Movie star Olivia faces a PR disaster when a paparazzi snaps a photo of her with her married lover, Vincent. The hard-working valet Antonio accidentally appears in the same photo and is enlisted to pose as Olivia’s new boyfriend as a cover up.
The Valet is a remake of the 2006 film The Valet or La Doublure, I went into this one with very low expectations as it did come off as a romantic comedy that was a few steps above the average romantic comedy. Luckily this one was a surprise there’s a lot to like here, Eugenio Derbez and Samara Weaving are both fantastic here. Their chemistry works surprisingly well and the performances themselves are just very well acted, what’s a bit interesting about this one is that it does tackle some themes such as fame feeing empty at times and does become tiring, plus the movie points out the ridiculousness of celebrity importance. Which Derbez and Weaving make work with the script they are given and that leads to some genuinely touching moments as well as some hilarious ones. There might be too many side characters that could have gotten more development and the 2 hour and 3 minute running time does feel a bit much after awhile, however that doesn’t stop the movie from being a really solid romantic comedy!
Chip and Dale live amongst cartoons and humans in modern-day Los Angeles, but their lives are quite different now. When a former cast mate mysteriously disappears, Chip and Dale must repair their broken friendship and save their friend.
Chip ‘n Dale: Rescue Rangers is surprisingly not too bad, what could have been an unfunny IP and cameo fest turns out to be a movie that has some pretty decent jokes and solid voice work. John Mulaney and Andy Samberg work very well together and truly hit it out of the park with some of the delivery from the jokes, J.K. Simmons is also pretty entertaining as well. The cameos are luckily very limited and the movie itself doesn’t spend too much time on them, plus they don’t over stay their welcome. What does stop this movie from being anything really strong however is mostly the villain Sweet Pete and third act, if you are aware of Bobby Driscoll’s story (actor who voiced Peter Pan in the original) Sweet Pete’s backstory has some very noticeable similarities, which lead to a controversy. While it may seem not a huge deal at first the more you read into Driscoll’s story and how he was treated the more uncomfortable this decision really becomes. Even if you took away this controversy Sweet Pete as a character still falls flat, he’s a very run of the mill villain to the point where his henchmen are actually more interesting. Then there’s the third act which while it’s not exactly bad it’s just not anything noteworthy and does feel like the movie ran out of steam. Overall Chip ‘n Dale: Rescue Rangers is a decent movie that definitely could have been a lot better had their been some better decisions and a stronger third act.
Chip ‘n Dale: Rescue Rangers is available on Disney+
Movie star London Clash (Colson Baker). When he wakes up to an implied break up text from the love of his life, his world is turned upside down. And the timing couldn’t be worse because the most important meeting of his career is scheduled for later that same day. Compounded by chaotic roommates, and wildly unpredictable twists and turns, London’s day keeps going downhill until ultimately, he is forced to choose between pursuing his one true love and landing a life-changing, starring role in a major motion picture.
I can definitely say with 100% certainty that I have no idea what actually happened in Machine Gun Kelly’s and Mod Son’s movie Good Mourning, this was the equivalent of some friends randomly making a home video and for some reason a movie studio looked at it and said “hmm this should get a VOD release”. The cast is the most random set of people you could think of, first there’s Machine Gun Kelly and Mod Son who are also in the movie, Megan Fox, Becky G, Dove Cameron, Pete Davidson, Snoop Dogg, Amber Rose, Avril Lavigne, Danny Trejo and a few others. A lot of which just randomly appear for about 2 minutes and then never come back, the plot itself attempts to be some sort of stoner comedy I guess (like I said the movie is such a mess it’s hard to tell what it exactly is trying to be). But absolutely fails at that, the acting is atrocious with no sense of direction at all. Each of the actors acts way too cartoony and the humor is nonexistent. It also doesn’t help that this movie really feels like a bunch of adults who act like teenagers and make so many unfunny stoner jokes/whatever the hell they were trying to say. Speaking of which whatever the point was of this movie or the message is completely lost, mainly due to the very poor script that feels like it was written by some edgy DeviantArt account. If Machine Gun Kelly and Mod Son wanted to make a movie with their friends that’s fine, but if you are planning on actually releasing it at least try and make sure that the movie itself isn’t a complete and nonsensical mess.
