Passenger review

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I Love Boosters review

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Star Wars: The Mandalorian and Grogu review

STAR WARS: THE MANDALORIAN AND GROGU: 

A FUN BUT GENERIC ADVENTURE IN A GALAXY FAR, FAR AWAY! 

By Nico Beland

Movie Review: *** out of 4

LUCASFILM LTD

Mando and “The Kid” in Star Wars: The Mandalorian and Grogu

 

            Mando, Baby Yoda, and Star Wars return in The Mandalorian and Grogu, the latest film in the Star Wars saga and the first Star Wars movie since The Rise of Skywalker in 2019. The film is directed by Jon Favreau (Zathura, Iron Man 1 and 2, The Jungle Book (2016)) and is a continuation of the Disney+ series, The Mandalorian, which was released from 2019-2023. 

            I really liked the Mandalorian show, well…mainly the first two seasons, and thought it was a refreshing entry in the Star Wars franchise, especially after a letdown sequel trilogy. Basically, a Star Wars version of a western, and unlike Solo: A Star Wars Story…people actually watched it and introduced a bunch of memorable new characters and ideas in the franchise’s mythos. 

            I actually watched Season 3 for the first time recently before seeing this movie, and…it’s fine, it’s definitely a huge step down from the earlier seasons, but I didn’t think it was bad and ended on a decent note. Which brings us to this movie, and I didn’t really have any expectations going into it. 

The Star Wars films have been pretty bumpy to say the least, especially after Disney acquired it with a very strong starting point with 2015’s The Force Awakens and an ultimate fumble with the already mentioned Rise of Skywalker that closed the sequel trilogy off. Despite that, Star Wars has seen a lot of success with their TV and streaming shows, including The Mandalorian, Andor, The Bad Batch, and the new Darth Maul animated series that just came out, maybe now is a perfect time for the Star Wars films to come out of hibernation and bring that magic back…The Mandalorian and Grogu doesn’t quite do that! 

This isn’t a bad film, and there are moments of fun and creativity, but I found a lot of it to be pretty standard. With that said, the charm of its titular characters does carry the film despite its flaws. 

The film is set sometime after the last episode and follows Din Djarin/The Mandalorian (Pedro Pascal-The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent, Materialists, The Fantastic Four: First Steps) and his apprentice, Grogu being enlisted by the New Republic and their Ward (Sigourney Weaver-Alien franchise, Galaxy Quest, Avatar franchise) to rescue a Hutt known as Rotta (voiced by Jeremy Allen White-The Bear, Springsteen: Deliver Me From Nowhere, The Social Reckoning) in exchange for information on a mysterious new target. Yeah, that’s about it, and they stretch it out for 2 hours and 12 minutes! 

The film also stars Jonny Coyne-Alcatraz, Once Upon a Time, The Toxic Avenger (2025)) reprising his role as Janu Coin, the film’s co-writer Dave Filoni reprising his role as both Trapper Wolf and Embo, Steve Blum (Cowboy Bebop, Final Fantasy VII: Advent Children, Wolverine and the X-Men) reprising his role as the voice of Garazeb “Zeb” Orrelios, film director Martin Scorsese (Taxi Driver, GoodFellas, Hugo) as the voice of…Hugo the shopkeeper and Matt Willig (Year One, We’re the Millers, Birds of Prey) as Hogsbreth. 

Overall, Star Wars: The Mandalorian and Grogu is far from being the worst Star Wars movie, and there are some great aspects about it, but it’s still a pretty mid-entry in this franchise that never really takes the series anywhere new. Favreau has shown many times before that he has talent both in front of and behind the camera and is more than capable of crafting something engaging and entertaining (Elf, the first Iron Man, the first two seasons of The Mandalorian, etc.), so I just find it baffling that a Mandalorian movie directed by the man who basically started the Disney+ series could be so generic. 

Everything is kind of going through the motions and not really taking The Mandalorian or the Star Wars franchise in general to new heights. Most of the stuff in this movie was already done and done better in the show, the mission, the side quests, all of it, because the show actually made you care for the characters and what their conflicts were. 

I’m actually struggling to remember what Mando’s goal even was in this movie aside from collecting information on a target. There wasn’t really any character growth for him, and I actually got far more development out of the three seasons of his show than I did in this. 

To Pedro Pascal’s credit, he still plays the Mandalorian very well, and his charisma does shine through whether he’s kicking ass or interacting with Grogu or any of the other characters. His charm works well enough, even if this movie does him dirty compared to the show a lot of the time. 

I did enjoy Steve Blum’s performance as the voice of this New Republic pilot who joins Mando on his quest quite a bit, and I’m not just saying that because I’m a huge fan of his work. His vocal delivery, snark, and wit really brought that character to life, and it was an absolute delight hearing his voice come out of movie theater speakers. 

