jonsid57 Reviews

The Iron Claw (2023)

Sad film

[7/10 · 18 January 2024]

This was a sad film which was a bit slow at times but still good . The story about the Von Erich family is interesting. The father Fritz ( played very well by Holt ) is stubborn and very determined that his kids succeed in the wrestling business .Zac Efron puts in a good performance as Kevin Von Erich and is likeable . Kerry's run in the then WWF is covered all too briefly . What led up to his suicide is barely covered leaving us wonder what went wrong . The actor who plays the nature boy Ric Flair doesn't do a very good job . The film has it's moments . I read that the story of one of the brothers is omitted which is strange .

No Hard Feelings (2023)

Fun film

[7/10 · 23 June 2023]

This was a fun film a mish mash of American Pie, Pretty Woman , The Graduate and The Paulbearer. It is by the same director as the film Good Boys .

Jennifer Lawrence plays Maddie a woman in her 30s working as an Uber driver . She has her car repossessed and is having trouble selling her mums home . She accepts an offer by the parents (one of which is Matthew Broderick ) to date their son Percy. Percy is a shy quiet teen who does volunteer work at a animal shelter . His parents want him to come out of his shell before he goes to college .The relationship between an older lady and a younger man has been done before but is nonetheless interesting . They both teach each other things and develop feelings for each other . It's worth a watch .

Maybe I Do (2023)

Average Rom Com

[5/10 · 26 May 2023]

This is a passable film which could have been better . It reminded me a bit of Father of the Bride and One Night Stand. Emma Roberts and Luke Bracey are a couple planning to wed but are not sure if they should. It is a total coincidence that both of their respective parents are cheating on their partners. Richard Gere has beeb having an affair with Susan Sarandon while William H Macy meets Dianne Keaton and they start spending time with each other . The film has its moments but otherwise is predictable. Perhaps a different ending would have risen my rating . The film is based on a play and is a bit slow at times .

Better Watch Out (II) (2016)

The Good Son

[5/10 · 8 April 2023]

This film reminded me a bit of the Good Son about an evil clever psychopath . Olivia De Jonge plays a babysitter (Ashley) to Luke (Levi Miller ) A home invasion occurs but not all is at it seems . It turns out the boy Luke is behind it all .The film has its moments and has some twists and turns . Some of it is quite original . It is quite disturbing at times . I didn't like the ending. It left it too open . An expanded ending would have been better . The forensics should have been followed up more .It's a watchable film but could have been better . The performances by the two main leads are good.

Stalker (II) (2020)

Not a bad thriller

[7/10 · 28 March 2023]

This was not a bad little thriller with a couple of twists towards the end . Vincent Van Horn plays Andy. He meets a lady at a bar Sam (Christine Ko) and they become involved . He tells her that his ex cheated on him . He accepts a lift back from a ride share driver Roger. (Michael Lee Joplin) Soon Andy regrets this as Roger keeps messaging him and after he rejects Roger Roger begins to stalk him . Not all is at it seems in this film . There are some twists and turns later in the film . It has elements of the Saw films and The Gift (Joel Edgerton) The film does hold you and you don't know what is coming next .

Creed III (2023)

Good but could have been even better

[7/10 · 3 March 2023]

A good third film in the series but was let down by a weak final fight .

In this film Adonis Creed is now retired and his wife is a music producer . They have a daughter who is keen on boxing . One day at the gym Adonis runs into Damian Anderson ( played very well by Jonathan Morris) Damian and Adonis had many years ago been in trouble with the law. Damian went to prison for many years too . All seems well in the beginning then Damian asks Adonis to pull some strings for him as a promoter and get him a title fight .Suddenly that chance comes when a fighter is attacked . Adonis learns some things he didn't know about Damian. Soon they are enemies and the only way they can settle it is to fight in the ring . The final fight seems rushed and some of the fight is shown with no audience which is very peculiar . The fight is predictable. The absence of Rocky as a mentor is noticed .

