The Drop has a bizarre premise but weak execution.

A married couple face a marriage test when one of them drops a baby during an island wedding.

We are two weeks into 2023 (at the time this was written) and we already have a movie where the main premise is that a young woman drops a baby during an island wedding, an idea that instantly makes the movie standout but does the rest of the movie help back this up?

The best thing I can say about The Drop is that it at least looked nice, which is mainly due to the location the movie was shot in a small beachside town in Mexico called Sayulita. There were some genuinely beautiful shots that do give the movie a bit of personality in some areas, Anna Knokle and Jermaine Fowler give fine enough performances that are easily some of the movie’s best moments especially the interactions between the two. Everything else however is a lot of wasted potential, the whole idea of someone dropping a baby is something a cringe comedy should excel at executing however that just doesn’t happen here. Instead there’s a lot of terrible jokes that go on for way too long, the pacing is a drag and a lot of the time ends up over explaining a joke. The attempts at dramatic moments are very mismatched when you remember the premise of the movie, even if you took away the premise the drama bits aren’t exactly memorable. A lot of it is your usual romantic comedy bits that have been done far better before.

The cast is absolutely wasted here and it’s very unfortunate, even though I said Anna Knokle and Jermaine Fowler gave fine enough performances they could have absolutely been a lot better. The script just does not give enough material to work with and really stays on this bland comedy route that really fits the “shoved on to a streaming service” mindset.

There really isn’t much else to say about The Drop, it’s a huge missed opportunity that could have been hilarious had the writing been a lot stronger. I’m not sure how you take a premise such as dropping a baby and make it incredibly forgettable and bland but here we are I guess.

The Drop is available on Hulu.

3/10 D-

Streaming Reviews: it’s A Wonderful Binge and Something From Tiffany’s

Many years after their first Binge, Hags, Andrew, Sarah, and Kimi face the realities of adulthood as the annual Binge Day is moved to Christmas Eve. Amidst the chaos, Hags plans a proposal to Sarah, and Andrew deals with his rocky relationships.

The Binge: It’s A Wonderful Binge is a sequel to The Binge which came out in 2020, it was a terrible comedy that really tried to be like a sex comedy from the early 2000s except with drugs and alcohol. It’s A Wonderful Binge is basically the same idea but it’s Christmas themed….and it’s somehow better. There’s definitely better jokes this time around and I do think that the whole Christmas theme opens the door for some entertaining shenanigans to take place, Danny Trejo is pretty funny and the rest of the cast this time around are actually a lot better than they were in the first movie. With that said the movie kind of falls in the same sort of problems that a lot of sequels do and that’s being more less the same thing as their predecessor. As I said before this is just basically The Binge but Christmas, which honestly makes it more like a Christmas special rather than an sequel. Which isn’t entirely a bad thing it’s just something worth pointing out, it still has a lot of jokes that fall flat and once again doesn’t really use it’s own premise to it’s full potential. But at the very least you can say this time around that there was an attempt.

It’s A Wonderful Binge is available on Hulu.

4/10 D+

A woman gets up-ended when an engagement ring that was for someone else leads her to the person she’s meant to be with.

Something From Tiffany’s is what happens when you make an actual decent and far more competent Hallmark Christmas movie, while it’s very flawed and shares a lot of the exact same problems a lot of Christmas movies do. It’s mainly the cast who are truly charming that gives the movie the extra push it needs, Zoey Deutch is pretty decent here and really works her magic well here. She easily connects with everyone else and it’s the many bonds she has that really makes the movie work, Kendrick Sampson and Leah Jeffries in particular are very fun and give some genuine performances. As far as everything else goes it’s nothing too crazy, the writing is about how you would expect and the movie does play out in a very predictable way. But at the very least it has the charm going for it and there was some genuine love put into this one, definitely not the perfect Christmas movie but at the very least a decent one.

Something From Tiffany’s is available on Amazon Prime Video.

6/10 C+

Darby and the Dead is a fun yet familiar high school ghost movie.

Follows Darby Harper, who is granted the ability to see ghosts after suffering a near death experience in her childhood. Then, she runs a side business counseling local spirits in her spare time.

