Rated R
Opens: May 3, 2024
Kevin says The Fall Guy Kinda Sucks!

The latest adaptation of a TV series with few similarities to that series is THE FALL GUY.

If you loved the old Lee Majors show about a stunt man helping people on his days off, I have no idea if you’ll like this movie. ‘Cause they’re very different animals. I mean, this is a tongue-in-cheek action movie about a stuntman, but the similarities end there.

The film follows a retired stunt man brought back to work for his ex-lover-slash-director on a sci-fi epic blockbuster. He then has to track down the missing star of the movie.

Yeah, the stunts are fantastic. That’s to be expected. But it’s held together with the filmiest of scripts. It feels like one of those stunt show spectaculars performed at theme parks, with a story as an afterthought and ends up being simultaneously convoluted yet clichéd, and predictable yet baffling.

Stars Ryan Gosling and Emily Blunt have chemistry and are fun with the comedy, but their characters at times don’t even seem necessary for the film. We are left with a slick-looking movie about making movies that appears to have no idea how movies are actually made.

THE FALL GUY gets two and a half thumbs up out of five. I’m Kevin Carr, and that’s the way I see it.

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Rated R
Opens: April 26, 2024
Kevin says Challengers SUCKS!

The new film CHALLENGERS asks the question: Can tennis be sexy?

The answer – at least how it’s presented her – is a resounding NO… Unless you want to be visibly drenched in flop sweat from the actors on a 30-foot tall screen.

The story examines the relationship between three tennis phenoms over the course of thirteen years and their passion for each other and the game itself.

Alas, the characters are all shallow, despicable, and thoroughly unlikeable. But even worse, the film is plain boring. It doesn’t matter how much pulsing pop music you blast on the court.
Still boring.

The film’s success depends on how much of an actual movie star leading lady Zendaya is. It’s so desperate for this that the advertising implies some pretty intense moments.

Sorry guys. None of it actually pays off. We’re left with a feature-length version of a jewelry ad with attractive but utterly vapid people wandering in confusion.

Die hard tennis fans may like this, but it’s a double fault for me.

CHALLENGERS gets 1 1/2 tennis balls out of five. I’m Kevin Carr, and that’s the way I see it.

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Rated R
Opens: April 19, 2024
Kevin says The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare Kinda Rocks!

It’s another weekend, and another war movie is opening in theaters. But this one takes a more whimsical approach.

Guy Ritchie directs THE MINISTRY OF UNGENTLEMANLY WARFARE, a somewhat true but greatly embellished story of a secret British plot during World War II.

Winston Churchill directs a rag-tag group of mercenaries to cripple Germany’s U-Boat capabilities. And along the way, a lot of Nazis get killed. I mean, A LOT.

Not since Quentin Tarantino’s INGLOURIOUS BASTERDS has there been such a joyful display of Nazi grudge-killing, and I’m all for that. It’s what rockets this movie from a war film to an almost comic-book level of insanity. And its tongue-in-cheek attitude with a formidable cast makes it a lot of fun.

As expected from Ritchie, there’s plenty of action and punchy one-liners. He’s definitely back in his filmmaking element here.

Not to be taken too seriously as it revels in its own pulpiness, this is a silly film, but it’s still a great deal of fun.

THE MINISTRY OF UNGENTLEMANLY WARFARE gets three and a half machine guns out of five. I’m Kevin Carr, and that’s the way I see it.

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Rated R
Opens: April 12, 2024
Kevin says Civil War ROCKS!

You might expect Alex Garland’s new film CIVIL WAR to be a scathing deconstruction of American political discourse. But it delivers a far more different – and more chilling – message.

The film follows a group of journalists embedded in a years-long civil war that has torn apart modern America. Leaving the how and why out, the story focuses on the human impact.

The point-of-view from the press works for the most part because wartime journalists have always been there to document rather than to take a side. And this allows the audience to see a removed look at conflict.

There is a political perspective buried in the movie, but rather than focusing on party tribalism, CIVIL WAR takes a familiar “war is hell” stance.

For those calling for a new civil war, be careful what you wish for. This movie demonstrates how the backdrop of any war opens the door to atrocities that go unreported, uncorrected, and unpunished… and it doesn’t matter who you voted for to be this kind of victim.

