When you are strolling though Netflix looking for a movie and you come across one with two beautiful actors set in an exotic location you think, “This should be good”. Sometimes you are right, and you find a hidden gem. But sometimes you are wrong and come up with a dirty piece of gravel. At least you feel strongly one way or the other. This movie does not fall into either one of these categories. This is what I call a “Nothing Movie”, and that is the worst movie to review. If a movie is good, it is exciting to talk about, and if it is terrible, it is exciting to talk about. But if it evokes no emotion at all, who cares? I am not a huge fan of Laura Dern, but she has been good in everything I’ve seen her in. The main two that come to mind are Jurassic Park with dinosaurs and Wild at Heart with Nicolas Cage. Liam Hemsworth was good in the Hunger Games movies, and Expendables 2. In none of the movies I named were Dern and Hemsworth the main thing you were looking at. In Lonely planet they are doing the heavy lifting. They have to have chemistry. They have to be interesting. We have to care about the decisions they make, and the outcome of what they do. Laura Dern plays Katherine Loewe, a successful writer who goes to a writer’s retreat to break her writers’ block and finish her novel after a messy breakup. Liam Hemsworth plays Owen Brophy, some sort of investor that is never quite explained. His girlfriend Lily, played by Diana Silvers has written a best seller and has dragged Owen to the same retreat. Owen is an outsider in this situation and is left to walk around trying to find a cell signal so that he can buy a property for the investment company he works for. In doing so he meets Katherine. We know instantly that they are the stars, this is a romantic movie, and they are destined to be together. Sadly, there are no sparks. No titillating conversations, and at no time do you really care if they get together or not. When the thing that you know is going to happen to separate them so that we can cheer for them to get back together does happen, you don’t care. In fact, you don’t care enough to pause the movie while you go to the bathroom and get something to drink. The movie is 1 hour and 34 minutes, or as I call it 94 minutes I can never get back, it is Rated-R for regret, and language, but mostly regret. It was never going to be good, but it didn’t even have the decency to be bad. To say it was bland would give it too much credit for some type of flavor. I wish I had seen it in a theater and paid money to see it. At least I would have the satisfaction of being pissed off, it robbed me of even that. My Score: Nothing

Lamar Reviews - "Martha" (Airdate 11/8/2024) Martha Stewart has had one of the most interesting lives I’ve ever heard of. Also, she is one of the strongest, most determined, and definitely most focused women you’ll ever come across. She was a “daddy’s girl” that learned about gardening from a man that demanded perfection. She spent hours in the kitchen with her mother. She became a model at 16 so she could pay for college. She went from 50 cents an hour babysitting, to 50 dollars an hour posing. From there she became the first woman stockbroker on the New York Stock Exchange. She started a catering business, then started writing cookbooks. She developed a new magazine, Martha Stewart Living that sold more than 2 million copies per issue. Turned that into a TV show, and eventually put it all under Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia and went public to become the first female self-made billionaire in the United States. She continues to be the majority shareholder. Went to prison for insider trading that saved her $45,673. She was sentenced to 5 months in prison. Of her trial she said, “Those prosecutors should have been put in a Cuisinart and turned on high.” She returned to daytime tv with the Martha Stewart Show, which was not her wheelhouse. It was not her brand. She said, “Mark Burnett, the producer, missed the point of “Martha Stewart”, live audience and crummy music, ugh!” That was more like prison than being at Alderson Federal Prison.” Because she could not be the CEO of her company, it went down the tubes, and she sold it off, losing over a billion dollars. But she has 2 mottos, “Learn something new every day, and “When you are through changing, you’re through.” She said, ‘If you don’t like the garden, change it, rip it out and start all over again.” Which is exactly what she did. She got invited to Justin Bieber’s roast on Comedy Central. In the introduction Kevin Hart said, “For all the black people that are confused about that old white woman on the couch, that’s Martha Stewart.” Nobody had warned her that she would be roasted too. They all expected her to go soft, she did not! She was the star of the evening. I re-wounded and watched her jokes 3 times. For those of you that don’t understand the term re-wounded, there was this thing called a videotape, that you could re-wind, and if you didn’t before you returned it, you had to pay $2. But that’s another story. She sat beside Snoop Dogg and she said, “For 7 hours he was smoking blunt after blunt and I was just getting higher and higher sitting there.”  Snoop asked her to hang out, and the comeback was on!” Netflix 1 hour 55 minutes, Rated-R for language. Oldest Sports Illustrated Cover ever, she is the original Influencer. The is a very interesting, eye-opening, and inspiring documentary. It really is a must see, just to watch how she handles the questions, and how honest and frank she is. My Score: 5 Ice Cold Budweisers

Lamar Reviews - "Sweet Bobby: My Catfish Nightmare" (Airdate 11/1/2024) The first thing I look at on Netflix is documentaries. I was slow on the uptake of documentaries but I quickly discovered that the majority of them are very interesting, and really good. Just the title alone drew my interest. When I first started to hear about the “Catfishing” thing I was very skeptical as to why anybody would fall for that. I do understand it a lot better now that I’m familiar with more and more stories. I still look at these stories and immediately see tons of moments that in my opinion the person should have suspected what was happening. But I have to remind myself that I’m not emotionally connected to what was happening, and the victim is. In the Sweet Bobby story, Kirat, a young Indian woman who is feeling the pressure to be married. In that culture to be of a certain age and not be married is looked down upon. She is contacted by this handsome, well to do man that is interested in her.They started an online relationship that lasted 10 years. 10 years without ever having sat down and seen each other face to face. How do you have a 10 year relationship without ever physically meeting? That really is the question. In this situation the desperation she feels in not letting down her parents in front of their community is enormous. I think that is the main reason she did not see the red flags in this relationship that were constantly popping up. It is very easy to judge her and blame her, while seeing all of this in hindsight. But, you have to put yourself in her place.  There is also a second victim, Bobby. The real Bobby who did absolutely nothing to get involved in this situation. His images were taken and used one hundred percent without his knowledge. He knew nothing until an unknown woman showed up at his door, hysterical and accusing him of stuff. This is on Netflix, the movie is 1 hour 22 minutes, Rated -TV14. While I was watching this I was yelling at the TV, “how are you falling for this? Can’t you see this doesn’t make any sense? Well, if you are believing this, I can’t feel sorry for you!” But I did feel sorry for her. She truly did not do anything wrong. She just trusted someone who loved her, someone she was prepared to spend the rest of her life with. The only person in this situation to be mad at is the “Catfisher”, not the catfish, or the bait. And I honestly don’t get what that person got out of all of this. In some catfishing stories there is a scam for money, but there was no money involved in this story. The only commodity given or lost was love. And in Sweet Bobby: My Catfish Nightmare, love can be a cruel and dangerous thing. My Score: 4 Buds

Lamar Reviews - Woman of the Hour (Airdate 10/25/2024) Anna Kendrick is one of those actors who every time you watch her you wonder, “Why is she not a more Bonafide movie star?” She is memorable in every role she takes. She got a lot of exposure in the Twilight movies, but her claim to fame at this point is the Pitch Perfect movies. She gets to show off not only her razor sharp wit, but also her acting talent, and the fact that she can really sing. She was really good in 50\50 as a therapist treating a cancer patient played by Joseph Gordon-Levitt. The most critically acclaimed movie on her resume is Up In The Air with George Clooney back in 2009. This time she is directing the movie she is in. It is based on the true story of serial killer Rodney Alcala who managed to stay under the radar until he was convicted of killing seven women and girls in 1980. He is suspected of killing more than 100. Over the course of every woman’s life, she can tell you times that a stranger asked them uncomfortable questions or followed them down a lonely street. Of a first date that just didn’t seem right, and there was not a second. Or maybe a lot of dates with a guy that seemed great, but he turned out to be an obsessive jerk that frightened her, or worse. This is the subject that “Woman of the Hour” tackles. Most movies about serial killers show the extreme violence and horrible death of the victims, forcing you to deal with the emotions of not wanting to see it, but being unable to look away. Kendricks doesn’t put us through that. It is not that she doesn’t shock the audience with the horrific thing these women go through, quite the opposite, she shows how easy it is to wind up in that position and shows the outcome. This allows our imagination to fill in the gap without having the opportunity to turn away. She doesn’t downplay the violent thing that has happened, she just doesn’t make the violence the star of what happened. You have to pay attention because the film is full of time jumps and shifts in perspective. The movie starts with Rodney, played by Daniel Zovatto, murdering a woman. We skip ahead and see Sheryl, played by Kendricks, a struggling actress, in the middle of an audition where she is being objectified by casting directors. Then we go back to Rodney picking another victim. Then we go back to Sheryl getting put on the Dating Game by her agent. Then we are back to Rodney hunting victims. Then we are on the Dating Game where Rodney has become a contestant. The movie is 1 hour 35 minutes, Rated-R for language, violence, and subject matter. I think Ann Kendrick has done a great job with the first film she has directed. This is just another arrow in her quiver of talents. I hope she gets the career she deserves. Women especially will be drawn to this film, it is from a woman’s perspective. We men need to watch it because we can never truly understand a woman’s perspective. My Score: 5 Budweisers

Lamar Reviews - Dr. Odyssey (Airdate 10/18/2024) This is a new show on ABC, it is not a comedy, or a drama, or romance, it is a boat. A cruise ship in fact. If you are old enough to remember, the first thing you think is Love Boat. And there is a slight resemblance, but Love Boat was all about relationships and romance. Dr. Odyssey is a procedural, all about sickness, broken bones, surgery, with romance in the background. I think you can count on one hand how many times we saw the inside of Doctor Adam Bricker’s, played by Bernie Kopell, sick bay. Besides the ship, the star of this show is Joshua Jackson, who plays Dr. Max Bankman. A 6 ft 2 inch Yale educated overqualified drop dead gorgeous doctor who could work anywhere he wanted but picked a cruise ship. There’s a back story that explains that by the second episode. The ships captain is not a bald Captain Stubing, but a dashing Don Johnson, as Captain Massey. He quickly explains to Dr. Bankman that the crew is there for one reason, “to preserve the fantasy”. He has two nurses on the ship to assist him. Avery, a PA played by Phillipa Soo, and Tristan, played by Sean Teale. Max calls out Tristan on his unrequited crush on Avery, but it turns out that the real chemistry is between Avery and Max. This means the series is aiming for a will-they-won’t-they love-triangle thing to keep the audience watching. It seems there is going to be a theme on the ship every week. Singles Week, Plastic Surgery Week, Wellness Week, and so on. I assume we will see many different diseases, conditions, and injuries. So far, the medical crew has faced, iodine poisoning from too many shrimps on the buffet, noses falling off from plastic surgery, frost bitten boob job, and a broken penis, are just a few. Thursday nights at 9:00 PM on ABC or stream online on Hulu. I actually thought I might right this off as a Love Boat wannabe but I might have been too quick to judge. The world we live in today provides so many choices of things to watch. Thousands and thousands of movies, TV shows, documentaries, sports, etc. Everything we watch does not have to educate, it doesn’t have to inspire, and it doesn’t have to change our life. Sometimes you want to watch something mindless, unreal, and stupid, but there is something about it you enjoy. This just might be that for you. Turns out it is for me. I have been a big Don Johnson fan, Miami Vice, Nash Bridges, and tons of other stuff. Joshua Jackson is very charming and there is going to be a lot of guest stars, like Shania twain, John Stamos, Kelsea Ballerini, and more. I’m watching, not saying I’m proud of it, but I’m watching it. While I cook, or read a book…this is what I call a background show. You can have this on while doing something else, and still keep up with it. My Score: 3 Budweisers

Lamar Reviews - "Nobody Wants This" (Airdate 10/11/2024) This is a series on Netflix. If you pull it up and don’t think it’s for you, watch the first episode. Then decide. Here is the plot, Kristen Bell plays Joanne, and Justine Lupe plays her sister Morgan. The two of them have a podcast called “Nobody Wants This”. This series is loosely based on a real podcast called ‘The World’s First Podcast with Erin & Sara Foster.’ It started in 2021, it has the two sisters talking about everything from relationships, dating, and sex to things related to family, motherhood, and anxiety, plus much, much more. In the series the running gag is Bell’s character, Joanne has a terrible dating history of picking the wrong guy every time and her sister’s relationship history is no better. Their podcasts subjects mirror  the podcast this is based on. Example: the latest Nobody Wants This podcast is called “dildo’s and dildon’ts”. Joanne is a sarcastic-agnostic/atheist gentile and she meets Noah Roklov, a progressive Jewish Rabbi, played by Adam Brody. Noah, who is referred to as “Hot Rabbi”, has just broken up with his longtime girlfriend, who both his and her families were fully expecting him to propose to. The attraction between Joanne and Noah is instant, on fire, forbidden, and impossible to resist. Forbidden because a romantic relationship between a Rabbi and a Shiska, Jewish slang for a gentile woman, is basically impossible to pull off. Hence the Title “Nobody Wants This”. What makes this series so good is the chemistry between Bell and Brody. They have not only worked together before, but they are also friends in real life. The on-screen chemistry is not only off the chain in the romantic scenes, but more importantly, in the bantering conversations between them. This series has some of the best dialog I’ve heard in a long time. This season has 10 episodes, a little less than 30 minutes an episode. Rated TV-MA for language. Justine Lupe as Morgan is perfect as Joanne’s sarcastic sister, and Timothy Simons is great as Noah’s goofy brother Sasha. In fact, the entire cast, is excellent. The series is very funny but the emotions are real Two different cultures, two families with different values, a man who’s faith means everything, and a woman who has no interest in anything spiritual. But they are crazy about each other and determined to make it work. Regardless of how you feel about Rom-Coms, as I said, you need to watch the first episode. If you like it, keep going, it gets better with each episode. This is season one and there will definitely be a season two. It is a very different Rom-Com than I’ve ever seen. My Score: A full 6pk

