4 Big Summer Movies

I recently saw four movies that are currently in theaters. I'm ranking my reviews in the order that I enjoyed them from best to worst.

Top Gun: Maverick- I wasn't a huge fan of the original Top Gun when I saw it as a teenager. It's crazy that someone could do a sequel nearly 35 years after the original movie and it could be so successful. This movie has been postponed since 2020 because of Covid so I think people were ready to see it when it finally made it to theaters. I liked this sequel. I especially enjoyed the fighter scenes. They were so intense that I found myself clinching my muscles in the theater so I wouldn't pass out with the excessive G force. I hope Hollywood takes note at how successful this pro- America, toxic masculinity movie was and realizes not every film has to be politically correct and push a woke agenda. It was like going to the movies in the 80's again. I give it 7.8 stars.

The Gray Man- I only heard of this movie a week ago. I noticed it was playing in theaters but then realized it was also on Netflix so I watched it from home. This movie is extremely fake and predictable but I still liked it. There was more globe trotting around Europe than most James Bond movies. The action was non-stop and it was fun to see Chris Evans as the villain. I was thoroughly entertained and surprised at what had to be a huge budget for a Netflix movie. I give it 7.3 stars.

Dr. Strange In The Multitude of Madness- At least they named it accurately. The last Spider Man movie set a high bar for confusing plots spanning multiple universes and realities, and this movie tried to keep that concept going or even surpass it. I have not seen the WandaVision series on Disney so I'm sure I was missing something about her backstory which didn't help. It was interesting and action packed but I felt it was too busy and jumbled. I also didn't care for the new America Chavez character that much. It was ok but I only give it 6.8 stars.

Thor: Love and Thunder- There have been too many movies and spin off series from the Marvel Universe over the last 4 years. I feel they really hit their peak with End Game and have just been pumping out mediocre stuff since then. I liked Thor Ragnarok and appreciated the light hearted and humorous style. Korg was funny in that movie but is starting to turn into Jar Jar Binks the more we see him. Christian Bale was a great in his role and I wish he had more screen time. Some of the special effects were amazing but others, not so much. I usually like most stuff from Taika Waititi but some parts of this movie just bothered me. An example of this is Thor giving the kidnapped kids a big group hug and each of them shooting lighting out of their fingers and stuffed animals to kill the monsters. It's hard to take a superhero movie seriously when it's so whimsical and keeps changing gears. Also, it appears that Chris Hemsworth hogged all the budget for personal training, gear, and nutrition. He looked incredible, but he should have shared some of his secrets with Russell Crowe. I give Thor: Love and Thunder 6.4 stars. 

Last 5 Movies Scene Ranked

Here are some of the movies I've seen over the last couple months. As usual you are lucky to get more than two sentences from me on these. I've ranked them in order by how much I enjoyed them.

The Batman- I saw this movie twice and actually liked it a little bit more after the second viewing. This version of Batman is a little more goth, broody, and withdrawn, but I thought Pattinson did a decent job. The film  was very dark, in fact during some scenes I was wondering why the police and forensic workers didn't bother turning on any lights to look for evidence. I enjoyed it and am glad to see DC produce a better super hero movie. I give it 7.9 stars.

Death On The Nile- I've been waiting for 3 years for this movie to finally come out in theaters. I may be in the minority here, but I really liked it. Having re-watched the original recently, I was concerned there would not be any surprises but this remake took some liberties by modifying original characters, creating some interesting back stories, and still keeping some twists and surprises for viewers who may think they already know how it will turn out. I really like Kenneth Branagh and he moved up the ranks as one of my favorite actor/directors with this. I give it 7.7 stars.

Ghostbusters: Afterlife- This was a nice sequel. My kids were unfamiliar with the original Ghostbusters movies so I had to get them up to speed about the plots of the prior movies and certain details like the stay puff marshmallow man.  I liked seeing the second generation's experience with Ghostbusting and I thought it had a touching tribute to Harold Ramis and the original cast in the end. I give it 7.1 stars.

Shang-Chi and The Legend of The Ten Rings- Not a fan of the long title and maybe I'm a little burnt out on Marvel super heroes, because I've had a hard time getting excited for one since Infinity War had such a nice conclusion but I guess Disney will continue to pump out sequels, prequels, alternate universe movies, etc. Overall, I liked it, but it's not one of my favorites. I give it 6.9 stars.

The Lost City- I was not expecting anything more than a silly romantic comedy and that's what I got. I thought it was a fun movie and it didn't take itself too seriously and that always makes it easier to overlook movie flaws. I think it makes a great date movie. I give it 6.7 stars. 

