Set years after the first film, Andy Sachs returns to Runway as the and once again works with Miranda Priestley. The film stars Meryl Streep, Anne Hathaway, Emily Blunt, Stanley Tucci, Justin Theroux, Simone Ashley, Kenneth Branagh, Tracie Thoms, Patrick Bramall, B.J. Novak, and Lucy Liu.

I thought The Devil Wears Prada 2 was good. The cast does a good job. Stepping into that world again was fun. I really enjoyed the first film especially seeing Meryl Streep as Miranda Priestly. She was like the Cruella DeVil of the fashion world. It has been twenty years since the first film was released. It has been a little while since I watched the first movie. I was hoping to watch it before seeing this one but that wound up not happening. The Devil Wears Prada 2 is good, but I wouldn’t say it was better than the first movie. It’s fun but it felt a little less fun than the first one. 

The cast does a good job. It did feel at times that Miranda Priestly was a little watered down. Meryl Streep as always is amazing. There were moments that felt like Miranda was a little less Miranda. I wonder if things would have been a little different if it had not taken so long to make a second movie. The movie also did not feel as sharp as the first movie. This one seemed to lack a little bit of bite the way its predecessor had. 

The movie also did not feel as funny as the first one either. I thought some moments were funny but not as many this time around. Sequels can be hit and miss especially when the predecessors are iconic. This sequel is better than other sequels and it is just as good as the first movie. It does not exceed the first movie. 

The Devil Wears Prada 2 is a fun sequel to an iconic movie of the mid 2000s with strong performances from the cast. The gap between films may not have helped with some of the shortcomings. It may have hit a little different had this film come a lot earlier after the first film. 

This film chronicles the rise of the King of Pop, Michael Jackson from his early years part of the Jackson 5 to his momentous solo career. The film stars Jaafar Jackson, Nia Long, Colman Domingo, Juliano Valdi, Larenz Tate, KeiLyn Durrel Jones, Kendrick Sampson, and Miles Teller. 

I enjoyed Michael. I thought it was fantastic. I saw it in IMAX and that is truly the best way to watch it. It felt like being at a concert. IMAX definitely enhanced the movie going experience. Jaafar Jackson does a great job as Michael Jackson. It was very believable. The rest of the cast does a great job as well. Juliano Valdi who plays the younger Michael Jackson also stood out as well. Both Michaels were believable. Nia Long and Colman Domingo were great as Michael’s parents. Colman Domingo had more screen time than Nia Long and he really was believable as Michael’s father, Joseph Jackson. Biopics are tricky. There are many components to nail a biopic. Casting is a big part of it. I was very impressed with how the whole cast in each role. There were no small parts. Every role was near perfection casting wise. 

Biopics for me can be hit or miss. I do find the genre fascinating, but it really depends on the subject matter. I am a fan of Michael Jackson, but I am not a diehard fan the way others are. I know a fair amount of his music and his story and was excited to see this version. One thing that I really enjoyed was the musical component of the film. It touches on different highlights throughout his career from the Jackson 5 to his solo career. It covers up to the 80s. In terms of how accurate the movie is to real life, I honestly don’t know what was fact and fiction. With biopics in general, I am not always looking for a one hundred percent factual movie. I know things take creative liberties. The initial impression I had while watching the movie was that it was fairly accurate. The movie also focuses more on the music side of things than the other things. It does focus on the tension with Michael and his father. A lot of the other stuff is kind of glossed over. In a way the movie plays like a greatest hits album touching on key points as opposed to going in depth on other things. Either way I was immersed in the film the entire time and that is very rare for me nowadays. It is even more so for a biopic. 

There has been some controversy over things the film left out. Given the timeline the movie is set in, it makes sense why some topics were not included. The movie goes up to the end of the 80s during his album Bad. Certain things did not happen until after that period. Also, the Jackson family was involved with this film, and it has already been reported that the film went through reshoots. I think fans of Michael Jackson and fans of music can enjoy the film for what it is and not get too bogged down by what topics it does or does not cover. If anything, the movie is a celebration of Michael Jackson’s music career. 