The Whale (2022)

Drags after an hour

[5/10 · 17 February 2023]

This film started well but then began to drag and became more of the same. Brendan Fraser plays Charlie an obese English teacher who is heading for an early death . A loss in his life has led to him not caring about his weight . He sits on his couch eats and eats and teaches his class . He doesn't let his students see his face . Charlie's main visitor is his friend and carer Liz. (Hong Chau) She cares for him and wants to help him but Charlie refuses to go to hospital . He does want to make things right with his daughter Élie who dislikes him .

The film is based on a play and you can tell . Most of the film is in one room and it drags . The standout of the film is rhe performance of Brendan Fraser .

Her Deadly Groom (2020 TV Movie)

Great Villain

[6/10 · 12 February 2023]

An ok thriller with a great villain .Kate Watson plays Allison whose best friend Brenna(Kelly Erin Decker) puts her on a dating site . She meets a man Vincent ( excellently played by Michael Devorzon) who is an absolute psychopath who will kill anyone that gets in his way .

Kate's daughters boyfriend Jake (Jacob Michael ) sees through Vincent and knows he has met Vincent before . Everyone who gets in Vincent's way will get harmed in some way . Eric Roberts bas a small role as George the ex husband of Allison . There are a couple of twists in the film .

The ending was implausible. Nonetheless it is worth a watch .

The Wrong Teacher (2018 TV Movie)

Good B Grade Film

[7/10 · 11 February 2023]

This was an enjoyable B grade film like The Boy Next Door and The Crush . Jessica Morris plays Charlotte a high school teacher and writer who has an affair with a young man Chris .(played brilliantly by Philip McElroy) It turns out that Chris is also her student . Chris has a major crush on Charlotte and begins to stalk her making her life a living hell . Chris is a disturbed individual with a past.

Chris pretends to be an art buyer to meet Charlottes fiancé Scott and also meets up with one of Charlottes female friends . Eric Roberts puts in a good performance as a Vice Principal.

The film does follow a predictable path but is still entertaining.

The Estate (II) (2022)

Fun film

[7/10 · 7 February 2023]

This was a fun film with a great cast . Tony Colette and Anna Farid play sisters Macey and Savanna who try to win over their dying aunt Hilda (Kathleen Turner) to get in her will before she dies .

Other relatives like Richard (David Duchovny) Beatrice (Rosemarie Dewitt) find out and also try to win over Hilda before she dies .

The film has some funny scenes which each person trying to outdo the other to win over Hilda .

The film has a couple of late twists which I predicted .

The characters are not particularly likeable due to what they are trying to do to get rich .

Nonetheless it was an enjoyable film to watch .

Knock at the Cabin (2023)

Disappointing Film

[4/10 · 4 February 2023]

I was expecting this film to be be good after watching the trailer but walked out disappointed. The film starts off with a young girl Wen (Kristen Cui) being questioned by a mysterious man Leonard. (Dave Bautista) Wen gets scared and runs to the cabin where her two dads Eric and Andrew (played by Jonathan Groff and Ben Aldridge) are to tell them not to open the door. Soon Leonard and three other strangers are banging on their door demanding to be let in. When they do get in they say that the world is about to end unless one of the parents or Wen dies. Thats the choice the family have to make who to sacrifice. The film starts well, and Dave Bautista puts in an impressive performance. Sadly, however with the film mainly being in the one room it becomes repetitive and boring. The ending is disappointing. Having read what happened in the book I can see why they didn't use that ending but it would have made for a more interesting ending. Like the film Old this was another disappointing film by M Night Shymalan.

Yesterday (III) (2019)

Fun Movie

[7/10 · 14 January 2023]

This is s fresh new idea A fun movie about a musician Jack Malik (Himesh Patel) whose career is not progressing . Jack has a friendship with Elliot ( Lily James ) who also awrd as his manager . One night there is a blackout and for some strange reason everyone besides Jack it seems has forgotten about the Beetles . Jack begins to sing the songs and gets noticed . Next thing he meets Ed Sheeran and Ed's manager and becomes a big thing . Jack does develop a conscience later and meets two people who do remember the Beetles. The film is perhaps a tad long and the conclusion is inevitable . Jack does a great job as Himesh while it's nice to see Ed Sheeran in a film.

M3GAN (2022)

Female Chucky

[7/10 · 14 January 2023]

This film was quite good. It had bits and pieces of Chucky, Terminator and Anabelle in it.

