Movie Trailer Reviews

Director: Kyle Balda, Brad Ableson, Jonathan del Val Screenwriter: Matthew Fogel, Brian Lynch Starring:  Steve Carell, Pierre Coffin, Alan Arkin, Taraji P. Henson, Michelle Yeoh, Julie Andrews, Russell Brand, Jean-Claude Van Damme, Dolph Lundgren, Danny Trejo, Lucy Lawless Runtime: 1 hour 27 minutes Synopsis: The untold story of one twelve-year-old's dream to become the world's greatest supervillain. Kriss & Ro talk about the latest film in the Despicable Me/Minions series, Minions: The Rise of Gru. Overall this movie does what it needs to do. It's entertaining enough for kids and is serviceable enough for adults. It is becoming clear that this franchise is starting to run out of runway. One of the biggest disappointments with this movie is the underutilization of the cast. There are some actors that are used for some of the villains that could have really been used better to play on the 80's time period. There's also some cring moments surrounding some Asian characters and themes that just seem like they we

Director: Scott Derrickson Screenwriter: Scott Derrickson, C. Robert Cargill, Joe Hill (short story The Black Phone) Starring: Mason Thames, Madeleine McGraw, Ethan Hawke, Jeremy Davies, James Ransom, Miguel Cazarez Mora, E. Roger Mitchell, Troy Rudeseal Runtime: 1 hour 42 minutes Synopsis: After being abducted by a child killer and locked in a soundproof basement, a 13-year-old boy starts receiving calls on a disconnected phone from the killer's previous victims. We got the whole Movie Trailer Review gang back together to discuss the latest from director Scott Derrickson, The Black Phone. Blumhouse has been on a bit of a slide with some really questionable films as of late. Their last series of Welcome to the Blumhouse films on Amazon Prime Video were absolutely atrocious. And who could forget what happened when we all got together last time to discuss the travesty that was the Firestarter remake. So coming into The Black Phone, one couldn't blame audiences if they were a little apprehensive. Thankfully, Th

Director: Baz Luhrmann Screenwriter: Baz Luhrmannn, Sam Bromell, Craig Pearce Starring: Austin Butler, Tom Hanks, Olivia DeJonge, Helen Thomson, Kelvin Harrison Jr. Runtime: 2 hour 39 minutes Synopsis: From his childhood in Tupelo, Mississippi to his rise to stardom starting in Memphis, Tennessee and his conquering of Las Vegas, Nevada, Elvis Presley becomes the first rock 'n roll star and changes the world with his music. Ro is joined by Kriss and she talks about what worked and what didn't for the latest from Baz Luhrmann. This film is a mixed bag in terms of what it brings for telling the story of Elvis. It's interesting what parts and roads they do go down and which ones they avoid all together. The cast is really the standout with Austin Butler nailing the role of Elvis. This film is more about Tom Hank's Tom Parker and he does a great job in his role as well. The cast lives up to expectations, unfortunately the story just doesn't.    Like what you hear? Subscribe so you don't miss an episode! F

Director: Angus MacLane Screenwriter: Angus MacLane, Matthew Aldrich, Jason Headley Starring: Chris Evans, Keke Palmer, Peter Sohn, Taika Waititi, Dale Soules, James Brolinn, Uzo Aduba Runtime: 1 hour 40 minutes Synopsis: While spending years attempting to return home, marooned Space Ranger Buzz Lightyear encounters an army of ruthless robots commanded by Zurg who are attempting to steal his fuel source. Kriss and Ro review the latest from Pixar, Lightyear, a new movie in the Toy Story world of films. While the film doesn't break new ground, it's one of those films where it's good and entertaining enough for the whole family.  fBecause it's from Pixar, its competition is really itself. Coming off of Toy Story 4, this might not be up to that level but it's also more aimed at building up a new generation of fans in this world. There's a lot here to like and it's also sets up nicely for continuing the adventures of the Space Rangers in future movies. Listen as Ro & Kriss discuss what worked for Lightyear.   Li

Director: Colin Trevorrow Screenwriter: Colin Trevorrow, Emily Carmichael, Derek Connolly Starring: Chris Pratt, Bryce Dallas Howard, Laura Dern, Sam Neill, Jeff Goldblum, DeWanda Wise, Mamoudou Athie Runtime: 2 hour 26 minutes Synopsis: Four years after the destruction of Isla Nublar, dinosaurs now live--and hunt--alongside humans all over the world. This fragile balance will reshape the future and determine, once and for all, whether human beings are to remain the apex predators on a planet they now share with history's most fearsome creatures in a new Era. The 1993 Jurassic Park was a classic. It revolutionize the blend of CGI and practical effects. It had a story based in science that . Unfortunately after the success of that movie, the franchise had been nothing more than expensive tech demos. That's especially true of the Jurassic World trilogy of films with each one getting progressively worse. These films are ridiculous. Utterly ridiculous with things that make absolutely no sense. Like how did large

