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REVIEW: “HOW TO TRAIN YOUR DRAGON” (2025) Universal/Dreamworks

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Honestly… going into “HOW TO TRAIN YOUR DRAGON”, I didn’t expect to feel the same way I did back in 2010, but this film brought it all back and I mean ALL back. Well, I should say, Director Dean DeBlois, Writers Cressida Cowell & William Davies have brought it back here in this great animated film done in live-action remake. I mean you know the story, and if you don’t, a brief summary follows. But, you probably know the original one as it is the story of a friendship between a timid young Viking and a mysterious dragon. And not much has changed story-wide, or at least if it is, very little is to be spotted. And that’s what makes this wonderful live-action version so excellent, because it retains what made the original so charming and popular, while also standing on it’s own as possibly one of the best live action remakes we’ve ever had the pleasure to view.

For those who don’t know yet, ‘HOW TO TRAIN YOUR DRAGON’ is the story of Hiccup, the unpopular son of the Viking chieftain Stoick from he Viking village of Berk, which is home to dragon slayers only. Hiccup not only finds himself unable, but essientially also doesn’t want to slay dragons. Nevertheless, he submits himself to the ritual of dragon-slaying lessons in order to finally be accepted into the community and, above all, by his father. Hiccup has a little secret, though, and that’s Toothless, a Night Fury. Night Furies are the most feared dragons, but this one becomes friends with Hiccup.

Mason Thames (right) as Hiccup with his Night Fury dragon, Toothless, in Universal Pictures’ live-action How to Train Your Dragon, written and directed by Dean DeBlois.

The film is set what we can assume is the early medieval times. The village of Berk, inhabited by Vikings and a few other tribes, is constantly attacked by dragons. These dragons cause destruction and take away livestock. Hiccup (Mason Thames), the son of the village chieftain Stoick the Vast (Gerard Butler), wants to fight the dragons just like other warriors in his village. However, he’s deemed not suitable to do this and is instead asked to intern with Gobber (Nick Frost), the village blacksmith. The experience helps Hiccup to learn other facets of life and start to understand and create different machines. He invents and makes his very own ‘bolas launcher’, something completely created by his own mind & knowledge he has obtained from this internship, and he takes it out when the dragons attack one night. He also takes daytime jouneys on his own away from the village, and realizes one day that he is able to spot a Night Fury. It’s a dragon no one has ever seen and is considered to be the most dangerous of all. Hiccup launches a well, sort of attack in the way of mostly trying to trap the Night Fury, and ends up shooting it down. He cautiously informs his father and villagers about it but they don’t take him all too seriously. The next day, he goes back to the outskirts of the villlage to kinda tell himself he didn’t imagine all this and this is all real. He realizes that he is right and that he indeed attacked the creature, but again, not wanting to be a dragon slayer, instead of killing him, he sets the Night Fury free and furthermore names him Toothless. The dragon also doesn’t kill him but escapes. Toothless is now able to fly but only if Hiccup will ride him in another invention made of his own, a dragon-riding saddle. Meanwhile, Stoick and the rest of the warriors have ventured into the sea to find the nest of the dragons. What happens next forms the rest of the film.

With up-and-comer Mason Thames, they’ve found a really good Hicks, who bears a striking physical resemblance to his animated alter ego. Thames has a great sense of timing and finds subtle perfect nuances between comedy and drama. And his interactions with a non-existent dragon are simply flawless. The same can be said for newcomer Nico Parker’s performance as Astrid, as we see a little crush form over time of the film between the two of them, which was just sweetness personified.

The impressive images of many of the flying shots with Hiccup and Toothless are particularly breathtaking here. Virtually all of the dragons inserted with CGI are impressive in their realism. The visual effects and live-action footage are flawless, and both seem to be from the same world, the same place. Even the actual lead character, Nightshade Toothless, gains an unexpectedly realistic presence in realistic texture and movement – ​​and in cuteness factor. John Powell’s music is exemplary. Bill Pope’s cinematography is breathtaking. The locales of Ireland are well captured by the lensman. The VFX is top-class and the team especially did a great job with the dragon. It looks cute yet has the ability to terrify in its own sweet way of more tensenees vs. scary. The action is without any gore, but done to where you understand it, but it’s not mean, as say a machine gun battle form of violence. Lindsay Pugh’s costumes and Dominic Watkins’ production design are appropriate for the era depicted. Wyatt Smith’s editing is satisfactory, despite it being nearly 20 minutes longer than the 2010 animated film.

Stoick (Gerard Butler) in Universal Pictures’ live- action How to Train Your Dragon, written and directed by Dean DeBlois.

“How to Train Your Dragon” hasn’t refocused, really updated, or even expanded in any way here over the animated version. But it is still very much so it’s own film. Real images are fundamentally more appealing, even more so when a fantasy world becomes an almost visual, tangible reality. The images of the Viking village of Berk, or the Great Hall of the Council. The rocky landscapes and forests are impressive. Populated by real people of all kinds (again, great casting), and realistic dragons. It’s a beautiful and vibrant world, mystical yet inviting. DeBlois has increased the running time from the original 98 minutes to 125 titillating, pefectly done minutes. But the new “How to Train Your Dragon” justifies itself in every way possible. This isn’t just a children’s film, this is a film for all ages and I myself, was completely and thoroughly enthralled with it throughout the entire film. I lost myself in this world and I loved it.

This remake went far beyond my expectations. The casting was spot on all the way down the line from the entire young group of Dragon Slayers: Snotlout (Gabriel Howell), Fishlegs (Julian Denison), Tuffnut (Harry Trevaldwyn), to Flatula (Kate Kennedy) & Snorti (Marcus Onilude), all the way down and again, to the main cast who are just impecable. Too many to mention all, but they ALL mattered and added to the film. The performances as well, all felt genuine and convincing. Especially Hiccup and Astrid. I found myself reconnecting with them like it was the first time all over again. This film isn’t just a copy of its animated family-it’s a heartfelt experience that stands on its own and was nothing short of breathtaking. “How to Train Your Dragon” for me personally, completely exceeded my expectations – and then some. From the very first scene, I was drawn into its world, and I didn’t want to leave.

