Reviews – Page 101 – tmc.io 🍿 watch movies with friends

The House with a Clock in its Walls Movie Review

September 21, 2018 (updated November 16, 2018) Published by Shari K. Green

Eli Roth, known for making horror films that leave nightmares in their wake, this time tries his hand at something for the younger crowd with, ‘The House With a Clock in its Walls,’ based on the novel by John Bellairs. While this is a family movie, it does have a touch of darkness I wasn’t quite expecting to see. With its creepy puppets and dolls, the frightening CG creatures, some nice some not so nice, and the house itself which appears to be alive and often crabby, the film just might not be right for someone under the age of eight. This would especially be the case if a child has never been exposed to anything similar to Goosebumps. Magic swirls around the story and the world a young boy, Lewis (Vaccaro), who finds himself forced to live with his kooky uncle in Michigan after the death of his parents from a car accident.

Lewis is still upset about his loss but immediately warms to the idea of living with his eccentric uncle Jonathan (Black) after getting to know him more. He’s helped by getting to know his uncle’s friend and neighbor, Florence (Blanchett), and he begins to see that through them he might eventually be part of a family once more. Jonathan and Florence’s relationship is much like that of a married couple. They bicker and argue but also care about one another and seem to have Lewis’ best interest in mind as they introduce him to the life of witches and warlocks. They give him some books and he quickly learns spells of his own. At school, he’s told by his friend, Tarby (Suljic), that his uncles’ house is haunted. Lewis believes it at first due to the strange noises and loud ticking clocks but is shown that the rumor is far from the truth. Wanting to impress his friend, Lewis gets himself into trouble when he decides to prove to Tarby that he’s wrong by showing him some of the magic he’s learned. Not easily able to impress the boy, Lewis goes further. He opens a forbidden cabinet and offers a blood oath to a book on necromancy that he finds which raises from the dead the previous owner of the house, Isaac Izzard (MacLachlan). Isaac has been waiting for someone to bring him back to life so he could wipe all people from existence.

‘The House With a Clock in its Walls’ is solid entertainment. The CGI is well done, Blanchett is dramatic and comical, Jack Black’s crazy warlock is impressive and the barking chair that seems to be his pet will leave smiles on the faces of the young and old alike. In fact, this might be a good introduction for kids to watching something heavier. Again, this will appeal to the older kids in the family, but you might want to leave the much younger ones at home. I don’t think you want this film to be how they learn about death which is a subject well breached here. It can be scary but its intentions of teaching a boy about his spirit and about being adventurous are not missed. I can see where the studio might be able to take this trip a little further if they were so inclined.

Assassination Nation Movie Review

September 21, 2018 (updated September 20, 2018) Published by JMcNaughton

“Assassination Nation” takes the idea of social media, privacy and a reactive social mob mentality, and throws it all in your face. And it hits with all the subtlety of a sledgehammer to your nether regions. It is slick, over-the-top and in the end, very silly. In a small town called Salem (get it? Witch Hunts?), the four young high school teenaged girls become the focal point of the town’s seething rage. There have been data breeches and leaks posted on the Internet, and now everyone’s sordid secrets have been exposed. The main suspect is one of the girls, and now the place is armed to the teeth for revenge. Out-of-control social media meets mob violence and social upheaval – call it “Insta-Purge”.

Lily Colson (Odessa Young) is a high school senior, with a lot of emotional baggage and internal pain. She hangs out with her gal pals; Sarah (Suki Waterhouse), Bex (Hari Nef) and Em (Abra). They talk and act and behave like any character created by a middle-aged male writer/director focusing on his own fantasies. That is to say, none of the dialog or action is very realistic at all. They talk about the awfulness of being objectified and oversexualized. This is while the movie objectifies and oversexualizes each girl. But one day a massive data dump of the private hidden details of the Mayor’s secret sex life are laid bare to the Internet world. Everyone is outraged, and then the Mayor commits suicide.

The next subject of a privacy leak is the high school Principal Turrell (Colman Domingo). He tries to downplay the details, and he will not resign, but he is hated from that point on. The next one to be outed is Nick (Joel McHale). Lily has been friends with Nick for years, and she has sent numerous sexy pictures, but nothing way too racy. She enjoys Nick’s playful text messages, which are a bit naughty. But she has never done anything with him. But Lily’s boyfriend Mark (Bill Skarsgård) starts to realize that Lily is going ga-ga over Nick. Nick’s wife leaves with their child, and he goes into isolation. The cops force an innocent computer hacker to cough up a name. And he gives them a name: Lily Colson.

