Author: Caillou Pettis

STAR WARS Review – #MayTheFourthBeWithYou.

“A long time ago in a galaxy far, far away….”

George Lucas’ Star Wars (later retitled to A New Hope) is one of the most influential pieces of entertainment ever produced. That really goes without saying though.

Ever since its release in 1977, millions of people all around the world have fallen in love with this film’s amazing characters Luke Skywalker (Mark Hamill), Han Solo (Harrison Ford), Princess Leia Organa (the late Carrie Fisher), Darth Vader (James Earl Jones) and so many more. They are all so interesting and the way that the original trilogy develops them along the way is genius and is unlike anything we have ever seen before.

Usually, when a movie is several decades old, you start to realize that maybe it doesn’t quite hold up as good as you once thought it did. Luckily, that is not the case with Star Wars. Forty-three years later, this is still one of, if not the most influential film of all time. Everything that we see in this movie is still tangible for today and is still just as fun, exciting, and memorable all these years later.

On top of that, Lucas did a fantastic job at setting up a three-movie trilogy that at the time, audiences just didn’t expect. They thought this was a one-off movie. But then three years later, the masterful Irvin Kershner-directed The Empire Strikes Back was released in theatres. Then, of course, in 1983 we saw the final installment of the original trilogy with Return of the Jedi.

Spanning throughout all three of these original movies are white-knuckling action sequences, incredible storylines, and incredibly memorable characters. I quite simply cannot see other actors playing these characters other than the original cast members.

But aside from the awesome lightsaber battles, the eye-popping visual effects, and the amazing space battles, what makes Star Wars so special to me are the characters. I have seen every film in the saga numerous times over, yet I still get just as excited to venture off into a galaxy far, far away with these characters like it is my very first time.

Star Wars is not just a movie to me. It’s not just a movie to a lot of people. It’s a part of who we are. It defines us. It’s an important piece of our lives and it will live on in all of us forever.

Tammy’s Always Dying: The BRWC Review – On the 29th of every month, when the welfare runs out, Catherine MacDonald (Anastasia Phillips) talks her alcoholic mother Tammy (Felicity Huffman) off of the same bridge. Literally. Catherine, a connoisseur of bad decisions, dreams of being successful. At anything. Tammy, her mother, has been so poor for so long all she can do is party about it. When Tammy is diagnosed with terminal cancer Catherine is forced to move in and care for her. Enter Ilana, a glamorous purveyor of talk-show tragedy porn who wants to help Catherine publish her life story. Caught between sacrifice and selling out, Catherine must decide if life without Tammy is really a better life.

Amy Jo Johnston has made quite a name for herself throughout the course of several decades, perhaps best known for portraying the Pink Ranger, Kimberly Hart, in the original television series of the Mighty Morphin’ Power Rangers. However, it was not until 2013 that she started to direct some films as well as star in them. Over the years, she has directed such films as Bend, Lines, The Space Between, and now, Tammy’s Always Dying – a powerfully deep, thought-provoking, and oftentimes emotional film that has a rocky start, but eventually finds its footing.

One of the reasons why this film works as well as it does is because of the script from Joanne Sarazen, who has only penned shorts in the past. It’s frequently hilarious while also not getting too funny so that it distracts you from the overall core of the story. One minute you’ll find yourself laughing and the next you’ll find yourself getting a little bit sad in all the best ways.

However, yes, it does start off relatively dull and slow and stays that way for the first twenty-thirty minutes. It starts rather quirky and for a while, it can become tremendously unclear as to where this story is going to go and what it’s really about at the end of the day. Luckily though, after the first couple of scenes are out of the way, the film picks up greatly and from there, becomes interesting and gripping.

A lot of the movie’s intrigue and heart come from the lead character, Tammy, portrayed by Felicity Huffman in incredible style. This is without a doubt one of her best performances in years, as she is asked to do a lot with this role, and pulls it off completely. She gains your sympathy but she is also a character that feels a little bit mysterious. The more we learn about her, the more interesting the film as a whole becomes.

The dynamic between Tammy and her daughter Catherine was also one of the highlights here. Much like Huffman, Anastasia Phillips delivers a truly terrific performance as a woman who is just trying to do her best to take care of her mother even though it can be stressful, to say the least. The chemistry between these two actresses was great to see.

And so, while this movie does take a little bit of time to find its footing, in the long run, it worked tremendously. It does feel relatively short, too, clocking in just a few minutes short of ninety minutes. But, nevertheless, this is a remarkably impressive feature from Amy Jo Johnson with two truly powerful lead performances and a story that will grab your interest.

