Kev's Reviews

Courtesy of Wikipedia  "The Boys in the Boat" is a cinematic journey that plunges viewers into the heart of resilience, camaraderie, and the relentless pursuit of excellence. Directed by George Clooney and adapted from Daniel James Brown's best-selling book of the same name, the film brings to life the remarkable true story of the University of Washington's rowing team and their quest for gold at the 1936 Berlin Olympics. The film opens against the backdrop of the Great Depression, painting a vivid picture of the harsh realities faced by young protagonist Joe Rantz, brilliantly portrayed by a rising star in the making. Strapped for cash, Rantz tries out for crew, scrounging funds for college.  The audience is immediately drawn into Joe's world—a world of economic hardship, personal loss, and unwavering determination. But, it's a common plot Hollywood has produced since the evolution of "Rocky." To that point, the film can't escape that whirlpool

Courtesy of rottentomates.com National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation, released in 1989, has become a holiday staple for many people around the world. Led by the comedic genius of Chevy Chase, the film follows the misadventures of the Griswold family as they attempt to create the perfect Christmas.  Adapted from a John Hughes short story called "Christmas 59", while beloved by some, the film has its fair share of critics. The story was published in the December issue of National Lampoon magazine in 1959. According to an article not verified by Kev's Reviews, Hughes said, "The studio came to me begging for another one, and I only agreed to it because I had a good story based on it." Undeniably, National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation has its comedic moments. Chevy Chase delivers an iconic performance as Clark Griswold, a well-intentioned but bumbling father figure. Chase's physical comedy and talent for slapstick humor bring some laugh-out-loud moments to

Courtesy of IMDB.COM  As the year winds down and the holiday spirit fills the air, there is nothing quite like cozying up on the couch with a warm cup of cocoa and immersing oneself in the enchanting world of holiday movies. These films have become an integral part of our seasonal traditions, bringing comfort, joy, and a touch of magic to our homes. In this blog, we will explore why holiday movies hold a special place in our hearts and recommend some must-watch classics and contemporary favorites.  What is it about holiday movies that makes them so beloved? Perhaps it's the nostalgia they evoke, taking us back to the excitement of childhood festivities. Or maybe it's the timeless themes of love, family, and hope that resonate deeply with us during this season of giving. Whatever the reason, holiday movies provide a delightful escape from the hustle and bustle of reality, bolstering our spirits and reminding us of the joy and warmth that the holidays represent. Courtesy of Movie

 "Once Upon a Time in Hollywood" is a film directed by Quentin Tarantino and was released in 2019. It's a comedy-drama that blends historical events with fictional elements. The film features an ensemble cast and is set in 1969 Los Angeles, against the backdrop of the Manson Family murders and the changing landscape of Hollywood. The 1960s were a rather tumultuous time for America. The Civil Rights Movement, which aimed to end racial segregation and discrimination, had already made substantial progress by 1969. Important legislation like the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and the Voting Rights Act of 1965 had been enacted, but challenges and struggles for equal rights persisted. The Vietnam War was a major focal point of national attention. Opposition to the war grew significantly, leading to protests and demonstrations across the country. The anti-war sentiment reached its peak during this time, with events like the Moratorium to End the War in Vietnam drawing massive crowds.

There's no denying Black Panther could not have been released at a better time, during the turbulence rattling our nation,  as the political wall dividing us continues climbing with the president making more enemies than friends, police forces going too far with their authority, and racial profiling sparking outrage. Racking up  over $687 million, the film ranks just above The Dark Knight on the    inflation-adjusted domestic earners list. Still, when you break it down, it's a simple hero-origin story that has been told billions of times.  We start with where Black Panther came from - t he African nation of Wakanda,  T'Challa (Chadwick Boseman) returns home in the wake of his father -  King T'Chaka's death. (It wouldn't be a superhero flick if he didn't die, right?) Predictably, T' Challa takes up his rightful role as king.But of course, T'Challa must pass a series of grueling ceremonial tests to prove his strength and ability to lead when he is