Lamar Reviews - "Jailbreak - Love on the Run" (Airdate 10/4/2024) This is another Netflix documentary that will blow your mind. This is the story of Vicky White, 56, from Alabama. She was assistant director of corrections at Lauderdale County Detention Center. Over 17 years of employment, she had risen through the ranks and had a great reputation. The people she worked with seemed to really like her. The inmates that were interviewed said that she treated them as if they mattered and they respected her. Some inmates described her as kind, generous, and even go so far as call her a “mother figure”. In 2020, Casey White, 38, was transferred to Lauderdale. He was already serving 75 years for attempted murder and other charges. He had also confessed to a murder charge and was waiting on the trial. This guy is 6 ft 9 inches, around 300 lbs. Vicky was divorced, and her last boyfriend died in a car wreck. Tyler Purser, a former police officer, was in jail at Lauderdale with Casey White, said Casey was an ok guy if he liked you, but if you crossed him, he was very dangerous. On day as Vicky walked past his cell, Casey made a remark about how attractive a part of her body was. Instead of writing him up, or taking away some privileges, or any kind of punishment, she talked to him. And that is where it started. What makes this such a good documentary is that the story is told through interviews with co-workers, and inmates. But what really drives it home is the video that is pared with the recorded conversations between Vicky and Casey. The words that give you a glimpse inside the minds of both of these people are pared with the actual physical actions shown on the video. They have over a 1000 recorded conversations between them. Yes, they do listen to these conversations, but only if there is a reason to based on an investigation. These phone calls will blow your mind! The show is 1 hour and 28 minutes, Rated TV-MA for language, and sexual content. This takes you all the way from the start of the romance, and the way he convinced her to fall in love with him, their intimacy, and their planning on the escape. The manhunt, and the capture. His cellmate claims that he was a true romantic that fell in love with her and wanted to live a magical life in the woods, off the grid. Other people say that he was a smooth-talking conman that took advantage of a lonely woman that he never loved, but was using for an escape plan. You will have to watch it and make up your own mind. My Score: 5 Budweisers

Lamar Reviews - "The Killer's Game" (Airdate 9/20/2024) What’s not to like? I love Dave Bautista. He was great in Guardians of the Galaxy, he was really good in My Spy, and he surprised me with his acting talent in Knock at the Cabin. The trailer for this movie looked a lot like a John Wick movie, with non-stop action, violence, and blood. The problem is, Keanu Reeves has put his stamp on those movies, and he has ruined it for everyone else. Jason Momoa and Chris Hemsworth have done the same thing to the manbun. I know how you think it looks, but trust me, it looks exactly the opposite. Get that damn thing off your head! I’m not saying that The Killer’s Game is sad like a manbun, it’s not. But it’s not John Wick, so you should manage your expectations. Dave Bautista plays Joe Flood, a top line assassin who only kills bad guys, as in drug dealers, pedophiles, arms dealers, and hairdressers that suggest manbuns to their clients. I never actually saw that last one but I’m sure it’s on his list. So, since Joe is only murdering bad guys it’s ok to pull for him and laugh at the gore. During one of his kills he meets a beautiful ballet dancer named Maize, played by Sofia Boutella. Joe’s doctor diagnoses him with a life-threatening illness. To avoid the pain and slow death Joe authorizes a kill order on himself. After the order is in place he finds out he was misdiagnosed and faces an army of assassins out to kill him. Let the game begin. The movie is 1 hour and 44 minutes, Rated-R for strong bloody violence, and tons of it, language, some sexual material, brief drug use and nudity. Besides the bloody action, there is a lot of dark humor. Some of it hits, a good bit of it misses. The funniest scenes are between Joe and his handler Zvi Rabinowitz, played by a very funny Ben Kingsley, and his exuberant wife, played by Alex Kingston. They treat him like a son they never had. Pom Klementieff, who played Mantis in the Guardian movies, plays a villainous part that adds to the humor. Terry Crews is another actor you will recognize. Dave Bautista has the ability to be intimidating and scary, but also friendly and comforting while snapping a guy’s arm. He has the perfect mixture of charm and menace to keep you engaged and prevent the movie from being a bloody waste of time. My wife Carla went with me, and even though this is not her kind of movie, surprised me by liking it a lot. If you are a Bautista fan, and you can manage your expectations and don’t walk in thinking John Wick, you will like it. I did. My Score: 4 Buds

Lamar Reviews - "Beetlejuice Beetlejuice!"(Airdate 9/13/2024) Beetlejuice was a huge hit in 1988. There has been a call for a sequel for a long time. We even had Beetlejuice the Musical, which I saw, and was fantastic. Now after 36 years it is finally here. Tim Burton has said that this film would only be made if Michael Keaton would return to reprise his role. Keaton said in March of 2014 that this is the only sequel he's interested in doing. Winona Ryder’s one condition for doing “Stranger Things” was, if “Beetlejuice 2” ever got off a ground that she could take a break and do it. As always, making a sequel, especially 36 years later, is not only difficult, but also very risky. The fact there is an entire generation of people who haven’t seen the original is a two-edged sword. You have a fresh new audience, but they won’t get the references to the old one. The good news is, Tim Burton and the cast not only accomplished the task, they did a superior job! Beetlejuice Beetlejuice brings back three actors from the first movie: Michael Keaton as Beetlejuice, Winona Ryder as middle-aged Lydia Deetz, and Catherine O’Hara as Lydia’s stepmom, Delia. Charles Deetz is deceased but shows up in a way that does not require actor Jeffery Jones to be in the movie since he is now a registered sex offender. He wanders through the afterlife without a head after a shark bite. Charles’ death is what brings the family together. Lydia, who now hosts a tv show where she sees dead people, called “Ghost House with Lydia Deetz is there along with her slimy producer/love interest, Rory, played by Justin Theroux. Jenna Ortega plays Lydia’s estranged daughter, Astrid, who thinks her mother’s “seeing dead people” is all fake, and she does her best to avoid her mother at all costs. While doing so she meets Jeremy, played by Arthur Conti, an awkward possible romantic interest. Bettlejuice comes up with a plan to get with Lydia, but before that he must escape his ex-wife/soul sucker Delores, played by Monica Bellucci. The movie is a quick 1hour and 45 minutes, Rated PG-13 for violent content, and bloody images, strong language, some suggestive material and brief drug use. Keaton could not have been more “on point” as Bettlejuice. He looked and played the part like it wasn’t 36 days, much less 36 years after the original. The entire cast was awesome, including Catherine O’Hara, who was extra great, and never disappoints. Danny Devito was a welcome surprise, as was Willem Dafoe. He plays Wolf Jackson, an over-the-top dead action star who is head of the afterlife’s police force. All in all, a great sequel that is equal to the task! My Score: 5 Solid Ice Cold Budweisers

Lamar Reviews - "Blink Twice" (Airdate 9.6.2024) This is another movie that I went into cold. No expectations, just knowing that Channing Tatum does not look great in a beard, but it marks him as the villain of the movie. The film is the directorial debut of Tatum’s fiancé Zoe Kravitz who started writing this movie in 2017, and she has come out of the gate strong. Channing Tatum plays Slater King a tech tycoon was forced to leave the helm of his company because he was accused of behavior unbecoming of a CEO and creating hostile work environments. He did the standard “I’m sorry video” and the apology circuit on all the morning news shows and afternoon talk shows. He bought a private island where he could get away and do the therapy so that he could come back and be a changed man. He generously started a foundation. At the annual gala he meets Frida, played by Naomi Ackie. Frida is obsessed with meeting Slater and gets a job as a waitress at the Gala, along with her best friend and roommate Jess, played by Alia Shawkat. Frida has brought evening gowns for her and Jess so they can sneak into the V.I.P section. She manages to meet Slater, and he spends the evening talking to her. Frida manages to get an invite for both her and Jess to fly on the private jet to his island with his friends. Those friends include Slater’s right-hand man Vic, played by Christian Slater, a professional chef, played by Simon rex, actor Tom, played by Haley Joel Osment, tech-wiz Lucas, played by Levon Hawke, and a few more beautiful women. The island truly is a paradise, except for the huge yellow snakes they are constantly killing. Once everyone arrives all cell phones are confiscated. That is the first Red Flag that says something is not quite right. All the women find perfect fitting clothes in their rooms, and they all are dressed exactly alike. Another Red Flag. They spend the days lounging by the pool, sipping cocktails. Evenings are Michelin-star Dinners.  Late nights are partying with every drug you can imagine. Mornings are for hangover brunches. Rinse and repeat over and over. Something is not right. The movie is 1 hour 42 minutes, Rated R for strong violent content, sexual assault, drug use and language, with some sexual references. Zoe Kravitz does a great job building up the tension, while holding her cards close to her vest. We know something is wrong, but we are just not sure what. One small clue at a time brings us closer and closer to the answer. When it hits, it hits. Channing Tatum is a remarkably good villain. Christian Slater has some really funny moments at the most inappropriate times. This is a Psychological Mystery Thriller that has lots of twists and turns. My Score: 5 Ice Cold Budweisers

Lamar Reviews - "Hit Man" (Airdate 8/23/2024) I can’t get enough of Glen Powell; he just keeps getting better. He was good in Top Gun: Maverick, and he made Anyone But You a way better movie than it should have been. He’s got that everyman quality that allows him to be handsome and hot, goofy and sweet, arrogant, aloof, and dangerous. And he co-wrote this movie with director Richard Linklater. This movie is loosely based on the true story of Gary Johson a college professor who posed as a contract killer for the Houston police during the late 1980s and 90s. He became the most sought-after professional killer in Houston, and his undercover investigations led to more than sixty arrests. The people he worked with said Gary could turn himself into whatever he needs to be in whatever situation he finds himself in. He fooled them every time. In the movie of course there is a lot more “Hollywood” added to the story. Glen Powell plays Gary and in voice offer discusses the fallacy that people have about the existence of professional hitmen running around waiting to be hired the kill somebody for a few thousand bucks. But a lot of people believe that they truly exist, if not, Dateline would not exist. In the movie, Gary really starts to get into his role as a hitman. He starts coming up with all kinds of disguises, costumes and accents, that he matches for each client. He is knocking em’ down right and left until he meets Maddy Masters, played by Adria Arjona. It is easily one of the best top 5 “meet-cutes” I’ve ever seen. When she explains why she needs her violent estranged husband Ray, played by Evan Holtzman, killed, Gary is immediately sympathetic and does not want her to get into trouble. Gary talks her out of hiring him and sends her on her way. The police are not happy. They wind up running into each other and Gary has to decide whether or not to tell her who he really is or keep playing the cool dangerous hitman. The movie is 5 minutes shy of 2 hours, Rated R for language, sexual content and some violence. Again, I had read nothing about this movie, I just watched it. I was thinking an actual “Hit Man movie”, and I was pleasantly surprised. Everyone in the movie did a great job, especially Gary’s surveillance team Jasper and Claudette, played by Austin Amelio, and Park and Recreation’s Retta. They were very funny. This has been out on Netflix for a few months, but I never got around to watching it. If you haven’t got around to it, don’t wait another minute. It is really a cute and funny movie; you won’t be disappointed. If you like this don’t miss the new Twisters, starring, guess who? Glen Powell. Yeah, I’m obsessed! My Score: A full 6-Pack of ice-cold Bud

Lamar Reviews - "Tickled" (Airdate 8/16/2024) I love a documentary about just about anything, but especially if it looks a little weird and then turns out to be nothing like you thought it was going to be, a gets even weirder. You go into this thinking this is about competitive tickling. Well, it’s possible. The 2024 Olympics had competitive break dancing, and now everybody knows who the Australian Raygun is! But it turns out this documentary is not really about competitive tickling, it is about something much, much more. The film is produced by the New Zealand-based “pop cultural reporter” David Farrier, and it starts off tongue in cheek about the so-called sport of 2 or more men tickling each other. But he runs into a lot of resistance even to the point of legal threats. David Farrier is bombarded with phone calls from Jane O’Brien, representing the Competitive Tickling industry, bashing him for being Gay and saying they don’t want to be associated with gay people. And she says very awful, derogatory, homophobic stuff to him. This makes no sense because as we soon find out that instead of “competitive tickling” this has all turned out to be gay tickling fetish films of young men tickling each other. They went as far as to post on David’s company’s Facebook page this statement.  “Association with a homosexual journalist is not something we will embrace.” When David told O’Brien he was going to make a film he was threatened with legal action. Had it not been for a Kickstarter campaign the project would have stopped. Now all of sudden it seems there is way more to this than competitive tickling, or even tickling fetish stuff. As my buddy Will says, “The lady doth protest too much, methinks” Somebody is going to a lot of trouble and spending a lot of money to stop something so minor as this. The Documentary is 1 hour and 32 minutes, Rated-R for language and shirtless men being tickled. I really can’t get into any more details without ruining the film. I’ve given what might seem like a lot of information, but trust me, there is way more to it than I have revealed. These guys were dogged in their pursuit of the truth despite the legal threats. They sat in a car, not just for hours, but for days, tracking the guy that is in the middle of the entire thing. If you don’t get anything else out of this, it shows you that the only way to escape wealthy, litigious bullies is to pursue them until what they are doing is seen in the light of day, and in this case, on film. That’s how you punch this kind of bully in the mouth! What you won’t see is when they first showed this at all the film festivals trying to get it picked up, they had several more encounters with the person at the center of this thing trying to stop them. Very interesting, and well done. My Score: 6 Buds

Lamar Reviews - Twisters (Airdate 8/9/2024) This is a sequel of the 1996 movie Twister starring Helen Hunt and Bill Paxton. The movie was so popular Universal Studios Florida opened a Twister Ride in 1998 and kept it until 2015. This one stars Glen Powell and Daisy Edgar-Jones. Powell has been in the business since the early 2000’s and has been in some really good movies like Hidden Figures, Top Gun: Maverick, Anyone But You, and Hit Man on Netflix. Daisy Edgar-Jones you will recognize as Kya from Where the Crawdads Sing. She plays Kate Cooper, an Oklahoma native with a knack for predicting tornadoes and a desire to minimize their damage. She is working on something that will disrupt the tornado, and this requires some tornado chasing with her friends. Things don’t go as expected and some people die and Kated is devastated. She moved to New York to work for the National Weather Service. Five years later, one of her friends and former Tornado chasers Javi, played by Anthony Ramos, tracks her down in New York to get her help with new technology that will help predict where Tornados will strike. Against her better judgement she agrees. When she gets back to Oklahoma she meets a twister-wrangling cowboy, former bull rider, and YouTube sensation Tyler Owens, played by Glen Powell. He is arrogant, irritating, handsome and charming, and she despises him. So, we all know what that means! And the team that runs with him are weirdos, party animals, and experts in everything they do. While Javi and his scientific crew are trying to perform experiments, the tornado wrangler is shooting fireworks into the eye of the storm, shouting cool phrases like, “You don’t face your fears-you ride em.” and “If you feel it, chase it!” The movie is a couple of minutes over 2 hours, Rated PG-13 for intense action and peril, some language and injury images. This is a stand-alone sequel that has nothing to do with the original. These are totally new characters with no connection to the original movie. You don’t need to have seen the 1996 film to see this one. The plot is good enough, the action and special effects are exciting and on point. It will keep you on the edge of the seat. The real glue is the chemistry between Powell and Edgar-Jones. Even though you know they are going to get together, you can’t wait to see how it happens. Glen Powell is on an uphill climb and seems to get better with each movie, and between this movie and Where the Crawdads Sing, she is proving she has both talent and range. A great surprise was when Maura Tierney shows up as Kate’s mom Cathy, I love her. This is a summer disaster movie that is anything but a disaster. It’s a lot of fun!! My Score: A Solid 5 Buds

