Quantico

Starring: Priyanka Chopra, Yasmine Elmarsi, Johanna Braddy, Jake McLaughlin, Aunjanue Ellis, Graham Rogers, Josh Hopkins, Tate Ellington, Blair Underwood, Russell Tovey, Pearl Thusi, Aaron Diaz, Anabelle Acosta, & Tracy Ifeachor

Rating: 4 1/2 out of 5 stars

 Last year, Quantico debuted on ABC with an incredible story line and a new action star for the next millennium. The show was so innovative and original, that it jumped quickly to the top of the ratings and was easily renewed. ABC thought the show was strong enough that it could draw viewers on any night, in any time slot, but they couldn't be more wrong. Quantico's first season was one of the best seasons of television I've ever seen, but it was the kind of story that left many viewers questioning, what else could they possibly do afterwards?

In only it's second season, Quantico set two television records. The first, saw the biggest drop in rating ever between a first season and a second. The second, saw the show renewed for a third season, as it had some of the highest DVR and on demand numbers of any show ever! Quantico was renewed based solely on DVR and on demand numbers, something that is unheard of and as little as five years ago never would have happened.

The series started with a bang, a big one, as terrorist blew up New York's Penn Station and immediately blamed for it, an FBI agent of middle eastern decent, Alex Parrish (Priyanka Chopra). She's an introverted person, and she knows she's been set up, by the only people who could have, one of her classmates from her time at the FBI academy at Quantico, she graduated from a year earlier. From there, each episode is a mix of Alex on the run in real time, trying to figure out who set her up and flashbacks to her time at the academy, showing her interacting with her classmates as she tries to remember anything she may have missed. 

TV shows just aren't written this well, it just doesn't happen, and when it does, it's usually in a ten episode cable series. I have never seen a network show that was this clever and gripping. Aside from the writing, Bollywood star, Priyanka Chopra, made the leap to Hollywood in a way that hasn't been done before. While Bollywood is just as big as Hollywood, it's biggest stars have never enjoyed the same success stateside, until now. She was beyond impressive and regardless of what happens with Quantico, has a bright future ahead of her.

Season two just started streaming and it's next up on my list, but like many, I am beyond curious about what could possibly happen next. For better or worse, the mystery was solved in season one, at least that's what we believe. What could possibly be left for season two? We saw them graduate the academy and we saw the end of the case, supposedly (I'm still a bit skeptical), where does the series go for here. Quantico always struck me as that series that was one hell of an idea, but if it succeeded, and it did, how does one keep the story going and keep it going with the same intensity? Similar shows with big ideas and tremendous first seasons like The Killing, The Riches, Under The Dome, and Wayward Pines quickly fizzled out. Will that ultimately be the fate of Quantico, or will it stand the test of time?

Little Accidents (2014)

Starring: Elizabeth Banks, Josh Lucas, Boyd Holbrook, & Jacob Lofland

Rating: 2 out of 5 stars

In a small mining town, an accident has killed several workers, leaving a lone survivor, Amos Jenkins (Boyd Holbrook). The townspeople are furious and blame the mines owner, the towns wealthiest resident, a cold, heartless man, who many suspect caused the accident with his shortcuts and cheap business practices. The town is out for blood, but only one of them, literally, as soon after the accident, the mine owners teenage son turns up dead. Little Accidents is yet another example of these dark modern noir type films, that have become so popular the past decade, and normally I am a huge fan of them. This film however, may have had the modern noir feeling, but actually had the old noir story line AKA slow, strange, and confusing. I chose this film because one of it's stars is Jacob Lofland, who at just 21 years old, has only been acting for 5 years, but he is a natural in every sense of the word. Every performance he has given has been better than the one before it. His talent has lead him to leading roles in the Maze Runner series, as well as the AMC show, The Son. Being as fond of his style as I am, I decide to go back and watch his filmography from the beginning, and that's where I found Little Accidents. While Lofland's part was minor, you are still able to see some of the skills that brought him to where he is today. Paired with Elizabeth Banks and Josh Lucas, this was one fantastic cast, featured in a terrific setting, and I was sure this film was a can't miss, but the story had other ideas. Little Accidents was all over the place, some of things that happened have nothing to do with the story, and make little sense. The Bottom Line, don't let a terrific cast fool you, this film is slow and all over the place. The mystery, isn't much of one and the story will leave you scratching your head.