(from left) Astrid (Nico Parker), Ruffnut (Bronwyn James), Gobber (Nick Frost), Fishlegs (Julian Dennison) and Snotlout (Gabriel Howell) in Universal Pictures’ live-action How to Train Your Dragon, written and directed by Dean DeBlois.

What else can you ask for in a film except to escape for a short time. I think audiences will do just that this weekend and more.

Grade: A+

“HOW TO TRAIN YOUR DRAGON” IS OUT IN THEATERS FRIDAY, JUNE 13, 2025

Review Screening: Monday June 9, 2025 ~ Courtesey of Universal Pictures & Dreamworks

Fun HTTYD T-shirt given to us by Universal/Dreamworks Thank you!!

Comedy, Dark Comedy, Horror, Independent Feature, Movie Reviews, Movies

REVIEW: “I DON’T UNDERSTAND YOU” (2025) Vertical Entertainment

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Going into “I DON’T UNDERSTAND YOU”, my initial thoughts were ‘comedy’. So I wasn’t prepared for a bit of emotion in the opening third of film.

The film opens with Writer/Directors Brian Crano and David Joseph Craig’s twisted comedy about two gay dad trying to make a video to be qualified as adopters for a child. The is the process, and it’s rather grueling to be honest. What do you say to have the mother, in this case – Amanda Seyfried (Candace), pick you to be her baby’s parents. It’s an emotional watch. It’s made more emotional by the fact that we find out, they have done this process before and been scammed.

But here is also where the movie just took a ball and pitched it into left field. We are in this completely poignent moment in time with these two men and what is clearly a big emotional moment in their lives – and then, we suddenly find outselves wandering through Italy with our wealthy gay couple Dom (Nick Kroll) and Cole (Andrew Rannells), as somewhere in all this, they have decided the world is against them. Remember, as of right now, and as Americans, they live in a time and in a country where they can legally marry, adopt, and do virtually everything straight people do; but this isn’t the case everywhere and Italy is a country that does not allow this. They’re also old enough to remember when all these freedoms weren’t available to them as well, so they anticipate rejection and homophobia at every turn. They’re prepared for the worst, and somehow they attract it.

But it’s also during this trip to Italy, which by the way was foreplanned as they are celebrating their anniversary, that they receives the news that the baby they’ve tried so hard to be elgible for, is going to be their’s and is about to be born. An old family friend of Dom’s Father organizes an exclusive dinner for them at a secluded restaurant. And so on.

And then it goes even wilder and weirder as the holidays unfold, what began as a simple anniverary vacation story takes weird, grim turns. Dom and Cole are immediately captivated by rustic restaurateur Francesca (Eleonora Romandini), though their imaginations begin to get the better of them, they misconstrue their knife-holding hostess (she’s a cook after all), and her macho son Massimo (Morgan Spector), as potential threats. Suddenly, the bodies are piling up, and the couple doesn’t know if they’ve dodged a hate crime or if they’ve perpetrated one against their hosts, who could hardly be kinder. And yet, they stab the air with knives and say things like, “You’re going to be a dey-ud.” If you’ve been watched your whole life (as Dom and Cole feel), it’s easy to misinterpret those signals. And because they’re unfamiliar with the local culture and language, (everything Italian is in sub-titles btw), things often escalate at breakneck speed.

I know this might seem strange, but there comes a point in this film where, objectively speaking, we begin to realize that Dom and Cole aren’t really great people (revealing the why/how here would ruin the film). In any case, “I Don’t Understand You” isn’t concerned with how these two might fare in a court of law in any world that I know of. Kroll and Rannells play the couple with a kind of “us against the world” conviction that draws the audience to their side, even when it’s not always clear whether their panic attacks and small displays of public affection are meant to seem cute or embarrassing, as it’s a hard read between the two here on them. It’s clear they like attention though.

Like their characters in “I Don’t Understand You”, the writer and director are also married in real life, which means that some of the tone of this film are presumably autobiographical, and probably exaggerated in an over-the-top manner. That’s what makes this kinda confusing to me, as this seems like it’s two totally different films shoved into one film. The first film is about the two men trying to adopt a child, the second film is about the same two men having all sorts of crazy happen on an anniversary trip to Italy together. Separately, these would’ve been two probably really good films, together, it just didn’t make sense. It ended sweetly though, with a throw-back to “film one” and happily ever after.

Grade: D+

“I DON’T UNDERSTAND YOU” IS OUT FRIDAY, JUNE 6, 2025

Review Screener: Courtesy of Ginsberg/Libby PR

Comedy, Drama, Family, Movie Reviews, Movies

REVIEW: “HAUNTED MANSION” (2023) Walt Disney Pictures

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The plot of Disney’s latest foray into a ride re-do is “HAUNTED MANSION” featuring a single mom Gabbie (Rosario Dawson), and her young son Travis (Chase Dillon), who move into a new ‘old’ house in New Orleans. Once there, they hire grieving tour guide Ben Matthias (LaKeith Stanfield), a dubious psychic Harriet (Tiffany Hadish), a shady priest Father Kent (Owen Wilson), and an unhinged historian Bruce Davis (Danny DeVito), to help exorcise her newly bought mansion after discovering it is inhabited by ghosts.


(L-R): Chase Dillon as Travis, Rosario Dawson as Gabbie, LaKeith Stanfield as Ben, Owen Wilson as Father Kent, and Tiffany Haddish as Harriet in Disney’s HAUNTED MANSION. Photo by Jalen Marlowe. © 2023 Disney Enterprises, Inc. All Rights Reserved.

So, it goes with this new attempt at a movie based on a popular Disney ride.  It’s chock-a-block full of inside jokes and references to the ride, some in plain sight, some tucked away in the corners of the screen.  As a big fan of the ride, one can only enjoy the little Easter eggs presented throughout and enjoy them a lot. Big fun highlights were the chair shaped like a Doom Buggy; and the room that stretches; and the hitchhiking ghosts, and on and on. If you’ve been on it, you get it. While the film tries to utilize the setting of New Orleans in some decently authentic ways, the rest of the plot and character development is so generic that they fail to make viewers more engaged in the setting. The film’s attempts at both humor and scares fall flat, as the jokes are formulaic and corny while the attempts at more frightening moments fail to elicit any tension or suspense, and are quite repetitive and CGI-heavy.