The climax delivers the wartime action one would expect, but it’s not there to sensationalize things. Rather, it simply asks the audience… is this what you really want?

CIVIL WAR gets four camera lenses out of five. I’m Kevin Carr, and that’s the way I see it.

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Rated R
Opens: April 5, 2024
Kevin says THE FIRST OMEN Kinda rocks!

They’ve rebooted HALLOWEEN and THE EXORCIST. The next 70s horror franchise to get another go is THE OMEN.

THE FIRST OMEN takes us back before the original film, telling the story of a young woman serving at a Roman orphanage before she takes her final vows as a nun. She discovers a mysterious girl living there and stumbles upon a terrifying conspiracy.

THE FIRST OMEN follows the sty le and tone of the original 1976 film, refusing simple jump scares and overblown spectacle. This makes the pacing more deliberate, which may turn off some people, but it felt like it was emulating 1970s filmmaking more than most modern reboots.

The story also offers some new takes on the franchise, juxtaposing elements of demonic possession against mental illness as well as framing society’s waning interest in religion with historic control.

There’s some screenwriting gymnastics to mostly keep the franchise continuity, but the wild plot swings and a well-earned graphic R rating makes this worth checking out for the horror fan.

THE FIRST OMEN gets three sixes out of five. Sorry… couldn’t resist that. I’m Kevin Carr, and that’s the way I see it.

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Rated PG-13
Opens: March 29, 2024
Kevin says GODZILLA X KONG: THE NEW EMPIRE Kinda rocks!

Legendary Pictures’ Monsterverse attempts to get even bigger with the release of GODZILLA X KONG: THE NEW EMPIRE.

In this new kaiju movie, the two titans have to work together to stop a new threat brewing in the Hollow Earth, ready to break free and destroy the world.

Now I love a good monster smackdown movie, which is why I thoroughly enjoyed GODZILLA KING OF THE MONSTERS in 2019 and GODZILLA VS. KONG three years ago. Though to do a proper monster smackdown, you kinda have to have monsters smacking down, and that doesn’t always happen here.

The struggle with GODZILLA X KONG is the film takes so much time with the disposable human characters spouting gobbledy gook meant to explain why these titans are fighting – and which new ones they’re fighting – the film gets bogged down in its own minutia.

Yes, it certainly offers the spectacle you want from a movie like this, and honestly that’s why I’m watching. But the connective tissue is overworked and downright silly at times.

Come for the fighting, but don’t expect much more. GODZILLA X KONG: THE NEW EMPIRE gets three bananas out of five. I’m Kevin Carr, and that’s the way I see it.

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Rated PG-13
Opens: March 22, 2024
Kevin says GHOSTBUSTERS: FROZEN EMPIRE Kinda rocks!

After a successful reboot three years ago, the Ghostbusters are back.

The story follows the new team trying to revitalize the ghost busting business in New York City. But when an ancient evil breaks loose and threatens to freeze the world, the new and old Ghostbusters answer the call.

If GHOSTBUSTERS: AFTERLIFE was a tribute to the 1984 original, FROZEN EMPIRE feels more like an homage to 1989’s GHOSTBUSTERS II. It suffers from similar set-up and narrative problems, trying to offer a fresh take on once-quirky characters from the previous film.

There are some fun moments, and there’s definitely ghosts getting busted throughout the film, but too much of the plot relies on ignoring things that happened in the original. I mean, does nobody remember the Twinkie discussion?

The nostalgia elements work to a degree but sometimes feel sidelined, while new characters seem more at home in the failed 2016 reboot.

Still, it’ll do for throwback mainstream comedy you can take the kids to. GHOSTBUSTERS: FROZEN EMPIRE gets three proton packs out of five. I’m Kevin Carr, and that’s the way I see it.

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Rated PG-13
Opens: March 15, 2024
Kevin says ARTHUR THE KING Kinda rocks!

I’ll be the first to admit that I’m an easy mark for a movie about dogs, and the new film ARTHUR THE KING takes advantage of this.

This inspirational sports film is a true story of a group of athletes, led by Mark Wahlberg, who encounter a stray dog during a 10-day, 435-mile race the Dominican Republic. The dog soon becomes their unofficial mascot and gives them newfound focus.