Lamar Reviews - Deadpool & Wolverine (Airdate 8/2/2024) Can Deadpool & Wolverine turn things around for the Marvel Franchise? For the past 15 years, it has been the undisputed king of the box office, making over $30 Billion Worldwide. After Avengers: Endgame there has been some confusion on how that affects the movies coming out after it. And all the movies coming out along with all of the Disney+ programming has made a glut of Marvel content. There is no more waiting in anticipation for a Marvel movie or series, you have to scramble just to keep up with all that is coming out. Other than bacon, you can have too much of a good thing, and Marvel ain’t bacon. They need to hold back so that people miss it and want more. The Marvels, took in $46 million, the lowest opening ever for an MCU film. Deadpool & Wolverine opened in America for $205 million, $438.3 million worldwide. This the biggest R-Rated opening of all time domestically and globally. Biggest opening for Ryan Reynolds, and biggest opening ever for Hugh Jack, more than doubling 2006’s X-Men: The Last Stand. So it seems this might right the ship, if Marvel can keep it sailing! Putting wisecracking Deadpool with brooding Wolverine as “buddy” movie was genius! Compared to a normal Marvel movie, there is way less CGI. But they didn’t spare anybody when it game to biting humor. Nothing is off the table, 20th Century Fox, Disney, Gossip Girl, Blake Lively, Furiosa, The Proposal, Hugh Jackman’s divorce, just to name a few. And of course, they don’t just break the fourth wall, they destroy it! The plot, which doesn’t really matter, revolves around the Time Variance Authority. The TVA is charged with the task of maintaining timeline integrity in the multiverse. Deadpool and Wolverine find themselves sent to the void which looks like the Wasteland in Mad Max. The villain that rules the void is a telepathic and psychotic despot Cassandra Nova, played by a bald Emma Corrin. She played the younger princess Diana in The Crown TV series. Deadpool and Wolverine must save the Timeline. The movie is 2 hours 8 minutes, Rated-R for every sex joke known to man, bloody, bloody violence, language of the rawest kind, with120 F-Bombs being the least of it. I’ve officially warned you, so who you see it with is up to you. If I had any complaints, it could have been a little shorter, but it’s funny and entertaining enough, that is not a problem. The cameos are numerous, and each one is amazing! I loved this movie and as much as I hate to say it, I hope it is the last one. Reynolds is saying it is, but the movie business is about money. Let’s don’t pull another Pirates of the Caribbean or even worse, A Hangover. Deadpool was great, Deadpool 2 was Greater, and this one was a little bit less great than the original, but you still don’t want to miss it! My Score: 6 Cold Budweisers

Lamar Reviews - Beverly Hills Cop: Axel F (Airdate 7/26/2024) In the 80’s three films made Eddie Murphy a movie star. 48 Hours, Trading Places, and Beverly Hills Cop. Most of the 80’s action stars had bulging biceps and really big guns. Arnold Schwarzenegger, Sylvester Stallone, and Bruce Willis. Eddie Murphy used his comedic edge, rapier wit, and over the top confidence to take the movie that was originally written to star Sylvester Stallone and make it a huge hit. Can you Invision Beverly Hills Cop with Stallone as the star? Stallone couldn’t either. He turned it down and went on to make Cobra instead. Which gave us the classic line, “you’re the disease, I’m the cure.” After the disaster that was Beverly Hills Cop 3 Murphy has been very resistant to make number 4. He maintains that all the scripts for a fourth one had no evolution, there was nothing different.  "Then once they added the element where Axel was married and he's not with his wife anymore, and they have a child and he's estranged from his child, and he's still in this job and all of his contemporaries are leaving. "All he's got is his job, and he's got this horrible relationship, we had a movie.” The movie starts 30 years after the third. Axel is in his 60s and is still a Detroit detective working for friend, Jeff, played by Paul Reiser. We are immediately given a huge action scene, that of course could never happen in real life, to the tune of Shakedown by Bob Seger. He gets a call from Billy Rosewood, played by returning Judge Reinhold, that his estranged daughter Jane, played by Taylour Paige is in trouble. She is a L.A. defense attorney trying to get a suspected cop killer out of jail. So, Axel heads to Beverly Hills where we see John Taggart, played by John Ashton, who is now the Chief. A couple of new characters are introduced, Captain Grant, played by a very thin Kevin Bacon, and Detective Bobby Abbot, played by Joseph Gordon-Levitt, who happens to be Janes ex-boyfriend. The movie is just shy of 2 hours, Rated R for language, violence and drug use. I’m not sure this is such a “new” Beverly Hills Cop movie. They have taken every element of the first movie they could and placed it in this movie. So, I think this movie was made to wipe out the memory of the third movie. The plot could not be any simpler. Who are the good guys and who are the bad guys are easier to spot than an episode of Walker Texas Ranger. But that is not what the movie is about. It is about Eddie Murphy doing his thing, and he does. I do think if you know the other three movies you will appreciate this a little more. Not a bad way to spend 2 hours at home. As far as making a fifth one, now that would be a colossal mistake. This is way better than the third movie, don’t pull a “Captain Jack Sparrow” take this win and go home. My Score: 4 Buds

Lamar Reviews - Brats (Airdate 7/19/2024) I’m sure this Netflix documovie, by Andrew McCarthy, will have serious interest for a ton of people, and it will be considered a work of art, but for me not so much. The “Brat Pack” name came from writer David Blum in a 1985 New York magazine article that was supposed to be about Emilio Estevez, but wound up focusing on a crew of actors in their 20’s at the time, most notably Robe Lowe, Emilio Estevez, and Judd Nelson. Andrew McCarthy was barely mentioned in the piece. The article was published in 1985 right before the release of “St, Elmo’s Fire” and four months after “The Breakfast Club.” The article reads, This is the Hollywood Brat Pack, It is to the 1980’s what the Rat Pack was to the 1960’s-a roving band of famous young stars on the prowl for parties, women, and a good time. They make major movies with big directors and get fat contracts and limousines. They have top agents and protective P.R. people. They have legions of fans who write them, buy them drinks, follow them home. McCarthy sat out to visit all the actors of the Brat Pack to see if being a part of that ruined their lives as much as his. When McCarthy interviewed Emilio Estevez, they decided that the term Bratz made them seem like they were Lightweights, that would not be called up by Scorsese or Spielberg. He interviewed Lowe, Estevez, Sheedy, Demi Moore and Jon Cryer, Nelson and Ringwald were no-shows. It is 1 hour 32 minutes, no Rating, some language. McCarthy finally meets up with Blum the reporter who by naming them the Brat Pack, caused unrepairable damage to their professional reputations. Blum’s job was being a writer. That is a hard business to succeed in, just like the movie business. As a writer you spend your life looking for the story, the headline, and the break that is going to make you famous in your industry. As he was writing the piece he noticed that all of these young actors had hit it big at the same time. They were living the life they dreamed of. In his mind he made the connection of Frank Sinatra, Sammy Davis Jr., and Dean Martin and the Rat Pack. Brat rhymed with Rat, Bingo! 40 years later we are still talking about something he came up with. He did his job; does he not have the right to be successful just as much as Andrew McCarthy? Andrew McCarthy seems whinny as he maintains that the term Brat Pack ruined his career and his life. Yet, he still manages to be worth $12 million. I’m not sure that showing Demi Moore $200 million, Rob Lowe $100 million, Jon Cryer $70 million, and Emilio’s paltry $18 million will get him much sympathy. He claims to have PTSD. I know there are many levels of PTSD, but I associate that term with Veterans, Rape Victims, and such. Having your career not reach the heights you wanted does not seem like a fair comparison. My Score: 3 Buds

Lamar Reviews - "Bad Boys Ride or Die" (Airdate 6/28/2024) This movie seemed like a last-ditch effort for Will Smith to shake the Oscar slap. And they were going way back to a movie franchise that began 29 years ago when he was 27 and at the top of his game. He did the second Bad Boys 8 years later at 35, and 17 years later at 52. After the slap he needed something familiar, and something he could count on. Another Men in Black would have been too much of a gamble, so Bad Boys number 4 was the choice. Hanging your comeback on the 4th film of a franchise that started almost 30 years ago is a gamble, but it’s not the craziest thing he’s ever done, look at his marriage. Compared to that, this is a piece of cake. Plot wise, Captain Howard, played by Joe Pantoliano, was their Captain and was assassinated in the 3rd movie. His memory is being besmirched by criminals tying him to the cartel and being on the “take”. He manages to get Mike and Marcus, played of course by Smith and Lawrence, the word that there are dirty cops in the department. This is as good of a storyline as any 4th movie in a franchise is going to get. Everybody you can think of from the first three movies shows up here. The movie is 1 hour 55 minutes, Rated R for strong violence, language, and sexual references. But we all know plot and storyline is way down the list for a movie like this. The big question is, action and humor, is it exciting, and is it funny? Yes to both. This is Jerry Bruckheimer, we are talking about directing this movie. As in Top Gun, Beverly Hills Cop, Con Air, to name a few. As far as funny goes, all Will Smith has to do is look peeved. Martin Lawrence will handle the funny. Will Smith gets top billing, but Martin Lawrence steals this movie as it did with the other three.  We all think Will Smith is the Box Office draw that we pay to see, but we are paying to see him with Martin Lawrence. You could replace the Mike character with any other handsome Hollywood actor that is willing to be the straight man for Lawrence and people will come see Bad Boys. He knows how to do comedy. His timing is impeccable, his face a rubber mask, he knows how to do “over the top” as good as anybody in the business. Was the movie good? Good enough I have watched two of the other three. For me this is the best of the franchise. Will it save Smith’s career? I think it will give him the best chance he’s got. This was definitely his best move. If I had been by myself, I would have turned around and watched it again. It was that much fun! My Score: 5 Ice Cold Budweisers

Lamar Reviews - Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga (Airdate 5/31/2024) The first question I get asked is, “Do I have to have seen all the other Mad Max movies?” No, there are 5 including this one, the first one was done in 1979, the second in 1981, and the third in 1985, all of those starring Mel Gibson. Fury Road came along in 2015, starring Tom Hardy and Charlize Theron, Mel Gibson being too old for the role. This one is a prequel to Fury Road. The simple answer is, if you have seen all the other movies it is probably a bonus, but you could have never heard of Mad Max and walk into Furiosa and fully enjoy it. George Miller wrote and directed all of the Mad Max movies, and he has this one dialed in as well. Miller considered bringing back Charlize Theron and de-age her with the computer for this movie but decided against it. He certainly picked the right person when he picked Ana Taylor Joy to play Furiosa. Because I had not read anything about the movie, I assumed that Chris Hemsworth would have a heroic good guy role. I could not have been more wrong. He plays Dr. Dementus. Not only is he a villain, but he is also cruel, sadistic, cannibalistic, and just the right amount of over-the-top crazy. Young Furiosa was excellently played by Alyla Browne for 2 of the 5 Chapters of the movie. She only spoke a few words, but her facial expressions and eyes spoke volumes. Speaking of facial expressions and eyes doing the talking, Anya Taylor-Joy only had 30 lines of dialog in the entire movie. But you would never realize that unless I told you. We meet Furiosa as a little girl where she is kidnapped. The place she is taken from is a beautiful lush, place that has plenty of food and water, while the apocalypse all around them has starving people with little resources. It is important that young Furiosa does not divulge the location of her home. Furiosa if bartered between different gangs but she is only interested in one thing, revenge. Revenge on Dementus. The movie is 2 hours and 28 minutes, the longest Mad Max movie so far, Rated R for sequences of strong violence, and grisly images. Just like all the other Mad Max movies, the action is what you are coming to see. The bar has been set higher with each movie and this one is no exception. The action is all but non-stop and it is amazing. Chris Hemsworth had auditioned to be in Mad Max Fury Road, but lost it to Tom Hardy, which by the way, there is no shame in. In this movie, his  maniacal villain performance is spot on, and Ana Taylor-Joy does just as good as you think she would, maybe even better. She got this role before Netflix’s The Queen’s Gambit made her famous. She also did a lot of the stunts herself, she hired a personal trainer and worked out a year before she stepped onto the set. At the Cannes Film Festival, the movie got a 7-minute standing ovation. I agree. My Score: A full 6pk of Ice Cold Budweiser

