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Episode 3 got me feeling like damn Game of Thrones really knows how to pull you back in just when you start getting comfy with the lighter tone, episode three of A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms just went full on you and I did not see that ending coming at all even though I should have because this is Westeros and nobody gets to be happy for too long. The whole thing with Duncan stepping up to defend Tanselle at the puppet show and then Egg revealing himself as a Targaryen prince put both of them in serious danger, like I knew Egg was hiding something big but watching him get grabbed by the situation with his own brother Aerion was crazy because you could see the fear in his face when he realized there is no running away from this anymore. The way Aerion treated that whole situation like he owned everyone there and could do whatever he wanted was such classic Targaryen bullshit, killing that horse on purpose during the joust was messed up and you could feel how wrong that was for everyone watching it happen, you could feel the buildup to that final scene where Duncan throws down to protect Tanselle and Egg jumps in to stop his psycho brother from beating the crap out of both of them. What gets me is how much this changes everything for Duncan because now he is tied up with royalty and probably about to get his ass kicked by Targaryen guards or worse, thrown into some trial by combat situation that could end with him dead, the actors in this show continue to be really good and the chemistry between Duncan and Egg feels real like they actually care about each other which makes you worry about what is gonna happen next.

• IMDB: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt27497448/
• Platform: HBO MAX

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This episode really starts off chill with Egg training Thunder the horse and getting it prepare for his first joust at the Ashford tourney, Egg is learning all the stuff a squire needs to know like bringing weapons and sewing patches on clothes which he is terrible at because he never had to do that kind of work before as a royal kid. The whole opening section with Egg talking to Thunder and trying to get the horse to listen to him was sweet, he mentions how his father told him horses are dumb and only understand pain but Egg thinks horses are smarter than that and deserve respect, which is another hint at how different he is from the rest of his family, specially his brothers who treat everyone and everything like garbage. Ser Robyn Rhysling shows up looking like some crazy one eyed knight asking if Egg stole the horse but Egg stands his ground, Robyn turns out to be this fighter who talks about himself in the third person saying he is a vessel for the warrior, its weird but also kind of badass how confident he is despite looking like a mess with no shoes and that eye patch. Duncan teaches Egg how to sew and compliments him when he does a good job which is a nice moment between them showing how Duncan sees Egg as more than just some random kid, Egg sings this funny song about the Blackfyre Rebellion which is full of dirty jokes but also tells the story of how Prince Baelor and Prince Maekar who is Eggs father defeated the rebels at the Battle of Redgrass Field, its another clue that Egg knows way too much about Targaryen history for a regular kid from Flea Bottom. The tournament starts and they watch Ser Humfrey Hardyng fight Ser Humfrey Beesbury in what everyone calls the Battle of the Humfreys, then Ser Andro Ashford fights some other knight with a chalice on his shield, Duncan is getting nervous about his own match because he still does not have his shield ready and he knows only knights of high birth can fight on the first day so he has to wait. Plummer the steward shows up trying to bribe Duncan into throwing his match against Ser Andro so Lord Ashford can make money off the bets, Duncan refuses because he does not want a victory he did not earn which shows he has way more honor than most of these other knights, its a good scene that sets up how Duncan is different from everyone else at this tourney, this shows how Duncan is a man of his word and honor for not accepting.

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The joust between Prince Aerion and Ser Humfrey Hardyng is where everything goes to shit and the tone of the whole episode changes completely, Aerion shows up in this fancy armor with flames all over it and his shield has a three headed dragon in red orange and yellow, he looks like he is trying way too hard to make everyone scared of him because the Targaryens do not have dragons anymore so they rely on looking intimidating with their outfits. Before the match starts Aerion rides up to his cousin Valarr and says he will not embarrass him today which is already a dick move because it implies Valarr is weak compared to him, Prince Baelor is sitting in the stands looking worried because he knows Aerion is about to do something fucked up and sure enough he does. During the joust Aerion deliberately aims his lance at Ser Humfreys horse instead of Ser Humfrey himself and kills the animal by stabbing it through the neck, the horse goes down hard and Ser Humfrey gets thrown off and his leg gets completely shattered, you can hear it break and can imagine how bad it is when you fall fully suited armor and a horse falls on top of your leg, the crowd goes silent because they cannot believe what they just saw. Aerion did it on purpose to win the match in the most dishonorable way possible and also to send a message that he can do whatever he wants because he is a prince, someone in the crowd throws something at Aerions helmet maybe a rock or a piece of shit and it snaps his visor shut which is pretty funny but also dangerous because now the crowd is pissed off at the royal family. The whole scene is rough and the show does not hold back on showing the violence, you see the horse bleeding out and some guy has to come put it down with a weapon which is heartbreaking, Ser Humfrey is screaming in pain from his broken leg and his whole career as a knight is basically over now, Duncan and Egg both look horrified by what happened and Egg says it was not an accident Aerion went for the horse on purpose. Raymun Fossoway tells Duncan later that Aerion is a vicious fighter who only acts nice when his father Prince Maekar is watching but goes full psycho when no one important is around, he also goes on about how Targaryens are incestuous aliens who burned the kingdom and enslaved people and the only honorable thing they can do is finish on their wives tits which is harsh but also shows how much the regular people hate the royal family now that the dragons are gone. The whole conversation makes Duncan realize that this tourney is not about honor or chivalry at all, its just rich people playing games while the common people suffer and die for their entertainment.

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Duncan and Egg end up at the puppet show tent where Tanselle is performing, she does a show about Serwyn and the dragon where the knight stabs the dragon in the neck just like how Aerion stabbed the horse earlier, its a callback that pisses off Aerion who is drunk and horseless after Lord Ashford made him give away his mount as punishment for killing Ser Humfreys horse. Aerion walks into the puppet tent after the show and starts attacking Tanselle, he grabs her and breaks her fingers one by one because he is mad about the puppet show making fun of him and dragons losing, its cruel and unnecessary and shows what kind of person Aerion really is, he does not care about hurting people specially women and commoners because he thinks his royal blood makes him untouchable. Duncan hears whats happening and rushes in to stop Aerion, he sees Tanselles father Tansyl dead on the ground and Aerion breaking her hand, Duncan goes into a rage and tackles Aerion to the ground kicking him in the face and loosening one of his teeth, Aerion tries to pull his sword but Duncan is faster and beats the shit out of him in front of his guards. Aerion asks why Duncan threw his life away for some girl who is not worth it but Duncan does not care, he did what he thought was right even though it means he just assaulted a prince which is basically a death sentence in Westeros, Aerion says the dragon never loses and threatens to break all of Duncans teeth for loosening one of his, the guards surround Duncan and it looks like they are about to kill him right there in the tent. Egg runs in and tells the guards to stop, he calls them by name and orders them to release Duncan, Aerion recognizes Eggs voice and asks what happened to his hair, Egg says I cut it off brother I did not want to look like you. Everyone freezes because they just realized Egg is Prince Aegon Targaryen the fourth son of Prince Maekar, the episode ends on that reveal with everyone looking shocked, its a great cliffhanger because now Duncan is in even more trouble for attacking a prince while being the squire to another prince, and Egg just blew his cover which means he has to go back to his shitty royal life.