Michael is a fantastic music biopic and is very enjoyable. IMAX helped enhanced the experience pulling the audience in for the ride. There is the possibility of a sequel given where the film leads off. Whether that happens or not, this film is great on its own. 

After losing a job, a house sitter meets a guy at a hotel bar who owns a villa in Tuscany, Italy where she flies to stay for a few days. The film stars Halle Bailey, Rege-Jean Page, Lorenzo de Moor, Isabella Ferrari, Paolo Sassanelli, Stella Pecollo, Tommaso Cassissa, and Stefania Casini. 

I thought You, Me, & Tuscany was enjoyable. It is a fun romantic comedy. Halle Bailey and Rege-Jean Page do a great job and have great chemistry. The movie is not the most original but plot wise but it is fun. A lot of the strengths of the movie come from the chemistry of the leads as well as the supporting characters. The characters are enjoyable to watch. It has a nice setting as well. 

There are not many romantic comedies these days especially ones that get theatrical releases. Seeing this movie was a nice change of pace. I wish there would be more romantic comedies in theaters. I feel there is a market for them and the right ones can be successful. 

The movie is not very long. It clocks in a little over an hour and forty minutes. It moves at a fast pace. It does not drag too much. It is a lot of fun watching everything play out on screen even if the movie is fairly predictable. It follows the romantic comedy playbook for the most part with some minor changes. 

You, Me, & Tuscany is a fun, enjoyable, and solid romantic comedy with two strong leads. It is upbeat and light and is nice addition to the genre. 

Based on the bestselling book, science teacher Ryland Grace goes on a mission to space to help save the planet. The film stars Ryan Gosling, Sandra Huller, James Ortiz, Lionel Boyce, Priya Kansara, Malachi Kirby, Milana Vayntrub, and Ken Leung. 

I thought Project Hail Mary was a good movie. It was enjoyable. I read the book prior to watching the movie. In fact, I had finished the book earlier the same day of seeing the movie. The movie is fairly faithful to the book. It nails the main parts. The book is 476 pages long so obviously not everything made it in the film. The movie really focuses on the relationship between Ryland Grace and the Eridian alien Rocky. Ryan Gosling really carries the film. This is a good role for him.

One thing that was nice about the movie was the fact that it was fairly uplifting. The basic premise is Earth has about thirty years left before the sun starts dying out and the world plummets into chaos. Despite a dire setup the movie does not go down a doom and gloom path. The book was the same way in terms of tone. 

It was enjoyable to watch Ryland Grace and Rocky’s relationship. It captured many different emotions throughout the movie. Some moments were funny while others were dramatic and emotional. 

For a movie that is predominantly a two man show which would be Ryan Gosling and the alien Rocky, it is quite enjoyable. The movie clocks in over two and half hours. With thirty minutes of ads and previews the movie clocks in over three hours. The movie moves at a fast pace. That is saying a lot given most of the movie is on two characters. There are flashback scenes like in the books to Ryland Grace’s life before he wound up in space. 

Project Hail Mary is an enjoyable movie that is fun, funny, emotional, and intelligent. Ryan Gosling shines as does Rocky. It is a great addition to the sci-fi genre. 

Picking up where the first movie left off, Grace deals with the aftermath of the events that took place on her wedding night. The film stars Samara Weaving, Kathryn Newton, Sarah Michelle Gellar, Shawn Hatosy, Dan Beirne, Olivia Cheng, Antony Hall, Nestor Carbonell, Maia Jae, Nadeem Umar-Khitab, Varun Saranga, Jua Pablo Romero, Masa Lizdek, Kara Wooten, Elijah Wood, and David Cronberg.