Of course Lily is not responsible, and she does not know who is behind it all. But she and her friends think they are safe over at Em’s house. Her mom Nance (Anika Noni Rose) is a little Xanex-ed out, but she wants to help keep the girls safe. But outside, the Salem “Purge” team is forming to bring Lily and her friends to violent justice. Nance is killed and Sarah and Em are taken by the police. Bex escapes, but is caught by a band of vigilantes. Lily escapes and starts to get help from her old friend Nick. That is, until Nick turns into sex fiend and attempts to rape her. All in all, there are few allies that the four girls can find. So, grabbing a large survivalist arsenal they find in Nick’s house, they are about to go out guns a’blazin’…

“Assassination Nation” is a parody of a John Hughes high school movie redone as a Quentin Tarantino splatter fest. It is “Easy-A” crossbred with “The Purge”. There is a mountain of hot garbage to sit though before you can find a molehill of an original idea. There is questionable writing and direction, and it blurs together like a bad death-metal music video. Even with the best actors in the world, it could not give them anything like an actual role to play. The biggest production expense, it seems, was for gallons of fake movie blood.

By all means, if you are pimply-faced angst-filled teen, then perhaps this movie will mean something to you. For most everyone else, grab your passport and check out a different “Nation”.

The Basement Movie Review

September 14, 2018 (updated November 16, 2018) Published by Shari K. Green

Before the film starts, there’s an introduction that tells us the third sign of the Zodiac is known as the Gemini… which is also referred to as ‘the twins.’ This is because Gemini’s are known to have a dual nature.

We open on a man we learn is Craig (Long), a popular and wealthy guitarist. He stops at a gas station and is texting who appears to be his wife or girlfriend and who hopes to see him soon. He finishes a message to her and puts his phone away. At that moment, he’s grabbed from behind and stuffed into a van.

Craig awakens, in a dark basement, tied to an old school desk, unable to move. He’s frightened and confused when a clown (Davis) comes out of the darkness and approaches him. The clown refers to Craig as Bill. Craig is abused by the sadistic clown who also oddly admits that he, himself, may be smiling on the outside but is very lost on the inside. He leaves. Soon after, another man comes down. Craig is accused by the man of killing seven people. The drama intensifies and so does the terror as this man makes demands of Craig to reveal something about the murders that he couldn’t possibly know as he, Craig, is not the killer. One after the other, men come and go, and Craig realizes that with each accusation of the murders and slight revelation of themselves, the men are only one man and that this man is Bill, screaming at himself and at those who hurt him at some point in his life. A cop, a prison guard, even a priest all with stories of their own torture and humiliation are Bill. This is who he became from enduring a life of pain.

Craig attempts to break through… to get to one of the personalities but finds that he not only isn’t being successful but they’re getting more and more hostile. They ignore his pleas for help. One cuts off his fingers… his livelihood. Craig, horrified and in pain, begs the ‘doctor’ who performed the removal to get him to the hospital but is only met with calm instruction on how to care for his injury. Bill eventually comes down as a woman; his own mother. Craig plays the role of her son and attempts to save his life. She hands him a nail file and leaves. The Prison Guard explains that Craig is about to be executed and he’s treated to his final meal and a priest who lets him confess his sins. The executioner soon arrives. He has three minutes left to live… I’ll let you discover what happens on your own.

While all of this is going on, we see that Craig’s wife, Kelly (Barton) is frantic, calling everyone looking for her husband. She’s beside herself with worry but luckily for her, her best friend Bianca (Borders) is there to hold her hand through this tough time.

This movie is demented, bloody, gory and twisted! I had a nightmare after watching! It’s hard to get over. The effects could have been a lot better but the twist at the end and the acting, especially by Jackson Davis, is absolutely outstanding. He was completely believable as each personality he came down the stairs as, magnificently keeping his cool, showing slight empathy one moment and then becoming a cold monster a mere second after. Though you could tell it was him, the slight changes Jackson Davis displayed made all the difference in the film and without him, it’s reasonable to consider the movie wouldn’t have been as good. If you’re not a true horror fan but love an incredible performance, you’d do worse than to witness what Davis does here.

