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Review by Dan Skip Allen  Sebastian Maniscalco as Sebastian and Robert De Niro as Salvo in About My Father. Photo Credit: Dan Anderson/Lionsgate. Sebastian Maniscalco may not be a household name, but he is a renowned stand-up comedian from Chicago. He released 6 stand-up specials, and he's had a few supporting roles in films such as Martin Scorsese's The Irishman as Joe Gallo and Peter Farrelly's Green Book. About My Father is the semi-autobiographical story of a hilarious moment in his life, where he introduces his father to his in-laws to interesting results. Maniscalco wrote the screenplay with Austen Earl. It's a story he's clearly passionate about. It's somewhat of a fish-out-of-water tale. This man and his father have lived different lives than his wife (played by Leslie Bibb) and her eccentric family. To get his father's approval to marry her, he must bring him to their nice ritzy house in Virginia. His cheap and old ways clash with their posh, rich ways. Maniscalco and fledgling director Laura Terruso worked well together to craft his story into something relatable for audiences of all backgrounds. The various parental figures in the movie represent two different sides of the same coin in a way. You have one group that lets their children do what they want and support them, while another parent is staunch and stricter with his son regarding finances and how to handle himself. These two opposing sides of this group of people create a fun dichotomy throughout the film. Robert De Niro is known for his serious roles in The Godfather Part II, Taxi Driver, Raging Bull, and Goodfellas, but in the late ‘90s, he started branching out into more comedic roles. He starred in such films as Analyze This and Analyze That, as well as the Meet the Parents franchise. He has transitioned nicely into these comedic roles because he tends to play the straight man, while everybody else does the comedic stuff around him. He made the occasional ad lib, though, which can be beneficial to some scenes, and proves a particularly useful skill here.  Sebastian Maniscalco as Sebastian and Robert De Niro as Salvo in About My Father. Photo Credit: Dan Anderson/Lionsgate. Maniscalco and De Niro are a good father-son team in this movie. They have good chemistry with one another. That being said, it sometimes seems they are on an island by themselves. The rest of the cast, from Leslie Bibb to David Rasche, and even Kim Cattrall, are always one step behind them. In one scene, for instance, the family is taking a Christmas card photo, and both Maniscalco and De Niro go for it during this scene, wearing outlandish costumes to get the cheap laugh. When the others do or say stuff, it's not as funny. I just didn't buy them as these characters apart from an occasional laugh.
The main thing about this film I liked also works against it, and that's the fact that we've seen this story done to death before. I like this sort of story, but couldn't these guys and gals come up with something original? Sure, there is a montage showing the backstory of where these people come from, which was narrated by Maniscalco himself. And the narration was enjoyable to listen to during the entire film, but the rest was a cookie-cutter story the audience had seen before. About My Father has some moments that had me laughing out loud and other bits that didn't land with me or others watching the movie. Maniscalco and De Niro had great chemistry that I'm sure they developed over working on The Irishman and this film. I loved their characters’ relationship in this movie. I felt some of the humor fell flat, though, and those two were on an island by themselves at the time. Still, all said and done, this was a mostly enjoyable in-laws comedy. It'll be good counter-programming for people who want something different this Memorial Day weekend. About My Father hits theaters on May 26. Rating: 3/5
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Review by Dan Skip Allen  Sometimes I come into films completely cold. I'll have no idea what I'm going to be watching, and when I've finished watching the said film, I'm pleasantly surprised. One of those instances was Stay Awake. I was recommended this movie by a fellow film critic and friend. I'm glad he recommended it to me because it's very relatable for me now once I've watched it. I was pretty surprised by what I saw. This film focuses on two brothers, Ethan (Wyatt Oleff) and Derek (Fin Argus) and their obese mother, Michelle, played by This Is Us star Chrissy Metz. At first glance, this family seems okay, except there's an undercurrent of drug abuse on behalf of the mother. She has gone through some traumatic stuff in the past. Now, her two sons have to deal with their burgeoning romances, school, work, and their ill mother. It's a lot for two young men their age to handle. As I mentioned, this film hit home for me for two main reasons. One is that my mother was obese and had many health issues. She had to raise four kids while being overweight and sick most of the time. Throw in an alcoholic husband/father who wasn't there most of the time, and you can see how this can be difficult for anybody, especially a single mother. The Metz character has similar issues, just in a different context. The second thing that is very relatable in this movie is that I have a twin brother. We lived at home most of our lives, so we got a firsthand taste of my mother's illnesses and the domestic problems between my mother and father. My brother wasn't a little older than me, like these two were, but like them, we were very close. And for a long time, I truly loved my mother, but she did something to me where I couldn't love her anymore. These two boys had similar issues, with their mother being selfish and not caring about her kids.  You rarely find a film that reflects your own background, like this one did for me. Yes, this story took place in Virginia, whereas I was from Massachusetts. It doesn't matter where you come from, though. This is a story that many people may relate to on some level. Alcohol was the demon in my family, not drugs, but they both can do similar damage. They can both cause trauma for the individual affected by them and the family on the periphery of said abuse. In this case, the two sons.
