Willie's View Movie Reviews

   Movies like DADDY'S HOME 2 are made for two things- to entertain and to make people laugh. That is exactly what this sequel to the hit DADDY'S HOME succeeds in doing. Will Ferrell and Mark Wahlberg return as Brad and Dusty, co-dad's to Sara's(Linda Cardellini) two children, as well as much of the original cast. To recap the first one, Brad (Ferrell) is the step-dad to Sara's(Cardellini) two children who finds himself competing with the real Dad, Dusty(Walhberg) for the title of Dad.   With DADDY's HOME 2, we get the Grandfathers added to the mix. Mel Gibson as Dusty's Dad, Kurt and John Lithgow as Brad's Dad, Don. Gibson is stunt casting while Lithgow's performance is indicative of his award-winning career. Lithgow plays a comedic role in dramatic fashion. It could be the other way around as well. One of the things had a problem with in this movie is Gibson's performance, which I found to be a lackluster performance. It as if Gibson is just ...

*WARNING: This review may contain possible spoilers, mild as they may be. Read at your own risk.*    GAME NIGHT tells the story of six friends who get together regularly to play various games. One night, in particular, turns unpredictable and deadly when one of the group's brother (Kyle Chandler) arrives and joins in for his version of Game Night.    GAME NIGHT is, at best, mildly amusing and at worst, poorly crafted story-telling. The marriage of comedy and suspense thriller doesn't mix well here. Neither of the attempted genres works on it's own for that matter. The comedy just isn't laugh out loud funny as I was expecting. Maybe a chuckle here or there, but certainly not the gut buster that I was told to expect. The suspense here is second rate, at best, and never well executed. The bad guys are inept and about as menacing as a Scooby Doo villain.   Let's talk about the screenplay for a minute. The action and the plot literally come to a halt f...

THOR: RAGNAROK has tone issues. By tone, I mean to say that the film doesn't know if it wants to be an all-out comedy, an action comedy or a buddy movie. By the time it  reaches it's conclusion, it takes a turn for the serious side. THE GOOD: Chris Hemsworth gives his most energetic performance of Thor yet. He has developed a good comic timing over the years of playing Thor. Mark Ruffalo gives another scene-stealing performance as The Hulk/Bruce Banner, owning just about every scene he is in. Jeff Goldblum shows up as The Grandmaster, who runs a planet that looks like a colorful garbage dump. He has become a master of comic relief in a big loud blockbuster film. The whole look of the film is nothing but bright colors, adding to the overall fun that is being conveyed in the production.The director, Taika Waititi, does a good job of making this film succeed despite the fact that the film never knows exactly what type of Super Hero film it wants to be. It never flows from on...

     BLACK PANTHER accomplishes that rare feat most movies seldom achieve-transporting the viewer to a place he or she has never been before, meeting fully developed and realized characters that are larger than life. Seeing Wakanda-T'Challa's home/kingdom come to life is like visiting the Land of Oz for the first time. It's magical,breathtaking and a visual wonder to behold.    Then there are the people of Wakanda. Noble,heroic,beautiful, fierce, wise and protective of their homeland. Chadwick Boseman plays the title character, also know as T'Challa, king of Wakanda. Boseman's performance is one that evokes a strength and wisdom that we haven't seen from Super Heroes in quite sometime. You could easily listen to this man and follow him in to battle wholeheartedly. He is surrounded by people as strong and wise as himself. Featuring Danai Gurira as Okoye, T'Challa's right hand woamn/bodyguard who is loyal to a fault even though she states that she is l...

