Second Act came out in 2018 and stars Jennifer Lopez. It’s about a woman in her forties who quits her job and reinvents her life.

I enjoyed Second Act. I am a big fan of Jennifer Lopez and she does a good job in the movie. Second Act has a good supporting cast as well which includes Vanessa Hudgens, Treat Williams, Leah Remini, Annaleigh Ashford, Freddie Stroma, and Milo Ventimiglia. It has a relatable plot and I was invested in the characters. Second Act heavily relies on Jennifer Lopez. I was invested in her character Maya the whole time and that is a testament to Jennifer Lopez’s performance. She made Maya a character to route for. Some of the plot points were predictable but that did not bother me. A lot of these types of movies have similar story beats. A big component of the plot is that her godson invents a new resume for her which helps her get the interview at a big company. For a duration of the movie she has to pretend to be the woman on the resume. As usual, the truth comes out eventually.

One thing I really liked about the movie was halfway through, there was a big reveal that changed the course of the movie. I did not see it coming and I was completely surprised. Once that happened, I got more invested in the story.

Second Act is a good movie with a solid cast and a relatable story. It also a has nice bombshell that changes the course of the film which helped make the film a little less predictable. That is always a plus in my book.

The Prince and Me opened in 2004 and is about college student Paige who is focused on her studies and Eddie who is a prince from Denmark. He goes to the US to experience a normal life and does not tell anyone that he is a prince.  Paige and Eddie do not hit it off right away but as time goes on romance blooms. The film stars Julia Stiles, Luke Mably, Miranda Richardson, Ben Miller, and James Fox.

I thought The Prince and Me was a good movie. Julia Stiles and Luke Mably have good chemistry. The plot was predictable but there was one thing that caught me off guard.

Spoiler Alert

The film makes a change halfway through the movie. After Paige and Eddie get together, eventually Paige learns that Eddie is really a prince and had been lying to her the whole time. Afterward, she refuses to talk to Eddie, and he goes back to Denmark to fulfill his royal duties. Eventually, Paige realizes she wants Eddie and goes to Denmark to be with him. I thought the movie was going to end at the part where Paige and Eddie reunite and they share a passionate kiss. It seemed like the perfect ending. I was surprised that the movie kept going. This isn’t a bad thing. It seemed like so much had happened and gone through the usual beats in these types of movies that I thought that their reunion was the ending. The rest of the film devotes itself to Paige adjusting to royal life.

The Prince and Me is a nice fairytale with two likeable leads. It may not be the greatest fairytale, but it gets the job done.

Vantage Point is about an assassination attempt on the president and told through multiple perspectives of the event. It was released in 2008 and has an all star cast consisting of Dennis Quaid, Forest Whitaker, Matthew Fox, Bruce McGill, Edgar Ramirez, Said Taghmaoui, Ayelet Zurer, Zoe Saldana, Sigourney Weaver, and William Hurt.

I thought Vantage Point was a well done thriller. I was invested in the plot and it was fast paced. The movie clocks in at about 90 minutes. I also thought it was unique to see the same event from the different character perspectives. Everything came together in the end. I also was genuinely surprised by some of the twists and turns the movie took which is an added bonus. The cast does a solid job. William Hurt makes a good president.

Minor Spoilers

It would have been nice if there was an explanation about why the president was targeted. I won’t spoil specifics but even once it was revealed who was behind the attack, there were not answers to why. If the movie had been a little longer it could have spent a few minutes just to explain the reasoning and the plan. On the other hand, it is quite possible that was the intention. In real life, sometimes we don’t always get answers to why things are done which can leave us unsatisfied. Either way, it is a minor nitpick.

Vantage Point is a solid movie with a great ensemble. It is well done and has plenty of twists and turns.

View from the Top was released in 2003 and bombed. It’s about a woman who wants to get out of the smalltown she lives in so she can become a flight attendant. The film stars Gwyneth Paltrow, Christina Applegate, Kelly Preston, Mark Ruffalo, Candice Bergen, Josh Malina, and Mike Myers.

