Secret Invasion is a poorly written mess that lacks interest.

Nick Fury learns of a secret invasion of Earth by a faction of shapeshifting Skrulls; Fury joins his allies, and together they race against time to thwart an imminent Skrull invasion and save humanity.

Secret Invasion is the newest installment of the MCU and is the ninth television series in the MCU, it took me awhile to review this show despite watching the entire series in one day back in July because there truly is not anything interesting or compelling to talk about here. 

Which is a massive shame because I do think some of the ideas presented here are interesting they are just very poorly executed, a political thriller Marvel series could have easily worked heck Marvel already showed that in movie form it can work with Captain America: The Winter Soldier (it depends on who you ask, some people consider it a political thriller some people don’t.) so it’s quite baffling to see just how massively Secret Invasion fails in comparison. 

The only positive here are the performances from Samuel L. Jackson, Emilia Clarke, Olivia Coleman (pretty much any scene she’s in is such a delight) and Ben Mendelsohn. They all try their absolute hardest with such a messy and unfocused script that really does not give them much to work with at all, Emilia Clarke’s character in particular is very blandly written and only gets worse during the finale (which that in itself is a whole other issue with the series that I’ll get to in a bit.)

One of the main problems here is the character development and a majority of the characters in general, the development for any of these characters outside of Nick Fury and maybe Talos is incredibly nonexistent. Emilia Clarke’s character G’iah had her moments but left so much to be desired, which is frustrating because I do think the father and daughter relationship that Talos and G’iah shined through at times but when it comes to just about everything else her character isn’t interesting at all. 

Then we have the main villain of the series Gravik the leader of the rebel Skrulls (the Skrulls were in Captain Marvel I’ll get into why they do not work well at all in Secret Invasion in a bit) who is played by Kingsley Ben-Adir who doesn’t give a terrible performance just not a very memorable one, Gravik on the other hand is one of the most forgettable villains of the MCU and honestly one of the worst as well. Despite the series trying to  make Gravik seem more than a villain who is evil for the sake of being evil there really isn’t anything compelling, unique or well written about the character. A majority of the time during the series he’s a hot head who just kills his own men. 

Speaking of killing characters this show does a lot of it (I still don’t know how to feel about a certain character’s death in the first episode.) the problem is a majority of them are not interesting at the slightest, making the scenes they eventually get axed in lack any sort of interest. The Skrulls as I mentioned before were in Captain Marvel and while I didn’t like Captain Marvel at the very least in that movie the Skrulls had character to them granted the movie could have done a bit more but the ideas and character ideas were definitely there. In Secret Invasion with the exception of Talos  they are restricted to either being henchmen who have no personality or just flat out being poorly written (G’iah and Gravik) as well as being used for a VERY stupid plot twist. 

Finally there’s the finale episode 6 a disastrous way to end a series, I know a lot of people were divided on the finale of Wandavision but this is just awful, throughout the series it (for the most part) tried to stick with this political thriller atmosphere where the action scenes weren’t as flashy as a lot of other installments of the series. Even if the political thriller atmosphere was not good at all here, at the very least there was some consistency. However that gets thrown out the window with the final battle, suddenly becomes a flashy mess that even if you wanted to make the argument that it’s the final battle of course there’s going to be flashy action. That doesn’t take away that the CGI used is horrendous, the fight is between G’iah and Gravik two very uninteresting characters making the fight just dull. 

Overall Secret Invasion is a gigantic mess, it’s a terrible series that has some decent performances and a few character moments but lacks in every other department. 

Secret Invasion is available on Disney+

3/10 D-

They Cloned Tyrone is a fun take on the Sci-Fi genre.

A series of eerie events thrusts an unlikely trio onto the trail of a nefarious government conspiracy.

They Cloned Tyrone is a very interesting film that I really can’t help but respect, even if the movie’s ideas are not executed perfectly and it does slip up a bit during the middle of the film. There was clearly a whole lot of creativity, passion and fun put into it. 