I thought Ready or Not 2: Here I Come was good. It was not as good as the first film. I felt the first film was almost like magic. It was very original and I really enjoyed the movie. Ready or Not 2 felt more of the same. There is nothing wrong with that. It did not have the same impact as the first film did. Sequels can be tricky especially in the horror genre. This sequel is solid, but it falls slightly short of the first movie. The cast does a good job. I found the characters from the first movie a little more interesting. Samara Weaving does a fine job as Grace. Kathryn Newton as Grace’s sister Faith, is a good addition. Sarah Michelle Gellar and Shawn Hatosy stood out as the twins Ursula and Titus Danforth. The rest of the cast was good. It did not have the same impact as the first film. Elijah Wood also does a solid job as the Lawyer. 

This movie is just as bloody as the first film. It is still a fun movie. For me it just was not as fun as the first film. It did feel a bit more of the same. There was not much new added to this one compared to the first one. There were some cool twists, but it did not hit the same way as the first film. 

Ready or Not 2: Here I Come is solid movie and sequel that is more of the same. Nothing feels as original as the first film did. It has a solid cast and does further the story a bit. 

Mario, Luigi, and the rest of the gang go off on a mission to space. The movie stars Chris Pratt, Charlie, Day, Anya Taylor-Joy, Keegan Michael Key, Jack Black, Donald Glover, Benny Safdie, Glen Powell, and Brie Larson. 

I enjoyed The Super Mario Galaxy Movie. I thought it was a fun awesome movie. I enjoyed The Super Mario Bros Movie and I was excited for the new one. This movie does not disappoint. The cast does a great job and it’s another fun epic adventure. A standout for me was Yoshi. I was always a big Yoshi fan and was really looking forward to seeing Yoshi in this movie especially after he was teased in the prior film’s end credit scene. I felt Yoshi stole the movie. It was also really great to see Bowser Jr. and Fox McCloud from the Star Fox games. Rosalina was awesome as well. 

One thing I really like about the Mario movies are the colors. The colors are nice and bright, and it really is something that stands out to me. I think this world that Nintendo is building works well as animated films. I feel they are a bit easier to translate to make them fairly accurate to the game designs. 

In terms of Fox McCloud, I will say Fox is more than just a cameo. It was announced shortly before the release that Fox would be in the movie. The size of his role was not disclosed with many thinking that it would just be a cameo. I am excited to see if this will set the stage for a potential Star Fox movie which I always thought would be a cool one to make. 

Another thing that I found that was really great in the movie was the dynamics between the characters. Mario and Luigi’s sibling dynamic still holds strong, and it was fun watching Yoshi added to the mix. Peach and Toad have a great bond which was nice to see. The father son dynamic between Bowser and Bowser Jr. was also nice to see and it was also funny and heart warming at times as well. 

As was the case with the first movie, this movie has two credit scenes. There is a mid and an end credit scene. 

The Super Mario Galaxy Movie is a fun space adventure that expands the Nintendo universe while also expanding the Mario world and its characters. I am really looking forward to what will happen next for both the Mario franchise as well as the Nintendo universe. 

Ready or Not was released in 2019. It is about a woman who learns on her wedding night a dark family secret her husband has been keeping from her. The movie stars Samara Weaving, Mark O’Brien, Adam Brody, Melanie Scrofano, Kristian Braun, Elyse Levesque, Nicky Guadagni, Andie MacDowell, and Henry Czerny. 

I have wanted to see Ready or Not for a while. I finally got around to watching it especially with the sequel currently out in the theaters. I enjoyed Ready or Not a lot. I thought it was a fun movie. It has a brisk pace and is action packed. The action kicks off fairly early on and it grabs hold for the duration of the movie. The movie had my attention the whole time. The cast did a great job. Everyone played their parts well. Samara Weaving really shined as Grace. She was a character the audience could root for. I was rooting for her all the way through. 

The movie is a nice length. It clocks in a little over an hour and a half. It is fast paced and is darkly funny. At times it is over the top and the film seems to embrace its absurdity which makes it even more enjoyable. The movie does not disappoint in the gore factor. It is fairly bloody. The plot is simple. It does not get overly complicated and its simplicity works. I found Ready or Not very engaging and I was invested the entire time. 