But aside from all the cool references, there is not much else to recommend, especially not for those few poor souls who are not as thoroughly familiar with the Disney ride as I and many others are.  There’s a heart-tugging sub-plot about the grieving tour guide, Ben and while it’s not meant to be comical, Stanfield’s wooden straight face playing the absurd material, trying to pull out the emotional stops for a touching moment as he describes his late wife, is almost painful to watch. It’s also one that pushes an absolute scene-stealing button from Danny DeVito. Then there is Travis, son of single mom Gabbie, who has problems with bullies at school, even when he isn’t troubled by the ghosts who have latched onto him like lice. Another is the issue of who all the resident ghosts are REALLY afraid of a big-bad ghost entity known only as the Hatbox ghost (Jared Leto). But we the audience are not. Jamie Lee Curtis steps in for a bit as Madame Leota, and she brings some decent comedic timing to this sorely lacking comedic film. Dan Levy is Vic – the new owner of the house and then there is a super surprise from Winona Ryder in a flash part as ghostly Pat. And one of my favourite little guest appearances is at the very beginning where Marilu Henner is part of a tour group. She is a wonderful flashback to the old Taxi days with DeVito.

Jamie Lee Curtis as Madame Leota in Disney’s HAUNTED MANSION. Photo courtesy of Disney. © 2023 Disney Enterprises, Inc. All Rights Reserved.

Acting ranges from good all the way down to…well…lackluster. Most of the cast does an okay job with what they were given. The high-end example is Danny DeVito. The man never seems to put less than 110% into whatever he does. At the lows is Rosario Dawson, an otherwise fine actress who looks like she just doesn’t want to be in this particular film. She shows little to no emotion even as her world is falling apart. Who knows, maybe that’s a directorial decision. LaKeith is a wonderful drama actor, but is sorely mis-cast here as he lacks the most basic of comedic timing. Dawson saves a few of scenes with the two of them, even though you know where they are headed together as character. Haddish, well she does Haddish. Nothing more, nothing less…

The movie has all the requisite creepy hallways and creaking doors and one or two iffy jump-scares, but everything is done so tongue-and-cheek that it’s never truly horrifying…which is what can be confusing. Is this meant to be scary, funny or what was the aim of the filmmakers.  Certainly, you don’t want to make a film, based on a jaunty fun theme park ride, as scary as The Exorcist.  So, to that end, the filmmakers succeeded.  The movie is harmless, even a little fun at times, Owen Wilson gets to deliver some of his trademark dry observations, and DeVito gets to play some notes that I haven’t seen him play in a very long time.  If pressed, I would be forced to conclude that, for non-fans of the ride, this movie would most likely be a bit of a slog. At over two hours long, the film also runs for too long, especially given the plot has limited resolution or payoff – but again, it has it’s ‘cute moments,’ despite missing that one leg so to speak.

Grade: C-

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“HAUNTED MANSION” FROM WALT DISNEY PICTURES IS OUT IN THEATERS FRIDAY, JULY 28, 2023

Review Screening: Monday, July 24, 2023 ~ Courtesy of Walt Disney Pictures

Adult, Comedy, Female Director, FEMALE WRITER, Movie Reviews, Movies, Woman Director

REVIEW: “JOY RIDE” (2023) LIONSGATE

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Okay everyone – time to buckle up, stay alert, and try not to spit out your cocktails while watching because writer/director Adele Lim is bringing ‘it’ to you with “JOY RIDE.” The film is packed with raunchy jokes and more than one decadent conversation about intimate body parts, felines, substances, Cardi B, and even exploring the distinctions among various Asian ethnicities. I mean who says a buncha guys can be the only ones with the corner market on this genre as ‘Joy Ride’ is sprinkled with some spicy moments and includes some great incorporation of Chinese and Korean elements, which adds a cool touch to it all. This raunchy comedy follows the standard 2010’s raunch-com template, with four big glaring differences – it brings four bad-ass female Asian-American leads to the table bringing East Asian female representation to the comedy world first and foremost.

The tone of ‘JOY RIDE,’ is set within the first 15 minutes as we watch as a young white couple Joe (David Denman), and Mary Sullivan (Annie Mumolo), approach a perplexed-looking Asian family on the playground. The couple awkwardly ask the painfully out of place parents Wey (Kenneth Liu), and Jenny Chen (Debbie Fan), if they’re Chinese, to which Jenny defensively affirms the assumption, adding with distinction that they are American and have moved to White Hills from California. In a sweet moment, their child peeks from behind and reveals that the white couple have an adopted daughter from China, and the two young daughters go off to play as their parents look on in relief that they found each other. When a naughty little boy launches a racist insult their way, he’s met with a vulgarity and punch to the face from Lolo. ‘Best friends forever’ is sealed right then and there. As they get older, Audrey becomes a lawyer and Lolo an artist-with eccentric tastes in art. Audrey must travel to China for a business deal and Lolo tags along as her translator because Audrey speaks very little Chinese. While in China, they decide to look up Audrey’s birth mother and hook up with Kai, an old college friend that is now an actress, and Deadeye, a friend of Lolo’s. Hi-jinks ensue on their road trip like meeting a drug dealer on a train, a meet up with a basketball team, and impersonating a K-pop band (think BlackPink), being just some of their adventures. It is very graphic humour, but it IS funny-and there are lessons to be learned concerning friendships along the way.

