Category: Good Solid Movie

Boy Kills World “Review”

Release date: April 26, 2024 (USA)

Director: Moritz Mohr

Story by: Arend Remmers; Moritz Mohr

Distributed by: Roadside Attractions, Lionsgate Films

Box office: $1.7 million

Music by: Ludvig Forssell

For a movie not even on my radar a couple weeks back, the word of mouth and late feedback this week drew me in to watching this movie yesterday. I watched the trailer afterwards and wow that’s a fun entertaining trailer.

The movie opens up with a narrative voice over almost to that of Sin City meets Dead Pool humor. Throughout the movie this voice sat with me and then it hit! This is Bob from Bob’s Burgers. This honestly may have been what stole the entire film for me as I loved! Watching this movie with his commentary over the top.

Back to the opening however the story was to that of a Hunger Games meets Squid Games. Within this world is a yearly event called “The Culling” when people are rounded up based upon a list and killed. The villains in control of this entire thing is a family called Van Der Koy which have some interesting personalities. Sadly not enough to have kept me entertained when the fantastic H. Jon Benjamin isn’t voicing over the scenes occurring.

Without Boys voice over the later half of the movie does get a little boring and I waited for the next scene we get to have him back.

The reason why the voice over is so important and crucial to this movie is due to “Boy” played by Bill Skarsgård who’s also staring in the upcoming Crow movie. Is deaf and mute only able to read lips, which is rather funnily implemented and used during this feature. Boy is raised by a shaman due to loosing his entire family in The Culling and has one mission and purpose in life. To Kill Hilda Van Der Koy!

With his voice over inspired by a video game voice over from Boy’s childhood I love his interactions with other individuals throughout the movie. The fight choreography and cinematography used in this film is excellent and worth checking out as you go along this revenge plot with some intriguing tid bits that I’ll leave out for your discovery as you watch Boy Kills World.

Again word of movie drew in me into watch this title so I had a score in mind I wanted it to be at. In addition to having the bar set high with Challengers the previous day I was thinking of this title around an 8. Until sadly the lack of Boy’s voice over was truly felt and sadly the Van Der Koy family not being engaging enough for me personally when Boy isn’t interacting with them.

I couldn’t get to an 8 personally so felt 7.5 for Boy Kills World felt right sitting along side Monkey Man for 2024. Now if you’re not into the voice over for some reason this maybe a harder watch but maybe the action and other aspects of the film will be enjoyable enough viewing experience for you.

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Civil War “Review”

Release date: April 12, 2024 (UK)

Director: Alex Garland

Distributed by: A24, Entertainment Film Distributors

Budget: $50 million

Cinematography: Rob Hardy

Produced by: Andrew Macdonald; Allon Reich; Gregory Goodman

When Grace from beyond the trailer dropped an early review stating how bad this film was. I knew something controversial was upon us leading up to release. Once others started to review this film and praising it the other way I had tampered my expectations but never actually looked at the reviews other than their scores.

Apparently the add campaign was an issue giving misleading message on this film? I understood going in that we were following these journalist within a Civil War setting as they complete their objective story.

Apparently others thought we were going to see a War Film filmed around the Civil War. Not sure how the Press part was missed from that but anyway that’s the story being told.

I’ve absolutely loved Kirsten Dunst since Spiderman days and even further back to the days of Jumanji in 1995. I haven’t seen her since Melancholia unless I just forgot movies since 2011? Which is interesting as 2012 was when I moved to America from England. Looking up her Bio I see 2016 Hidden Figures however totally don’t remember her in that movie sadly.

This movie had very impactful moments which will grasp you in intense ways of fear and awe. From the chilling sounds of gun fire or the breath taking silence as you’re left waiting in knowingly what’s to come fear of an uncontrollable action.

All the actors played their roles well most of the movie. For two thirds of this movie I was with our characters on their journey from NYC to DC in attempts to interview the president on answers for how he’s dealing with this Civil War. A War mind you that has California & Texas on the same side :O what happened! I have no idea as this movie placed the viewer within the midst of the battle without any lead up or information outside what we’re seeing with our Press characters.

