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Review: Barb and Star Go to Vista Del Mar

4/27/2021

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Barb & Star is a blast, chop-full of silly gags and side-turning jokes. Actors Annie Mumolo and Kristen Wiig's comedic force reign superior. A colorful and cheerful experience.


Barb and Star Go to Vista Del Mar is a joyous film to watch throughout. I fully enjoyed its light humor and silly sense of narrative structure. I laughed a lot, bringing me a healing dose of fun. From the moment you see Yoyo (a wonderful Reyn Doi) riding down the street on his bike singing Barbra Streisand and Barry Gibb's "Guilty," I knew I was in for a treat. Meet Barb (a hilarious Annie Mumolo) and Star (a side-splitting Kristen Wiig), two middle-aged gals who decide to embark on the adventure of a lifetime, leaving their small Midwestern town behind for the first time ever. Their vacation leads them to sunny Vista Del Mar, Florida. Barb is a widow, and Star feels abandoned by her husband's infidelity years ago. Yet, the two are more afraid of losing the "shimmer" that made their lives so joyful.
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Meanwhile, we get an eccentric villain named Sharon Gordon Fisherman (also Wiig) and her henchman, Edgar (a lively Jamie Dornan), plotting to destroy Vista Del Mar. Will Sharon succeed with her evil plan? Will Edgar follow through, or will he fall in love with Star and her colorful culottes? You'll have to find out and watch this wonderful movie full of silly jokes and goofy moods from our fluffy-haired heroines. We are even blessed to have two musical numbers, one including Dornan running around the beach, singing to seagulls, and flicking his feet in the sand. "Edgar's Prayer" is incredibly amusing, while the titanic techno-dance sequence had me rolling. Even as the movie becomes more absurd, the jokes keep coming and will fill you up with joy. Barb & Star is a funny film that slapped a smile on my face, and after such a tough year, I needed a good laugh. So, pack your bags and join Barb and Star for a trip of a lifetime. Who knows, you might even meet Trish on the way.
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Barb and Star Go to Vista Del Mar is rated PG-13 (Parents Strongly Cautioned) For crude sexual content | drug use | some strong language.

Directed by
Josh Greenbaum

Starring Kristen Wiig, Annie Mumolo, Jamie Dornan, Damon Wayans Jr., Fortune Feimster, Wendi McLendon-Covey, Rose Abdoo, Vanessa Bayer, Phyllis Smith, Kwame Patterson, and Reyn Doi as Yoyo.
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Review: Godzilla vs. Kong

4/18/2021

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Godzilla vs. Kong is an ultimately silly but exciting super knockout experience. Not wasting any time and living up to its title, Godzilla vs. Kong packs in the giant monster action we've all been waiting for.


Godzilla vs. Kong marks as the fourth film in Legendary's MonsterVerse — Godzilla (2014), Kong: Skull Island, and Godzilla: King of the Monsters — delivering the hype as a vibrant boxing match between our two most famous monsters in cinematic history. The plot is pretty simple, and that's okay: Legends collide in as these mythic rivals meet in a spectacular battle for the ages, with the fate of the world hanging in the balance. Kong and his protectors undertake a dangerous journey to find his true home, Hollow Earth, but they unexpectedly find themselves in the path of an enraged Godzilla. Thus, beginning an epic clash between the two Titans. Dr. Nathan Lind (Alexander Skarsgård) and Dr. Ilene Andrews (Rebecca Hall) are Kong's guide back to his original home, along with Andrews' adopted daughter, Jia (an exceptional Kaylee Hottle). Jia is deaf and has formed a special bond with Kong through sign language as their gatekeeper.
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Madison (Millie Bobby Brown) and her friend Josh (Julian Dennison), along with a Titan conspiracy theorist podcaster named Bernie (Brian Tyree Henry), follow Godzilla's path throughout the film. Madison knows that something is up with Godzilla and that his recent attacks do not add up. With the script material they are given, our actors use it to the best of their abilities to present an emotionally resonant film fueled by action and spectacle. The first encounter leads our two rivals to slug it out in the ocean on a U.S. Navy barge. The second and most pivotal encounter leads our two foes to slug it out in the middle of Hong Kong. Through neon glows and popcorn action, you're in for an adventure. Who wins? I won't ruin the surprise for you. But I will say that another past metal foe of Godzilla's comes out from the shadows.