Wahlberg often balances uplifting stories with his Hollywood blockbusters, and that serves him well. Sure, the first chunk of the movie is all about him, but he eventually defers to his canine costar for the emotional thrust.

The first half is the most flawed. The script struggles through tired tropes and clichés as the racing team comes together, overdoing it a bit on their personal motivations.

But if you’re gonna err in a movie, do it early and then end with a bang. And sure enough, once the racers bond with Arthur the dog, I was suddenly interested.

Ukai, who plays Arthur, is the MVP here. And while the movie hits plenty of familiar beats you’ve seen in a dozen other dog movies, it hits them quite well.

ARTHUR THE KING gets three and a half meatballs out of five. I’m Kevin Carr, and that’s the way I see it.

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Rated PG
Opens: March 8, 2024
Kevin says KUNG FU PANDA 4 Kinda rocks!

After a successful trilogy, DreamWorks brings another installment of the unlikely Dragon Warrior. The aptly named KUNG FU PANDA 4 follows Po as he battles a new villain, a shape-shifting sorcerer seeking the powers of the kung fu masters.

The first Kung Fu Panda was a pleasant surprise, and the sequels have been decent continuations of the one-joke story. This series manages to juggle the new characters picked up along the way, making it better than most for a fourth film.

The cast is good led by an always energetic Jack Black, with Bryan Cranston and James Hong showing a surprising amount of chemistry. However, Akwafina is a bit overexposed right now and wore on my nerves.

The animation continues to impress with slick anime-inspired action elements. And all the cuddly animal characters make it a good bet for families.

Still, the premise is a bit of a stretch this time around… and that’s saying something for a series based on a fat panda who learns kung fu. I’m not sure how many more of these the studio can milk out of the idea, but this one remains clever and fun.

KUNG FU PANDA 4 gets three dumplings out of five. I’m Kevin Carr, and that’s the way I see it.

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Rated PG
Opens: March 1, 2024
Kevin says Dune Part Two ROCKS!

Denis Villeneuve finishes his epic adaptation of Frank Herbert’s classic novel with DUNE: PART TWO.

The story picks right up from the previous film. Paul Atreides (Timothée Chalamet) and his mother Jessica (Rebecca Ferguson) have fled to the desert to join the nomadic Fremen. There, Paul concentrates his power as a potential messiah while planning to overthrow the evil Harkonnens.

Most of my complaints about the previous film have been improved. There’s greater character development, and the diversity of the different worlds is explored… though it still seems the furniture comes from the same Galactic Ikea, no matter the planet.

Most important, this completes a story that was merely set up three years ago. This is why I despise the trend of two-part adaptations. Sure, it generates more cash, but it results in awkward pacing.

This version of DUNE is epic and has scope, and Villeneuve loosened the reins a bit. Though he doesn’t go gloriously off the rails like David Lynch did in the 80s.

This film manages to capture what was once considered unfilmable. And it mitigates a minefield of triggering topics like conspiracies, religion, terrorism, war, and desert politics.

DUNE: PART TWO gets four sandworms out of five. I’m Kevin Carr, and that’s the way I see it.

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Rated PG
Opens: February 23, 2024
Kevin says Ordinary Angels kinda rocks!

With superhero movies slumping at the box office, there’s a new film focusing on the heroism of everyday people.

ORDINARY ANGELS stars Hilary Swank as a woman searching for a purpose. She hears about a young girl needing a liver transplant who just lost her mother, so she makes it her mission to help the family.

While ORDINARY ANGELS falls into the category of faith-based films, it doesn’t lean too heavily into an evangelical push. This works for the story because it focuses on the strength of the human spirit, making it more relateable, rather than literally preaching to the choir.
The strength of this film comes a strong script and excellent performances, with Swank leading the charge. Nancy Travis from LAST MAN STANDING and Alan Ritchson from REACHER deliver the goods as well.

Of course, as uplifting as the film can be, it exposes some serious problems with the healthcare industry which can leave parents with impossible choices. But that’s a discussion for another day.

ORDINARY ANGELS is not for everyone and will be seen as corny by others, but it’s heart’s in the right place, and that counts for something.

ORDINARY ANGELS gets three and a half halos out of five. I’m Kevin Carr, and that’s the way I see it.

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