Child’s Play (2019)

Pros:

•What I appreciate is that this is not just a shot for shot remake of the 1988 movie (which I love and would watch all the time when I was a kid). Yes, it features a killer doll named Chucky whose given to a boy named Andy (although in this movie Andy is 13) as a gift from his Mom. But the origin story of Chucky is very different and they made it fit into modern times. 

•Andy is played surprisingly well by Gabriel Bateman. He didn’t annoy me the way a lot of kid actors do. 

•When Mark Hamill announced he was going to be the voice of Chucky I thought that was absolutely perfect casting. I was a little worried that he would just be doing the Joker voice again but it wasn’t. He did an amazing job as usual. 

•The movie never takes it self too seriously and just has fun. I had a blast watching this. 

•The kills were creative. 

•I read somewhere that the budget on this was $10 million. It looks good and they were able to make the most of the money they had. 

•Only an hour and a half which is the perfect length for a movie like this. It kept me engaged the whole time and I never once felt bored. 

Cons:

•Falls apart a bit at the end. Not that I hated it or anything, it’s just that compared to the rest of the movie it’s kind of weak. Still, definitely check it out. 

My Rating: 8/10

Toy Story 4

Like many people, I was very skeptical when they announced they were making a fourth Toy Story movie. Toy Story 3 had such a perfect ending and there was no way anything would top that. Boy was I wrong! I know it’s early but Toy Story 4 is definitely going to be a candidate for my top ten list. It’s seriously that good. 

What I’ve always loved about Pixar movies is while technically they’re aimed at kids, adults can enjoy them as well. They deal with a lot of themes that go way over kids heads. 

The story here is really well done.  I like how it mainly focuses on Woody. Don’t worry though, you still get to see plenty of your other favorite characters. Hell I even loved the newest character Forky. He didn’t annoy me at all like he did in the trailer. 

And if you thought the Toy Story 3 ending was emotional be prepared for one of the biggest emotional punches in the gut with this one. Here I was smiling, laughing and having a good time. I’m like, when will I start crying? Then it hits. Right in the feels. 

I could go on all night about how amazing this movie is but I don’t want to spoil it. Just go see it for yourselves. You’ll have a great time. 

My Rating: 10/10

Dark Phoenix

This will be a pretty short review. I really don’t know how much I can say that hasn’t already been said. Plus after the complete disaster that was Apocalypse I really wasn’t looking forward to this one. So what’s the verdict? Honestly? It really wasn’t that bad..... up until the last maybe 30 minutes or so. 

I’ll admit I was really into the movie throughout most of it. The story was interesting and I liked some of the ideas they presented. And the acting was fine overall. Clearly none of the actors wanted to be there and were only fulfilling contract obligations, but they did the best they could with what they had to work with (especially Michael Fassbender). 

For awhile there I kept thinking, “This really isn’t that bad. I’m not sure why this is getting such horrible reviews.” Then the last 30 minutes happened. Oh.... I get it now. 

Those final 30 minutes completely brought the movie down for me. I was just past the point of getting mad. Really Fox??? THIS is how you wanted your final X-Men movie to go out? *sigh* Fine.....

Do yourself a favor, if you do end up seeing this movie (and I would say wait until it’s on Netflix or cable) turn it off once they get to New York. Come up with your own ending. Trust me whatever you think of will be a million times better than the mess they came up with. 

Better yet, just watch Logan again. 

I need a nice LONG break from any X-Men movies after this. 

My Rating: 5.5/10

Red Joan

Plot:

80 year old Joan Stanley (Judi Dench) is exposed as the KGB’s longest serving British spy. Based (very loosely apparently) on a true story. 

Pros:

•Right off the bat the movie tells you that it’s “inspired by a true story”. Normally something like that might annoy me but not in this case. Red Joan is such a well made and fascinating movie that it didn’t matter. 

•Judi Dench is great as always. She’s the main reason I wanted to see this. But she’s way more of a supporting character than I thought she would be. The movie is mainly told in flashbacks and features Sophie Cookson as a young Joan. She’s actually a pretty good actress and does a nice job in the role. 

•The costumes and sets are gorgeous as well as the music score. 

•Well directed and moves at a decent pace. 

•If you’re a fan of period pieces I think you’ll enjoy this. 

Cons:

•Nothing major really. I did feel however that the movie could’ve been a bit longer. It’s such an interesting story that I didn’t want it to end. 

•A few of the supporting characters were a bit weak and could’ve used more development. 

My Rating: 8/10