*In Phoenix, ‘The Basement’ is playing exclusively at AMC Arizona Center

A Simple Favor Movie Review

September 14, 2018 (updated November 16, 2018) Published by Shari K. Green

Allow me to start this with a simple and direct message to you… see this movie this weekend. Director Paul Feig works very well with powerful women allowing them to show their strengths, such as Melissa McCarthy, Sandra Bullock, Mary-Louise Parker and now he does the same with Anna Kendrick and Blake Lively in this dark film, ‘A Simple Favor.’ Lively is exceptional and I wouldn’t be surprised if we see her on stage during award season.

With this film, Feig gives these two women the opportunity to have something brilliant added to their resumes and a chance to shine in the type of story usually given to the opposite sex. This is an intriguing, provocative crime-drama that leads you down a fascinating trail and you won’t want it to end. The characters are following the same bread crumbs and with how the narrative plays out, it manages to do something not always achieved these days… surprise the hell out of you.

First, we meet Stephanie (Kendrick), a widowed, overly energetic, devoted but bored mother of a young son named Miles (Satine). She’s a vlogger who, when we first see her, is telling her followers about the simple favor her friend Emily (Lively) has asked of her. Staring into the camera she says she’ll start from the beginning for her new friends, presumably us, and she tells everyone what happened. This goes on throughout the film. We go back to when she first met Emily who she instantly clutches onto. Emily’s son Nicky (Ho) and Miles ask to have a playdate. Stephanie would like this as she wants to know Emily. Emily is everything Stephanie isn’t. She’s tall, uncommonly beautiful, confident with a scent of arrogance Stephanie can’t help but admire. Though a play date isn’t something Emily usually does, she agrees. They end up at Emily’s gorgeous home which Stephanie would die to have and they begin to reveal secrets about themselves… secrets that will prove to be useful later. Emily warns Stephanie that she doesn’t want to be friends with her. Little things like this are said as Stephanie, and you, become more interested in knowing who she is.

Though the script is heavy on the dramatic aspect of the story, it’s reasonably amusing, as well. Nicky is relatively colorful most of the time, delivering rather comical lines, however subpar they may be. It’s obvious Feig doesn’t work as well with children as he does with adults.

Now we’re to the favor… and we’re all caught up with the vlog. Emily asks Stephanie to pick up Nicky and watch him until she gets home. She happily does, however, Emily never returns. Days later, she still hasn’t and single mom with time on her hands, Stephanie, begins playing Jr. Sleuth, looking for her friend. Unable to forget the mystery woman who so intrigued her, Stephanie gets to know her attractive husband, Sean (Golding), who adds that, like Stephanie, he didn’t know much about Emily. He tells her that he tried to get close, but she was hard to reach; she was like a ‘beautiful ghost.’

Deciding she likes playing Nancy Drew, she goes to the office building where Emily worked in public relations and finds a shady character and clues. After putting up posters and trying desperately to find out who she was and where she went, Emily’s body turns up in another state. As Stephanie gets closer to Sean, she kicks pursuing answers as to what led to Emily’s death, into high gear. What happens next is something she isn’t quite prepared for. Luckily, instinct and some advice she received from the friend who still haunts her, literally as well as figuratively, helps her handle herself surprisingly well when faced with moments of challenge and deception.

This film is impressive in so many ways. The music, the costumes, the characters, and the script but what stands out most is Lively whose performance, though not always on screen, infects you as you watch this play out… and stays with you long after.

Website & Socials:

Official Site: http://www.ASimpleFavor.movie

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/ASimpleFavorMovie

Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/ASimpleFavor

Instagram: http://www.instagram.com/ASimpleFavor

Hashtags: #ASimpleFavor

The Predator Movie Review

September 14, 2018 (updated November 16, 2018) Published by Shari K. Green

Though the violence and blood were unsettling and a touch schizophrenic, it added to what made this offering in the ‘Predator’ franchise the best. Some will argue that the first was superior but is that just nostalgia talking? I guess you’ll have to see to find out, won’t you? I believe you should.

Anyway, I liked this one for overall tone and for the fact that it’s a Shane Black film. Though he was an actor in ‘Predator,’ here he writes and directs, adding his special touch that improves what we’ve seen in the past. He takes what worked and makes it bigger and better. Black likes dark humor and with the characters he has built here, he gets gritty and nasty right away but keeping the laughs near the front. Predator himself has a sense of humor? Hmmm… who would have thought?