Each of the wonderful Asian-American leads here is a fairly-typical character model for this brand of comedy – but it’s all in how it is done and here it is done right. There is Audrey (Ashley Park), who plays the straight, professional girl of the group; Lolo (Sherry Cola), is the best friend – laid back, no shame, free spirited artist not afraid to show her nasty side. They are joined by Kai (Stephanie Tsu), who is a celebrity actress and just might be the real breakout character of the film. And lastly, Deadeye (Sabrina Wu), another contender for best breakout character, who is the weird, socially awkward, but the endearing and sympathetic cousin to Lolo, who manages to bring some of the biggest heart and laughs to the film. And you’ll have to wait to watch it to find out her real name and why she is called Deadeye. Every single cast member is fantastic and manages to bring their own emotional weight to the movie that makes you genuinely feel for them, while also providing laugh out loud moments. The movie is brimming with personality because of them and their personal cultural/identity battles that are sympathetic and make for the both the best jokes and the most heartfelt moments of the film. There is a mom moment that got me hard as they always do – but it’s also a beautiful moment and probably the most touching moment of the film of which there are some doozies in there.  

Stephanie Hsu as Kat, Sabrina Wu as Deadeye, Ashley Park as Audrey, and Sherry Cola as Lolo in Joy Ride. Photo Credit: Ed Araquel

Befittingly so, this is a strong R rated comedy (so take note – no kids) starring Asian-American actors-kind in the vein of Bridesmaids, Neighbors or The Hangover was so it should come as no surprise that Seth Rogan, Annie Mumolo, Evan Goldberg JamesWeaver, and Cherry Chevapravatdumrong are attached as producers with Cherry being part of the writing team as well along with Teresa Hsiao.

And I would be completely remiss to not talk about the guys here. And I mean wowsa. So yes guys, please forgive this paragraph and just scroll by because I can factually say that as this one is for the ladies. You won’t want to miss out on the eye candy here and that might sound so…déclassé’ – but it’s worth it to talk about as we rarely get this so let me have this one, will you? Desmond Chiam comes in playing Clarence in a role so against type, you can’t help but laugh. Chris Wong as a villain in the TV show that Tsu’s character stars in. And the basketball team of Alexander Hodge as Todd, Chris Pang as Kenny, Rohain Arora as Arvind, Victor Lau as Jiaying and Baron Davis as…Baron Davis. And that’s just naming a few. Trust me – it’s all worth it.

So again, get ready to experience a wild and comedic journey of self-discovery, filled with explicit sexual and racial jokes as this hilarious ride does not hold back. However, it’s not just about the laughs; it also delves into personal growth, intersecting identities, and the power of friendship. It doesn’t achieve perfection or greatness, but it wasn’t reaching for that either. If this genre is your thing, you’ll have a wonderful time.

Grade: B+

Follow me on twitter: @pegsatthemovies or Instagram: Peggyatthemovies

“JOY RIDE” FROM LIONSGATE IS OUT IN THEATERS FRIDAY, JULY 9, 2023

Review Screening: Friday, June 30, 2023 ~ Courtesy of Lionsgate

Adventure, Animation, Comedy, Family, Fantasy, Movie Reviews, Movies, Sci Fi

REVIEW: “ELEMENTAL” (2023) DISNEY/PIXAR

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“ELEMENTAL” takes you on a journey through Element City, where people of different elemental backgrounds like fire, water, earth, and air characters live side by side in mostly sequestered harmony. Elemental is director Peter Sohn’s second feature, coming eight years after The Good Dinosaur. There is, however, a beating heart here, and the framework is basically good as Ember who is Fire and Wade who is water, embody the film’s central characters and let us know that we are more alike than we realize.

The premise of Elemental is at its core quite straightforward: Elements do not mix. But what happens when Ember Lumen (Leah Lewis), a fiery and hot-headed young woman who loses her temper when mad, meets Wade Ripple (Mamoudou Athie), a nice guy who as a city inspector, is the one who shows up when water pipes in Ember’s family store explode. As the two humanoid elements get to know each other and their romance blossoms, they influence each other and grow together as Wade introduces her to the multicultural world of Element City outside of her ethnically isolated neighborhood. More importantly, Ember realizes that her dreams and aspirations may not align with the future she believes her parents have envisioned for her. She’s bound by the traditions of her parents, Bernie (Ronnie del Carmen) and Cinder (Shila Ommi), as they remind her constantly of the adage that’s been drilled into her her entire life “Elements don’t mix.”

IT’S “ELEMENTAL” — In a city where fire-, water-, land-, and air-residents live together, a fiery young woman and a go-with-the-flow guy are about to discover something elemental: how much they actually have in common. Directed by Peter Sohn -Disney and Pixar’s “Elemental” releases on June 16, 2023. © 2023 Disney/Pixar. All Rights Reserved.


Still, they fall for each other, prompting a dating montage and Ember’s awkward visit to a Ripple family dinner with Brooke Ripple (Catherine O’Hara), warmly welcoming Ember to their luxury apartment building. The restrained romance is backed by a sense of danger, suggesting that if Ember touches Wade, he’ll boil and evaporate, or alternatively, his water will put out her flame and that’s not the only allusion to romantic chemistry of the chemical reaction when Ember and Wade finally touch. The world-building in “Elemental” is stunning. The city itself is a visual feast, with each element having its own distinct architecture and style. From skyscrapers covered in lush greenery to water slides and wind-powered homes, every detail immerses you in this vibrant and enchanting world.

The film’s portrayal of how the elements interact is both amusing and touching. Whether it’s a water-being’s sneeze causing a flower to sprout under one little neighbor Clod (Mason Wertheimer) arms as he’s ‘growing up’ or Ember’s intense heat affecting others around her – these moments showcase the intricate relationships between the elemental residents. They provide a delightful blend of entertainment and insight into the film’s underlying plot. There is also a fun side plot with Gale (Wendi McClendon-Covey), as Wade’s boss at work and how she first hinders, then helps the couple move towards their end goal.

WELCOME TO ELEMENT CITY – Disney and Pixar’s “Elemental” takes fire, water, earth and air and imagines what it would be like if they were alive and living in the same city – a place called Element City. Directed by Peter Sohn – Disney and Pixar’s “Elemental” releases on June 16, 2023. © 2023 Disney/Pixar. All Rights Reserved.