Maybe that’s where the dip in ratings for this movie comes from. The lack of context for the war or information on everything surrounding it. It was a great ride worth watching at least once. Sadly that final act went from a 7 to an 8 and back down to a 7 real quick as those epic action moments and final revelations of the strings being pulled quickly snapped and all came loose with odd direction and sadly unbelievable character decisions which came out of no where. Maybe another scene for them to develop those decisions but sadly wasn’t it for me.

I had a great time though and believe Civil War was a solid movie being scored personally as a 7/10. It offered something different of a War film but left me wanting a stronger conclusion on what was an intense enticing journey.

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Monkey Man “Review”

Release date: April 5, 2024 (USA)

Director: Dev Patel

Budget: 10 million USD

Producers: Dev Patel, Jordan Peele, Samarth Sahni, Erica Lee, MORE

Distributed by: Universal Pictures

Music by: Jed Kurzel

Monkey Man was a rollercoaster on where to rate this feature. I had a personal journey ranging between a 7 and an 8 /10.

Monkey Man is an intriguing entry into the revenge-thriller genre that manages to differentiate itself enough to stand on its own. Many individuals prior to my performance compared this to the John Wick series. This film, while steeped in the same visceral action and relentless pursuit of justice, deviates by weaving a more spiritual tapestry around its narrative core.

I found Monkey Man had strength in it’s ability to oscillate between its action packed sequences and the more serene moments of philosophical contemplation.

Unlike John Wick’s more personal vendetta, the protagonist is driven by a broader mission to avenge not just his own losses but the sufferings of others who have been wronged by the same villains.

Hearing after my viewing that no one wanted to pick this title up I was rather happy and thankful that Jordan Peele came to Dev Patel’s aid in producing this feature.

It may bounce between a 7 and an 8 in various aspects. I felt a 7.5 feels right for a movie that offers a satisfying blend of action and a deeper spiritual quest. A journey well worth taking those seeking more than just bullets and bloodshed.

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Sting (2024) “Review”

I was rather lucky to have seen this movie ahead of it’s release. My local theatre started to run mystery movies and this was the first in their mystery horror line up.

Going in I thought the movie was The Last Omen until I saw the trailer play prior. Once this title begun I was rather excited to finally see a new movie that I had not seen a single trailer for prior. In fact I’ve seen very little being mentioned of this title leading up to it’s release on April 12th.

I absolutely loved the setup of this feature introducing us to the situation and then going back 4 days prior to how these events unfold.

Now I’d like to keep this spoiler free but there’s a giant spider in front of our faces so let’s address that first. Despite Charlotte’s grand mother calling the exterminator to deal with noises going on within her walls. Charlotte is introduced as a meteor crashes though the attic window and reveals to her in a form of a spider (Alien Spider? o.O) lets name it “Sting”.

Charlotte is a rebellious 12 year old girl who takes quite a liking and fascination of this spider and uses the pipes to descend down from this apartment building of flats to her living quarters with her mother, brother and mothers boyfriend. The cinematography was remarkable and I can see this movie either being a niche film with strong followers or a solid good film for the masses.

As the poster suggests, this fear just gets bigger and I’ll allow you to dive into this 1 Hour 30 Minute feature to see just how deep this tale goes and if you’re strong enough to prevail against the webbing and do battle with moth balls.

On the descent down to Charlotte’s room I loved the use to get glimpses into all our supporting characters and taking perfect snap shots of their daily lives to grow and connect with throughout. I was pleasantly surprised by this feature and happily give it 7.5. Let’s not bash Imaginary once more but considering this was an R rating film you can see what having that safety net what can be done with your big bad.

Look forward to this title coming April 12th hopefully to a theatre near you. This was a first getting to review a title early and hope I intrigued and left mystery for you to enjoy what horror’s to come.

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Godzilla X Kong: The New Empire “Review”

Release date: March 29, 2024 (USA)

Director: Adam Wingard

Distributed by: Toho Co., Ltd., Warner Bros., Warner Bros. Pictures

Based on: Godzilla; by Toho Co., Ltd.

Budget: $135 million

Music by: Tom Holkenborg; Antonio Di Iorio

How does one begin to write this other than going all in with a mighty titan rawr!