Wyatt Oleff has been a young actor who has found prominence recently with his roles in the It films and most recently in City on Fire, the Apple TV+ streaming series. Fin Argus is a relatively newer actor on my radar. They both played characters I was somewhat familiar with, though. One has a dead-end job at a bowling alley, and the other has a future he has to go forward with without his girlfriend. She would have just caused him distractions in his young life. Going to school away from her is probably a better idea than being distracted all the time. It reminded me of my younger brother, who went into the Navy to escape the town we lived in. Both actors played their roles well. I felt for the situation they were both put in regarding their mother. Chrissy Metz has been nominated for various awards for her role in This is Us. She is obviously considered a good actress. Still, I don't think the director did enough to get her to go to the places she needed to go to in this role. We the viewer see her in various places where we know she is getting treatment for her illness, and multiple times in the hospital because of her addiction, but she doesn't go to the next level where other actors in similar times have gone there. I would have liked to see her go to the next level in this role. All that said, Stay Awake was a good film with relatable topics for me personally. The mother specifically, but also the two brothers, reminded me of myself and my family. It was an eye-opening film because I didn't expect to see something hit home so much while watching it. The writer-director Jamie Sisley got the film into a place where it will be relatable and affecting to others watching. I hope people give this a chance. It's not your normal family drama, but it has enough drama to go around for all the characters involved. Stay Awake hits theaters on May 19. Rating: 3.5/5 Review by Dan Skip Allen  (from left) Dom (Vin Diesel) and Isabel (Daniela Melchior) in Fast X, directed by Louis Leterrier. Peter Mountain / Universal Pictures. The Fast Saga has defied all odds regarding its success over the past twenty years or so. A veritable who's who of Hollywood has put one or more of these films down as part of their filmography, as well as several action directors. The latest is Louis Leterrier who's been part of the MCU and the Now You See Me and Transporter franchises. He was the perfect candidate to revive this struggling billion-dollar franchise. Fast X isn't the last in the franchise, but it may, in fact, be the best, and a lot of that credit goes to Leterrier. At this point, it's obligatory to mention that family has always played a part in the Fast Saga. I think everyone knows that by now. It's how much the star, writers, and directors infuse that mantra into each movie over and over again that is pretty amazing. In the past, it has gotten annoying and stale, but not this time around. The family aspects of the movie work so well throughout this two-hour twenty-one-minute action extravaganza. I cared so much about this family, I couldn't believe it. I was so invested in their story. Another thing this series of films does that has gotten old at times — except when a character like Agent Hobbs (Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson) was introduced in Fast Five — is all the cameos and guest stars. Some actors would pop up for a one-off, or they'd get brought back time and again. Take for instance Deckard Shaw (Jason Statham), Cipher (Charlize Theron), or Helen Mirren as Statham's and Luke Evans’s characters’ mother. This film might have the best villain yet, in Dante (Jason Momoa). Like all the villains in the other entries, he has an ax to grind with the Torreto clan. Jason Momoa is known as a rather serious actor. His characters in Game of Thrones, Dune, and Aquaman in the DCEU would prove that. Momoa takes a different approach to his character in this movie. He decided to go in a lighter, more comedic direction. It paid off in big ways for him and the film. I laughed constantly at his witty repartee. He just cracked me up from the first time I saw him on screen. He might have been akin to the Joker from the various Batman films, if I had to make a comparison. Whatever he was going for, he knocked it out of the park.  (clockwise, from left) Letty (Michelle Rodriguez), Han (Sung Kang), Ramsey (Nathalie Emmanuel), Dom (Vin Diesel), Little Brian (Leo Abelo Perry), Abuelita (Rita Moreno), Mia (Jordana Brewster), Tej (Chris ‘Ludacris’ Bridges, back to camera) and Roman (Tyrese Gibson, back to camera) in Fast X, directed by Louis Leterrier. Peter Mountain / Universal Pictures. Gravity hasn't always been a friend of the Fast Saga — I think people would agree on that point. Cars flying out building windows into other buildings isn't mathematically logical, but we go with it because it's the Fast and the Furious. It's become the norm for this series of films to one-up itself from film to film. Yes, dragging a heavy safe around Rio De Janeiro and using it as a battering ram was one thing, but having a giant marble-shaped bomb rolling around Rome like a pinball, bashing into whatever is in its way, is completely insane in a great way. I felt like I was literally watching a giant pinball machine. It was insane, to say the least. That's just one of many incredible jaw-dropping action sequences in Fast X.