Tammy’s Always Dying takes a while to find its footing, but once it gets going, it becomes a funny yet emotionally thought-provoking film with two great lead performances.

The Willoughbys: The BRWC Review – Convinced they’d be better off raising themselves, the Willoughby children hatch a sneaky plan to send their selfish parents on vacation. The siblings then embark on their own high-flying adventure to find the true meaning of family.

We live in a world where we get a ton of deep and thought-provoking movies that force our brains to be in use a lot. This is definitely not a bad thing, though. In fact, my favorite movies of all time are those that are incredibly interesting and require the viewer to analyze everything that they just witnessed such as Hereditary and Midsommar.

But after a while, you may want to just watch a movie that doesn’t require you to do much except for kick back and relax. Sometimes, you just need a movie that is easily digestible and will put a smile on your face while you watch it. Kris Pearn and Cory Evans’ The Willoughbys is exactly that type of movie.

The Willoughbys is a very cute, easy-breezy watch that while incredibly fast-paced and fun to watch, is forgettable in the long run. The biggest issue with the film as a whole is that really not a whole lot happens in this story. Despite the fact that it moves by at a breakneck pace (there’s rarely any boring scenes except for some in the first act), the story is rather dull but it feels so familiar. A large portion of this movie feels remarkably similar to the iconic Addams Family franchise. It’s actually kind of hilarious how similar the two properties are. The families even act rather similar to one another.

There are some really fun ideas at play here. A couple of scenes do try to divert the viewer and it does so fairly well I would say. However, for a film with a running time of ninety-minutes, it should have had some sort of pull. The story here is extremely bland and uninteresting. The main reason why the movie ended up winning me over was the characters and the dynamic between them all, particularly the dynamic between Tim (voice of Will Forte) and their nanny Linda (voice of Maya Rudolph).

Watching them get into a bunch of crazy incidents was a blast, mainly due to how different they are from one another. Tim is a rather hyper, attention-needy kid who can be a bit much to handle. The whole family is, really. Whereas Linda is the exact opposite; a super calm, nice-mannered older woman who is just trying to do her best at being a nanny. The scenes where she has to deal with the children were not only really funny to watch, but also carried a deeply important message, as did the whole film by the end of it.

Another thing that the film has going for it is its animation style. It reminded me a lot of the animation on display in last year’s Klaus in all the best ways. All of it is extremely well detailed and it breathes a great sense of life and vibrancy to the whole world that these characters live in.

So, as a whole, this is a movie that didn’t blow me away by any means. It has a lot of problems, mainly its rather familiar and tired story that doesn’t have anything new to say. But, I would be lying if I told you that I didn’t have a fun time watching the Willoughby family’s mischief. It’s quite funny at times, has brilliant animation and has a touching message about loving your family. All in all, it’s a fun time.

The Willoughbys may not have a great or interesting story, but its excellent animation style mixed with the fun character work save the film from mediocrity.

Tyler Rake (Chris Hemsworth) is a fearless black market mercenary with nothing left to lose when his skills are solicited to rescue the kidnapped son of an imprisoned international crime lord. But in the murky underworld of weapons dealers and drug traffickers, an already deadly mission approaches the impossible, forever altering the lives of Rake and the boy.

The very first scene of Sam Hargrave’s Extraction immediately hooks the viewer. We see a bloodied and battered Chris Hemsworth stumbling around and looking utterly defeated. He looks like if he takes one more hit, he could die. Hargrave throws us into the action instantaneously and perfectly sets up the tone for the rest of the movie to come.

Extraction was a movie that I was truthfully dreading to watch. Nothing about the marketing impressed me. I happened to see a commercial for the film on television about a week or so ago, and I actually found myself scoffing after watching it, thinking that it looked like a painfully generic and over-the-top movie with not a lot of fun to be had. Gratefully though, I was wrong.

The first act of the film is easily the biggest problem with the whole thing. It is full of a ton of set-up scenes and it takes a good thirty minutes to actually get pulled into the story. I found myself getting a tad bit restless in that first act due to there being very little of entertainment value. There was lots of exposition and scenes with Chris Hemsworth sleeping on a cliff for some reason.

But once that second act comes into play, the film as a whole picks up in spades. It almost becomes a completely different movie with non-stop, brilliantly filmed action for the rest of the movie onwards. The stunt team that worked on Extraction need extreme praise for their efforts here.