Lamar Reviews - "IF" (Airdate 5/24/2024) When I watched the trailer for IF I laughed out loud. It looked so funny, and I was expecting to laugh the whole movie. What I wasn’t expecting was not just the melancholy feeling, but actually sobbing during this thing. John Krasinski is a great director, just look at the two Quiet Place movies, both amazing. The combination of Krasinski’s writing and directing, along with Ryan Reynolds and really cute, cuddly creatures, I was thinking this was going to be a big summer hit! It is a little on the slow side, and the story is all over the place. The lead character is Bea, a 12-year-old girl, played by Cailey Fleming who has been through a lot. It seems she has lost her mom to illness, and she has had to leave childhood behind, now her dad, played by John Krasinski, is in the hospital for surgery. While her dad is in the hospital Bea is living with her grandmother in the same house full of her childhood memories. She starts seeing a bunch of Imaginary Friends, that’s where the IF comes in, that have been forgotten by their children. She meets Cal, a guy that lives in the apartment upstairs, played by Ryan Reynolds, who can also see the Imaginary Friends. He is trying to pair the IFs with new children. Bea decides to help him. The message that Krasinski is trying to give us is that the comfort, friendship, and confidence that IFs gave us as children is exactly what we need as adults to get through anxiety, hard times, and grief. It is a really great message for the world we are living in today. The movie is sweet and sentimental, hence the fact I was blubbering all over the place. The problem is the story seems to go around in circles. The movie is 1 hour and 44 minutes, Rated-PG for a little bit of language, that I didn’t notice. The effects are great, the creatures are cute and funny, and voiced by a list of Hollywood elite. Krasinski called up a lot of friends, Steve Carrell, Emily Blunt, George Clooney, the late Louis Gossett Jr., Matt Damon, Bill Hader, Bradley Cooper, Blake Lively, Sam Rockwell, Keegan-Michael Key, Maya Rudolph, and Jon Stewart, just to name a few. John Krasinski and Emily Blunt must throw really great parties. Cailey Fleming, who played Bea, was fantastic. I believe we will be seeing a lot of her down the road, I certainly hope so.  I was really wanting this to be a great movie. It had a great concept, a good look, a fantastic cast, but even with all of that, you still need a story, even a bad story, that people can follow. When I wasn’t dozing off, I was crying uncontrollably. It reminded me of the wedding night of my first marriage. Except, I was in the fetal position.  My Score: 2 Buds

Lamar Reviews - "Baby Reindeer" (Airdate 5/17/2024) No, this is not a story about a lost reindeer that is found by a daughter who is estranged from her father, and nursing it back to health, delivering it to the North Pole, so that at the last minute Santa can save Christmas, and in doing so brings them back together for a very warm and happy ending. NOT AT ALL. Yes, this is a critically acclaimed series based on a true story that is written by, produced by, and stars Richard Gadd, depicting his own experiences of being stalked. I wish it had been the former scenario because it would have been much more fun to watch than this. That is not a slight against Baby Reindeer, it is a well-done series that took an immense amount of courage to write, produce, and star in, much less actually live through. For the viewer it also takes some courage to watch. Gadd plays Donny Dunn, a Scottish comedian trying to be successful, despite the fact that he is not very funny. He works at a London pub and one day a middle-aged woman named Martha comes in a sits down and orders a tea but can’t pay for it, so he gives it to her. She tells him that she is a very successful lawyer and owns multiple houses. In his mind he thinks, “how is she a lawyer but can’t afford a cup of tea?” That should have been a sign to run. But, that one act of kindness changed his life forever. For the next few years, Martha Stalks him. Over four and a half years, the woman sent him 41,071 emails, 350 hours’ worth of voicemails, 744 tweets, 46 Facebook messages, 106 pages of letters, and a variety of weird gifts, including a reindeer toy, sleeping pills, a woolly hat and boxer shorts. Donny is not only a victim of stalking, in his quest to become successful he is mentored by a TV writer that really doesn’t help him at all. There are 7 episodes around 30 minutes each, Rated TV MA for language, violence, sexual situations including rape. It is very uncomfortable. This is not your normal show about stalking. This takes a turn you don’t usually see. It shows the many sides of a stalking situation. Martha is played by Jessica Gunning, and she does a fantastic job of portraying a stalker with multiple dimensions. One minute you hate Martha, the next you are terrified by her, and the next you feel very sorry for her. The same goes for Donny. You want him to get relief and then he does something totally stupid that you can’t quite understand, and then you sorta do. I can’t explain a lot without messing up the Baby Reindeer experience. Sheri watched it and said “you gotta check this out!” Max called and said he was thinking about watching it, what did I think. I said I was avoiding it like the plague. He watched it anyway, and said I needed to watch it too. His only advice to me was, “If you can make it past episode 4, you are home free!” I’m giving you the same advice. It is a great show and I’m glad I watched it. I will also never watch it again. Richard Gadd went through a traumatic experience and had the courage to share it. The very least I could do was watch it. It is the most original thing I think I have ever watched. My Score: 6 Very Uncomfortable Budweisers

Lamar Reviews - "The Fall Guy" (Airdate 5/10/2024) If you happen to have been on this earth long enough to be familiar with the Fall Guy TV show that Starred Lee Majors as stuntman/ part time bounty hunter, Heather Thomas, and Markie Post to name a few, this could be a little bit more special for you. The show ran from 1981-1986, with 112 episodes. Even if you have never seen the TV show or don’t know who Lee Majors is, this is still an excellent movie. Ryan Gosling stars as Colt Seavers, a Hollywood Stuntman, who is in a movie that is being directed by Jody Moreno, who is played by Emily Blunt. The chemistry between these two is exactly what you would want it to be! And it really makes the movie. Colt Seavers is a big name in the stuntman business and is the stand-in for superstar actor Tom Ryder, who is played by Aaron Taylor-Johnson. Colt has a romantic relationship with Jody who works on the set. Everything is going well until Colt is injured in a stunt. He goes dark to everyone, including Jody, for an extended period of time. Tom Ryder’s agent Gail, played by Hannah Waddingham, convinces Colt to come back because Jody is directing her first film and needs him. Things are not quite what they seem, plus there is a dead body, Tom is missing, and Colt has some detective work to do. The movie is just a hair over 2 hours, Rated PG-13 for action and violence, and some strong language. The movie is certainly a tribute to stuntmen and women and what they bring to the TV and Movie industry. And there are plenty of explosions, fight scenes and this movie actually set a Guiness World Record for the most car rolls, with the car rolling 8 ½ times. Yes, it does have some plot holes, more twists than needed, but you don’t notice it. You are too busy enjoying the on-screen relationship between Ryan’s Colt and Emily’s Jody. It is sickly sweet, funny sad, and rock solid. If you remotely like Ryan Gosling, you will definitely love him after watching him in his pickup, crying, while listening to Taylor Swift’s “All Too Well”. And, yes ladies, there are enough shirtless scenes with Ryan to remind you that he is A1 Grade Beefcake. Emily Blunt could not be charming and funny. I could seriously see them making another movie together. If you are among the people that did watch the TV show I have two things. 1. Listen for “The Sound”. You will know it when you hear it. And, B. Stay till the end of the credits. You’re welcome. My Score: 5 Ice Cold Budweisers

Lamar Reviews - "Abigail" (Airdate 5/3/2024) As regular listeners know I don’t really like horror movies, especially ones that involve children being terrorized. If you have watched the trailer for Abigail, you know that is far from the case. If you have not watched the trailer and have no idea about the plot, and still plan on seeing the movie stop listening or reading. For everyone who has seen the trailer, you can proceed. The movie opens with a gang of 6 operatives pulling of a well planned kidnapping of a young ballerina named Abigail, played by Alisha Weir. To keep the bad guys from knowing personal details of each other they use Rat Pack names. Frank the leader is played by Dan Stevens, the medical expert, played by Melissa Barrera, goes by Joey. The dull brained muscle guy Peter is played by Kevin Durand, the spastic pot head driver called Dean, is played by the late Angus Cloud. Sammy the computer whiz is played by Kathryn Newton, the ex-military operative played by William Catlett, goes by Rickles. The group is working for a mysterious guy named Lambert who is played by the always great Giancarlo Esposito who played Gus Fring in Breaking Bad. They are supposed to split the $55 million ransom as long as the gang can keep the girl safe and quiet for the next 24 hours. By all appearances little Abigail is trapped inside a spooky mansion with the 6 criminals. After mysterious injures to a couple of gang members, and all the doors and windows are sealed shut, it turns out that the 6 unlucky kidnappers are trapped inside with Abigail, who turns out to be a very hungry Vampire. This is the kind of Horror movie I can get behind. Turns out the child is the one doing the terrorizing. The movie is gloriously bloody with excessive violence and just the right amount of well-placed humor. Some of the jokes, lines, and situations are laugh out loud funny. The movie is 1 hour 49 minutes, Rated-R for strong bloody violence and gore, language, and drug use. Alisha Weir’s Vampire is the standout in this movie playing a part as far as she can get from Matilda in Matilda: The Musical. She steals every scene. Melissa Barrera’s Joey is the gang member you pull for in this movie. But the rest do a good job playing their parts. There are many plot holes, and just like all vampire movies, they have their own set of “rules” that they don’t mind breaking. As in all horror movies, good decision making goes out the window. But the sign of a good movie is, you are having such a good time watching it that you don’t mind any of that. It’s just fun. And that is what Abigail is, fun. Horror movies are not my thing, but I had a really great time watching this. My Score: 4 Ice Cold Buds

Lamar Reviews - "Arcadian" (Airdate 4/26/2024) It was not a hard decision picking what movie to go see. You always go with Nicolas Cage, no matter what. Even if the movie sucks, you can bet Nick Cage gave it everything he had. He worked harder than anybody else to entertain the audience. If the writer wrote a crappy movie, it’s on him, never on Nick Cage. I have seen some pretty crappy Nicolas Cage movies, Wickerman immediately comes to mind, and a ton of great ones, Con Air, Face Off, Moon Struck, and one of my favorites, Raising Arizona, to name a few, but I have NEVER seen Nicolas Cage be bad at playing the part that was given to him. It is no different in Arcadian. The movie opens up as the apocalypse is in full swing. Nicolas Cage’s character Paul is doing his best to escape it. He finds two abandoned infant boys and takes them with him. Paul is now a dad and the boys are the purpose of his life. We join them again 15 years later. They live in a farmhouse as a family. The boys, Joseph and Thomas, played by Jaeden Martell and Maxwell Jenkins, bicker back and forth as brothers do. Paul as a father teaches them everything they need to know to survive. That includes locking down the house at dark to keep out whatever is scratching and trying to get in during the night. The boys have chores, Joseph is the studious and responsible one who follows the rules, while Thomas is a free spirit, more interested in helping at the farm over the hill, that just so happens to have a girl his age, Charlotte, played by Sadie Soverall. We are introduced to the monsters of this apocalypse very slowly, a little at a time. But when you finally see em, you can’t stop looking at them through half closed eyes! They are very unique. Everything is going well for everyone involved, until it’s not. The last third of the movie is a wild rollercoaster ride that does not disappoint. The movie is 1 hour and 32 minutes, Rated-R for bloody images and violence. Playing the end-of-the-world hero dad is certainly no challenge to him, but in Nick Cage fashion, to prepare for the movie he isolated himself with his family for three months. And he not only nailed it, he actually did so while taking a step back to allow the boys to really be the focus of the movie. What started off as a family surviving the apocalypse, turns into a coming-of-age movie about the boys, and ends up as a wild action/horror movie with very inventive monsters. What really helps make this movie so intense is we as the audience do not have an overview of anything. We only know what they know when they know it. We only get to see the monsters in glimpses until we finally see them in full detail, and they are both amazing and completely terrifying. This movie by no means is on the level of A Quiet Place, but it has that feel. And it does have another thing going for it. Nicolas Cage. My Score: 5 Budweisers

Lamar Reviews - "Road House" (Airdate 4/5/2024)  More like Road Kill, Road Rash, or Road Rage but it is in no way worthy to be called Road House. If you have never seen the original Road House starring Patrick Swayze then this might seem like a passable movie to you. It’s like turkey bacon. If you have never tasted actual pork bacon and someone gave you turkey bacon you might think it was good. You would have no idea that it was a trick, a fake, counterfeit, an abomination if you will. That is the case with Road House. There is the real one with Patrick Swayze, and the abomination with Jake Gyllenhaal. I have to couch this review with the fact that I am insulted by the fact they even attempted to re-do the original Road House, much less the crappy job they did with it. Jake Gyllenhaal is a talented actor, and for this role he in excellent shape and cut like a body builder. The problem is he is playing an already defined character and he has to make it different to make it his own. The Patrick Swayze Dalton can’t be improved on. The Swayze Dalton was a “cooler” that built his name in a Bar in New York and his reputation as a bouncer that stopped the trouble before it started is legendary. Swayze Dalton is also famous because he killed a man in a fight by ripping his throat out. Gyllenhaal Dalton was a famous UFC fighter that killed a man in the Octagon. He made a living by going to underground fights and scaring people into not fighting him and forfeiting the prize money. Swayze Dalton is a man of honor and well respected, Gyllenhaal Dalton is a bottom feeder that has no honor and is at the low point of his life. Swayze Dalton has friends including his mentor Wade Garrett, played by Sam Elliott, who has his back when Dalton knows he needs help. Gyllenhaal Dalton is a loner who has nobody to stand with him. He doesn’t care if he lives or dies, there is a darkness to him that is depressing. Swayze Dalton is guided by his moral compass; Gyllenhaal Dalton is about himself. Swayze Dalton’s motto is “Be nice.” Gyllenhaal Dalton is a jerk. The 1989 Road House is one of the greatest “bad movies” ever made. Dalton, the action hero, tried to keep the peace by being “nice”, only fought if provoked, and then made the provoker rue the day he ever met Dalton. He was handsome, knew how to treat a woman. And on that vein is probably the most popular action movie among women, especially since it included Sam Elliott. The new Road House pales in every comparison. The only thing that stands out is Conor McGregor’s cartoon performance as a mad man brawler who only knows one speed, berserk!! The movie is 2 hours long, Rated-R for violence language and some nudity. This is a travesty. It is wrong on every count. Is nothing sacred? The original 1989 Road House is also on Prime, do yourself a favor, watch it. My Score: 1 Zima

