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 Playdate – JenEric Movie Review

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Hello Cinephiles,

Today we’re talking about the 2025 film Playdate.

Story

Another clueless man gets roped into a “spy” situation. It’s also a buddy comedy and I use the word comedy reluctantly. The entire story was surface level and didn’t make sense if you examined it at all. But it somehow managed to keep my attention.

Score: 0.5

Characters

Kevin James plays the same character he always does, and the rest of the cast plays idiots. No one, except the wife, does anything with any form of forethought or common sense.

I could almost forgive that if anyone in the movie was likeable.

Score: 0

Dialogue

Arg. There was nothing clever, quotable, or even interesting.

Score: 0

Visuals and Music

The chase and action scenes were well filmed and the choice of camera angles were solid. Most of the choreography was good but lacked logic.

The music was acceptable and did its job.

Score: 0.5

Fun

I was excited because I like Alan Ritchson as Reacher but honestly even his natural charisma wasn’t enough to make the movie watchable.

The kids seemed to like it but the adults wanted to turn it off by the first thirty minutes.

Score: 0

Overall

A waste of talent, time, and an insult to comedy. The action is passable but this movie is bad. Don’t waste your time.

Final Score: 1 Stars out of 5

 The Wrecking Crew – JenEric Movie Review

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Hello Cinephiles,

Today we’re talking about the 2026 film The Wrecking Crew.

Story

Estranged siblings, crime syndicates, and lots of violence. It was ridiculously formulaic with little new added.

Score: 0

Characters

I think Momoa and Bautista could make any character likeable. They are naturally charismatic. I wish the movie leaned more into their humour and dynamic.

The rest of the cast was great and they all did a wonderful job making a family dynamic.

The British villain with a French name was ridiculously boring though.

Score: 0.5

Dialogue

The exposition was delivered in small bits between action scenes and fun quips, perfect for this type of movie. When the mains actually opened up, it was very well done.

Score: 1

Visuals and Music

I found the fights focused a lot on shock instead of cool choreography but they didn’t use shaky cam.

The music was great.

Score: 0.5

Fun

The movie was fun but it’s definitely not for the faint of heart or kids. Both the 9yo and the 6yo were a little freaked out by the cheese grater incident. (We spent a lot of time talking through the stunts afterwards, which they loved.)

The adults liked it well enough but not sure we’d want to rewatch it.

Score: 1

Overall

A predictable action movie that relies solely on the charisma of its cast. Even though that charisma is massive, its still just an okay action movie.

Final Score: 3 Stars out of 5

Ghosted – JenEric Movie Review

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Hello Cinephiles,

Today we’re talking about the 2023 film Ghosted.

Story

The story was a basic “civilian gets caught up in spy stuff” story with a few extra stupid choices.

Score: 0

Characters

Chris Evans could play anyone and be charismatic. This character was a real idiot with no concept of how relationships work. She was just as bad, but at least she had the excuse of being a secret super spy.

The villains were in desperate need of longer moustaches to twirl.

A lot of the background characters were extremely entertaining.

Score: 0.5

Dialogue

They made sure to get their money’s worth with the “Taxman” jokes. The couple fighting was not quite as entertaining as it could have been, but there were some nice quips.

Did you know he wrestled in high school? If not, his dad will make sure you know.

Score: 0.5

Visuals and Music

The action scenes were extremely well shot. Stable, clean, and with a very good pacing. That last scene with the rotating restaurant was awesome.

The music was great.

Score: 1

Fun

This was a fun, if forgettable, movie. The whole family liked it, but I don’t think we’ll be rewatching anytime soon.

Score: 1

Overall

Evans and Armas are extremely charismatic leads that are working with an utterly forgettable plot. Some of the cameos and background characters are fun and the action scenes are impressive, but overall it was forgettable.

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

Heads of State – JenEric Movie Review

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Hello Cinephiles,

Today we’re talking about the 2025 film Heads of State.

Story

The perfect meld of comedy and action with a story that keeps you guessing and never condescends.