While the hint of romance between Ember and Wade adds an extra layer of intrigue, “Elemental” is so much more than just a love story. It delves deep into Ember’s personal journey as she navigates the city and tries to form meaningful connections. The character development is strong, and you can’t help but cheer for Ember and Wade as they face their challenges and strive to make a positive impact on their community.

“Elemental” isn’t perfect, but it is a sweet story that was lovely to watch as it’s a captivating story that reminds us of the incredible strength found in unity and the beauty of finding common ground in a diverse world.  It’s an adorable, heartfelt family film about the immigrant experience told in a way kids can understand, an animated romantic comedy anyone can enjoy that doesn’t go too overtly hard on its messages of racial and class dynamics, instead opting for a universally digestible “love is love” mentality.

Grade: B-

Side note: the cute follow up to Carl from ‘UP‘ story, “Carl’s Date” previews before the showing of the film as it’s just a lovely little short!

Follow me on twitter: @pegsatthemovies or Instagram: Peggyatthemovies

“ELEMENTAL” FROM DISNEY/PIXAR PICTURES IS OUT IN THEATERS FRIDAY, JUNE 16, 2023

Review Screening: Saturday, June 10, 2023 ~ Courtesy of Disney/Pixar


bad movie, Comedy, Female Director, Movie Reviews, Movies

REVIEW: “ABOUT MY FATHER” (2023) LIONSGATE

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“About My Father” is a 2023 comedy film directed by Laura Terruso and stars comedian Sebastian Maniscalco as essentially himself. The tag-line is it’s a comedy based on his life in Chicago and connection with his father, Salvo Maniscalco (Robert De Niro), an over-the-top Chicago hairstylist. A few of the cast here, including De Niro and Kim Cattrall, are what drew my attention and having just seen the excellent film done by Ray Romano ‘Somewhere In Queens’, I thought this would be a great addition in that category. Therein lies my first mistake. Lightening rarely strikes twice.

The film follows Sebastian, who in real life is apparently quite a successful stand-up comedian, here though, he works at a hotel. As he prepares to propose to his girlfriend, Kelly (Leslie Bibb). Salvo isn’t happy about this and even less so that Sebastian is heading out of town to Kelly’s wealthy family home, to be with her eccentric family, right-wing Senator Tigger Collins (Kim Cattrall), and hotelier Bill Collins (David Rasche), and brothers Lucky (Anders Holm), and Doug (Brett Dier) for the 4th of July, something they always spend together in the city. So it comes as no surprise that the gathering soon goes awry. And so begins the collision-of-the-families movie where both sides are faced with a clash of class and culture between Salvo’s blue-collar immigrant worldview – where he gives the inevitable old guilt speech of how he scrambled to come here to give his son a better life-song and dance. Then there is Ellie’s family’s bubble of born with a silver spoon affluence, finding Sebastian in the middle between both sides hoping they’ll be able to see eye to eye. This is where the hijinks is supposed to begin as Salvo does what he can to try and sabotage the relationship.

Kim Cattrall as Tigger, Leslie Bibb as Ellie, and David Rasche as Bill in About My Father. Photo Credit: Dan Anderson

Now, fair play here – I’ve never seen Maniscalco’s full comedy act so I can’t judge it on the whole, I have however seen a few clips and some of his interviews, most particularly the one where he puts down his wife abhorrently to her face. It’s not a pleasant watch, but I went into this with open arms again, mostly for De Niro and Cattrall. What I got was De Niro starting off the film in a bad wig, trying to de-age his character into the 80’s with ZERO success. He basically phoned in this performance. The film itself doesn’t even extend the courtesy of trying most of the time, it just crashes and burns almost harder with each scene — almost like it’s run on autopilot. Shot like mediocre sitcom, with jokes and scenarios so dull you can practically feel the energy being sucked out of the theatre while you have resigned yourself to just sitting and watching it happen.

Maniscalco might be a successful stand-up but his screen presence is paltry by comparison, and the script he’s co-written with Austen Earl is bland in its comedy and vapid in its saccharin message about the importance of family. Throw in a quick thread about how this is the heartwarming coming-together of “two different types of immigrant stories” in the eleventh hour when one of those stories is so hilariously tone-deaf, it almost has you grinding your teeth in dismay. Every decent comedic performer is underutilized, even Cattrall tries to work with the material she’s given and has a moment or two, De Niro is so sadly used here it should be illegal.Though a shout-out is owed to David Rasche who earns the most genuine laughs (mind you these are short and few) as Ellie’s overbearing father, doing all he can to save the scenes he is in.

Sebastian Maniscalco as Sebastian and Robert De Niro as Salvo in About My Father. Photo Credit: Dan Anderson

Beyond that, nothing here will come at a surprise to the viewer, not the beginning, not the middle, not the end, so whether the jokes somehow land with them or not is for each to decide. With the film being slow at times, picking up the pace into absurd-ness at others. I wish I had laughed more than once.

Grade: D

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“ABOUT MY FATHER” FROM LIONSGATE IS OUT IN THEATERS FRIDAY, MAY 25, 2023

Review Screening: Thursday, May 11, 2023 ~ Courtesy of Lionsgate

1990's, Biography, Comedy, Dark Comedy, Drama, Independent Feature, Movie Reviews, Movies

REVIEW: “BLACKBERRY” (2023) IFC FILMS

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“Send me your BBM”

On January 9th, 2007, when Steve Jobs took to a worldwide stage to make the biggest announcement of the tech industry as we knew it, What did he do? Well he announed the iPhone and the world was forever changed. But before all this, there was the “BLACKBERRY”, and most audiences really don’t know much about the story of the man nor the company behind this invention this one time status symbol.  Like many others, never having owned a Blackberry myself, one can only remember when someone said “Send me your BBM” and we looked at them in possible confusion. We also never knew the story of the BlackBerry to this depth, thankfully, this movie portrays that very well with its dark comedy and anxiety-inducing writing. While we all know that BlackBerry doesn’t exist anymore, Director/co-star Matt Johnson does a good job of showing how the IPhone destroyed this Canadian-based company, and how the fall from grace for those behind it all was actually more of a boom! than just a blip.