The Call Up (2016)

Starring: Max Deacon, Morfydd Clark, Ali Cook, & Chris Obi

Rating: 3 1/2 out of 5 stars

One day the best gamers in the world receive an invitation to compete for a $100,000 grand prize. When they all arrive, they find themselves alone in an office building, given instructions by a computer, which tells them to put on these state of the art suits, and once they do they are literally in the game. The game is like nothing they've ever seen before, a real life Call of Duty, but when they engage the terrorists, they learn that the consequences are all too real, and the only way to get out is to win. The Call Up isn't a new idea, however after the failure of films like Gamebox 1.0 and Stay Alive, it's been a decade since anyone has attempted to make a film like this. Since then, the technology has come a long way, allowing the filmmakers to finally get it right. The CGI and computerized effects are impressive for any film, not to mention a B-movie. The original idea and tech are so innovate, that it takes your mind off the fact that the acting in this film wasn't all that great. Additionally, the development of the characters and their backstories was fairly strong, strong enough, that each viewer should have their own favorite to win, meaning the audience is invested in the game as well. Watching this film is an adventure, in that one feels a part of the game, the strategy, and even has an investment in what happens to the individual gamers. A better cast would have added a lot to this film, but as I said it's a B-movie and I'm guessing all those special effects didn't come cheaply. Viewership without any performer of recognition may have been a factor, but once people click that watch button, they will be quickly drawn into a film the likes of which hasn't been seen before. The Call Up receives big points for originality, special effects, character development, and certainly stands out for being a film that is truly one of a kind.

Who Took Johnny?

Starring: Noreen Gosch

Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

In 1982, missing children reports were so rare, that often times the local authorities didn't take them seriously. Most of these kids were considered runaways, as authorities at the time couldn't even fathom the depths of depravity that some people are capable of sinking to. In the case of Johnny Gosch, not only wasn't he a runaway, the compelling documentary, Who Took Johnny?, and the subsequent books by his mother, Noreen, have shown that not only may Johnny still be alive 35 years later, but he may have suffered more torture than anyone in the history of this planet. On September 5, 1982, Johnny Gosch, a local paperboy was abducted from Des Moines, Iowa. Despite eyewitness statements, the local police, considered him to be a runaway. Over the years evidence and even a witness go to the FBI to say that Johnny was used for human trafficking. Pictures have turned up and even his mother claims, Johnny stopped by the house for a brief time, 15 years after he'd disappeared. The documentary shows how the local authorities, didn't care and mishandled the case right from the very beginning, and how the FBI kept the family completely in the dark. To this day, despite the fact that her son could be god-knows-where, Noreen Gosch has become an outspoken defender for missing children and the rights of their parents. There is no doubt that this documentary is anything but unbiased and impartial, and while I'm not sure I believe everything Mrs. Gosch says, when taken as a whole, one can't ignore everything that happened in this case. The other side of this gave blanket statements or declined to be interviewed, which tells me, she's right about more than a few things, and even if a third of this is true, it's appalling. When catastrophe strikes, we rely on those in power to take care of us and make things right, but what happens if they just don't want to? This documentary is truly eye-opening and provides plenty of ammunition to victims rights advocates. 

Marvel's Luke Cage

Starring: Mike Colter, Alfre Woodard, Rosario Dawson, Simone Missick, Mahershala Ali, Erik LaRay Harvey, Theo Rossi, Frank Whaley, Frankie Faison, Sonia Braga, & Ron C. Jones

Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

I was never a big superhero guy, but what I love about this new crop of Netflix superhero shows, is that for the most part the characters are new and relatively unknown to the general audience. It's so refreshing to see something in the genre beyond Batman and Superman. What's more is that this new crop of superhero is much more realistic than anything we've seen before, perhaps none more so than Luke Cage.

Luke Cage was in prison for a crime he didn't commit, the victim of a horrifying experiment that left him with super strength and unbreakable skin. Unlike the other superheroes, Luke doesn't want to be a hero, he just wants to live a normal life in obscurity, in his Harlem neighborhood content with working in a barber shop. What Luke can't stand though is seeing injustice, when he knows that he is capable of doing something about it. When he finally decides to take a stand, all hell breaks loose.