We open with a ship hurtling toward earth. A piece of it breaks off, you’ll find out why near the end of the film. Predator bails from his ship but without all of his gear. Said gear is discovered and removed from the site by a military sniper named McKenna (Holbrook) who Predator then spends almost the rest of the film hunting down. McKenna has sent his take home which is found, opened, removed and toyed with by his autistic son, Rory (Tremblay). Tremblay, a fantastic young actor who’ll be forever remembered for his outstanding performance in ‘Room,’ will probably be directing the next series in fifteen years. The military eventually captures Predator and sedates him. Once the government gets involved they bring in, Casey (Munn), a scientist excited to help and learn all she can about the alien. Munn is a complete bad-ass and her scenes are exciting and amusing as is her banter with the rest of the cast. Of course, as expected, Predator awakens from his stupor and all hell breaks loose and she’s in the thick of it.

In the meantime, they’ve apprehended McKenna to grill him about what he saw and what he has. He’s being taken by bus to a holding facility, probably to meet his maker, where he finds himself getting to know a group of military misfits who have no future either. Each character is different from the next, well written and extremely well portrayed by the actors given the roles; one of them being Thomas Jane who played ‘The Punisher.’ Seeing his character in this, you can’t help but think to yourself that if only he had his t-shirt on, he’d be tougher!!

This movie is just… fun! The chemistry is unmistakable, the script is unique and Black keeps you involved and sensitive to the plight of his characters. This rogue unit, led by Coyle, played ferociously Keegan-Michael Key, ends up with Casey and they all head to McKenna’s to reclaim the package and save Rory before it’s too late. The subplot going on involving Rory is needed to give a reason for Predator to visit earth this time but seems to be the weakest part of the story, however, I did appreciate the way Black was able to address the powerful message of climate change and that autism is nothing to be feared. By the way, the ending was left wide open for another ‘Predator’ film.

THE PREDATOR Official Channels:

OFFICIAL WEBSITE: www.ThePredatorMovie.com

INSTAGRAM: www.instagram.com/Predator

FACEBOOK: www.facebook.com/PredatorMovies

TWITTER: www.twitter.com/Predator

HASHTAG: #ThePredator

White Boy Rick Movie Review

September 14, 2018 (updated September 14, 2018) Published by JMcNaughton

“White Boy Rick” must be the most truthful movie title yet. The main character is white, and yes, he is basically a boy. Oh, and his name is Rick. This is based on a true story. It tells a complex drama of what becomes of a lower middle-class family from Detroit. This is set back in the mid 1980’s, when the American Dream turns into a virtual nightmare for many inner-city people. Many jobs dried up in the city. Yet – guns flowed into the streets, along with crack cocaine. And that result was the set up for this story.

Richard Wershe, Sr. (Matthew McConaughey) lives in a very run-down section of Detroit. His daughter Dawn (Bel Powley) is living with drug addiction. His son Richard Wershe, Jr. (Richie Merritt) is 14 years old, and he works with his dad. Rich (the Senior) does gun sales to make money for the family. Rick (the Junior) goes with him to gun shows. Ricky sometime takes this merchandise to the local black street gang to sell the illegal small arms. The black gang takes a liking to ‘White Boy Rick’, since he has the guts to approach the gang. He becomes an accepted and trusted member.

But there are FBI agents on the horizon (played by Jennifer Jason Leigh, Rory Cochrane, and Brian Tyree Henry). They force Ricky to act as undercover informant to the street gang. It is either that or the Feds will shut down Rich (the Senior) and his semi-legal weapons operation. They also get Ricky into setting up a small side-deal business of distributing crack cocaine. That way, Rickey can get information on the street level dealers, who can lead the FBI up to the top-level distributors. Ricky is in with the gang, he is running his own drug operation and he is still getting orders from the Feds.

But after the big parties and trips to Vegas, there is an incident that comes to a head. The main gang leader (Jonathan Majors) believes that Ricky is really a rat, and he orders up a hit on the young boy. When the bad things all go down, it goes down hard. Ricky survives, and Rich and Ricky have to start over. They also get his sister Dawn out of a drug flophouse and work to get her off the crack. Rich (the Senior) also has his parents who live across the street (Bruce Dern and Piper Laurie). They help out with Dawn and get her back to normal life. Ricky also finds out that he has a new-born daughter.