Lamar Reviews - "Ghostbusters - Frozen Empire" (Airdate 3/29/2024) Here we are, once again, with a great movie that hit it out of the park, then the second one suffered from everyone remembering the original. The third one flipped the script with a fresh take, Kate McKinnon and the rest did a great job that even director Paul Feig couldn’t mess up. The fourth one handed the ball off to a new generation of Ghost Busters, honored Harold Ramis, and was a classy way to call it quits. But sadly, it made just a little bit too much money, and greed said, “I think we are good for one more!” So now it ends with a whimper, and the lowest rating of the five. I don’t say that because it is horrible, it’s not. It just does not give us anything new. It doesn’t bring any glamor to an already well known name. The main problem here is too many actors and not enough movie to go around. It is very crowded. Bill Murray, Dan Aykroyd, Ernie Hudson, and Annie Potts all make cameos that really don’t do anything. We just get to see them hang around. The problem with that is it takes away a lot of screen time and lines of the newcomers from the 2021 movie. Phoebe, played by McKenna Grace, who does a really good job, gets the majority of the storyline and screen time. Carrie Coon and Paul Rudd are prevalent, but most of their energy is spent trying to make teenage Phoebe happy and getting her to accept Gary as a father figure. The plot, such as it is, involves an ancient artifact that of course has a demon god trapped inside, that when released will destroy the world and bring on the end of time. The ghostbusters cause a lot of damage while chasing ghosts and catch the attention of Mayor Peck, played by William Atherton. You may not recognize the name, but you know the face. He was in the original Ghostbusters and is the guy who played the reporter in Diehard that Holy McClane punches at the end of the movie. He has made a good living as the go-to actor when a director is looking for a jerk. He has appeared in 84 movies and TV shows. When you watch the trailers with the panic on the beach as huge icicles come up out of the ground, but manage to miss everyone, you are set for action. This action does not occur until over halfway into the movie, and it is a little underwhelming. The CGI is great, and the villain has a cool look, he’s just not exciting. The Movie feels a little long at 1 hour 55 minutes, Rated PG-13 supernatural action/violence, language and suggestive references. I didn’t hate the movie, there were some good performances, but it was not a movie that needed to be made. I’m sure this will be the last one, the box office will guarantee that. My Score: 3 Buds

Lamar Reviews - "The Program" (Airdate 3/22/2024) Netflix is the unadulterated KING of documentaries. The Program is a 3 part series that you can’t turn off. It is about “Troubled Teen Schools or Retreats.” It goes like this, “Do you have child that you just can’t handle, can’t get through to? He or she is defiant, refuses to follow the rules, doing bad at school, a discipline problem, substance abuse, maybe even violent?” We can help. I always thought, “That seems like a good thing.” In theory it is, but after watching this documentary, in reality it can be extremely dangerous and very damaging to a child. The Director of this docuseries is Katherine Kubler, she was a former “student” of a troubled-teen-repair institution. Her film uncovers the terrible prison like conditions of Ivy Ridge boarding academy located in the middle of nowhere in Ogdensburg, New York. I said “Prison like “but that would be wrong. There are trained educated people who run prisons. They have to abide by rules set by society. There is outside oversight, inspections, and transparency to how prisoners are treated. That is not the case in this place, and evidently many more places like this all around the world. Katherine had just been expelled from school when she was 15 for being caught in possession of a Mike’s Hard Lemonade. She was kidnapped in the middle of the night, handcuffed, and thrown into a van and taken to Ivy Ridge and immediately strip searched on her arrival. Her father was sure he was doing the right thing, but she is damaged in a way that might not be able to come back from. She has post-traumatic-stress and panic attacks. Once she was processed and locked up in the girl’s wing there were pages and pages of rules you have to memorize and follow, such as: No Talking, No smiling, No making eye contact, No touching, No looking out the window, No winking, You must march in a military style, pivoting around every corner, All bathroom visits are to be monitored with the door to the stall left open with a staffer watching you, and many, many more. If you violated any rule you were subjected to physical abuse, confined in a small room and forced to stare at one block in the wall. If you took your eye off your time was extended with no limits. Kathrine has been investigating this for 10 years since she got out. She managed to track down some fellow students and they appear in the documentary. Ivey Ridge closed in 2009 and left everything like it was. When Katherine went back to the school all the records, all the files, and all the security camera footage were there. She has complete documentation of everything that happened. None of this is hearsay. It is chilling, disgusting, and sad to watch. She does an awesome job taking us into the hell she suffered. The owner of these schools at one time had 26 locations, 17 in the US, taking in $90 million a year. This is a must watch. My Score: Full 6pk of Buds

Lamar Reviews - "Dune 2" (Airdate 3/8/2024) This movie comes nearly 21/2 years after the first one because of the Hollywood’s strike. I think it was worth the wait. The closest thing to what Director Denis Villeneuve is trying to accomplish here is what Peter Jackson did with The Lord of The Rings. Like Jackson, Villeneuve refused to try to put this story in one movie. He is pushing for a third, but if for whatever reason it doesn’t get made, this movie works. But make no mistake if allowed, the third one will easily pick up where this leaves off. The movie starts with Paul Atreides, played by Timothee Chalamet, and his pregnant mother, Jessica, played by Rebecca Feguson looking to stay with the Fremen after the House of Treides has been destroyed by House Harkonnen. Paul has to prove he’s not a spy by fighting beside them and learning their ways. When Chani, played by Zendaya, helps him learn how to survive the desert, they fall in love. Stilgar, played by Javier Bardem, not only trusts him, but is convinced that Paul is the Messiah sent to lead the Fremen to victory. Paul fights the idea, but as the movie keeps going, he starts to see where it might be just the thing to bring everybody together and accomplish their goal. To say this movie has a star-studded cast would be an understatement. Stellen Skarsgard, Josh Brolin, Dave Bautista, are all back. New to story, Austin Butler plays Feyd-Rautha, Baron Harkonnen’s young nephew and planned successor. Seeing him in this, you could never imagine him playing Elvis. Also new is Florence Pugh playing PrincessIrulan, the daughter of The Emperor of the universe who is played by Christopher Walken. The emperor is behind the killing of Paul’s father. The movie is 2 hours 46 extraordinary minutes, Rated PG-13 for strong violence, some suggestive material, and some strong language. This is a spectacle of huge proportions, that exceeds the first movie. The fight scenes and battles are sometimes fast and violent up close, and sometimes poetic in slow motion at others. Unless you have a room dedicated to viewing, with a huge screen, and an incredible sound system, go to the theater. Better yet, and I wish I had, go to an I-Max.  The cinematography is breathtaking and beautiful. The desert scenes are just unbelievable. Those were filmed in Wadi Araba, Jordon, and the Liwa Oasis, a four-hour drive from Dubai, to name a few. This movie is not meant to be merely watched, but experienced. Duke Paul Atreides goes through a huge transformation as he struggles with accepting his destiny. Chalamet manages to pull all of that out. He may have a hard time topping this performance. If he can I don’t want to miss it. See Dune before this or read the book. I saw Dune, and still wish I had read the book. My Score: 5 Ice Cold Budweisers

Lamar Reviews - "Marcel the Shell with Shoes On" (Airdate 3/1/2024) I am swimming upstream against the current. This movie got 98 on The Rotten Tomato website. Just about every critic in the world loved this movie. Me not so much. Marcel the Shell started off as YouTube shorts. Now it is an 89-minute movie. Everybody that loves this movie uses words and phrases like connection, deep feelings about loss, the meaning of family, sweet, touching, sad, funny, and every emotion possible. I used words and phrases like, what is this, what am I doing, how did this get made? For most people that have no idea of what I’m talking about, Marcel is a piece of a seashell, one inch tall, that has one googly eye and wears tennis shoes. He has a squeaky voice and seems very sincere. He lives with his grandmother Nana, voiced by Isabella Rossellini, in a house that has turned into an Air B&B since the occupants have separated and moved out. Dean, who is the director of this movie, lives in the house on a long rental. This is shot like a documentary. Marcel and Nana used to be a part of a large shell community, but the rest of that community was moved somewhere, by accident. The documentary shows Marcel and Nana’s everyday lives. It is shot using stop-motion animation. A full day of filming resulted in 5-10 seconds of actual footage. It took 7 years to make this. Marcel is funny and sweet. He is able to make so many things happen around the house including building living quarters, walking up the wall using honey on his feet, and rolling around the house inside a tennis ball. All without arms, hands, or fingers. Nana has a full garden that she works, and they both love to watch 60 Minutes. They are obsessed with Lesley Stahl. Everything I read about this movie says it is made to touch your soul and bring you so many emotions and feelings that you will be changed forever. There will be laughter and tears and everything in between. As I said, for me, not so much! They left out boredom, loss of attention, and apathy. It is an amazing production, but I personally thought it would never end. I did not get it. Evidently, I am a shallow person who has no ability to feel emotion. And evidently neither is my wife Carla, she didn’t get it either. I am not saying you should not watch it. It is on Netflix, so it won’t cost you anything. Plus, at any moment you can quit it. Sadly, I could not! Maybe you will not hate it, or you might even love it. Which will mean you are a better person than me. My Score: 2 Buds

Lamar Reviews - Lisa Frankenstein (Airdate 2/23/2024) As a movie critic I see a lot of movies. Most of the time I have a very good idea of what kind of movie I’m walking into. Comedy, drama, action, horror, and sometimes a mixture of all of that in a quirky sort of way. I can’t always be sure, but I take a chance. Every once in a while, I am rewarded with great find. A good example of that is Warm Bodies, the Zombie love story. R is a young introspective zombie that meets Julie, and they form a bond. Sounds stupid, but it is a well-made, hilarious movie that I would recommend to anyone that loves quirky movies. I took that chance with Lisa Frankenstein. A movie about a girl, Lisa, played by Kathryn Newton, whose life has been turned upside down by a tragedy and finds herself at a new school her senior year in 1989. She is struggling to fit in. Her father has remarried to an evil stepmom, played Carla Gugino. Her stepsister Taffy, played by Liza Soberano, is sweet and supportive, and may be the best part of this terrible movie. Lisa spends most of her time in an abandoned cemetery. In the worst Meet-Cute ever, a freak accident, that the movie does not even bother to explain or justify, reanimates a corpse, played by Cole Sprouse, who never utters a word. As she gets to know him, she must keep him a secret from her family and classmates. At this point the stage is set. Everything is wide open; the possibilities are endless. But the first-time director, Zelda Williams, daughter of Robin Williams, can’t seem to get any kind of continuity going. The movie is all over the place and over the top in everything they do. We have murder by accident, murder to get spare body parts for the undead boyfriend. We are expected to be on Lisa’s side, and are for a while, and then she turns into a selfish teenager just getting what she wants no matter the consequences. Even with that she only goes halfway. The movie never commits to being anything.  But the major crime this movie is guilty of is not being clever in the comedy. In this type of movie that is the one thing that is unforgivable. It is lazy. The movie is 1 hour and 41 minutes, which seems like days, Rated PG-13 for violent content, bloody images, sexual material, language, sexual assault, teen drinking, drug content, and wasting everybody’s time. I was excited because Diablo Cody wrote it. She wrote Juno and Jennifer’s body, both good movies, especially Juno. This is NOT that! I expected quirky and clever, this is not. I expected dark but it never quite made it too dark. I actually wish it had been horrible so that I could rant about it. It wasn’t even that. This is one of those times when I like to think I’m a heroic movie critic that has sacrificed myself so that you don’t have to. If you really want to see it, give it a couple of days, it will be streaming on something. My Score: 1 Bud

Netflix has become the go-to when it comes to documentaries, especially about murder, stalker, crime stuff. If you have not watched American Nightmare on Netflix yet, stop reading or listening to this review right now. Go straight to your TV and pull it up and binge watch all 3 episodes. Once you have done that, come back and finish this review. Those of you who have already watched it know exactly what I’m talking about. American Nightmare would be a great fictional movie, but it is actually an insane true story. I would have said, as a true crime documentary, it doesn’t get any better. Then Lover Stalker Killer said, “Hold my beer.” The Documentary stars with a 911 call of a female voice saying, “I’ve been shot!” Then we meet Dave Kroupa who actually appears as himself. He comes across as a nice, no-nonsense guy who found himself single at 35 and wanting to get back into dating in Omaha Nebraska, in 2012. He hopped on a dating site called Plenty of Fish. He matched with Shanna Elizabeth Golyar, who went by Liz. They both were single with children and shared some common interests, and neither one was looking for a serious long-term relationship. This was perfect for Dave. They were going out and having fun, but it stayed light and not serious. A few months pass by and Cari Farver brought her car into Dave’s auto repair shop, he is a mechanic. Dave found her to be very attractive. Later on as he was going through the dating sight he saw her profile. He clicked on it and said, “I know you.” She wrote back, “I know you too.” Turns out they have a lot in common, including not wanting to get serious, just having fun. One night while Cari was visiting Dave, Liz shows up to get something she left at his apartment. This of course was very awkward for all parties involved. Liz and Cari did not interact, and barley made eye contact. The next day Dave gets a text from Cari saying, “we need to move in together.” Dave responded, “We talked about that.” and reminder Cari that they had agreed to keep it casual. Cari flipped! She started texting him horrible messages, telling him she was going to ruin his life, and all kinds of other threats. Then he would get texts about what he was doing, and pictures of him doing it. She was continually stalking him. She starts doing the same to Liz, and to Dave’s ex-wife and kids. Nobody could get any peace. And then it really gets crazy! I wish I could say more, but you will thank me. The movie is 1 hour 30 minutes of tense mind blowing drama. It has some language. This is not happening in New York or LA. This is small town America with small police departments. The amazing efforts of 2 investigators, and a part time volunteer I.T. guy, to solve this will blow your mind. After watching American Nightmare, and this, I don’t think there will be any kind of murderous documentary to top these. Prove me wrong Netflix, please prove me wrong! My Score: 5 Buds Do Not Miss This

Lamar Reviews - "Mean Girls" (Airdate 1/26/2024) I was worried about this, there were many ways it could go wrong, but it didn’t. I don’t know why I was concerned; Tina Fey is a genius. It has been 20 years since the original Mean Girls, and they have changed it to match the times.  Yes, it is like the original, even has some of the exact same lines that were funny then, and they are funny now. This is what making a successful sequel is all about. Bringing in the same audience that watched it then, and capturing an entire new audience that not only enjoys this one but might be driven to go back and watch the original. I think they accomplished just that. You have to feel good about the movie as soon as it opens up with Janis and Damian, played by Auli’i Cravalho and Jaquel Spivey singing the intro and serving somewhat as narrators of the movie. Damian is a force in this movie, and he is described by his best friend Janis as “almost too gay to function” which is ok as long as she is saying it. I got the immediate feeling that whatever happened I was going to enjoy these two, and I did. For anyone who does not know anything about Mean Girls, and please don’t raise your hand, it’s embarrassing, and you surely don’t want anyone to know, here it is. After being raised in Kenya and being homeschooled, Cady a teenage girl, played by Angourie Rice, comes back to America to attend High School. She makes friends with Janis and Damian, who try to help her learn her way around. When she is noticed by Regina George, played by Renee Rap, the most popular, most beautiful, most powerful, and most dangerous person in the school, along with her minions Gretchen and Avantika, played by Bebe Wood and Karen Shetty. She then learns how High School really works. And it is all done to music and song. 1 hour 52 minutes, Rated PG-13 As good as the rest of the cast is, this only works if the Regina George character works. She is pivotal to everything.  Rachel McAdams invented Regina and made her a legend as a “Mean Girl”. Renee Rapp was smart enough not to mimic McAdams’ version, which was so sweet to your face that you never saw the knife coming, until you felt the slightly cooler temperature of the metal blade, as it nuzzled its path into your kidney. Renee Rapp’s Regina is a Queebee, an intimidating force of nature that you know is probably going to stab you in the back, but being with her is worth the risk, and all you can think, as the loss of blood is making you strangely sleepy, as your surroundings start to dim every so slightly, is, “Does she like me? Will she text me later?” Both actors hit it out of the park, but in two different ways. Having Tina Fey and Tim Meadows reprise their roles as staff members worked. Angourie Rice is great but does get lost in the background of some really strong performances by the rest of the cast. Any concerns I had were totally unfounded. Now I’m going to watch the original again! My Score: 5 Buds