The action sequences are fine, though it’s the typical spaceships shooting lasers at other spaceships that we’ve seen in other Star Wars movies. For the most part, they’re shot and choreographed well, and the practical and CG effects do look good. 

The film itself, though, is pretty damn ugly and murky in terms of the visuals, with constant dark greens clouding the scenes and dimmed lighting. I don’t know what Favreau, Disney, or the visual effects team were thinking when making the color scheme so drab, especially compared to how vibrant and colorful other Star Wars movies and even the Mandalorian series are, which took me out of it and is probably my most glaring issue with the production. 

I also felt the movie was too long, and I can pinpoint the exact moment when it started to drag for me; it was when a character gets poisoned and is slowly dying, and the film spends a lot of time on another character trying to get the supplies needed to save them. It actually made me miss the long Pod Race from The Phantom Menace or the Sand talk from Attack of the Clones; that part was so dull. 

I’m just barely giving this film a positive review because The Mandalorian and Grogu is not a bad movie; it is perfectly fine for what it is, and those looking for big-screen Star Wars thrills will likely get their fill. But coming off the series that started to breathe new life into Star Wars, I expected better. 

Is God Is review

IS GOD IS: 

A BLOODY, WILD ROAD TO REVENGE! 

By Nico Beland

Movie Review: **** out of 4

MGM AND ORION PICTURES

Kara Young and Mallori Johnson in Is God Is

 

            Two sisters visit their dying mother, who asks them to kill their father in Is God Is, the feature film directorial debut of Alesha Harris and a revenge thriller adapted from Harris’ play of the same name. I was onboard for this the moment I saw the trailer. I love these grainy, Tarantino-esque revenge movies with witty dialogue and pools of blood spurting out of people with a very Blaxploitation feel in a lot of areas.

            This definitely seemed like a Jackie Brown meets Kill Bill and Thelma & Louise buddy movie with emphasis on blood-drenched revenge. I’ve never seen the play the film was based on, but after seeing this, I’m curious to check it out. 

            Is God Is is a really damn good movie and entertaining from beginning to end, it’s tension-filled, darkly comical, and completely fucking insane. It was an enjoyable watch for me, chaotic and crazy, while still having strong character moments between the two leads. 

            The film follows Racine (Kara Young-Chemical Hearts, Master, I Love Boosters) and Anaia (Mallori Johnson-The Other Zoey, Steal Away), two sisters who visit their dying mother, whom they call God (Vivica A. Fox-Independence Day 1 and 2, Set It Off, Kill Bill). Their mother, God only has one request for Racine and Anaia before she dies, “Make their daddy dead…like, real dead!” after he set her and them on fire and abandoned them, Racine and Anaia set course for a violent and chaotic manhunt to kill their father (Sterling K. Brown-This Is Us, Black Panther, The Marvellous Mrs. Maisel). 

            The film also stars Erika Alexander (The Cosby Show, Get Out, American Fiction) as Divine the Healer, Janelle Monáe (Moonlight, Hidden Figures, Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery) as The New Wife, Mykelti Williams (Forrest Gump, Ali, Fences) as Chuck Hall the Lawyer, and Josiah Cross (King Richard, A Thousand and One, Lady in the Lake) as Ezekiel. 

            Overall, Is God Is is a wild and bumpy ride for retribution in the best way and one of the most consistently entertaining films I’ve seen all year. It didn’t have a low point at all during its runtime and kept this non-stop and frantic energy going all throughout the flick. 

            One thing the movie does that I thought was extremely clever is when Young and Johnson are completely silent and give each other little facial expressions to communicate with subtitles on the screen to say what they’re saying to one another. Just goes to show, even without speaking to each other, Kara Young and Mallori Johnson have incredible chemistry, though I must say, I really hope those subtitles onscreen were written by a black person. 

            Kara Young and Mallori Johnson are amazing as the two sisters and do a stellar job working off each other, with Young as the unhinged, wild card of the duo and Johnson as the quieter, more restrained sister. I love hearing their banter with one another, and despite this grim, psychotic predicament they’re in, they also bring a lot of heart to the film. 

            Actors like Vivica A. Fox and Sterling K. Brown are more like supporting roles and aren’t in the film much, but they make do with the screen time given to them, with Fox giving probably the most chilling performance I’ve ever seen from her and Brown having a ball chewing the scenery and hamming it up. Definitely the kind of character you can’t wait to see get his blood-soaked comeuppance by the end. 

            The film definitely has a sort of Quentin Tarantino/Grindhouse movie vibe in terms of tone and filmmaking, but I wouldn’t call it a complete gore-fest from start to finish. It has moments like that, and the moments it has are effective, but it’s not trying to be the Kill Bill of movies about siblings killing their evil dad; it has blood and gory scenes, but it’s shockingly reserved for a film like this with more focus on the characters and their mission. 