The last two Fast films were what I'd call a letdown. They lacked the enjoyment factor that the previous four films in the franchise had, which had saved this dying series. This movie had so much enjoyment factor, it was on steroids. Just when something crazy would happen, I'd say to myself “there is no way they're going to do that,” and they would do just that. I was literally beside myself with jubilation from the very beginning to the end credits of this film. I just couldn't believe how much I was invested in the characters, cameos, action sequences, and everything in between. I can't believe I'm writing this, but this is the best Fast and the Furious film to date. It's definitely going to earn a billion dollars like a few of its predecessors, and maybe even more. Vin Diesel has pretty much been the spearhead of this franchise since the beginning. Like the Jurassic Park franchise, Universal Pictures has held onto him and it as the golden goose they are — even when they laid a couple of bad eggs the last two times out. They doubled down on what has made these films great in the past, and got rid of the ridiculousness. People were making fun of how ridiculous this franchise has gotten. Should I mention they shot a Fiero into space with rockets attached to it? Probably nobody wants to be reminded of this. Family, guest actors, and amazing jaw-dropping action sequences are what the bedrock of this franchise is built on. Diesel, Leterrier, and Universal got back to basics, and it worked with flying colors. I'm astounded by how much this movie works in all aspects of filmmaking. Fast X is the best in the franchise, and they now have a lot to live up to in “Fast XX,” if that's what the next one will indeed be called. Fast X opens in theaters on May 19. Rating: 5/5 Review by Dan Skip Allen  Yogi Berra smiling. Photo credit: Getty. Courtesy of Sony Pictures Classics. It Ain’t Over tells the story of one of the most important athletes in baseball history. Yogi Berra was a baseball legend, but before he was Yogi, he was Lorenzo Pietro aka Laurence Peter Berra. He was dubbed Yogi Berra years later. He was born to Italian immigrants in St. Louis on Dago Hill, or “The Hill,” as people eventually called it — an Italian section of St. Louis. At the young age of seventeen, he enlisted in the Navy before he was drafted. He found himself on a boat headed for Omaha Beach on D-Day during WWII. Many of his boatmates died that day. He was injured, but he never wanted his parents to know, so he was never put in for a Purple Heart for valor in the service of his country. Berra played baseball from an early age, and was very good at it. He turned down a deal to play for Branch Rickey, the owner of the Dodgers, to play for the Yankees, instead. He signed with and played baseball for the New York Yankees at age 20. He grew up with Joe Garogiola Jr., who was his best friend and played for the St. Louis Cardinals. Their competitive spirit helped them become great players. Growing up on the same street, these two wanted to become ballplayers their entire lives, and both achieved this goal around the same time. Many documentaries have talking heads. Among the ones in It Ain’t Over were his sons Tim, Larry & Dale, his granddaughter Lindsay Berra, legendary play by play men Vin Scully and Bob Costas, comedian Billy Crystal, and ex-players and managers Joe Torre, Joe Madden, Derek Jeter, and Joe Girardi. All of these men and women paint a great portrait of who this man was. Yogi's major league baseball career debuted in September 1946. His first plate appearance in the Major League, he hit a home run, and in the second game as well, Yogi was a great hitter. He played in 68 playoff games and got 68 hits. He won more World Series rings than the four men who were voted the greatest living ballplayers alive in a ceremony in 2015: Hank Aaron, Johnny Bench, Willie Mays, and Sandy Koufax. He was behind the plate for Don Larson's perfect game in the World Series. And in one season, Yogi only struck out twelve times in an entire season with a batting average of 295. He won 3 MVPs, 10 World Series rings, and went to 18 all-star games. His career is comparable to all the greatest players of his day and afterward. He was a great player, bar none.  Larry Berra, Tim Berra, Dale Berra in IT AIN’T OVER. Photo credit: Daniel Vecchione. Courtesy of Sony Pictures Classics. One of the things Yogi was most famous for was his Yogi-isms. A couple of them were: "it ain't over till it's over," and "when you come to a fork in the road, take it." He was quoted by presidents like Bill Clinton and George Bush, and even during his presentation with the Medal of Honor by President Obama. These were often taken out of context, but eventually Yogi accepted them as his own way of speaking. This became part of who he was to the American public.