Lamar Reviews - "Anyone But You" (Airdate 1/12/2024) I feel like I should tell you that this movie is loosely based on Shakespeare’s Much Ado About Nothing, in fact the characters in Shakespeare’s play were named Benedick and Beatrice, and in the movie their names are Ben, played by Glen Powell, and Bea, played by Sydney Sweeney. But if I do it might raise your expectations and you will wind up disappointed, so forget I brought that up. Think less Shakespeare and more Hallmark Channel. The movie opens up with a really inventive meet-cute that leads to them staying up all night talking and falling asleep innocently in each other’s arms! They are both great looking, possibly him a hair more than her. She is bubbly and smart; he is charming and funny. The chemistry is through the roof. My romantic comedy cup is full to the brim! Sadly, we know this is too good to be true, but we are ready for it. After a miscommunication that could have been settled in less than 2 minutes, both of them hate each other. Later on, both wind up at a wedding in beautiful Sydney Australia. Since their animosity for each other is causing problems for the wedding party their friends and family try to put them together. When each of their ex’s show up, they each have a different reason where they both benefit from pretending to be a couple. Unless you have never seen a Romantic Comedy, you will not be surprised that the more they pretend to be a couple the closer they become. Are you confused yet? Don’t worry, Details are not important, focus on the beautiful surroundings, the attractive people, the chemistry between Ben and Bea, and the dialog. This is a rom-com not a murder mystery. We know where we are headed, don’t worry so much about how we get there. The movie is a quick hour and 43 minutes, Rated- R for language, sexual content, and brief graphic nudity. Sydney Sweeny comes across as a good comedic actress that does come pretty funny physical stuff. She also has the range to look sad, or confused, or very romantic, with just her eyes. Her performance was very good through the entire movie. Glen Powell did a more than passable job as Ben. His delivery was spot on, and his charm was infectious. Dermont Mulroney, who a few years ago was a lead in many romantic comedies himself, is now playing Bea’s dad. He always brings something to a movie and this time was no different. Every romantic comedy has one thing in common, the last minute race for one of the people to stop the other from leaving so they can reunite and save the relationship, and live happily ever after. Sometimes an airport, sometimes a train station, sometimes a cab is how that race is run. This movie takes this concept to a new level with how Ben gets to Bea for that moment, and it’s pretty darn cool. This is a very passible romantic comedy, I enjoyed it as that. My Score: 4 Budweisers

"Wonka" Make no mistake, the 1971 Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory, is now, and always will remain, the best version of the book. It had the perfect balance of sweetness and malevolence. The 2005 Charlie and the Chocolate Factory with Johnny Depp, was heavy on the malevolence, with a large dose of creepiness. Wonka hit the right tone, and this movie is perfect if you have kids. It stays on a level that kids can understand and enjoy, but as an adult you will not be bored and there is a lot to like. This movie is set 15 to 20 years before the Gene Wilder original. Young Willy Wonka is played by Timothee Chalamet, and he has come to town to make his fortune selling chocolate. He wants to open it in the famous Galeries Gourmet, a place for exotic foods along with a Chocolate Syndicate that consists of 3 stores owned by Messrs. Slugworth, played by Paterson Joseph, Prodnose, played by Matt Lucas, and Fickelgruber, played by Matthey Bayton. These 3 chocolatiers are determined to get rid of Willy Wonka, and the competition of his most fantastic chocolates, that everybody loves. Willy happens into worse trouble when he is unable to pay for his room and becomes an indentured servant, in a slave labor laundry owned by Ms. Scrubbit, played by Olivia Colman. While working off his debt he meets 4 fellow inmates including Noodle, an orphan played by Calah Lane. He makes them part of his plan. Wonka is harassed at every turn by the Police Chief, who is played by Keegan-Micael Key, and is paid off, in chocolate no less, by the Syndicate. Wonka is continually agitated by a mysterious nemesis he describes as a knee-high orange man with green hair, who turns out to be an Oompa-Loompa, played by Hugh Grant. But with Willy’s mom’s inspiration, and his upbeat can-do attitude, he is determined to gain his freedom and open the chocolate shop that he promised his mother he would. The movie is a few minutes shy of 2 hours, Rated PG for some violence, and mild language. Timothee Chalamet is a really good actor, and he brings all of the joy and energy needed, to play the young Willy Wonka. Before he has been in business for many years and becomes the slightly jaded and sarcastic, Gene Wilder version.  What he is missing is the ability to sing, he is not a good singer. You would think this is important in a musical, but it does not ruin the movie. The set designs are colorful, fanciful, and fun, just as you would expect. Every actor does a great job but the standout is definitely Hugh Grant’s Oopa Loompa. He does not disappoint, and the genius is in the fact that they don’t overuse him. You are almost half way into the movie before he shows up. And he pops in a few more times and we are left wanting more. Stay for the credits and you see him again. I think this was a very good prequel to the original, and way more enjoyable than the one with Johnny Depp. My Score: 5 Budweisers

Lamar Reviews - "Obliterated" (Airdate 12/8/2023) I want to get this out there, this movie is over the top. It is Rated TV-MA, but it should be Rated TV-NC-17. There are tons of language, over the top violence and torture, sex and nudity, including multiple scenes of full frontal male nudity, extended, both in time and all other ways. This is for adults, unless the other adult is your mother. Don’t watch this with your mother, or grandmother. This series is a combination of the TV show 24 and The Hangover movie. This is another example  that Netflix is not scared to color outside of the lines. As the first episode opens we see an elite group of operators trying to prevent the city of Las Vegas from being blown up by a nuclear bomb. The leader of the team is a CIA agent named  Ava, who is all business and focused on the mission. Her right hand guy is Chad, a Navy SEAL with abs of steel. There is a computer geek named Maya, that of course can hack into anything with a toothpick and an aluminum foil gum wrapper. Angela is a long range sniper that never misses. The huge muscle man is Tank. The eye in the sky is chopper pilot Paul, and the bomb guy, with a lot of fingers missing is Hagerty. They get the nuke, save Las Vegas, and arrest the Russian arms dealer Ivan Koslov, played by Costa Ronin. This has been a tough case and they decide to celebrate in Las Vegas fashion, complete with drugs of every kind, alcohol, and every possible kind of person you would expect to be at a Las Vegas party. As soon as every one of the team is toasted, crap-faced, high, Obliterated if you will, they are contacted by their boss and informed that the real bomb is still out there and they have less than 8 hours to find the bomb and save Las Vegas. They can’t even sober up because all the drugs have not taken their full effect yet. The series is 8 episodes, 45 minutes each, and Rated TV-MA but should be NC-17 for language, full frontal nudity, sex, heavy drug use, and bloody violence. This started out as a 90 minute movie, but by turning it into an almost 7 hour series, we get to know more about each individual character and what makes them who they are. It never gets boring because there is no limit to what direction they take it, or how raunchy gets. The Las Vegas background adds a lot of excitement and a cool feel to the episodes. There are quite a few plot twists and multiple villains, but it is never confusing. I didn’t give the names of the actors because you wouldn’t recognize them, which I think helps the show. The only 2 you might know is C.Thomas Howell and the guy that plays Motaur, the half man half motorcycle in the Progressive Insurance commercial. It is dark and raunchy and over the top. My wife Carla hated it. I loved it, but Your grandmother will not. My Score: 5 Buds, on the raunchy Scale.

Lamar Reviews - "Napoleon" (Airdate 12/1/23) If you are seeing this movie so that you can get the history of Napoleon straight once and for all you might as well go into whatever is playing on the screen in the theater next to it. If you want to see some really cool battle scenes, and don’t mind seeing horses blown apart, along with a relationship that is more messed up than an afternoon soap opera, by all means head on in! As far as being factual, they spelled his name right but the rest of it is pretty scattered. Let’s just say don’t quote these facts to demonstrate your knowledge of the history of Napoleon at your next cocktail party. The tagline for the movie is “He came from nothing. He conquered everything.” Napoleon’s father was an aristocrat. Napoleon’s family had descended from Tuscan nobles, and he grew up on the island of Corsica in a palatial home. And as far as conquering everything. He never conquered Britain, the bane of his existence. But he was far from a failure. He did have campaigns in Egypt and Austria, plus he invaded Russia, but stayed until winter and could not finish what he started. He won 53 out of 63 battles. The movie does not glorify Napoleon, Joaquin Phoenix played him in a very understated way, almost wooden. The movie comes across as choppy and rushed. It turns out Ridley Scott cut out 45 minutes to get it down to 2 hours and 38 minutes. He is going to release a 4 ½ hour version on Apple TV. A good bit of the movie deals with his relationship with his wife Josephine, who is portrayed by Vanessa Kirby. She was six years older, more worldly, and more sexually experienced than Napoleon. She was previously married and had two children. Her first husband went to the guillotine. She told Napoleon that she had a past and was forced to do things so that she and her children could survive. He was madly in love with her, but they had a tumultuous relationship. They both cheated on each other, but her affairs made the newspaper. The movie made their relationship seem weird and somewhat creepy, but I’m sure a lot of that was movie and not actual history, because there is no way of knowing their personal conversations. The movie is a little over 2 ½ hours Rated R for strong violence, grisly images, sexual content and brief language. I really expected Joaquin Phoenix to knock it out of the park as Napoleon. I do not feel like he did. The relationship between Napoleon and Josephine, as depicted in the movie, seems unhealthy from both sides. And as far one of the greatest love stories of all recorded history, Phoenix and Kirby had zero chemistry to make us see it. I know this sounds like I hated the movie, I did not. I was never bored, I actually enjoyed it. The problem is this is a huge story that cannot be told with clarity in 2 hours and 38 minutes.  Will I be catching the 4 ½ hour version on Apple TV to see what I missed. Yeah, right after I go watch the World Cup live, while I’m eating a Turkey Bacon BLT with Miracle whip! My Score: 3 Buds, unless you are a horse lover, if so, skip it!

Lamar Reviews - Priscilla (Airdate 11/17/2023) If you are a devoted Elvis fan, this may not be the movie for you. If you loved the movie Elvis, starring Austin Butler, be happy with that, and skip this. This movie is based on Priscilla’s book Elvis and Me. This movie is not from Elvis’ point of view, it is solely through Pricilla’ eyes. For the record, I LOVE ELVIS! I am a fan. I love his music; I’ve been to Graceland. I have made my wishes known to my family. When I die, I plan on having an Elvis impersonator, The 68 Comeback Tour Elvis, not the overweight Elvis, sing “How Great Thou Art” at my funeral. Nobody does that song like Elvis. I want him to dab the sweat off his brow with a silk scarf and toss it to my Smokin’ Hot Wife Carla.  I say all that so that nobody thinks I’m dissing The King. There are a few red flags and uncomfortable moments. Elvis was a 24 year old superstar when he met 14 year old Priscilla. He didn’t come to her house and sit in the swing on the porch, he took her to an adult party at his rented house in Germany, with alcohol, drugs, and smoking. This does have a creepy vibe to it. Cailee Spaeny is fantastic as Priscilla the 14-year-old in love with one of the most famous men in the world. And she is even more so as Priscilla the lonely depressed 27-year-old who is stuck keeping the “home fires” burning at Graceland, while Elvis is away for months at a time making movies and having affairs with his leading ladies. Jocob Elordi is a passable Elvis, although he is 5 inches too tall. The movie is titled Priscilla, not Elvis. One thing you won’t hear is any music by Elvis. Elvis Presley Enterprises refused to allow them to use any of Elvis’s songs. The movie is 1 hour and 53 minutes, Rated-R for drug use and language. The movie did a tremendous job making us feel the loneliness of being surrounded by everything money could buy, but being in a relationship where you are powerless, isolated, and constantly cheated on. There is nothing new to learn about Elvis here. We already knew at 24 he dated a 14-year-old, he did not do this in secret, he did it with her parent’s blessing, everybody knew it, and yes it was a different time, 66% of doctors still thought smoking was ok. Does that make it right? No. Does the fact that they did not have sex until their wedding night, make it less creepy? No. The fact that drugs were a big part of his life is no surprise, they made him irrational and fueled his violent outbursts, and caused his death. But knowing it is one thing, seeing on the screen is another. Especially when you don’t get any of the great music, the silky voice, the gyrating dance moves, and the bigger than life charisma, to distract you from the uncomfortable truth. What I am left with is a very good movie, that tells the story in the most straight forward way possible. It is a movie that is not fun to watch and left me more than a little depressed after seeing it. It is a movie that I am glad I don’t have to watch again. It is also a movie that every Elvis fan should watch, because Priscilla’s side of this relationship deserves to be told. She is owed that much for sure. My Score: 5 Budweisers