Ricky feels the need to get back into the drug trade, so he can get some cash flow back into the family. He gets approval from his dad and the rest of the family. Ricky is still only 17, and he has become a big shot in the underground crime network. The FBI comes back to visit, and they are not too happy. Ricky is forced to (again) go undercover and try to get the goods on some of his cocaine contacts. But if he does not help them, he and his family will all face charges. The outcome for ‘White Boy Rick’ does not look good at this time. At his age (17) – he could be sent to prison for life. That would be a lo-o-ong time.

“White Boy Rick” is a thoughtful retelling of Ricky’s true life adventure into the seedy side of life. Matthew McConaughey nails it as a caring father with great intentions and horrible execution. Richie Merritt is very new actor, and he holds his own in the midst of some very talented co-stars. Bel Powley has a very difficult character, but she makes Dawn’s pain and struggle with addiction a real thing. Bruce Dern and Piper Laurie are both good, but wasted in such minor roles.

This movie has something to say, but it has trouble picking a single topic. Drugs are bad, no wait, so is inequality in criminal sentencing for blacks versus whites. Guns are trouble for the neighborhood, but crime is commonplace and violent crime is on the rise. The Feds are smart to set up a young white kid as an informant, but no – there is so much police corruption and dirty cops are everywhere. To reduce crime, get tough on criminals, but wait – mandatory sentencing is bad…

So the acting is superb, but the story bobs and weaves and never chooses a single lane.

The Nun Movie Review

September 7, 2018 (updated November 16, 2018) Published by Shari K. Green

I’ll say it right here. James Wan, director, and creator of the original ‘Saw’ film knows a hit series when he sees it but needs to learn when to let it go. In fact, he has a number of record-setting credits under his belt and is best at taking something that previously worked and keeping it going but he so far lacks the awareness of when to let something die; literally and figuratively. In ‘The Nun,’ the horror-fest that started from ‘The Conjuring’ series, he takes us into the world of the frightening character that was the evil presence in ‘The Conjuring 2.’ She was magnificently terrifying and ultimately what made the film but in this new narrative, one in which you’d expect great things based on what you had previously witnessed, she’s not all that terrifying but instead, rather anemic. In this film, what should have been its strengths seemed little trusted and scarcely used.

When the story begins it’s 1952. We’re in an abbey in Romania and are witness to a tantalizing introduction. From the start, there’s hope that ‘The Nun’ is going to be the noteworthy horror film we’ve been waiting for. Something purely evil needs a vessel to continue to survive so a nun sacrifices herself to stop it from using hers by hanging herself. Her body is discovered dangling from the window of the church. The Vatican is notified, and they send a priest by the name of Father Burke (Bichir) and a young nun, Sister Irene (Farmiga), who is about to take her final vows, to check it out. With the help of Frenchie (Bloquet) the very nervous man who found the Sister’s body, they root around in the Abbey and discover quickly that it’s an unholy place. Frenchie believes the crosses surrounding the place are there to keep evil in rather than out. It seems there’s little to prove otherwise.

After Father Burke is haunted by very real demons of his own, demons who wake the audience from a slow start, he and Sister Irene discover that Valak, the defiler and the profane, built a gateway to hell on the grounds so the wicked could walk amongst the living, but the church secretly sealed it hoping to keep Valak at bay. However, as evil usually does, it manages to, quite predictable, escape.

‘The Nuns’ downfall is that there’s very little about it that’s unique and try I did but I found little of the acting remarkable, as well. Having been scared frozen by her character in ‘Conjuring 2,’ I assumed I’d get much more from her yet was largely disappointed. If you’re a fan of the franchise I’d say you will most likely enjoy parts of the film, especially its ending… except the part that suggests there’s a way they could continue the storyline further. Quite frankly, after seeing this, I’d like them to bury any idea they have of doing such a thing.

We the Animals Movie Review

September 7, 2018 (updated September 7, 2018) Published by JMcNaughton

“We the Animals” is an independent film that shares some of the goals and ideas from other indies, like “Moonlight” and “The Florida Project”. It also shares a similar feel to the films of Terrence Malick, having a very slow-paced and almost documentary feel to it. Some parts of the movie are contemplative and other parts use an alternative fantasy sequence to show the characters inner-most thoughts. It is entirely dependent on having three young actors play the main parts, three brothers living with difficult circumstances. But the young actors overcome whatever issues that can sometime sink an otherwise worthy production.

