Die Hart the Movie is a mess.

Follows a fictionalized version of Kevin Hart, as he tries to become an action movie star. He attends a school run by Ron Wilcox, where he attempts to learn the ropes on how to become one of the industry’s most coveted action stars.

Die Hart the Movie I somehow didn’t hear about up until Friday when it got released and that’s mainly due to a friend of mine who said that the movie was also released (I did the usual out today posts on Twitter I do that every Friday). The premise of the movie did have me a bit intrigued, I do like the whole idea of actors and actresses playing themselves…but this was rough. 

The positives mainly come from John Travolta and Josh Hartnett who are both very fun and really try their best with such an unfunny script. Everything else is very hard to sit through, Kevin Hart is once again just not funny at all. Every single joke that Hart has made in the past is shown here and if it didn’t work back in the other movies it most certainly doesn’t work here.

Perhaps the most noticeable issue is how strange the editing is or how much of a mess of the story is, well when you find out that this movie is just an re-edited version of Die Hart the TV series from Quibi things start to make a lot more sense when it comes to why the movie is such a gigantic mess. I can’t comment on the series since I haven’t seen it (I hadn’t even heard of it until doing research a few days ago) but trying to cram in everything from a series into a movie that has horrendous pacing was never going to work. 

Die Hart the Movie is available on Amazon Prime Video. 

2/10 F

True Spirit is a solid inspirational story.

An Australian teenager plans to become the youngest sailor to have travelled the world alone. In doing so, the intrepid 16-year-old not only seeks to fulfil her dream, she also faces her greatest fears at the same time.

True Spirit is based on the true story of Jessica Watson a 16 year old who was determined to sail around the world all by herself, she accomplished this in 8 months and is the youngest person to do so. 

True Spirit might be your standard inspirational movie, but at the very least it has the quality to back it up. While the writing and the filmmaking can have a very Disney Channel Original Movie type feel to it, it’s the performances mostly from Teagan Croft and the family themes that push this one to the finish line. There’s some genuinely heartwarming moments and inspirational ones that really get the viewer invested in what’s being shown, there’s some genuinely nice shots of the ocean and the atmosphere of being alone at sea is definitely present. 

As I said the writing can be on the weak side, particularly during the beginning when the movie is getting the ball rolling, however the movie at least backs it up with the charming performances and telling Jessica Watson’s story quite well. 

True Spirit is available on Netflix. 

6/10 C+

Legion Of Superheroes is the worst of The Tomorrowverse so far.

Kara, devastated by the loss of Krypton, struggles to adjust to her new life on Earth. Superman mentors her. Meanwhile, she must contend with a mysterious group called the Dark Circle who searches for a powerful weapon held in the Academy’s vault.

Legion Of Super-Heroes is the sixth installment of DC’s The Tomorrowverse (I incorrectly said Batman and Superman: Battle Of The Super Sons was the sixth installment but that was just a standalone movie in my review for that movie.) and as these movies go on it becomes increasingly more hard to say things that I haven’t already said about the previous ones. 

The main problem with Legion Of Super-Heroes is despite it’s name the focus is mainly on Supergirl, so if you like Supergirl you are going to love this one. But if you are someone who was hoping the focus would also be on the other characters prepare for disappointment, with that said I do think the voice acting isn’t too bad. Meg Donnelly does a decent job as Supergirl (despite a very rough start) and everyone else definitely does the best they can with a script that’s just not very good. A lot of the movie is focused on Supergirl and Brainaic 5 bonding, which does have it’s moments but ultimately feels very misplaced. 

It takes away time from the actual plot and other characters getting much needed development, it’s something that a lot of these DC animated movies are guilty of they will throw in a bunch of characters making it seem like they have a lot of characters but in reality they get no development at all and just sort of exist to back up the main characters. The animation is fine enough combined with the action there are some strong action scenes but that’s where it really ends, there isn’t anything truly exciting here. 

Lastly there’s the villains who one of them is so predictable as soon as he comes on screen, and the other Brainaic while really neat appears at the very end of the movie which at that point is too little too late. 