What I find odd is how everyone is talking about Wonder Woman. How it's more than time we had a strong female superhero and how great the film was, but no one mentioned the fact that it's about time we had a strong African-American superhero too. What's more is that his story was completely original and more realistic than any other superhero film or TV show I've ever seen! Luke Cage isn't a blind attorney who somehow sees everything. He's not fighting some ridiculous weird purple mist, and he's not some samurai who thinks he's a God, Luke Cage is just a man, who is fighting gangsters and corrupt politicians. 

Mike Colter is the star of the show and he just has this way about him that is infectious and makes you want to follow him. He couldn't be more perfect for this role, as he's laid back most of the time until he's not and then watch out. As for his co-stars, the stand out among them is recent Academy Award winner, Mahershala Ali. I said it years ago when I reviewed his awful show, the 4400, and I've repeated it every time I've seen him since, this guy is outstanding! Ali is one of the best actors, who until last year, nobody knew existed. Every single thing he is in, is that much better because of it, and I am thoroughly entertained every single time I watch him. His portrayal of the gangster Cottonmouth, was the best villain I've seen in a superhero themed project since Heath Ledger in The Dark Knight.

The bottom line, Luke Cage IS a real life superhero. To date there has never been anything in the genre, even close to being as real or as honest as this. Luke Cage is unique, dynamic, and exciting, as well as being the best written out of any superhero show that I've ever seen. Marvel didn't just hit a home run with Luke Cage, they hit a grand slam!

London Has Fallen

Starring: Gerard Butler, Aaron Eckhart, & Morgan Freeman

Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

Action movies didn't really take off until the 1980s, when the technology caught up with the big ideas. Out of those films some big stars emerged, many of which are still hanging in there making movies today. However, in recent years a new crop of action star has emerged, one that is more charismatic and more of an actor than just simply a big guy. One of the most exciting of the pack is the star of London Has Fallen, Gerard Butler. After surviving a kidnapping attempt in the thrilling, Olympus Has Fallen, President Asher (Aaron Eckhart) won't go anywhere without Mike Banning (Butler) by his side. Despite a lot of chatter, the pair travel to London for a world summit, where terrorists plan on doing a lot more than talking. They plan to distract the high police and military presence by attacking the city, thereby leaving President Asher vulnerable to assassination. So if I'm understanding this correctly, blowing up half of London will distract the U.S. Secret Service enough to leave the U.S. President vulnerable? This is why nobody watches action films for the story lines. We watch these movies to see the incredible moves, the gratuitous violence, the unbelievable special effects, and of course that catch phrase we all know is coming. Gerard Butler stars and he just gets better with every film he is in, as his technique and style remind me so much of a young Bruce Willis. Let's just hope that M. Night Shyamalan doesn't make him shave his head and turn him into a zombie as well. Assisted by a cast of veteran award winners the likes of Morgan Freeman, Melissa Leo, and Angela Bassit, this film doesn't just have the moves, but it has the star power to back it up. The story here is absolutely ridiculous, but when it comes to a great action film, who really cares? London Has Fallen has everything you could ever ask for from an action movie and it's star is only continuing to rise.

Dying of The Light

Starring: Nicholas Cage, Anton Yelchin, & Alexander Karim

Rating: 3 out of 5 stars

Evan Lake (Nicholas Cage) was a legend at the C.I.A., but after years in the game, and a particularly horrible experience at the hands of the Taliban, he was diagnosed with dementia, and forced into retirement. Lake is moving on with his life when new information comes to light, that his old nemesis, a terrorist leader long believed dead, is back. Knowing their best chance to catch him is Lake, they turn to him for help, but can he keep it together long enough to complete his mission? This unbelievably was a b-movie, yet a remarkably strong performance for Nicholas Cage, who randomly had to go between C.I.A. legend and confused old man. His performance is aided by the late Anton Yelchin, playing an analyst who admires Lake so much, that he goes against orders to help him with his mission. The whole dynamic between the man at the end of his career on his last mission, and the boy at the start of his career on his first mission, really added something different, that you don't typically see in espionage films. Dying of The Light really does have a lot to like about it, but one must remember, it is an espionage film and a direct-to-video one at that. The writing isn't spectacular and parts of it are more than somewhat confusing. They also throw in a lot of Evan's flashbacks and delusions at the completely wrong times, which really did start to bother me as the film got more intense. Overall, I did enjoy this film, I thought the acting was terrific, and I loved the dynamic and chemistry between the two leading men, despite the obvious age difference. Dying of The Light certainly isn't a perfect movie, but it's still an entertaining one.

