dharma

Secret Headquarters is the epitome of why studios are backing down from making 'half baked' movies geared towards streaming. You can see that with a higher budget and a more polish, this film would be a pretty decent flick. Alas, it is not to be and the film seemed to be shot on 1 soundstage, with some outdoor shots thrown in.

Poignant sequel to the original Black Panther was an almost 'impossible sequel', losing its main actor before its production. But somehow the main casts and director pulled through and made a sequel that is on some level better than the original. Unemcumbered by the Marvel formula, Coogler was given carte blanche by Marvel to create a sequel that provides closure to Boseman's passing. A great film and worth a watch.

Funny comedy film could have been better, considering the great casts involved in this project. Jonah Hill, Eddie Murphy, David Duchovny, Julia Louis ****'s a pity that the flick is not as good as it could have been. Some funny set pieces near the beginning, but they are so sporadic and cringe worthy in later parts.

Another great entry from producer James Wan. Incredibly smart 'thriller' is actually a throwback to one of my favorite genre in the 90's, but jacked up for the 21st century. A bit of **** actually provides a great social commentary on our reliance on gadgets to 'pacify' our kids. Enough said, a great and entertaining flick. Go and see it.

The Golden Globe award winner is typical award fare; well acted and shot but will leave normal viewers scratching their heads. Kudos to Farrell who is quite good in this flick. This and the Batman made him a force to be reckoned with in 2022.

Entertaining sequel to Puss in Boots is more poignant than you think, addressing legacy and death in a somewhat entertaining way. It has a surprising quality to it, and a return to form to Dream works pictures.

She said is an investigative journalistic procedural drama that is done really well and riveting to watch. It is based on the real life Harvey Weinstein, who for one time was so untouchable that nobody can actually prosecute him until a couple of years ago. Obviously it is Oscar fodder that is worth a look.

Never underestimate James Cameron. From being called the sequel that nobody wanted, Avatar The Way of Water ends up being one of the year's top earner. It will probably end up north of 2 billion dollars at the end of its run. Visually stunning, and once the story moves to its underwater scenes, sights to behold and a very valid reason to see in 3-D Imax. This along with Top Gun Maverick provides experiences that you cannot get at home.

Entertaining, tense thriller starring literally the best cast you can think of. The biggest problem is of course how odd the premise is and it may not go well for the casual audience.

Rote adventure flick from Disney. This is the sort of genre that Disney tried to do in the last 2 decades, and flopped miserably. It has some good sci-fi ideas, but it reminds me of Disney's output after Walt's death, be it Tron, The Black Hole and the like. The whole endeavor feel so mundane and something that you watch on streaming. Not a theatrical release quality, despite its high budget. This is the sort of thing that Iger is being called upon to fix and hopefully, he will.

Entertaining sequel but is it really worth all the money that Netflix pays for? For $400 million for its rights, it is definetelly a head scratcher. What can I say? More of the same from Johnson, with some interesting twist and turns. The standout was actually Monae, who gave a really great performance. Well made and worth a watch.

Only Spielberg can elevate such a mundane story, with some of the greatest actors / actresses there are and give this so called semi-autobiographical film a bit of oomph. Other than that, I am an affocionado of his works and I find that this is his most self indulgent work yet. It is hard to make a biographical film when you are the one filming it. You do not get any angle on the main character; just a kid that wants to make motion pictures. However, the surrounding characters especially Williams is great as always.

Wow. This is the first time that the drama behind the making of the movie is more exciting than the movie itself. Without the cast- director in- fighting, this movie would have flopped big time. It should have been called 'Don't Bore me Darling'. The problem is that it's literally a half an hour of ideas stretched literally into 2 hours. It's a pastiche of concepts from better movies. Too bad that Florence Pugh as usual gave her all; production values are actually also quite good. Probably one of the biggest disappointment of the year for me.

Do you know why Disney is losing tons of money this year? Simply by putting cinema worthy films like Disenchanted straight to streaming. Like both Turning Red and Hulu's Prey, these are great films that are dumped to streaming simply to bolster its membership, leaving potentially hundred of millions of dollars of the table in revenue. This is a worthy successor to the original, returning Adams to the role that made her a star. The rests of the returning and new casts are no slouch either, bringing top notch singing and acting to this film. Along with new songs from maestro Alan Menken (and a dollop of balladering from Idina Menzel), you know that this will be a trip and a top notch Disney's film. Do not miss this flick.