Ready or Not is a fun over the top horror satire with a strong leading character. Samara Weaving truly shines as Grace. It is bloody and absolutely a thrilling ride. I am looking forward to seeing Ready or Not 2: Here I Come and to see how they expand on the premise of this movie. 

Jennifer’s Body was released in the fall of 2009. The movie is about a teenager Jennfier who gets possessed by a demon and starts eating boys and it’s up to her best friend to stop her. The film stars Megan Fox, Amanda Seyfried, Johnny Simmons, J.K. Simmons, Adam Brody, Amy Sedaris, and Cynthia Stevenson. 

I thought Jennifer’s Body was fun. I always had an interest in seeing it. I just never got around to it until now. I was a freshman in college when the movie initially came out. The cast does a good job. I think the role was tailored to Megan Fox’s strengths. It was cool to see a different side to Amanda Seyfried. I have seen Amanda Seyfried in different things over the years including Dear John, Mean Girls, Mamma Mia, and others. It was cool to see something different from her in this one. Also, this was a bit of change for me to see Adam Brody in his role. I am also used to him playing the nerdy guy a lot of times. Even his roles in Scream 4 and Mr. and Mrs. Smith played more to his role as Seth Cohen in The O.C. 

This movie is pretty over the top and I think that made it fun. Both characters could get a little annoying at times. I feel like that was part of the point of playing a little bit into the stereotypes of the popular girl and the nerdyish girl. The humor in the film could be quite dark at times. Even now it still feels a bit dark. 

I liked the music a lot. I felt it fit the vibe of the movie. It was also cool to see Adam Brody’s character be the lead singer of a rock band. It reminded me of his role on Gilmore Girls where he was the lead singer of a band as well. 

The movie had some cool twists. One thing that I was not expecting was that the movie is from Amanda Seyfried’s point of view. Also, the evolution of her character was cool. 

There have been rumors for years about a potential sequel. Even more recently it has been said that there plans to move forward with one. I am curious how one would be done. The way the movie ends, does lend itself to a sequel depending on what route it ends up taking. 

Jennifer’s Body is a fun horror satire that can get quite bloody. It has a good cast and a cool soundtrack. It will be interesting to see if Jennifer’s Body 2 winds up happening.  

The Suicide Squad was released in 2021. It sees Colonel Rick Flag lead Task Force X, a team of villains on a top-secret mission to Corto Maltese. The film stars Joel Kinnamen, Margot Robbie, Idris Elba, John Cena, Daniela Melchior, David Dastmalchian, Sylvester Stallone, Steve Agee, Sean Gunn, Jai Courtney, Michael Rooker, Nathan Fillion, Flula Borg, Mayling Ng, Pete Davidson, Jennifer Holland, Storm Reid, Alice Braga, Peter Capaldi, Taika Waititi, and Viola Davis. 

I enjoyed The Suicide Squad a lot. I thought it was really good. The Suicide Squad did not do well in theaters. However, it was released during the pandemic. 2021 was a rough year for movies at that time. The other thing that probably hurt its box office success was the fact it was released in theaters on HBO MAX simultaneously. Warner Brothers released all their theatrical films that way and most of those movies did not do well box office wise. The only two movies to make at least a hundred million domestically were Godzilla vs Kong and Dune. The Suicide Squad did well on streaming. If things were different or it came out at another time, the film probably would have been a hit. It might have even beat the original Suicide Squad that was released in 2016. Despite the negative reception, that movie managed to make over three hundred million domestically alone. The Suicide Squad is a very loose sequel as well as a reboot. There are not any references to David Ayer’s Suicide Squad. The only real link is several of the characters. Margot Robbie, Joel Kinnamen, Viola Davis, and Jai Courtney are the only ones to reprise their roles. The film does not reference any of the events in the prior movie. 

I did not dislike David Ayer’s Suicide Squad but after learning the released film was not the intended cut that David Ayer wanted, it does make it a little harder to really like the movie knowing there was studio interference. The Suicide Squad is a huge improvement, and James Gunn does a fantastic job with the movie. The movie is a lot of fun. It is over the top and has a great cast. 

