Spy

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

My Spy: The Eternal City – JenEric Movie Review

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Hello Cinephiles,

Today we’re talking about the 2024 film My Spy: The Eternal City.

Story

Mixing the teen travel drama with a spy thriller isn’t new, but they do it fairly well.

Score: 0.5

Characters

Transitioning from the previous reluctant partnership to the much more banal and overdone father-daughter fighting dynamic is just frustrating. They did such a good job turning the tropes on their heads for the first one that this just feels recycled. Separating the two for most of the movie ruins the charm of them working together.

The additional cast were fun and the new villain was interesting.

Score: 0.5

Dialogue

Bautista has wonderful comedic timing as does Coleman, but they really shine when they are together, which doesn’t happen much in this one.

Score: 0.5

Visuals and Music

Beautiful scenery and great camera work.

The music was fun and did its job.

Score: 1

Fun

Had this been the first movie in the series, I would have liked it more. Unfortunately, there just wasn’t enough of what made the first one great, which was spoofing spy movies and the relationship between the leads.

The rest of the family did enjoy it.

Score: 0.5

Overall

An acceptable sequel but despite the bigger set pieces, bigger cast, and massive budget, it doesn’t have the same charm as the original.

Final Score: 3 Stars out of 5

My Spy – JenEric Movie Review

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Hello Cinephiles,

Today we’re talking about the 2020 film My Spy.

Story

The show feels like it’s both paying homage and mocking spy movies and it pulls it off with heart. The story is fresh and has a few good twists that, even if you see them coming, are satisfying.

Score: 1

Characters

I expected, from the trailers, that this would be a cringe comedy, but Dave Bautista brings warmth and humility to the role, and Chloe Coleman is both funny and precocious in the best way. One of the things I really appreciated about this was how competent each character was at what they do. The humour comes from them being out of their element.

Score: 1

Dialogue

Clever, fun, and often really funny. The eight year old’s sarcasm is spot-on.

Score: 1

Visuals and Music

The camera work is solid and the action scenes are very well choreographed.

The music was perfect for the movie and complimented it well.

Score: 1

Fun

The entire family loved the movie. It was funny and heartwarming.

Score: 1

Overall

One of the many films that got shuffled away to streaming because of the pandemic, it deserves so much more. It’s a fun, funny, and lovable movie.

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.

Spy Kids: Armageddon – JenEric Movie Review

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Hello Cinephiles,

Today we’re talking about the 2023 film Spy Kids: Armageddon.

Story

I can’t stand stories that require parents to be stupid and incompetent. On top of that, the story is a watered-down remake of the original. Don’t get me started on the weird magical computer stuff.

Score: 0

Characters

The kids were fantastic actors and did a great job with what they were given. The parents were terrible at everything including being likeable. The main villain was interesting but his story arc felt too fast and shoehorned in.

The spy organization was even more of a joke than usual.

Score: 0.5

Dialogue

It’s hard to believe this was the same writer who wrote, “Do you think God stays in Heaven because He too lives in fear of what He’s created”.

The dialogue is saccharine and bland.

Score: 0

Visuals and Music

Once again, the movie relies on special effects and videogame tropes instead of good action or locations. It makes the movie look cheap and dated even only two years later.

The music was acceptable but not great.

Score: 0.5

Fun

The kids liked it but all the adults were unimpressed. I find that the weird fun of the first one never translated the the rest of the series and it’s worse for lack of it.

Score: 0

Overall

This movie could have been a tumblr meme screenshotted to Facebook. It’s a self-indulgent remake of a much better movie. The only thing that shines is the optimism and the kids.

Final Score: 1 Stars out of 5

Star Trek: Section 31 – JenEric Movie Review

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Hello Cinephiles,

Today we’re talking about the 2025 film Star Trek: Section 31.

Story

A little Bond, a little Star Trek, some Fifth Element, a dash of Firefly, and absolutely no cohesion. This felt like a 2-part pilot episode that was turned into a movie. As hard as they tried to not be Star Trek, it was only the Star Trek elements that were interesting.

Score: 0

Characters

The characters were interesting and I’d love to watch them grow into more than pithy stereotypes.