Cady's parents die in a car crash and she is taken in by her aunt Gemma (played by Allison Williams) Cady is a lonely girl and Gemma introduces her to the robot creation Megan which Gemma created.(as part of her work) Megan stays with them and develops a strong connection to Cady and then starts involving herself in the familys affairs firstly with a neighbours dog who is causing issues and then with the neighbour. Slowly Megan is becoming more unstable and violent . You can see where the film is going and towards the end Megan is a full on psychopath. An inevitable sequel is planned.

A Man Called Otto (2022)

Grumpy Old Man

[6/10 · 2 January 2023]

This film reminds me a bit of As good as it Gets . Tom Hanks plays Otto a grumpy old man whose wife recently died . He feels that he doesn't have much to live for . He attempts suicide a number of times but is unsuccessful. He is rude to shop staff and to neighbours .

A chance encounter with some new neighbours changes things . Otto befriends the neighbours and even babysits their kids . He helps them teaching the wife how to drive and also helps them with tasks at their home . Otto also befriends and takes in a cat . Otto also helps out some neighbours who are in danger of losing their place .

Tom Hanks son plays a younger Otto.

The film is not bad. We see Otto become a better person . It is a bit long at two hours .

Whitney Houston: I Wanna Dance with Somebody (2022)

Reasonable film

[6/10 · 26 December 2022]

This film was ok. It was a bit long. Naomi Ackie plays Whitney Houston and does a great job . She has a lesbian relationship with Robyn Crawford before moving onto Bobbie Brown. It is a rocky marriage with Bobby doing drugs and cheating on her. Whitney later files for divorce .

The highlight of the film is the music especially the scene where Naomi sings Greatest love of All. The film touches briefly on family problems and her drug abuse .

The standout performance of the film is by the ever reliable Stanley Tucci who plays Clive Davis a record producer who signs her . He later tells her she needs to go to rehab Of course we all know what happens in the end to Whitney . A real waste .

The Other Woman (2014)

Fun film

[7/10 · 21 December 2022]

A fun film where the cheater gets his just desserts .

Cameron Diaz plays Carly a lawyer who finds out her boyfriend Mark is cheating on her and is actually married . She meets his wife Kate (played by Lesley Mann) and then they both discover that Mark has another lover too in Amber (Kate Upton). The 3 women then decide to team up to get revenge playing some tricks on Mark .

The film has some funny scenes particularly the toilet scene .

Nikolaj Coster-Waldau does a great job as the wife cheater Mark. Leslie Mann does a great job as the wife .

Don Johnson has a small role as Cameron Diaz's father .

The Boy Next Door (2015)

Reasonable Thriller

[6/10 · 4 December 2022]

An ok thriller which has its moments .

The film is similar to Fatal Attraction, The Crush , Fear and Swimfan. Jennifer Lopez plays a school teacher Clare who separates from her husband (played by John Corbett) who cheated on her . She meets a 19 year old teenager Noah (Ryan Guzman ) who she has an affair with .

When Clare regrets her decision and tells Noah she doesn't want to continue he begins to stalk her. He hacks into her computer system , attends her class and tries to influence her son to hate his father . Ryan is ok as the villain. Lopez is a bit weak as the main character.

It's not amazing but not bad either .

Barbarian (2022)

Had Potential

[6/10 · 21 October 2022]

This film was really good and scary early on . Tess (Georgina Campbell) moves onto ab. Air b and b which just happens to be double booked with Keith (Bill Skarsgard) staying there too . Soon weird things happen when Tess sees her locked door open up and Keith is making noises in his sleep . They both soon investigate what is going on . It is never followed up why the place was double booked after the initial confusion .

Tess is interviewed by a lady for a job who tell her she shouldn't be living there. The lady doesn't say why not . Soon AJ) Justin Long ) moves in too .

The film is a bit similar to Wrong Turn re the villain . It has it's moments but becomes a mishmash of different films .

There is one character who appears in the film whose part seems totally irrelevant .

Halloween Ends (2022)

The best in the trilogy

[7/10 · 14 October 2022]

I found this to be the best and most interesting film of the series . The start was great with a family letting in a babysitter who turns out yo be evil . This new guy Corey is the main vilain of the piece before Michael comes in . He also dates Laurie's grand daughter. Laurie initially becomes fond of Corey when she sees some teenagers bully him but later begins to see that Corey is evil .Rohan Campbell does a great job portraying Corey . The film does hold you and it does have a twist towards the end .

