Feb 17 2023

Ant-man and the Wasp: Quantumania

Scott Lang/Ant-Man (Paul Rudd) and his whole family are sucked into the Quantum realm only to discover a new enemy is on the rise– Kang (Jonathan Majors). Thwarted at every turn, getting home will take efforts from friends old and new and require an open mind, proving there’s always room to grow. Written by Jeff Loveness and Jack Kirby and Directed by Peyton Reed, this third installation of the franchise comes up thin on plot, heavy on CGI graphics and a lackluster shine breaking a cardinal rule of Sci-Fi– the creation of an all powerful being, in this instance Kang. The issue being, once a character reaches an all powerful status and cannot be stopped, the story becomes uninteresting and momentum is lost, it’s the ultimate “who cares?” writers pitfall. Furthermore this is troubling in the fact that the next wave of Marvel action appears to be centered around Kang’s rule and conquering of the the Metaverse, and, we’re off to a significantly snoozing start. So, for all of its glitz and glamour, attempts at humor, and bombastic smashing at the quantum level, sadly the Ant-man just can’t carry the weight of this task. Running two hours and five minutes, task this as a rental later, Ant-man and the Wasp: Quantumania is rated PG-13.


Feb 3 2023

Knock at the Cabin

A family vacationing at a remote cabin is taken hostage by a group of strangers armed with medieval weapons and forced to make an impossible decision under the premise that the world is ending. Even then, failing to make a decision could still have apocalyptic results. Are these the end times, or just crazy times? Written by M. Night Shyamalan, Steve Desmond and Michael Sherman, and Directed by Shyamalan this allegorical story based loosely on depictions of the Book of Revelation features an unlikely cast including Jonathan Groff, Rupert Grint, and Dave Bautista; however, it’s Bautista who steals the show as the empathetic and gentle giant carefully guiding and coaching the ensemble, bravo Bautista. Breaking form from his special plot twist schtick, Shyamalan also appears to be reaching into slightly different story telling territory; and yet, in doing so doesn’t build up to the “big reveal” leaving the viewer a little less Shyamalan-wowed at the conclusion of its 100 minute runtime. Bottom line, maybe more of a rental than a theatre watch but still fun for the dark suspense that it is. Knock at the Cabin is rated R.


Jan 13 2023

Plane

Mid-flight over the South Pacific, Captain Brodie Torrance (Gerard Butler) is forced to land his plane on a small war torn island inhabited by criminals. By first light it’s only a matter of time before the residents will see the hostage value in the fourteen passengers and flight crew on board. Now searching for a way to get his passengers off the island safely, the only real help and muscle comes from Louis Gaspare (Mike Colter), a suspected murderer being extradited on the same flight. Against all odds there may be just enough fight left in this flight to see another day. Written by Charles Cumming and J.P. Davis and Directed by Jean-François Richet this action driven January Popcorn chomper leaves little in the way of freshness, but, both Butler and Colter have the charisma to carry this old school “B” quality flick to the finish line. With wince inducing close calls and even larger firepower, this guilty pleasure delivers as advertised in a respectably brief one hour and forty seven minutes. Plane is rated R.