Honestly there isn’t a whole lot to say here, Darby and the Dead just sort of exists as a high school movie that has Mean Girls and a ghost movie DNA in it. So it definitely doesn’t win when it comes to originality despite that however the movie is a decently fun movie, Riele Downs who plays Darby is very charming and genuinely pretty funny plus it does seem like she’s having a blast with her role, Auli’i Cravalho is also pretty solid here as well, in fact Cravalho and Downs actually work pretty well together and do a pretty decent job of entertaining the viewer. There’s a lot of the usual high school movie elements but at the very least the writing isn’t obnoxious and manages to keep things a bit interesting, the movie actually does give a bit of development for Darby which can’t be said for other movies of the genre. There’s a certain level of maturity here that makes the movie standout nicely and works it into the story. Overall Darby and the Dead is a quick and easy watch that’s genuinely a lot of fun, it won’t break any new ground but it’s definitely one of the better high school movies.

Darby and the Dead is available on Hulu.

6/10 C+

Rosaline is surprisingly strong take on Romeo and Juliet.

A comedic retelling of Shakespeare’s “Romeo and Juliet,” told from the point of view of Romeo’s jilted ex, Rosaline, the woman Romeo first claims to love before he falls for Juliet.

When you go by the plot of Rosaline it comes off as yet another tired take of Romeo And Juliet but this time it’s in the perspective of Rosaline who is Romeo’s previous girlfriend before he met Juliet. However the film strangely works really well, it doesn’t take itself too seriously and instead does a pretty humorous and interesting job of retelling the story, with a few changes it ends up being more of a “what if” type scenario which I am a pretty big fan of when it’s done right. And in this case it’s done pretty well, Kaitlyn Dever is fantastic as Rosaline she puts her talent all in the role and gives such a entertaining performance. Sean Teale as Dario is also pretty solid as well, the enemies to lovers element is actually done quite well here which is mainly due to the chemistry of Teale and Dever being so great. Not every single joke lands as there are some eye roll worthy moments, but those really don’t take away from the sharp and clever writing that really gives the story of Romeo and Juliet a breath of fresh air, it’s an entertaining ride from beginning to end that is far better than it has any right being.

Rosaline is available on Hulu!

8/10 B+

Prey brings new life to the Predator franchise.

A skilled Comanche warrior protects her tribe from a highly evolved alien predator that hunts humans for sport, fighting against wilderness, dangerous colonisers and this mysterious creature to keep her people safe.

I can’t think of such a huge turn for a franchise in a good way more than the Predator franchise, for awhile The Predator franchise has been struggling to get a really solid film out. Outside of Predator and Predator 2 (depending on who you ask, I personally find it to be quite fun) the series is very lacking and was in dire need of another really good film. Luckily that was the case with Dan Trachtenberg’s (10 Cloverfield Lane) Installment Prey, Prey takes the series back to it’s roots and brings everything back that people loved about the series in the first place. For starters Amber Midthunder was truly brilliant here and gives a breakout performance that completely captures the spirit the film is going for, the same can be said with the rest of the cast Dakota Beavers in particular does a really fantastic job. The film itself is visually stunning and the cinematography is captivating, one of the main criticisms I’ve had with the franchise is that a lot of the films visually don’t look very great. So it’s a breath of fresh air to see Prey take advantage of it’s setting and go all out with it. Especially when you combine it with the atmosphere that Dan Trachtenberg creates, like in 10 Cloverfield Lane the atmosphere here is horrifying and suspenseful it grabs the viewer’s attention and never let’s go. Everything that Trachtenberg did masterfully in 10 Cloverfield Lane is present here and it’s just as effective. The action scenes are well shot and the kills are quite brutal and a lot of fun as well, the combination of campy like feel of the kills with a serious tone actually works quite beautifully with the film. What’s very interesting about Prey is that it’s a franchise film that has the visuals and the character’s actions tell the story which is not something you see in a lot of franchise films. It’s truly fascinating and is pretty straightforward, overall Prey is the best film of the franchise since the first movie. Amber Midthunder is truly a star that I hope to see a lot more of and I’m excited to see what Dan Trachtenberg does next.

Prey is available on Hulu!

10/10 A+

No Okay is a smart commentary about social media with brilliant performances.

A misguided young woman who is desperate for friends and fame fakes a trip to Paris to update her social media presence. A terrifying incident takes place in the real world, which becomes a part of the imaginary trip and offers all she wants.

Not Okay is a really solid film that’s a commentary about social media, such as activism and how being held accountable is actually pretty important. The film is mostly strong the performances department with Zoey Deutch who gives a well done performance that is both charming and quite hilarious as well. Mia Isaac (who was in Don’t Make Me Go) steals every single scene she’s in, there’s particular moments here that she really shows her talent and actually give the viewer some goosebumps, when Deutch and Isaac are on screen together it’s truly amazing. The combination of both talents takes the film to a new level and truly captures a range of emotions as well, the direction from Quinn Shephard is truly well done. It’s energetic, raw and actually sums up what a lot of people on social media act like (and to this day still do). Although there’s some parts the movie could have elaborated a bit more on, for a majority of the movie it was very well written, acted and directed!

