Gladiator II (2024) - Review

Gladiator II (2024) - Review

Directed by: Ridley Scott

Written by: David Scarpa

Starring: Paul Mescal, Pedro Pascal, Joseph Quinn, Fred Hechinger, Lior Raz, Derek Jacobi, Connie Nielsen, Denzel Washington

Runtime: 148 min

Synopsis: Years after witnessing the death of Maximus at the hands of his uncle, Lucius must enter the Colosseum after the powerful emperors of Rome conquer his home. With rage in his heart and the future of the empire at stake, he looks to the past to find the strength and honor needed to return the glory of Rome to its people.

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Role Play (2024) - Review

Role Play (2024) - Review

Directed by: Thomas Vincent

Written by: Andrew Baldwin, Seth W. Owen

Starring: Kaley Cuoco, David Oyelowo, Connie Nielsen, and Bill Nighy

Runtime: 100 min

Synopsis: Emma and Dave have the seemingly perfect life - two kids, suburban house, good jobs - but after seven years of marriage they find themselves in a bit of a rut. For their wedding anniversary this year they are looking to spice things up with a little role play. They plan to meet as strangers in a hotel bar, but before Dave arrives, Emma catches the eye of a mysterious older man. The mystery gentleman recognizes Emma - as an international assassin for hire with a bounty on her head.

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Origin - Review | Venice 2023

Origin - Review | Venice 2023

Directed by: Ava DuVernay

Written by: Ava DuVernay

Starring: Aunjanue Ellis-Taylor, Jon Bernthal, Niecy Nash-Betts, Vera Farmiga, Audra McDonald, Nick Offerman, Blair Underwood, Connie Nielsen, Emily Yancy, Jasmine Cephas-Jones, Finn Wittock, Victoria Pedretti, Isha Blaaker, Myles Frost

Runtime: 130 min

Synopsis: The remarkable life and work of Pulitzer Prize winning author Isabel Wilkerson as she investigates the genesis of injustice and uncovers a hidden truth that affects us all.

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Mini-Reviews - 2021 Edition

Mini-Reviews - 2021 Edition

Usually, I prepare this type of article near the end of each year and upload mini-reviews that I have in store for a few films I didn’t have time to write a full opinion piece on. I’m going to do things differently in 2021 so that I can publish my thoughts on every movie I see this year without missing a single one. Even with much fewer films in 2020, I still found myself struggling with time, so I expect 2021 will go down the same road, sooner or later.

Therefore, this article will contain the same concise opinions you’ve seen in other pieces like this. Small reviews of some movies I can’t afford the time to write 800+ words on due to external situations that might occur in my life. In most cases, these are going to be films that won’t have that much of an impact on my year-end reflection of the best/worst movies I’ve seen in 2021.

This section will be updated each time I add a new entry, as well as its date of publication, so these compact opinions can be seen by everyone at any time.

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Zack Snyder's Justice League (2021) - SPOILER-FREE Review

Zack Snyder's Justice League (2021) - SPOILER-FREE Review

Directed by: Zack Snyder

Written by: Chris Terrio

Starring: Ben Affleck, Henry Cavill, Gal Gadot, Ray Fisher, Jason Momoa, Ezra Miller, Amy Adams, Willem Dafoe, Jesse Eisenberg, Jeremy Irons, Diane Lane, Connie Nielsen, J. K. Simmons

Runtime: 242 min

Synopsis: Determined to ensure Superman’s (Henry Cavill) ultimate sacrifice was not in vain, Bruce Wayne (Ben Affleck) aligns forces with Diana Prince (Gal Gadot) with plans to recruit a team of metahumans to protect the world from an approaching threat of catastrophic proportions. The task proves more difficult than Bruce imagined, as each of the recruits must face the demons of their own pasts to transcend that which has held them back, allowing them to come together, finally forming an unprecedented league of heroes. Now united, Batman, Wonder Woman, Aquaman (Jason Momoa), Cyborg (Ray Fisher), and The Flash (Ezra Miller) may be too late to save the planet from Steppenwolf, DeSaad, Darkseid, and their dreadful intentions.

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Justice League (2017) - SPOILER-FREE Review

Justice League (2017) - SPOILER-FREE Review

Directed by: Joss Whedon, Zack Snyder

Written by: Chris Terrio, Joss Whedon

Starring: Ben Affleck, Henry Cavill, Amy Adams, Gal Gadot, Ezra Miller, Jason Momoa, Ray Fisher, Jeremy Irons, Diane Lane, Connie Nielsen, J. K. Simmons, Ciarán Hinds

Runtime: 119 min

Synopsis: Fueled by his restored faith in humanity and inspired by Superman's selfless act, Bruce Wayne (Ben Affleck) enlists newfound ally Diana Prince (Gal Gadot) to face an even greater threat. Together, Batman and Wonder Woman work quickly to recruit a team to stand against this newly awakened enemy. Despite the formation of an unprecedented league of heroes - Batman, Wonder Woman, Aquaman (Jason Momoa), Cyborg (Ray Fisher), and The Flash (Ezra Miller) - it may be too late to save the planet from an assault of catastrophic proportions.

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Wonder Woman 1984 (2020) - SPOILER-FREE Review

Wonder Woman 1984 (2020) - SPOILER-FREE Review

Directed by: Patty Jenkins

Written by: Patty Jenkins, Geoff Johns, Dave Callaham

Starring: Gal Gadot, Chris Pine, Kristen Wiig, Pedro Pascal, Robin Wright, Connie Nielsen

Runtime: 151 min

Synopsis: Wonder Woman (Gal Gadot) squares off against Maxwell Lord (Pedro Pascal) and the Cheetah (Kristen Wiig), a villainess who possesses superhuman strength and agility.

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Wonder Woman (2017) - SPOILER-FREE Review

Wonder Woman (2017) - SPOILER-FREE Review

Directed by: Patty Jenkins

Written by: Allan Heinberg

Starring: Gal Gadot, Chris Pine, Connie Nielsen, Robin Wright, David Thewlis, Danny Huston, Elena Anaya, Ewen Bremner, Saïd Taghmaoui

Runtime: 141 min

Synopsis: Gal Gadot portrays Diana, an Amazon princess that lives peacefully on an island of only women warriors until Steve Trevor (Chris Pine), a man (!), crashes his plane into the water nearby. After saving him, she learns that the world is going through war and she decides to help him in order to fulfill the destiny of her people and restore peace all around the planet, while also discovering who she really is.

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