Legion Of Superheroes is by far the worst of The Tomorrowverse so far, it’s exactly what you expect and unless you are a die hard Supergirl fan you aren’t going to like this one. 

Legion Of Superheroes is available on all VOD platforms. 

3/10 D-

Attachment falls short.

Maja, a Danish has-been actress, falls in love with Leah, a Jewish academic from London. Leah suffers a mysterious seizure, and Maja returns with her to London. There, she meets Leah’s mother, Chana, a woman who could hold dark secrets.

I really don’t have a whole lot to say about Attachment, there’s definitely something here that almost worked but didn’t quite make the landing. 

The positives come from the performances with everyone involved, they really match the tone and atmosphere the movie is going for and does contribute a lot to what made the first two acts of the movie work well. The movie is also competently directed, there’s this nice style to it that does make it stand out a bit with some nice intimate moments between the two leads with chemistry that’s quite fascinating. 

Unfortunately what drags this movie down is the third act, where everything just stops. The movie just sort of decides to end and leaves you thinking “wait that’s it?” Which is very disappointing considering how well the slow development of the movie was, it results in a payoff that is incredibly lacking and makes a lot of what came before it seem very pointless. 

Attachment is available on Shudder. 

5/10 C

Attachment falls short.

Maja, a Danish has-been actress, falls in love with Leah, a Jewish academic from London. Leah suffers a mysterious seizure, and Maja returns with her to London. There, she meets Leah’s mother, Chana, a woman who could hold dark secrets.

I really don’t have a whole lot to say about Attachment, there’s definitely something here that almost worked but didn’t quite make the landing. 

The positives come from the performances with everyone involved, they really match the tone and atmosphere the movie is going for and does contribute a lot to what made the first two acts of the movie work well. The movie is also competently directed, there’s this nice style to it that does make it stand out a bit with some nice intimate moments between the two leads with chemistry that’s quite fascinating. 

Unfortunately what drags this movie down is the third act, where everything just stops. The movie just sort of decides to end and leaves you thinking “wait that’s it?” Which is very disappointing considering how well the slow development of the movie was, it results in a payoff that is incredibly lacking and makes a lot of what came before it seem very pointless. 

Attachment is available on Shudder. 

5/10 C

Quick Reviews: At Midnight and Maybe I Do (2022)

Fate brings ambitious hotel manager Alejandro and movie star Sophie together when the shoot brings them to Alejandro’s hotel. Despite their radically different lives, Alejandro and Sophie begin to secretly meet at midnight.

At Midnight is directed by Jonah Feingold who’s previous film I actually really liked which was Dating & New York, so despite a not very good trailer I was hoping that I would actually like At Midnight…that did not happen. 

At Midnight is essentially a huge romantic comedy plot point checklist, it checks all of the key moments that need to happen and doesn’t bother to make itself standout among a very crowded genre. Monica Barbaro isn’t bad here but she isn’t enough to save the movie from being very forgettable, the writing is about what you expect it’s painfully dull and despite being 1 hour and 40 minutes it’s a complete chore to sit through.

It’s unfortunate because I do think with a far better script and much more focus this could have been a decent little romantic comedy, Diego Boneta and Monica Barbaro are honestly not bad here and do have a few moments of great chemistry. But unfortunately the rest of the movie is really holding that back from being even better. 

At Midnight is available on Paramount+

2/10 F

With their relationship at a crossroads, Michelle and Allen invite their parents to finally meet. As it turns out, their parents already know each other, maybe a little too well.

In hindsight I should have probably skipped this one after I saw the terrible reviews Maybe I Do was getting, but the cast was just too interesting to pass and I was very curious how they can screw up this bad with a great cast. 

The main issue with Maybe I Do is it presents itself as a comedy but lacks so much charm, there’s a few jokes that might get a chuckle out of you, but for the most part almost all of the jokes fall flat. The idea of the movie itself might be interesting at first, but it quickly becomes repetitive as it goes on. The movie doesn’t seem to know when to properly utilize it’s own idea and do something interesting with it. 

The lack charm also comes from the characters who are one dimensional, the performances are all forgettable. They aren’t necessarily anything I would call bad, but despite the cast being quite strong very little is done to show their talent. 

