"The Flash"

From 6/7/2023 press screening:

Nearly a decade after the flashy small-screen premiere at Comic-Con with Grant Gustin's Barry Allen donning the fastest man alive mantle, and more than half a decade after Ezra Miller made the scene-stealing appearance on the "Justice League" movie, the Flash is making its solo debut on the big screen, despite of the real-life controversies surrounding Miller.  This review is on the movie only.

The opening scenes take off running on a wildly comedic start, in a snazzy new suit and all.  All Barry wants is his usual breakfast-to-go from his usual cafe.  He gets called for superhero duty in Gotham City due to Batman being occupied, requiring him to run at a lightning speed from Central City.  It never gets old seeing the Flash speeding through vibrant city streets and varied natural landscapes of the earth.

If you could imagine a hungry and jittery Barry trying to figure out how to save falling babies from a hospital wing in an imploding skyscraper, you've got an absurdly hysterical sequence amid the catastrophic ordeal.  

Batfleck (Ben Affleck; “Air,” “Gone Girl,” “Argo”) makes an action-packed appearance right off the bat, in a high-speed pursuit of some baddies speeding off with a bomb.  Another superhero cameo makes me feel like reminiscing.  There's so much potential unexplored from the Synderverse (director Zack Snyder's DC Universe) and it's hard not to feel wistful about it.  

Throughout his life, Barry has always been carrying the deep pain of his tragic past, his mother's murder and father in prison convicted of the horrific crime.  Barry has never stopped trying to prove his father's innocence, from getting into criminal forensics and working on the court appeals.  Being able to run faster than the speed of light gives him the opportunity to run back in time and reverse the past.  

As we all know though, changing the past has butterfly effect consequences.  Not only are you altering the specifics of your future, it would also change everything around and nothing would ever be the same.  No matter how much we wish we could change the past, fix things that are broken, we can't, and sometimes we would just have to let go.  Without our past the way it was, scars and all, it wouldn't have made us the way we are today.  

Needless to say, Barry still goes back in time.  He does one seemingly inconsequential act, which prevents his mother's death from happening, and consequently his father from taking the fall,  however, it ends up breaking the universe.  There are emotional family moments that will tug at your heartstrings.  

Akin to “Back to the Future,” Barry encounters his past, younger self and gets into all sorts of troubles.  Another experiment goes wrong, resulting in even more disastrous, and oftentimes humorous results.  From a storytelling perspective, this is inventively told, springing freshness into the storyline, and making the movie an atypical solo superhero journey.  From an acting standpoint, the dual roles are distinctively acted.  

Barry realizes not only might he not be able to get back to the future, but he's also stuck in a world where he's powerless to stop General Zod's (Michael Shannon, "99 Homes") invasion (similar to the one in "Man of Steel").  Barry eventually meets up with a stranger of a Batman (Michael Keaton), the Batman of this universe, and tracks down an imprisoned Kryptonian, Supergirl (Sasha Calle).  In Barry's true fashion, things do not go smoothly, and misadventures ensue.  

If you haven't seen the Flash on CW, it's even cooler to see the scarlet speedster's superpowers.  It's neat to see the new team of superheroes, especially with the introduction of Supergirl.  At the same time, there's also a downer factor in the fights against Zod, especially in a world without Superman.

When casualties mount and another villain makes himself known, Barry must decide whether he'd be willing to make the ultimate, family sacrifice.  With universes colliding and diverging, the movie dials the evocative elements way up by way of surprising cameos flashing through, all the way to the ending.  

Rapidly kinetic action sequences, hilarious hijinks, inventive storytelling and heartwarming nostalgia.  You may not be able to run at the speed of light, but you can run to the nearest theaters and see "The Flash."

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"The Little Mermaid"

Disney is on a roll remaking animated classics of its popular princesses.  “Cinderella,” “ Beauty and the Beast” (Belle), “Maleficent” (Aurora), “Aladdin” (Jasmine), “Mulan,” and now “The Little Mermaid." 

There's only so much the studio could do with the beloved original tales, as a lot of the story elements need to be kept intact, but not all of them are suitable to the modern audience.  Imagine a story about a mermaid princess who's willing to give up her whole identity and voice for human legs, and has to make a stranger of a prince fall in love with her in three days.  Otherwise, she would not only turn back into a mermaid, but she would also be living a life sentence of servitude to a sea witch. 