This episode works so well because it builds up the friendship between Duncan and Egg while also showing how dangerous Westeros really is, the lighter tone from the first two episodes is completely gone by the end and you realize this is still Game of Thrones where bad things happen to good people all the time. The whole thing with Aerion killing the horse was shocking because the show spent time making you care about Thunder and how Egg was training him, so when Aerions horse dies it hits harder because you know how much losing an animal like that would hurt, Duncan loves horses as much as he loves people maybe even more so seeing one get killed for no reason other than Aerions ego was probably the breaking point for him. The stuff with the fortune teller earlier in the episode was creepy, she tells Duncan he will be rich and successful but she tells Egg he will be king and die in hot fire and worms will eat his ashes and everyone who knows him will be happy when he dies, its a dark prophecy for a little kid to hear and you can tell it freaks Egg out even though Duncan laughs it off as a joke. All the scenes with Raymun Fossoway talking about how much people hate the Targaryens were important because it shows the political situation in Westeros right now, the royal family is hanging on by a thread and if they keep doing stuff like killing horses and hurting commoners eventually there will be another rebellion, Raymuns line about them being incestuous aliens was funny but also true, without dragons the Targaryens are just weird looking foreigners who married their own siblings for generations and now expect everyone to bow down to them. I really liked the scenes with Egg talking about wanting to live a simple life with horses and cows, it shows he is not like the rest of his family, he does not want power or glory he just wants to be left alone to do his own thing, but the episode ends with him losing that dream because now everyone knows who he really is and he has to deal with the consequences of being a prince.

#skiptvads, #inleo, #hive, #knight, #westeros, #targaryen, #duncan, #egg, #aerion, #tournament, #joust, #ashford, #squire, #prince, #honor, #betrayal, #violence, #horse, #tavern, #reveal, #brotherhood, #medieval, #fantasy, #hbo, #series, #recap, #episode, #danger

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Im a bit split in between Chapter 1 and 2, same as on my previous post none of this are better than the original although I do prefer Chapter 2, I think was a bit just a bit better but I can understand how this can be a massive disappointment to the audience considering they have now done two movies that do not cover up half of how good the first one was. Today I watch most of this movie while I was waiting to get my hair cut and it had me checking the guy before me and watch multiple times wondering when something interesting was actually going to happen. When they announced this trilogy being shot back to back I got excited thinking they had some killer ideas to justify three whole movies, turns out they had nothing and this second one proves it completely and now my hopes are lower for the upcoming and final Chapter 3. The concept of one long chase from hospital to woods sounded cool but everything about it felt rushed and lazy, the kills are mostly weak cutaway shots like some PG 13 trash, the Shelly backstory adds nothing and makes the strangers less scary, plus there is this bizarre wild boar scene that is so out of place I still cannot believe they included it. Madelaine Petsch does her absolute best with what she is given but the script offers nothing beyond just surviving, no character goals or creativity in how she escapes these masked killers and it shows. Everything feels pointless like it could have been twenty minutes tacked onto Chapter 1 instead of its own movie, then it ends with to be continued a big wtf moment for me so my only hope is that Chapter 3 does its own thing but most likely will be a continuation of whats going on unless they go with a bunch of flashbacks that gives more context but I dont see anything hidden that needs much explaining. They took terrifying characters from the original 2008 movie and turned them into boring nothing villains I do not care about anymore, that is actually an achievement when you think about it because those characters used to be scary.

• IMDB: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt28671344/
• Platform: STARz

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Source This whole thing picks up right after Maya wakes in the hospital following the attack that killed her fiance Ryan, she is processing everything while knowing these killers are still out there hunting her down. The hospital sequence works decently for the most part and its here where I think it was slightly better, we got Maya sneaking around avoiding the strangers who got inside and are killing staff members but then it becomes this repetitive loop where she hides runs hides runs with zero variation whatsoever and it gets old fast. They try adding emotional weight by showing her trying to escape through the morgue where she climbs into one of those body storage racks but it is heavy handed and obvious, we get she is traumatized but come on show us something new instead of recycling every horror movie cliche. Once she escapes things get even more boring because now she is running through woods while killers chase at a casual pace like they do not really care about catching her at all or they just already know where she is going to end up, there are this long stretches where absolutely nothing happens at the woods. Maya literally walks and try to stitch wounds, then suddenly a stranger pops up for a quick jumpscare before vanishing again for fifteen minutes, I kept waiting for it to kick into high gear and deliver something wild but it never does. She runs into random people throughout the night including Nurse Danica and her roommates Gregory, Chris and Wayne, and you are never sure if these people are actually trying to help or if they are part of some bigger conspiracy in this town, now thats is the only topic that might data dump it on Chapter 3 like the entire town is one big trap where everyone participates. I kinda do this when a movie is not that good, expecting a twist or surprise that saves it but no clever twists or surprises just the same stuff over and over until the credits finally roll and you feel like you wasted your time.

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Source The kills are such a letdown for a slasher trying to be dark and brutal based on marketing, most deaths happen off screen with weird angles hiding actual violence so you see someone grabbed then cut to their corpse on the ground a minute later. A few moments show some gore like crossbow killings or stabbings but nothing stands out or makes you think damn that was crazy, just standard stuff done better in tons of other horror movies over the years. The strangers are not scary this time, because they get too much screen time and this Shelly backstory nobody wanted or asked for at all, flashbacks reveal she killed a girl named Tamara when they were kids at school, beat her to death with a rock over childhood jealousy and now she grew up as Pin Up Girl one of the masked killers. It makes much sense and ruins the mystery that made the originals work so well but I guess thats the jist of this story to slowly reveal who the hell are this people, their motives, their reasons and why the damn masks, but I think more of the audience is more used to the idea that the whole point was random faceless killers with no motive beyond because you were home. Giving them names and tragic pasts turns them into regular slasher villains that are not interesting anymore, they also introduce random characters showing up five minutes before dying like this state trooper Billy Bufford and the horse farm owner named Shar. None of these people matter or add anything they just pad body count and waste time filling up runtime that already feels way too long, Gregory at least tries to help Maya by telling her she is the only one who survived these killers but then he leaves and gets killed anyway so what was the point of that whole interaction.

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Source Now one or probably the only memorable part of the movie and not necesarly because it was good, its the wild boar scene where this completely lost me and went from boring to actually laughable, what the hell were they thinking with this decision. Maya is running through woods and finds an abandoned campsite, builds a fire treating wounds which makes no sense because smoke gives away her position, then out of nowhere a giant wild pig attacks her for five straight minutes and it is absurd. She fights this thing with sticks eventually killing it with a knife, then I was thinking is this the strangers or some nature survival movie now, it feels like a different movie breaking any suspense built up to that point. Watching Madelaine Petsch wrestle a CGI boar biting her leg and stepping on her back looks ridiculous, after killing it there is a long face shot where I guess we think she has become a killer too or something deep but it comes across silly and tryhard instead. The movie keeps throwing random elements that do not fit like Maya showing up at the cabin from Chapter 1 and changing clothes, the ambulance crash at the end where Pin Up Girl flies through the windshield and dies after Maya stabbed her in the neck with scissors, meanwhile Scarecrow and Dollface just show up to mourn her while Maya watches from the woods. The script could not decide what kind of movie it wanted so it tried everything at once which is disappointing, Renny Harlin proved he can direct good stuff before but this feels lazy like he had no real ideas making a full sequel work at all.

