Category: movies

Gladiator II (2024)

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I only saw the film because I was stuck on a plane.

BUT it’s worth watching if only for the incredible scenes of ancient Rome.

Cast is good. I liked Denzel Washington best as he felt so believable.

The plot is probably unnecessary if you are there for the action scenes and special effects.

Don’t worry about historical inaccuracies. There are many. And no record of a gladiator riding a rhinoceros. 😀

On Rotten Tomatoes, 70% of 394 critics’ reviews are positive, with an average rating of 6.6/10. That sounds about right to me.

Click PLAY or watch it on YouTube.

The Housemaid by Frieda McFadden

On By Rick McIn books, moviesLeave a comment

Freida McFadden (born May 1, 1980) is the pen name of an American thriller author and practicing physician specializing in brain injury.

Her 2022 book The Housemaid was an international bestseller.

In recent years I’ve begun to tire of the endless line-up of psychological thrillers. But this one is better than average.

Millie is a young woman with troubled past, having recently been fired from her job after an incident which nearly sent her back to prison.

She is unable to find work due to her criminal record and spends a month living in her car.

She jumps at an opportunity as a live-in maid for the Winchester wealthy family: Nina, her husband Andrew, and their daughter, Cecelia, who live in a luxurious estate on Long Island.

Their seemingly perfect life unravels when Millie discovers that the Winchester household hides dark secrets beneath the surface.

To me the twist was predictable.

The husband character one of the most absurdly unlikely I’ve ever read.

The ending of the book was satisfying. BUT I’m unlikely to read on in the series.

I will probably end up watching the upcoming film.

Mission: Impossible – Final Reckoning

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Tom Cruise may be a weirdo. But he makes great films.

The only movies I’ve seen in a theatre (for years) are the Dune and Mission: Impossible franchises.

8th installment — The Final Reckoning — is another silly, exciting, thrilling roller coaster.

And  one of the most expensive films ever made.

I love the stunt work, of course.

Cruise burned his first parachute doused in flammable liquid before opening his second parachute a total of 16 times!

And the humour.

It’s always entertaining to see Tom Cruise in trouble.

The cast is great. I look forward to seeing characters from previous movies.

Hayley Atwell is lovely and believable in this one.

You can almost ignore the plot. For some reason Tom must single-handedly defeat a malevolent rogue A.I. known as the Entity. He somehow didn’t die from the bends. I couldn’t understand that. 😀

This is supposed to be the final portrayal of Ethan Hunt. But the ending leaves it open for yet another instalment. I wouldn’t be surprised.

Click PLAY or watch it on YouTube.



Blues Brothers Movie

On By Rick McIn books, ethics, humour, movies, musicLeave a comment

Happy 4th of July. I’ve always admired American music, technology, innovation, and film.

A perfect example is Blues Brothers 1980.

After Animal House, John Belushi had the movie, album, and late night TV show. A huge star.

In The Blues Brothers, Jake and Elwood are on “a mission from God” to prevent the foreclosure of their Roman Catholic orphanage.

The Blues Brothers were controversial in a very American way. The intrinsically racist Hollywood film industry assumed they couldn’t sell a celebration of Black music and culture. The industry was wrong.

For example, Ted Mann, head Mann Theatres, refused to book the film as he didn’t want Black patrons. Mann was Jewish.

Click PLAY or watch it on YouTube.

Belushi was self-destructive, as is the USA.

I relate more to the Canadian, Dan Ackroyd.

Dan published Blues Brothers: The Arc of Gratitude in 2024. His personal recollections of the Band with interviews with many of the key players.

Lael’s Record Cycling Around the World

On By Rick McIn cycling, moviesLeave a comment

Full Documentary.

Lael Wilcox is my cycling inspiration.

Incredible positive and upbeat.

In 2024, Lael Wilcox set a new world record for circumnavigation of the earth by bicycle.

For 108 days, 12 hours and 12 minutes she rode, joined by friends and fans, with her journey documented by Rugile Kaladyte.

This is the film of that ride, filled with highs and lows, incredible roads, friends and fans. Beyond the record, it’s about the experience and the connections made, and how the bicycle makes it possible.

Click PLAY or watch it on YouTube. (90min.)

Dune: Prophecy – season 1

On By Rick McIn books, movies, TVLeave a comment

Worth watching. But not essential unless you a Dune nutcase.