The live-action version of “The Little Mermaid” directed by Rob Marshall (“Mary Poppins Returns”) is sticking to the core storyline, at the same time, successfully adding modernized backstories, intrinsic motivations, and common ground elements to the main characters, Ariel (Halle Bailey) and Prince Eric (Jonah Hauer-King), and as well as diversity among the merpeople and humans.  There are also little new, meaningful moments shared between Ariel and Eric during their whirlwind time together, which add a freshness factor.

Among all her sisters of the seven seas, Ariel is the adventurous one.  With insatiable curiosity about the human world, she causes all kinds of troubles and unwittingly drenches herself in danger whenever she comes to the surface or collects artifacts from sunken shipwrecks, to the worry of her stern father, King Triton (Javier Bardem; "Skyfall," "Eat Pray Love").  This in turn puts the king's right-hand (crab), Sebastian (Daveed Diggs), and friends, Flounder (Jacob Tremblay) and Scuttle (Awkwafina, “Shang Chi and the Legends of the Ten Rings,” "Raya and the Last Dragon," "Crazy Rich Asians") in comically compromising situations.  

Bailey dives in with a childlike, free-spirited quality.  She has an angelic voice that is also powerful (most notably when belting out “Part of Your World”) and hits all the right notes gracefully.  Even when she has lost her voice, her expressions convey Ariel's sea of emotions, in a star-tuning performance. 

The undersea is vibrantly realized with silky clarity and alacrity.  Numerous oceanic plants and sea creatures bursting with energy, color and cuteness, especially when they gleefully break into songs.  Lustrous long tresses floating fluidly.  Scaled skins subtly simmer and fish tails are attached like second skin.  The way the merpeople move, breathe and talk looks like they truly live underwater.  The trailer doesn't do justice.  

The tentacled villain, Auntie Ursula (Melissa McCarthy), is ready to usurp power and puts an inky twist in her magical spell that Ariel wouldn't remember of having to earn a true love kiss.  And when push comes to shove, she uses the siren song swimmingly.  McCarthy soaks in her evil role with menacing hilarity.  

It's a good thing that Ariel and Eric (adopted here instead of being born into royalty), seem to have bonded instantly over their interests for sea voyage and freedom to explore uncharted waters, yearning to know more about the world beyond their horizons, learning about different cultures and extending relations.

This is not simply a little tale of a mermaid turning into a human and marrying a prince, living happily ever after in a seaside castle.  The ending is a poignant one; it shows what it means to truly listen to someone's voice and set them free to find their own destiny.  It shows the meaning of sacrifice, love, support, co-existence and representation.  “The Little Mermaid” comes to life with both visual and voice, in more ways than one.    

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"Hypnotic"

“What you see isn't real.”

No kidding.  Remember this when you see scenes unfold.  

Police detective Danny Rourke (Ben Affleck; “Air,” “Argo,” “Gone Girl”) remains focused on finding his missing young daughter even after four years, as her body was never found.  After a string of bank robberies, he gets a tip of when the next one is going to take place.

The trail leads to a criminal mastermind, duplicitous Dellrayne (William Fitchner, "Elysium"), who possesses such powerful hypnotic ability that he can alter the reality in people's minds to do his bidding simply by uttering certain words.  They would act contrary to the true reality of the situation because they see their behavior as normal.  

These people feel inexplicably compelled to do whatever it is being asked of them to do and will not stop until it's done.  Imagine strangers creating a diversion, walking into traffic, driving off with a loot, turning into each other.  Even more puzzling to Danny, he comes across a clue during the robbery that looks like a link to his kidnapped daughter.  The way the heist is pulled off and the jump-scare aftermath is tensely executed.  There's one particular incident that is terrifyingly distressing. 

Danny eventually finds out the tip came from a dime-store fortune teller, Diana Cruz (Alice Braga), who clearly is more than meets the psychic eye.  Danny learns that there is a secretive government program that trains people to be able to create “hypnotic construct,” the kind of power that Dellrayne has, albeit not as not strong, as he's a natural leader.  Dellrayne is relentlessly on their trail because Danny, unbeknownst to him, knows key information about a mysterious project.

From here the story gets more twisted.  Just when you think Danny and Diana successfully escape from Dellrayne's grasp, it goes back to square one.  Criticisms about the films seem to be centered around the constant exposition, unimpressive inversion visual effects, derivative elements from more superior sci-fi films, and repeated rug-pulling out under the audience.  