#skiptvads, #inleo, #hive, #strangers, #chapter, #horror, #slasher, #sequel, #maya, #hospital, #chase, #woods, #killers, #dollface, #tamara, #backstory, #disappointing, #boring, #trilogy, #maline, #pesh, #deaths, #offscreen, #boar, #scene, #ambulance, #review, #rating

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It usually gets like this when I skip a few episodes of a series, I left it of latter and todays is latter, its a Sunday and I wake up early, did a few things before sitting down and starting to watch some content, decided fo finish Pluribus before I move on into continue with Wonder Man. The season finale wrapped up pretty good I would say and the whole situation where Carol has to decide between saving Zosia or the world hits different after everything that went down, because we spent all season watching her get manipulated by the Hive and finally she is waking up to the fact that they played her from the start. The big egg reveal was something everyone saw coming from miles away, the second they mentioned freezing eggs earlier I suspect that was going to be the loophole the Hive uses to get her stem cells without technically breaking the consent rule, but even though it was predictable it still landed well because you see the fear and betrayal kick in on Carols face when she realizes what is about to happen to her, she thought she had control over this whole thing and turns out she never did. Zosia being part of that betrayal too is what really hurts because Carol spent so much time convincing herself that the individual version of Zosia was real and not just the Hive pretending to care about her individually, honestly it was stupid, but that scene where Zosia tells her they love everyone equally really shows how fake that connection was all along and that the Hive does not do special bonds or real human love, they just do this weird distributed affection thing that sounds nice but feels hollow when you really think about it. The fact that Carol goes from being all colorful and happy to back in black with an atom bomb shows how fast reality hit and Manousos asking her do you want to save the world or the girl is the perfect question to basically point out what this whole season was about, Carol was broken after Helen death and the Hive knew it they just had to wait and wait until she needed someone, that someone was Zosia. I get why people are excited about Carol and Manousos finally teaming up to take down the Hive and that final shot of them with the bomb is cool I guess, but bringing in an atom bomb this late feels like the series is going over the top to make things more intense instead of just letting the thing breathe on its own, it feels a bit rushed considering how much time they spent on other stuff during the season. Still seeing Carol go full badass mode again after spending most of the season doubting herself is satisfying and that moment where she shoots the shotgun through the wall to stop Manousos from experimenting on Rick was pretty damn tense and shows she still has limits even when she is mad at the Hive, she is not going to let him kill people just to prove a point.

• IMDB: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt22202452/
• Platform: AppleTV+

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The clock is still thicking and episode 9 is seventy one days before the finale with this younger immune Peruvian girl named Kusimayu getting turned into the Hive, she was in episode two and I totally forgot about her until she showed up again, they bring her this formula that will let get turn into the Hive, she just drinks it and boom she is one of them now. She was curious about what it felt like so I guess she wanted to join since she constantly said wants to be with her family, which makes sense but also feels sad because you know once you are in you are never coming back out of that thing, your individuality is just gone forever and replaced with this collective consciousness that pretends to care about you but most likely will starve to death. They show this whole elaborate ceremony with the entire village gathered to chant and support her as she becomes part of the Hive, but the second the conversion is complete they all fall silent and swiftly move to abandon the place which is creepy and shows how the Hive only cares about spreading not about actually staying with people once they convert them, because once she convert then everyone who was pretending to be there for her became just another number, its almost like your hari. Now into much more bigger stuff, Manousos finally arrives in Albuquerque to meet Carol and right away you can tell these two do not trust each other at all which makes sense because Manousos thinks the Hive is evil and Carol is basically in love with one of them. He refuses to get in Carol's place and preffer the ambulance because he thinks the Hive is watching with satellites, then he compromise so he asks for an umbrella to hide from the drones which seems paranoid but also he is probably right, those weirdos do have eyes everywhere watching everything. The whole language barrier thing between them is handled really well, Manousos speaks some English but not a lot so half their conversation is in Spanish and the other half is broken English, it feels realistic instead of just having everyone speak perfect English like most shows do when they have international characters, I appreciate that they did not take the easy way out on this. Carol takes him inside her house and Manousos starts checking for bugs, and sure enough he finds a movement sensor in her liquor cabinet that Helen planted years ago to make sure she was not drinking, the Hive admits this and says they been monitoring it but they frame it like they were just helping Helen keep track of her sobriety which is such bullshit manipulation. Manousos calls the Hive on the phone and starts asking them questions, and because its their nature they have to answer him with complete truth even though they know he is using that information against them, that whole we cannot lie thing really backfires on them here and its satisfying to watch.

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Source The next day things get crazy when Manousos does his frequency experiment and causes a bunch of Hive members to go into seizures all at once after he kept screaming at one of them, its the same thing he tried earlier in the season but this time its way more people and you can tell Carol is pissed because she knows a lot of them probably just died from that. Zosia sits down right before it happens because the Hive warned her it was coming, which shows they learned from the first time Manousos tried this but even with the warning it still looked bad, I would just imagine people dropping all over the place. Manousos is trying to bring a guy name Rick back by talking to him while he is seizing, saying listen Rick I am here you can come back and for a second it feels like it might actually work because Rick seems like he is responding to his voice but this could be just me hoping it really happen for a big twist in all this, but then Carol grabs the shotgun and shoots it through the wall to make Manousos back away before he can finish his experiment. That moment is so intense because you are not sure if Carol did the right thing, like maybe Manousos was actually about to save Rick and bring him back to being human again or maybe he was just causing more damage and Carol stopped him from killing someone, at the same time I kind of love that they did not spell it out. Laxmi calls Carlo pissed off assuming it was her and then Zosia and all the others leave Albuquerque again because of what Manousos did, you can see Carol is torn because part of her wants to stay with Zosia but another part of her knows Manousos is right about needing to fix this whole mess, its a great internal conflict that they built up over the entire season and it finally comes to a head here.

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Source Then we get all these scenes of Carol traveling the world with Zosia, they go skiing and to the beach and it looks like Carol is the happiest she has been during the entire series or probably years of her life, all those happy chemicals flowing through her bloodstream making everything feel perfect, but you can tell something is off because Carol keeps asking questions about Zosia past, like did you have someone before you joined the Hive and Zosia says yes but they are dead now which makes Carol realize that even this relationship she thinks is so special is just the Hive pretending to be whoever Carol needs them to be, its not real love its just a simulation of it. The whole conversation where Zosia admits they have Carols frozen eggs and can turn those into stem cells without her consent is the final nail, you see the exact moment Carols face changes when she understands she has been played this entire time, Rhae Seehorn does such a great job during this scene with her expressions. Zosia tries to justify it by saying they love Carol and have to do this, but Carol throws it back at her saying if you loved me you would not do this, and Zosia just responds with we have to do this because we love you which is the most fucked up logic ever, its like an abusive relationship where someone says I hurt you because I care about you. That young Peruvian girl Kusimayu from the opening gets brought up again and Zosia says she just joined us and I promise you she is happier than she has ever been, which is such manipulative garbage because yeah she might feel happy but she also lost her entire identity and in fact who knows if she even exist anymore and this is just a virus that turn a human into a tool and ctrl+shift+del free will in the process, the Hive always frames everything like its a good thing when really its just them taking over more people.

#skiptvads, #inleo, #hive, #pluribus, #finale, #recap, #carol, #zosa, #hive, #manus, #betrayal, #manipulation, #scifi, #thriller, #bomb, #choice, #survival, #stemcells, #trust, #relationship, #sacrifice, #experiment, #seizure, #collective, #consciousness, #albuquerque, #episode, #season

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The Wrecking Crew is one of those movies where you just turn your brain off and enjoy the ride, you are not getting some masterpiece here but you are getting Jason Momoa and Dave Bautista being themselves and having fun witch makes the whole thing work way better than it should and I think this is something that works just great with streaming type of movies, its almost like an in between and you dont tend to expect much so it surprise you. Two half brothers Jonny and James have not talked in years because of family drama and all that mess, their dad Walter gets killed in what looks like a hit and run but surprise surprise its not just some random accident, turns out there is Yakuza involved and a dirty developer and all this crazy underworld stuff happening on the islands. Jonny is this loose cannon cop who got suspended from his job back in Oklahoma for doing some questionable stuff, he drinks way too much and curses the entire time while James is this by the book Navy SEAL who keeps his life together and follows all the rules but even he has his own issues to deal with. When their dad dies Yakuza guys actually attack Jonny at his Oklahoma home looking for a package Walter supposedly sent him, thats when everything goes to hell because people start trying to kill them left and right and they gotta figure out who actually murdered their dad and why, the whole thing is basically them running around Hawaii causing mayhem and destroying everything in their path while trying to solve this mystery that is not that hard to figure out if you pay attention for like the first 30 min. Director Angel Manuel Soto who did Blue Beetle a couple years back knows how to shoot action and keep things interesting especially with Hawaii as the backdrop, some of those closing shots were beautiful, the action is solid but nothing you have not seen before, there is fight scenes in hallways, there is helicopter chases on highways where innocent people definitely died but nobody seems to care, there is shootouts in compounds and on streets where civilians are just getting caught in the crossfire and its kinda wild how they just brush past that like its no big deal.