            The makeup effects on Vivica A. Fox and Mallori Johnson are incredible, especially on Fox, who is almost unrecognizable under all this paint and prosthetics to make her look like a burn victim. Both she and Johnson have the exact same thing going on with their makeup as burn victims and look spectacular, but Fox’s makeup really stood out to me. 

            Not sure what else to say, Is God Is combines various genres like dark comedy and tense drama with outstanding performances by its cast and a script that mixes heart and bloodshed. It’s a wild but also endearing trip that I highly encourage buckling up for because it is quite a ride. 

Obsession review

OBSESSION: 

ONE BAD WISH GONE HORRIFYINGLY WRONG! 

By Nico Beland

Movie Review: *** ½ out of 4

FOCUS FEATURES

Michael Johnston in Obsession

 

            A man makes a wish to have the girl he has a crush on fall in love with him, only for it to backfire in the most nightmarish way possible in Obsession, the new horror film from Blumhouse and director Curry Barker (Milk & Serial). I was definitely interested when I saw the teaser trailer for this (I don’t recall if I ever watched the full trailer of it), as it showed very little about the film other than it involving a guy with some shitty novelty wish toy from the 80s who made a wish and is now regretting it, that was all I knew going into it. 

            I gotta say that minimal knowledge of the film did not prepare me for the absolute chaos I would witness while watching Obsession, Holy Fucking Shit! Obsession is crazy, and this is coming off of the completely unsettling Hokum, which I saw recently, though this probably isn’t anywhere near as nightmare-fueled as that film. 

            The film follows Bear (Michael Johnston-Teen Wolf, Slash, Endangered Species), a music store employee who has a serious crush on his co-worker and childhood friend, Nikki Freeman (Inde Navarrette-Wander Darkly, 13 Reasons Why, Superman & Lois). One day, while shopping at a mystic shop for Nikki, Bear finds a novelty toy known as a One Wish Willow that claims to grant a wish when broken, which he uses to make her fall in love with him. 

            At first, everything seems fine, albeit a little off that Nikki instantly falls for him, but Bear begins to suffer the nightmarish consequences of his wish with no way to reverse it…at least nonfatally. 

            The film also stars Andy Richter (Andy Richter Controls the Universe, Madagascar franchise, Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby) as Bear and Nikki’s boss, Carter Harper. 

            Overall, Obsession is a dark, twisted take on, I guess, a romance that’s bursting with terror, sick humor, and a (slight) sense of relatability for anyone who’s ever had a huge crush on someone. The movie is basically like a horror version of a rom-com with a similar premise and plays around with the tropes, which I thought was very clever considering how formulaic that genre can get. 

            How often does a romantic-comedy depict someone being intensely affectionate towards another person because of something magical happening to them, or doing something completely insane for the sake of love, and it’s seen as charming? Pretty often, though, in actuality, that crazy rom-com behavior would be seen as creepy if done in real life, and this film illustrates that in the most extreme ways possible. 

            In an actual rom-com, Michael Johnston’s Bear would probably be this awkward but kind-hearted kid trying to get the girl of his dreams. That’s not what this movie does, as they don’t exactly portray him as particularly likable, but they make him sympathetic and endearing enough for the film to work, though there are plenty of times in it where he’s too stupid to pick up on things that are wrong. 

            Inde Navarrette is freaking incredible as Nikki and genuinely frightening when the wish’s effects take hold, while also having a degree of humor on top of that. She’ll scream, say, and do something crazy, and all of a sudden she’ll say something casual and normal, which is probably the best running joke in the movie because it always happens when you’d least expect it. 

            Also, something the film does with her that I thought was extremely clever was keeping her in the shadows during a lot of scenes and leaving just enough light for you to make out her face, and you’re never certain if they’re going to do something with her face or it’s just her normal face that’s just in the shadows. I was waiting for her to turn into some kind of demonic entity and do a jumpscare, but it never happened, and it was an effective suspense builder. 

            The scares range from quiet silence followed by booming sounds to gross-out scenes and gory kills, with one in particular involving somebody’s head, a brick, and a steering wheel. It’s not a straight-up gore-fest from beginning to end, but it gets pretty fucking grisly at times. 

            This is a solid movie with good tension and dark humor, but there’s one huge issue I have with it: the sound design. As someone who enjoys the loud, booming audio of an IMAX theater, this movie was way too fucking loud, and it wasn’t even in IMAX. Navarrette is screaming her lungs out (And damn, she’s got powerful lungs according to this film), but it got annoying and repetitive to the point where it did affect my rating of it a little. 

            I feel this movie is going to have varying reactions amongst moviegoers, and truth be told, they’re all valid. For me, aside from…the sound designers trying to put Christopher Nolan to shame for some odd reason, I really liked Obsession as a bizarre, completely unpredictable horror take on a rom-com premise, if you know what you’re getting into, you've got quite a date with this film. 

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