  Before I begin to review THE 15:17 TO PARIS, based on actual events and the book written by its three heroes -Anthony Sadler, Alek Skarlatos and Spencer Stone (co-written with Jeffery E. Stern), I have to thank the four men responsible for risking their lives and stopping a potential tragedy from happening. Again, their names are Anthony Sadler, Alek Skarlatos, Spencer Stone and the fourth man, Mark Magoolian. Thank you, Gentleman, for your bravery and sacrifice to save the many onboard that train.    THE 15:17 TO PARIS is directed by legendary movie star and film director, Clint Eastwood, whose previous films (AMERICAN SNIPER and SULLY) were also true life stories about modern-day American Heroes.     PARIS is a travesty in film-making. Featuring the three young men who became heroes that day on a train that was traveling form Amsterdam to Paris, it was a mistake casting them in the roles as themselves. Heorism aside, is horrible to the poin...

      Based on the children's book of the same name, PETER RABBIT is focused on stealing vegetables from Farmer McGregor's garden to provide for his three sisters, cousin and his buddy. Farmer McGregor is out to stop "the rodents"ruining and stealing from his garden for which he works tirelessly, day in, day out.    From the beginning, the audience has empathy for both sides. If only they could find a common ground and get along. You get an understanding of what drives McGregor and Peter to go the lengths to get what each wants-rid of each other.   What did I enjoy about PETER RABBIT?  Domhall Gleeson (THE LAST JEDI) gives a tremendous and energetic performance as Thomas McGregor, a department store employee who inherits his Uncle's farm. His performance is that of the classic straight man paired with, in this case, CGI animated Rabbits. If you really think about it, Gleason is acting in front of a green screen, predominantly alone for most of ...

    THE CLOVERFIELD PARADOX, the third film in the CLOVERFIELD film series, is a predictable yet thrilling sci-fi puzzle piece of a movie.    We've seen it all before in films like ALIEN, GRAVITY and INTERSTELLAR. All are way better movies. I could go on. What makes this film watchable or good enough to recommend? First and foremost is the very strong performance of Gu Gu Mabatha Raw as Ava Hamilton, who in the beginning, has to choose between going up in space to help save the Earth from a potentially fatal global energy crisis or leaving her Husband, Michael (played by Roger Davies) behind. That is all the plot details I will provide because (1) I only give out just enough information that may or may not entice you the reader to want to see it and (2) it gets spolierish and very complicated (some might say convoluted) very quick.    Second is the twisting and suspenseful story by Oren Uziel and Doug Jung that keeps you (or me)on the ed...

      WINCHESTER tells the tale of Sarah Winchester (playing convincingly by Helen Mirren) and the infamous mansion she built (with help from construction people, of course) for years on end. She claims that her mansion is haunted by the ghosts of people who died from the Winchester rifle and is determined to turn her vast estate into a prison for the ghouls. Enter Doctor Eric Price (played well by Jason Clarke of  Dawn of the Planet of the Apes), who is hired to do a phycological evaluation on Mrs.Winchester to prove whether or not she is of sound mind.   The film unfolds at a steady pace, clocking in at 99 minutes and long enough not to wear out it's welcome. One can easily predict how the story will play out. It's your standard, run of the mill haunted house thriller that breaks no new ground in the genre.The Spierig Brothers(Michael and Peter)manage to create a watchable and somewhat entertaining film that is good for passing the time. This ...

  Not every movie is for everyone. CALL ME BY YOUR NAME is not for me. There are people out there that LOVE this movie. Me? I clearly do not see what they see. Where one see's a beautiful love story, I see it as pointless, plotless and end a movie that couldn't end soon enough. It was 132 minutes of sheer misery for me. FIFTY SHADES DARKER is a step up in comparison. The plot? A Professor living in Italy with his family invites a former student turned writer to visit. The writer has a love affair with the Professor's teenage son. It takes over 90 minutes for that to even happen. I don't count the spit swapping at the 45-minute mark, either.  Like I started out saying, not every movie is for everybody. This movie was clearly not made for me. I didn't enjoy anything about it and I took nothing from it. However, I will say this. There is a scene towards the end of the movie where Armie Hammer is dancing to a song that I forgot what it was, with a young lady and the...