I remember seeing commercials for View from the Top when it was coming out. I also remember when it bombed. After seeing the movie, I understand why it bombed. I was twelve when the movie was released. It did not interest me at the time. As an adult, I was curious to see the movie. I thought it could be fun. I was also relieved when I learned that the movie was only 87 minutes long. This was before watching the movie. View from the Top is not a horrible movie. It is also not a great movie either. The best way to describe it is that it felt bleh. It also felt a little long even though this is one of the shortest movies I have seen in a while. I did not find the movie funny. There were parts that were charming. I enjoyed Mark Ruffalo and his scenes with Gwyneth Paltrow. I liked the setting of the movie. The cast was fine in their roles. I was a little confused why Rob Lowe was considered a major star in this given he was barely in the movie. On the DVD Rob Lowe is on the cover with several of the other actors. He is credited along with the main cast also. Things like that confuse me. I know Rob Lowe is a big name and at that time was very popular. He really was only in a little bit of the film. For some reason it kind of bothered me for this movie particularly. There are other films where big stars are only briefly in a film but credited as if they had a major role.

I think my main issue with the movie is that I did not feel anything. I did not feel anything for the characters. Gwyneth Paltrow plays Donna who dates Ted played by Mark Ruffalo. I liked Mark Ruffalo and I like Gwyneth Paltrow but I did not feel anything toward them as a couple. Usually in movies, the audience roots for the characters to overcome the obstacles that they face. I did not feel anything when their relationship started to come into question. Donna faced obstacles while pursuing her dream of becoming a flight attendant and I did not feel anything for that either. A key ingredient for movies and television for me is heart. Whatever the project is, it needs to have heart. Heart comes in may different forms. I felt there was no heart. I just did not feel anything remotely.

View from the Top is an alright movie that despite its short runtime still feels a bit long. I also wonder what made the cast want to do the movie and if any of them have regrets.

I finally saw Puss in Boots: The Last Wish. It has been a long wait for the sequel to come out. There was a time when I was wondering if the sequel was still happening or if they were moving on from it like other movies in development.

I loved Puss in Boots: The Last Wish. I enjoyed the movie. It was funny and it had a great story, and I liked the animation style Universal and Dreamworks Animation went with. Sequels can be tough especially animated ones for multiple reasons. One thing that has a tendency to hurt animated sequels is when there are huge gaps between films. Sometimes it works and other times it does not. Pixar has been pretty immune to this rule, for example Toy Story, Incredibles, and Finding Dory. The only ones that have faltered were the Cars sequels which interestingly enough were the films that had the smallest gaps between films other than Toy Story 2 which was the smallest before the gaps were bigger between films. Puss in Boots came out in 2011. It has been eleven years since that movie came out and twelve years since Shrek Foreverafter. Puss in Boots was also the last film in the Shrek Franchise before the new film. There has been a big gap and multiple delays due to many factors including the pandemic. This was worth the wait. The film is doing well also and that was primarily what I was referring to with animated sequels. A lot of them end up making less than their predecessors and over time the audience loses interest. It is too early to tell where Puss in Boots: The Last Wish will wind up compared to the original. If anything I think it has renewed interest in continuing the Shrek franchise. There has been talks again about a Shrek 5. This seems to the be the film to renew interest in that franchise. Shrek was huge for Dreamworks Animation and is still one of the most successful animated franchises.

I really enjoyed this movie a lot. It was funny and I liked that it had a lot of references to the Shrek franchise. I enjoyed the first Puss in Boots but I did not think it was better than the Shrek movies and I mean that generally. Some of the Shrek films were better than others. I thought Puss in Boots was a good movie for the character. Watching the sequel made me realize the first film was missing something and that was the connection to the franchise that Puss in Boots was introduced in. This movie felt like a fairytale the way the Shrek films were, and it felt more connected to Puss in Boots’ origins. I am referring to the fact he was introduced in Shrek 2 and became wildly popular and costarred in the rest of the films in the franchise. His popularity is why he got a spinoff to begin with. This film still stands on its own for the character, but it had enough links to the bigger franchise that it is a part of. In a way, it is similar to how Marvel projects are. Some stand on their own but have enough to show they are all connected and part of the bigger universe. It was nice to see references and that made me realize that the first Puss in Boots movie was missing that. The Last Wish also felt like it was more routed in the fairytale world from the characters to the animation style and especially the jokes and references. Shrek was a big deal when it came out because it took a different approach to the fairytale world and that is what helped make the film successful which in turn lead to a franchise of films.