From the brilliant mind of Lincoln Child comes a suspenseful reinvention of The Wolfman as enigmalogist Jeremy Logan finds a remote community within the fictionalized Adirondack Mountains in upstate New York, plagued by recent mysterious,  gruesome deaths.  An investigator of the unexplained, Logan, originally there to work on his monograph, has been drafted into the series of apparent killings by a ranger and old friend,  Randall Jessup, a former Yale classmate who's now a senior officer in New York's Division of Forest Protection.  The bodies have all been turning up in the forest in virtually the same state — shredded, torn limb from limb—and Jessup asks Logan to investigate, knowing that he studies "phenomena beyond the bounds of regular science." The attack may not be the first. Because it happened during a full moon, speculation floats around and Logan catches rumors among the townsfolk about  a family living in isolation called The Blakeneys. Reluctantl

Katherine Graham, the first female publisher of The Washington Post, and Editor Ben Bradlee race against The New York Times to publish a massive cover-up by the US government that spans decades of false reports published in the Pentagon Paper. Together, overcoming differences, Graham and Bradley put their careers - and The Post's reputation - on the line. " Punchy and quick-pulsed, it's a fine example of that now-rare species, the big-city newspaper melodrama,” wrote   Hollywood Reporter's  Todd McCarthy. It's rare for a reason. The film is flushed against the conspiracy of President Lyndon B. Johnson and his administration and the documents that reveal US meddling in the Vietnamese presidential election (sort of like our 2016 election), and the subsequent cover-up by Johnson and Nixon. Daniel Ellsberg, a contributor to the report, had been an analyst on the ground during Vietnam, working for the State Department. Not sure what to do, he sat on the doc

Barry Seal is an American pilot about to make the flight(s) of his life: running drugs for the CIA as the agency investigates clandestine organizations that would be exposed in the Iran-Contra Affair. Captured by actor Tom Cruise, Seal's catch-me-if-you-can spirit drives the film the way Jeff Gordon drives a race car, revealing the true-life events at lighting speed, manic at times, while effectively telling Seal's story in an interview that kicks off this riveting drama inspired by true events. The flop-sweat Seal had been a TWA pilot who enjoyed a lucrative sidehustle smuggling the contraband of Cuban cigars along his commercial flights when he's busted by CIA Agent Schafer (Domhnall Gleeson) who offers him the alternative to prison. For Tom Cruise, this tongue-in-cheek film isn't new as, in many of his roles have been tailored to a certain level of witty humor, but it is rare for director Doug Liman, whose forte is action-packed thrillers such as The Bourne I

If movies were on tracks, this one would be a colossal train wreck. I had heard of Boondock Saints from a friend. I knew it was about two  fraternal twins roaming the streets of Boston to rid the town of criminals while getting heat from a corrupt fed , a "Prince of Thieves" story line. But, what I got was criminal in and of itself. The two main characters, Conner and Murphy MacManus (Sean Patrick Flannery and Norman Reedus, respectively), become vigilantes after killing two Russian mobsters in (almost comic) self-defense, at a pub, ironically the day after attending mass, as the mobsters announce they intend to take over the land on which the pub stood. Because of this cliche, at first, I thought it was a dark comedy as the brothers bumble around and end up killing the Russians in self-defense. FBI agent Paul Smecker (Willem Defoe) is assigned to the case as the media hails the brothers as neighborhood heroes in stereotypical fashion. But the modest duo turn themselves

He's a mean one, the Grinch. He's as cuddly as a cactus. He' s as charming as an eel - and he's about to steal Christmas. Just north of Whoville lives the Grinch inside a cave in Mount Crumpit. In the classic children's book,  Dr. Suess paints the Grinch as an immoral , vindictive creature who hates Christmas for no apparent reason - which, in my opinion, is a lack of character development. However, in the beloved film, directed by Ron Howard, he is interesting and has reservations about Christmas that have been deeply rooted from his ill-fated childhood. We discover this when Cindy Lou Who conducts an investigation into the Grinch's past, exposing the truth about the so-called "nice" Who's - even Mayor Augustus Maywho, who had bullied Little Grinch simply because he was different. While Cindy Lou is on the verge of exposing the Who's who drove the Grinch away from Whoville , the echoes of holiday cheer reach Mount Crumpit as the town p