For starters the cast is excellent, John Boyega continues to show how incredibly talented he really is with tons of memorable scenes here that really drive home the point of how fantastic he is. Jamie Foxx is of course really strong here and Teyonah Parris is incredibly fun especially the interactions between her and Jamie Foxx their presence is fantastic and really gives the characters so much more power when it comes to writing. 

The film is beautifully shot and directed, They Cloned Tyrone really serves as a quite strong directional debut for director Juel Taylor. Who really gives these three characters some striking character development that really is beautiful, the film definitely has some inspirations from Get Out (although this one is a lot more comedic) and A Clockwork Orange, Juel Taylor makes these inspirations into his own and brings some creative ideas to the table, on top of that he brings the sci-fi genre into the mix which while does get a bit overstuffed at times is executed quite nicely. 

Criticisms are mostly the middle of the movie being a bit too predictable and draws out a bit, the story can get a bit convoluted with combining too many ideas at once. However when the final act rolls around the movie gets back on track with tons of fun moments and some more great character development as well. 

They Cloned Tyrone might not be one of my favorite films of this year but is a quite solid one and one that I do recommend giving a look. 

They Cloned Tyrone is available on Netflix. 

7/10 B

Elemental has charm but is lacking in making it’s ideas stronger.

In a city where fire, water, land, and air residents live together, a fiery young woman and a go-with-the-flow guy discover something elemental: how much they actually have in common.

Well Elemental was definitely an improvement from Peter Sohn’s previous Pixar movie The Good Dinosaur, a few almost immediate noticeable changes are that Elemental is at least trying to tell a story that is a bit more layered (keyword being try which I’ll get to) and the characters are far more interestingly designed as well as being actually written a bit better as well. 

The voice acting wasn’t too bad here, granted nobody really hits it out of the park but at least the character models really reflect on the emotions of the cast. The character models despite being  mostly very common fire and water elements you see in a lot of different types of media, are still interesting to look at. They have tons of emotions and the characters do have some spots where the writing does make them very likable to the viewer. The music and animation are very well done and during scenes actually can get the viewer emotional, there’s some really strong scenes here with such great voice acting combined with the music that really does feel like Pixar at their best. 

Honestly the main problem comes down to the writing, while it’s not anything bad and while I do respect Elemental for trying to go for a more layered story it ultimately doesn’t fully come together as it starts to repeat plots from other movies that have done them far better. First we get an immigrant story setup which really ends up mattering less and less as the story goes on, then we get a follow your dreams long story short these plots don’t mesh well together and really don’t say anything new or aren’t done in a fresh way to get the viewer fully on board. 

Despite that however I don’t think Elemental is a bad movie, it’s definitely a harmless movie that I think younger audiences will love and there is a lot of charm here. It just could have been written in a much stronger way to fully execute it’s ideas. 

Elemental is available on all VOD platforms. 

6/10 C+

Puppy Love is a charming romantic comedy featuring dogs.

After a disastrous first date, Nicole and Max vow’s to lose each other’s numbers until their dogs find a love match. Hilariously mismatched Nicole and Max are forced to become responsible co-parents, but end up finding love themselves.

I watched one of two dog movies that came out this weekend and it wasn’t Strays, anyway Puppy Love is exactly what you sort of expect. It’s a romantic comedy with dogs in the mix, maybe it’s because my expectations were so incredibly low but I actually found this to be cute and enjoyable for what it was. 

What makes the movie is Lucy Hale and Grant Gustin while they are both not exactly pulling out very strong performances (although both still do a solid job here) it’s the chemistry that really makes the two work really well together, there’s a genuine amount of charm to the bond Nicole (Lucy Hale) and Max (Grant Gustin) build over the course of the movie. 