Another thing that made Yogi one of the good guys was that he was accepting of Jackie Robinson and other Black players who started playing ball in the majors. Still, he was mad when Robinson stole home against the Yankees in the 1955 World Series. They both thought they were right on that argument as far as who was safe or out. They both were cultural icons in their own right. Yogi was an ad man. He put his name and likeness on various products, like Yoohoo, and actually was turned into a cartoon character Yogi Bear, but he wasn't a fan of the cartoon. The film used a lot of archival footage of his interviews and playing baseball. Yogi's most famous quote was used when his Mets came back and won the World Series in 1974. He was hired by the Yankees and helped them in the ‘70s, but a feud between George Steinbrenner and Yogi that caused him not to return to Yankee Stadium for 15 years for firing him in 1984 was a stain on his legacy, even though most people supported him over Steinbrenner. They reconciled at his museum in Montclair, New Jersey. He once again showed back up on Yogi Berra Day with Don Larson, who picked that famous perfect game and wouldn't you know it? David Cone, a Yankees pitcher, pitched a perfect game the same day, There is no secret that I'm a diehard Boston Red Sox fan. That doesn't matter when I'm watching a film about a cultural icon and legendary ballplayer like Yogi Berra. Who wears what uniform or plays in what city isn't relevant anymore. The way the writer/director crafted It Ain’t Over was incredible. He made me care about this man, his family, his career, and his relevance in society. He was a great baseball player. No one doubts that. It's what type of person he was off the field that showed what a great human being he truly was. This documentary depicts that in terrific realism for all to see. It Ain't Over hits theaters on May 12. Rating: 4.5/5 Review by Dan Skip Allen  Wyatt Oleff and Chase Sui Wonders in "City on Fire," premiering May 12, 2023 on Apple TV+. Apple TV+ has been the home of many good shows since its inception in 2019, like Ted Lasso, The Morning Show, and so many more. Lately, the films and shows they've been releasing have been more cutting-edge and of great quality. One of the latest series they've put out is called City on Fire. It has a terrific story based in the '80s, but that can be applied to today's world. Samantha Yeung (Chase Sui Wonders, Bupkis) is an NYU student with a free spirit and an interesting view of the city she lives in and the world. When she meets a boy, Charlie (Wyatt Oleff, It and It Chapter Two), her age in a bookstore, she tries to help him be more like her. He falls head over heels for her. When Sam ends up fighting for her life after being shot in Central Park, Charlie gets blamed, but there's more to this heinous crime than it appears. Chase Sui Wonders is a young actress on the rise. She was in the hilarious yet surprising horror film Bodies Bodies Bodies and a new series on Peacock, Bupkis, with boyfriend Pete Davidson. She has a way of getting viewers to pay attention to her on screen. Her look and the roles she chooses make people care about her and them. The character she plays in this show is no exception. She just has a way about her that I couldn't stop watching. She is amazing in this series.  Alexandra Doke and Max Milner in "City on Fire," premiering May 12, 2023 on Apple TV+. The series has many moving parts and characters involved in this story. Part of the story involves a family of privileged men and women who all have various motives for shooting this young woman. Their stories all intertwine, and each character gets more involved episode by episode. Josh Schwartz and Stephanie Savage have crafted a story intricately woven with every episode that unfolds.
