#1: “Knives Out”

Rating: 4.25/5 Horseshoes [MAV APPROVED]

Director: Rian Johnson

Rating: PG-13

Running Time: 2 hours 10 minutes

                                                                         Cast

Daniel Craig………………………………………………………………………Benoit Blanc

Chris Evans…………………………………………………………………Ransom Drysdale

Ana de Armas……………..……………………………………………………Marta Cabrera

Jamie Lee Curtis……………..………………………………………………..Linda Drysdale

Michael Shannon…………………………..…………………………………..Walt Thrombey

Don Johnson…………………..…………..……………………………….Richard Drysdale

Toni Collette…………………….………………………………………………Joni Thrombey

LaKeith Stanfield…………………..….………………………………………………Lt. Elliott

Christopher Plummer……………….………………………………………Harlan Thrombey

Katherine Langford……….……….….……………………………………….Meg Thrombey

Jaeden Martell…………….………………………………………………..Jacob Thrombey

Riki Lindhome………….….….……………………………………………Donna Thrombey

Edi Patterson………….…….…..……..………………………………………………….Fran

Frank Oz……………….…….….………….…………………………………….Alan Stevens

K Callan………………….….…………………………………………..Greatnana Wanetta

Noah Segan………………..…………..……………………………………Trooper Wagner

Director Rian Johnson wows us again by creating a murder mystery like no other with an intricate plot and descriptive characters. The one-on-one character interviews at the beginning of the movie give the audience a distinct image of the players’ vastly different personalities, ticks, and reactions to Harland Thrombey’s death. The dialogue was brilliantly executed by each actor, especially those of Ana De Armas (Marta) and Daniel Craig (Benoit Blanc), who made their character’s personalities shine the brightest on the screen. Full of twists, this movie is sure to keep the audience guessing until the end when all the pieces fall into place.

When famous murder mystery author Harlan Thrombey is found dead in his study, Detective Benoit Blanc is asked to try and solve this unusual case. The Thrombey household is no ordinary group and won’t hesitate to do whatever it takes to protect themselves and obtain their share of Harlan’s assets.

It was good to see Daniel Craig and Chris Evans take a break from serious roles (James Bond and Captain America respectively) and step into more comedic and light-hearted ones.

Ana de Armas did an amazing job at creating the kind and innocent persona of Marta, who is Harlan’s nurse and the only normal-ish character in the movie. The ticks she portrayed contributed to the character, but got tiring after a while. However, her dynamic with Harland was very wholesome, and made the audience understand a whole other aspect to his death and his character.

#2: “Terminator: Dark Fate”

Rating: 4/5 Horseshoes [MAV APPROVED]

Director: Tim Miller

Rating: R

Running Time: 2 hours 8 minutes

                                                                            Cast

Linda Hamilton………………………………………………………………………Sarah Connor

Arnold Schwarzenegger…………..……………………………………………………T-800/Carl

Mackenzie Davis…………..……………..……………………………………………………Grace

Natalia Reyes…………….…………..………………………………………………..Dani Ramos

Gabriel Luna….…………….……..………………………………………………..Gabriel/REV-9

Diego Boneta……..…………..………..…………..……………………………….Diego Ramos

Ferran Fernandez……………. .…………….………………………………………………Flacco

Tristan Ulloa………..……….……….………………………………………………Felipe Gandal

Tom Hopper……………….….….……..……………………………………………William Hadrell

Pedro Rudolphi……………….………………….…….………………………………………Cholo

Alicia Borrachero……………..………………………………………………………………..Alicia

In the sixth installment of the Terminator series, we’re introduced to a new and improved Rev-9 model, who’s sole mission is to kill a young Mexican factory worker named Dani Ramos. Before the robot can kill her, a half-human half-cyborg is sent back in time, with the intent of saving Ramos from the unkillable robotic soldier. When both of the women are in desperate need of help, they are surprisingly reunited with the two Terminator Film OG’s: Sarah Conner and the original T-800 Terminator.

I walked out of the theater with my mouth wide open. In this final saga of the Terminator Series, I came into the cinema with low expectations, making sure I don’t get my hopes too high as I did with the Star Wars Saga. But once the movie started, I knew I was in for a good one. Seeing characters from the originals come back was not only a delight for fans of the older movies, but they also engaged newer and younger fans of the franchise as well, appealing to all audiences. The dynamic between Sarah Connor and the T-800, also known as “Carl”, was hilarious yet thrilling and left you on the edge of your seat.

If you are a fan of the original terminator series, you would without a doubt enjoy this film. This movie carries out the same action-packed and exciting scenes but with a modern twist; having a dominating women film with female leads and strong female power portrayed through the film, as we follow the point of view from a half cyborg half-human named Grace who was sent from the future. It definitely won’t be a waste of a ticket. Go see this film!

#3: “Zombieland: Double Tap”

Rating: 4/5 Horseshoes [MAV APPROVED]

Director: Ruben Fleischer

Rating: R

Running Time: 1 hour 39 minutes

                                                                                Cast

Woody Harrelson……………..……………………………………………………………Tallahassee

Emma Stone.……………………………..………………………………………………………Wichita

Jesse Eisenberg…………..……………..……………………………………………………Columbus

Abigail Breslin…..………..…………………..………………………………………………..Little Rock

Zoey Deutch….…………………………………………………………………………………..Madison

Avan Jogia……………………..……………….…..…………..……………………………….Berkeley

Rosario Dawson…………………..…………….………………………………………………Nevada

Luke Wilson………..…………………….……..…………………………………………Albuquerque

Thomas Middleditch……………………….….…….……………………………………………Flagstaff

Victoria Halli……………….….………………….……………………………Babylonian Gatekeeper

In this sequel to the first Zombieland film, we’re brought back to the characters we loved from the original: Columbus, Tallahassee, Wichita, and Little Rock. We see their life in the White House, staying in and keeping away from the flesh-eaters roaming outside. But once Tallahassee’s overbearingness drives Little Rock to run away, the gang finds themselves on an unexpected journey to bring her back.

Zombieland: Double Tap appears to be one of the best movies of 2019. A sequel to the original movie, Zombieland, takes us further on the main character’s quest to make it through the zombie apocalypse. The sequel of the cult classic movie has brought many familiar faces back for Round 2, including Jesse Eisenberg as heart-throb Columbus, Woody Harrelson as quick-thinking Tallahassee, and Rosario Dawson as cool mannered Nevada. This second addition to the fan-favorite is filled with plenty of action-packed scenes, romance sprinkled throughout, and its fair share of comedy. With the blood, guts, and gory scenes, there will be plenty of action to hold your attention throughout the entirety of the film.

Looking at the movie itself, it proves to be a well planned out sequel to an amazing first movie. It was obvious that the movie was planned out in great detail. There are many long one-take shots with changing backgrounds and scenes that really draw the viewer into what the actors have to talk about. There were also well-placed jokes throughout the movies, as well as funny actions from many of the characters. However, some of the jokes seemed forced and too corny. This led to a few drawn-out scenes that were added for what seems like no reason. This is a rated R movie, so it is good to remember that some of the jokes are risqué, and even some scenes were over the top with blood and guts.

Information from IMDB