Shadow In The Cloud (2021) Movie Review!


A female WWII pilot traveling with top secret documents on a B-17 Flying Fortress encounters an evil presence on board the flight.

Keeping in the tradition of horror movies coming the day or week of the new year being terrible we have Shadow In The Cloud. The only reason to actually sit down and watch this is because Chloe Grace Moretz everything just really falls apart as the movie goes on, first off the first two acts are incredibly dull. Very little happens and a lot of the characters are horribly written. If this were just some movie that knows it’s goofy and takes advantage of it I would probably give it a pass. But that’s not the case here this movie takes itself way too seriously and has some very poor writing that feels like straight out of a fanfiction. The last 30 minutes I will say the movie picked up and the few action scenes there were are actually not terrible….however the same can’t be said for the CGI. It’s terrible but it’s the type of terrible where you just point your finger and laugh at, as I said before Chloe Grace Moretz is the only reason why to actually sit down and watch it, she does what she can with a script that really limits her acting ability. It’s worth noting one of the writers to this movie is Max Landis who has been accused of sexual assault, he’s also written a ton of garbage like American Ultra, Bright and Victor Frankenstein (he really got lucky with Chronicle) overall Shadow In The Cloud is a huge missed opportunity, It could have actually been a decent little film if it was much better written and directed. I would say only watch this if your a die hard Chloe Grace Moretz fan. Otherwise give this one a skip.

4/10 D+

Promising Young Woman (2020) Review


A young woman, traumatized by a tragic event in her past, seeks out vengeance against those who cross her path.

Promising Young Woman the film I’ve been waiting all year to see! The wait was absolutely worth it as well, Carey Mulligan gives one of the best performances of the year, she really gives it her all and gives a very raw performance. The writing and direction from Emerald Fennell is some of the best this year has to offer, it really puts you in some very real scenes and keeps the film grounded while at the same time making things not as grounded. Promising Young Woman has this very interesting atmosphere that isn’t quite like other films, it’s thrilling but at the same time it has the type of atmosphere where anything can happen at any given moment. Speaking which the film itself is filled to the brim with twists and very smart build up for certain scenes, it makes the incoming scenes much more powerful and meaningful as well. The soundtrack is top notch, each song compliments the scene it’s playing very well, both the film and the soundtrack work very well together. The filming is absolutely stunning, it has this very authentic feel to it that’s quite mesmerizing and makes everything on screen pop out, Mulligan’s performance really brings the movie as I said before it’s one of the best performances of the year, she plays her part really well and brings a lot of personality into her role. There are parts of the film that are definitely going to have people divided but I thought the paths that the film took were very smart and took a bunch of risks that ultimately made this movie even better. It’s also quite shocking to see that this is Emerald Fennell’s first full length film she has directed, I absolutely cannot wait to see what she has in store next! Overall Promising Young Woman is a fantastic film and definitely one of best films of 2020 give this one a watch!

10/10 A+

Soul (2020)


A musician who has lost his passion for music is transported out of his body and must find his way back with the help of an infant soul learning about herself.