Maybe I Do is available on all VOD platforms. 

1/10 F

Somebody I Used To Know is a decent romantic comedy!

On a trip to her hometown, workaholic TV producer Ally reminisces with her ex Sean and starts to question everything about her life. Things only become more confusing when she learns Sean is getting married to Cassidy, who reminds her of the person she used to be.

Somebody I Used to Know is definitely a bit better than expected, while it is still very flawed the movie does manage to stay above the ground mainly due to a lot of factors. 

For starters the performances are all around pretty solid, the standout is Alison Brie by far who really does give a strong performance. She has a ton of moments where she shows even with a script that isn’t breaking any new ground, she can still make it a bit interesting especially during the third act. 

The direction from Dave Franco is a lot better this time around than it was in The Rental, there are times here like in The Rental where the movie does seem a bit lost in it’s direction. However that’s only during the first act, afterwards it’s smooth sailing from there. The writing while it does jump the shark a bit ends up surprisingly decently written, there’s some comedic bits that are eye rolling but the dramatic bits are actually pretty solid. 

Somebody I Used to Know isn’t going to break any new ground and there may not be a whole lot to it, but it is a decent enough movie that I recommend checking out if you really like romantic comedy films. 

Somebody I Used to Know is available on Amazon Prime Video. 

6/10 C+

Quick Review: Your Place Or Mine (2022)

Debbie and Peter are best friends and total opposites. She craves routine with her son in LA, but he thrives on change in NY. When they swap houses and lives for a week they discover what they think they want might not be what they really need.

What can I even say here? Your Place Or Mine is yet another bland and forgettable Netflix romantic comedy movie that adds nothing new to the genre at all. 

The biggest problem here is the chemistry between Reese Witherspoon and Ashton Kutcher while their performances aren’t terrible, the chemistry is just not there. There’s so many moments that completely take you out of the movie due to how nonexistent the chemistry really is, the characters themselves aren’t well written either. They mainly serve as the usual romantic comedy characters that go through the usual arcs and that’s it, the writing has it’s moments where there are some display of Witherspoon’s and Kutcher’s talent and how strong they are as performers. But those are so far and few in between. 

Your Place or Mine is available on Netflix. 

3/10 D-

Quick Review: Viking Wolf (2022)

After witnessing a grotesque murder at a party in her new town, a teenager starts having strange visions and bizarre desires.

I really don’t have a whole lot to say here unfortunately, I was definitely interested in Viking Wolf mainly due to it’s premise, but unfortunately with the exception of some ideas being explored but never really being touched further. The rest of the movie is filled to the brim with werewolf movie cliches that don’t bring anything new. 

The movie itself looks nice enough, but the acting, writing and characters who have very poor development weigh this movie down badly. There’s some shots that are nice to look at and there’s a bit of gore that’s at least decent enough, but otherwise it’s just an overall very forgettable bad werewolf movie. 

Viking Wolf is available on Netflix. 

3/10 D-

Meet Me in Paris interesting idea but lacking execution.

Love like in the movies. Three real women follow the script and write their own endings

Reality TV is a genre that of television that’s been around for awhile now and has grown in popularity, while I may not be a fan of it the genre has a very large following. Having that said Meet Me in Paris is quite awful. 

The idea of reality tv in a film format isn’t necessarily a bad idea, it definitely was a choice that was made but I don’t think it’s a terrible idea. What is terrible is the execution, the movie takes the most generic elements from any reality tv show you have seen and combines it with the forgettable romantic comedy elements. The authenticity is just not there at all, with some other reality tv shows I mean sure they can jump the shark a lot of the time. But at least some of them remain believable, the same can’t be said with Meet Me in Paris which is mainly due to it feeling very scripted.

Heck the acting doesn’t help either, everyone involved really tries their best but the movie trying to balance reality tv and film just leads to some very sloppy performances and writing. The one thing I will say they captured pretty well is the camera shots and music, it does at least look like something you would expect from reality tv. 

Meet Me in Paris was an attempt I can respect but unfortunately failed to hit the mark by a lot. 

Meet Me in Paris is available on Roku Channel 

2/10 F