Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves is a 2023 American fantasy heist comedy film directed by Jonathan Goldstein and John Francis Daley, who co-wrote the screenplay with Michael Gilio from a story by Chris McKay and Gilio.

But really, it should be “Forgotten Realms: Honor Among Thieves” as this is the franchise it is set in. The franchise covers books, tabletop and computer games. It comes out in the same year as Baldur’s Gate 3, the biggest RPG games of the year and universally praised.

It stars Chris Pine, Michelle Rodriguez, Regé-Jean Page, Justice Smith, Sophia Lillis, and Hugh Grant in “Evil” mode.

The film follows bard Edgin Darvis (Pine) and barbarian Holga Kilgore (Rodriguez), who enlist a team of unlikely heroes to steal an ancient and powerful relic but come into conflict with evil forces.

Fairly standard medieval fantasy, lifted by some witty writing and a script that does not suck. Fortunately all the actors look like they are having a good time, especially Hugh Grant who chews the scenery, even if most of it is CGI.

A fun movie worth the over two hour run time.

 

 

 

Sing 2 is a 2021 American animated musical comedy film that is the sequel to Sing (2016).

It was written and directed by Garth Jennings, co-directed by Christophe Lourdelet.

The story follows Buster Moon and his group putting on a show in Redshore City while working to impress an entertainment mogul and enlist a reclusive rock star to perform with the group.

Back with the main cast if Matthew McConaughey, Reese Witherspoon, Scarlett Johansson, Taron Egerton, Tori Kelly, Nick Kroll, Jennings, Peter Serafinowicz, Jennifer Saunders, and Nick Offerman from the first film.

This time adding Bobby Cannavale, Bono, Halsey, Pharrell Williams, Chelsea Peretti, Letitia Wright, and Eric André.

It’s more of the same. With a range of music from covers to new songs. It retains much of that I remember from the first, with all the glitz and glamour. A fun movie everyone can enjoy. And from the box-office ($408 million worth) they did.

 

 

The Wild Robot is a 2024 American animated science fiction survival film.

Based on the 2016 novel of the same name by Peter Brown, it was written for the screen and directed by Chris Sanders.

I did recognize the voice of Matt Berry as a Beaver. But I didn’t pick the voices of:
Pedro Pascal (Mandalorian) as Fink, a red fox .
Bill Nighy as Longneck, an elderly Canada goose.
Mark Hamill as Thorn, a grizzly bear.

The story is about a ROZZUM robot, lost on an island  during a storm. Later nicknamed “Roz”, the robot (She) attempts to advertise her services to the animals but only succeeds in terrifying them and injuring herself. But she finds her goal with a goose egg.

The story is packed with themes and ideas. Identity, friends/family and purpose.  Plus a surprising number of jokes about death and being eaten. But despite all that, it’s well written and provides a story with some surprising twists and turns.

Well worth seeing. And again the box office proves this, making $198 million on a $78 million budget.

 

Xenomorph Trouble

Alien: Romulus (2024 Film)

Set between the events of Alien (1979) and Aliens (1986). The film stars Cailee Spaeny, David Jonsson, Archie Renaux, Isabela Merced, Spike Fearn, and Aileen Wu.

It follows two pairs of siblings and couples, all downtrodden young space colonists, who encounter hostile creatures while scavenging a derelict space station.

This takes a lot from the first two films. It has the gritty realism of the first, then in the third act has the action of the second.

I would put this on a par with the first four films. The more recent ones are ponderous rubbish. In the end the numbers speak for themselves; a $350 million box office based on an &80 million budget.

Anatomy of a Fall is a 2023 French legal drama film, directed by Justine Triet from a screenplay she co-wrote with Arthur Harari.

It stars Sandra Hüller as a writer trying to prove her innocence in her husband’s death.

The film premiered at the 76th Cannes Film Festival on 21 May 2023, where it won the Palme d’Or and the Palm Dog Award, and competed for the Queer Palm.

It was released theatrically in France by Le Pacte on 23 August 2023, receiving critical acclaim, winning six awards at the 49th César Awards, including Best Film.

The film also received five nominations at the 96th Academy Awards, including Best Picture, Best Director (Triet), Best Actress (Hüller), and won Best Original Screenplay.

Agree with all of the accolades above. The best film of the year (so far).

 

 

Beetlejuice Beetlejuice is a 2024 American dark fantasy comedy horror film directed by Tim Burton.

A sequel to Beetlejuice (1988)  the film stars Michael Keaton, Winona Ryder, and Catherine O’Hara reprising their roles alongside new cast members Justin Theroux, Monica Bellucci, Jenna Ortega, and Willem Dafoe.

Set more than three decades after the first Beetlejuice, it follows Lydia Deetz, now a mother, struggling to keep her family together in the wake of a loss as Betelgeuse[a] returns to haunt her.

The film takes some time to setup the situation, following in the death of the father. After a rather slow second act things really get going in the third part. There is some strange musical choices, and you will never think of “McArthur Park” the same way.

Although not as good as the first film, mainly due to how original it was, this is just as fun and macabre.

Deadpool & Wolverine is a 2024 American superhero film.

It is the 34th film in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) and the sequel to Deadpool (2016) and Deadpool 2 (2018).

The film was directed by Shawn Levy from a screenplay he wrote with Ryan Reynolds, Rhett Reese, Paul Wernick, and Zeb Wells.

In the film, Deadpool learns that the Time Variance Authority is set to destroy his home universe and works with a reluctant Wolverine from another universe to stop them.

I watched the first film and the second which wasn’t as good. I should have stopped there. This mashup of Marvel characters lacks a narrative focus and is a mess.

There is something about alternative universes, finding different versions of Wolverine in each. And time travel to go back and  fix something that went wrong somewhere.

It just consists of fast, blood soaked violence followed by everyone standing around so Reynolds can insult everyone using profanities.

At first it was amusing, then tiresome, then annoying until finally I gave up halfway through.

The best character was Matthew Macfadyen as Mr. Paradox, I hope he survived to the end.

 

Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby is a 2006 American sports comedy film directed by Adam McKay who co-wrote the film with Will Ferrell.

It features Ferrell as the Ricky Bobby, an immature yet successful NASCAR driver. The film also features John C. Reilly, Sacha Baron Cohen, Gary Cole, Michael Clarke Duncan, Leslie Bibb, Jane Lynch, and Amy Adams in supporting roles.

Will Ferrell can be funny, and there is potential on the story on a racing car driver with a natural talent who must face his rival , played by Sasha Baron Cohen sporting a very unnecessary accent.

So it starts OK, but by the half way mark it’s just not funny  and lacks any interesting characters to get behind.

Ferrell can be funny, just not here. I know he can do it…

 

 

Bride Wars is a 2009 American romantic comedy film directed by Gary Winick and written by Greg DePaul, June Diane Raphael, and Casey Wilson.

Two childhood best friends, who have made many plans together for their respective weddings, turn into sworn enemies in a race to get married first.

Thanks to the talents of Kate Hudson and Anne Hathaway this comedy works. Along for the ride is Kristen Johnston (3rd Rock from the Sun) and Chris Pratt.  Candice Bergen narrates plays the wedding planner.

The two women fall apart due to the conflict, pulling stunts on each other before a suitable mushy ending where they resolve their differences.