The dogs are of course adorable and there’s actually a few jokes here that did get a few laughs out of me, with that said there’s also humor that doesn’t work (the scenes with the vet in particular are very very strange.) The relationship between Nicole and Max feels much more grounded than it does in some other romcoms, for one thing we don’t have a cliche break up scene where the relationship was based on a lie or misconception. We get one because both characters actually do have issues and they try to work it out. It’s a very surprisingly grounded approach that I certainly was not expecting. 

Overall Puppy Love doesn’t have a whole lot to it, if you like dog movies and romantic comedies you will probably like this one. It’s a quick and easy watch that’s genuinely fun! 

Puppy Love is available on Freevee and on all VOD platforms. 

6/10 C+

Medusa Deluxe is great in the technical departments but lacks story.

Talented and cutthroat hairstylists at a competition find one of their own murdered before judging can begin. Winding through neon-lit halls, competitors unspool long-simmering resentments and lies as they search for the killer among them.

Medusa Deluxe is an interesting and actually an ambitious one, there’s a whole lot to like here especially from a technical standpoint but as far as a narrative one? It’s very uneven that really fumbles the ball during the final act. 

Medusa Deluxe is done in one take which sounds pretty crazy and it almost works, the problem is a lot of it is a bunch of long takes stitched together that aren’t really particularly interesting. The acting is quite good all around, everyone turns in a very solid performance especially Clare Perkins who got a few laughs out of me. 

The filming is very well done thanks to cinematographer Robbie Ryan who’s worked on a number of films such as American Honey, Marriage Story and C’mon C’mon (director of photography for the latter two). There’s an incredible amount of detail here that really sticks out and combined with the one take really makes for some great exploration for the eyes of the viewer. 

What holds Medusa Deluxe back is the writing particularly with it’s characters and story, when you take away the technical aspects that make the movie standout. You are left with a very basic whodunnit with characters that really never get explored. We barely get to learn anything about them the movie just introduces these characters and expects you to know everything about them, this becomes incredibly noticeable when the third act rolls around where the movie starts to lose it’s charm and you are just waiting for it to be over. 

There’s no denying that a lot of effort went into Medusa Deluxe but without well written characters and a murder mystery that really does not do anything differently it’s only worth watching for the technical parts. 

Medusa Deluxe is available on all VOD platforms. 

5/10 C

Oppenheimer is a masterful look at fear and the mind of Robert Oppenheimer.

During World War II, Lt. Gen. Leslie Groves Jr. appoints physicist J. Robert Oppenheimer to work on the top-secret Manhattan Project. Oppenheimer and a team of scientists spend years developing and designing the atomic bomb. Their work comes to fruition on July 16, 1945, as they witness the world’s first nuclear explosion, forever changing the course of history.

I saw Oppenheimer back a few weeks ago (July 29th to be exact) it took me a bit to review it because it’s one of those films where it sticks with you after watching it. I’m going to cut right to the chase Oppenheimer is a very powerful film that approaches topic of the nuclear bombs in a much different way than some people would expect. 

Before that let’s get into the cast which nobody turns in a bad performance, everyone here does a fantastic job everyone also contributes to the film in their own way. The ones who standout for me are Cillian Murphy, Robert Downey Jr, Florence Pugh, Matt Damon, Josh Hartnett and Tom Conti. Cillian Murphy plays Robert Oppenheimer the inventor of the nuclear bomb, throughout the film we follow Oppenheimer and in a very interesting approach we actually get to go inside his mind. We enter his mind when the bombs reach Hiroshima and Nagasaki, he gets the thoughts of him building a weapon of mass destruction. Thinking of the consequences and what will happen going forward. 

This is especially brought up during the final shot of the film and with Tom Conti as Albert Einstein, even if Conti is only in a few scenes, he’s a very important part of the whole film. The scenes with Conti and Murphy together are brutally powerful capturing fear one of the main elements this film does a magnificent job of capturing. The fear comes from making a powerful weapon that could potentially destroy the planet which was actually somewhat of a main concern at the time, this is especially shown during the Trinity Test which was the code name of the first detonation of a nuclear weapon. It’s a very intense scene with powerful sound and incredibly raw acting that really makes you feel like you are right there. 