Soul is once again another beautiful film by Pixar, there is so much here to talk about it’s overwhelming so let’s just work our way down! First we have the characters which are pretty great, we explore a lot about our main character Joe who is a man that is obsessed about Jazz music, Soul takes a very simple premise and manages to do something extremely beautiful with it. You also have some simple but gorgeous writing, there’s some genuine great humor in there that really works. Then you have a ton of moments where the movie hits you with a ton of bricks that are full of emotions, the film itself makes you ask a lot of questions about yourself such as “what is my passion?” “What do I see myself doing 10 years” this is some of the most real questions Pixar has asked in quite awhile, which says something considering a lot of their other films. The animation is stunning there is no other way to put it, it has this photorealistic look to it and the characters look incredible as well, the storytelling is magical it really hits you with question after question while throwing in some genuine comedic moments as well. Which leads me to my next point the film balances comedic moments with the serious moments, it’s the type of balance where you really appreciate it to the point where it feels like a very real film. I think that’s part of the reason why Pete Doctor’s previous film “Inside Out” didn’t work as well as it did for many others, it was a great film but a lot of the comedic moments really took away a from the film. In Soul that doesn’t happen anywhere in the film, it truly delivers on every single level. The barbershop scene is a huge highlight of the movie showing genuine conversations in the film, something you don’t see very often in a lot of animated movies. With a lot of animated films it’s always about being over the top and making 20 different variations of the same joke. But luckily Pixar (they have messed up in the past) strives to create some of the most beautiful and meaningful films out there and Soul just might be one of their crowning achievements. The film feels like a very human movie like it was made for the audience, which is a very beautiful film and quite special as well. Overall Soul is one of the most beautiful films of the year and truly a fantastic way to finish 2020! I highly recommend giving this one a watch! Just be prepared to cry your eyes out because it is a very emotional film!

10/10 A+

The Empty Man and The Orange Years: A Nickelodeon Story (2020)


On the trail of a missing girl, an ex-cop comes across a secretive group attempting to summon a terrifying supernatural entity.


The Empty Man is a movie that’s been delayed numerous times over the years, the movie itself is nowhere near as bad as people are making it out to be. It’s nowhere near as bad as horror movies like Devil’s Due or Fantasy Island. There are some actually okay concepts in the movie the problem is the execution isn’t all that great. The other major issue is how long the movie is, with a running time of 2 hours and 17 minutes it tends to get lost and completely misses it’s mark. Acting and writing wise it’s fine enough, there really isn’t anything really bad a lot of it is just not very interesting horror cliches combined with some interesting ideas that don’t work in the end. Overall there really isn’t much else to be said it’s a below average studio horror movie that’s already been forgotten about and it’s very easy to see why.

5/10 C


A documentary film about the Nickelodeon Network, telling the story of its humble origins deep into the SNICK years.

I didn’t even know this movie was being made until one of my friends told me about it! This came out in November and I watched it only yesterday (mostly due to being crowded with other movies) anyway the documentary itself is quite a nostalgic trip, the best way to describe this movie is a great history lesson of Nickelodeon. Sure it does leave out some stuff that could have honestly been put in there, but that’s mostly due to making sure it doesn’t over stay it’s welcome. I am really glad that it covered Doug and Clarissa Explains it All two shows that are highly underrated, other bits include All That, You can’t do that on television, Rugrats, Kenan & Kel and several other great shows that you would know right off the bat. It’s a great look back about how the shows were brought up and what the creators thought of them and what they were thinking. Definitely a great history lesson I recommend watching!

7/10 B

Wonder Woman 1984 (2020)


Rewind to the 1980s as Wonder Woman’s next big screen adventure finds her facing two all-new foes: Max Lord and The Cheetah.