Jonah (Evan Rosado) is the youngest of three brothers, at age nine. Joel (Josiah Gabriel) and the oldest Manny (Isaiah Kristian) are normally found with all three of them together. It does not matter, as they run around the semi-rural area in upstate New York where they live. They have a dad, Paps (Raúl Castillo) who is Puerto Rican, and Ma (Sheila Vand) who is white. The three boys are olive-skinned and have close cropped hair. They are all younger than twelve or so. But they are bursting out with energy and vitality. These three are never shown attending any school, but they are being taught every day.

They are mostly taught by example from Paps and Ma, but usually not very good examples. Paps struggles to keeps a late-night shift job, and when he is upset about something, he will take it out (and beat up) on Ma. She also struggles to keeps a job, and she struggles to keep any self-respect. Ma knows that Paps loves her and the boys but wishes he would not be so brutal. Paps is angry that he had to marry Ma when they were both teens, and she was pregnant. Jonah is very observant and keeps a private journal about all that he sees.

Jonah has very mixed inner feelings, and he tries to express them in writing. He also draws a lot in his journal and sometimes he imagines that the images on the paper come to life and explain what he thinks. Sometimes he thinks in an alternative fantasy sequence that shows some of Jonah’s deepest feelings. There is a repeated idea of everything and everyone being underwater. There is a repeated idea of Jonah being lifted up off the ground to fly. Or, maybe, at least to float in the air. There are confused and mixed images of sexuality, and these might be indicating that he is internally gay. But he is way too young to express anything like that.

There is not much in the way to story movement. It slowly meanders back and forth to the three boys and what they are doing. Sometimes the focus is on Paps, and how he has trouble staying with the family, and trouble staying with a job. Ma wants to run away from the stress, but she is unable to decide what she should do. She looks to the boys to tell her what her next move should be. Joel and Manny do not know about Jonah’s secret journal, but when they find it, they feel they cannot trust him anymore.

“We the Animals” will not be a movie for everybody, but there some very moving performances from the trio of young actors. Given the subject matter, it might be difficult to watch. Jonah is just around ten years old, yet the story strays into his questioning feelings about other boys and men. The other odd part is the fantasy style sequences that do not mesh up all that well with the rest of the ‘documentary’ and ‘hard reality’ style of most of the other scenes. Also, Jonah’s journal creeps me out. The small writing filling up the entire page, plus the wild cartoonish drawings resemble something that serial killer might keep…

For More Info:

Official Website
https://www.wetheanimals.film/

Facebook
https://www.facebook.com/WeTheAnimalsFilm

Twitter
https://twitter.com/TheAnimalsFilm

In the Phoenix area, opens exclusively at the Harkins Scottsdale Camelview

Peppermint Movie Review

September 7, 2018 (updated September 7, 2018) Published by JMcNaughton

Director Pierre Morel is known for the movie “Taken” which made Liam Neeson famous again, and revenge murder cool again. Since then, the movie “John Wick” showed that revenge murder could be an artistic ballet of bullets and bodies. So now with an added healthy dose of “Death Wish”, which is the old-school revenge murder original, he has a new movie. “Peppermint”, and you might want to call it — “Taken by a Death Wish with Jane Wick”. Revenge has never tasted so minty…

Riley North (Jennifer Garner) is a loving wife to her hard-working husband and mother to her precious daughter. But there is a local Los Angeles drug kingpin named Diego Garcia (Juan Pablo Raba) who is pissed that her husband ALMOST was part of a plot to rip off a Garcia drug house. Her husband called and backed out, but that did not stop Garcia to put out a hit on the whole family. In a hail of bullets, the North family was torn to pieces, with only Riley barely hanging on. The police were attempting to talk her out of being an eyewitness and giving testimony. She thought that she needed to get that scum off the street.

Riley worked with Det. Moises (John Ortiz) and Det. Carmichael (John Gallagher Jr.) from the LAPD to ID the perps. Then the slimly defense lawyer for Diego Garcia visits Riley and attempts to buy her silence, or at least threaten her safety. The three gang members get off — due to the bribes and payoffs to dirty judges and dirty Assistant District Attorneys and dirty police officials. Riley is going to be taken to mental hospital, but she escapes — and is not heard from until five years later. And she comes back with a vengeance!

Five years of martial arts training and firearms training have made Riley a well-oiled revenge murder machine. She comes back to LA and hides out in the Skid Row area, becoming a local ‘avenging angel’. But on the five-year anniversary of her tragedy, Riley sets out to take on Diego Garcia and his minions, and will not let any LAPD or FBI official stand in her way. She makes quick work of the three main perps, the corrupt judge, the dirty D.A. and most any other people who were involved. There are still some bad cops out there, and the main bad guy Diego Garcia. There are quite a few hard targets that Riley will use for her next practice.