A high-school cheerleader falls into a coma before her prom. Twenty years later, she awakens and wants to return to high school to reclaim her status and become prom queen.
Senior Year isn’t as bad as a lot of Netflix comedies go, in fact there’s a decent amount to like here. The acting is actually not terrible for what it is, the music actually fits quite well with what it’s going for and I thought some of the early 2000s throwback moments were decent enough. The main problems are a lot of the humor which really tries to appeal to Gen Z and the movie slowly falling into a beat by beat story, Senior Year has a decent start and actually establishes itself quite nicely. But quickly falls into familiar territory and sadly doesn’t do anything quite great with it, there are definitely some touching moments and there’s a nice message in here, but it ultimately ends up being a slightly better Netflix comedy that will be forgotten about.
Senior Year is available on Netflix
5/10 C
A terrifying new horror awaits Laura and her 7-year-old son, Cody, when then they flee her abusive ex-husband and try to settle into a new life in an idyllic and remote lakeside farmhouse. Still traumatized, their physical and mental well-being are pushed to the limit as their fragile existence is threatened.
Monstrous has some great ideas involved but unfortunately doesn’t land at all, outside of Christina Rocco’s performance there really isn’t a whole lot going on here. The set design and some of the effects are pretty okay but a lot of it has the vibe of someone who just finished watching The Babadook and said “how about we make that movie but not as good!” I’m not even particularly a fan of The Babadook but at least that movie knew what it was trying to do, with Monstrous each act feels way too different and has very little sense when it comes to direction. The huge amount of horror cliches don’t quite help the movie either. Monstrous could have easily been something interesting had their been a better director and was better written.
Monstrous is available on all VOD Platforms.
3/10 D-
When 15-year-old Tyson attends public school for the first time, his life changes forever. While helping his father clean up after the football team, he befriends champion marathon runner Aklilu. Never letting his autism hold him back, Tyson becomes determined to run his first marathon in hopes of winning his father’s approval. With the help of an unlikely friend and his parents, he soon learns that anything is possible when you have faith in yourself and the courage to take the first step.
Tyson’s Run is a very bad movie and there’s no getting around that, however something I will give props to the makers is that they actually casted an autistic actor (Major Dodson) to play an autistic character. In fact Major Dodson is one of the best parts about the movie as well, the part being Barkhad Abdi who I did not expect at all either way he did the best he could with a script that reads like a middle school play. The writing is the main problem here, it’s the most cliched story about an underdog becoming a champion, you have seen it done before and you have seen it done better. Dodson is a very likable lead and has a lot of charm but the script having terrible lines and other characters that are nowhere near as interesting (besides Abdi’s character). Heck the best moments of the movie are when Major Dodson and Barkhad Abdi are on screen together they have great conversations with one another and really show their talent. It’s just a shame everything else is a complete mess and falls completely flat.
El, an aspiring sneaker designer from Queens, works as a stock boy in a shoe store and hides his artistic talent. Sparks fly after a chance encounter with Kira King, the daughter of sneaker royalty and a Manhattan Princess Charming of sorts. With a nudge from his best friend and a touch of magic, El finds the courage to lace up and dream big.