The cast was stellar. Antonio Banderas is great as Puss in Boots. Even after all this time, he still is the perfect fit for voicing the character. Salma Hayek was great as Kitty Softpaws as she was the last time. The new additions were great as well. John Mulaney voices Jack Horner who is the primary antagonist. He was hilarious as the character, and he did a great job. He was definitely one of the funnier villains in the series. Honestly, he was a really good villain. He definitely is memorable and will be a stand out for the franchise for a long time. Florence Pugh voices Goldilocks. Of course the three bears are there voiced by Olivia Coleman, Ray Winstone, and Samson Kayo. They all were fantastic and funny. Out of all those characters, the big standout is Harvey Guillen who voices Perrito a dog who meets Puss in Boots and he tags along with him and Kitty Softpaws. Perrito is very optimistic and always looks on the bright side. It was refreshing to have a character like that especially since the Shrek franchise can get a little dark at times since the humor was always a bit more mature. I enjoyed every moment Perrito was on screen, and I loved the optimism and positivity he brought to the movie and for the characters. Puss in Boots, Kitty Softpaws, and Perrito had a great dynamic and that really helped make the film so enjoyable.

Puss in Boots: The Last Wish has a ton of jokes. I was laughing throughout the movie and for me that is rare. Even when I enjoy comedies animated or live, I don’t always laugh a lot. This was an exception, and it was a nice exception. One thing I liked about the jokes was this time around it felt like a lot of the jokes were focused on the source material since this is a take on fairytales. There were some good jokes with Goldilocks and the three bears. The basic plot of the film is the characters are after the wishing star. Whoever gets to the wishing star can make a wish. All the characters have their own reasons why they want the wishing star. They need a map to get to the star. The plot alone lends itself to dozens of jokes referencing fairytales and it is truly hilarious. The movie is also heartfelt which added another layer to making it so enjoyable.

Puss in Boots: The Last Wish is a great movie and sequel to a franchise that helped change the game with animated movies and putting a fresh spin on fairytales. The movie is hilarious and heartfelt and has a great message for all ages. The fresh animation gives it a fairytale feel which only enhances the experience of the movie. Without spoiling anything, this movie does set up things for a potential Shrek 5. After seeing this, I am only hoping they will hop on making Shrek 5 sooner than later. I also would not mind if they made a Puss in Boots 3 either.

I thought Whitney Houston: I Wanna Dance With Somebody was a good movie and it was a good biopic. Biopics have a tendency to follow the same formula especially when it is based on someone who is no longer living. This movie felt different in a good way. It covered Whitney Houston’s career. The film opens right before Whitney Houston got discovered by Clive Davis. A big focus of the film is on the music. There are a lot of scenes of Whitney Houston recording songs and performing them and her going on tour.

Naomi Acker does a phenomenal job as Whitney Houston. She really carries the whole movie. She was perfectly cast in the role. Stanly Tucci does a great job as Clive Davis. They both have a good dynamic, and it is interesting to watch them both on screen together. I enjoyed the scenes of Whitney Houston and Clive Davis working together. I enjoyed watching Whitney Houston perform and record in the studio. The movie felt upbeat for the most part which is a little unusual for biopics especially on those who had tragic endings. Eventually the movie does take a turn when it covers the later years of Whitney Houston’s career. The movie ends on a more upbeat note which was an interesting choice. One thing I wondered going into the movie was how it would deal with Whitney Houston’s death. A lot of biopics usually cover the end of the person’s life. The movie goes a different route, and it was a choice I found interesting. I found it refreshing. I have not seen a lot of biopics but from what I know a lot of them follow the same type of formula. Even though the movie had a more upbeat tone, it still covers Whitney Houston and Bobby Brown’s toxic relationship and the drug use.

Whitney Houston: I Wanna Dance With Somebody is a solid movie with a strong cast. It is a good biopic that has a tone that is more upbeat with a main focus on the music and Whitney Houston’s career. The movie covers the highlights and I think that was a good choice to make.