Spider Man: No Way Home

I recently saw Spider-Man: No Way Home and I really liked it. I'd rank it as one of the best Marvel Movies. I didn't think Marvel could outdo Infinity War with complicated plots and multiple characters from different movies interacting with each other but they did a great job doing so with the entire Spider Man franchise. I give the writers, researchers, and comic book geeks who contributed to the story a lot of credit for a job well done of using the Metaverse concept and having a complicated yet entertaining plot.

I've enjoyed Toby Maguire, Andrew Garfield, and Tom Holland in the role of Spider Man, but Holland is probably my favorite. It was fun to see all three of them working together at the end of the movie and to see the things each of their characters had in common despite their differences. It was also a nice touch to let Garfield Save MJ from the fall in this movie since he was unable to in his own universe.

I think all the performances were good but Willem Dafoe stole the show. He was even better as the Green Goblin in this film than he was in the original. The other villains paled in comparison to him. The only thing that could make it better would be if Bully Maguire also made an appearance.

Anyway, I thought this was a fun movie and I give it 8.1 stars.

My Latest Movie Rankings

Since being back in the U.S. I've watched several movies. Here are my rankings for the most recent films I've seen. This time we will rank them from best to worst (according to my opinion.) If you disagree feel free to comment or start your own blog where you can be a powerful critic like myself.

Dune- I was really looking forward to seeing this updated version of Dune and was not disappointed. Everything was great including the cast, special effects, and the entire production quality. It may be a little dark and dramatic for some but is very well done. Even someone who is not familiar with the background or story of the Dune books would like it. My only suggestion is to not stream it at home but to see it on the big screen. I saw it in an IMAX theater and was glad I did. I give it a solid 8.2 stars.

No Time To Die- Daniel Craig finishes out his run as James Bond and nicely wraps up all of his prior movies with this one. Unlike the prior Bond actors, Craig's movies have been more linear and built upon each other with recurring characters more like a series. I've enjoyed Daniel Craig as James Bond and it has fun to see his gradual evolution in this role. This may not be my favorite in the series but it was a satisfying finale for his character. I give it 7.6 stars.

Eternals- I have enjoyed most of the prior Marvel movies but this one just felt different. There were too many characters and back stories unleashed at once. I liked the concept behind the movie but it probably should have been a series of movies instead of one busy movie. It also seems like some of the super powers were copied from more popular characters. I felt like I was watching a lesser version of Superman, Flash, Magneto, etc. I also did not care for the villains in this movie, there was no heart to them. They just looked like crazy CGI monsters. Eternals still had some entertaining and funny scenes but I only give it 6.6 stars.

Old- I have a love/hate relationship with M. Night Shyamalan. I love the concepts behind most of his movies and his surprise endings, but I am also irritated with little details and and simple things he could tweak to make the movie so much better. This film was missing a big movie star name unlike many of his others. The best known actor in this was Rufus Sewell. I'm not sure if it was the awkward dialogue or the actors but something just felt off. The family all had different accents and didn't look like they belonged together. Anyway, I'm glad he made another movie and I only give it 6.0 stars.

A Plethora of Reviews

 A couple weeks ago I flew back to the United States and watched a bunch of movies on my plane rides as well as some recent movies in the theater. Here is my lists of one paragraph reviews ranked from worst to best.

Chaos Walking- This movie had a lot of potential and an interesting plot. I didn't think it was as bad as I had heard, but it still fell flat. I had a hard time with Daisy Ridley's character who made Kristen Stewart in Twilight seem like Meryl Streep. I give it 6.2 stars.

Black Widow- I love superhero movies but am a little Marveled out. I kind of wish they would have let things rest a while after Infinity War. I suppose this prequel was ok but I had a hard time really getting into it. I give it 6.6 stars.

Jungle Cruise- I really like The Rock, Emily Blunt, and bad puns but I'd have to put this in the category of The Haunted Mansion movie. Maybe next year Disney will make the movie Thunder Mountain Railroad staring Brad Pitt. It was still entertaining enough to give it 6.7 stars.

A Quiet Place 2- I really enjoyed the first one and this prequel/sequel just felt like a re-boot or seeing more footage of the same thing. I was entertained by it but just felt like the story was repeated as opposed to progressed. I give it 7.1 stars.

Free Guy- This was a fun movie and it reminded me a lot of The Truman Show. It was a creative idea that I'm sure most gamers would appreciate. Ryan Reynolds and Taika Waititi were very entertaining. I give it 7.4 stars.

The Courier- This was a more serious movie than the previous ones mentioned in this post. It is a true story about a British spy in Russia during the Cold War. Despite being slow paced and not having any action, it was suspenseful and held my attention and Benedict Cumberbatch had a great performance. I give it 7.5 stars.

Jo Jo Rabbit- I'm slow getting around to some movies and finally saw this film. I knew it was a parody of Hitler but I wasn't sure what to expect. I was surprised by the combination of humor mixed with very serious subject matter. I really liked it and give it 7.9 stars.