The music is great and the final confrontation between Laurie and Michael is good .

This is supposedly the final Halloween film but I doubt it will be .

A Stalker in the House (2021)

Ok tv thriller

[5/10 · 8 October 2022]

This is a passable stalking thriller that does become a bit repetitive. Jen (Veronica Issa) meets a guy Mike ( Jack Pearson ) online and he won't take no for an an answer . He keeps showing up at her doorstep and she even sleeps with him one time despite hating him.

The film has some faults . All the people Jen seems to associate with are killed and she never seems to question where they are . Jen keeps saying she will get an intervention order against Mike but doesn't .

The performance by Jack Pearson as the psychopathic Mike is very good .

It's a ok tv movie which could have been better .

Fall (I) (2022)

Could have been a bit shorter

[6/10 · 24 September 2022]

This film was an interesting idea but did drag on a bit . It would be probably better suited to a tv show rather than a cinema release . Two female friends climb up a decommissioned tv tower but get stuck at the top . The film had elements of Cliffhanger, Vertical Limit and the thriller Frozen. . The film has some twists and turns and some villains in vultures who are wanting to peck at the women . The film does drag on at times . There is only so much they can do with it. The twist at the end was a surprise but it has been done before . It's a passable film which could have been better . I liked the mention of some wrestlers names in the film .

The Gift (VI) (2015)

Interesting idea

[6/10 · 21 September 2022]

This film started off very well . Jason Bateman and Rebecca Hall play married couple Simon and Robyn who move back home into a new home. A man Gordo (Joel Edgerton) recognises Simon(in a shop ) as an old school colleague and makes friends with Simon and Robyn.

Soon Gordo is popping into their house and gifts. Simon becomes suspicious and tells Gordon to stay away from them . Soon Gordo is stalking them. The film is not as it seems. Both men are not particularly likeable and it is hard to barrack for either of them. Simon is keeping a secret .

Thé film leaves some things a bit open at the end .

Joel Edgerton does a good job portraying Gordo the weirdo.

Prom Night (I) (2008)

Good Thriller

[7/10 · 18 September 2022]

I liked this film despite the many bad reviews . It held me and it was a nice length at 85 minutes. It never got boring .Jonathan Schack plays Richard Fenton a crazy ex teacher (who killed Thé family of Donna Keppell ) who breaks out of a prison and goes to the hotel where the prom is being held to kill Donna (Brittany Snow) . The film has plenty of scares . Idris Elba is good as Detective Winn. He has a great screen presence .

The film has one eery scene where one of the students sees Fenton in the lift but can't quite remember who he is until she suddenly comes to the realisation who this person is and knows she has to tell Donna . .

Serving Sara (2002)

Fun film

[6/10 · 14 September 2022]

This is a fun film about a process server trying to serve a lady (whose husband is cheating on her )until she doubles it if he serves her husband . The film starts off slowly but then picks up . The film has some funny scenes one involving Matthew Perry and a bull and there is also a funny scene at the airport as well as at a hotel where they have no money and they ask for a room.

The ending takes place at a monster truck arena . Matthew Perry is great in his role as is Elizabeth Hurley who wears some sexy outfits too and is fun to watch . Vincent Pastore as Tony is a good villain . There is a an unexpected twist later in the film which I enjoyed.

I wasn't expecting much so I was pleasantly surprised . I would recommend the film .

Orphan: First Kill (2022)

Not a bad prequel

[6/10 · 4 September 2022]

This film wasn't bad . It did contain an unexpected twist half way through the film .

In this prequel we learn that Esther (played by Isabelle Fuhrmam )is Lena an Estonian psychiatric patient. She escapes from the institute after seducing then killing a guard .

She then pretends to be a missing girl Esther and is reunited with her supposed family in America . Like the first film the mother is not very trusting of her while the father bonds with her and they both have a love of art .

Thé film is quite interesting for the first hour . With it being a prequel you are never in doubt how it will end . Nonetheless it is still worth a watch .