The series is set in the '80s, as I mentioned, but the story can be used in a context of a future with similar issues like gentrification and terrorism. These types of issues are going on today all across the country and the globe. So this series is very reliable, I'm sure, for many people. It shows that — no matter what era you live in — the same things have been going on for decades. It is just how things are sometimes. City on Fire is a show filled with good performances from its cast — mostly newer actors, but some established actors who've been in some big shows in their own right. The creators and writers of the series, Schwartz and Savage, have interwoven a layered deeply emotional story. It has a couple of very relatable topics intertwined in the story. Terrorism and gentrification are things that affect the country still today. This is a very good show. I'm sure a lot of people will watch it and tell their friends and family to watch it. Hopefully it catches on via word of mouth. City on Fire streams on Apple TV+ beginning May 12. Rating: 4/5 Review by Dan Skip Allen  (l-r) Diane Keaton stars as Diane, Jane Fonda as Vivian, Candice Bergen as Sharon and Mary Steenburgen as Carol in BOOK CLUB: THE NEXT CHAPTER, a Focus Features release. Photo Credit: Riccardo Ghilardi. Jane Fonda has been one of the most prolific actors this year. She started in February with the football-themed comedy 80 for Brady, where she co-starred with Sally Field, Rita Moreno, and Lily Tomlin. She re-teamed with Tomlin, her long-time friend and co-star on Grace and Frankie in Moving On, a two-hander. Now, she tops off her year with the sequel to the popular 2018 film Book Club — Book Club: The Next Chapter — again teaming with Diane Keaton, Candice Bergen, Mary Steenbergen, and writer-director Bill Holderman. After the last film, the four ladies have been doing their annual book club meeting on Zoom. Once the COVID-19 restrictions have lifted, they decide to finally get back together in person to discuss The Alchemist. After a few last-minute developments create an air of opportunity, the four women decide to go to Italy to go on one last adventure together. Little did they know what strange twists and turns their Italian adventure would have. With these types of films, there must be an engaging storyline for each of the main characters. They all have to have interesting arcs, and this movie does that for them all. Writer-director Bill Holderman and co-writer Erin Simms know their characters and the audience watching the film. He knows how to make plot points that fit each of them regarding retirement, marrying at an older age, or — in a few cases — committing to love later in life. All the character arcs and the overall adventure were done expertly. The movie had some interesting things that I enjoyed. One of those was the soundtrack. In a cool way, the filmmaker chose popular songs like "Gloria," "Ciao Ciao," and "Mambo." There are just a few hits performed in this movie. These songs brought me back in time and helped me engage in the movie and the stories of the four main characters.  (l-r) Diane Keaton stars as Diane, Jane Fonda as Vivian, Candice Bergen as Sharon and Mary Steenburgen as Carol in BOOK CLUB: THE NEXT CHAPTER, a Focus Features release. Credit: © 2023 FIFTH SEASON, LLC. The second thing that was fantastic about the film was the cinematography. These four women traveled all over Italy, from Rome to Venice to Tuscany. They visited all the sites and drove from Rome to Venice, and that was an amazing road trip. The landscapes were breathtaking, and it just made me want to go to Italy badly. What a beautiful country.