Throughout the years, I have seen countless action movies, and so saying that the action and stunt choreography here truly blew me away should be saying something. A lot of it actually reminded me of the incredible work that is shown and loved in the John Wick franchise. There are dozens of close-quarters, white-knuckled sequences that had me holding my breath.

These moments are further boosted because we feel a genuine connection to the characters as well. At first, Hemsworth’s Tyler Rake seemed like the stereotypical “action movie god” character that comes across as invincible and one-note. However, as the movie progresses and the more we learn about his past, the more interesting he becomes as a whole.

As for the main villain, he was also a character that I was unsure of how to feel about at first. He actually reminded me a lot of the T-1000 from Terminator 2: Judgment Day for an incredibly long time. It wasn’t until the third act that he actually got some characterization and felt a little bit vulnerable.

But dynamic here between Chris Hemsworth and Rudhraksh Jaiswal was the other big standout next to the action. The two feel so authentic in their roles and by the end of it all, I was emotionally wrapped up in their characters and I felt something for both of them. Is the story a little bit familiar? For sure. However, it is fairly interesting and I felt a true connection to the characters. It has its problems, but those seeking a gripping action film are going to have a blast with this one.

Extraction‘s story may be a little familiar, but its absolutely incredible action and stunt work mixed with the lead performances make this an adventure worth experiencing.

The protector of Earthrealm, Lord Raiden (voice of Dave B. Mitchell), must assemble his realm’s greatest fighters to defend it against the aging Shang Tsung, who is looking for another realm to crush.

Here’s something you may not have known about me and you may not even believe it either – I have been playing the Mortal Kombat video games ever since I was about nine or ten years old. It’s crazy to think about that, I know. Ten year old me spent hours on end brutally ripping apart opponent’s limbs and performing fatalities that no child should ever see at a young age. Why did I play it though? Because I had fun, and plus, I knew that none of those things that happened in the game were really. They never really phased me.

With that being said, I am not the biggest Mortal Kombat fan out there either. I greatly enjoy the games, especially last year’s Mortal Kombat 11, but I’m not an expert on the lore of the series or anything like that. But, as great as the games are, even fans of the franchise themselves agree on one thing – the movies are horrible.

The 1997 John R. Leonetti-directed Annihilation is widely considered to be one of the worst video game films of all-time. So going into this new animated film, Scorpion’s Revenge, I truthfully wasn’t sure what my expectations should be. I recognized that it was an animated movie that would probably work out better than a live-action one for this series, but on the other hand, nearly all of the films that have been based on this property have been utterly terrible.

This is why I am so glad to report that Scorpion’s Revenge is not only a terrific film but is certainly the greatest Mortal Kombat film ever made, animated or not. It’s a tight and condensed story of revenge that has all the limb-ripping bloody goodness that fans of the series have come to expect at this point.

Watching Scorpion set out on his path of vengeance felt very real and grounded. We get to witness his backstory which was tragic to say the least. For the first time ever, I genuinely felt terrible for the character. Here, his motivations were crystal clear and it is easy to root for him along the way.

Although the other characters involved in this story get sidelined, it’s okay, because at the end of the day, this movie is supposed to tell Scorpion’s story, and it did so in an exceptionally fantastic way. Unfortunately, there are some subplots that get introduced relatively early on that just didn’t work for me and they felt quite forced. The movie seems like it wants to set up a potential Mortal Kombat animated movie universe which is a fun idea, but I’m not too sure it should have been set up here.

But a ton of people are going to watch this movie in hopes for some chaotic and gruesome fights, and they are in luck because this film genuinely did not hold back on the violence factor. There were several fights in the film that were intense, fast-paced and downright terrifying to watch at times. Each and every scene involving action felt incredibly visceral despite the fact that we are watching mortal characters battle it out. The style of this movie actually reminded me of anime in all the best ways.

By the time the final act and battle comes into play, the movie becomes remarkably entertaining. The rest of the movie was fun, but the third act is where it truly shines. It’s not a film devoid of issues. As I mentioned earlier, there are some subplots that get brought up that just simply don’t work and they feel like they came completely out of left field, and the humor here is a mixed bag. But, worry not. This is an amazing piece of animation entertainment.

Mortal Kombat Legends: Scorpion’s Revenge is the best film in the series, animation or otherwise. Its fight scenes are brutal and bloody, and its story is remarkably gripping.