The acting was way better than the script demanded and honestly each actor could have hammed it up but managed to play it straight and I’m impressed.

Score: 1

Dialogue

The dialogue spoken by lesser actors would have been laughable, but most of the time it worked. I particularly liked the “chaos gremlin” jokes.

Score: 1

Visuals and Music

The visuals were very clean and the special effects were great. The fight scenes were chaotic and used way too much shaky-cam.

Overall the music was good and I like the use of modern music in Star Trek when it’s used well. There’s one song that sings about a phone and it really knocked me out of the story.

Score: 0.5

Fun

It was predictable but I liked the characters so I did enjoy it.

I do have a continuity issue with it, however. Georgiou was sent from the 32nd century back in time. According to the star date at the beginning this happens in 2324. However, Georgiou originally came from season 1 of Discovery and that was in 2256. There’s sixty some years between them but San doesn’t seem to have aged 68 years. So how did he come to the future and how did he know she was going to be there? It really bugged me.

Score: 0.5

Overall

An interesting start to a series, but as a movie it lacks depth and originality. The only thing that saves it is the quality of the actors.

Final Score: 3 Stars out of 5

Back in Action – JenEric Movie Review

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Hello Cinephiles,

Today we’re talking about the 2025 film Back in Action.

Story

It hits every beat of a spy movie and does a great job with the family drama. The story is a pile of tropes thrown together and avoids risk with the obvious set-up for a sequel.

Score: 0.5

Characters

Excellent acting and characters that are a lot of fun. Diaz and Fox have chemistry both as a couple and as a battle couple. The kids are well picked, and Glenn Close is an inspired choice to play Diaz’s mother.

Score: 1

Dialogue

Snappy and more than a few quips. It has a lot of humour and heart in the dialogue, although sometimes it felt like filler.

Score: 0.5

Visuals and Music

The visuals were great and the fight choreography was excellent.

The music sounded like someone trying to combine every spy movie’s soundtracks together. It was good but a little over-done.

Score: 0.5

Fun

This was a lot of fun but the “key” being still useful 15 years later felt like a stretch. The whole Mcguffin was a little over the top. It also could have been done better for the demonstration. Use it to take over Air Force One, or make the alarms at the tower of London sing showtunes. Lot of wasted potential.

That been said, the kids and the family liked it and we all hope for the the inevitable sequel.

Score: 0.5

Overall

A charismatic and excellent cast makes up for a hum-drum spy story. The heart is the family and that’s very well done.

Final Score: 3 Stars out of 5

The Christmas Charade – JenEric Movie Review

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Hello Cinephiles,

Today we’re talking about the 2024 film The Christmas Charade.

Story

A flavourless take on spy movies with absolutely nothing new to add.

Score: 0

Characters

Together, the main actors have great banter, and all the supporting cast are fantastic, but apart or talking spy stuff, it’s bad.

Score: 0.5

Dialogue

Romance and Christmas dialogue is excellent, but the cop or spy dialogue is terrible.

Score: 0.5

Visuals and Music

The movie is obviously low budget but visually they do a great job with what they have. A few sets look ridiculous but overall pretty good, and the cinematography is decent.

The music is a nice combination of the two genres and does a great job.

Score: 1

Fun

Most of the movie had me shaking my head at how bad it was but the chemistry and banter between the leads was fun. The rest of the family felt pretty much the same. I could actually see the large thought bubble over my wife’s head that said, “I could write this better.”

Score: 0.5

Overall

This movie is only entertaining on the charisma and chemistry of its stars. Anyone who enjoys spies will be disappointed, anyone who enjoys Christmas romance will see it once and forget about it.

Final Score: 2.5 Stars out of 5

Argylle – JenEric Movie Review

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Hello Cinephiles,

Today we’re talking about the 2024 film Argylle.

Story

At first, the story feels insultingly simple and a little over-the-top. Once the twists start coming in, the inconsistencies not only make sense but are quite clever. There’s a lot of little details sprinkled throughout that telegraph the twists but doesn’t feel cheap.