With these four seasoned actresses, you know you will have some great banter. The dialogue between them is priceless. The comedic stuff kept me laughing, especially a lot of the old folks' jokes and humor. This movie is similar in many ways to 80 for Brady, even beyond their Fonda connection. Book Club: The Next Chapter is a funny senior citizen journey. These four ladies have great banter and chemistry with each other. Each of their storylines within the context of the movie are all interesting and have merit. With four established actresses, you know you're going to get great work. Fonda is having a moment right now with her third film of the year so far. The music and cinematography are both excellent, and Bill Holdermann, the writer/director, does a great job giving each lady their own arc to shine in. This will definitely attract an older audience, similar to 80 for Brady. Book Club: The Next Chapter hits theaters on May 12. Rating: 3.5/5 STAR WARS: VISIONS (Volume 2) -- Another Visionary Group of Tales for This STAR WARS Series5/3/2023 Review by Dan Skip Allen  Rugal in a scene from the "STAR WARS: VISIONS, Volume 2” short by 88 Pictures, “THE BANDITS OF GOLAK”, exclusively on Disney+. ©2023 Lucasfilm Ltd. & TM. All Rights Reserved. Disney has had a rough time with Lucasfilm since they bought it back about a decade ago. Some of their movies have been good, but most of them have been pretty bad. Their television shows have also been hit and miss. The Mandalorian and Andor have been big hits, while the rest haven't moved the needle much. One of the most successful things that have come out of the Lucasfilm deal is Star Wars: Visions, an animated series of shorts from various animation houses around the globe. Now the second season is coming out, and it's even better than the first season. In the second season of Star Wars: Visions, there are nine all-new animated shorts from a bunch of new animation houses, like Cartoon Saloon, that didn't do shorts in the first season, and a few returning studios from the first season, like El Guri Studios. El Guri did the first episode called "Sith." It's an episode about a girl who fights a Sith Lord. It's an entirely painted animated episode. The Cartoon Saloon episode is episode two. It's called "The Ghost of Screechers Reach," and follows a girl who goes into a car to fight for her life against an old woman who lives in a cave. These two were the best episodes for my liking. This series allows various visionaries to show different sides of a galaxy far, far away. All these different animation styles bring a new look and new ideas to this universe. Most of the stories are about female characters, and that serves a specific demographic the producers were going for. They obviously wanted to showcase female empowerment, and that Star Wars can be about powerful girls and women. That's been a thing they've been doing for a few years now.  Toul in a scene from the "STAR WARS: VISIONS, Volume 2” short by Studio Mir, “JOURNEY TO THE DARK HEAD” exclusively on Disney+. ©2023 Lucasfilm Ltd. & TM. All Rights Reserved. With a show like this, it champions all kinds of stories and animation styles. Studios from Spain to Japan have submitted episodes. There are anime and even stop-motion episodes that look pretty cool. A lot of these episodes look very good, with only a couple that didn't impress me that much. There is no doubt that the work by all of these studios is first-rate. These studios will be at the forefront of animation going forward if they weren't already.
Volume two of Star Wars: Visions is even better than the first. The various studios that have come on board for season two have given great submissions. They deal with a lot of diversity and empowerment from women, Black and Latino characters. The studios come from countries all over the world, like Spain, Japan, France, and Ireland, just to name a few. The producers have assembled so much talent from all corners of the globe that produce various styles of animation, like hand-drawn, anime, and stop-motion animation. This series stretches the boundaries of storytelling and animation that make this brand fascinating going forward. Star Wars: Visions streams on Disney+ beginning May 4. All nine episodes reviewed. Rating: 4/5 Review by Dan Skip Allen  (L-R): Alexander Molony as Peter Pan, Ever Anderson as Wendy, Joshua Pickering as John Darling and Jacobi Jupe as Michael Darling in Disney's live-action PETER PAN & WENDY, exclusively on Disney+. Photo courtesy of Disney. © 2023 Disney Enterprises, Inc. All Rights Reserved. Disney has many iconic characters in their catalog — Cinderella, Snow White, and the Seven Dwarfs, and Pinocchio are among the top. Just below them is Peter Pan. The first Peter Pan movie came out in 1953. Ever since, many variations of this beloved Disney animated character have come out in theaters. One was a more existential version from Benh Zeitlin. Another had Hugh Jackman playing Captain Hook in Pan. Peter