Gravity was a huge hit when it came out in 2013, earning around 274 million domestically and 723 million worldwide. It’s pretty much a two-person movie starring Sandra Bullock and George Clooney. The movie clocks in at 91 minutes and is takes place entirely in space. Gravity was a big deal when it came out. It was an ambitious movie set in space directed by Alfonso Cuaron and starring two Oscar winning actors.

Was Gravity impressive from a technical aspect? I would say to a degree. A movie like Gravity was meant to be experienced on the big screen. The fact I did not see it until now sums out that I did not see it on the big screen. Would it have made a difference for me if I had? Maybe? I did see Top Gun: Maverick in Imax and I did feel that enhanced the experience of the movie which is what the filmmakers wanted. I think it was an impressive feat and a bold choice to make a movie set entirely in space. The film is not very action packed. There is action but not the typical action there is. This is a dramatic movie that is focused on Sandra Bullock’s character Ryan Stone and George Clooney’s character Matt Kowalski. Their lives are at stake, and they have to rely on each other to make it back to Earth alive.

I am glad the movie was an hour and a half. I think it would have gotten a little overbearing if it was any longer. The cinematography was impressive. Sandra Bullock and George Clooney did a great job, and they carried the movie well. Space is also a major character in the film as well and it plays well especially since I believe they did not actually film in space. The movie felt very believable and that is a huge testament to both the stars as well as the director Alfonso Cuaron and the whole production crew.

What did I think of Gravity? I thought the movie accomplished what it set out to do. Everything came together well from those behind the scenes to those in front of the camera.  Did I enjoy the movie? That is a trickier question to answer. I’ll be honest, as impressive as it was from a visual and technical standpoint, I was kind of bored slightly. That is why I said earlier that I was happy it was an hour and a half long. If it went on longer, I think it would have dragged on. It has a basic plot which really was not substantial enough to stretch out to a two-hour movie. I’ll say that I did not dislike Gravity but I did not love it either. The way I think of it is, it is a movie that I saw and that is that. I kind of feel indifferent to it. It is still an accomplishment of what Alfonso Cuaron and the whole production team and Sandra Bullock and George Clooney were able to achieve making Gravity and that is something that can never been taken away from them.

I saw The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants years ago. Once again, this is another movie that took a long time for me to finally get around to seeing. This is a common thing for me. There are tons of movies, shows, books, I have an interest in and it takes forever until I finally get around to them.

I liked The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants 2. I thought it was a good movie. It was the right length. It wasn’t too short, but it wasn’t too long either. I think what makes this successful is the cast. Blake Lively, Amber Tamblyn, Alexis Bledel, and America Ferrera star in as the four main leads. They all reprise their roles from the first movie. There are rumors of a third movie happening at some point which I hope it does happen. More on that later. I also liked the other characters in this one. For a film like this, it relies on the success of the four leads. Sometimes seeing other characters can be annoying when you as the audience want the focus solely on the four friends in this scenario. I liked the storyline for each of the characters. I think the movie had a good plot for each character. One thing I think may have helped make this movie enjoyable was the rating change. The first movie was rated PG whereas this one is PG-13. That was a bold move to make especially when this came out in 2008. I think it makes sense given in the first movie the characters were in high school and here they are in college. They are adults now so making things a little more mature seems natural. At this point in time the actors were all well established. Blake Lively was starring on Gossip Girl which was a racy show for the CW at that time. Alexis Bledel was already best known as Rory Gilmore in Gilmore Girls which had ended a year before this movie came out. Amber Tamblyn starred on the show Joan of Arcadia which lasted two seasons. America Ferrera was starring on Ugly Betty. The cast has great chemistry together, but they also stand well on their own. That can be tricky to do when splitting up the friends. Desperate Housewives had gotten complaints in later seasons when the wives weren’t always together as well as complaints on their individual storylines. It has been years since I saw the first movie, so I don’t remember how they balanced the storylines especially since they all were living in the same town at the time.

I think the movie does a good job balancing between comedy and drama. It has good heartfelt moments and I think it has a great realistic depiction of friendships. They care deeply about each other, but they also fight and disagree with each other. I think one thing that helps with the actors’ chemistry with each other is the fact they all are friends in real life. I don’t know for sure, but I think they became friends when they did the first movie. I know since making these films, they have stated they are still friends.

