Movie Reviews

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

Princess of Thieves – JenEric Movie Review

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Hello Cinephiles,

Today we’re talking about the 2001 film Princess of Thieves.

Story

The story feels like a mid 1990’s feelgood made for TV movie. It’s slightly silly and it refuses to let its main character do much.

Score: 0

Characters

The main love pair are a lot of fun when they’re together. The rest of the cast is much too good for the material.

I am severely annoyed that they talked her up as being an expert archer, rider, and swordsman but she only seemed able to shoot. She needed saving far too often. They’d never have written the character in the same way had it been a boy.

Score: 0.5

Dialogue

Some lines could be iconic, others are just bad. It has a lot of, “But daddy!” energy that could have been way more annoying with another actor.

Score: 0.5

Visuals and Music

The visuals are pretty good, it shows that they filmed on location. The camera work is steady and well done, if very 90’s in style.

The music is a great match to the Disney Robin Hood and later versions. It’s heroic and fun.

Score: 1

Fun

This is the kind of movie that I expect is someone’s childhood favourite. It has all the elements to be great but needs the imagination of a child to put it together in a more coherent way.

Score: 0.5

Overall

A fun period movie that is bound to be someone’s favourite but that can’t decide what it wants to be. The acting and locations are excellent, but the rest is a little meh.

Final Score: 2.5 Stars out of 5

The Wild Robot – JenEric Movie Review

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Hello Cinephiles,

Today we’re talking about the 2025 film The Wild Robot.

Story

This treads the line between traumatic and adorable. On its surface, it’s a cutesy film about adoption and found family. Below the surface, the movie has a lot of awkward colonial tones.

Score: 0.5

Characters

The voice actors did a fabulous job. I particularly loved Lupita Nyong’o’s evolution throughout the movie from pure robotic to more humanized.

At the beginning it felt like the characters acted out for the gag more than the plot and it was a little tiresome.

Score: 0.5

Dialogue

The dialogue was good mostly. It was a nice exploration of what it means to be a parent and a friend. The jokes were sometimes funny and sometimes over the top.

Score: 0.5

Visuals and Music

The movie was beautifully animated and really did a great job giving each animal a personality.

The music was good, it did a great job at helping with the mood.

Score: 0.5

Fun

It was a fun movie. There are a lot of unanswered questions and word building issues, but they probably just annoyed me and weren’t that important.

The kids loved it.

Score: 1

Overall

A fun kids movie that explores what it means to be a family while showing the importance of change. It has its flaws but the acting will make you forget about it.

Final Score: 3 Stars out of 5

The Sorcerer’s Apprentice – JenEric Movie Review

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Hello Cinephiles,

Today we’re talking about the 2010 film The Sorcerer’s Apprentice.

Story

This story takes liberties with history, mythology, literature, and physics but it has excellent beats and a good urban-fantasy story.

Score: 1

Characters

The leads are charismatic and so are the villains. There’s a distinct arc for all the characters and it’s well acted. I did find the love interest a little bland and his behaviour around her a little creepy. She felt like she was in the wrong movie but she did save their asses so that’s nice.

Score: 0.5

Dialogue

Cheese and one liners between scenes of pining and info-dumps. It sounds tedious but they did an excellent job of alternating and keeping thing fresh.

Score: 1

Visuals and Music

The movie was stunning. The special effects look fresh even a decade and a half after it’s release. They did a great job with night filming without making it too dark.

The music used the original theme extremely well and created a pretty epic soundtrack.

Score: 1

Fun

This movie was made for fun and everyone in the family loved it.

Score: 1

Overall

One of the best urban-fantasy movies, it keeps you on your toes and despite the warping of history, it’s well paced and wonderfully acted.

Final Score: 4.5 Stars out of 5

Thunderbolts* – JenEric Movie Review

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Hello Cinephiles,

Today we’re talking about the 2025 film Thunderbolts*.

Story

A strong story about mental health, found family, and trying to be better, dressed up in superhero tights. The movie is both touching and one of Marvel’s funniest.

Score: 1

Characters

‘All the most forgettable MCU characters team up with the Winter Soldier’ doesn’t sound all that great, but each character received development, humanizing, and some time to shine.

It was well acted and believable despite the wild and ridiculous scenes.

Score: 1

Dialogue

This movie has all the quippiness needed for a Marvel superhero movie and throws in some road trip and found family jokes along the way.

The more serious parts tackled feelings of loneliness and nihilism in a way that was comforting without being condescending.

Score: 1

Visuals and Music

The use of shadow throughout the movie is beautiful and works so well with the themes. Every camera movement feels thought out and I really appreciate the way they shot the fight scenes. It was chaotic without being overwhelming or nauseating.

Score: 1

Fun

I wasn’t sure I’d like this one but I really enjoyed it and hope to see more of the characters. The entire family also seemed to like it.

Score: 1

Overall

One of Marvel’s strongest recent films that doesn’t shy away from serious topic but still knows how to laugh and have some fun.

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 Thursday Murder Club – JenEric Movie Review

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Hello Cinephiles,

Today we’re talking about the 2025 film The Thursday Murder Club.

Story

Two of the hardest things to write are adaptations and mysteries. Netflix succeeds at both with this movie that is as much fun to watch as it is to guess the murderer.

