Film: Won't You Be My Neighbor?

GENRE: Documentary

RATING: PG13 for some language
RUNTIME: 1 hour and 34 minutes

DIRECTOR: Morgan Neville (20 Feet from Stardom)

PLOT: The life and legacy of an iconic children’s TV host.

FULL DISCLOSURE: Loved Mr. Rogers Neighborhood as a child

STORY STUFF: A great in depth look at Fred Rogers. His commitment to children and helping through kindness is so needed right now. Not too much of a stretch when someone calls him the second coming of Jesus. He’s the ultimate role model. It brought a tear to my eye a couple times. His defense of PBS to the senate and the response made me well up. While the doc likes to contrast Rogers with the violence of children shows, they are unfair by not mentioning other helpful shows like Mr. Dress-Up, The Friendly Giant and Sesame Street.

ACTING STUFF: Good choice of interviewees.

ARTISTIC STUFF: Good classic footage. The added animation was just okay. Not much more to say.

VERDICT: Three and a half stars out of five

SEE IT IF: You watched the show or appreciate human kindness

UPCOMING REVIEWS: Fall Television Preview

Film: Mission:Impossible - Fallout

GENRE: Action

RATING: PG13 for violence and some language
RUNTIME: 2 hours and 27 minutes

STARRING: Tom Cruise (Minority Report, Top Gun, Edge of Tomorrow)

Henry Cavill (Man of Steel), Ving Rhames (Pulp Fiction, Con Air)

DIRECTOR: Christopher McQuarrie (MI4: Rogue Nation, Jack Reacher)

WRITER: McQuarrie (Usual Suspects, Valkyrie, Edge of Tomorrow)

PLOT: Ethan Hunt tries to track down some plutonium without releasing a former adversary 

FULL DISCLOSURE: Expectations high. Love this series.

STORY STUFF: What a fun ride! With the exception of the second installment, I thoroughly enjoy all the Mission Impossible films. Love the action, the double-crosses, the humour and the outrageous stunts. This one is no exception. While I found the story a tad more complicated, the awesomeness more than made up for it. I found it a bit confusing that they didn’t start off with a big action sequence like the last couple. And their version of fifteen minutes greatly differs with reality. But these are small quibbles when it comes to this action flick. I also really enjoyed the locations this time around (especially St. Paul’s Cathedral).

ACTING STUFF: Cruise is his intense self. Rhames and Simon Pegg (Shaun of the Dead) are fun like always. The bad guys are not too cartoonish. Alec Baldwin (30 Rock) also shines. Not a fan of Angela Basset but I have my reasons (much like Susan Sarandon).  

ARTISTIC STUFF: The action sequences are amazing. Every chase is edge of your seat fantastic. It helps knowing it’s not just a bunch of CG effect. These films are just so well produced. Bring on the next sequel.

VERDICT: Five stars out of five

SEE IT IF: You want to see a great action flick on the big screen.

UPCOMING REVIEWS: Won’t You Be My Neighbor?

Film: Skyscraper

GENRE: Action

RATING: PG13 for violence and some language
RUNTIME: 1 hour and 42 minutes

STARRING: Dwayne Johnson (Jumanji 2, Moana, Rampage, Baywatch)

Neve Campbell (Scream), Chin Han (The Dark Knight, Ghost in the Shell)

DIRECTOR: Rawson Marshall Thurber (Dodgeball, Central Intelligence)

WRITER: Thurber (Dodgeball, Central Intelligence)

PLOT: The Rock jumps into a burning skyscraper to save his family from terrorists. From a crane.  

FULL DISCLOSURE: Low expectations but felt compelled.

STORY STUFF: Where to begin? Skyscraper tries to be Die Hard but dies easily and quickly. This film was cringingly predictable. The first five minutes or so set up all the obstacles and solutions that would happen at the end of the film. The casting department should be fired. Two of the people introduced were so obviously bad guys; the actors often play bad guys and they even look evil. Epic fail. I also hate it when cops are morons and are untrusting of the protagonists. Also, joining the cops to possibly take down people instead of staying safe with your asthmatic son? Mother of the year folks. This film is laughable and not intentionally. Mystery Science Theatre 3000 would have a hay day.

ACTING STUFF: Bad guy was terrible. Couldn’t even understand his accent at times. Campbell was okay but made some bonehead moves. Johnson got the job done but wasn’t as charismatic as he usually is. Everyone else was cardboard.

ARTISTIC STUFF: There were some interesting (and bizarre) aspects of the skyscraper. The stunts were comically impossible and mostly found in the trailer. Hard to believe you can scale the side of building with duct tape wrapped around your hands. Ethan Hunt is wasting too much money on gadgets in Mission: Impossible apparently.

VERDICT: Half a star out of five

SEE IT IF: You need something to snicker at or you’re a pyromaniac

UPCOMING REVIEWS: Mission: Impossible – Fallout

Film: Ant-Man and the Wasp

GENRE: Action

RATING: PG13 for sci-fi violence
RUNTIME: 1 hour and 58 minutes

STARRING: Paul Rudd (I Love You Man, Anchorman, Our Idiot Brother)

Evangeline Lilly (Lost, Hobbit), Michael Pena (Crash, End of Watch)

DIRECTOR: Peyton Reed (Ant-Man, Yes Man, The Break Up)

WRITERS: Chris McKenna & Erik Sommers (Spiderman: Homecoming)

Paul Rudd (Role Models), Andrew Barrer & Gabriel Ferrari (newcomers)

PLOT: Scott tries to help Hope and Hank rescue Janet from the Quantum Realm while still being under house arrest from Civil War.

FULL DISCLOSURE: Not a fan of Lilly. Liked the first Ant-Man.

STORY STUFF: The story is not too bad but I can’t believe it took five people to write it. The push of the story works with the attempts to rescue Hank’s wife. The villain is refreshingly not trying to rule the world. However, the Walton Goggins (Justified) role seems tacked on, it doesn’t seem like there is much to do for Pena and his boys (but I like their company name), and the ex-wife and her husband are nothing like their original roles – a little too supportive for my taste.

ACTING STUFF: While everyone performs relatively well, I really enjoyed Randall Park (Fresh Off the Boat) as Det. Woo trying to catch the elusive Scott Lang violating his house arrest. Of course, Rudd is at his charming best. Pena gets to have some fun as well. Still not a fan of Lilly but at least her hair looked better this time around.

ARTISTIC STUFF: Good use of CG and playing with size. Also nice to see more of San Francisco in this one.

VERDICT: Three stars out of five

SEE IT IF: You liked Ant-Man or feel the need to watch all Marvel films

UPCOMING REVIEWS: Skyscraper, Mission: Impossible – Fallout