I think the biggest question that should be asked here is “What the hell happened?” Wonder Woman (2017) I thought was a very strong film and for awhile was my favorite of the DCEU (until Birds Of Prey came but Wonder Woman is still my second favorite) I was very open to the idea of a sequel but that’s until the trailer hit where I knew they were going to go a completely different route from the first film. Way more cartoonish and removes a lot of the silent and strong character moments that the first movie had. I’ll start with what I liked, by far the best thing this movie has going for it is the score. Hans Zimmer did quite a great job with it and the music does match certain scenes. There’s a few action scenes I liked while not exactly great they were fine enough to have fun with, Kristen Wiig I thought actually did her best with what she had to work with (even though her performance was honestly not good) Pedro Pascal at least seems like he’s having fun with role, he’s not good don’t get me wrong the role does not match him at all. But at least he’s trying his best….everything else is just very disappointing. The first 10 minutes really suckers you into believing that you are going to be getting something similar to the first film but that’s not the case. Gal Gadot just did not do a good job here, I’m not exactly sure what happened in between the first movie and now but the difference is very noticeable, Gal Gadot just doesn’t bring the strength she had in the first film. There were nowhere near the amount of strong emotional moments that helped the first movie, a lot of it felt bare minimum character moments that don’t really don’t add to anything. Kristen Wiig as I said before I thought was fine enough…that’s until she turned into Cheetah, I understand they had to throw a well known villain into the film. But good lord Wiig’s transformation to Cheetah appeared at the last 15-20 minutes of the film, it really felt like an afterthought like it wasn’t even planned to be in the movie but someone said “we need to throw in a well known villain” writing wise there is absolutely nothing here that brings anything new to the table, it’s the same typical comic book movie writing that’s been done to death. The writing lacks character growth, no real progression or anything memorable. I almost forgot to mention Chris Pine who looked like he did not want to be on set, sure there were moments when Pine and Gadot had some chemistry together but those were very far and few in between. I really wanted to like Wonder Woman 1984 I really did, but there was way too much sticking out like a sore thumb that can’t be just ignored. This is what happens when comic book movies do the absolute bare minimum and don’t try to do anything else.

4/10 D+

Mariah Carey’s Magical Christmas Special (2020)


When the world is faced with a holiday cheer crisis, the North Pole knows only one person who can solve it: Santa’s great friend, Mariah Carey.


I completely forgot to review this when I posted my batch of reviews on my site, guess I’ll talk a little about this since there really isn’t much to go over. This special feels like a huge advertisement for Mariah Carey’s Christmas music and it doesn’t really hide that at all. The songs are fine enough outside “All I Want For Christmas Is You” Jennifer Hudson however steals the show when she’s with Mariah Carey and Ariana Grande. There’s a Peanuts bit that is really just there for no other reason, I love The Peanuts but here it just kind of feels forced. Now granted the special is only 43 minutes and there is a lot decent bits that are quite fun to look at. But otherwise this is a very bare bones special, nothing really great but ultimately harmless.

6/10 C+

Sylvie’s Love, We Can Be Heroes, Death to 2020 (2020)


A woman working at her father’s record store in Harlem in the late 1950s meets an aspiring saxophone player.


Sylvie’s Love could have certainly tried to play a little less safe, but the film itself is still quite great. It’s a throwback to classic romance movies, what stands out about the film are a couple different things, the performances from Tessa Thompson and Nnamdi Asomugha are both fantastic, both give raw performances that lead to several beautiful moments in the film. The film also feels like a time warp back into the 50s. from the scenery and the feel of the movie it’s all there. It’s a genuine love story that truly is beautiful. Sure it may not have a lot to it but it’s a simple one that is truly worth checking out!

7/10 B


When alien invaders kidnap Earth’s superheroes, their children must team up and learn to work together if they want to save their parents and the world.


When I heard they were making a Sharkboy and Lavagirl sequel I refused to believe that the movie would actually happen, well turns out it did happen and sort of came out unexpected too! It’s no surprise that the movie itself isn’t good but I will say, that this is completely harmless for kids. I can definitely see kids loving this movie to death the way many kids loved Sharkboy and Lavagirl. There’s a few jokes in here that do work and Pedro Pascal saves the movie with a entertaining role, the jokes that do work end up being the ones that poke fun of the superhero genre, besides that everything else is just sort of there. I’ll give the movie credit it was a lot better then I expected and it’s definitely better than Sharkboy and Lavagirl however I don’t think it’s going to be as memorable due to the movie being very below average. It’s fine for kids not so much for adults.

5/10 C


As the year we all want to end finally does, take a look back at 2020’s mad glory in this comedic retrospective from the creators of “Black Mirror”


Death to 2020 really does not have much going for it. It’s basically a summary of what happened during 2020 with Samuel L. Jackson (by far the best part about it) and a few others making commentary. There’s some jokes here that work, where I found myself laughing at them. But then there’s the moments where it’s trying way to hard to feel relatable and try to become some sort of meme. It’s a fantastic idea in concept and I truly do think something like this can work. Death to 2020 just wasn’t that movie, it really does not have much in it and overall feels very empty, you are pretty much left with a very below average mockumentary that doesn’t offer that much.