After the nuclear weapons hit Hiroshima and Nagasaki, Oppenheimer becomes “the father of the atomic bomb” something he regrets as the destruction and mass fatalities haunt him. Oppenheimer tells Harry Truman played by Gary Oldman to restrict further nuclear weapon development which Truman dismisses while also calling Oppenheimer a “crybaby.” This is another part of the fear kicking, the fear of just realizing you created a weapon of massive destruction and it will keep evolving until it could actually destroy the world. Which leads to the ending of Oppenheimer and Albert Einstein together fearing that the weapons one day could lead to a nuclear holocaust. 

The way Oppenheimer approaches the bombings is a very interesting one, rather than flat out showing you the destruction it goes with a much more atmospheric and psychological approach. We get glimpses of some of the casualties and damage Oppenheimer’s mind but never enough to take away from the film’s different approach. Instead the bombings are felt through the performances and atmosphere rather than just directly showing it. Oppenheimer has this brutal atmosphere that might not be brutal in the sense that you think of when you hear the word, but much more psychologically. 

As far as acting, writing and directing goes everything is incredibly top notch here, Christopher Nolan takes a 3 hour long biopic and creates something truly different than you would expect, it’s a creative and masterful way to approach this subject. As I said at the beginning Oppenheimer sticks with you, perhaps it’s because of the very real message of one day one of these weapons will become so powerful that it will cause a nuclear holocaust, perhaps it’s the very raw performances that are both haunting and grounded or maybe it’s the final scene of Cillian Murphy and Tom Conti leaving the viewer with one of the most powerful scenes of the year. Whatever the case might be what is clear is that Oppenheimer is one of the best films of the year. 

Oppenheimer is available in theaters. 

10/10 A+

Red, White & Royal Blue is a charming romantic comedy.

Alex Claremont-Diaz, the first son of the United States, and young Prince Henry fall in love. However, considering their high-profile public lives, they must keep their relationship a secret at all costs.

Red, White & Royal Blue is based on the 2019 novel of the same name by Casey McQuiston. I got to say I really did not expect much from Red, White & Royal Blue, I’m always down for a gay romantic comedy but the trailers really made this one look like it was going to be a very formulaic romantic and comedy and nothing more. Luckily this was a surprise and it ended up doing a lot more than just that. 

Red, White & Royal Blue has a lot going for it, particularly the cast who all do a pretty fantastic job here Nicholas Galitzine and Taylor Zakhar have fantastic chemistry between one another. There’s so much heart put into their performances and this down to earth type of feeling that you can’t help but love. Uma Thurman is also quite fun here and gives a very exciting performance. 

What really helps the film is the amount of love and heart that’s put into it, the performances are genuine and while a bit formulaic is at the very least entertaining when it comes to the execution. The movie does go on for a bit too long in some areas with a 1 hour and 58 minute runtime the pacing towards the end does get rough. 

But at the very least what’s consistent is the performances, chemistry and a handful of very touching moments that are genuinely effective. 

Red, White & Royal Blue are available on Amazon Prime Video. 

7/10 B

The Communion Girl is a horror cliche fest

In May, 1987. While returning from a nightclub and after having taken drugs, new girl in town Sara and her friend Rebe find a doll wearing a communion dress. From that moment, their lives will become a living hell.

The Communion Girl is a Shudder original directed by Victor Garcia the director of Hellraiser Revelations, The Damned (2014) Mirrors 2 and Return To House On Haunted Hill (2007). I’ll definitely give The Communion Girl this, it’s a better looking movie as well as being better overall than the movies I mentioned before. That does not make it a good one though. 

The main problem here is The Communion Girl is nothing but a horror movie cliche fest that goes on for way too long despite being 98 minutes, sure the filming is quite well done with some actually beautiful shots. Plus the cast is actually not too bad here at all, however we are barely given anything about the characters, the horror elements are way too predictable and the story is a “seen it and done far better elsewhere” type of situation. 