BlackBerry is not your by the numbers biographical drama of a company as the film is structured into three segments based on major shifts at the company, Research in Motion (RIM). The film follows the duo of tech boy wonders Mike Lazaridis (Jay Baruchel) and Doug Fregin (Matt Johnson), are the heads of a the very almost child-ish start-up, in which they’ve essentially just hired their friends to hang out with them and do “movie night”. Somehow during all this movie time – they have developed a phone capable of sending and receiving emails in a pocket-sized device you can hold in your hand – an idea that at the time that was deemed as a pipe dream.

As with anything new in the tech market – funding, support, and distribution are important to the plan and they duo head out to do get just that. Both are incredibly unprepared, to pitch their idea to Jim Balsillie (Glenn Howerton), who despite not having a tech background, gets it instantly, but feels they aren’t worth his time – until he has a interesting little incident of insubordination in the presence of his boss (Martin Donovan), which needless to say, gives him a bit of a career setback. He ends up meeting them again in a diner, where in a scene typical of how these two interact, Doug counts out change for the check from a Ninja Turtles wallet. Still Jim, offers his services to RIM in exchange for a large share of the business and the status title of co-CEO. Doug completely loses it, but Mike, who is clearly gets the bigger picture as payroll checks are bouncing, realizes they need each other.

What’s good about this film is how perfectly it captures the rise and fall of this once innovative company, highlighting the heart at the core, and of its inevitable demise. Fans of earlier films running this gamut like The Social Network or this years Tetris, will feel right at home here. Just like those films, this multi-faceted one is not just for the technology gurus out there, as co-writers Matt Johnson and Matthew Miller wrote it to integrate technological jargon into a narrative that everyone can understand and follow, not just those tech gurus. BlackBerry, is not just a film about the creation of the world’s first smartphone, but also works as an exploration of friendship, community, and power that never shys away from references to where they were located (what we here is the U,S. would call ‘the boonies), of Waterloo, Canada, and it never falls short of things like the constant praise of its hockey origins.

Where is falls a bit short at times is leaving out a background of the people themselves. If these people have homes or families we never see them. Jim has a loyal assistant, who is one of two women with basic speaking parts in the film. The other being Michelle Giroux as Dara Frankel, the SEC investigator who ends up bringing the axe down on RIM. All the other team members, with the exception of Rich Sommer as Paul Stannos, an engineer poached from Google and Michael Ironside as Purdy, another terrifying character made COO, otherwise blend into the same basic background. For all this movie’s pride in being Canadian its true home is plain old cutthroat capitalism. The various men in suits like Saul Rubineks’ John Woodman, or Cary Elwes as Carl Yankowsky, all are at various points just yelling at each other in their own colourless corporate settings, Making what I say next more than obvious that what stands out in all these films, not just this one but in all the films about the major innovators of our time, from Steve Jobs to Mark Zuckerberg, to Jim Balsillie, and eventually even Mike in this film, (taking into consideration they are correctly portrayed), are always some of the most horrid people to everyone around them. They were the times when this type of leadership was not only accepted, though that’s no excuse for being a unhuman human, it was the norm and women in the boardroom were a rarity. It is essentially the creation of the coporate overlords that we now know today.

Lastly is the acting. Jay Barucshel and Matthew Johnson were both wonderful in a corporate Ying-and-Yang relationship, though Johnson steals the show with his mockery and comedy. But the complete show stopping film stealer is Glenn Howerton as the corporate tough guy. Coming from a comedic background shows through here as his timing of every single scene scream roast is impeccable, it’s truly dark comedy at it’s best. He can stop the whole show with just a showstopping look. I can only say to everyone watching, let’s remember this performance come Awards season. Together, the three of them drive the story from its lowest points to its dizzying heights. All the supporting roles fit in as needed, as again, it’s like they hired a group of friends and funnily enough, a post Q & A with Director Matt Johnson confirmed just that.

Overall ‘BlackBerry’ is a fun entertaining picture, that may not be completely accurate, but for those who don’t know the details, it won’t matter or to the point, detract from the story at hand.

Grade: B

Follow me on twitter: @pegsatthemovies or Instagram: Peggyatthemovies

Review Screening: Sunday, May 7, 2023 ~ Courtesy of CAA/IFC Films

“BLACKBERRY” FROM IFC FILMS IS OUT IN THEATERS FRIDAY, MAY 12, 2023

Action, Action Adventure, CGI, Comedy, Marvel Comics, Movie Reviews, Movies, Super Hero

REVIEW: “GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY VOL. 3” (2023) DISNEY/MARVEL STUDIOS

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Good superhero movies are hard to make with the market for them as oversaturated as it is. And for me, it is a bit harder as it’s hard keep them all straight, and now along with all the different universes, you have to watch a TV show to understand them. It feels like work at times rather than just plain fun to watch a film. But “GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY“ series has never felt that way for me from it’s first film to now it’s last with “GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY VOL 3” attempts to do the one thing that most MCU trilogies have failed at: giving all of its characters a satisfying ending. While many of the plots are similar in all these films, here in it’s last outing, they threw a bit of a wrench into it all. So it’s not going to be a spoiler to say that director James Gunn made it a Rocket Raccoon – centric story.

Rocket (voiced by Bradley Cooper) in Marvel Studios’ Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3. Photo courtesy of Marvel Studios. © 2023 MARVEL.

The film finds the opening reintroducing the ensemble rebuilding their lives in a post-Thanos world, with team leader Peter Quill (Chris Pratt), in a dark place wallowing in drunken self-pity over losing girlfriend Gamora (Zoe Saldaña). Like the previous two Guardians films, it opens with a song. This time however, it’s not the usual uplifting song or classic rock song hit, but a very somber version of Radiohead’s Creep, that is set over a walking sequence of Rocket Racoon (Bradley Cooper), alone making his way throughout Knowhere. While the rest of the Guardians; Gamora’s step-sister, Nebula (Karen Gillan), single worded vocabulary tree-creature Groot (Vin Diesel), dimwitted but loveable Drax (Dave Bautista), and empath with the antennas, Mantis (Pom Klementieff), are all turning to a more connected type group while others, not so much.