While there's some validity, they do not detract from the pull-wool-over your eyes originality and trickery of a story.  And the mysterious project is not merely a MacGuffin.  Clandestine identities are peeled back, shredded and stripped.  Earlier sequences are craftily played out again and reconstructed, with their reality reshaped, and payoff dolled out.  

If you're generally intrigued with reality versus illusion premises (“Inception,” “Shutter Island,” “Don't Worry Darling”), you'll be in for one head trip of an action-packed thriller.  

“Hypnotic” is a mind-twisting ride from start to finish.

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2023 Summer Blockbusters Preview

Sure, we've got big movies in the last couple of years ("Spider-Man: No Way Home," "Top Gun: Maverick, "Avatar: The Way of Water"), but have you been waiting for the box office to return to pre-pandemic level? 

Get ready... 2023 will be the Year of the Great Comeback!  

Check out how packed in the next few months will be, list of movies with synopses, among soon-to-be-blockbusters:

1) Guardians of the Galaxy: Vol. 3 (May 5)

2) Fast X (May 19)

3) The Little Mermaid (May 26)

4) Transformers: Rise of the Beast (June 9)

5) The Flash (June 16)

6) Asteroid City (June 16)

7) Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny (June 30)

8) Mission Impossible: Dead Reckoning, Part One (July 12)

9) Barbie (July 21)

10) Oppenheimer (July 21)

11) The Meg 2: The Trench (August 4)

12) Gran Turismo (August 11)

Go to: https://www.cnn.com/2023/05/05/entertainment/summer-movie-preview-2023/index.html

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Part IV: FREE Movies Website

If you've enjoyed Vudu and Tubi for thousands of movies and TV shows free (https://sdmoviemaven.blogspot.com/2020/11/part-ii-another-free-movies-website.html), check out WatchFreeFix for another hundreds of movies FREE

https://watchfreeflix.com

https://tubitv.com

https://www.vudu.com

https://pluto.tv

***

For past movie reviews, check out:

https://sdmoviemaven.blogspot.com/p/special-posts.html

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"Air"

“A shoe is just a shoe until someone steps into it.”

That someone is Michael Jordan.  Not “The Michael Jordan” as the world knows it now, but as a young rookie basketball player who never even set foot on an NBA court.  

The year is 1984.  Adidas and Converse are the top dogs in the sneakers market.  Nike is the underdog, running a distant third.  Nike's sports marketing executive Sonny Vaccaro (Matt Damon, “Bourne” series, “Elysium,” “The Adjustment Bureau”) is convincing himself and  also trying to convince CEO Phil Knight (Ben Affleck; “The Town,” “Argo,” “Gone Girl"), marketing and partner relations executives, Rob Strasser (Jason Bateman, "The Gift") and Howard White (Chris Tucker) to land rising star, yet unproven Jordan as the singular face of Nike's shoeline.  

Sonny has a keen eye to spot genuine talent, with foretelling vision.  A moment in time where an 18-year old Jordan was entrusted to catch a game-changer ball catches his eye.  Instead of spreading the dollars and signing three or four players, Sonny goes for broke.  He risks his entire career and his colleagues' livelihood by pushing Nike to put all its shoes in one rack, spending their entire budget of $250K on a five-year contract solely on Jordan.  Needless to say, everyone balks.  The various ways how Sonny gets them onboard are not only remarkable, but also humorous and heartfelt.  

Even as Nike's key players finally buy into the utterly risky bet, there's another nearly insurmountable obstacle; Jordan is a fan of Adidas and loves their shoes.  Not only it's made clear to Nike that Adidas is Jordan's preference, Sonny is also told  by the family's agent, David Falk (Chris Messina) that  Jordan and his family are not even willing to meet with Nike, let alone hearing the company's pitch.  

Facing this roadblock, Sonny breaks protocol and visits the Jordan family at home.  He and Jordan's mother, Deloris (Viola Davis, “Ender's Game”) manage to have a heart-to-heart talk.  Deloris is likely the only person on earth who believes her son is different and truly has talent like no other.  The moments where Sonny predicts how the Adidas' and Converse's pitches would go and how they actually transpire are comedic gold.  