It’s pretty much the equivalent of going to a haunted house attraction and knowing when every jumpscare is going to appear, there’s nothing here to really bring the audience’s interest or get a thrilling atmosphere going. It’s a shame because The Communion Girl looks neat and isn’t really a bad movie, there’s just a lot of ideas here that do not come together all.

The Communion Girl is available on Shudder

4/10 D+

Quick Review: Love in Taipei (2023)

Ever Wong’s summer takes an unexpected turn when her parents surprise her with a trip to Taipei for a cultural immersion programme.

Love in Taipei is a romantic comedy and Paramount+ original that sure does exists, there really isn’t a lot to say here outside of a few positives. 

The main one being the performances from Ashley Liao, Nico Hiraga and Ross Butler, all three give decent performances that actually do have a few heartfelt moments that are genuinely touching. It’s just such a shame outside of maybe Ashley Liao’s character Ever Wong, we are given not a whole lot information about the other characters. 

Everything else here however is done in a very harmless but uninteresting way that really doesn’t bring the viewers attention to the screen, the movie is supposed to be a self-discovery type of story which sure is done quite a lot but could still be interesting. Unfortunately Love in Taipei sticks to playing way too safe and by the numbers that it starts to hurt it in the end. There’s cute moments and Liao’s character having decently written interactions with other characters, but that’s all you are really going to get with this movie. 

Love in Taipei just exists, fans of romantic comedies may get something out of this one. But for anyone looking for anything different you will be disappointed. 

Love in Taipei is available on Paramount+ 

4/10 D+

Revoir Paris (Paris Memories) is a grounded look at trauma and survivor’s guilt

Three months after surviving a terrorist attack at a bistro, Mia is still traumatized and unable to recall the events of that night. In an effort to move forward, she investigates her memories and retraces her steps.

Revoir Paris is a very heavy movie that tackles the topics of trauma and survivor’s guilt, some of the hardest topics to execute in film in a very realistic and also respectful way. Luckily director Alice Winocour makes sure to show these topics in a very respectful and quite powerful way that easily grabs the viewer. 

Before talking about that let’s talk about the performance from Virginie Efira who gives such a fantastic performance that you can see slowly but surely transform throughout the film. From the beginning when the terrorist attack happens to Mia (played by Virginie Efira) slowly figuring out what happened the day of the terrorist. You her acting become more and more powerful, it’s a huge gut punch in a lot of scenes that really break Mia due to being traumatized.

The film really puts you into the shoes of Mia and her perspective, when you are in a life or death situation such as a shooting no amount of time is going to heal that. Of course people are different some might be able to move on while others will be traumatized for several months or even years. In some cases even forgetting what exactly happened like Mia. 

The way the film portrays trauma and survivors guilt is truly excellent, the restaurant where the shooting took place serves as a haunting but needed space to approach her suppressed recollections. It really shows how powerful an environment can really be when it comes to trigging memories, this is something that not a lot of films as of late have really done so this is truly fascinating to see. 

Benoît Magimel plays Thomas who is also a survivor and throughout the film has this bond with Mia, that remains a platonic relationship with Mia which is one of the film’s strongest parts, two survivors sharing and trying to understand each other’s trauma without it becoming romantic and instead highlighting the two supporting each other. Magimel gives a fantastic performance that much like Efira’s you can connect to very easily. 

Lastly the film is done in this very raw type of direction, Alice Winocour really captures this sense of rawness that the viewer can easily feel the pain of the characters, Mia is a character that goes through very real situations and has very real experiences, her trauma is very real and Mia wanting to move on is a very real thing that victims of shootings or any sort of attacks want to do. 

Overall Revoir Paris is a very heavy and powerful film that might be hard for some people to get through due to the subject matter, but if it interests you I highly recommend giving this one a watch. 

Revoir Paris is available on all VOD platforms. 

8/10 B+