Godzilla X Kong is a monster movie through and through. Switch off your brain. Grab the bag of popcorn and let’s get into some mighty titan action in this epic feature. The New Empire maybe crossed over with ghostbusters Frozen Empire last week but that doesn’t get in the way with introducing the epicnes that is Godzilla & Kong.

Since their battle with Mecha Godzilla in the last installment Godzilla now watches over and protects that of the human world. Kong has resided to the hollow earth and protects its lands whilst in search for his family and home.

Sadly once these beautiful titans have been introduced we have the humans. Which are the weakest point of this film and could have easily been reduced by half their screen time for a better monster flick.

For those that have seen the trailer you’ve seen a lot of beats from the film including the poster. However this movie can’t really be spoiled as the amount of depth / lore is king of tarnished by the humans storylines. Kong easily has the best story and reminds me of Kong X God Of War.

Speaking of human storylines, we’re introduced to our merry band of human characters when Kong goes to the dentist. A mini series I’d love to watch as a joke. Kong despite taking a beating from Godzilla in the previous movie seems to be in more pain going to the dentist than almost dying to Godzilla.

Something is calling to Jia whom is connected to Kong, she’s an orphaned Iwi Native to Skull Island. In addition something is calling to Godzilla as he goes around powering himself up against other titans.

Godzilla X Kong is a beautiful movie and truly something to behold. Each time we visit locations on earth and Hollow Earth its breath taking. Diving back to Hollow Earth Kong enters into a deeper earth undiscovered and finds a tribe of other Kong’s before epic battles with rather funny attacks with a certain new friend.

This is where I couldn’t see Kong outside of him playing Kratos and our new friend being Atreus. Which I absolutely loved and would have cut all the humans out of the movie from here out to just see more Kong and Godzilla.

Godzilla took the meme a little far with “ima firin mah lazer” which was so cool to see but got comical. If the humans took a backseat I’d have given this movie an easy 8/10 however I settled with a 7.5 due to how cool Kong’s scenes / story were. How epic the battles got with Kong & Godzilla and all the visuals which I’d love to see this movie once more for.

I won’t go into spoilers from here despite seeing a lot of this in the trailers / poster. I’ll just say that after Kong finds the movies big bad it’s voiced over in my head as “It was at this point this movie became a popcorn action monster movie and went over 9000% insane!”

I’ll sum it up as Kong going into the MCU and securing the infinity gauntlet and thors hammer. Godzilla came from power rangers and called out It’s Rawring time. Other characters maybe X Avatar? But what do I know the scenes were insane!

Nothing to stay for at the ending, no mid nor end credit scene. Movie ends pretty nicely and I’m curious where the series can go from here? For those that know this lore. What Titans are yet to appear or lands yet to be discovered? Love to hear in the comments.

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Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire “Review”

Release date: March 22, 2024 (USA)

Director: Gil Kenan

Distributed by: Sony Corporation

Based on: Ghostbusters; by: Dan Aykroyd; Harold Ramis

Box office: $7,521 (Iceland)

Budget: $100 million

Is 2024 picking up? Well it’s definitely improving with our new contender Ghostbusters Frozen Empire. The opening to this film was such a fantastic setup. Loved the mood, the atmosphere the scene created and the tension felt entering 1904 within a very familiar location ;).

Walter Peck is back and still hates the ghostbusters finding any little thing to bring them down and destroy their ghost corp. 40 years later and still gunning for them 😛 gotta love William Atherton.

I have to give it to Gil Kenan for being able to navigate between Ghostbusters of the 80’s and weaving in the modern story that Afterlife setup. At times this felt so ghostbusters in areas and I love it! So many throw backs and returning characters to enjoy and discover along the way.

If Ghostbusters is PG13 horror then Imaginary was a G rating in comparison because there was so many good spooky tension and ghosts in this movie. Thoroughly enjoyed the expanded world, almost felt like I just watched the first movie and jumped forward in time to 2024 and seeing how this Ghostbusters universe had grown since saving New York city.

I’d compare the universe being that of GB 1 being Jurassic Park and GB Frozen Empire being Jurassic World. Maybe this will pay off down the road if more sequels get created? Will the series have an end point or left open to continue exploring? As long as the story is good I’m down to keep watching.

