Movie Reviews

 Holiday Touchdown: A Chiefs Love Story – JenEric Movie Review

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Hello Cinephiles,

Today we’re talking about the 2024 film Holiday Touchdown: A Chiefs Love Story.

Story

This is the standard love story where the “prince” meets the uncommon girl and her family and before she knows who he is, they start falling for each other. Then there’s drama when she finds out and eventually they rebuild trust and love. Same plot points as a lot of Cinderella stories.

There’s nothing particularly new in it, but they tie every plot point to the emotion of the movie.

I was worried this would just be a huge ad for the team and it’s players, but it never felt that way. Even with Donna Kelce popping up.

Score: 0.5

Characters

Throw a bunch of standard, but kind, family tropes at a wall and you’ll get the characters from this movie.

That being said, they act the shit out of it. Every line, every look, and every movement is purposeful and impactful. The actors are mostly veteran TV actors and they’re lovable.

The main characters are adorable and have enough chemistry to keep us interested.

Score: 1

Dialogue

The dialogue was pure cheese but delivered so well that it felt deep.

Score: 1

Visuals and Music

The camera angles were good and they made Kansas City look like a small Christmas town, which is impressive.

The music did it’s job and was good.

Score: 0.5

Fun

It was a nice relaxing movie that was sweet and still pulled at my heartstrings. Both my wife and I loved it. (We watched it after the kids wree in bed.)

Score: 1

Overall

It strikes the perfect balance between cheese and real emotion with all the heart you’d need from this sort of movie.

Final Score: 4 Stars out of 5

Jingle Bell Heist – JenEric Movie Review

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Hello Cinephiles,

Today we’re talking about the 2025 film Jingle Bell Heist.

Story

They manage to meld the formula of a heist movie with the heart of a Christmas romance. It was happy, sad, stressful, twisty, and ends happily.

Score: 1

Characters

The two main characters could have been extremely bland but the actors were amazing and elevated them into real, feeling people.

Score: 1

Dialogue

The dialogue was good, especially when the two main characters were talking with each other, but there were times when they are talking about the heist where it felt very unnatural on the exposition.

Score: 0.5

Visuals and Music

The movie had very muted colours but overall was still pretty and well shot.

The music was excellent, melding the Christmas songs with more dramatic score.

Score: 1

Fun

We guessed several of the twists before they happened but didn’t feel cheated by it. Everyone liked it. Not sure it’ll become a yearly rewatch but it was good.

Score: 1

Overall

A fun and well thought-out combination of rom-com and heist movie set at Christmas. The actors are phenomenal and the story will keep you guessing.

Final Score: 4.5 Stars out of 5

A Very Jonas Christmas Movie – JenEric Movie Review

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Hello Cinephiles,

Today we’re talking about the 2025 film A Very Jonas Christmas Movie.

Story

This is a combination of the “must get home for Christmas” and American “European vacation” tropes. It’s done extremely PG but never feels like they held back on their humour. It wasn’t original but didn’t need to be. The story delivered with lots of emotion. I really appreciate magic being the reason for all the mishaps instead of the brothers doing stupid things.

Score: 1

Characters

No matter how intense your knowledge of the band is, the characters they play are very obvious. The neurotic “mom friend”, the womanizer, and the innocent everyman. They play the roles well and even managed to do a good job of fleshing out their feelings. The story arc for each character is fun and rewarding.

Do yourself a favour and watch it with a longtime fan, they’ll let you know the in-jokes.

Score: 1

Dialogue

Standard brother banter. I like that sometimes when they teased each other it hurt. So often in movies, men will say horribly mean things to each other and there are no consequences.

Score: 1

Visuals and Music

The visuals were standard Disney TV fare. Nothing special, but they did a good job.

The music was excellent and I look forward to getting the album.

Score: 1

Fun

I don’t know the group super well but I enjoyed this a lot. It was feel good, low angst, and fun. The whole family was glued to their seats.

Score: 1

Overall

A fun Christmas movie for anyone, even if you know little about the Jonas brothers. The music, the dialogue, and the hijinks are all delightful.

Final Score: 5 Stars out of 5*

*A 5 star review doesn’t mean the movie was perfect nor that it is perfect for everyone but it is a movie I believe is as close to perfect as possible.

Odd Thomas – JenEric Movie Review

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Hello Cinephiles,

Today we’re talking about the 2016 film Odd Thomas.

Story

The screenwriters took all the fatphobia, misogyny, and ableism and removed it. They also took the overall slow story and made it feel fast paced. Unfortunately, all the polishing doesn’t help a mediocre attempt at a supernatural thriller.

