CD Smith

Ad Astra is a fictional story couched in a "Scientifically, this is how it would be" setting but sadly, scientifically this in so very many ways is not how it would be. Enjoyable enough though, as long as one hasn't got their epic sci-fi expectations set too high. Leave all knowledge of physics or in some instances.... reality even, at home for this one.

Most of the so-called top critics missed the point on this one. Ron Howard's adaptation of J.D. Vance's biopic novel is actually a feel-good story told in flashbacks through the lens of a young boy's eye. It is through that lens that we are shown many of the major events, family breakdowns, and arguments that shaped him into the person he is today. A look on the surface of his rather dysfunctional clan and some will be quick to judge them/the movie on the surface. Hillbilly Elegy offers a deeper look, vis-a-vis the ending, as to how family drama and an ounce of real caring from one or two individuals along the way can make all the difference one needs to find themselves a better life.

Clooney's raw edgy bare-bones performance is what drives this otherwise somewhat slow-paced arthouse thriller forward and keeps its watchablity levels high enough to see it through to its predictably inevitable conclusion. Look for some incredible panoramic visuals and also some solid performances from supporting cast members, especially Clara (played by Violante Placido).

The slow spots in this one can be enough to confuse and confound the viewer, but the trademark Statham action scenes go quite far in making up for it. Decent barroom brawler flick but if I can just say one thing it would be a plea to directors --- please, enough with the hero having to smack down the same attackers three, four, fives times in the same fight. What if there was a version where a legitimately tough guy like Nick (Statham) could, oh I don't know, slap down an attacker with bone-crunching force and then have that assailant stay down? Real fighters don't fight the same guys five times in the same dust-up. The final half-hour of this movie is worth slogging through the first two acts. 6/10.

In the style of John Wick or Jason Bourne comes Anna, modelesque hand-picked-then-expertly-trained operative, this time on the Soviet side of the international espionage game. The story is immersive, deep and intense, the plot action-filled and with a smattering of sensuality plus a high body count. Anna moves like a steely-eyed cat as she cuts a swath through enemy after enemy, all with the ultimate goal in mind of earning her freedom. While the movie is highly watchable on the story's own merit it is a big ask for the viewer to overlook the numerous instances of use of advanced technology, often years ahead of the time these events supposedly took place. Anna's story deserves a decently high raiting. But it is the screenwriter(s) and/or the people responsible for historical accuracy that dropped the ball majorly here. Minus one star for that and I rate this 4 out of 5. Enjoy.

This one is Statham's largest-grossing solo action flick (gross, globally) and rightly so. Wrath of Men is intense, gritty, well-paced, well-written, well-stocked with a quality supporting cast, and well-acted. There's not much in the way of the more usual Statham hand-to-hand butt-kicking but it more than makes up for it in a story loaded with betrayal, twists, a delayed back-story, and a third act that ties things all together nicely. Enjoy.

Many of the usual top critics got a little too pretentious in their criticism of Homefront. Statham movies have always been designed to do one thing, that being to bring the Statham. This outing does just that, in spades. Let this one serve notice to everyone that even the smallest dumbest stupidest incident in life can quickly cascade out of all control or proportion, but especially you are messing with the wrong person. (Eg: Statham) Highly enjoyable as far as standard butt-kicking shoot 'em ups go.

A time-filler, highly watchable for that special group of sci-fi fans willing to overlook lapses of all manner in sense, reason, logic, science, how gravity works, and of course the boiling point of water in space. Beyond filling in some gaps and answering questions the first two in the series left unanswered, The Cloverfield Paradox on its own delivers very little in the way of value to one's science fiction collection. Have fun with it, don't take it too seriously, or apply working scientific knowledge of... any kind, and you'll get through it just fine.

A very basic premise, a man dies leaving his spouse or significant other trapped or pinned and helpless, etc. It's even been the butt of a joke or several over the years. But when told through the mind's eye of Stephen King it becomes downright chilling, horrific, and even a tad otherworldly. Led by a tour-de-force performance by Carla Gugino, and also a very solid but largely unsung one from bruce Greenwood, this movie went from your average run-of-the-mill ho-hum horror to one that will truly make viewers cringe. I would have given this a 9 out of 10 on other platforms if not for the one item in the film that gave me pause, that being the fact that I have yet to know a dog that would down a large plateful of fresh-cut and well-marbled steak and then still feel the need to brave (risk) entering a home salivating over yet another meal, and a human one at that. Don't get me wrong, this isn't Cujo 2.0. Just watch the movie. It contains elements of subject matter that are tough subjects to deal with, and delivers the barest of hints as to what impact certain events in one's childhood can have on the entire remainder of one's life. I give Gerald's Game the fairly high recommendation of 4/5.

Chef, more and more restaurants in 2019-2020 are backsliding into all those bad habits you exposed all those years ago. Hows about you revive Kitchen Nightmares and do another few seasons? The restaurant industry needs another enema a la Gordon. Thanks.