Initially, everything seems to be going okay for the Guardians, all things considered. That is until Adam Warlock (Will Poulter), son of Ayesha (Elizabeth Debicki), suddenly attacks Knowhere. If you remember as honestly I did not and someone had to tell me, but they had vowed revenge during one of several post-credits scenes in Volume 2. So Adam it seems, has been tasked to capture Rocket on the request of the man who tortured and made Rocket what he is today, the High Evolutionary (Chukwudi Iwuji). Rocket is injured so badly that he lapses into a coma and his Guardian friends can’t do anything to help him without the passcode required to access his heart. And herein lies the rest of the story – which to tell you would just spoil the whole film. I’m sure you can safely assume there will be fight scenes, galactic battles, jokes and possibly a bit of romance. But while there is a process to the story, the tone of it all at times also veers all over the place with scenes of true emotion to battle scenes, with the flip of a proverbial switch. One minute you’re seeing beautiful scenes of Rocket with his friends that will just truly get to you, the next minute the High Evolutionary is going a bit hammy, screaming off his rocker and it confuses the storyline at heart. There are also some really violent scenes that seem a little off-putting as some are genuinely traumatic and honestly kind of disturbing moments. There are the jokey one-liners you’re expecting as well, along with some really corny scenes. All these moments work in separately, but put together here in GOTG Vol. 3, it’s all a bit like an orchestra being led by a conductor who’s just rolled out of bed and needs his coffee I.V. before he can swing his wand correctly.

Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3. Photo by Jessica Miglio. © 2023 MARVEL.

Needless to say it’s the animals who rule this film and along with Rocket there is a sweet one in Cosmo the Spacedog (Maria Bakalova), a telepathic Soviet canine who helps the Guardians. This is truly where the emotion kicks in and some scenes are even hard to watch as cruelty towards animals, even animated ones, are a hard watch and will even get the ‘heart of stone’ people in all the right places. Sylvester Stallone also returns though blink and you might miss him, as Stakar Ogord, who leads a team of Ravagers that includes Michael Rosenbaum as Martinex and Daniela Melchior as Ura. But they are very much side characters here.

As one would expect with the film revolving around him, the MVP must be Rocket, who is one of better developed characters in GOTG franchise to be sure. His sad backstory here is the core of this movie and it was a good choice. Pratt and Saldana are fun, but without their crazy romance chemistry, it just isn’t the same. It’s hard to pinpoint anyone here truly who does better than Bradley Cooper voicing Rocket as he gives him life here. The Adam Warlock character almost felt like a waste as he’s portrayed as a really strong character at the beginning, only to disappear to the sidelines for the whole movie, momentarily popping up here and there until the end. Sadly it seemed like Poulter ‘worked out’ for nothing, as he was just background noise. As well as villian playing Iwuji, who has strong moments, but also truly cheesy ones, leaving you trying to put your finger on if he is a really good at this villian role or not. But truly when Gunn is on form – as most notably, the truly breathtaking Beastie Boys-backed fight scene and Rocket rescuing the baby raccoons, the film works well, but there are too many moments that drag, often as a result of skewering in different directions and some comedy that doesn’t quite hit. But yet again, it’s the music that saves a movie and as per usual, the soundtrack is impecable. The music by John Murphy is epic and catchy, blending orchestral with classic rock songs that fit the tone and mood of each scene. But the icing on the cake was by far the change of soundtrack towards the end with Florence and the Machine, The update of music leading away from the usual seventies & eighties rock makes a moving scene all the more so. Kudos to that.

Cosmo (voiced by Maria Bakalova) in Marvel Studios’ Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3. Photo courtesy of Marvel Studios. © 2023 MARVEL.

The film features plenty of action and explosions, but at times it feels like there are too many of them. The plot also has a few flaws, with some of the storylines feeling rushed or underdeveloped. However, there are also strengths with it – and yes, the surprisingly dark themes at times. Parents be warned here – this is not a movie for young children – honestly with some of the graphic scenery I would hesistate taking anyone under the age of thirteen hence the PG-13 rating. Still, sure, it was sweet.. and looked good… with cute characters…and it’s generally a success. Maybe tugs on the heartstrings a little too aggressively, but a lot of it works. I liked how they handled all the characters, besides what has been pointed out. The storyline is otherwise sound and it’s a pretty good end to what’s been a nice trilogy.

Grade: B

Follow me on twitter: @pegsatthemovies or Instagram: Peggyatthemovies

Review Screening: Courtesy of Disney/Marvel Studios

“GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY VOL 3” FROM DISNEY PICTURES/MARVEL STUDIOS IS OUT IN THEATERS FRIDAY, MAY 5, 2023

Action, Comedy, Dark Comedy, Family, Female Director, Independent Feature, Movie Reviews, Movies

REVIEW: “POLITE SOCIETY” (2023) FOCUS FEATURES

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“POLITE SOCIETY” is writer-director Nida Manzoor‘s first film – as we best know her from her hit TV show “We Are Lady Parts” – a personal favourite of mine from Peacock. She stays within the Pakistani community culture that she knows and does so well with again here, giving us a very smart, yet super stylised, inventive and sometimes over the top familial story. Manzoor divides the film into five chapters – entitling each with the theme at hand such as “Khan vs. Salim” or “Khan vs. Khan”, highlighting what each chapter will offer up.

4167_D039_00291_R Priya Kansara stars as Ria Khan and Ritu Arya as her sister Lena in director Nida Manzoor’s POLITE SOCIETY, a Focus Features release. Credit: Parisa Taghizadeh / © 2023 FOCUS FEATURES LLC.

Priya Kansara, a newcomer to the big screen, stars as Ria Khan, a Sophomore/Year 11 private school student, Ria is highly determined to achieve her goal of becoming a working stuntwoman. She remains laser-focused on this despite her teacher and parents parents Rafe (Jeff Mirza) and Fatima (Shobu Kapoor), laughing it all off as nonsense and trying at every turn to re-direct her towards becoming a doctor. Ria also adores her older sister Lena (Rita Arya), who has recently moved back into her parents home after dropping out of a prestigious art school. Ria is worried about her as she seems to be drifting in life. So instead, together they film Ria’s stuntwoman ‘practices’ all the while she sends letters to top professional stuntwoman Eunice Huthart expresses her love for all things stunt related, and yet at some point, her life intertwines in them as well.