Not Okay is available on Hulu!

8/10 B+

The Princess is a fun Die Hard clone with a princess.

When a strong-willed princess refuses to wed a cruel sociopath, she is kidnapped and locked in a remote tower. With her scorned, vindictive suitor intent on taking her father’s throne, the princess must protect her family and save the kingdom.

The Princess might just be Die Hard or The Raid but with a princess and a castle, however the movie manages to be incredibly fun at the same time. Joey King gives a very solid performance here and actually nails being in a completely different genre than she is usually in, what’s most surprising is that the action scenes are quite decent. They might not be anything groundbreaking but they are a ton of fun to watch and there are some decent kills in this movie that are actually quite surprising, the castle setting works pretty well here and definitely compliments the action tone the movie is going for. The movie does get repetitive as it goes on particularly the third act which does lose some steam, but at least continues to have that classic action movie charm to it. There’s definitely some writing issues that are a bit too young adult adaption movie like which can be a bit baffling due to the film being rated R, but those moments luckily don’t stop the movie from being a genuinely good time.

The Princess is available on Hulu.

6/10 C+

Most Anticipated Films Of July 2022!

June flew by and what a great month it was for film, It’s time for a new month and as usual I’m listing films that I think look pretty interesting, but first I’ll list films that I have already seen whether that be from early screenings, Sundance, Tribeca, SXSW and so on that I highly recommend checking out. But unlike previous months there is only one film this time around which is of course.

Fire Of Love – July 6th (Theaters)

Next here’s the list!

20. Moloch – July 21st (Shudder)

19. Persuasion – July 15th (Netflix)

18. Incantation – July 8th (Netflix)

17. Valley Of The Dead or Malnazidos – July 11th (Netflix)

16. Alone Together – July 22nd (Theaters) and July 29th (VOD)

15. Rubikon – July 1st (VOD)

14. Good Madam – July 14th (Shudder)

13. American Carnage – July 15th (VOD)

12. Gabby Giffords Won’t Back Down – July 15th (Theaters)

11. Anything Possible – July 22nd (Amazon Prime Video)

10. Medusa – July 29th (Theaters)

9. She Will – July 15th (VOD)

8. Don’t Make Me Go – July 15th (Amazon Prime Video)

7. Thor Love And Thunder – July 8th (Theaters)

6. The Princess – July 1st (Hulu)

5. Moon 66 Questions – July 8th (Theaters)

4. Not Okay – July 29th (Hulu)

3. Where The Crawdads Sing – July 15th (Theaters)

2. Both Sides Of The Blade – July 8th (Theaters)

1. Nope – July 22nd (Theaters)

And that’s the list for July, there’s a lot more coming out as well so July will be a busy month. Oh yeah it’s my birthday month too (July 5th to be exact).

Good Luck To You, Leo Grande is a meaningful film with wonderful conversations.

Retired widow Nancy Stokes hires a good-looking young sex worker called Leo Grande, in the hope of enjoying a night of pleasure and self-discovery after an unfulfilling married life.

The best word to describe Good Luck To You, Leo Grande is surprising, this is most certainly not what I expected and I mean that in the best possible way. I’m pretty sure I’ve said before how I like films where all the movie is you have a couple characters who have multiple conversations with each other and that’s it. This film is exactly that and uses that premise quite well, it works mainly due to multiple factors at play first being the acting combined with the chemistry. Emma Thompson and Daryl McCormack both do an excellent job in their roles, both performances come off as very raw, genuine and actually quite beautiful. The chemistry is beautifully done it’s very intimate to the point where the viewer feels like they are right there sitting with the two, the film itself enjoys the topics that are discussed such as sex, emotions, self-acceptance and so on. Director Sophie Hyde makes sure to keep this grounded as possible and even includes more taboo topics, it’s a huge key of making this as realistic as possible. There’s so much charm and affection with this film I know I have said this already but Thompson and McCormack truly make this film, they completely capture what it’s like to have intimate conversations while also showing tons of emotions as well. There’s so much beauty to this film that is truly masterful, I’m sure this film is going to go under a lot of people’s radar so I highly recommend giving this one a watch.

Good Luck To You, Leo Grande is available on Hulu.

9/10 A

Crush is a breath of fresh air in the Teen romantic comedy genre!

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!

Crush is available on Hulu!

7/10 B