Score: 0.5

Characters

The characters are made more human in this than in the book and that’s probably because of the actors and the cleaning up of the relations between characters.

Special shout out to Anton Yelchin who turned one of the least likeable characters into someone I’d want to read and watch. Also Addison Timlin who made Stormy into more than a cookie cutter manic pixie dreamgirl.

They still feel like outdated cardboard cutouts instead of real characters.

Score: 0.5

Dialogue

The dialogue is pompous, dated, and awkward. In the books, it was terrible, but in the movie it worked to build a sort of stylistic surrealism to the whole movie.

Score: 0.5

Visuals and Music

The digital effects look dated but everything that’s practical looks great. The cinematography and weird blue filter makes for a good match to the dialogue’s surrealism.

The music was okay. It did its job but was extremely predictable and a little dull.

Score: 0.5

Fun

I liked the movie and might even rewatch it. I watched it alone after hate-binging the novel. I don’t think the kids or the family would have enjoyed it. As a supernatural movie it was good. As an adaptation, it was better than the novel.

Score: 0.5

Overall

An amazing adaptation of a mediocre book. Anton Yelchin and Addison Timlin infuse personality and emotion into bland, borderline unlikable characters. Unfortunately, no clever writing or acting can save a tired plotline.

Final Score: 2.5 Stars out of 5

Elio – JenEric Movie Review

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Hello Cinephiles,

Today we’re talking about the 2025 film Elio.

Story

This story has been told before from The Last Starfighter to Spirited Away the odd/special/trauma kid getting sucked into another world isn’t all that original. This is probably the first Pixar movie not to make me cry at some point. It’s cute and has a good message but it’s been done.

Score: 0

Characters

I was Elio at his age (without the dead parents) and I felt for him. He was well written and his arc was believable. I also really liked Glordon. The Communiverse felt like a lot of bumbling academics rather than diplomats.

My big problem was with the Grigon. I feel like they wasted time with him on gags instead of showing us his inner turmoil about his son. It would have made his turn at the end much more powerful if we’d seen into his head more.

I’m not even going to touch the ethics and horror at the whole concept of the clones.

I did appreciate the cameo of Kate Mulgrew and the archival audio of Carl Sagan.

Score: 0.5

Dialogue

The dialogue had a lot of sweet, funny, and silly moments. It was pretty good but felt very young. There was a lot of technology and ideas thrown out but no discussion about them beyond gags. Maybe after the critics said Lightyear was too advanced, they went way too simple on this one.

I did like the recurring gag of, “Goodbye. I love you.”

Score: 0.5

Visuals and Music

The visuals were stunning, but felt like they were the point of the movie. Like everything was built on the visuals instead of the emotion or story.

The music was amazing. I particularly liked that the Hylurgian’s had battle chants. That made them more terrifying and likeable at the same time.

Score: 1

Fun

This was a fun movie. Lots of cringe but still a really nice movie. The kids loved it and the rest of the family liked it.

Definitely not a movie I’ll be wanting to rewatch.

Score: 0.5

Overall

This movie is cute and works as a young kid’s first sci-fi but it’s not original and doesn’t have the emotional depths I’ve come to expect from Pixar.

Final Score: 2.5 Stars out of 5

Haunted Harmony Mysteries: Buried at C – JenEric Movie Review

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Hello Cinephiles,

Today we’re talking about the 2025 film Haunted Harmony Mysteries: Buried at C.

Story

The story is fairly well constructed but had way too many moving parts and didn’t have the screentime to give them proper attention.

Score: 0.5

Characters

Too many characters with too little time for their stories. The brother added a nice emotional anchor but once he knew her secret, he sort of faded into the background. There were hints that he and the Siobhan were going to have a romance subplot but nothing happened, a lot like the love triangle.

The main character and the ghost was great and I liked the cast of suspects.

Score: 0.5

Dialogue

The dialogue was witty, heartwarming, and a lot of fun.

Score: 1

Visuals and Music

Once again, the countryside and locations are spectacular. The camera angles and cinematography are excellent.

The music was great and the father’s song was a nice touch.

Score: 1

Fun

This was another cozy and fun mystery. The characters are interesting and the banter is great. The whole family liked this one.

Score: 1

Overall

Sequels don’t always need to get bigger and more intense. This tries but falls a little short. However, the banter and mystery are solid and it’s a fun watch.

Final Score: 4 Stars out of 5

Haunted Harmony Mysteries: Murder in G Major – JenEric Movie Review

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Hello Cinephiles,

Today we’re talking about the 2023 film Haunted Harmony Mysteries: Murder in G Major.