Riley takes out Garcia’s drug house and his main drug warehouse, and they she goes after the fortified Garcia mansion. Det. Carmichael has an idea about where Riley might be staying, and the FBI also on to her location. Det. Moises is wondering if there is information getting from the police to the Garcia organization. Riley takes a beating over and over again, but she still has the juice to go after anyone who is working with Garcia’s gang. When the media starts to track Riley in real-time, the social media goes nuts to support her. It does not matter how many people Riley has killed…

“Peppermint” is a hot mess of female revenge fantasy and weapon worship. There are huge gaps, like the five-year disappearance of Riley North, that go unexplained. Where did she go? Where did she get the training, and where did she get the money to live on for all those years? They explain something about how she took money from the bank where she worked before she left, but – come on! That will last for five years? There were times in the screening that brought (unintentional) laughter. Not good for an action flick.

This “Peppermint” shtick is weak attempt to turn Jennifer Garner into an action hereo, making Riley North into a new ‘Jason Bourne’ or ‘John Wick’. Nah, that’s not in the cards. But if you team her up with ‘The Atomic Blond’…

God Bless the Broken Road Movie Review

September 7, 2018 (updated September 6, 2018) Published by JMcNaughton

“God Bless the Broken Road” is an odd-ball combination. There is a Christian view on life that goes from being overly preachy to almost an afterthought. There is a main plot of a woman recently widowed, who gets a treatment straight out of the Book of Job. After her husband dies in Afghanistan, all sorts of tribulations befall her. She doubts her faith, and loses her house and even her young daughter turns against her. Yet at the same time, there is a sub-plot that is straight out of the movie “Cars”. A hot-shot driver meets up with an old-timey mentor who can teach him out to ‘correctly take the turns’, both on the track and in real life.

Amber Hill (Lindsay Pulsipher) lives is an ideal little town located in the heart of Kentucky. Everything is perfect, with all of her friends at the local church. She is a choir leader and she loves her husband, who is off in a war overseas. She loves her little daughter Bree (Makenzie Moss) who spouts off some cute biblical sayings when times are tough. Her friends at church are Karena (Robin Givens) and her daughter Bridgette (Jordin Sparks). The church is led by Pastor Williams (LaDainian Tomlinson) who is a linebacker-size preacher.

But after Amber’s husband is killed in battle, everything falls apart. Two years later, she has not recovered from the shock and the grief. She stops going to church and she works a lot more hours at the diner. Many more things are working against her, including a mother-in-law Patti (Kim Delaney) who always seems to criticize her. Bree is getting worried that her mom is giving up on her life. Amber is missing payments on the house, so the bank is getting ready to foreclose. Her van is held together with duct tape and bungee cords.

But a super-cool NASCAR driver named Cody Jackson (Andrew W. Walker) comes to town to work with a guy named Joe Carter (Gary Grubbs). Joe is master mechanic and a NASCAR driving coach. Cody is having problems with the turns and he only has the need for speed. He is being sent down to the minors for a while to pick up tips from Joe on how to drive fast, but still make the corners without spinning out. Cody meets Bree at the church, where he get ‘volunteered’ by Joe. There is a go-kart club that they start up for the youth group. Cody feels an attraction to Amber, and tings might get serious.

If this sounds like it is meandering and unfocused, then I have correctly described the plot. Just think of Amber as a Biblical version of Job, and think of Cody as Lightning McQueen. Amber’s life continues to crumble around her. She is a widow with very little money, the house is taken away, Bree runs away and then decides that staying with her Grandma Patti is better then her own mom, Amber.

The acting is stiff and wooden, except for Gary Grubbs (as Joe). The whole story-line is strained and fuzzy. The child actors are not up to today’s excellent standards. The melding of small-town religion and NASCAR idolatry seems to be forced. The movie shares only the (extended) name in common with a Rascal Flatts country song (“Bless the Broken Road”).

“God Bless the Broken Road” is a poor attempt to make an uplifting, spiritually strong movie. It’s in not even clear if that was the intention of this production. This might be a re-envisioning of “Talladega Nights”, for all I know. Know that this movie was better as a song.

God may bless this “Broken Road” – but sure as the devil, you don’t need to sit through it.

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