The million-dollar question comes down to how Jordan himself would like to be seen.  Being another player on the roster of champions before him, having the trajectory of his career decided by clashing corporate suits, or being eponymous to a shoe that is made just for him.  He would embody the shoe, not merely wearing it.  He would be the shoe and the shoe's identity would forever be associated with him.  

The meeting with master shoe designer, Matthew Maher (Peter Moore), and the creation of Air Jordan One prototype, are hilariously insightful, as well as the  pitch strategy session.  Curiously, the NBA has strict rules about how much white needs to be shown on a shoe and that they would fine players wearing shoes with other colors if they occupy too much space on the shoes. 

The high-stake pitch meeting is rousing and electrifying.  Damon is clearly the MVP here.  Eschewing script, his impassioned speech hits all the high marks and emotional notes about what Jordan would go on conquering, the kinds of highs he would reach and lows he would find himself in, how he would go down in history and be remembered for.  

At the time, a shoe was just a shoe and a player was just a player; it's purely transactional.  There has never been an athlete who is a lifestyle brand.  And even after all the hoops Sonny has to jump through, it almost ends just like that, until a history-changing conversation and brazen negotiation done by Deloris.  This is one astute, determined and protective mother who knows her son's real worth and destiny.  She's not afraid to go against the norm and ask for what she believes her son deserves, and in the end, not only securing her son's future and his family generations', but also revolutionizing the sports world.  

As director, Affleck made a creative choice of not showing larger-than-life Jordan as a character.  He's more of a silhouette or faceless figure seen in glimpses.  This choice ultimately pays off because the movie is not necessarily about the sports superstar; it's a fascinating, behind-the-scene look of the makings of soon-to-be legendary Michael Jordan, and landmark case of sports licensing and altered pop culture landscape.

If you enjoy films like “The Social Network” or “Hidden Figures,” this is a movie for you.  Clever script, aureate dialogue, sharply executed direction and editing, and outstanding acting, combined with authentic footage and nostalgic 80s music, the movie is atmospheric and euphoric, uplifted by hope, optimism and greatness.  

“Air” goes off running, takes flight, hits slam dunks, and walks on air.  Victoriously heartfelt and hard won, it's a riveting crowd-pleaser.  

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FREE Movie Screening: "Are You There, God? It's Me, Margaret"

In partnership with Lionsgate Studios, claim your FREE passes here for advanced screening:

https://lionsgatescreenings.com/main/movie_landing/TW92aWVCb29rRmFucw==

The movie will premier nationwide on April 28, 2023.

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"John Wick: Chapter 4"

SO John Wick... and more.  Chapter 4 takes John Wick out of New York to Tokyo, Berlin and Paris on the ever-complex targeted campaign, bounty-hunting, murder mayhem and crime saga.

Stunning set pieces with elegant use of light, shadow, fire and water. Hard-hittingly entertaining gun battle and swordplay, both direct and hide-and-seek, are still there, but brutal action sequences involving hand-to-hand fighting rampage against wild dancing raves as backdrop, wrecking cars and crashing bodies in nonstop circular traffic, mountains of staircases and rolling humans, and dog-as-ace card are inventively shot, not to mention mind-blowingly bonkers. Absolutely stellar camera work, intricate choreography and luminous cinematography. With killer score blasting throughout, it's maximum adrenaline rush. It's hard to believe until you see these with your own eyes!

It looks comical that John Wick is turning into a superhuman, but the scenes are shot with self-aware winks it's hard to fault. While crossing, double and triple crossings are commonplace, the rules of engagement remain intact; there's radical professionalism, brotherhood and honor among killers, something the ruthless emissary may not see coming.

Chapter 4 blows all previous chapters out of the water.  At the same time, this chapter looks like a sunset, although it feels inevitable.  Stay through the end credit and you may just see a loose end.

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12 Books Turning Into Movies in 2023

From the previews, it looks like 2023 will be a packed year.  But did you know there are a dozen of movies based on books making their way?  Some of them are guaranteed to be blockbusters.  

Read the synopses here.

1. A Man Called Otto

2. Are You There, God?  It's Me, Margaret

3. Dune: Part Two

4. Emily

5. Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes

6. Knock at the Cabin

7. Oppenheimer

8. Text For You

9. The Color Purple: The Musical

10. The Pale Blue Eye

11. Women Talking

12. Wonka

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2023 Movies Preview

2022 marked an incredible comeback for movies and 2023 looks to continuing that trend with originals and sequels, covering the gamut of genres - mystery, thriller, horror, drama, historical drama, adventure, animation, fantasy, superheroes and video game adaption.  And summer will pretty much be blockbuster-guaranteed! 