Story

The mystery was challenging enough to be fun and the rest of the story was engaging. Adding ghosts added an extra fun element.

Score: 1

Characters

Cozy stories sink or swim based on their characters and setting. The main character and the ghost had excellent banter and everyone in the town was a character I’d like to know more about. I found it was an interesting twist, especially for a Hallmark movie, to leave the love triangle unresolved.

Score: 1

Dialogue

Mostly good dialogue, lots of great banter and charming small town elements.

Score: 1

Visuals and Music

The town and scenery were practically another character and they were lovely. The cinematography was solid, the special effects subtle, and the locations lovely.

The music was a mix of traditional and vaguely Irish background music and it added to the cozy feel.

Score: 1

Fun

The movie felt like watching Murder, She Wrote. It was calm and character driven. I love the more action packed mysteries, but this type needs to make a comeback. Everyone in the family loved it.

Score: 1

Overall

This is a wonderful cozy mystery with a slight supernatural twist. It’s well written with solid characters, and a gorgeous location. If you like cozy mysteries, you’ll love this.

Final Score: 5 Stars out of 5*

*A 5 star review doesn’t mean the movie was perfect nor that it is perfect for everyone but it is a movie I believe is as close to perfect as possible.

The Last Mimzy – JenEric Movie Review

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Hello Cinephiles,

Today we’re talking about the 2007 film The Last Mimzy.

Story

A great adaptation of the short story, if only in spirit. It unfortunately relies a lot on the “parents don’t believe” trope which I hate.

Score: 0.5

Characters

The parents read like a dynamic from movies in the 70’s or 80’s. The mom is all over the place and the dad is an ass. I’m glad that they were supportive after they saw proof but they were by far the worst part of the movie.

The kids were fantastic and I loved the teacher and his wife.

Score: 0.5

Dialogue

The kids’ dialogue felt well done but some of the spiritual stuff was a little meh and the science overly simple.

Score: 0.5

Visuals and Music

The movie held up in the way it was shot and its special effects. It relied a lot on the kids interacting with the effects and it really worked.

The music was fantastic and I loved it even if I recognized some shades of Lord of the Rings.

Score: 1

Fun

The 9yo wasn’t impressed but the 6yo loved it. The adults all enjoyed it and so did I.

Score: 1

Overall

A fun science fiction with a great message and some adorable kids.

Final Score: 3.5 Stars out of 5

Knives Out – JenEric Movie Review

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Hello Cinephiles,

Today we’re talking about the 2019 film Knives Out.

Story

The movie throws so much information at you and barely gives you time to sort anything before adding more. It’s delightfully confusing in the best way. The down side of it is that you risk hitting a point where you just don’t care.

Score: 0.5

Characters

So many characters and so much talent. The movie is great and Daniel Craig plays a great detective even if his accent fluctuates a little.

Score: 1

Dialogue

The entire dynamic of the family is completely believable and the minor amount of politics are just as relevant six years after it was released… unfortunately.

Score: 1

Visuals and Music

The visuals are fast and filled with interesting things. The set, the costumes, and the locations are spectacular.

The music is good and supports the story.

Score: 1

Fun

This was my first rewatch since I saw it in theatres and I was surprised by how much I remembered. It was just as fun working it out the second time. The rest of the family enjoyed it, although the 6yo was a little bored.

Score: 1

Overall

A wonderful revival of the detective film with an allstar cast and fascinating mystery. Daniel Craig’s Benoit Blanc is a welcome addition to Holmes, Poirot, etc.

Final Score: 4.5 Stars out of 5

Snoopy Presents: A Summer Musical – JenEric Movie Review

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Hello Cinephiles,

Today we’re talking about the 2025 film Snoopy Presents: A Summer Musical.

Story

There’s nothing new or special here except that the writers perfectly captured the spirit of Peanuts.

Score: 0.5

Characters

Each character was exactly as I expected. Some of the voices weren’t perfect but it really shows how the actors and the writers love the source material.

Score: 1

Dialogue

Cute, wholesome, and clever; just like the rest of the shows and comics.

Score: 1

Visuals and Music

The animation was thankfully 2D and fairly well done. There’s a warmth missing that only comes from traditional animation but it’s still lovely.

The music was cute but utterly forgettable.

Score: 0.5

Fun

This gets massive nostalgia points from me. The rest of the family loved it.

Score: 1

Overall

A faithful and entertaining addition to the Peanuts catalogue. Made with love and lots of heart.

Final Score: 4 Stars out of 5