As of April 16, 2021, 
Godzilla vs. Kong has grossed $80.5 million in the United States and Canada, and $309.7 million in other territories, for a worldwide total of $390.2 million. So, it seems that we finally are starting to escape the trenches of this pandemic for the theater. We have a long way to go, but all it took to get us out of the rut was a giant ape punching a giant lizard in the face. Also, Samba TV reported that 3.6 million households watched at least the first five minutes of the film in the U.S., and 225,000 in the U.K. In the end, see it on the IMAX or watch it from the comfort of your home, as the fearsome Godzilla takes on the mighty Kong. Cheers! 
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Godzilla vs. Kong is rated PG-13 (Parents Strongly Cautioned) Destruction | Brief Language | Intense Creature Violence.

Avaiable to stream on HBO Max until April 30th.

Directed by Adam Wingard

Starring Godzilla and Kong, with special guest appearances by actors Alexander Skarsgård, Millie Bobby Brown, Rebecca Hall, Brian Tyree Henry, Kaylee Hottle, Shun Oguri, Eiza González, Julian Dennison, Kyle Chandler, and Demián Bichir.
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Review: Zack Snyder's Justice League

4/17/2021

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ZSJL has epic written all over it. Filled with mythos and comic book extravaganza, Zack Snyder (Watchmen, Man of Steel, and Batman v Superman) finally got to present his bold vision with a coherent message. While the film still has its flaws, its heart is bigger. A miracle we got here. Snyder can take a bow.


Shot in a 4:3 aspect ratio, due to Snyder's love for Kelly Reichardt's 2020 film, First Cow, Zack Snyder's Justice League is a singular-coherent vision the director was finally able to make. During the production of 2017's Justice League, Snyder's daughter tragically passed away, forcing him to step away from the film altogether. Warner Bros. had to make a decision on who could come in and take over for Snyder. In comes director Joss Whedon (Firefly and Marvel's The Avengers). Yet, Whedon took what Snyder had started and smashed it to pieces, leaving us with a mess of a movie for our DC heroes. Not to mention, Whedon's abusive nature on the set has been coming more into the limelight since the release of the 2017 film.
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In comes the #ReleaseTheSnyderCut movement on social media, gathering more than 180,000 signatures for the online petition. Though I was skeptical that this campaign would actually work, The Snyder Cut came through 3-years later. It is nice to see a director make the product he's always had in mind without the studio hammering down on him. What also needs to be addressed with this online campaign is the toxicity around it. Not all of the campaigning online was toxic, but there were portions that were, which I do not support, just like Snyder does not support. Moving on to our heroes, Superman (Henry Cavil) is dead, and Bruce Wayne A.K.A Batman (Ben Affleck) is determined not to let his sacrifice go to vain. Bruce aligns forces with Diana Prince A.K.A. Wonder Woman (Gal Gadot) to recruit a team of metahumans to protect the world from an approaching threat.

This proves to be more difficult for Bruce than originally thought. In the end, Bruce is able to unite Aquaman (Jason Momoa), Cyborg (Ray Fisher), and The Flash (Ezra Miller). Their new united team steps up to stop Steppenwolf (Ciarán Hinds), DeSaad (Peter Guinness), and Darkseid (Ray Porter) from conquering the Earth through the ancient Mother Boxes. With a splash of mythology and a dash of courage, our heroes are ready to save the world. ZSJL has its flaws, but its heart is bigger, beating loudly for all to hear. With a 4-hour runtime, bloody fights, epic action sequences (my favorite being the Themyscira sequence), and a quest for adventure, ZSJL sticks the landing. Zack Snyder, your work is complete; please take a bow.
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Zack Snyder's Justice League is rated R (Restricted) Violence | Some Language.

Avaiable to stream on HBO Max.

Directed by Zack Snyder

Starring Ben Affleck, Gal Gadot, Jason Momoa, Ezra Miller, Ray Fisher, Henry Cavill, Ciarán Hinds, Amy Adams, Jeremy Irons, and Diane Lane.
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    Ryan Arnold 

    Welcome to
    ​Arnold At The Movies

    Ripe Banana Approved Critic

    I love film and I love to write so I thought, why not combine the two? I currently review every new movie I see in theaters, on VOD, and or Streaming.

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