Spoilers 

There is a lot of death in the movie, and no one is truly safe including major characters. The deaths are over the top which is fitting given the fact anyone on the team has explosives in their head and can be killed off at any given moment should they step out of line. 

The soundtrack is solid. The music really fits the movie well. It is not a random collection of songs as if someone is changing the station five hundred times. I do own the original soundtrack from the prior release. Not all the songs really fit the movie itself well. The music James Gunn picked fits the scenes and this movie quite nicely. 

Even with all of the over the top moments and craziness that ensues, the movie has heart and there are some emotional movements. James Gunn has always done a good job with that balance. Look at what he has done with Marvel’s Guardians of the Galaxy trilogy. 

The movie has two credit scenes. A mid-credit scene and a post credit scene. Both scenes reveal the fates of two different characters. 

This was one of the final movies in the now defunct DCEU. Some of these characters have carried over to the DCU that James Gunn co runs alongside Peter Safran. John Cena’s Peacemaker has appeared in Superman and his own show Peacemaker. Season 2 is part of the DCU. Season 1 was part of the DECEU. Sean Gun’s Weasel is a major character on the animated series Creature Commandos. Viola Davis’s Amanda Waller also has been in Creature Commandos. She is expected to star in her own show Waller at some point down the line. Some others have appeared as well. It is not known if other characters from this movie would get recast or keep the same actors. Harley Quinn is a mystery in terms of getting recast or if Margot Robbie will get to keep the role. 

The Suicide Squad is a fun, heartfelt, bloody movie and probably one of the best movies in the DECEU. It has a stellar cast, great music, and is very colorful. It is a true blast. I am curious to see if there will ever be a Suicide Squad movie in the DCU. 

Set in the 1930s The Bride! Is a new take on the classic Bride of Frankenstein. The film stars Jessie Buckley, Christian Bale, Penelope Cruz, Peter Sarssgaard, Jake Gyllenhaal, Annette Bening, John Magaro, Matthew Maher, Jeannie Berlin, and Zlatko Buric. 

I thought The Bride! was an interesting take. The movie is directed by Maggie Gyllenhaal and she had a unique approach to it. There were parts that felt weird and the film does come across as very artsy. That is not necessarily a bad thing. Everyone has different tastes. There were some bold ideas in it and some interesting choices. The cast does a good job. Jessie Buckley as The Bride is a stand out. She is captivating in the role. Christian Bale does a stellar job as Frankenstein. The roles are a bit different in this. The Bride is at a times a bit of a loose cannon whereas Frankenstein is a bit more sensitive. Frankenstein can also at times be a loose cannon, but the film does lean more into Frankenstein being the stable one in the relationship. The rest of the cast does a solid job. Penelope Cruz also stands out as Myrna Malloy who is following the crimes that the Bride and Frankenstein are committing. I actually was not aware Penelope Cruz was in the movie until the credits. 

The film incorporates many different things. I found it interesting, but it could also be jarring to other people. Some of the choices made in the movie could be a little off. As seen in the trailers, there is a dance sequence. It makes sense in the context of the film, but it can also be seen as unnecessary or off putting to others. 

The movie is a period piece since it is set in the 1930s. With that being said, the movie does feel very modern. The movie is not as violent as it has been made out to be. It is violent but compared to other movies and some television shows, this is not as violent. There is blood and some graphic scenes but it’s not as much as one might think. 

The movie has a mid-credit scene which in this day and age is not as surprising. It seems many films have mid or post credit scenes regardless of if they are part of franchises or not. 

The Bride! is a solid movie. I found it interesting and fascinating, but it is also difficult to say if I really enjoyed the movie. I can appreciate the artistic choices of what the film was trying to do. Jessie Buckley was captivating the whole time she was on screen. I am curious what the future holds for her. As always Christian Bale does a solid job as Frankenstein. He puts a different spin on a classic character.