Too much palace intrigue. Too dark. Too confusing.

There are some beautiful visuals, of course.

A big Dune fan, I was sceptical whether I’d enjoy the TV spinoff on one of the universe’s most appealing elements: the Bene Gesserit.

Dune: Prophecy is a prequel to the Denis Villeneuve films Dune and Dune: Part Two, taking place approximately 10,000 years earlier.

It draws upon, but is set after, the Great Schools of Dune novel trilogy (2012–2016) by Brian Herbert and Kevin J. Anderson. 

The show was met with mixed reviews, with a 70% on Rotten Tomatoes and an even lower 66% Audience Score. ..,

… it “lacks the spice of Denis Villeneuve’s films,” …

What Went Wrong With Dune: Prophecy

I wasn’t really cheering any of the characters. But Travis Fimmel as Desmond Hart is intriguing.

Perhaps more humour would have helped. The dialogue is dry.

I expect season 2 to be much stronger. This epic TV series has potential.

WHAT will replace your Phone and Laptop?

On By Rick McIn Apple, internet, movies, music, photos, videoLeave a comment

Former lead Apple designer and founder of io Jony Ive and OpenAI CEO Sam Altman believe you will eventually simply stand in front of a monitor a tell it what to do. (Elon Musk would claim that you could simply THINK it what to do. 😀)

Create a feature film, for example.

A.I. image

The new A.I. device MIGHT look something like an iPod Shuffle you can wear around your neck.

Click PLAY or watch an opinion on YouTube. I don’t agree with Matthew regarding Apple Vision Pro — it’s likely an intermediate step towards the future. Eventually you won’t need A.I. glasses

The Studio – season 1

On By Rick McIn movies, TVLeave a comment

The Studio is an American satirical cringe comedy-drama television series created by Seth Rogen, Evan Goldberg, Peter Huyck, Alex Gregory, and Frida Perez. It stars Rogen as an embattled Hollywood studio head struggling to balance corporate demands with his own passion for producing quality films.  …

It’s brilliant in many ways. The extensive use of long takes. The celebrity cameos.

I’m sure actors loved mocking their industry.

Click PLAY or watch it on YouTube.

It’s hilarious that the BIG PROJECT planned is a movie version of … Kool-Aid. They want to make billions as did Barbie. 😀

BUT — excessive profanity ruined The Studio for me.

Martin Scorsese told him he says ‘f‑‑‑’ too much.

Overuse of profanity is weak writing. Weak storytelling. This show would have been better with less swearing.

Here’s Seth Rogen defending his overuse of profanity.

Click PLAY or watch it on YouTube.



Sunrise on the Reaping by Suzanne Collins

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Another book where young people kill one another. These are shockingly successful.

… Sunrise on the Reaping contains enough both to snare new readers and to satisfy the most bloodthirsty fans.
Guardian review

Sunrise on the Reaping (2025) is a dystopian novel by American author Suzanne Collins.

… the second prequel novel to the original The Hunger Games trilogy, following The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes (2020). …

Set 24 years before the events of the first novel, the narrative delves into themes of political manipulation, the power of propaganda, and the complexities of societal control under a totalitarian regime and centers on the 50th Hunger Games …

We are cheering:

  • Haymitch Abernathy – male tribute from District 12
  • Maysilee Donner – female tribute from District 12

Needless to say, this book is a huge hit, the biggest debut for any title in Suzanne Collins’ The Hunger Games series.

Woody Harrelson plays Haymitch in the Catching Fire film. … Many years later.

Joseph Zada and Woody

The next will star Joseph Zada as Haymitch Abernathy & Mckenna Grace as Maysilee Donner.

The Accountant (2016 film)

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I’m no particular fan of Ben Affleck — but The Accountant is a good romp. … It doesn’t hurt that Anna Kendrick is even more adorable than usual. 😀

A typical American shoot-em-up. But with redeeming qualities.

Great cast.

A man who goes by the alias Christian Wolff is on the autism spectrum.

His military PsyOps father begins training him and his brother Braxton in various martial arts. Both become super skilled.

As an adult, Christian acts as a forensic accountant for criminal organizations, “un-cooking” their financial records to uncover thefts. 

Click PLAY or watch it on YouTube.

I hear the 2025 sequel is not nearly as good.