                                    

Everything Everywhere All at Once

Last spring must have been a busy time for me since that was when "Everything Everywhere All at Once" was released. By the time I had the opportunity to see it, it had left the film circuit. So, here I am reviewing it after it won multiple Academy Awards. Because of this, it was re-released. The film has an intriguing premise, however, as much as it is intriguing, it stumbled its way across the screen.

This is a humorous and big-hearted sci-fi action adventure about an exhausted middle-aged Chinese American woman, Evelyn Wang (Michelle Yeoh) who can't seem to get all the information she needs for her taxes to be audited by IRS agent Dierdre Beaubeirdre (Jamie Lee Curtis). While in the IRS office with husband Waymond Wang (Ke Huy Quan) and her father Gong Gong (James Hong), all hell breaks loose in that Waymond comes from another universe called the Alpha Universe to help her realize that these multiple universes exist and this is where the premise gets complex, and then the story transforms to other people in her life and their parallel personas in other universes still. 

Others to round out the cast are Stephanie Hsu as Joy Wang, Evelyn's daughter, Jenny Slate as Debbie, the dog mom, Tallie Medel as Becky Stregor, Harry Shum Jr. as Chad and Biff Wiff as Rick.

This was incredibly well delineated by director Daniel Kwan ("Swiss Army Man" '16, "Omniboat: A Fast Boat Fantasia" '20) plus TV, shorts, videos and music videos, and Daniel Scheinert ("Swiss Army Man" '16, "The Death of Dick Long" '19, "Omniboat: A Fast Boat Fantasia" '20) plus TV, shorts and music videos. Even though these filmmakers don't have an extensive feature film resume, their ability to reach their audience through the emotions they are able to extract from their actors is phenomenal. They are typically called 'The Daniels' and they have been a directing and writing team for a number of years which has got to help in their creations. It was also creatively written by Daniel Kwan ("Swiss Army Man" '16, "Omniboat: A Fast Boat Fantasia" '20) plus shorts and a video, and Daniel Scheinert ("Swiss Army Man" '16, "Omniboat: A Fast Boat Fantasia" '20) plus TV and shorts. I have to say that the majority of films about multi universes, time travel and the like have a tendency to become convoluted as the film unfolds, As with this film, as the film starts, it is interesting, a little odd, but intriguing. But as the movie unfolds, it gets a bit bogged down in the fact that they are dealing with too many universes for the audience to fully grasp it. There are aspects of this that are not explained fully, and in some cases, never explained at all. These writers are talented if given a reasonable premise in which to convey, but I have serious doubts that even the most veteran writers couldn't have handled the idea of this film any better. The editing by Paul Rogers was stunning and can see why he picked up his Oscar for it. And the acting, especially by Curtis and Yeoh was perfect.

This film is not for the mass audience appeal--I mean there were a few people that actually left the theater. People need to do their homework before going to the multiplex, lest they come away with an unhappy experience. The premise will give one a bit of a headache, but the directing, acting and editing are first rate. 

Out of 4 Stars: 3                                               Rated: R                                              139mins.

Champions

Underdog films are typically popular considering most people always love an underdog. We've seen many films, especially sports films about the fall and subsequent rise of an underdog team: "The Mighty Ducks", "Dodgeball", "Hardball", "the Bad News Bears", "Major League" just to mention a handful. So, when "Champions" came along, it was clearly a film that needed to be seen. 

Woody Harrelson stars as Marcus in this hilarious and heartwarming story of a former minor league basketball coach who, after a series of missteps is ordered by the court as a 90 day community service to manage a team of players with intellectual disabilities. He soon realizes that despite his doubts about this team being able to do anything that resembles basketball, together, ultimately this team can go further than they ever imagined. This not only becomes a learning lesson for the players, which include Cosentino (Madison Tevlin), Johnny (Kevin Iannucci), Darius (Joshua Felder), Cory (Ashton Gunning) and others, but for Marcus as well.

Others to round out the cast are Kaitlin Olson as Alex, Matt Cook as Sonny, Ernie Hudson as Coach Phil Perretti, Cheech Marin as Julio, James Day Keith as Benny, Casey Metcalfe as Marlon, Bradley Edens as Showtime, Tom Sinclair as Blair, Matthew Von Der Ahe as Craig, Alex Hintz as Arthur and Barbara Pollard as Dot.

This was directed with humor and heart by Bobby Farrelly ("Kingpin" '96, "There's Something About Mary" '98, "Me, Myself & Irene" 2000, "Osmosis Jones" '01, "Shallow Hal" '01, "Stuck on You" '03, "Blitt Happens" '03, "Fever Pitch" '05, "The Heartbreak Kid" '07, "Hall Pass" '11, "The Three Stooges" '12, "Dumb and Dumber To" '14) plus TV and videos. Certainly, when it comes to hilarious films, the Farrelly Brothers are kings. This being directed by only one of the brothers makes it funny, but not with the same acerbic wit as something like "There's Something About Mary"--of course these are very different films, still the humor is definitely more toned down. It was executed well by writer Mark Rizzo ("Zip" (TV movie) '08) plus TV, based on the Spanish film "Campeones" and story by Javier Fesser and David Marques. Not sure how the film that this movie was based on was developed, but this film, as with many of the 'underdog' films was a bit predictable and it became a little slow in some very small places, otherwise, this script was everything we were probably looking for. What did make this a bit more original than the other 'underdog' films  was the fact the rag tag team was comprised of people with tramatic brain injuries (TBI), down's syndrome and the like which did make it much more intriguing. Rizzo doesn't have a plethora of experience under his belt, but assuming he receives more work from this film, he will become quite the writer. 

Certainly if you like Woody Harrelson, you'll love this. Harrelson never seems to take an acting gig just to act, but for the subject matter or maybe who he will be working with, but one definitely can't pigeon-hole this actor. His eclectic roles vary across the spectrum. This film is funny, has heart and a great message about not giving up whether one is playing basketball or is the coach.

Out of 4 Stars: 3                                               Rated PG-13                                            124mins.