The Cinematic Review-verse

Poster for 'The Amateur.' Photo by William Beavers. Good afternoon, readers. On Friday afternoon, April 18, I crossed ' The Amateur' off my watchlist. Rami Malek produced and led the film as a CIA employee new to the field. While I enjoyed Malek's character's intelligence and Volker Bertelmann's good score, I felt 'The Amateur' should've shown Malek's character using hand-to-hand combat. Rami Malek and Rachel Brosnahan as Charlie Heller and Sarah Heller, respectively, from 'The Amateur.' Courtesy of 20th Century Studios.  Malek played Charlie Heller , a mild-mannered CIA cryptographer with a lovely wife named Sarah, played by Rachel Brosnahan from 'The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel'. But Charlie's quiet life ended when Sarah was killed on a business trip. Teaming with a blunt Colonel Henderson , played by Laurence Fishburne , Charlie is forced to take the role of a killer to find the people responsible for Sarah's murder. O...

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...

Charlize Theron shows elusiveness and vigilance in this 1980's-themed thriller! Nonstop action, flashy supporting cast, and shocking beginning and endings show that she's definitely the whole package in this all-star summer film!