Score: 1

Characters

A group of retired professionals try and solve cold cases. It’s a fantastic idea to expand the Marple formula. Each of the four main characters has their own arcs and specialties.

The rest of the cast is large enough to make sure we already know who did it and small enough that we can recognize them all.

Score: 1

Dialogue

There are more jokes in this about the actors’ previous roles than I can count. I’ll need to rewatch a few times to catch them all. It’s clever, cheeky, and definitely well written and delivered with an abundances of skill.

Score: 1

Visuals and Music

The camera angles are well done and the movie is mostly shot in a very calm way that makes you forget you’re watching something. The residence, clothes, and sets are vibrant and beautiful. I particularly liked how each apartment reflected the style of the resident.

Score: 1

Fun

This was a great mystery and so much fun to watch. The whole family was glued to their seats.

Score: 1

Overall

A mystery story that is both fun and well written. Once you’ve watched it for the mystery, rewatch it for the references, jokes, and fantastic acting.

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.

Flow – JenEric Movie Review

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Hello Cinephiles,

Today we’re talking about the 2024 film Flow.

Story

A strong and almost Ghibli-level narrative that is only marred by a weak ending.

Score: 0.5

Characters

All the characters are recognizable and have unique traits. It’s impressive how well they managed to bring that forward without any dialogue.

Score: 1

Dialogue

There are no words spoken in this movie but there is plenty of communication. The writers and animators managed to convey so much with just facial expressions and actions.

Score: 1

Visuals and Music

The visuals were stunning for what they were, but there were some odd choices like making the whales different but nothing else. I also found the style of animation kept making me think I was watching a cutscene from an older game.

The score was fantastic and really went a long way to elevating the movie.

Score: 0.5

Fun

The movie is fascinating and fun to watch but the ending doesn’t feel resolved and certainly wasn’t uplifting. We all enjoyed it except for the end.

Score: 0.5

Overall

Combining a lot of recognizable stereotypes while only using expressions to tell a story about animals in a post-apocalyptic world is a huge challenge. One that Flow mostly manages amazingly. The ending, however, falls a little flat, and a few of the choices felt unrelated to character or plot.

Final Score: 3.5 Stars out of 5

Zombies 4: Dawn of the Vampires – JenEric Movie Review

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Hello Cinephiles,

Today we’re talking about the 2025 film Zombies 4: Dawn of the Vampires.

Story

A twist on Romeo and Juliet that makes both main characters into leaders on opposites on a racial feud. The romantic leads are charismatic and do a great job. The original cast shines as mentors. It’s nice to seem them happy, working together, and without any interpersonal drama. There was plenty of that with the romantic leads and the two clans.

Score: 1

Characters

The original cast are consistent with the previous movies and managed to understand the importance of being with the people you love. They romantic leads have identical stories about proving they are good enough. It’s nice to see, if less and less believable, that the authorities changed their ways when presented with overwhelming evidence.

The whole cast is charismatic and owns each scene and song.

Score: 1

Dialogue

The dialogue is a little young but there are some great quips and the message of tolerance and being stronger together is, unfortunately, very timely.

Score: 1

Visuals and Music

The night shots were much too dark. It was frustrating to not see the dances and character movements. When there was a lot of light it was a wonderful mix of the candy coloured and monochrome.

The sounds are catchy and had some great callbacks to the previous movies.

Score: 0.5

Fun

This was a perfect cap on the series and a great beginning for future ones without the original cast. Everyone loved it.

Score: 1

Overall

Another fun and colourful movie in the franchise that pushes hope. It’s only really hurt by the literal darkness of a lot of the scenes.

Final Score: 4.5 Stars out of 5

The Fantastic Four: First Steps – JenEric Movie Review

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Hello Cinephiles,

Today we’re talking about the 2025 film The Fantastic Four: First Steps.

Story

The story was fairly simple using the Marvel formula and infusing a little bit of a family drama. There were times it was a little self-indulgent and times it moved a little fast but it was fun.

Score: 0.5

Characters

Each of the characters was well established by quick clips and the impressive acting. It was nice to see all four get screen time and to prove their intelligence. For the first time in a Fantastic Four movie, I believed they were exceptional, not just for their powers but their minds as well.

Galactus was all forms of silly and terrifying. A threat that needed them to truly rise to new heights.

Score: 1

Dialogue

The silences spoke as much as the dialogue. The dialogue is both cheesy and well-thought out. I loved the characters playing with words, and the use of media as a framing device for information is one of my favourites.

Score: 1

Visuals and Music

This movie was stunningly beautiful. All the elegance of 50s futurism and colour of a superhero movie. It was well filmed and everything felt grounded, despite the science fiction elements. (If Disney is going to do an update to Tomorrowland, this is the right aesthetic.)

The music was epic and sad and everything you needed it to be. Hearing the chorus in theatres was great.

Score: 1

Fun

I went to see this with my mother-in-law and the kids. The 8yo was a little freaked out but loved the action. The 6yo didn’t stop saying, “It’s clobbering time” for a few days.

Score: 1

Overall

A standard Marvel feature that is elevated by its superb cast, aesthetic, and music. The fun of the characters is seeing them interact and be a family, and this movie understands that.

Final Score: 4.5 Stars out of 5