• IMDB: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt33046197/
• Platform: PRIME VIDEO

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Source The tone for this movie is kinda of a mix because one minute its this fun buddy cop comedy with Jason making jokes and cursing everyone out, then the next minute its trying to be serious with family drama and revenge but it never really commits to either on fully so you end up with this weird mix that works sometimes but also feels messy. Jason Momoa is basically playing himself again witch is not a bad thing because he is fun to watch, he brings this energy where he is always drinking beer and making one liners and not taking anything seriously even when people are shooting at him. Dave Bautista is the straight man trying to keep things together and he does a good job balancing out Jasons craziness, their chemistry feels natural like you actually believe these dudes could be brothers even though they look nothing alike and have completely different personalities, there is this running joke where people keep commenting on how big they are and how they look like they eat steroid pancakes for breakfast witch made me laugh because its true. The supporting cast is pretty solid too with Jacob Batalon as Pika who is basically the tech guy that helps them out and he was way funnier than I expected because he was swearing his ass off the whole time, Morena Baccarin shows up as Valentina and she is great, she has this scene with chili pepper water that was so random and stupid but also hilarious, she really steals some scenes from the two big guys witch is impressive. Temuera Morrison aka Boba Fett is in this too as the Syndicate leader Mr. K and Claes Bang plays Marcus Robichaux the developer villain, the moment you see them you know they are gonna be important to the plot because they are the other recognizable faces in the cast besides the leads, they do not even try to hide it so there is no real surprise there.

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The script of the movie at times felt like it tries to do too much with conspiracies and twists and connections to Hawaiian culture but it ends up feeling cluttered and unfocused, there is stuff about illegal gambling and dirty money and corrupt politicians that is nothing new or groundbraken but none of it gets looked at deeply enough to actually mean anything, they throw in these emotional aspects of the story about family and brotherhood and letting go of the past but since this two are not that serious most of they time they are together then first you dont care much about their thoughts and feelings, I guess based on the style of the movie looks like something that was planned. Jonny has this whole backstory about his mom being murdered when he was young and he been trying to find her killer for years. James actually sent Jonny away to Oklahoma to save his life from the Syndicate because Jonny was going after them for his moms death and it caused all this tension between the brothers for decades, some of the main reasons they stay apart aside form the fact they kept arguing when ever the could. That subplot gets solved in the most flat way possible you could imagine that takes so much away from the movie when Mr. K gives Jonny the name of the actual killer at the end because he appreciated that they took out the Yakuza and Jonny just burns the note with the killers name without even looking at it, its supposed to be this big moment of him letting go and self healing doing the right thing not going for revenge but it doesnt hit, same thing with James who supposedly feels guilty for being a bad brother but we dont see enough of their relationship to care when they finally make up after having a fist fight on the beach to settle their differences. The really sad part of the story is the villains because it looks like they put minimal effort on making them interesting and not been their just to fillup the place, almost like just to give this two someone to fight, Marcus Robichaux is this developer with shady business trying to build casinos which are illegal in Hawaii so obviously he is doing corrupt shit, Walter was actually hired by both Marcus and his wife Monica to investigate each other witch is kinda funny, when Monica turns up dead Jonny knows Marcus killed her and that connects everything back to their dads murder. Stephen Root shows up as the police chief who is your typical authority figure that yells at them for causing chaos but never actually stops them from doing whatever they want, where it actually shines is in the gore and the kill scenes because they did not hold back on the violence, there is a part where someones arm gets ripped off and another where a dudes face gets grated on the street like a cheese grater and it was brutal in a good way.

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The action is the most fun even if its nothing too smart, the highway scene with the helicopter was over the top and ridiculous but also entertaining in a turn your brain off kind of way, same with the final shootout at Marcus compound where they just mow down dozens of guys without much effort and rescue James wife Leila and daughter Nani who got kidnapped, they lean into that 80s action vibe where the good guys never miss and the bad guys cant hit anything even from five feet away, its dumb but it works because it knows what it is and doesnt try to be something more serious or grounded. The Hawaiian setting is used well visually but they do not do much with the culture beyond surface level stuff, they mention some local things and show some scenery but it never feels real or lived in like they actually working the island, its more like Hawaii is just a backdrop for all the explosions rather than an actual character in the story. Angel Manuel Soto tries to bring some of that island respect into it and you can tell he cares about it properly, the biggest issue with The Wrecking Crew is that its trying to be too many things at once and ends up not being great at any of them, its not funny enough to be a full comedy, not serious enough to be a drama, not smart enough to be a thriller and not crazy enough to be a balls to the wall action thing like it should have been. If they had just leaned all the way into the stupidity and made it a full on brainless action fest it probably would have been way more fun, instead it keeps trying to have these moments of depth and meaning that just fall flat because the rest is so ridiculous, its the kind of thing where you watch it once and forget about it a week later, nothing about it sticks with you except maybe a couple of the gnarly kill scenes and the fact that Jason and Dave have good chemistry together.

#skiptvads, #inleo, #hive, #wreckingcrew, #jasonmomoa, #davebautista, #action, #comedy, #buddycop, #hawaii, #primevideo, #movie, #review, #yakuza, #brothers, #revenge, #fighting, #explosions, #gore, #violence, #thriller, #2026, #angelmanuesoto, #marinabacharin, #tamoramorrison, #jacobbatalon, #streaming, #entertainment

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This has to be one of those franchise most people do not like but somehow I do, Im probably too soft when it comes to criticism and my scores are often higher than normal but I think I land at least the number for this one, The Strangers Chapter 1 I woulndt call it a complete waste of time but you will find me ranting a bit here because yeah they could have done way better. Now with Chapter 3 releasing on February I wanted to watch all movies starting from the OG that I posted about a few days ago. This whole thing is just a lazy copy of the 2008 movie but somehow they managed to strip away everything that made the original work in the first place. When they announced this was gonna be part of a trilogy I got excited because I thought maybe we would finally get some answers about who these masked psychos are and why they do what they do to random people, but after watching Chapter 1 it didnt do much context so I realized they are just dragging this out for no good reason except to milk more money out of a franchise that should have stayed dead or they really going to data dump on Chapter 3, almost like doing the reboot, sequel and prequel all in one package of a trilogy, so I dont know whats next and dont expect too much out of it. The whole setup feels so played out and tired, you got Maya and Ryan driving through Oregon on some road trip and of course their car breaks down in the middle of nowhere at the sketchiest town you have ever seen, with creepy kids handing out bibles and mechanics that look like they wanna murder you before you even get out of the vehicle. These two idiots decide to stay at some random cabin in the woods even though every single person in that town gave them bad vibes from the second they arrived, but no they just go with it because the script needed them to be stupid enough to put themselves in danger without any logical reason behind it.