Another thing that worked for the film was making it a little more mature. The storylines are a bit more grown up. One of the girls has a pregnancy scare while another one learns the truth behind her mother’s passing. If they make a third one, I think they should keep it PG-13. This works for this series. It was also nice to see some other actors I know in this. Jesse Williams plays a love interest for Alexis Bledel. I know Jesse Williams mostly as Jackson Avery on Grey’s Anatomy. This movie was a few years before he joined the show. Kyle MacLachlan plays a Drama Director of a play that America Ferrera is involved with. This was while he was starring on Desperate Housewives. I am confused why he was not credited for the role in this movie. I knew it was him while watching it and got confirmation when I went on IMDB. I thought it was nice to see Lucy Hale in this as well. She is best known for Pretty Little Liars. She plays Alexis Bledel’s sister. This was two years before Pretty Little Liars launched. She had a small role in this, but I thought it was cool to see her in something else. I did find her character a bit annoying which may have been the point since she was the younger sister and younger siblings can be annoying at times.

The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants 2 is highly enjoyable. It has a good cast, and everybody does a good job. The four leads have great chemistry together.  After watching it, I want to rewatch the first one again to refresh my memory on what happened before. I also hope they make a third one which has been talked about since this one came out. Last I heard, all four of them would be willing to return. I think it would be cool to see where the characters are now especially since it has been a while since this one came out. I think they need to keep it similar in tone to this one. The next one could go a little more mature, but I think what was done in this was fine. This does not need to be R rated. I would probably see this again at some point especially if I rewatch the first one. The main key to the success of this movie is Blake Lively, Amber Tamblyn, Alexis Bledel, and America Ferrera. They make a great quartet and that should be the one thing that is not messed with in future installments. If a third one happens and is successful, I would not be surprised if the studio would want to keep it going.

The First Wives Club came out in 1996 and made 105 million in the U.S. It was a popular comedy about three women who decide to get revenge on their exes. The best way for them to do that is to strike their wallets. The film stars Diane Keaton, Bette Midler, and Goldie Hawn. It also features Maggie Smith, Victor Garber, Sarah Jessica Parker, Elizabeth Berkely, Stockard Channing, Stephen Collins, Dan Hedaya, and Marcia Gay Harden. I knew about this movie and heard about it from time to time.

I enjoyed The First Wives Club. I thought it was a fun movie and has a great cast. It was funny too. I have not seen 9 to 5 yet which is similar in the sense of being a revenge comedy. I am aware that film’s plot was about disgruntled employees getting revenge on their boss but its still a revenge comedy. The most recent revenge comedy I have seen is Horrible Bosses and Horrible Bosses 2 which was years ago. I liked the characters a lot. I thought Diane Keaton, Bette Midler, and Goldie Hawn had good chemistry together. It took me a minute to adjust to seeing Bette Midler with dark hair. I am used to seeing her with her natural hair color. Bette Midler always shines and that was the case here. The three of them stand on their own just as much as they do when they are together. That is not always the case with films or television. The rest of the ensemble does a solid job as well. I have seen Victor Garber in many things over the years. It’s always interesting to see him in different roles and when he was younger. I have seen him in You Again, Legally Blonde and from the television shows The Flash and DC’s Legends of Tomorrow where he played Professor Martin Stein who was one half of the hero Firestorm. I did not know much about The First Wives Club ahead of time including who was in the film. I was surprised to learn Stephen Collins was in the movie. His involvement did not ruin the movie for me. Stephen Collins is most known for starring on the TV show 7^th Heaven for the WB and CW. Interestingly this movie came out a few weeks before 7^th Heaven premiered. I also did not know that he did many projects before 7^th Heaven. I figured any prior work was films from time to time and television work. It seemed he was popping up in movies a little more after 7^th Heaven ended before his scandals ruined his career. All of the actors did a good job being the exes who wronged the women.

I noticed some similarities between this and the show Desperate Housewives.

