The Year of 2021 has now ended. Most people are breathing a sigh of relief. But the “Year of Living Pandemically” has shown that movie theaters and Hollywood are (in general) not to be counted out. The biggest problem for the Theaters is “The Rise of the Streamers”. The next biggest issue for Hollywood is the lack of originality.
“Matrix Resurrections” comes back full circle as many of the cast and crew from the original “Matrix” ‘trilogy’ return. The ‘trilogy’ has become a ‘quadruplet’ of movies (is that even a thing?) with this recharged version of Man vs. Machine. Sit down in a comfy leather chair and then take the Red Pill to come along…
“Spider-Man: No Way Home” is the next installment for Marvel’s web-slinger hero. It involves a fantastic mix of the current MCU (Marvel Cinematic Universe) characters — mixed in with a few villains and heroes from the past. When a mystical spell deviates to very wrong direction, it rips open a hole in the ‘multiverse’. That means anything can — and WILL – happen to our friendly neighborhood Spider-Man…
“Nightmare Alley” is based on a book from 1946. That book was made into a movie in 1947. For this movie, current director Guillermo del Toro is famous for film with supernatural and fantasy elements. But he has decided to make a new adaptation of the story with no ghosts or monsters. Except for the scariest Monster of them all – Man.
Limited theatrical release on December 3, 2021
Streaming on Amazon Prime Video on December 10, 2021.
“Encounter” has a premise that starts out as a cosmic invasion of micro-bugs from space. But it soon turns into a journey of a father and his two young boys on a trip into the unknown. The main ‘Narrator’ might turn out to be unreliable. So, will this road trip be a rescue of his kids from the infestation of micro-aliens? Or is there a different destination for the group? Is this a road to revenge?
Limited theatrical run starting December 3, 2021
Available on Amazon Prime beginning December 10, 2021
“Wolf” is a movie that thinks it will run with the Pack. It aspires to be King of the Jungle (or Forest). But it turns out to be more of an Odd Duck. The ideas are played out in a super serious manner. There is an undercurrent of metaphor that is way too obvious. When a person wants to identify as something else, that is out of the ‘norm’. So, there is a place that ‘teaches’ a person (who identifies as an animal) to return to the normal social standard.
“Ghostbusters: Afterlife” is a continuation of the Ghostbusters Saga, begun back in the Olden Days (1984, to be exact). The Ghosts are back, and now it is family affair. One of the key ‘Busters’ has passed away. Now it is up to a tenacious grand-daughter to follow in the nerdy footsteps of the Grandpa she never knew. It is a ‘family affair’ in more ways that that…
Digital Release (Video On Demand) November 16, 2021
“The End of Blindness” is a documentary about Dr. Samuel Bora who is an ophthalmologist living in Ethiopia. In fact, he is the only one in the country’s capital (Addis Ababa) of around 3 million people. When these people in the impoverished country develop eye problems, like cataracts or an eye injury, he is the only one they can turn to. With his unwavering help, he has become a sight-restoring angel to the poor. Read more
Released Direct to Video on November 9th, 2021
“The Drummer” is a slow-moving anti-war movie with too many heavy-handed topics. It treats the characters as players in a moral dilemma based during the height of the Iraq War. Set in 2008, in a small town in upstate New York, a little place called ‘The Drummer’ becomes a focal point of resistance to the ongoing War. The people involved are soldiers (or ex-soldiers) who want nothing to do with the thing they are stuck doing.
“Eternals” makes a splash on the big screen, with a world-class director and the densest storyline since “Endgame”. However, with the potential to make a tidal wave, this movie struggles to make it to high tide. All the multitude of characters and the story stretched out over 7,000 years just makes for a muddled mixture of awe and flaw. The subtle introduction of very diverse characters does not count for much, if you wind up not caring for them.