• IMDB: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt22050754/
• Platform: PRIME VIDEO

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Source The whole movie just recycles the same exact story elements from the 2008 version but makes everything worse somehow, instead of building dread and making you feel uncomfortable they just throw in cheap jump scares and people standing in doorways for two seconds before disappearing into thin air. Maya keeps seeing the masked woman at the door asking for some person who does not live there, then she sees one of them inside the house while she is in the shower, then the power goes out and suddenly all three of them are running around the cabin playing hide and seek with a couple that has zero survival instincts between them. Ryan leaves Maya alone multiple times to go back into town for his inhaler or to get food, even though there is a psychopath knocking on their door and acting like everything is totally fine, also this guy has zero balls when he had doll face on sight with the shotgun but I guess she had him all the time, but still who the hell does that when your girlfriend is freaking out about masked strangers lurking around the property. Then when he finally comes back with his burger he just eats like a complete slob with ketchup dripping everywhere, the camera zooms in on his face while he chews and I kept waiting for something to happen like him getting attacked from the back or something, but nope, its like the movie just wanted to watch him eat the damn burger.

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Source The kills in this movie are so weak and disappointing, for something rated R you would expect some actual gore or creative violence but every single death happens off screen or cuts away at the last second, reminds me of FNAF 1 & 2 where they did choose to be PG 13 when they should be R rated, so it was like a backwards situation, so yeah kinda the same which is just embarrassing for a horror movie over all like whats the point. They give Ryan a shotgun at one point and instead of using it to actually defend themselves he just puts it down on the ground so he can hug Maya with his back turned to both the door and the window, there are so many scenes that were too predictable and honestly nobody in real life would be that dumb even in a panic situation. The strangers themselves are not scary at all in this version, they just stand around doing nothing most of the time and the few moments where they actually attack someone it happens so fast you barely see anything, the whole point of the masks in the original was to make them feel inhuman and unpredictable but here they just feel like random people cosplaying horror movie characters. They set this up as chapter one of a trilogy and spent the whole movie teasing that we might finally learn who these people are and why they target random victims, but by the end you get absolutely nothing except hints that maybe the next two movies will explain it all which feels like such a ripoff after sitting through this boring retread of a story we already saw done better sixteen years ago.

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Source The two lead characters have zero chemistry together, you are supposed to believe they have been dating for five years and Ryan is about to propose because why not make this cliche, but they act like strangers who just met last week and got stuck together on a road trip neither of them wanted to take. The dialogue is so bad it made me cringe multiple times, they say things no real person would ever say in those situations and make decisions that only exist because the plot needed them to stay in danger instead of just leaving when they had multiple chances to get out, you might think they act they way they do because they are been push by this psychos like real psychological horror situation, almost like the OG SAW movie but its not, they just dumb as hell. When they find a dead bird hanging upside down in the cabin they finally realize something is wrong but instead of grabbing their stuff and running to the road or hiding in the woods they decide to crawl under the house through a vent and then run straight into a shack five feet away from the cabin, staying on the property where the killers obviously know every inch of the area. Ryan sprains his ankle or his leg gets stuck at some point but then somehow he is still moving around fine, the whole scene makes no sense and just exists to give them a weapon they will immediately waste by making more stupid choices that get them almost killed again and again.

#skiptvads, #inleo, #hive, #strangers, #horror, #remake, #trilogy, #disappointing, #slasher, #masks, #cabin, #Oregon, #survival, #jump, #scares, #weak, #kills, #shotgun, #psychopath, #retread, #boring, #outdated, #chemistry, #dialogue, #cringe, #violence, #sequel, #waste

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What happened to you, Amenábar?

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It seems things starting to pick up but most of my suspicious where true from Sam's son been dead and the flowers were for this anniversary although it still not so clear the why but I would assume its because the hijacked plain he help to safe. The series is starting to throw some curve balls while you start thinking one thing and then boom the show flips everything around and leaves you wondering what the hell is actually going on but then things clear out real quick. This episode called Baggage is were all the secrets start coming out, giving more and more context to the reason why Sam hijack the train, I really though the blew up Freddy but there was part of me thinking he didnt because how convenient it was that the video feed went out and he was at the cctv room of that station hhhmmmm, well turns out he did not kill that guy Freddy at the end of episode two like I assumed witch made me go back to my original theory that maybe Sam was the one planning all this to get the authorities attention but nope that got shut down real quick when we find out someone is controlling Sam too by sending him a picture of his wife Marsha. The whole setup looked like an explosion at first but it was just a fire that Sam started to make it look like a bomb went off, cutting the cameras at the same time so the cops would think Freddy blew up, but really Freddy was just wandering around outside the train yelling hello like an idiot instead of running far away from the danger witch seemed pretty stupid to me but I guess panic makes people do dumb shit, well what do I know, I have never been on that situation.

• IMDB: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt19854762/
• Platform: PEACKOCK

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Source There is also another twist that Sam does not know about yet, there is someone else on the train and that person just killed Freddy who Sam was starting to trust and almost become friends with I think, there is this girl who gets into the drivers cabin and then screams when she finds the body and you can see the shock on Sams face so she should be able to put together that it was not him but we will see if she is smart enough to figure that out or if panic takes over first, I bet on panic and not reasoning. Turns out this guy Anders who works on the train is actually in on the whole thing, he went up to were Freddy was and stabbed him or shot him or whatever he did, either way Freddy is dead for real now and that complicates everything because now Sam has to act like he actually did kill him to keep the plan moving forward witch puts him in even more hot water with the police. The bomb under the train was another big surprise for Sam because just when he thought he could get a message out and end this whole thing if they save his ex wife, but honestly thi sis just common sense because who is going to trust Sam was going to do everything he was ask for just because, now he finds out everyone is stil in danger anyway and he can not let the engineer tell anyone or else they all die, one of the cops found evidence at the bomb makers house showing there was real explosives and even found powder on the ground where the train was parked the night before so they know for sure there is a real bomb somewhere on that train.

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Source Then there is this scene with Sam's ex wife Marsha who also confronts the guy watching her, its part of the crew that is using Sam, she lost it and grabs an axe to beat the shit out of his windshield witch was pretty badass weak at the same time because it was all the weight of the axe and not her strength, but now they are face to face and I do not think it ends well for her, she probably gets captured or worse and that just puts Sam in even more trouble down the line. I loved that scene though because she is not just sitting around being a victim, she doesn't care anymore, she then trying to fight back and protect herself witch shows she has the same kind of fire that Sam has, these two neighbors also show up and seem like good people who are trying to warn her about the strange car parked down the road but was very meh because even when she knew right away didnt ask for help, one of them even has a shotgun witch makes me think they might come in handy later if shit really goes down but nah the script just fly by. The whole Kai thing is really what drives this episode emotionally, finding out that Sam lost his son exactly one year ago today and that he thinks John Bailey Brown had him killed because of the hijaking from season one, that gives Sam a real reason to be doing all this crazy stuff even if he is not actually in charge of the plan like we all thought he was at first.