The Trust

Starring: Nicholas Cage, Elijah Wood, Jerry Lewis, & Sky Ferreira

Rating: 1 out of 5 stars

There are certain actors and actresses whom I will watch in anything they release, Nicholas Cage is one of those actors. Even in the worst movies, he always gives a strong performance and I enjoy watching him work, but even the Academy Award winning actor couldn't save The Trust. Cage plays Stone, a lifelong cop still on the bottom of the pecking order. Luckily for him, he's paired with the much younger Waters (Elijah Wood), another cop with few aspirations. Together they don't make up a team of elite crime fighters, so on their off hours, they're small time criminals, and as it turns out they're not great at that either. One day while investigating a case, they notice a safe in the evidence room and decide to bust it open, what's inside leads them into a mess of police corruption. For starters, this movie doesn't make sense! Everyone talks in riddles, it's impossible to know who is on what side, and most important of all, what's the point? If these guys are corrupt cops, why do they care so much when they discover that they aren't the only ones? They're losers who don't care about anything, until they find out there are other bad cops, then all of a sudden they are Starsky and Hutch? I love the cast, but between the riddles, the constant twists, and the strange dialogue this film was just a mess, and pretty much unwatchable. 

100,000 Views!!!

Six years ago when I started this blog, it actually took some encouragement. I was asking, "who am I and why will anyone care what I think about movies and TV shows?" My friends reminded me that I was always the one they came to for on advice about movies, and even strangers on Rotten Tomatoes, Flixster, and IMDB would message me, just based on my reviews. Their comments made my day, people I didn't even know were telling me I should open up my reviews to the net, so people who weren't active on sites like that could see my reviews and comment on them. While the discussions and comments have never gotten to the level I would have liked, I never in a million years would have imagined that my link would have been clicked a hundred thousand times, I am eternally grateful and humbled.

In six year we've been sponsored, provided you with over 950 reviews, started a Facebook fan page, that provides over 150 followers with previews, movie news, and streaming schedules. We've even had the occasional celeb google their name and stop by to leave a comment. This blog is bigger and better than anything I could have ever imagined and we're not even close to being done...

As many of you know by now, I am out of work and currently caught in the horrible position of working odd and seasonal jobs. It makes my schedule ridiculously unpredictable and leaves me without a cent to put into the blog. That is why it isn't update weekly, as it had been for the past four years. Once I have a job and get back into a routine, not only will weekly reviews be coming back, but I also plan on spending a few bucks to have the page completely re-designed to give everyone a fresh new look and hopefully attract new followers!

Please keep clicking that link, sharing our reviews across social media, telling your friends about us, and enjoying all the great films and television shows we recommend, because it's our job to tell you what's good!

Wonder Woman (2017)

Starring: Gal Gadot, Chris Pine, & Robin Wright

Rating: 3 1/2 out of 5 stars

So DC finally got one right, isn't that what everyone's saying? I completely agree, Wonder Woman was much better than anything else DC has released in a very long time, and it was a pretty great film, but was it as amazing as everyone say it was or are we all a bit bias due to the hype surrounding the film? In the first blockbuster superhero film featuring Wonder Woman since the 1970's, we see Diana Prince (Gal Gadot) sitting in her office, remembering how it all started, and we are thrown back to the Island of the Amazons, where she is a little girl. We see her grow up and go through her training, with her aunt played admirably by the Princess Bride herself, Robin Wright, making an epic comeback. After which, a series of events lead her to meet a man and leave the island to join the war effort in England. Gal Gadot played Wonder Woman and she was truly something special, I mean to take nothing away from her or her performance with this next statement, but I wouldn't be doing my job if I didn't point this out. While everyone got caught up in the hype of the fact that DC made a good movie, that didn't center around Batman, and the fact that this film was centered on a female superhero, they failed to see just how unoriginal the story actually was. As I was watching the scenes on this Island, with Diana growing up, not knowing what she really was, and leaving before she was ready, I was very much reminded of Thor, but that was just the first hour of the film. I thought things would get better but they didn't. She becomes this unexpected larger than life hero in World War I, much in the way that Captain America did in World War II. Both of them fought really bad guys who weren't the "main" bad guy behind the war, and then there is the whole God angle, which brings us right back to Thor again. The film was so well done, I think it is more than time we had a strong female hero that young girl can emulate and look up to, and I thought Gal Gadot was a breath of fresh air, who gave an outstanding performance. As far as originality goes, to me it just wasn't there, as it seems the writers took elements from two of the more popular Marvel films and mashed them together. The Bottom Line, Wonder Woman is absolutely worth seeing, however I'm all for original ideas, and I want to see something different, especially at a time when a new superhero film is coming out every month. 