Score: 1

Characters

This movie would have been interesting with one well fleshed out character but in a film with this much action it’s rare to get three mains and a half dozen others with realistic motivations and nuanced backstories.

The three main characters not only hold the film together, they make it both entertaining and interesting.

Score: 1

Dialogue

A lot of the dialogue is hammy but done in an intentional way. The trailer shows a lot of these lines without the buildup which made seeing the whole thing more interesting.

There are a few lines that really stand out because of their delivery. The British PM is complaining about how bad a day they’re having in the middle of the banter and the American President replies with something along the lines of tell that to all the people who died. It’s an exchange that starts out funny but reminds both the characters and the audience about the stakes of the movie. It also shows the kindness of the president and helps to build character.

Score: 1

Visuals and Music

The movie avoids the sin of shaky-cam and uses some extraordinary pans. The cinematography matched the tone and the events in the film, leaning into the comic book action when needed and then the more dignified when it became more serious.

The song choices were perfect, really focussing on what was going on and not just going for the feeling of a scene. The score was good and its use was fantastic.

Score: 1

Fun

Witty banter, silly fights, a hopeful message, and lots of social commentary. It was lots of fun. The whole family liked it.

Score: 1

Overall

A film that balances humour, action, and hope in a way that I wish more did. This is a movie that believes humanity can be great but only if we work together, without being preachy or ignoring our faults. It’s cheesy, funny, and the three leads are fantastically charismatic.

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 Working Man – JenEric Movie Review

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Hello Cinephiles,

Today we’re talking about the 2025 film The Working Man.

Story

The story walks the line between horrifying and a little bland. No one gets violated and none of the good people get killed. The movie writers went out of their way to make sure we felt nothing for the villains.

Score: 0

Characters

Statham tends to play three characters: the seemingly emotionless killer, the angry vengeful killer, and the befuddled killer. In this one he’s the second. Unfortunately, giving him a daughter didn’t add much to the story. It was probably the lack of interactions with her.

As usual, the supporting characters were interesting, and the kidnapped girl kicks serious ass.

The villains are bland beyond remembering.

Score: 0.5

Dialogue

A few lines were great and I really liked all the interactions between Harbour and Statham; they were excellent.

Score: 0.5

Visuals and Music

The locations were great and the sets looked very grimy. Everything was shot in a way we could see the action. It was well done.

The music is a little loud but does its job well.

Score: 1

Fun

I was less invested in him and more invested in the kid and the kidnapped woman. I found myself getting bored at times. I watched this alone and although the action was great it just wasn’t all that interesting.

Score: 0

Overall

An extremely competent action movie with lots of death, explosions, and Jason Statham kicking ass. However, it wasn’t great at keeping my interest and the villains were so bland I didn’t care.

Final Score: 2 Stars out of 5

Captain America: Brave New World – JenEric Movie Review

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Hello Cinephiles,

Today we’re talking about the 2025 film Captain America: Brave New World.

Story

This was a Captain America movie, it had all the heroics, all the intrigue, and all the big set pieces that were needed. That’s not to say it was predictable or boring. It dealt with twenty years of lore and not only told a story but connected it with the world.

I know it’s setting up a lot of the next Avengers movies but I never felt like I was watching a prologue.

Score: 1

Characters

There was so much in this that I found the villain got lost. I get that the real villain is the systemic oppression of the American people, especially those that are different, but the Leader wasn’t all that scary once they figured out his mind control trick.

Captain America, the new Falcon, and the agent following them around were a great group and a lot of fun to watch. The softening of Ross was interesting. Much more than the Red Hulk. I also loved the cameos.

Score: 0.5

Dialogue

You’d think with such a big brain, the Leader would be able to come up with better one liners. His dialogue was boring.

The quips by the heroes were great and there were some great lines about government’s mistreatment of people.

Score: 0.5

Visuals and Music

I think, hope, and pray that this movie is proof that Marvel is fully moving away from jump cuts and shakey cam. The action was clean and the special effects were pretty good. The camera work was spectacular.