#skiptvads, #inleo, #hive, #hijack, #baggage, #recap, #season, #episode, #train, #bomb, #sam, #nelson, #idris, #elba, #freddy, #anders, #marsha, #kai, #murder, #thriller, #suspense, #passengers, #twist, #control, #anniversary, #danger, #apple, #review

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Alright so at no point in time Im going to argue if this is as good as the OG series becuase its not, in fact through the first three episodes I was feeling like stop watching because how cringe it feels and looks, thats the reason why I didnt post about on a one by one episode basis because funny it was release how I enjoy the most tv series, on a weekly episode. Spartacus House of Ashur came out of nowhere and down the aline as the series progress this thing kicked way more ass than I was expecting after all these years since the original series wrapped up, its one of those rough jewels that often release on Hulu, Peacock or Starz. We are talking about a show that ended back in 2013 and here we are in 2025 getting this alternate timeline situation that actually works way better than it had any right to because from episode one its made clear that this is kinda dream or curse as how Ashur comes back to life to feel what is to be a Dominus. Nick Tarabay is back as Ashur and the man is absolutely killing it in this role, every episodes as he use to mention "Gods decide to fuck him in the A...", this is basically an alternate universe where he did not die betraying Spartacus during Vengeance, instead he won that fight, got all the glory and recognition from Rome and now he is running his own ludus but everyone still treats him like absolute shit because he is Syrian and killed everyones hero with a spear to the back which is not exactly the honorable way Romans like their victories even though by doing this he landed in the favor of some high rank Romans. The show does a great job showing how this guy is constantly trying to climb up from the bottom even though he technically has power now, every single time he gets close to something good he gets kicked back down again with rotten food thrown at him, people spitting on him and zero respect at all even though he is a free man now with his own gladiator house and some sweet ass female slaves at villa, so dont over think it just enjoy watching a man suffering constantly through every episode along with some very good savage gladiator fights.

• IMDB: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt29921437/
• Platform: PLATFORM

Source This tv series also has a stacked cast that turned out to be awesome and how they all bring their A game to every scene, yes the series is a few steps down from Spartacus but its almost the same vibes where each other subplot is good enough, from the gladiators personal life, to the Doctore, Ashur himself. Graham McTavish plays Chorus who is this doctore slash former champion gladiator and he is absolutely perfect for the role with that gruff voice and intimidating presence that demands respect, then you got Claudia Black showing up as this viper wife of some governor or senator and she is scary in all the best ways possible with her scheming and manipulating behind the scenes. The whole thing kicks off when Ashur decides to train a woman as a gladiator because that is exotic enough and different enough to get people interested again after his ludus got completely embarrassed in the first games they participated in, nobody wants her there at first because the ludus is supposed to be this brotherhood thing where men fight and die together but she absolutely earns her spot through pure violence and skill that cannot be denied. The action in this show is brutal, the show is very sexual and gory, the gore is over the top just like the original series with blood spraying everywhere and limbs getting chopped off in slow motion, there is tons of sex happening all over the place with full frontal nudity for both men and women, plus all these political games happening in Rome with senators and their wives trying to screw each other over for power and influence, I have always wonder if this was life back then, not in the sex and violence sence but in the conspiracy aspect of things as there are many stories how senators use to kill each other.

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Source The whole alternate timeline concept actually makes sense once they explain it through Lucretia who shows up in this weird afterlife type situation after Ashur gets his head chopped off by Naevia at the end of Vengance, she basically offers him a deal where he can come back to life in a different version of events where he survives and Spartacus dies instead which reshapes everything that happened after. Lucy Lawless comes back for this cameo and even though its brief she absolutely nails the manipulative seductress vibe that made her character so memorable in the original series, there is this creepy baby thing happening during her speech that I still do not understand but whatever, the point is Ashur takes the deal without hesitation because of course he does and now we get to see what happens when the slimy backstabber actually wins for once. The show is set around six months from my understanding after what would have been the end of War of the Damned if Spartacus had won, but in this timeline the rebellion is completely crushed and Rome is back in control with thousands of crucified slaves lining the roads as a reminder of what happens when you try to fight the system, lucky enough once it all seem to be over its Ashur and the men of his ludus who are assign to take down all the corpes from the rebellion, even though it was very poor CGI it was insane to watch all this men along the road crucified, between them there were some of Spartacus men and the show doesnt loose time and make reference to this gladiators so the connection to the original show is always there.

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Source One of the most intresting things about this show is how it focuses on Ashur constantly fighting for legitimacy even though he technicaly has everything he ever wanted, he has to deal with senators and their wives who look down on him, he has to manage gladiators who either hate him or do not respect him because they know he killed Spartacus in a cowardly way but the most intense fight is always trying to land in the favor of senators, its that political power, considering that he didnt even wanted to get into politics but be in the favor of senators so his ludus can have a place in the arena to fight, its that golden ticket that he constantly keeps chasing until he gets it but staying in the arena across time seem harder than even getting in. There is this one gladiator named Salvius who is constantly quoting Spartacus and talking about freedom and doing the right thing which obviously pisses Ashur off , at first I thought this guy was going to be like a secondary hero or someone who would help lead another rebelion but the show does this great thing where it keeps you guessing about who actually matters and who is just there to fill out the roster. The gladiator fights are insane with all the slow motion camera work from 300 and people flying through the air doing crazy flips and spins, they even have guys jumping off the arena walls to land attacks which some of the Roman elite complain about as being unchivalrous or whatever but everyone else is just entertained as hell, one dude gets his face completly smashed in with a warhammer and they do not cut away at all, you see every brutal second of it which is exactly what people want from this franchise.

P.S : Browsing for stuff to watch just notice there are two more episodes, this is a first time for me to post without knowing how many more episodes were to go but seems the series is not over, there still two episodes more 9 and 10, turning the hole thing into a mini series, I really though they cut it at 8 episodes, anyways this as my overall thoughts about the series still

#skiptvads, #inleo, #hive, #spartacus, #ashur, #gladiator, #rome, #starz, #sequel, #alternate, #timeline, #revenge, #blood, #violence, #drama, #action, #betrayal, #power, #ludus, #warrior, #roman, #combat, #arena, #series, #television, #brutal, #fighting, #slaves

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A beauty that will ignite you

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Today watched Anaconda on my way home, recently decided to stop watching Youtube for some time and just watch more movies and series, sometimes I want to watch certain content and due to time constrictions I cant and the other night I wonder how much time I spend on Youtube daily, anyways this thing turned out way different than what I was expecting from those trailers that came out months ago, when I first saw the marketing material I thought we were getting another lazy reboot where Hollywood just tries to milk a franchise people remember from the 90s you know the whole JLo and Ice Cube thing where giant snakes ate people and it was kinda scary back then but does not really hold up anymore if you watch it today, but instead of going that route director Tom Gormican actually did something pretty wild with it, he made it a comedy where Jack Black and Paul Rudd play childhood friends who literally want to remake Anaconda themselves because it was their favorite movie growing up and they head to the Amazon to make it happen, well it was all based on a lie but still sounds stupid right like who would green light that idea but the thing is the movie knows exactly what it is and it leans into that whole meta thing where it makes fun of how studios reboot everything these days. The whole thing becomes this spoof of Hollywood and how they handle reboots and that is where the movie actually worked for me, I was laughing way more than I thought I would specially with Steve Zahn who was the funniest part of the whole damn thing. Sure the CGI on the anaconda looks like crap and the horror aspect is completely gone which might piss off people who loved the original franchise for the kills and the suspense, but if you go in expecting a fun time with some clever jabs at the movie industry you will probably walk out feeling pretty entertained, nothing groundbreaking but way better than what those trailers were making it look like.