Cult (TV Show)

Starring: Matthew Davis, Jessica Lucas, Alona Tal, Robert Knepper, Marie Avgeropoulos, Jeffrey Piece, Kadeem Hardison, James Pizzinato, Christian Michael Cooper, & Shauna Johannesne

Rating: 4 out 5 stars

In the age of streaming, DVRs, and On Demand, networks still aren't getting it! Even the best and most innovative TV show to come along in years isn't going to survive, if you debut it with minimal advertising in the middle of the summer! This is the reason why Cult didn't last and why it isn't currently the top rated show on the CW network. 

The wildly creative idea was the brainchild of Farscape's Rockne S. O'Bannon and took nearly a decade to come to television. Cult is a TV show within a TV show, that features a cult, within a cult, I will attempt to explain. The show Cult is centered around a fictitious show called Cult. That fictitious show is centered around an FBI agent (Alona Tal) who lived her whole life in a cult, only to escape and join the FBI, with the hopes of locking up her old family for the abuses she endured. In retaliation, the cult has abducted her sister, brother-in-law, and nephew, who she is attempted to rescue. Back to the "real" Cult, the fans of this fictitious show, claim to see hidden messages in the show, that lead them to commit crimes on behalf of the shows mysterious creator, a man no one has ever met. One such crime is to kidnap Nate Sefton (James Pizzinato), the younger brother of a reporter, Jeff (Matthew Davis). Jeff makes it his mission to investigate these followers of cult, to find his brother, and to figure out what their up to, but he needs help. Jeff recruits Skye Yarrow (Jessica Lucas), a researcher on the show, whose father, was also a reporter, who disappeared fifteen years ago, while attempting to investigate the same man who created this TV show. Every episode is a wild ride into an underworld that has existed for decades, that no one knew anything about, and as always is the case with shows like this, each episode is better than the one before it, as it builds up to an epic conclusion.

This is the kind of show that had so many original ideas and so much material it could have gone on for years. Cult would have appealed to main stream audiences across every demographic and (pun intended) would have garnered a huge cult following, if it wasn't for the CW. I remember when this show premiered, the CW literally started to advertise for it a week before it aired, and then rarely after that. Cult was on Tuesday nights in the middle of the summer, when lets face it, most people are out enjoying the nice weather. Since the show had no previous exposure, there was no reason for anyone to watch on demand or even DVR it, so it was cancelled. It just doesn't make sense to me, why even spend the money and make the show if you're not going to give it a real chance? If this show debuted on the fall line-up after Supernatural, the ratings would have been enormous, the show would still be on! 

You have a terrific young cast playing duel roles, an experienced creator, with a team that's already had success with Seaquest, Farscape, and Alien Nation, there was no reason to bury this show, but a las, Cult met it's fate after just thirteen episodes, which are currently streaming on Netflix. For all my followers who claim they have nothing to watch, here is 13 hours of some of the most imaginative and creative writing you will ever see on TV, add Cult to your queue and start watching tonight!!!