Score: 1

Characters

The problem with Matthew Vaughn, the director, is that his characters are very over-the-top and it often feels forced. I did like that the worlds of fiction and reality merged. The downside to it is that some character stories are obvious early on.

That being said, this movie is filled with actors who ooze charisma and at no point is watching them boring.

Score: 0.5

Dialogue

Pure cheese that covers up a lot of world building and story. The dialogue sometimes feels like it’s there to be quippy, but it’s always doing three things at once and it’s frankly amazing.

Score: 1

Visuals and Music

This is a surreal action movie and no one does over-the-top action like Vaughn. It’s so pretty and ridiculous that you can only love or hate it.

The soundtrack is spectacular and the score does everything right.

Score: 1

Fun

Once I remembered what sort of movie I was watching, I greatly enjoyed it. Jen and my mother in-law loved it too. That ice skating scene was so much fun.

It’s fun and clever.

Score: 1

Overall

If you like your spy movies dark, gritty, and realistic, this isn’t for you. This is a big action homage to Romancing the Stone with all the twists, turns, and ridiculousness the director is known for.

Final Score: 4.5 Stars out of 5

Kim Possible – JenEric Movie Review

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Hello Cinephiles,

Today we’re talking about the 2019 film Kim Possible.

Story

Kim Possible isn’t and hasn’t ever been a spy but the stories follow all the spy tropes with a few superhero ones thrown in. The movie does a great job of being faithful to the spirit of the original while updating it to modern audiences. (It’s shocking how much changed between 2007 and 2019.)

The story is mostly nostalgic for older audiences and the story is quite simple. Perfect spy/superhero intro for kids. There is some cartoony ridiculousness that is a little annoying but overall good.

Score: 0.5

Characters

Kim is great and it was nice to see her going through the awkwardness of change.

Ron was portrayed perfectly, one of those super awkward kids with a giant heart. I always cringe at Ron to start and then he quickly becomes my favourite character.

The villains are wonderfully portrayed with the perfect level of overacting.

Score: 1

Dialogue

The dialogue is cheesy and irreverent. Lots of good lines but I found the mixture of mid 2000’s slang and late 2010’s a little weird. Hearing Lit and Fam followed by Booya, felt wrong.

The scene between Kim and her Grandmother was one of the best training dialogues I’ve heard.

Score: 1

Visuals and Music

The action sequences are very Disney Channel but overall they did a great job with the visuals and the music was acceptable.

Score: 0.5

Fun

The kids loved it. The adults, who watched the original in university also loved it.

It was fun and struck a great balance.

As an adult it was nice to see the kids and family talking instead of hiding things.

Score: 1

Overall

Cheesy, fun, and angst free. The story might be a little young and cartoony but they commit and there are some genius scenes.

Final Score: 4 Stars out of 5

Barbie: Spy Squad – JenEric Movie Review

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Hello Cinephiles,

Today we’re talking about the 2016 film Barbie: Spy Squad.

Story

Definitely geared towards younger audiences, it’s a solid intro into the secret agent / spy genre. The twist was predictable for me, but I’ve seen a lot of these.

Score: 0.5

Characters

The main three characters are the usual super awesome Barbie and friends. They fit into the basic spy stereotypes very well. The techie computer guy felt really relatable and the over-the-top spy aunt was pretty funny.

The villain felt a little meh and the heel-face turn was abrupt and could have used more set up.

Score: 0.5

Dialogue

The dialogue oscillates between cutesy and inane. There are a few funny jokes and the overall message is good.

Score: 0.5

Visuals and Music

The visuals are standard Barbie movie with lots of cute spy and action bonuses. It’s not great, but it’s not terrible.

The music is catchy… too catchy. They have 1 song and they use it A LOT!

Score: 0.5

Fun

I enjoyed this the first time I watched it. It has constantly been on of my daughters favourite movies since she could ask for it. She used to say she was going on missions with her spy girls and then do a bunch of flips.

Score: 1

Overall

One of the best Barbie movies available with a strong message and catchy music. It’s a great intro into spy and action movies without the gratuitous violence. It’s fun and one of my daughter’s favourite movies.

Score: 3 stars out of 5