Black Adam is a typical Rock's 'joint', re-fashioned as a super hero film. Some pretty good set pieces, but they're not special in any way. One of its biggest saving grace is Brosnan as Dr. Fate, who gave a really great performance. It's biggest problem: it is directed and made as if it was released in the early 2000s. There are many jarring pieces that are really out of place in today's superhero fares. The kid's entire dialogue, the weak villain amongst many. Hence, the lackluster performance worldwide of this flick. It's good that WB is under a new management. They really need all the help they can get to whip the DCEU back into shape.

Over rated but enjoyable horror flick has a pretty good atmosphere, wrapped around a 'mystery box' plot that is predictable to say the least. Worth a watch.

Entertaining, 'Harry Potter rip off' is based on a successful series of books. Some of the digital effects felt off, especially in the opening sequence, but it gets better as it goes along. What elevates this is Feig's deft hand in female relationships between the two leads. It also has a surprisingly strong supporting casts. All in all, better than you think it is, but sadly, not by much.

Let's get this out of the way. When Bullet Trains decide to be a 'kick ass' action film, with bullets, swords winging around in great set pieces, the film shines. Once it goes on to try to become 'Tarantino / Ritchie' lite, it falters. The problem is...this is a film that relies on the latter and you can see Leitch's weaknesses as a 'Director'. He can set up all these whiz bang things but he is essentially 'a 2nd unit director'. Dialogue driven pieces is not his strong suit, despite the incredibly stellar casts involved. Pacing and tone was all over the place, and if the flick was tightened to 100 minutes or less, then it would have been a decent '7 or more'.

Do Revenge is the sort of film that Netflix should specialize in: mid budget films in genres that may not be welcomed anymore in today's cinema going audience. What we have is is a teen film par excellent, well acted by all involved, with a pretty good 'twisty' plot. Enough said, highly recommended.

Better thank you think it is, but again like many of Disney's live remake, it's nothing that you haven't seen before. The casts however, lead by Hanks are pretty good and they put a lot of production values on what is essentially a film made for streaming.

Twisty, horror film is more in the reign of 'Jacob's Ladder' and the like, a slow burn thriller with a surprising twist. It has since become a cult classic and it deservedly so. Not everyone's cup of tea for sure.

Entertaining, superhero flick starring Stallone is more poignant than you think, thanks to the star's surprising grounded performance. The bad thing: some cheapo production values hamper what is essentially a very serviceable flick.

This year's Malignant, a horror flick courtesy of Jordan Peele, that will divide audiences and critics alike. It has an original concept, while paying homage to works from film makers such as Spielberg. To say more will be a travesty, but bear with the first slow half, before 'the bonkers' second half. This cements Peele as the next 'auteur' who, hopefully, can maintain his winning streak.

If you want to make a great biopic, look no further than Ron Howard. Some of his best films such as Apollo 13 and Beautiful Mind are based on real life events. This one is no different. It is riveting and well made, with an eye on authenticity. The only **** is a long movie and it seems that Howard made this to be seen on a streaming service, in this case on Prime.

The best Predator sequel since 1987. It is well acted, has a great setting (the wild, wild west) and kick ass action sequences. Sometimes I wonder why Hollywood couldn't be as effective in churning franchise flicks like this. Too bad it was sent to streaming, rumor has it due to some previous business agreements in the past.

Entertaining but slight little actioner has a great premise, but is simply a string of action sequences done better in previous films, but set in a medieval setting. Kudos for Joey King as she gives her A game especially in her action sequences. A pretty good watch on streaming.

It's quite typical that a sequel was made out of a beloved movie, and many of its original audiences came disappointed, just like Love and Thunder. The fact is the film's strength / weaknesses have always been there: its' strange mix of irreverent humor and pathos have always been Waititi's tone in Ragnarok. Kudos of course its new interpretation of Thor, a direction that Hemsworth has championed since Ragnarok. It has made the character more of a comedic relief and hence, he is sidelined in his own movie, with other characters doing the heavy, dramatic lifting on his behalf. Other than that though, it's a pretty good addition to the MCU, but not up to par with anything that Phase 3 has concocted in the past.