Things change quickly for everyone as at a meet & greet aka match-making soiree’ as Salim (Akshay Khanna), a doctor and every mothers dream match for their daughters, steps in and begins wooing and winning over Lena. Ria senses things aren’t right with the relationship and is also convinced that Lena should resume her dreams of being artist, rather than be with the too-good-to-be-true Salim. And then there is Salim’s mother Raheela (Nimra Bucha), who raises every red-flag visable as the overbearing mama’s boy mother. Of course, Ria suspects things aren’t all on the up and up here and sets out to prove it with her two best school friends Clara (Seraphina Beh) and Alba (Ella Bruccoleri), who get some of the best one-liners of the film. And the fun begins as they strategize and scheme to undercut the relationship, but they are no match for Salim’s mother.

4167_D018_00093_R Seraphina Beh stars as Clara, Priya Kansara as Ria Khan and Ella Bruccoleri as Alba in director Nida Manzoor’s POLITE SOCIETY, a Focus Features release. Credit: Parisa Taghizadeh / © 2023 FOCUS FEATURES LLC.

While the story might have it’s over-the-top moments to be sure, the acting never does. Kansara and Arya are perfectly paired here and clearly are having fun as they execute the physical martial arts sequences beautifully, yet also show promise in the more serious moments switching back and forth flawlessly. And the supporting cast which we have yet to mention the school bully turned partner in crime Kovacs (Shona Babyemi), who offers some wonderful comedic relief helping the three friends out in their wily scheme to ‘free’ Lena. All these ladies need to be put on everyone’s “Actresses to watch for” lists – as well as filmmaker Nida Manzoor on their Female Directors to watch list. Anyone who can entertain at this level deserves the opportunity to do so as frequently as possible.

In the end, after all the kicks, punches, and schemes, ‘Polite Society’ is about culture, friends, sisterhood and being true to who you are with Nida Manzoor giving us extremely creative film with a balance of themes that proves immensely entertaining.

Grade: B

Follow me on twitter: @pegsatthemovies or Instagram: Peggyatthemovies

Review Screening: Courtesy of Ginsberg/Libby PR

“POLITE SOCIETY” FROM FOCUS FEATURES IS OUT IN THEATERS FRIDAY, APRIL 28, 2023

Comedy, Drama, Female Director, Foreign Film, Independent Feature, Movie Reviews, Movies, Romance

REVIEW: “Anaïs in Love” (2022) Magnolia Pictures

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From the very moment we first see her on screen, it’s clear that Anaïs (Anaïs Demoustier), doesn’t have her life together. It’s also clear that that is exactly how director Charlene Bourgeois-Tacquet wants her lead character to be. Anaïs is a whirlwind on the screen, as it is the films running joke throughout that Anaïs is a frenetic girl who is habitually late to everything. She is late to appointments, late to school, late to parties, late to family functions, yet she is never out of breath while being late riding her bike to all these events. To continually make it clear, she is late with the rent on her Paris apartment, late with her University dissertation, and yes, late with her period. She is also late in telling her live-in boyfriend Raoul (Christophe Montenez), that because she is late taking her birth control as she ‘just forgot’ that she is pregnant. But somehow everyone from her landlord to her professor, all look past her seemingly carefree approach to real life as she talks her way out of all of it because, you guessed it, she is late and running off to the next thing that she is late for.

This is all cute and whimsical enough until, suffice to say the one thing she on time for is when she has her abortion. The problem here is how nonchalantly this is all noted as if having the abortion is just another blip in her day. This is supposed to be comedy and there was nothing funny about the way this is handled in the story. Abortion, as we all know, is a serious right, a right for a woman to make a choice. It is not however to be shown so dispassionately and be treated as though it’s just another form of birth control. That something so critical and important of an issue and decision is taken here, by a female director of all people, should’ve been handled with more aplomb instead of being made to look easy to do and be played off as if she is cool as a cucumber doing it. The film lost its comical ‘pretense’ then and there.

So it’s really no surprise then to see as the film goes on that Anaïs takes an older, married man Daniel (Denys Podalydes), whom she met as she was late to a dinner party, as her lover, He then turns it around and ends the affair by stating he doesn’t want his life to change. Anaïs as per usual, just shrugs it off and turns her attention to Daniel’s wife, Emilie (Valeria Bruni Tedeschi). Emilie is a famous author and Anaïs worms her way into Emilie’s life after reading her book, tracks her to Normandy, where she’s holding a symposium, even though she was hired and supposed to be helping at a completely different symposium in another town. Once again, she just abandons something dependable for something whimsical. In the midst of all this and without warning, the women begin a sexual relationship. It comes as a complete surprise as neither character had up until that point in the film, even the slightest bit any previous indications that this was even something that either of them was interested in. All the while this is going on, Anaïs is coming to terms with the return of her mother’s (Anne Canovas), liver cancer. While this isn’t an excuse for her bad behavior, it seems to be given as some sort of explanation for it all.

There is a lot lacking here in terms of it being a comedy at all and it lacks any sort of dramatic punch even with the side-story of her mothers cancer. Anaïs the character, is never concerned about what the outcome of her actions are, so neither are we. Anaïs Demoustier the actress, is beautiful and does well with what the character is supposed to be, it’s just not enough to make the film any better. This is essentially a movie about an thoughtless young woman, whose mother is dying of cancer, and who makes the lives of those around her unpleasant. And that just isn’t funny no matter which way you twist it.

Grade: D+

Follow me on twitter: @pegsatthemovies or Instagram: Peggyatthemovies

Review Screening: Courtesy of Ginsberg/Libby PR

“ANAIS IN LOVE” IS NOW IN THEATERS April 29, 2022 and VOD May 6, 2022.