Big name directors returning to the big or small screen with their films include Christopher McQuarrie,  Christopher Nolan, David Fincher, Denis Villeneuve, Martin Scorsese, Ridley Scott, among others.

Among movies coming up are "Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom," "Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania," "Barbie," "Dune: Part Two," "Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves," "Fast X," "Guardians of the Galaxy, Vol. 3," "Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny," "John Wick: Chapter 4," "Mission Impossible: Dead Reckoning, Part One," "Oppenheimer," "The Flash," "The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes," "The Little Mermaid," "The Marvels," "Wonka."

Check out previews to 40 movies for 2023:  https://www.yahoo.com/entertainment/2023-movies-films-preview-most-anticipated-184343585.html

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"Avatar: The Way of Water"

Thirteen years after the original, motion-capture groundbreaking "Avatar," the sky people (humans) are back, this time to colonize distant moon Pandora, as earth is in ruins.  While the good versus evil is clear, blended family dynamics is a bit murky.  The final sea battle is relentless and consequential.  In family and war, the aftermath has forward implications for future stories.  

Relocating the focus from the forest people (Na'vi) to the coastal clan (Metkayina) in their native environment is a fresh move.  It provides interesting, new experiences for the land dwellers as they learn to adapt to the ocean-based lives, as well as a novelty factor for the audience. And the subtle differences in the species make sense, a function of their environment to survive.

You'll still soak in the verdant  floating forest and soar to the skies, but the lushly luminescent  undersea , richly colorful floras  and faunas   will sweep you away and immerse you in its vast and vivid, silky smooth water world, giving you the feeling of gliding or standing still  underwater...  Pure cinematic visual magic.     See it in 3D and the largest screen possible!  

"Avatar: The Way of Water" is the way to wonder. 

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"Babylon"

From 12/05/2022 press screening:

It's like Las Vegas in all its glamorous excess in a movie form.  

The movie follows the intertwined lives of three characters in the movie business in the Roaring ‘20s.  An aspiring, rebellious actress who decided she's a star even before she’s discovered (Nellie LaRoy, Margot Robbie), a blue-collar worker who dreams to be in a movie set (Manny Torres, Diego Calva), and a famous movie star at the prime of his career (Jack Conrad, Brad Pitt).

Starry-eyed dreams come true, detour and crash.  While fame may fade and friendship endures, it’s also a cautionary tale.  Everything will eventually run its course, although there’s a lot to be said about making the kind of life choices that could either propel you or destroy you.  And just because you’ve made it, it doesn’t mean you will stay at the top.  Things will not stay the same and you will have to adapt and accept.  

Being in a movie not only allows you to be a part of something bigger and something that lasts.  It means something, not only to you but also to the masses that enjoy your movies.  It's also the ultimate escape from real life.  Movies scenes may look and feel real, but they're illusions.  

Robbie ("The Wolf of Wall Street") is fiercely magnetic in all that is asked of her.  Calva is the central connector and is most earnest in his performance.  Pitt (“Ad Astra,” "Allied," "The Big Short") portrays that aging movie star persona just right.  Tobey Maguire ("Spider Man: No Way Home," “Pawn Sacrifice”) pops up late for the craziest scenes of his career. 

The sensational sets, wild decadence, bizarre sequences, manic energy and chaotic movements, adjacent to silent cinema and perfectly lit golden hour shots, are carried by incredible live music. 

Did I say incredible live music?   Yes, the movie feels long and there are a couple of lengthy, out-there sequences that could be cut, but if you also love music, concerts, jazz, blues, et al go see it for the music!  The extended, energetic beats throughout will entrance and stay with you way after the movie cuts to black.  Director Damien Chazelle hasn't left his "La La Land" roots.  

The mechanic and magic of movie-making have never been so raucous and breathless at the same time.  The transition from silent movie-making to sound cinema is fascinating to watch.  This is made for movie-making lovers.  If you love movies that are love notes to Hollywood (“Hail, Caesar!,” “Trumbo”), you’ll enjoy “Babylon,” despite the running time of over three hours.  