• IMDB: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt33244668/
• Platform: PRIME VIDEO

Rottentomatoes Rating Source The setup is pretty straightforward when you break it down, Jack Black plays Doug who works as a wedding videographer in Buffalo making wedding videos and he is completely miserable doing it because he feels like he never met his full potential in life, his boss keeps telling him you are great at your job and you could end up with a B or even a B plus life which just sounds depressing. Paul Rudd plays Griff who moved to LA to become an actor but he is struggling hard, the movie opens with him trying to get through one line of dialogue as a background actor and he cannot do it so he gets fired on the spot which was funny. Then you got Thandiwe Newton playing Claire who is a lawyer going through a divorce because her man left her for his dental hygienist, and Steve Zahn plays Kenny who is the dumbest one of the group and an alcoholic but he says he is sober well Buffalo sober which means just beer and wine and some of the lighter liquors. When they all get together in Buffalo, Griff surprises them by saying he got the rights to remake Anaconda which sounds completely fake but everyone believes him because they are all desperate for something to change in their lives. They pool their money together and somehow scrape up funding going from millions to a few thousands budget, the most they could get a loan for was $9k, the acting is just hilarious, then they head off to the Amazon to make their movie without any kind of filming permits or legal paperwork which is crazy considering Claire is supposed to be a lawyer but nobody thinks about any of that stuff, the movie does a decent job showing how Doug's wife played by Ione Skye is actually supportive telling him you should do this I can tell you lost your fire and here is an opportunity which was nice to see.

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Source Once they get to the Amazon things start getting chaotic real quick, they hire this snake handler named Santiago played by Selton Melo who has an anaconda they are going to use as a prop but Paul Rudd is terrified of snakes. They try to shoot their first scene with the Anaconda and Griff keeps getting closer to the snake and freaking out until he finally throws it overboard and the snake gets caught in the blades of the motor and gets torn to pieces which was brutal but I couldnt stop laughing, Santiago is heartbroken and they have a funeral for the snake which was both sad and funny at the same time but that night Santiago and Griff decide to hunt for another Anaconda both almost drunk and Santiago gets eaten by a real huge Anaconda. Then they decided to go after him and thats when they meet the illegal gold miners who protect their territory and go after them but this woman named Ana played by Daniela Melchior who at first seems like she is running from bad guys but it turns out she is actually the bad guy, she is doing illegal gold mining too and the people chasing her are cops trying to arrest her so it was kind of confusing at first who where the good guys. The whole Ana subplot felt pretty unnecessary to me because it never really connects with the main story in any meaningful way, she ends up joining their group and Doug even starts focusing more on her character in their movie which creates friction with Griff. While they are floating down the river on their boat they see this huge yacht with a film crew behind it and it turns out to be Sony actually making a real Anaconda reboot, that is when everyone realizes Griff lied about having the rights and never had permission to make this movie in the first place which should have been obvious from the start but again these characters are all idiots so it makes sense they did not figure it out sooner, its funny how a girl on Sony's boat make jokes about how everyone is out of ideas so decide to reboot a stupid movie from the 90s.

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Source The movie really picks up in the second half when the giant anaconda shows up and starts killing people, the snake destroyed Sony's yacht and killed their whole crew so now it is coming after the main characters. The snake attacks and kills Ana after she reveals her true colors and holds the group at gunpoint trying to force them to carry the gold for her, but the Anaconda jumps from the water and she gets dragged underwater which was a deserved ending for a character that never really fit into the story anyway, the time span she was on the movie was very little and meant nothing but still I get what type of movie is this so I was like meh dont care. Griff leaves the group after arguing with Doug about the whole lying situation and goes to join the Sony crew but he arrives too late because the anaconda already wrecked everything and killed most of them. Eventually they all end up at what looks like a filming location which is Sony's setup for their version of Anaconda, and who do they bump into but MF Ice Cube at the very last minute while they had the real Anaconda about to snatch them, he start shooting flares just as in the original movie until got the thing to run back. He saves them and then says I cannot stay with you because I have to go save JLo and Eric Stoltz which was a great callback to the original, the whole meta thing where they acknowledge the first movie exists and these characters are in that universe was clever even if it did not make total sense logically because if Sony is making a reboot why would the original cast be there.

#skiptvads, #inleo, #hive, #anaconda, #reboot, #comedy, #jackblack, #paulrudd, #stevezahn, #thandiwe, #meta, #hollywood, #amazon, #snake, #brazil, #movie, #review, #sony, #spoof, #jungle, #friends, #midlife, #remake, #icecube, #jlo, #creature, #entertainment, #funny

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I finally got to see The Running Man 2025 and man this thing should have been a home run all the way through, you got Edgar Wright directing who made some of most memorable action movies like Baby Driver, you got Glenn Powell who has basically become one of the biggest action stars out there because the guy has talent and has that Tom Cruise vibe going on and you got this insane Stephen King story that feels very nostalgic in 2025 for anyone who has seen the original Arnold movie. The movie delivers on a lot of levels, the action is sick, the world feels gritty and real instead of some flashy sci fi bullshit and Powell absolutely kills it as Ben Richards, he nails both the desperate dad trying to save his daughter and the badass who has nothing left to lose, but the truth is that the movie runs over two hours and it really did not need to be that long, there are chunks in the middle where Ben keeps meeting new people and having these conversations that slow everything down when the movie should be moving like a bullet with constant non stop action scenes and I do not understand why they did not go with this concept, Running Man, never stops running, never stops fighting. I would assume that Edgar Wright wanted to include a lot from the book and make Stephen King happy but sometimes less is more and trimming like 20 minutes would have made this thing way tighter and more exciting from start to finish. I also felt like the script is not as sharp as his other movies either, it does not have that same effect as The Worlds End did, some of the jokes land but others just fall flat. Luckily Powell does so much heavy lifting with his performance and the action sequences that are so well done that it saves the movie from feeling generic, plus the supporting cast is stacked with Josh Brolin being perfectly slimy as the producer Dan Killian and Coleman Domingo bringing all his charisma as the host Bobby Thompson. I really enjoy how the movie does not just make it about Ben versus the hunters, its Ben versus the entire system that painted him as a criminal for reporting dangerous workplace conditions, the game is rigged from the start and watching him try to flip the script is what makes it more than just another action remake.

• IMDB: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt14107334/
• Platform: PRIME VIDEO

Rottentomatoes Rating Source The setup is pretty straightforward even if its depressing, its some year in the future and America is completely screwed, the economy is totaled and poor people are super poor while rich people are super rich, its basically a nightmare version of our world turned up to eleven. Ben Richards is this regular working guy who reported his boss for unsafe working conditions at his job and instead of getting thanked for it he gets blacklisted and painted as a criminal by the system, now he cannot get work anywhere and his daughter Cathy is sick with this flu thing and he cannot even afford real medicine so he has to buy fake stuff that just makes her feel better temporarily. The whole beginning really hammers down how messed up this world is and how people like Ben are just completely screwed no matter what they do, I know it might sound very much as it is nowadays but the movie tries to paint it way worse, so when he signs up for The Running Man game show where contestants have to survive thirty days while hunters try to kill them you totally understand why he would do something that crazy, its literally his only option left. The show is run by this super slimy producer character Dan Killian played by Josh Brolin who is perfectly cast as this evil corporate guy who will do anything for ratings and does not care about human life at all, Coleman Domingo shows up as Bobby Thompson the host of the show and he got tons of charisma like always but the movie does not give him enough to do which feels like a wasted opportunity considering how good he is. The rules are simple, you have to film yourself every twelve hours and drop off the footage at specific locations so they can keep the show live, if you survive you get money and if you make it thirty days you win, Ben gets money for his family if he wins and his family gets taken care of so its literally life or death for him and everyone he loves.