Pan & Wendy might be the most faithful adaptation of this beloved children's tale yet. Wendy Darling (Ever Anderson) is a big sister to her younger brothers. She plays games around the house, but when she breaks an antique, her father (Alan Tudyk) gets mad at her and threatens to send her to boarding school. While sleeping, she dreams of a character she used to tell stories about to her younger brothers: Peter Pan (Alexander Molony), who is actually a real boy. He and his faithful friend Tinker Bell (Yara Shahidi), a fairy, come to visit her and take her off to Neverland, where she meets their friends, the Lost Boys, and the villainous Captain Hook (Jude Law) who wants to rid Neverland of children. David Lowery isn't a stranger to children's films. He directed the remake of Pete's Dragon starring Robert Redford in 2016. He also has a past in the fantasy genre as he made a great film The Green Knight in 2021. Add these two films together, and you have Peter Pan & Wendy. It's a more lighthearted fantasy film without the animated dragon, and throws in instead a little pixie dust and an alligator. He understands his audience and the material he's adapting. It's one of the better live-action Disney remakes, and it perfectly fits on Disney+. With all these Peter Pan films — animated or otherwise — there are many set pieces. Sure, in live-action, you have to use strings and stages to film some of these action sequences and flying moments. They look very authentic, though. The backdrop of Ireland is a perfect fill-in for Neverland and the various locations like the woods where the Lost Boys live. The cinematography is gorgeous, wherever it is — in houses, on ships and out in the wild of woods, and on the water. This is a beautiful movie by any standards.  Ever Anderson as Wendy in Disney's live-action PETER PAN & WENDY, exclusively on Disney+. Photo by Eric Zachanowich. © 2023 Disney Enterprises, Inc. All Rights Reserved. The Peter Pan story has always been an analogy for growing up. Parents who are busy with their lives don't have time for their children, so they wish they would grow up and go out into the world. The problem with that is that kids need to have these experiences of playing, reading books, and doing fun things, so they can remember what it was like to be that age. As adults, they have those fond memories. I needed my childhood, so I could be prepared for the difficulties adulthood would bring me. This story reminds me of that, and I'm sure it will for many others, too.
Besides the cinematography, another craft that is good in the movie is its score by Daniel Hart. The score is so adventurous and boisterous. It reminded me a lot of the work of my favorite composer, John Williams. It has various arcs, some more sinister and others wide open. The action sequences and scenes flying through the skies showed the various levels and places Hart could go with the music in the film. Jude Law is an Academy Award-nominated actor. He has played many roles in his career. A villain is a rarity, though. Not many besides Yon-Rogg in Captain Marvel come to mind. One of the biggest villains in film lore is Captain Hook. It was perhaps most iconically and brilliantly played by Dustin Hoffman in the Steven Spielberg film Hook in 1991. He was very over the top as this character. Law, on the other hand, played Captain Hook more as the character in the ‘53 animated classic. He was more nuanced, but had his sinister moments. He did embrace the evil, but also tried to be more subtle and emotional in his approach to the character. Peter Pan & Wendy is the best version of this classic story based on J. M. Barrie's book since Hook for my money. The film's cinematography showed this world so beautifully. The indoor and outdoor scenes alike come to life with the camera work from Lowery and co. The cast full of mostly newcomers, the children, and established pros like Shahidi, Tudyk, and most notably Jude Law as Captain Hook are all fantastic. The thing this movie gets the most right, though, is the story, what it means, and how it never gets old. Disney has been a bit hit and miss with its live-action remakes, but this is one of the better ones. People of all ages should enjoy this version of the Disney classic tale. Peter Pan & Wendy is now streaming on Disney+. Rating: 3.5/5 Review by Dan Skip Allen S3E8: "Chapter 24: The Return" (Far right): The Armorer (Emily Swallow) in Lucasfilm's THE MANDALORIAN, season three, exclusively on Disney+. ©2023 Lucasfilm Ltd. & TM. All Rights Reserved. The Mandalorians, led by their newly appointed leader Bo Katan Kryse (Katie Sackoff), are still fighting the returning forces of once presumed dead Moff Gideon (Giancarlo Esposito). He is still pursuing the Dark Sabor and ruling over Mandalore. The Mandalorians are fighting tooth and nail for their home planet. And won't let another despot rule. This is what season three has led to all year. This was a thrilling conclusion to season three of The Mandalorian.