Boisterously and lavishly messy, ambitious, audacious... "Babylon" is a shock and awe to the senses and outrageously engrossing.

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"Glass Onion: Knives Out Mystery"

The first “Knives Out” had all knives firing.  A great murder mystery that is tightly plotted, dropping clues, concealing secrets, misdirecting with red herrings, teasing resolution, springing surprises, revealing lies, tying up loose ends, and cleverly wrapping up with a satisfying conclusion.  

Director Rian Johnson was wise to use a similar formula in the sequel, twisting the knife a bit differently mid-story and sprinkling more hysterical humor, but still end up hitting the bullseye.  Filmed during the heights of the pandemic in 2020, the global lockdown makes it into the “Glass Onion: Knives Out Mystery” and the remote island is an idyllically perfect setting.  

Southern detective Benoit Blanc (Daniel Craig, “James Bond” series), is back with a murder mystery landing on his linen suit.  A distinct character among the rich and famous, he finds himself in a private island in Greece belonging to tech magnate Miles (Edward Norton, "The Illusionist") on a mysterious invitation for a murder mystery weekend getaway.  The high-tech island shows off the vainglorious Miles’ riches, glorious glass structures and sculptures, and not to be outdone by one historic art collection.  

The billionaire invites his close circle of friends and allies to solve a murder mystery play.  When one of the guests dies for real, everyone becomes a suspect.  The lights are out and everyone is trapped on the island.  To compound the confusion and paranoia, there’s also a question whether the victim is the intended target and if there’s another victim.  

The privileged guests are fashion icon Birdie (Kate Hudson) and her assistant Peg (Jessica Henwick), YouTube influencer Duke (Dave Bautista, “The Avengers”) and his girlfriend Whiskey (Madelyn Cline), stylish scientist Lionel (Leslie Odom Jr.), liberal politician Claire (Kathryn Hahn), and last but not least, Miles’ former business partner, Andi (Janelle Monae, “Hidden Figures”). 

Everyone’s surprised by Andi’s presence and why she’s still invited in the first place, considering Miles ruthlessly and legally cut her out of the company they co-founded together.  Soon we’ll have to take a double take, as there’s a lot more to incensed Andi than meets the puzzled eye.  

While Miles preaches that they are e true disruptors of the world, Andi stabs into the heart of his mendacious speech.  There’s a common thread among how everyone gets to the pinnacle of their careers and fames, and it’s not ingenuity.  Monae is particularly marvelous in her performance.  Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned and it’s not what you think it is.  The guests are forced to unmask and reveal who they really are, and decide what their breaking points are. 

The ingenuity here lies in the story construct.  There are multiple reasons why the film is called ‘Glass Onion.’  Halfway through Blanc cuts back and peels back the onion of a story layer by layer, but also noting that while an onion may look like complicated layers, the center hides in plain sight.  You will not see the revelation coming!  And when you think all hopes might be lost, something else comes out of the gate, exploding in a blaze of glory.  

“Glass Onion: Knives Out Mystery” takes translucent jabs at political, social, economic and entertainment elites in a polarized society, while delivering a masterful mystery and whodunit entertainment.  

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"The Menu"

Taste.  Savor.  Relish.

If you love food, or art in any form for that matter, this is a movie made for you. 

A dozen of exclusive guests are invited for the Hawthorne experience.  The Hawthorn is a world-class dining destination, under the helm of avant-garde, contempt-filled Chef Slowik (Ralph Fiennes, “Hail, Caesar!,” “Skyfall”), located on a private island where the multi-course meals cost $1,250 per head.  The island is self-sustaining and the meals are truly sea-and-farm to table.  

Guests are ferried into the island and get a tour led by the second-in-command, Elsa (Hong Chau), a standout with her deadpan delivery, starting with the shore, farm, forest, workers' living quarters, leading to an expansive dining room with an open kitchen.  Cleanly designed with floor-to-ceiling ocean view, polished with cool palettes, brightened up by the warmth of the fire from the kitchen.  

The workers live in the island and devote themselves to the Chef, his vision and servicing the one-percenters.  Their work is their lives.  Every day they wake up on the island to harvest, ferment, fish, slaughter, sear, broil, bake, poach, emulsify, liquify, gel, plate and serve, and return to their living quarters in the evenings.  The Chef cottage is separate from his crew, where no one can enter.  