Lamar Reviews - "Beckham" (Airdate 11/10/2023) Another Netflix Documentary that I kept skipping. I am not a soccer fan, yes, I said soccer not football. You can call it what you want to, for me it will always be soccer. I have only watched one complete soccer game from start to finish. It was the longest 6, maybe 10 hours of my life! I am aware it is the number one sport in the world. But it is a lot of running back and forth, a lot of kicking a ball, tons of faking injures and fouls, and a very tiny bit of scoring. And when I thought it was finally over, they had more minutes. As much as I dislike the game, I know who David Beckham is, but until I watched this documentary, I didn’t realize how much I didn’t know about him. Beckham’s dad worshipped the Manchester United Soccer Club, and when he had a son, he was determined to teach him the game, in hopes of him one day being on that team. Not unlike Tiger Wood’s dad, Ted Beckham’s dream also came true, due to his constant teaching, and demand for perfection. When David was still a teenager, Manchester United manager Alex Ferguson signed him as a trainee. Ferguson would become a second father figure for Beckham over the years. When he kicked a miraculous goal from the halfway line against Wimbledon in 1996, he stepped into fame and huge sponsorship deals. Then he met and married Posh Spice. You cannot help but be captivated by their love story. The documentary is definitely Beckham friendly, but the interviews with the couple at their home seem to point to a really strong marriage, and that they are as “down to earth” as a couple could be with all the fame, money, and attention, they have to deal with. One of the hardest parts to watch was the incident in 1998, in the World Cup round against Argentina. Diego Simeone fouled Beckham on purpose and provoked him. In response Beckham swung his leg at Simone and the referee saw it, gave him a Red Card, and sent him out of the game. England lost 4-3. The entire country of England turned on him. Letters with bullets, death threats, spat upon, there was no where in the entire country he could go without hatred being spewed out at him. He was booed in every statium. In his own home stadium, they shouted vile sexual chants about Victoria his wife. It is like something you have never seen. Then there is the comeback, and more adversity, and there is the comeback, more problems, and he manages to conquer them. Netflix, 4 episodes, each one a little over an hour. Not rated but has a lot of language. I would not get out of the electric chair to go see a soccer game, but I enjoyed every minute of this documentary. In fact, if you see soccer in 30 second clips of scoring goals, it looks exciting. Don’t fall for it, it’s a trap! The actual game never ends. But David Beckham’s story is very interesting, it doesn’t hurt that he was a handsome boy, who is still a handsome man approaching his 50’s with a beautiful wife and what appears to be a great marriage, and family. My Score: 5 Buds

Lamar Reviews - "Get Gotti" (Airdate 11/3/2023) This is a Netflix Documentary that consists of 3 episodes. If there is a glamorous side to organized crime, it would be named John Gotti. The $2000 silk suits, the perfectly groomed hair, the swagger, the attitude, and the fact that he was found not guilty three times, made him the biggest story in New York, and earned him the name, “The Teflon Don”! He was on the cover of Time Magazine and rose to celebrity status. He became almost a folk hero, even though he murdered his way to the top and continued to have people killed to stay there. The news media couldn’t get enough of him. Hollywood stars tried to get close to him. Whether it is true or not, according to the documentary, one of Gotti’s guys says Brooke Shields gave Gotti her number.  John Amos from the TV show Good Times was quoted as saying “I just like the way he carries himself”. I’m not so sure the victims that he had tortured and murdered would feel the same way. Gotti became the boss by having Paul Castellano murdered. Everybody knew he was behind the hit. The FBI and the Organized Crime Task Force both wanted to take Gotti down, but each wanted the credit to themselves, so no interagency cooperation, which is why he beat the rap so many times. The documentary interviews members of both teams that were competing to be the one that brought Gotti in. They also talked to former mobsters that worked for Gotti. Gotti loved all the attention, especially after he was found not guilty. The downside was it also brought a lot of attention to what was a well-kept secret, the mob itself. With that attention law enforcement started putting a lot of pressure on the day-to-day illegal businesses of the mob. The FBI and the Task Force were each trying to plant bugs to record conversations but were still not sharing information. The Documentary is 3–50-minute episodes, it is not rated but there is a lot of language. There are a lot of interesting situations that are discussed, especially on how they actually bugged the places. It has all the suspense and intrigue you would see in a movie, but this was real life. This documentary has it all, murder, courtroom drama, witness intimidation, jury tampering, and informants. This reminds me of the character Tony Soprano on the HBO show The Sopranos. In so much of that show Tony is the hero. He is powerful, sexy, has a certain style, and he is having troubles that we are happy to see him overcome. But along the way we have episodes that remind us that his true character is a criminal that murders and tortures to get what he wants. That he robs and steals, and ruins people’s lives. That he would do all of that to any one of us if it fit his needs. The documentary does a good job showing us exactly who and what John Gotti was. A scumbag lowlife killer, in a really nice suit. My Score: 5 Buds

Lamar Reviews - "The Burial" (Airdate 10/27/2023) This should be the shortest movie review in history. I should just say, Jamie Foxx and Tommy Lee Jones together on the same screen, and 5 Budweisers. Now, go on about your business. But I won’t, because I want to talk about it. This is a movie that is based on a true story, and if you check the facts, you will find that is closer to the true story than most movies that make that claim. This movie takes place in 1995. We are introduced to Willie Gary, played by Jamie Foxx, in the pulpit of a church preaching a sermon. To say he was on fire would be an understatement, to a criminal degree! He was so powerful with his message; I had my own hands up wanting to testify!! We then see him in a courtroom representing his client in a personal injury case. When he finished telling the jury what a sorry excuse for a human being his client was, I thought instead of a settlement, he was going to jail. BUT!!! I will let you see for yourself. Willie Gary is great at two things, charming juries, and winning cases. Then we are introduced to Jeremiah O’keefe, played by Tommy Lee Jones. This man will never get the credit he is due for his talent, and it is nobody’s fault. Maybe it is all the iconic characters he has played, and the years he’s been doing it, but it appears he is doing nothing. He shows no sign of putting forth any effort. It is almost as if he is just taking up space. Without saying a word his facial expressions, his demeanor, and the very breaths that he breathes changes the room that he is in and seems to control the entire scene. And to top it off his low-key minute reaction to what the other actors are saying makes them look like Oscar winners. OK, yes, I am a fan. Jeremiah owns eight funeral homes, and a burial insurance business. Jeremiah is a quiet family man, a war hero, and a solid good person, refuses to be disrespected by anyone, who just wants to provide for his children.  When times get hard, he cannot keep the required amount of money in the insurance company’s bank account. Jeremiah is forced to reach out to big Canadian company that is buying up independent funeral homes in America. He makes the deal, but the deal never closes. Jeremiah feels like something is fishy. He hires the flashy over the top Willie to represent him. The movie is on Amazon Prime, it is 2 hours and 6 minutes, Rated-R for Language. Foxx and Jones are accompanied by Jurnee Smollett that plays Jeramiah’s opposing counsel, Alan Ruck, who plays Jeremiah’s lawyer and longtime friend, and more. The entire cast is great, the chemistry between Tommy Lee and Jamie Foxx is fantastic. I hope they find something else to work together on in the future. This is 2 hours of heartwarming fun that comes right into your living room. I loved it! My Score: 5 Ice Cold Budweisers

Lamar Reviews - "Encounters" (Airdate 10/20/2023) Encounters is a 4-part docuseries about UFOs”. In the opening episode, “Messengers” over 300 people reported seeing weird lights in the sky over Texas. One of the witnesses, Steve Allen, remembers bright lights moving unbelievably fast across the sky. Steve spent the rest of his life searching for whatever it was. And still has not gotten over it. In the next episode, “Believers, “ we go to Zimbabwe, where in 1994, 60 school children saw a large, shiny, silver disc with aliens wearing strange suits with big heads and large eyes. As adults today they say the aliens telepathically told them they needed to take care of the environment. And while the aliens were talking to the children, they mentioned that Bob Lacy was doing a great job recycling. Of course, every class has 1 Jackass, and now that he is grown, he said he made up the whole thing. I think he was just a “bad seed”, and he was in the boy’s bathroom smoking and missed the whole thing. As adults, the rest of the kids are sticking to their story. In the 3rd episode we move to a primary School in Wales where children saw a flying saucer. The same claims were made in 2 nearby places. The headmaster of the school immediately separated the students and had them draw the craft. All of their drawings were similar. In the final episode, “Lights Over Fukushima.” What we see in the sky, is it objective, or is it just subjective? There have been numerous eyewitness accounts of aliens and UFOs. But that’s just it. Eyewitness accounts. It’s tricky because even if a witness does see something, they could be confusing an aircraft with a UFO. This could be said about the sightings from March 2011, at the Fukushima Nuclear Power Plant. There are multiple bright orbs hovering over it. But we can’t prove what it was. There are a lot of video of flying Orbs over the plant when it had the melt down. When Japanese people talk about UFOs and why they are here there is a lot of talk about achieving or restoring balance, and that modern life is out of harmony. And the benevolent view is that aliens, or whatever you choose to call them, are coming in, and are concerned, and are trying to restore a sense of balance to the world. This is a very interesting series. 4 episodes, around 50 minutes each. There are some things that are too far out to even be considered. There are some things that scream, “Oh yeah, there is something to this, what they are saying makes perfect sense, and it seems very possible.” If you go into this either believing in UFOs, or you think the whole idea of this stuff is ridiculous, I don’t think it will change your mind either way. But no matter, over all these years, there has been a lot of smoke, there has to me some kind of fire. My Score: 4 Buds

Lamar Reviews - "Reptile" (Airdate 10/13/2023) Benicio Del Toro is an actor I never think about, until I see him in a movie, then I can’t get him out of my mind for a while. Then I forget about him until the next movie. He is hardly ever in the media or the headlines. He shows up works in a movie, does an unbelievable job, and goes back home to be anonymous until the next movie. Del Toro has made a career out of taking lesser parts and stealing movies from higher-billed actors. He is a quiet thief. His soulful eyes, the stare that never wavers, the way he holds a gun, the way he walks, the way he stands, without saying a word. Josh Brolin tells a story about working with him on Day of the Soldado. “I go, ‘What you been doing?’ He goes, ‘I’ve been watching old movies.’ I go, ‘That’s what you did yesterday?’ He goes, ‘No, that’s what I did for the last month.’ And I know that he means it,” “He’s literally been in the dark for 30 days, just watching old movies and eating Doritos.” Del Toro studies to get better, and he does. Justin Timberlake plays Will Grady, a real estate agent whose girlfriend and partner is murdered. Benicio Del Toro plays Detective Tom Nichols, who left his old job in Philadelphia because he might have covered up for a corrupt partner. His wife Judy, played by Alicia Silverstone’s Uncle Robert, who is a Maine police Captain, played by Eric Bogosian, gave him a job. He investigates the murder. There are a few suspects, the boyfriend, the ex-husband, and a crazy guy that feels like his family was cheated by the victim. There is more to this than just a murder, and Detective Nichols finds a thread and he keeps pulling it. It starts to affect not just him, but also his wife Judy, played by Alicia Silverstone. There are a few Red Hearings to keep you confused, along with more than a few twists. The movie is 2 hours and 14 minutes Rated-R for language, violence and some nude images. Justin Timberlake is another talented guy that you never think about as being a great actor but is. He does a really good job. There are more great performances by actors you will recognize. But, make no mistake, everyone of them is rotating around Del Toro. He is the movie. Without him this is just a passable movie at best, with him, it is a thriller you can’t take your eyes off of. He is so relaxed, and so comfortable, but you feel that at any moment he could be a very violent and dangerous man. Those hooded eyes can be soulful and sad, tender, and loving, or immediately be murderous without an ounce of pity. Now, Benicio Del Toro will go away. He will be out of the limelight, somewhere watching old movies, and learning new ways to take part, work his magic, and steal another movie. The movie itself is OK, but Benicio Del Toro makes it way better than it should be. My Score: 5 Solid Budweisers

I have never been a big Saw fan. I did enjoy the first one with Cary Elwes and Danny Glover. It was something brand new in the horror genre, and it had a really good plot. But after that it became all about the traps and torture killings. I saw them all, well, I saw parts and heard some parts, because I’m a grown ass man, and if I want to close my eyes to the scary parts, I can. This Saw is not only good, it the best one since the first one. The ones between were just gore fests, this is an actual movie with a story. This movie is set between Saw and Saw2. This one is different; they have flipped it. Jhon Kramer, aka Jigsaw, played by Tobin Bell is not the bad guy. Well, he is a bad guy as in a murderer, he did kill 86 people in the 9 movies, in some very creative, and gag producing ways. A lot of which I did not actually see. But this time it is revenge, and I can get behind some good revenge, even if it is from a bad guy, as long as it is on worse people. This movie makes sense, the last 8 movies, not so much. Because this is theoretically the 2nd movie, theoretically the other 8 movies have not happened yet. Who would have ever thought that I would use a word that big, not once, but twice, in a review of a Saw movie? Crazy huh? In this movie we have bad people taking advantage of good people that have cancer. They are the villains. They just happened to pick the wrong victim this time. Jigsaw, for those Amish among you, who are on Rumspringa, and have not had access to TV or movies, until now, is a man that makes people atone for their crimes and moral failings by sacrificing pieces of themselves in mechanical torture devices. They have to play a “game” and if they lose, let’s just say it is really messy. And most of the time really loud. Jigsaw has cancer and only has a few months to live. He is introduced to a doctor, Cecilia Pederson, played by Synnove Macody Lund, who runs an “off the books” experimental treatment center in Mexico. When things turn out to be not what they seem, Jigsaw gets to work. The movie is 1 hour 58 minutes, the longest of any saw movie, Rated R for bloody decapitation, amputation, stabbing, eyeball remov…….well you get the idea! This movie, thankfully and sadly, shows us what this franchise could have been. Something better than 90 minutes of bloody, screaming, gear grinding, dismembering, violence, with no plot and no actual acting. Tobin Bell who gets more screen time in this movie than the other 9 combined, shined. He made this a respectable, if very violent movie that I thoroughly enjoyed. And I kept my eyes open the entire time. I grew to hate Saw movies and dreaded going every time. But this was completely different. And if you stay after the credits, it looks like number 11 is coming. I can’t believe I’m saying this, but I can’t wait. My Score, based solely on the other 9 Saw movies, which was never over 3 Buds is: A Full 6PK of Budweiser

Lamar Reviews - The Exp4endables 4 (Airdate 9/29/2023)