Director: Chloe Okuno Screenwriter: Zachary Ford, Chloe Okuno Starring: Maika Monroe, Karl Glusman, Madalina Anea, Chloe Okuno, Burn Gorman, Gabriela Butuc, Tudor Petrut Runtime: 1 hour 36 minutes SXSW Synopsis: set in the midst of a citywide panic over an active serial killer, a young woman moves into a new apartment with her partner and is tormented by the feeling that she is being stalked by an unseen watcher in an adjacent building. (This review was originally part of MTR’s 2022 festival coverage.) ** Watcher, director Chloe Okuno’s feature debut, follows Julia (Maika Monroe) and Francis (Karl Glusman), a young couple just arrived in Bucharest, Romania for Francis’ new job. Julia doesn’t speak Romanian or know the country. Almost immediately, she finds herself adrift in the city with an increasingly unavailable husband. She spends most days listening to language lessons and otherwise wandering around at loose ends. Francis does little to help his wife adjust. He’s quick to speak in Romanian, cutting her o

Movies that adapt Stephen King novels don't have a great track record. Firestarter seems to be proud to not only continue that tradition but works hard to make it one of the worst. Someone said, let's take one of King's novels that was already made into a bad film in the 80's, get the guy who wrote the terrible Halloween Kills to write the screen play and then rush through any story so that the plot is incoherent at best. That pretty much sums up the 2022 Firestarter. Zac Efron really needs better people. He's not a bad actor but he's continually given projects and direction that just don't work. Apparently no one told him he was playing the father to Charlie, not her annoyed big brother. To be fair to him, the script didn't seem to really want to write his character that way anyway. The script is rushed and half thought out and it does a disservice to everyone involved from the actors to the audience.  At some point we need to have a conversation about how Blumhouse seems to be making the laziest excuses for

Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness proves that Marvel Studios is really interested in pushing the boundaries of what people think of their films and is not interested in just sticking to the same old formula. For those that had criticisms of MCU films that they never took risks and were formulaic, this is definitely a film that is challenging that viewpoint. This means we get a film that isn't perfect and polished and definitely relies on having knowledge of the Disney+ shows (but that should have been a given). But it's still good and very entertaining.  Sam Raimi's first Marvel Studios film definitely leans hard into horror. We've seen Marvel dabble before into other genres' but Doctor Strange 2 dives feet first into it. There are not only downright frightful moments but there's also a surprising amount of murder on the screen. Yes, murder. A lot of people die (in horrific ways) in this film. Cumberbatch and Olsen do a great job in this film with Olsen continuing the great emotional performance she

Director: Robert Eggers Writers: Sjón, Robert Eggers Cast: Alexander Skarsgård (Amleth), Nicole Kidman (Queen Gudrúnn), Claes Bang (Fjölnir The Brotherless), Anya Taylor-Joy (Olga of the Birch Forest), Willem Dafoe (Heimir The Fool) Synopsis: From visionary director Robert Eggers comes The Northman, an action-filled epic that follows a young Viking prince on his quest to avenge his father's murder. Ro & Kriss review and discuss The Northman. Like what you hear? Subscribe so you don't miss an episode! Follow us on Twitter: @Phenomblak @InsanityReport @TheMTRNetwork   Our shirts are now on TeePublic.  https://teepublic.com/stores/mtr-network   Want more podcast greatness? Sign up for a MTR Premium Account!  

Director: Roger Michell Writer: Richard Bean, Clive Coleman Cast: Jim Broadbent (Kempton Bunton), Helen Mirren (Dorothy Bunton), Fionn Whitehead (Jackie Bunton) Synopsis: In 1961, Kempton Bunton, a 60 year old taxi driver, steals Goya's portrait of the Duke of Wellington from the National Gallery in London. Ro and Kriss review the film The Duke.     Like what you hear? Subscribe so you don't miss an episode! Follow us on Twitter: @Phenomblak @InsanityReport @TheMTRNetwork   Our shirts are now on TeePublic.  https://teepublic.com/stores/mtr-network   Want more podcast greatness? Sign up for a MTR Premium Account!  

