The Cinematic Review-verse

On Thursday, February 26, 2026, I saw ‘Crime 101.’ Despite knowing the cast but not the plot, I thought it was well-executed. It felt like a neo noir film, particularly like Steve McQueen’s ‘Bullitt’ movie with the California setting and Chris Hemsworth’s character in chases with stylish classic cars. Speaking of Hemsworth, I think he, along with co-star Mark Ruffalo, showed some star potential away from his frequent Marvel Studios films. And Halle Berry’s character proved that just because you’re older, doesn’t mean you don’t still have some gas left in the tank. In ‘Crime 101,’ Hemsworth played a jewel thief named Mike Davis who preferred to be nonviolent while trying to be rich. I liked him best when he was just cruising around in a Dodge Challenger and charming a publicist’s assistant named Maya, played by Monica Barbaro. Chris Hemsworth as Mike Davis in ‘Crime 101.’ Photo courtesy of IMDb.com and Amazon MGM Studios. Monica Barbaro and Chris Hemsworth in character as Maya, and Mike...

Poster of Predator: Badlands . Courtesy of 20th Century Studios. Good evening, readers. Friday night, November 7th was when I watched Predator: Badlands , my first time watching any Predators movies, and I was impressed. The post-apocalyptic outer space atmosphere, the special effects for the alien creatures, and the tense yet charming chemistry between Elle Fanning and Dimitrius Schuster-Koloamatangi were all what made Badlands a good movie to watch. Dimitrius Schuster-Koloamatangi as Dek from Predator: Badlands . Courtesy of 20th Century Studios. Dek , a Predator from the planet Yautja , played by Schuster-Koloamatangi, went off to kill a creature called the Kalisk on the planet Genna after his father, played by Schuster-Koloamatangi in a dual role, killed his brother for sparing him in combat. Dek crossed paths with Thia , a damaged Weyland-Yutani Corporation synthetic , played by Fanning, and was forced to bring her and a creature named Bud on his quest to kill the Kalisk and pro...

  Tron: Ares poster. Courtesy of Disney. Tron: Ares was a sequel that didn't need to happen, but light-cycled well, anyway. From Jared Leto humanizing another Dillinger-brand living weapon to the gumption from Greta Lee to the amazing special effects to the great industrial and electronic scoring by Nine Inch Nails , it did a little justice to the original 1982 classic. Years after Tron: Legacy , rather than just bringing humans into the computer, ENCOM founder Ed Dillinger's grandson Julian, played by Evan Peters , sets up an AI named Ares , played by Jared Leto , as part of a plan to bring living technology into the real world. Unfortunately, under Julian's authority, those programs can only last a few minutes in the real world, but he's determined not to let that stop him from becoming a powerful tech billionaire. Ares teams up with ENCOM CEO Eve Kim , played by Greta Lee , to take down Julian and another rogue program named Athena , played by Jodie Turner-Smith . Ar...

'Borderlands' movie poster. Taken by William Beavers. Courtesy of Lions Gate Ent., Inc. In one of the newest video game-to-screen adaptations, Cate Blanchett and Kevin Hart led a quirky Guardians of the Galaxy tribute in Lionsgate’s Borderlands , directed by Eli Roth . Blanchett was Lilith, a bitter bounty hunter in a Blade Runner -esque planet who gets called to rescue a titan’s daughter, Tina, played by Ariana Greenblatt . But just because she’s a youth, doesn’t mean Tina’s to be trifled with. Wait till you see her unleash her exploding bunnies. She's like Louise Belcher from Bob's Burgers with a face that resembles a young Zendaya. Tina's first protector was Roland, played by Hart, who showed more action initiative than his prior character in Central Intelligence. Adding to this unlikely band of merry heroes were the seldom speaking yet ready-to-rumble Drax knockoff Krieg, played by Florian Munteanu from Creed II , C-3PO/R2-D2/Wall-E wisecracking Claptrap, vo...

  Good morning, people.  On Thursday, May 16, I saw 'The Fall Guy' starring Ryan Gosling (also a producer) and Emily Blunt. Based on a show from the early 1980s starring Lee Majors, Gosling played Colt Seavers, a stuntman. Though he had a tough injury that put his job on hold, he got back, but here's the twist: While covering for an actor played by Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Colt accidentally gets mixed up with some of the actor's enemies and ends up on a 'Central Intelligence' type adventure around Australia. If that's not enough, he's got to patch up some broken romance with Emily Blunt's character, Jody. Jody has more drama than that with a major directorial film debut job and an overbearing producer, played by Hannah Waddingham, pressuring her to make a hit. The excellent parts came when Gosling's fight scenes reminded me of 'Central Intelligence', 'Scott Pilgrim', and 'Fast and the Furious'. Not only that, I enjoyed how th...

  French release poster of Drive-Away Dolls . Courtesy of Universal Pictures. Hey, everybody. Media Mastermind, a.k.a. William Beavers, at your service. This Monday, a coworker friend and I saw Ethan Coen ’s Drive-Away Dolls , starring Margaret Qualley and Geraldine Viswanathan . Qualley and Viswanathan played lesbian friends who took a road trip to Tallahassee, Florida for a New Year’s Eve hookup, and accidentally got mixed in with some gangsters and went toe-to-toe with them and eventually, a crooked politician played by Matt Damon . It was a decent movie. While I’m no complete fan of vulgar or graphic language, there were a few laughs with the buddy moments between Qualley and Viswanathan. And though I said Drive-Away Dolls was "weird", I felt the film was good-hearted in showing that the lead girls, despite their clashing personalities, with Qualley’s free-spirited outlook and Viswanathan’s bookish and uptight mannerisms, just wanted somebody to love and connect wit...

Even though the plot was convoluted, Matthew Vaughn’s ' Argylle ' was a good watch. I said the plot was convoluted because the tricky spy life--i.e. not knowing who’s the true protagonist or villain from the get-go-- and a few twists left me puzzled. But what it lacked in a plot to keep up with, ' Argylle ' made up in great acting led by Bryce Dallas Howard and Sam Rockwell , well-executed fighting and dancing choreography, wily production design, and blazing pop or disco music. Thrills come in the form of super-spy Sam Rockwell and author Bryce Dallas Howard in Matthew Vaughn's 'Argylle.' Photo courtesy of Universal Pictures. ' Argylle ' is like 'Central Intelligence' in that a mild-mannered career person, this time an author played by Howard, unwillingly gets sucked into high-octane action, with her crazy guide being laid-back yet effective agent Rockwell. Once Howard managed to flip the script and get some action in her blood, I was im...

Phoebe Waller-Bridge and Harrison Ford as Helena Shaw and Indiana Jones in 'Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny.' Photo courtesy of Lucasfilm Ltd. Even though the plot was a recycling of the original Indiana Jones adventures from the '80s, it was still good to see Harrison Ford go out for one last quest with his signature bullwhip, leather jacket, and trusty fedora in Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny . There were also great lengths of humorous treachery by Phoebe Waller-Bridge as Indy's latest partner-in-crime and intrepid scoring from John Williams , as usual. Now set in the Space Age in the late 1960s, Indiana Jones is retiring from his professor position and has become lonely and bitter. But a younger archaeologist named Helena Shaw , played by Waller-Bridge, brings him back to his audacious ways to hunt for an artifact called the Dial of Destiny . Among many obstacles against Jones and Shaw are a twisted physicist, played by Mads Mikkelsen , an enemy of Jon...