The guests include a young couple, brown-nosed foodie Tyler (Nicholas Hoult, “X-Men” series) and out-of-place Margot (Anya Taylor-Joy), older wealthy couple Richard (Reed Birney) and Anne (Judith Light) with a secret, celebrity food critic Lillian (Janet McTeer) and her sycophantic editor Ted (Paul Adelstein), washed-up movie star (John Leguizamo) and his problematic assistant Felicity (Aimee Carerro), and big-headed tech bros, Bryce (Rob Yang), Dave (Mark St. Cyr) and Soren (Arturo Castro).  

The movie flows from one exquisite course to another, exemplifying haute cuisine where the gastronomic delights are expertly deconstructed, stunningly designed and immaculately plated on a variety of vessels, balancing textures, colors and flavors.  The meals, from appetizer to main courses to palate-cleansing and desert have a theme and tell a story.  The detailed descriptions of each course are both mouthwatering and hilarious.  

The amuse bouche may start light and refreshing, but as each course precisely progresses, tension is seared into the story, and the diners experience brain-fried moments and realize the theatrics are not just for entertainment.  Slices of secrets are dished out in inventive manners, backstories are told shockingly, consequences can be bloodily twisted, leading to a boiling point and blazing ending.  The guests soon find out there are reasons they score the coveted reservations that day and they're not there simply for the fancy meals.  Margot is a wild card, however, and her presence chars the Chef's meticulous master plan.  

Glazed by sharp dialogue, the no-way-out situations are bitingly funny.  The impeccably choreographed movements and sound editing are perfectly crisp.  “The Menu” skewers the high-end epicurean culture and serves up social commentary not only on class division, but also between working class service workers and their moneyed guests, disillusioned artists and their pretentious critics.  

The satire hits the high marks for originality, creativity, dark humor and horror factor.  A crafty feast for the eyes and devilishly delectable.

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"Black Panther: Wakanda Forever"

How do you make a “Black Panther” sequel without the Black Panther?  

That’s the one-billion dollar question faced by Marvel after the untimely death of Chadwick Boseman (“Avengers: Endgame” “Avengers: Infinity War,” “Captain America: Civil War”), who tragically passed away in 2020 and during the heights of the pandemic.  The charismatic star became world-famous and superhero role model for its dignified and noble portrayal of King TChalla and real-life representation of the marginalized.   

The opening scene pays a reverent and touching tribute to Boseman.  T’Challa’s offscreen death has a larger-than-life impact not only on his family and royal circle, but also to Wakandans.  The farewell scene where Wakandans dress and dance in all-white to mourn the loss and celebrate the life of its king, and when the belated king’s soul transcends to the skies, is very moving.  What makes this a teary-eyed moment is that we know it’s not a fake movie death.  

While Queen Ramonda (Angela Bassett) is coming to terms to her son’s death, Shuri (Letitia Wright), T’Challa’s little sister, takes his death particularly hard.  Shuri, a science and technology maven, carries a lot of guilt and anger for not being able to save her big brother’s life.  Her gut-wrenching reaction at the funeral procession is deeply felt.  Wright gives everything she has and it shows in her powerhouse performance throughout Shuri’s journey; loss, grief, rage, revenge, release and healing.  

With the death of its king and protector, even as a futuristic country, Wakanda is seen as vulnerable.  However, Queen Ramonda’s powerful dress-down of the United Nation audience, strongly portrayed by Bassett, is a majestic show of force that Wakanda remains unmistakably formidable.  As General Okoye (Danai Gurira) flies the spaceship home, it never gets old to see the aerial shot of futuristic Wakanda blending in with the expansive nature coming into view.  Bassett shows another powerful performance against Guirira scenes later.  

Talokans, the blue-skinned amphibious antagonists in the movie, are first seen coming out of the middle of the ocean when they shut down the vibranium-detection project by the CIA.  From the first sight, their appearance is striking and their ability to hypnotically lure people into the ocean is eerie.  

The vibranium-detection machine is created by MIT student-genius Riri Williams (Dominique Thorne), which could have easily been Tony Stark/Iron Man’s protégé.  Since vibranium is also found in the ocean outside of Wakanda, this makes Riri an attack target for King Namor (Tenoch Huerta), the leader of Talokans, as vibranium-mining would threaten the lives of his underwater empire.  