Lamar Reviews - My Big Fat Greek Wedding III (Airdate 9/22/2023) The original My Big Fat Greek Wedding came out in 2002 and it was a huge hit, it is still the top-grossing romantic comedy of all time. So, of course they immediately made a TV series. It lasted 7 episodes. My Big Fat Greek Wedding 2 came out in 2016 and it did one fourth of what the original did. So, 7 years later, after a canceled TV show and a failed sequel, we have number 3. Is it necessary? No. In the movie only one year has passed and Paris has completed her first year of college. You would think that having the title of My Big Fat Greek Wedding, would have this one with Paris being old enough to be married so that they could actually have that BFG wedding. But no, I guess that will be in #4. Everybody is back except Gus, who was played by Michael Constantine, who passed away in 2021. This film is dedicated to him. In the movie Gus has passed, and his widowed wife, Maria, played by Lainie Kazan, has dementia. Gus made a request, before he died, for Toula, played by Nia Vardalos, to find his 3 childhood best friends, and deliver his handwritten journal of his life to them. Of course, they have disappeared, and she spends the entire movie hunting them down. There are some surprises, some secrets are revealed, and there is a forbidden romance that is uncovered. All of this with the backdrop of a huge loud and loving Greek Family. The movie is just over an hour and a half, Rated PG-13 for suggestive material and some almost nudity. One of the running jokes is Toula’s brother Nick, played by Louis Mandylor, and his constant grooming in front of everyone at the dinner table. Clipping toenails, ear hair, shaving, picking, plucking, his entire body. And of course, there is food, and more food, souvlaki, spanakopita, moussaka, and every other Greek dish you can imagine. All of this is going on as we get a wonderful tour of Greece. This movie is more of a travel film than anything else. The camera work is amazing, and the winding roads through the Greek countryside is breathtaking. It would be hard to watch this movie and not go home and start planning a trip to Greece. So, again, is this third movie necessary? No, but if you loved the original movie, and especially if you watched the short-lived TV show, and saw the second one, it would be a shame not to see this one. Watching a huge family that loves each other this much, and to see the beautiful Island of Greece. My Score:3 Buds

Lamar Reviews - The Equalizer 3 (Airdate 9/8/2023)

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem If you have had kids anywhere from the mid 80’s to today, you know exactly what Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles are. And more than likely you have spent money on these radioactive reptiles. Their popularity dipped for a few years, but they made a huge comeback in 2000 with an animated series. Their merchandising has been spot on, and they have a total revenue of $14 Billion. Not bad for a comic book company that 2 guys founded using money from a tax refund and a loan from an uncle.  My kids had that stuff all over the house. I have watched my share of the cartoons, so I’m very familiar. The movies have never been great. Making some of them in live action, instead of animation, just looked really creepy, and yet just the movies themselves have taken in over $1 Billion. Still my expectation for the new movie, Mutant Mayhem, was pretty low. I’m happy to say I was wrong. They ditched the live action, with those creepy costumes and went with animation. And not just any animation, but an imperfect sketchy look that really grabs your attention. The other thing that caused me pause, was Seth Rogen as a writer. For reasons I really can’t explain I’m not a big fan of his acting. Most people are, and they are not wrong, I’m just not a fan. As I say that, I recognize he is a genius when it comes to comedy, he did write Superbad and some other funny stuff. He did a really good job with this movie. This movie is not about their crime fighting escapades, it is about wanting to be accepted by humans who are terrified of them. They fear them and want to kill them. Now I understand the positive message of acceptance of people different from yourself, and I’m all for it. But if I’m on a dark street in New York City and run into 4, 6-foot-tall turtles, wearing masks, carrying samurai swords, num-chuks, and a big stick, I’m probably not asking them to follow me on Instagram. But in an effort to fit in, the turtles decide if they can become heroes, they will be accepted by humans. In this movie the villain they are pursuing is called Superfly, who coincidently is a giant mutant fly, voiced perfectly by Ice Cube. The Turtle’s themselves are voiced by 4 young people which fits nicely. Other voices are provided by Maya Rudolph, John Cena, Seth Rogen, Rose Byrne Jackie Chan, and Paul Rudd, to name a few. The movie is just right at 1 hour and 39 minutes, Rated PG for sequences of violence and action, language, and impolite material. One interesting thing they did was, instead of recording the voices independently, they put them in groups in the same room. This allowed the cast to play off of each other as well as employ a lot of improvisation in their performances. This is one you can take your kids to and not be bored to death. Plus, you will understand what you are spending your money on when the kids scream for the toys. My Score: 5 Budweisers            

Lamar Reviews - "Oppenheimer" (Airdate 8/11/2023) Christopher Nolan chooses to step away from the action and adventure movies that has made him a huge name in Hollywood and do a biopic on Robert Oppenheimer.  Oppenheimer is a name that is not bounced around very often. If you had done a “man on the street” survey and asked random people who he was, nobody would know unless you were at a retirement home. He is the man that led the group of scientists that invented the atom bomb. He was actually called the “father of the atom bomb.” To say he was a genius would be a huge understatement. He went to Harvard to be a chemist, but switched to physics and graduated summa cum laude. Did research at Cambridge and went to the University of Gottingen and got his Ph. D at 22. Hit a few more schools and wound-up teaching at Berkley and the California Institute of Technology. Just saying all that wore me out, and bored me to tears, and I left out a few schools. He was the founding father of theoretical physics, did research in astrophysics, nuclear physics, quantum field theory, and came up with black holes, never having seen one. OK, now he’s just showing off! Who else you gonna call when you need the bomb of all bombs? Oh, and he was hanging with the communists, even though he wasn’t one. Married a former communist, and was having an ongoing affair with a communist. But the military still chose him to develop a bomb before the Nazis did and stop World War II. Then when Hitler died they decided to use it on Japan. We can debate the moral questions of using the bomb, but as horrific as it was, it stopped the war and possibly saved many lives on both sides. But Oppenheimer immediately realized that the thing he had helped invent was a terrible thing for anyone to possess, and it was not good for the world. He quoted a Hindu verse, “I am become Death, destroyer of worlds.” If Cillian Murphy does not get an Oscar for making us feel the horrible weight that Robert Oppenheimer carried to his grave, that Gold statue has no meaning. Murphy does not only capture the sorrow and regret, he also exudes the unbelievable intelligence that Oppenheimer possessed, along with the arrogance and impatience that comes with it. I’m afraid that Murphy may have a hard time matching this performance. Of course, I said that about him in Peaky Blinders. Emily Blunt stars as Oppenheimer’s wife Kitty, Matt Damon plays Leslie Groves his military handler, along with Robert Downey Jr., Florence Pugh, and many, many more. It is a long movie at 3 hours, Rated R for sexuality, nudity, and language. This will definitely be the Oscar favorite. It met every expectation I had after hearing so much about it. Every performance was great, and from what I researched, it is very close as far as historically accuracy goes. It is an up-close look at how we got to where we are today in our ability to destroy our world as we know it. That being said, this is a beautifully, well-made movie. My Score: A full 6pk of Budweiser, which you might want to drink after you realize what this movie means.

Lamar Reviews - "Barbie" (Airdate 8/3/2023) I feel stupid calling this just a movie, it is more like a phenomenon! I sorta feel like I'm late to the Barbie Party. When it hit the screens, I was in Japan. So, I'm pretty sure that the only people who haven't seen Barbie yet, are people who don’t want to see it, or people who don't own any pink clothing, and have to wait for it to hit Netflix.  Don't worry, Mrs. People's Movie Critic and I both wore pink to the theater. Which was special for me since I love nothing more than for us to dress alike. It is something I live for. They did a great job with the sets and costumes, it was amazing. I don't believe they could have picked a better Barbie than Margo Robbie. The details were great. When Barbie pours her milk for breakfast, nothing comes out, she puts her toast to her lips, but she doesn’t take a bite. She doesn't walk downstairs, she goes from the upper floors to the driveway through the air, like an invisible human hand was holding her. The other great casting decision was Ryan Gosling as Ken, well the main Ken, there are a lot of Kens, just like a lot of Barbies. No one except Gosling was considered for Ken. Director Greta Gerwig said that if Ryan Gosling did not play Ken, the movie would not be made. Ken’s only reason for existence is to get Barbies attention. If she is not looking at, or talking to, him, he is miserable. One great highlight in the movie for me was Allan. This doll was named after Ruth Handler's son-in-law, he was Ken's friend that came dressed in very ugly clothes. The problem is, he's not a Ken, so he is an outcast, and in the movie, he is played perfectly by Michael Cera. We get to see a lot of discontinued Barbies like Madge the pregnant Barbie with removeable womb and baby, Tanner the pooping dog, Growing up Skipper with the arm you turned to make her breasts bigger, and many more. The storyline takes a detour when Stereotypical Barbie, Margot Robbie, has a crisis, and in trying to solve that crisis she and Ken go to the real world where things are totally different than in Barbie Land. Men are running the show and Ken, even though he does not understand it, he likes it. The movie is just shy of 2 hours, Rated PG-13 for suggestive references and brief language.  This is a great movie, the first half is hilarious, the second half is a little too busy, and a tad bit confusing. But the second half deals with the question of whether Barbie taught little girls that they could grow up and be anything they wanted to be, or did Barbie set the ominous pressure of having the perfect bust, waist, hip ratio that is impossible to possess? Is Barbie responsible for female CEO’s or eating disorders? Or is she just a toy to play with? I’m not sure if it answered these questions, but what it did was point out the struggles of being a woman in a world that is mostly run by men. Women watching the movie wanted to hear this said, and men needed to hear it, understand it, and remember it. To be this funny, and be able to come away with a serious message is really hard, but they pulled it off, and it’s going to be huge. My Score: 5 Buds

Lamar Reviews - "Mending the Line" (Airdate 6/16/2023) This is a movie that people will overlook. I almost overlooked it myself. There was nothing new on Netflix, or any of the other streaming services. The other movie in the theater was another Transformers movie. I’m not saying they are not fun, but how many times can you see a tractor trailer or a Camaro turn into a robot, while sounding like a lawnmower running over a chain link fence, and be excited? So, I pulled up the trailer for Mending the Line. Turns out Brain Cox is it, and that was reason enough for me to see it. Sinqua Walls stars as John Colter, a Marine who was wounded in Afghanistan. He is at Veterans hospital in Montana trying to get better so he can back to Afghanistan. His Doctor is played by Patricia Heaton, and realizes that even if he gets physically well enough, he won’t be mentally able to go back. He suffers from nightmares and is trying to drink away his problems, which only make them worse. Group therapy is not working so, The Doctor decides to put him with another patient, named Ike, played by Brian Cox. It seems that Ike suffers from similar experiences he went through in Vietnam years ago. What helped him was fly fishing. So, the Doctor wants Ike to teach Colter to fly fish. Yes, I know, so far it does sound like a boring storyline for a movie, but hang with me. Ike is a grumpy alcoholic that doesn’t drink anymore, and he is not excited about putting up with someone who is trying to solve his problems with alcohol. In something reminiscent of Karate Kid, Ike puts Colter through a bunch of unrelated tasks before he allows him have a pole. At the same time Colter meets Lucy, the local librarian, who is played by Perry Mattfeld. She has lost her fiancé, and can’t seem to move forward. Throw in Harrison, Ike’s best friend, played by Wes Studi, and you have a movie. The movie is 2 hours and 2 minutes, Rated-R for language and some violent images. The movie should not be this good. It is predictable, but the performances of all the actors elevates the movie. And just as important is the cinemaphotography. The way they shoot the stream, the fish, the entire act of catching and releasing the fish, all with a background that will take your breath away. You find yourself very relaxed just watching the movie play out. Sometimes you don’t want to watch superheroes, car crashes, things blowing up, computer generated stuff, monsters, or serial killers. Sometimes you want to watch a simple movie, with a good story, shot in a beautiful location. I had this conversation with a really nice lady outside the theater, I think her name was Ann, she happened to recognize my Smokin’ Hot Wife, and decided I must be The People’s Movie Critic. She has two sons that served and she loved this movie. She said I should give it 4 Buds, and I agree. Our Score: 4 Buds

Lamar Reviews - "FUBAR" (Airdate 6/9/2023) For over 30 years Arnold Schwarzenegger has been the epitome of an Action Movie Star. When he first turned up in Terminator in 1984, with a name you couldn’t pronounce and an accent that was barely understandable, you would have never guessed that not only would he have a tremendous movie career, but that in 27 years he would be the Governor of California. He was preceded by some big time action stars, like John Wayne, Charles Bronson, and Clint Eastwood. But he managed to carve out his own spot, and his movies have grossed over $4 Billion, and he has been relevant the entire time. Now at 75 he has decided to wade into waters he has never swam in, a TV series. Why not? He watched Sylvester Stallone do it with Tulsa King on Netflix, so he followed suit with FUBAR on Netflix. FUBAR is a military acronym meaning “fouled up beyond all recognition”, but the first word is not actually “fouled”. The movie opens with Arnold playing Luke Brenner, a man that has set a fire and is being directed via earpiece how to work his way into a bank to steal something he is going to trade to bad guys. This puts him to be in a situation where he is outmanned and outgunned with no hope of survival, which, after some action hero banter, he survives. Turns out he is a CIA agent. Luke has a family that has no idea that he is anything but a gym equipment salesman. At a family get together we me his family. Tally, his ex-wife, played by Fabiana Udenio, divorced him because he was never home. He of course is determined to win her back. He has a son Oscar, played by Devon Bostick, who is somewhat of a slacker. He has a daughter Emma, played by Monica Barbaro, who has a weird sounding job that requires her to travel all over the world, and never be at home, a lot like her dad. During Luke’s retirement party from the CIA, he gets sent on one last mission, to save a CIA agent who’s cover has been blown while embedded with terrorists.  The agent will be killed unless Luke gets there on time. Turns out, not so surprisingly, that the agent is his daughter Emma. This is not a huge spoiler it happens at the 26-minute mark and is the major plot device for all 8 episodes. Yes, this does sound an awful lot like the plot for True Lies, but just go with it. Yes, it is farfetched but watching Emma constantly blame Luke for being a horrible absentee father, while Luke is still trying to protect his “little girl” during the missions gives plenty of room for comedy, while maintaining the action and huge body count. And yes, Tom Arnold has a cameo. There are 8 episodes, 55 minutes each, Rated TV-MA violence, adult themes, and language. The first episode is a little all over the place getting you up to speed, but after that it rolls right along. If you love Schwarzenegger, things blowing up, and a whole lotta “Dad Jokes” this is for you. Arnold does not disappoint. My Score: 5 Buds