I’ll give Sneakerella this it wasn’t AS bad as I expected but that doesn’t make it a good movie (far from it), but the positives are mostly the acting from Chosen Jacobs, Lexi Underwood and Juan Chioran (who gets underutilized), the singing voices are pretty strong particularly the 3 I just mentioned have great singing voices and the choreography is actually pretty well done. There’s some genuine good moments during the singing segments as well as dancing segments that are touching. What completely hurts this movie however is the fact it’s a Cinderella story, this is the type of movie that did not need to be a Cinderella story. I think this would have largely benefited if it was it’s own thing and it did some changing around, granted they did change a few things from the typical Cinderella story but it wasn’t enough to warrant doing another one. Especially when we just had James Corden as a mouse last year, as far as the rest of the movie goes if you have seen Cinderella before you have already seen this one. Once again Sneakerella is yet another Disney+ movie that feels like a Disney Channel Original Movie except with a slightly higher budget, had Sneakerella been a dance movie something similar to Step Up for example and changed the plot around as well as the writing. This could have been something at least passable but as it stands it’s yet another Cinderella Story that will be quickly forgotten about. Sneakerella isn’t horrendous it’s just very forgettable, it might be a good watch for kids but for everyone else don’t bother.
A self-absorbed celebrity gamer, who speaks to millions of fans every day, has to figure out how to talk to the people in his life before he loses them.
We Need To Talk is surprisingly not that bad, there’s a lot of decent bits such as the premise actually being decently executed and some of the jokes are actually pretty okay, the more dramatic moments don’t really work well and feel a bit out of place. Mostly due to the movie really establishing itself as more of a comedy early on, the acting is not too bad here Johnathan Fernandez and James Maslow are definitely the standouts and deliver some quite great moments. What ends up hurting the movie is mostly the writing, while the premise is done decently, parts of it such as bringing a stereotypical kid who curses at you on Xbox Live feels very outdated. The ending is also very rushed and just sort of ends when it could have touched upon a few more plot points. Overall We Need To Talk isn’t bad, it’s enjoyable for it is but it’s not something to ever go back to.
We Need To Talk releases May 13th on all VOD Platforms.
An aspiring young artist joins her high school track team and later discovers what real love feels like when she finds herself falling for an unexpected teammate.
I’ve shared my frustration before about how a lot of these high school movies/Teen romantic comedies are more or less the exact same thing and as a genre it’s extremely difficult to make decent one. Crush I thought would follow the same path as the rest but luckily that’s not the case here, does it have familiar tropes that are present from the genre? Absolutely but they at least build to something fun and actually tell a decent story as well, the acting is far better than it usually is in these types of movies Rowan Blanchard and Auli’i Cravalho are both really great here and have great chemistry between one another as well, the direction from Sammi Cohen is quite well done and actually tries to make the story a bit more grounded and although a lot of it still jumps the shark quite a lot. It’s still refreshing to see someone attempt to try and bring a different approach to a genre that’s been the exact same thing for quite awhile. Some of the weaker parts you probably have already guessed, there’s this mystery of who “King Pun” is (an artist who goes around spray painting the campus) it’s very obvious as soon as all the characters are introduced who it is and the pacing at times feels a bit dragged out. However that doesn’t stop Crush being very entertaining and a genuinely charming little movie, it might not break any new ground but for those who want a genuinely solid high school movie/Teen romantic comedy I recommend checking this one out!
Several reformed yet misunderstood criminal animals attempt to become good, with some disastrous results along the way.
I’ve said this numerous times before but I think it needs to be repeated, I like to give every film a chance to impress, surprise or disappoint. It’s a huge part of why I absolutely love watching and reviewing films, The Bad Guys is an example of a fantastic surprise. First off the voice cast are really strong from Sam Rockwell to Zazie Beetz to Marc Maron plus Craig Robinson and Anthony Ramos everyone has their time to shine and take full advantage of it. The chemistry between all of them is really great as well it really adds to the film and gives it such a fun atmosphere, the jokes are actually quite great as well. Sure some don’t land but It surprised me how well written a lot of the jokes actually were, the film itself is not only a really strong animated film but it’s also a really good crime/heist film as well. It uses a lot of elements you see in the genre but still feels fresh at the same time, the animation is absolutely stunning there’s so much detail and personality in the animation with every scene. The characters have so much expressions, it’s fast paced, the editing energetic and the animation is very electrifying. The characters are absolutely well done, not every character gets a huge amount of development however what remains consistent is that each of them are very fun. They have their own personalities and the voice work makes them that much stronger. Overall Dreamworks hit it out of the park, The Bad Guys is hands down Dreamworks’s best film in awhile and it’s something you should absolutely check out!!