5/10 C

Yellow Rose (2020)


A Filipina teen from a small Texas town fights to pursue her dreams as a country music performer while having to decide between staying with her family or leaving the only home she has known.


Yellow Rose is a film that got me interested from a YouTube Ad of all places (yay for Youtube Ads doing something useful for once!!) the film itself is quite great, Eva Noblezada is incredible! She’s a huge star in the making and her performance here felt very raw and emotional as well! Noblezada’s voice is also really beautiful, it has this beautiful tone to it that you can’t help but sing along to! Dale Watson actually plays himself and he’s quite great as well, his voice combined Noblezada’s gives the audience some beautiful moments and songs! I do wish the film gave Noblezada more songs by herself as the only song she has a solo in on the album is “Square Peg” which is a fantastic song I’ve at least listened to it 5 different times already. The rest of the film is truly great, the writing is very well done and leads to some emotional moments, the film gives some beautiful moments about Noblezada’s life and goes a bit deeper. Liam Booth’s character is just kind of there as a love interest which I didn’t really care for at all. Liam Booth isn’t terrible in his role, but he’s not exactly great either especially when you compare him to everyone else. Overall Yellow Rose is a very solid film, it’s definitely going to be another underrated film that I highly recommend checking out!

8/10 B+

76 Days (2020)


Raw and intimate, this documentary captures the struggles of patients and frontline medical professionals battling the COVID-19 pandemic in Wuhan.

76 Days is a very disturbing watch it captures the struggles of patients and frontline medical professionals battling the COVID-19 pandemic in Wuhan. To keep it short 76 Days is not an easy watch, it’s extremely devastating to see what both the patients and the medical professionals are going through. The first 10 minutes especially are quite disturbing and really set the tone for the rest of the film, the documentary is very straightforward and hits the point very well, it’s footage after footage of showing as I described before the struggles of both the patients and frontline medical professionals. The movie is very well crafted as well, I would definitely understand why one would not to watch this, the pandemic is still going on (at the time this was written) and there’s a lot of disturbing footage that will stick with you. 2020 has been a hard year for almost everyone so it’s completely understandable, but for those who are curious if you ever get the chance (hoping for a wide release date or VOD date soon) I recommend giving this one a watch.

(Saw this via Laemmle Virtual Cinema)

9/10 A

The Midnight Sky (2020)


This post-apocalyptic tale follows Augustine, a lonely scientist in the Arctic, as he races to stop Sully and her fellow astronauts from returning home to a mysterious global catastrophe.


Well that was disappointing, I’m going to be honest I really did not have a lot of hope for George Clooney’s The Midnight Sky going into it, especially after the reviews came out to be very mixed. Which is exactly how I feel about the film itself, what I did like was the filming, sound, visuals and the score I thought they were all pretty well done and matched the movie quite well. Unfortunately what bogs this movie down is the writing and acting, even the acting from George Clooney himself wasn’t exactly great. A lot of it reminded me of an episode of General Hospital which would be fine if this was were a made for TV movie, but it isn’t this got released into theaters and on Netflix so that really does nothing but end up being embarrassing (speaking of embarrassing there’s this one scene where Sweet Caroline plays and it’s honestly one of the most embarrassing scenes I’ve seen in awhile). There are some good moments but those are so far and few in between, the pacing really does not help the movie at all. It switches way too often from being slow to super fast, the ending is just sort of there with no real conclusion. Overall there really isn’t a whole lot to The Midnight Sky, it tries to do so much but barely accomplishes anything other then being a very below average film to add to George Clooney’s directing career.

5/10 C