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Source Glenn Powell is the main reason to watch this movie and he does such a great job that its because of his performance that he basically saves this movie from being completely forgettable in parts, he brings this intensity and desperation to Ben Richards that makes you root for him even when the script is letting him down with repetitive side characters. The way Powell plays both sides of the character, the loving father who is willing to do anything for his family and the killer who has to become dangerous to survive really works and you can tell he gave it everything he got physically and emotionally, every scene where he talks about his daughter or thinks about his family hits hard because you believe that this guy really would burn down the entire world to protect the people he loves. The action scenes are where the movie really shines and you can tell Edgar Wright still knows how to shoot exciting set pieces, there is this insane sequence on a plane towards the end where Ben has to fight off multiple hunters in this tiny space and its shot so well with all these clever camera angles and brutal fight choreography that makes you wince, problem is we saw most of this stuff in the trailers already so it does not have quite the same impact when you finally see it in context. There is also this part earlier on where Ben meets this character Elton played by Michael Cera who is this activist guy with all this equipment and booby traps in his place and its got that booby trap vibe but way more violent and creative, the Michael Cera character is supposed to be this tech genius with all this equipment in his place who just happens to help Ben at the perfect time which feels super convenient. What really frustrates me is that the movie sets up all these interesting ideas about how the game works and how society is falling apart but then it never really follows through on any of them in a satisfying way, like there is this whole thing about citizens being able to report Ben for money but it only matters in like two scenes and then gets dropped completely, instead of feeling basically claustrophobic just like when John Wick had that contract on him and all cellphones start to ring.

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Source The hunters who are supposed to be these badass killers chasing Ben down are completely generic and boring with zero personality or charisma, in the original Arnold Schwarzenegger Running Man from the 80s you had these memorable gladiator type characters with crazy costumes and one liners that made them fun to watch even when they were the bad guys but here you just get these blank masked dudes who show up shoot some guns and then disappear without leaving any impression at all. There is this one hunter played by Lee Pace who is supposed to be this big reveal at the end when he takes off his mask but the movie never builds him up properly so when the twist happens you just kind of shrug and move on, it feels like they had this whole backstory planned for him about how he was a previous winner who got turned into a hunter but they cut most of it out in editing which is a shame. The movie also has this weird pacing issue where Ben keeps stumbling into these convenient situations that help him survive, like he just happens to run into this underground radio host Bradley who has all this equipment and information that Ben needs at that exact moment, then he meets this rich girl Amelia who is driving down the highway in her fancy car right when he needs a ride and she just happens to have access to the private plane that becomes important later that you are like come on. Its like the universe is constantly bending over backwards to help him out instead of making him really work for his survival, I know movies require some coincidences to move the plot forward but this one goes way overboard to the point where you stop believing that any of this could actually happen in a realistic way.

#skiptvads, #inleo, #hive, #runningman, #glennpowell, #edgarwright, #stephenking, #actionmovie, #thriller, #dystopian, #survival, #joshbrolin, #colemanomingo, #moviereview, #remake, #adaptation, #hunters, #corruption, #system, #violence, #fight, #plane, #ratings, #gameshow, #television, #america, #twothousandtwentyfive, #entertainment

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With only one espisode away from the finale you can really feel everything coming together with all the characters getting closer to each other and how every of the last three episodes have turn into some kind of contast test for Lucy while other characters and now getting more action. This episode did a ton of work setting up what I assume is gonna be a huge showdown between everyone involved, Cooper, Lucy, Maximus and whoever else is left standing by the time we get to the end of this season, its all building to something big and you can feel it in every scene, specially towards the end when Mr House came on screen and I would only assume he is on Ghoul side. The coolest part of this whole thing was definately watching Maximus and Cooper team up to fight those Death Claws with that sick New California Republic armor, like holy shit that armor looked incredible on screen and the action was so well done with very brutal kills and gory moments, I dont know if to actually say the effects and cgi was good because then again this Deathclaws are not dangerous at all considering how easy they were to beat. We also got way more backstory on Steph witch was really interesting because I already knew she was sketchy as hell but now we finaly know why she is doing what she is doing and where she came from, turns out she was stuck in a Canadian internment camp during the bombs and had to kill her way south to survive, eventualy got brainwashed by Vault Tech to become an overseer witch explains a whole lot about her character and why she acts the way she does now. Lucy is still struggling with the moral side of things trying to figure out if what Steph is doing with all the brainwashing is actualy better than just killing people like Cooper would do without thinking twice, its a tough call and I really like that the show is not giving us easy answers about what is right or wrong in this messed up world they live in, keeps you thinking about it after the episode ends.

• IMDB: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt12637874/
• Platform: PLATFORM

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Source Lucy eventualy decides she needs to shut the whole mainframe down so she tricks her dad into thinking she was on board with his plan, she even puts on a nice dress, to be honest she look so hot, she acts like everythings fine during dinner while secretly planning on her head to destroy the mainframe that controls all the brainwashing devices. She asks Hank how to stop the process and he tells her its irreversible once its done but she can destroy the mainframe in the basement to stop more people from getting brainwashed, so Lucy heads down there and her idea is to plant explosives to blow it up. The best part is when she gets to the basement and finds this creepy setup with Representative Welchs head hooked up to the system like she was being used as some kind of living processor, that reveal was crazy because it shows just how far Vault Tech is willing to go to control people, they are literaly using a politicians brain to run their brainwashing operation. Lucy just stands there and stop because now the show is showing its true colors and Im not so sure how this applies with the games?, on one hand she can stop her dad from brainwashing more people but on the other hand she knows those people out in the wasteland are gonna go back to killing each other witch is also terrible, its a no win situation and the show does a great job showing how complicated morality is in this world. Meanwhile Cooper and Maximus are on there way to Vegas trying to find Lucy and they run into this ghoul named Thaddeus who has been slowly turning into something else, his arm literaly falls off during there conversation and he just acts like its no big deal witch was hilarious, Thaddeus also reveals he knows where Lucy is being held so Cooper agrees to take them to the Lucky 38 casino in Vegas but they have to cross the strip first witch is infested with Death Claws, well the word infested might sound terrifying but sadly its not.

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IMG-05https://t6.picb.cc/2026/01/29/loVBxG.png Source Cooper comes up with a plan to use old NCR armor to get through Freeside because people still respect that symbol even though the NCR is long gone, its basicaly just using nostalgia and brand recognition to manipulate people into following them witch is pretty smart but also kind of sad when you think about it, literally no hope for the wasteland. Maximus put on the armor and people start gathering around them like they just saw a hero from the old days, Maximus is loving it but Cooper knows its all fake and that these people are desperate for something to believe in, you can see it on his face that he hates using them like this but he does it anyway because they need to get to Lucy. The Death Claw fight happens when they finaly reach the strip and its disappointing with just a couple of minutes of chaos, one Death Claw shows up first and Cooper starts shooting it with electric rounds but they barely slow it down, Maximus jumps in with his power armor and starts fighting it hand to hand until and surprisingly was having the advantage but during the fight his power armor gets stuck and he cant move, the Death Claw turns toward Cooper and is about to rip him apart when Maximus gets free and takes its head off with one swing, it was such a badass moment but then more Death Claws show up and things get even worse and this is what I think was a missed opportunity to let Maximus and Ghoul get creative and fight the rest of the Deathclaws. Thaddeus stay behind this time because he is freaking out the whole time because his body is falling apart and he cant help fight. The initial deal was that if Maximus gives the Ghoul the cold fusion device he will help them get to Lucy , Maximus doesnt want to give it up because he knows Lucy wanted to give it to someone good but Cooper convinces him that sometimes you have to do bad things to save good people witch is pretty much Coopers whole philosophy at this point.

#skiptvads, #inleo, #hive, #fallout, #season2, #episode7, #thehandoff, #recap, #deathclaw, #cooper, #maximus, #lucy, #steph, #hank, #vaulttech, #brainwashing, #vegas, #ncr, #armor, #action, #gore, #backstory, #canadian, #internment, #mrhouse, #coldfusion, #finale, #wasteland

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