Entertaining, cheesy spy thriller is 90's style redux, with a stellar cast to boot. Too bad that characterization goes out of the window in the name of spectacle, and it hurts the flick quite badly. However, critics missed the point of this film, this is the sort of film that Stallone and Arnold used to make back in the day, but brought forward to this day and age. Just turn off your brain and enjoy the ride.

Misguided, origin story is expertly animated as always by the Pixar team, but is so 'derivative' of so many previous anime science fiction films that you can see the story miles ahead. The fact is that if only the Pixar team simply made a straight forward space adventure film , then it would have been more accepted by audiences. Instead, it feels like they have aspirations to make a hard core sci-fi anime, that is shoehorned into this 'franchise'. People are expecting a straight forward origin story for Buzz, and not a subversion of expectations that is being presented here. Not a bad watch, but still a disappointment.

Bay's return to his usual wheel house is a 90's action film which was made 20 plus years too late. Maybe in the 90's this would a hit, but in today day and age, and in light of many, many great action films, this flick felt outdated despite a solid work from its casts. Seeing the dialogue being screamed at every turn, with fancy camerawork used to be cool, but now it felt nauseating and distracting.

Jurassic Park Dominion, the supposedly 'final' installment of this trilogy is a general letdown in many fronts. Like most of these so called new reboot-sequel, the quality declines with every installment. It has a lot of potential in the beginning, before dwelling into the same 'dino in an enclosed space' routine of the past installments. At times, with so many cast members, it feels like two films, with two different storyline that seemingly never gels together. All in all, a truly missed opportunity for this franchise.

After many decades, Tom Cruise returns to the blockbuster that put his name on the map, Top Gun. this film joined an elite group of sequels that are better than the original. I can even say that it is one of the best Action film of the last decade. Amazing set pieces, cinematography and sound editing. Sequences filmed live, with the actors actually flying these fighter **** dropping to say the least. This is a film that need to be seen in an IMAX screen, or the very least any kind of cinema. However, all these razzle dazzle will be for naught without the human characters and that is what Top Gun excels in all front. This may be the Tom Cruise show but is also an ensemble piece, with all actors in their A game. One of the best film of 2022 so far.

Bonkers, action-comedy-hybrid is well acted by its casts. Low budgeted in comparison with the 'big boys' and released so close to Dr Strange 2, with an uncanny resemblance in plot. Lots of people like it and I do appreciate the effort, but it's such a strange picture that spells cult classic all over it. The fact that it became a hit for A24 is a big surprise. It is not for everyone though.

Entertaining 'reboot' of the TV series took a more meta approach that is funny and a perfect fit for the Disney+ format. It's the best of this so called hybrid approach since Who Framed Roger Rabbit back in the 80s so that is saying a lot. This is the reason that Disney seems to be beating Netflix in the Streaming War. They only focus on several contents that are more high quality instead of throwing everything at the kitchen sink.

Contrived spin off of the villain from the Spider-verse is surprisingly well acted by Leto, who gives it his all as usual, to a film that is so cliched that you will probably be saying, what the h@#k did I just see. Studio head Tim Rothman boasted how well the studio did, but that is thanks to what Kevin Feige and Marvel Studios did in No Way Home. On their own, you have derivative flicks like this one and Uncharted, films that sure are better watched streaming for free at home.

Under rated film and an excellent adaptation the Agatha Christie novel. A victim of the Pandemic where it was shuffled about in cinemas, and quickly dumped to streaming services. Kenneth Branagh as always is excellent, along with its stellar casts. A great whodunnit with excellent production values. .

Funny and charming Pixar film plays more like an anime homage than anything else. I was skeptical at first, but once I watch it, I was howling with laughter at some of the spot on observation on Asian culture and the dynamics between parents and their children. Moving it direct to streaming might seem to be a controversial choice, but it cements that avenue as a strong backbone for entertainment companies for years to come.

Fun, rom-com...a genre that Sandra Bullock used to excel back in the day. This is her best in years, and choosing Tatum as her sparring partner is a great choice. Their banter is gold. One funny note, that the treasure hunting aspect somehow exceeded what is presented in Uncharted, which was such a generic ho-hum that I lost interest watching it.

More of the same and that is not a bad thing. If you are adapting Sonic, and you are a fan of the games, then you are in for a treat as all of his supporting characters made an appearance and carefully rendered and performed. Who would have thought that Idris Elba is a great fit as Knuckles.

Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness is to some extent a victim of its own campaign. Pundits and die hard fans were clearly expecting an allusion to popular Marvel Comics series such as the House of M and clearly the time when various other 'studio licensed' properties finally joined the MCU. But so far, they have been disappointed. Clearly that without the Pandemic, we would have reached that pinnacle by now. Here, clearly Marvel is 'clearing up their' backlog first; films that were supposed to be released in 2020 /2021 slate but delayed due to Covid. It culminates in this film, which rumor has it was rewritten to fit in certain 'newly added' plot points in the Disney+ series. However, what made this project shine through is the commitment of of both Cumberbatch and Olsen, who clearly are 'game' to what Marvel is doing and give it their all. As such, this flick may feel disjointed but at just 2 hours time, its pacing issues is not as prevalent. But sometimes I wonder, if it went through as planned before Covid, we may have one of the top tier Marvel films out there.

Boring and uninspired adaptation of the hit videogame series is Indiana Jones 'lite' with a dash of Jackie Chan's style acrobatics courtesy of Tom Holland. He did incredibly well in the stunts department but is miscast as Nathan Drake. If you are a fan of the game series, you will come out disappointed.

The Batman is in many respect one of the most faithful adaptation of this character of all its movie iterations. It is 'The Detective Comic' brought to life and for the first time, we can see why The Batman is known as the world's greatest detective. It is a great film noir detective, so much so that it is literally a superhero film second. There are no memorable set pieces sans one, which is a great chase scene. The casts? Absolutely great, with Pattison bringing in an interpretation of the character never seen before. But the best performance? None other than Colin Farrell as the Penguin! He is utterly unrecognizable and should I say Oscar worthy. Other than that, incredible production designs as per usual from WB. Biggest weakness of the film? It is 3 hours long and while it made the story coherent, as a movie it does it a bit disservice. Other than that, a great start for this franchise.

The Secret of Dumbledore shows that this series should have been a trilogy, pure and simple. This reminds me of the Hobbit all over again; a thin story stretched to fill in a planned 5 films 'saga'. As such, despite the great casts and incredible production values, the film ring hollows and the weakest of the 3 Fantastic Beast films. Still, if you are a Potter-head, this will satiate your thirst for this 'world view'. Normal viewers may not be as enthused.

I was expecting another virtuoso from Del Toro, yet came out disappointed. Nightmare Alley though is him trying to do a film noir, impeccably produced and well acted as always. But it is paced exactly like a 40s film of that era. This along with West Side Story is the studio pandering to their greatest talents to the max. Face it, who wants to watch this film in this time and age. The end result: a flop from the usually dependable director.

Emmerich complaints about the lack of originality on Hollywood's part brings a snicker from me. Moonfall is so derivative of his own works that it ends up being a boring film. You can't really go wrong with the casts, but by taking a serious tone, Moonfall fell flat on its face. Set pieces come and go with no fanfare. Plots and sequences are ripped off even from his previous works. The fact is that the blockbuster of the 90s that Emmerich was responsible for to some extent is out dated.

This along with Turning Red at Disney+ shows the dominance of streaming in today entertainment. Ryan Reynolds continue to give Netflix's movie of the week format credibility with this project, a collaboration with Free Guy's helmer Shawn Levy. The revelation surprisingly is newbie actor Walter Scobell who did an impression of Reynold to a tee. Worth a watch.

Either you will think that this is exploitative flick or a pretty good, tense and gory 're-quel' from the mind of 'Don't Breathe'. It's a short film that can live very well on Netflix.

Went in the film thinking that this is going to be a lame and derivative film. What we have is a sweet rethinking of 'boy meet'.... that was the staple of Spielberg's and making it relevant to today's kids' experiences with gadget and its addiction to it. A great film to watch with your family for sure.

The best SCREAM since the original one, this smart, tense and bloody sequel is a hell **** time. As per usual, it satirizes many of the current film tropes and provided a surprising commentary of it. To say more will be a big spoiler for the film. Anyway, the casts are back, the duo directors played a great homage to Craven's style to a big degree. A must see.

Matthew Vaughn got to finish his obsession with the so called 'King's series' once and for all. A talented film maker, Vaughn spent the better part of the decade on this so called franchise, with ever declining results. It is filled with great actors of course, and the production values are stellar, but the whole story feels pointless. Disney should simply persuade him to tackle the X Men franchise again and you'll get a series worth of his talent and dedication.