This title explores and develops lore for 4000 years which you can imagen many stories can be told if their going back that far. Did it weaken the ending? I felt so, bringing down something that felt like a potential 8 to a 7/10. The wrap up of the conflict was kind of weak sauce and didn’t feel right with how quick things progressed.

Ghostbusters Frozen Empire was a fun ride and I’d return for another or a repeat viewing for sure. Hopefully this family continues and maybe give room for other characters to be allowed to be developed going forth?

If you’re still sitting in the theatre past the first end credit scene then save yourself some time and leave already. Nothing at the end of the credits just a mid credit scene.

Enjoy yourself a spooky fun ghostbuster time and I look forward to hearing your thoughts in the comments.

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Drive Away Dolls “Review”

Release date: February 23, 2024 (USA)

Director: Ethan Coen

Distributed by: Universal Pictures, Focus Features

Box office: $3.2 million

Cinematography: Ari Wegner

Music by: Carter Burwell

Drive Away Dolls was an over the top fun road trip with a highly sought after brief case. When Jamie, our overly sex positive lead has been caught sleeping around by her partner. Jamie finds herself getting kicked out and joining her friend Marian on a road trip of random sexual events to their destination Tallahassee, Fla.

For such a short movie it’d be hard not to cover a lot of what the trailer attempts to avoid showing. The main focus is on these two best friends on a sexual journey of self discovery and finding a lot of heart through the endless bouts of raw sexual need.

On the other hand, with such an epic intro to this film before the very R rated sexual nature of Jamie kicks in. We find ourselves on a search for a briefcase at the pivotal point of this film with our (The audience’s) friend Curlie whom gives away the car stowing away said briefcase to the wrong party (Our 2 lady friends) rather than these “mafia” style men.

They to had grown very much on me over this hour and 20 minute film as the writing and development of each of the characters was such a delight to follow and be apart of this long journey.

If a solid R rated sexual, bloody, and raunchy title is suited to you packed with sex and violence then this title is a fun watch. For the length invested I’d suggest this movie if you’re looking to discover yourself, wanting to watch something with a lot of heart or a crazy over the top road trip packed with shock after shock moments. The trailer does keep things well under wraps to leave room for surprise if you’d like to check it out first or go in blind.

A solid 7/10 would be my rating for this fun feature that I could find myself watching again down the road. (Just maybe avoid watching with family members unless this content doesn’t make that awkward).

The only thing I still don’t understand is the trippy psychedelic expositions between scenes that randomly occurred. I’ll let you explore that for yourselves.

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Mean Girls 2024 (Musical)”Review”

Release date: January 12, 2024

Directors: Samantha Jayne, Arturo Perez Jr.

Story by: Tina Fey, Nell Benjamin

Distributed by: Paramount Pictures

Budget: $36 million

Cinematography: Bill Kirstein

Mean Girls 2024 or Musical as you may have not guessed from seeing the trailer but this adaptation is from the Broadway musical made into a feature length film.

When it comes to musicals I’ll usually say “I’m not a fan of Sound of Music but love more modern musicals like sweeney Todd, la la land” etc. Which carry the movie forward via the song rather what I perceived of the little Sound of Music I saw a random song outburst.

It’s been a hot minute since I watched the original Mean Girls but my golly I didn’t realize it had been 20 years :O wowzah!

The actors in this movie did a great job and honestly I loved the lot. My favorites would be Auli’i Cravalho playing Janis Sarkisian & Jaquel Spivey playing Damian Hubbard. Hands down I loved all their scenes the most. Mahi Alam playing Kevin Gnapoor reminded me of a funny character from The Guild Zaboo played by Sandeep Parikh.

I’d totally watch more from these characters in another 20 years if they decide to continue / remake this film once more for a newer generation.

The production team did a fantastic job brining this into 2024 with all the current social media trends and platforms. It was a good time and honestly a fun watch.

My Popped rating for Mean Girls 2024 Musical is a 7/10.

Now ratings may change throughout the year as we start to fill in our top 10 but currently for 2024 this is in my top 10. Stay tuned for more on this and my highly anticipated movies in 2024 in an upcoming post :D.

Thanks for reading and joining us for my review / thoughts on the Mean Girls Musical. Pop a comment on your thoughts with Mean Girls and lets discuss our favorite musical score, scenes and moments.

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