SPOILER ALERT

The film opens with a character who decides to end her life and that is what brings the main characters together. They see each other while attending the funeral. Letters were sent to them by the character who killed herself. On the show Desperate Housewives, one of the wives commits suicide and that is what kicks off the mystery for Season 1 of the show. That character also served as the narrator for the series. The only real difference between The First Wives Club and Desperate Housewives is there was not a high body count. The character who killed herself at the beginning of the movie is the only character who died. Desperate Housewives, by the time it ended its eight season run, had a high body count. There were some twists in the movie which were enjoyable. It was also nice seeing what happened to everyone at the end.

Another thing I thought was interesting was seeing Sarah Jessica Parker who has a small part in the movie. This was a few years after Hocus Pocus which she starred alongside Bette Midler. I always find those small things fascinating.

The First Wives Club is a fun and funny movie that has a great ensemble and three strong leading women. No matter the size of the role, everyone did a good job. I am glad I got to see this movie and I understand why it did so well.

Jason Bourne opened in July 2016 and earned about 162 million domestically and about 415 million worldwide. Matt Damon returns to the franchise after being absent from The Bourne Legacy which starred Jeremy Renner. Julia Stiles who starred in the first three Bourne moves also reprises her role as Nicki Parsons. The film also stars Tommy Lee Jones, Alicia Vikander, Vincent Cassel, Riz Ahmed, and Ato Essandoh.

I thought Jason Bourne was a good movie. I have seen the first three Bourne movies. I have not seen The Bourne Legacy. At some point I will get around to watching it. I do not know if The Bourne Legacy is required viewing, but given no one from that film is in Jason Bourne, I figured it was not necessary. It had impressive action pieces in this one especially in the final act of the film. The fight scenes have always been top notch. One thing that was always unique with the Bourne Franchise is its hand to hand combat fight scenes. A lot of action movies use gadgets or superpowers once superhero movies really took off. This movie came out the same year as Captain America: Civil War, Batman vs. Superman: Dawn of Justice, X-Men: Apocalypse, Star Trek Beyond, and many more. Those of the films that came out before this movie. Doctor Strange and Rogue One: A Star Wars Story came out later that year. It is nice that the movie stuck to what works instead of upgrading it to having a lot of high tech gadgets and gizmos.

The cast does a solid job. Tommy Lee Jones makes a good villain. He plays CIA Director Robert Dewey. A lot of the roles Tommy Lee Jones play have a tendency to be characters who are very serious. His role in Men in Black where he is a good guy was super serious whereas Will Smith was the fun and not so serious guy. As the film progressed by the end, I was really routing for Jason Bourne to get revenge on Director Dewey. Alicia Vikander also did a good job as Heather Lee who works under Director Dewey. There is a lot of mystery with her character. Throughout the movie I was not sure what her deal was. Even the ending left it a little ambiguous on where she stood in the overall picture. Riz Ahmed played Aaron Kalloor who is a tech genius. He made some questionable choices in order to achieve his success. A minor thing, but I would have liked to have seen more of Aaron Kalloor. I am a fan of Riz Ahmed and I thought he did a really good job in the role which made me want to see more scenes with him. As always Matt Damon is perfect for the role of Jason Bourne. Matt Damon has been in tons of movies and other franchises specifically Ocean’s Eleven and its sequels. The fourth go around for Matt Damon and he is just as good as he was while headlining the first three movies. By the time this movie came out it had been about nine years since he last played the character. Even with that gap, you could never tell. Yes, he looked a little older since he was older when he filmed the movie but everything else was just right. I am surprised at this point that Matt Damon has not done more action movies because he is quite good at them. I am also surprised that currently he has not donned a superhero character for Marvel or DC or in general. That could always change. He has dipped himself in the water a little bit having small appearances in Deadpool 2, Thor: Ragnorak and Thor: Love and Thunder.  

At this point it is not known if there will be another Bourne movie. If there is the other question would be if it would be Matt Damon or Jeremy Renner’s character or both. Jason Bourne was successful, but it did make less than The Bourne Supremacy and The Bourne Ultimatum but made more than The Bourne Legacy. I guess never say never. At the end of the day, I would think it would be up to both the director Paul Greengrass and Matt Damon in terms of them doing another one.

Jason Bourne is a solid action movie. At times the movie felt a little slow but once it got moving it had me on the edge of my seat. It was left open ended enough to continue the franchise. If they make another one, I would be interested in seeing where this goes next.