Some character stuff involving Grogu and Din Djarin was also thrown in for good measure. After all, the show is named after him, so his and Grogu's character arcs have to be dealt with. With Jon Favreau's writing and Rick Famayua back as director of this final episode of season three, they needed to end the previous story points about the Mandalorians. And they do exactly that. Moving forward, there are some interesting things going on for Mando. They always leave up wanting more. That being said, this final episode had good action scenes again. One involving a crashing and exploding ship was quite breathtaking. The big scene was a fight between two people who wanted to rule the planet and the people. With help from Mando and Grogu, there was a satisfying conclusion to that fight, but there may be a lingering issue going forward with characters who were left out of the finale. They could play a bigger role in season four. Who knows? It was a great season though overall. The Mandalorian is now streaming on Disney+. Rating: 4.5/5 GUY RITCHIE'S THE COVENANT -- One of the Most Realistic and Heartfelt War Films in Recent Memory4/18/2023 Review by Dan Skip Allen  (L to R) Dar Salim as Ahmed, Jason Wong as Joshua "JJ Jung", Jake Gyllenhaal as Sgt. John Kinley, Christian Ochoa as Eduardo "Chow Chow" Lopez, and Rhys Yates as Tom "Tom Cat" Hancock in THE COVENANT, directed by Guy Ritchie, a Metro Goldwyn Mayer Pictures film. Credit: Christopher Raphael / Metro Goldwyn Mayer Pictures© 2023 Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Pictures Inc. All Rights Reserved. The definition of a covenant is an agreement or pact. In Guy Richie's The Covenant, that title means the world — especially to Jake Gyllehall's character, Sgt. Michael Kinley. Richie delves into the Gulf War for the first time. His kinetic fast-paced style comes in handy for this war film about an unspoken brotherhood in the military. This is one of the best films I've seen this year, and it's because of that brotherhood that I love this movie so much. Michael Kinley (Jake Gyllenhaal) is a Master Sergeant in the Army. He leads an elite group of men who focus on finding IEDs in Afghanistan. While doing a search of vehicles during a routine stop, the team's translator gets killed in a bombing. While back on base, the leader recruits a new interpreter: Ahmed (Dar Salim). He has a little history of being hard to work with, but he and Gyllenhaal's character form an understanding, and they begin to trust each other to great results. I've seen many war films, from WWII to the various wars recently in the Middle East. Guy Richie's style is perfectly used to make a war film like this come to life. The action is fast-paced and kinetic. There were multiple scenes that were heart-pounding. I was on the edge of my seat. Richie brought me into these moments like I was literally there. It was done so realistically that I felt exhausted while watching these scenes. Even though this movie is very intense and graphic, it also has a funny side, mainly because of the way the military guys talk to one another. These men in this elite group have a shorthand that is pretty funny. They also give each other names, which had me chuckling at the beginning of the film. This type of dialogue adds to the authenticity of this story. I'm sure people in the military can corroborate this type of talk.  Dar Salim (left) as Ahmed and Jake Gyllenhaal (right) as Sgt. John Kinley in THE COVENANT, directed by Guy Ritchie, a Metro Goldwyn Mayer Pictures film. Credit: Christopher Raphael / Metro Goldwyn Mayer Pictures© 2023 Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Pictures Inc. All Rights Reserved. This film has two distinct stories, though. The screenplay was written by Guy Ritchie, Ivan Atkinson, and Marn Davies. They split this film into two parts — two halves of a whole. The first half is about American soldiers doing their job in Afghanistan, when a scenario has them fighting for their survival. The other half of the movie is about that unsaid brotherhood between these two men. Each side focuses on one of the two main stars in the film.
Another star of this movie is the subtitles. Although this is an English-language movie, it has many subtitles because of where it takes place. The Middle Eastern languages are presented in subtitles on the screen. Most of the time, quite a bit of information is put on screen using these subtitles — such as character names and or military jargon — but mostly they are used for characters to have conversations. This is one of the most creative uses of subtitles I've seen in a film since Slumdog Millionaire from my perspective. I wasn't expecting much from Guy Ritchie's The Covenant. It was going under the radar for me, but I was sorely mistaken. This is one of the best war films I've seen in years. It has war scenes that are so well choreographed, and the violence and action throughout are nail-biting. I was literally on the edge of my seat during a bunch of these scenes. That said, the real heart of the film is the relationship between these two men. They understand their roles in this war. Once their jobs are done, this story takes it to another level of storytelling. The screenplay is impeccably written by Richie and others. His direction goes to another level, though. It's a pleasant surprise from beginning to end. Guy Ritchie's The Covenant hits theaters on April 21. Rating: 4.5/5 |