This makes Namor an excellent antagonist and less of a world-conqueror kind of a villain.  What makes Namor more compelling is also his backstory, how his existence came about and the history of the Talokan society.  Namor’s underwater birth was special and he’s also gifted with winged feet, which enables him to fly.  Talokans’ dress is just as distinct as Wakandans, and Namor’s impressive with an  elaborate headdress.  

Namor gives Queen Ramonda and Shuri two options, capture and hand Riri over, or having a war with Talokans and risk the demise of their nation. In a comedic scene, General Okoye and Shuri track down Riri in her campus, leading to a wild car chase and spear fight.

Meanwhile, Queen Ramonda finds Nakia (Lupita Nyong’o) in Haiti, where she now works as a school teacher, and ask for her help on a crucial mission.  An unfortunate mishap causes the wrath of Namor and he comes after Wakanda, resulting in an unexpectedly tragic outcome.  The chain of events leads to the inevitable appearance of a new Black Panther, one that is still trying to find their footing, but emerges as the nation’s protector nonetheless.  

Much like “Black Panther,” ‘Wakanda Forever’s goes beyond the conventional good vs. evil superhero movie, it’s geopolitical drama and character-driven story.  The post-credit scene honors the past and breathes a new hope into the future, leaving a legacy.  

“Black Panther: Wakanda Forever” is an emotional voyage and forever work of wonder.  

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"Ticket to Paradise"

Georgia (Julia Roberts, "Money Monster," Mirror Mirror,” Eat Pray Love") and David Cotton (George Clooney; “Hail, Caesar!," "The Monuments Men," “Ides of March”), have to team up when their daughter, Lily (Kaitlyn Dever) a lawyer-to-be, is going to marry a seaweed farmer, Gede (Maxime Bouttier), thousands of miles away from home, after only knowing him for about a month.  

Lily was on a last hurrah of a post-graduation vacation in Bali with her best friend (Billie Lourd) when she met and fell in love with Gede, effectively throwing her promising career at a prestigious law firm in Chicago and her life in the United States away.  Georgia and David, jaded and divorced nearly two decades ago, are convinced that Lily’s making the biggest mistake of her life and are going to end up like them. 

Georgia and David fly to Bali, pretend to be supportive of Lily’s decision, while working behind the scenes to break them apart.  During the scheming, Georgia and David trade barbs and glares, trying to one up each other.  At the same time, they are forced to spend time together and reminisce.  

The estranged former couple realize their spark may not have been extinguished permanently, even after all these years.  Georgia’s worshipping younger boyfriend (Lucas Bravo), who manages to tag along, adds a lot of comical shades.  It’s no spoiler that Lily finds out about what her parents are really doing there and it isn’t pretty.

Sounds like a simple plot?  It is.  It’s super low stake, and guess what?  It’s nice for a change.  No suspense, no thriller, no action, no superheroes, and this is coming from someone who loves those genres.  Being Indonesian-born and having been to Bali, the movie is naturally a bit more interesting to me since I speak and understand the Indonesian language when spoken by the characters. 

Bouttier and Dever are fine as a young couple, although I wish more time could be spent on them so we could see more about their glossed over love story.  The focus is on Roberts and Clooney though, and as predictable as the story goes, it makes sense from a movie perspective.  Roberts' return to romcom is as natural as her mega-million watts smile.  Clooney dials up the charm and it works like a charm.  The A-list stars work the scenes; whether acidic, sarcastic, comedic or melancholic moments. 

The beauty of “Ticket to Paradise” is spelled out in the title.  Queensland, Australia, doubles as Bali when the Indonesian island was entirely locked down during the beginning of the pandemic, is beyond stunning.

From the post-opening scene in an oceanfront wood bungalow and the view zooms out, revealing the surrounding lush tropical jungle, colorful flowers, clear turquoise waters and golden sandy beaches will caress your eyes and soothe your soul.  The local culture and traditions are enchanting and Lily feels warmly embraced by Gede’s large, extended families as one of their own. 

There’s none of the real-life complications in Bali and that’s a perfect escape ticket.  With some footage of Bali’s lovely panoramic vistas, most of the movie takes place in a luxury setting of a resort.  Sometimes all we need is fantasy, a breather from day-to-day life where you can just exhale. 

Charming and refreshing, “Ticket to Paradise” feels like being pleasantly transported into a postcard-perfect, paradise island vacation.  

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