ARQ

Starring: Robbie Amell, Rachael Taylor, & Adam Butcher

Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

First it was original TV shows, then documentaries, and now Netflix is making it's own feature films. ARQ is the companies first foray into science fiction and it hasn't gotten great reviews, due to the fact that it takes place in a time loop. I love science fiction and my favorite type of sci-fi is anything that features the manipulation of time, time travel, alternate history, time displacement, and yes, even time loops. In an apocalyptic futuristic world, Renton (Robbie Amell) has created a new form of energy, one that can possibly turn the tide and save the world. Renton wants to give this gift to all of humanity, but his former employer has other ideas and decides to steal the technology in a violent home invasion, where Renton is killed. After being killed, Renton reawakens starting his day all over again, with a complete memory of what happened. He soon discovers, the longer he lives, the more he learns, but will it be enough to figure out how to escape his current predicament, as well as the unusual time loop he seems to be caught in? Science Fiction fans love this type of film, because it gives us a chance to figure out things at the same time as the main character. It also gives us the chance to think about what we'd do in that situation and see if the character agrees or has some other wildly innovative idea that we didn't even think of. These films also tend to have a lot of noir type twists and turns and can be really thought provoking. The flip side of that, is that you can see some of the same scenes as many as ten times, and if you've never seen anything like this before and aren't a fan of the genre, it can be extremely confusing. That being said, I thought ARQ was exceptionally well written and done to near perfection, some of the twists just blew my mind. On a side note, as a fan of the film Saint Ralph, I was shocked to see Adam Butcher all grown up, playing a hired gun, I really got a kick out of that. ARQ isn't for general audiences, it is genre specific for fans of science fiction. If sci-fi isn't you thing, obviously you're not going to get it and you're not going to like it. If you are a fan, this was really well done, in particular the writing was fantastic, this film will keep guessing right up until the very end, which in and of itself was shocking.

Dark Summer

Starring: Keir Gilchrist, Grace Phipps, & Peter Stormare 

Rating: 2 out of 5 stars

The best actors in Hollywood need to get that big role before their career can take off. No matter how good they are, until they find that role, they won't be a household name and are forced to take whatever roles they can get. Even megastars, like Chris Pratt got his start on a low rated CW drama, and did B-movies for a decade before he was cast as Star Lord, this is the position Keir Gilchrist finds himself in now. Gilchrist is an exceptional young actor, who always gives his best, but without that big role on his resume, he's forced to take jobs like this one. Dark Summer follows Daniel, (Gilchrist) a 17 year old who has recently been sentenced to house arrest for stalking a girl from his school. To make matters worse, his parents are away for the summer and Daniel is all alone. As boredom ware away at him mind, Daniel starts to see things and wonders if he's being punished for his crimes by some supernatural entity, or if he's just going insane from boredom. For much of this movie, the actor is bored, and if the actor is bored, what do you think the audience is feeling? Daniel's days are filled with monotonous discussions with friends, who sneak over, and of course investigations that turn up nothing. As for his nights, they are filled with a lot of jump scares and loud noises that again ultimately turn up nothing, as Dark Summer is just one of those films where nothing happens until the last twenty minutes, and by then, who really cares anymore? The bottom line, even a great actor couldn't save this film, it's your typical supernatural horror film, filled with a lot of jump scares, good looking people, and a whole lot of nothing else until the very end.

Mother's Day (2010)

Starring: Rebecca De Mornay, Patrick Flueger, & Warren Kole

Rating: 3 out of 5 stars

From the Director of Saw 2, 3, & 4 comes an even scarier film, a story that is not only brutal, but also entirely possible. Three recently released prisoners are back to their old tricks, as they have just robbed a bank and escaped a shoot out with the police. With no where else to go, they flee to a familiar place, their mother's house, only while they were away, she lost that house to the bank and it had been re-sold. The trio stumbles right into the new owners house warming party and quickly take them as hostages. These boys are brutal, but they aren't very smart, not knowing what the next step is, they do they only thing they can think of and call their dear old mother for advice. Mother's Day is your typical film about hostages held at bay, trying to escape the brutal hold of their captors, with one exception, Rebecca De Mornay, a veteran actress of these types of films. De Mornay's is the one who raised these monsters, but she's also the voice of reason, with a cool calm demeanor, that will send a chill down your spine. Her performance in this film is what takes a simple hostage film and turns it into something deeper, darker, and more sinister. Of course a film like this isn't without it's flaws, as it is extremely predictable. They throw in all the things you would expect to see in a film about a hostage situation, and outside of the named actors you recognize, the rest of the cast, wasn't very good. That being said, I really enjoyed the triple dynamic between mother, psychopathic children, and the hostages, aside from that, this film was pretty much forgettable.