Unfulfilled and facing financial ruin, actor Nick Cage accepts a $1 million offer to attend a wealthy fan’s birthday party. Things take a wildly unexpected turn when a CIA operative recruits Cage for an unusual mission. Taking on the role of a lifetime, he soon finds himself channeling his most iconic and beloved characters to save himself and his loved ones.
The Unbearable Weight Of Massive Talent is a huge celebration of Nicolas Cage, it’s definitely the type of film that gives a honest and fitting tribute to a beloved actor. What’s most important is that Cage himself seems like he’s having a blast throughout the whole film, which leads to his energetic performance that is by far one of the best so far this year. The rest of the cast do an excellent job as well, particularly Pedro Pascal who gives quite a few laughs. The film is very meta and has quite a few Nicolas Cage references that blend in well with one another to create such a bizarre film that’s fun from beginning to end, with that said there isn’t as much humor as you would expect but that’s certainly not a bad thing. As it does give the film breathing room to build up to the next collection of jokes, the film is also a nice letter to film in general. It has a lot of nice references, jokes and so on that a lot of fans of film will have good laugh at, what ultimately ties the film together is Nicolas Cage himself. This is a film where only Cage could make this work and make it this hilarious, it has this wholesome, comedic and bizarre energy to it that only Cage can give. It’s a Nicolas Cage film built from the ground up and it’s one hell of an accomplishment, if your a fan of Nicolas Cage I highly recommend giving this one a watch!!!
The Unbearable Weight Of Massive Talent will be released Friday in theaters!
When an interdimensional rupture unravels reality, an unlikely hero must channel her newfound powers to fight bizarre and bewildering dangers from the multiverse as the fate of the world hangs in the balance.
Everything Everywhere All At Once is what happens when you are absolutely committed to your craft in this case film. In 2016 Daniel Kwan and Daniel Scheinert shocked tons of people with Swiss Army Man a film with an absolutely bizarre premise with a quite meaningful message as well, Everything Everywhere All At Once manages to be even more bizarre in several different ways. For starters the performances here are phenomenal Michelle Yeoh gives such a strangely raw and fascinating performance that at times really moves you to tears, Ke Huy Quan gives one of my favorite performances of the year. The absolute insanity his performance gives off is mind blowing between the action scenes he’s involved in to the dialogue it’s truly incredible. Stephanie Hsu, Jamie Lee Curtis and James Hong are also really strong as well each of which giving some of the best and most fun performances so far this year. The film itself is a multiverse film but that’s just scratching the surface, the film goes very in depth with the premise and lands into some very emotional moments and themes. Such as moving on, not wanting to let go, wishing you could have made other choices and so on. Each of these themes is handled with absolute care and completely makes this film into something special, the editing combined with the action scenes are truly some of the best I’ve seen in a film. It’s very fast paced and keeps the scenes fresh and interesting, they have their own unique style to them as well that make you want to see even more of these scenes. The direction from the Daniels is just masterful in every sense of the word, this is the very definition of balancing humor, action and emotional moments each of them don’t outweigh the others. They all play a very important part to the story and all compliment each other very well, there’s so many scenes that really capture what it feels like to think about how you wanted something different and also learning to let go and move on. These are real situations people often struggle with and the way the film portrayed them feels incredibly raw despite being a multiverse film. I’m going to end the review here mostly due to the film being hard to talk about with spoiling which I don’t want to do. Overall Everything Everywhere All At Once is truly a masterpiece, everything you have heard about this film is absolutely right! It’s by far not only one of my favorites of the year but one of my favorites of the decade (so far). Be sure to check this one out it’s absolutely worth the experience!
Everything Everywhere All At Once is currently in theaters!
Jerome Reviews... 