The music was great.

Score: 1

Fun

I wasn’t looking forward to this movie but I really enjoyed it, as did the rest of the family, although there were a lot of questions about who people were and what they were talking about. Thankfully, I can’t remember important information but I’m great with superhero lore and trivia.

Score: 1

Overall

The movie lives up to the first three in every way possible. It’s an excellent set up for future movies, while being a great political thriller and having fun with superheroes. It’s Captain America and if you loved the others, you’ll love this one.

Final Score: 4 Stars out of 5

Red One – JenEric Movie Review

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Hello Cinephiles,

Today we’re talking about the 2024 film Red One.

Story

A standard buddy-cop action movie dressed up for the holidays. It has some facinating world building and leaves some unfortunate story threads. (Why bring up that the kid didn’t know his father if it wasn’t important?)

Score: 0.5

Characters

At first, I thought the characters were flat, but around half-way through the movie, I started to see their depth… for an action movie anyway.

The two main heroes were the disillusioned cop and the criminal with a heart of gold.

The supernaturals were far more interesting. Their take on Santa was fun and interesting, and I’d love to see more about M.O.R.A.

Score: 1

Dialogue

There were plenty or great quips and ridiculous dialogue said with a straight face. The speech from Jack to his son at the end was nice and heartfelt.

Score: 1

Visuals and Music

The visuals were great. Lots of over-the-top action and special effects. The fight scenes and camera work were done cleanly and made it easy to follow.

The music was good but could have been done so much better by integrating more holiday music into the action scenes.

Score: 0.5

Fun

This was a movie made for fun. Everyone in the family liked it and we all finished with a smile. It also had a lot of great supernatural and fantasy elements that made me happy.

Score: 1

Overall

This is a Christmas action movie mixed with a fantasy. It’s not the most original plot, but the setting and action is worth the watch.

Final Score: 4 Stars out of 5

Deadpool 2 – JenEric Movie Review

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Hello Cinephiles,

Today we’re talking about the 2018 film Deadpool 2.

Story

With a bigger budget comes a bigger story… Although fairly simple, it takes a few random turns and even seems to forget what’s going on. In the end, everything is explained and then paradoxically erased.

Score:  0.5

Characters

The core of the movie is the same as the previous; Wade needing to accept who he is and deal with his trauma.

The rest of the cast are interesting and fun.

Score: 1

Dialogue

Like the first movie, this one doesn’t let up on the references, fourth wall breaks, and silliness. It’s also oddly poignant at the end.

Score: 1

Visuals and Music

The visuals are upgraded and the fights are fantastic. The convoy fight was just spectacular.

The music is great. Wonderful songs and score. I particularly liked the Juggernaut song.

Score: 1

Fun

This was pure R-rated fun and was fairly cathartic.

Score: 1

Overall

The second in the series doesn’t disappoint and ups the quips, the odds, the drama, and the fights.

Final Score: 4.5 Stars out of 5

Deadpool – JenEric Movie Review

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Hello Cinephiles,

Today we’re talking about the 2016 film Deadpool.

Story

The story is extremely simple while doing a great job of lovingly mocking the superhero formula.

Score: 0.5

Characters

The cast is nice aand small, giving lots of room of Wade’s emotional journey. The cast that we do get to know are interesting and varied.

Score: 1

Dialogue

The dialogue is next level, mixing meta references, fourth wall breaks, and general silliness.

Score: 1

Visuals and Music

The budget shows with the digital effects but the fight choreography and practical effects are spectacular.

The soundtrack is excellent and filled with great songs and a fun score.

Score: 1

Fun

This was the third time I’ve seen it and despite a few crude moments that I didn’t like, I find it a lot of fun. There’s a joyfulness to the character that’s refreshing.

Score: 1

Overall

Deadpool is often treated as a joke and this leans into the jokes while still having a lot of heart. The action is top-notch and Ryan Reynolds is perfect in the role.

Final Score: 4.5 Stars out of 5