Director: David Yates Writer: Steve Kloves, J.K. Rowling Cast: Eddie Redmayne (Newt Scamander), Jude Law (Albus Dumbledore), Katherine Waterston (Tina Goldstein), Mads Mikkelsen (Gellert Grindelwald), Ezra Miller (Credennce Barebone) Synopsis: Albus Dumbledore assigns Newt and his allies with a mission related to the rising power of Grindelwald. Ro reviews Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore while Kriss chimes in about how trash JK Rowling is.   Like what you hear? Subscribe so you don't miss an episode! Follow us on Twitter: @Phenomblak @InsanityReport @TheMTRNetwork   Our shirts are now on TeePublic.  https://teepublic.com/stores/mtr-network   Want more podcast greatness? Sign up for a MTR Premium Account!  

Director: Janus Metz Writer: Olen Steinhauer Cast: Chris Pine (Henry Pelham), Thandiwe Newton (Celia Harrison), Laurence Fishburne (Vick Wallinger), Jonathan Pryce (Bill Compton) Synopsis: Two CIA agents and ex-lovers (Chris Pine and Thandiwe Newton) are brought back together years after a failed rescue attempt and forced to blur the lines between profession and passion in this deeply riveting tale of global espionage, moral dilemma and deadly betrayal. Ro & Kriss review All the Old Knives, available now on Amazon Prime Video.    Like what you hear? Subscribe so you don't miss an episode! Follow us on Twitter: @Phenomblak @InsanityReport @TheMTRNetwork   Our shirts are now on TeePublic.  https://teepublic.com/stores/mtr-network   Want more podcast greatness? Sign up for a MTR Premium Account!  

Riley Stearns' Dual crams a lot into 95 minutes but never feels overstuffed. It's listed as a Sci-Fi Thriller but is also pulls off a dry sense of humor really well thanks to lead Karen Gillan. Its biggest accomplishment is providing meta, societal commentary without ever feeling overly pretentious or preachy.  The plot of the movie is very simple. Sarah (Gillan) is living a very depressing and unfulfilled life when she is diagnosed with a terminal illness. To ease the transition for her mother, she opts for the Replacement program that allows dying people to clone themselves so that their clone can continue on with their life. The problem is...Sarah makes a miraculous recovery and is no longer dying. By law her clone has the right to not be "decommissioned" and the way this is handled is by a televised duel to the death where the winner gets to live on as Sarah. This movie is less about some Hunger Games style duel and more about what it means to live a life. Stearns could have made this film really boring a

Director: Daniel Kwan, Daniel Scheinert Writers: Daniel Kwan, Daniel Scheinert Starring: Michelle Yeoh, Stephanie Hsu, Jamie Lee Curtis, Ke Huy Quan, James Hong Runtime: 2 hour 19 minutes Synopsis: A middle-aged Chinese immigrant is swept up into an insane adventure in which she alone can save existence by exploring other universes and connecting with the lives she could have led. Kriss, Ro & Brandon review Everything Everywhere All At Once. Like what you hear? Subscribe so you don't miss an episode! Follow us on Twitter: @Phenomblak @InsanityReport @TheMTRNetwork   Our shirts are now on TeePublic.  https://teepublic.com/stores/mtr-network   Want more podcast greatness? Sign up for a MTR Premium Account!  

We all know that movies and TV shows based off of video games have an uphill battle. To be blunt, most absolutely suck. But things are slowly starting to change. The Halo series on Paramount+ is a great example of this. Years ago this would have been a 100 minute movie that was nothing but over-the-top fan service with a terrible story that felt like a rushed money grab. Instead Paramount+ has decided to bank on drawing folks in with ultra violence, a familiar yet unique story and making this adaptation a mini-series that is already guaranteed to go 2 seasons so it has time to grow. It's a smart calculation that makes for an interesting show that presents more positives than negatives in the first 2 episodes.  One thing should be made clear. This is NOT your kid's Master Chief.  If you have a problem with ultra violence then you don't want to watch this. The opening 10 minutes presents one of the best introduction of the main characters as Master Chief and his squad take out the Convenant that just massacred

Director: Domee Shi Screenwriters: Julia Cho (screenplay), Domee Shi (screenplay), Sarah Streicher (story)  Starring: Rosalie Chiang, Sandra Oh, Ava Morse Cinematographer: Mahyar Abousaeedi, Jonathan Pytko Runtime: 110 minutes ** Turning Red centers thirteen-year-old Meilin (Rosalie Chiang) as she enters that in-between phase mother's insist on calling a "magical" time in a young girl's life, puberty. On one level, its an in-your-face allegory: Preteen wakes the morning after her first bout of raging hormones as a giant red panda. Tripping around to hide her shapeshift convinces her mom Ming, voiced by Sandra Oh, that she's gotten her first period. Cue hilarity, hijinks, and those horribly embarrassing moments that can break a mother-daughter bond if not handled just right.  Shi's animation background ensures that Turning Red doesn't miss a trick. There's movement, action and important clues in every frame. Mei and her friends are smartly drawn and highly relatable. The story direction and character design ke