2017 film When a murder has been committed on the Orient Express, the famed detective Hercule Poirot is enlisted to lead the investigation. The victim is Samuel Edward Rachette, stabbed twelve times, described by Poirot as a savage.  I know, it's a cliché. But, what else can you expect from a Kenneth Branagh film based on an Agatha Christie novel? Oh, where to start? Let me begin by saying that this film is a remake of a 1974 version of a 1934 film, which is quite confounding in and of itself.  The 1974 film was well-received at the 47th Oscars , having been nominated at the 47 th Academy Awards for  Best Actor  (Finney),  Best Supporting Actress  (Bergman),  Best Adapted Screenplay ,  Best Original Score ,  Best Cinematography , and  Best Costume Design . Of these nominations, Ingrid Bergman was the only one who came out with an award.  1974 cast There has been much debate over which of the two is better. New York Times Reviewer Glenn Kenny asserts, "Mr. Finney&

The Guardians Skylord and the band of humanoid misfits in this pulp-fiction sci-fi adventure from Marvel Studios as they are drafted by a powerful alien hierarchy called the Sovereign to guard precious batteries from invaders. When Rocket is caught stealing the sets, the Sovereign dispatch an armada after the Guardians as an act of vengeance. In escaping the all-powerful regime, Peter finds his father. Naturally, Peter is conflicted with emotions about his estranged father - elated to find him, betrayed that his father had left him and his mother in the first place, hesitant toward this stranger. Now, the first film was clean, crisp and  lively with smart quips from Rocket and Drax. "I t’s the same combination of cartoony action and intergalactic screwball with some ambient production design recalling the photorealist sci-fi imagery of Roger Dean or Chris Foss in a bygone age, creating a visual sense of earnestness to offset the archly retro pop culture gags," writes

A group of intergalactic criminals are forced to work together to stop a radical warrior from seizing control of the universe. Sound familiar? Like the Lucas-Spielberg space-odyssey-based collaboration that is Star Wars and the adventures of Captain James Kirk of Star fleet in Star Trek, Stan Lee's comic book-based sci-fi adventure is the little nerdy boy who wants to be in the cool group. The Hans-Solo wannabe Chris Pratt as the easy-going space-cowboy Peter Quill, who finds himself in a quarry of bounty hunters after stealing an orb coveted by the evil Ronan (I had flashbacks of Indiana Jones watching this part of the story unfold). Evading R onan, Quill is forced into an uneasy truce with four disparate misfits: gun-toting Rocket Raccoon, treelike-humanoid Groot,  an  enigmatic Gamora, and a vengeance-driven Drax the Destroyer.   But, of course, as Quill inevitably finds out, the orb is not just a valuable artifact . Rather , it's a cosmic threat to the universe with p

Okay, they've got to stop with spelling out the titles of the episodes . We get it, JJ speaks through an augmentative communicator. This joke was cute the first go-around, not so much the second. In this episode , JJ (Micah Fowler) gets a new aide, but his overbearing mother isn't too keen on the new sidekick. Of course, the personal assistant makes some mistakes, including getting into the van and driving away without JJ (the funniest scene in the episode). Maya's fears about allowing Kenneth to be J.J.'s full-time aide is confirmed when J.J. chooses to skip out on a physical therapy appointment to watch cheerleaders in practice as they pander to him; Jimmy shows Dylan how to be un-neighborly. Irritatingly predictable, Maya finds out about J.J.'s extracurricular activities and scolds Kenneth for allowing this to happen. Predictably, the mother and son have a fight about who Kenneth should obey - a very quiet one , at that. I have to admit, I sympathized with J

There are more than 1 billion individuals  in the world have some form of disability,, making up about 15% of the world's population. Between 110-190 million people have very significant difficulties in functioning. People with disabilities are more likely to be unemployed than non-disabled people  (according to The World Bank ). apparently, this finally hit some LA producer, jarring him or her to make a TV series. Great! At last some recognition. Or , at least the idea was great.         Don't get me wrong. Micah Fowler has potential as the supposed main charecter but appeareduce to be outshined by the overbearing Minnie Driver , who plays the role of Maya DiMeo - the caring mother who constantly interjects into her children's lives. Here, the producers were spot-on. But, then again, so were the producers of Modern Family. Now for the elephant in the room - the van! Maya pedals around in a mother of a van, handicap accessible for JJ. Of course, the pilot