Movies
Four Shorty Reviews: “Confess, Fletch”, “Creed III”, “Godzilla × Kong: The New Empire” & “Night Swim”
Four Shorty Reviews From Across Streaming Platforms
Confess, Fletch (2022)
“After becoming the prime suspect in a murder, Fletch strives to prove his innocence while simultaneously searching for his girlfriend’s stolen art collection.”
Director: Greg Mottola
Writers: Gregory McDonald, Greg Mottola, Zev Borow
Cast: Jon Hamm, Caitlin Zerra Rose, Roy Wood Jr,, Ayden Mayeri, Lorenza Izzo
Release Date: September 16, 2022
IMDB
Jon Hamm has comedic chops, plain and simple. Confess, Fletch (2022) came out in mid-September 2022 and felt somewhat swept under the rug. I admit that I forgot about the movie. However, when I rediscovered the film on Paramount+, little did I know it’d be one of the easiest movie watches in recent times.
According to my movie list, I have seen Fletch (1985), and I enjoyed it. However, if we are in the circle of trust, I don’t remember much about it. This was like a first-time character experience for me. I knew that the character was bathed heavily in sarcasm and fast-talk charisma. Hamm does a fantastic job bringing a calm, slapstick, nonchalant attitude to the character.
The best part of Confess, Fletch is the main character’s relationship with the two cops, Inspector Morris Monroe (Roy Wood Jr.) and Griz (Ayden Mayeri). It reminded me of Beverly Hills Cop (1984) and Axel Foley’s initial fucking-around with Rosewood and Taggart. Their relationship is snippy, untrustworthy, and wonderfully frenemies. Monroe’s slow approach to the whole murder crime investigation and Griz’s overeagerness all make for side character comedic gold.
Confess, Fletch is a comedic crime story that moves fast, allowing its characters to flourish and flounder in all their pros and cons. It is well worth watching and is a fit for young adults and older viewers. Give it a spin.
Confess, Fletch is streaming on Paramount+.
STANKO RATING: B
Creed III (2023)
“Adonis has been thriving in both his career and family life, but when a childhood friend and former boxing prodigy resurfaces, the face-off is more than just a fight.”
Director: Michael B. Jordan
Writers: Keenan Coogler, Zach Baylin, Ryan Coogler, Sylvester Stallone
Cast: Michael B. Jordan, Tessa Thompson, Jonathan Majors, Wood Harris, Phylicia Rashad
Release Date: March 3, 2023
IMDB
For a first-time director, Michael B. Jordan’s Creed III (2023) is a fair accomplishment that manages to entertain. However, compared to Ryan Coogler’s Creed (2015) and Steve Caple Jr.’s Creed II (2018), there is a definite lack of emotional heft that’s effectively woven into the story. There is one evident character lacking in Creed III that’s omnipresent in the two predecessors, but the lack of the Italian Stallion is not the only brutal bump to hurdle.
All of the emotion in Creed III seems forced. It is written into the script with a cut-and-paste mentality of oh we need this. None of it flows naturally from scene to scene, and the characters’ relationships seem more on a tightrope rather than a stroll on a sidewalk. Creed had Sylvester Stallone as the emotional base, the heft. Hell, Stallone almost won an Oscar for his portrayal of Rocky in the original. Creed II had emotion, but granted it was built into the story about Drago and Rocky; it is a bit cliche, and it is nostalgia-based, but I bought into it. Creed III has to create its own emotional web, and the relationship between Creed, his past, and Damian doesn’t have the same stickiness with the audience.
Also to name the character Damian, who was the devil on Adonis’s shoulder, is both on the nose but I love it.
The one thing that is undeniable about Creed III is that boxing is still entertaining to watch. It does not have the cinematic punch of Creed, but Michael B. Jordan is not Coogler, so we can forgive him for not reinviting the game with a legendary one-shot. Major is large as hell and intimidating as fuck in the ring, and his presence does help add to the brutality trait he embodies in the movie.
It should be noted that Creed III came out on March 3rd, 2023, and Majors was arrested on March 25th for the allegations that he assaulted and harassed his ex-girlfriend. The movie was released in theaters, and while word of mouth was not super strong, there is little denying that having one of the movie’s stars arrested (and eventually convicted) hurt the reputation even more. Creed III made 58 million dollars its opening weekend and 276 million worldwide.
It does seem like an ending to the Creed franchise. And it probably should be.
Creed III is streaming on Amazon Prime.
STANKO RATING: C+
“Godzilla × Kong: The New Empire” (2024)
“Two ancient titans, Godzilla and Kong, clash in an epic battle as humans unravel their intertwined origins and connection to Skull Island’s mysteries.”
Director: Adam Wingard
Writers: Terry Rossio, Adam Wingard, Simon Barrett, Jeremy Slater
Cast: Rebecca Hall, Brian Tyree Henry, Dan Stevens, Kaylee Hottile
Release Date: March 29, 2024
IMDB
Recently, Godzilla movies have been divided into two types: Godzilla Minus One (2024) and Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire (2024). Hilariously, my parents and family have seen parts of both of these movies.
My genuine thought about Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire (2024) is how one can be disappointed in a movie that so blatantly states exactly what its intention is. In the run-up to this movie, which there was a ton of, every single ad and commercial made evident that these two ancient titans would clash and be unhappy. However, the third act would contain a moment of clarity, allowing the two cinematic icons to run together and be friends at long last.
What more can you expect?
Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire is a special effects bonanza that throws logic out the window. The movie explores Skull Island and Hollow Earth more than any previous Monsterverse adventure. The humans have been trying to understand where Kong and Godzilla came from, but news flash, humanity doesn’t know anything at all. The only thing the human characters know how to do is look on in amazement when the monsters start fighting.
If you have enjoyed the other Monsterverse movies, then you will enjoy Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire. Personally speaking, here are my Monsterverse ratings.
Godzilla (2014): C- (2.0/5 Stars)
Kong: Skull Island (2017): C (2.5/5 Stars)
Godzilla: King Of The Monsters (2019): D+ (1.5 Stars)
Godzilla vs. Kong (2021): C- (2.0/5 Stars)
Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire is streaming on MAX.
STANKO RATING: C
Night Swim (2024)
“A family moves into a new home, unaware that a dark secret from the house’s past will unleash a malevolent force in the backyard pool.”
Director: Bryce McGuire
Writers: Bryce McGuire
Cast: Wyatt Russell, Kerry Condon, Gavin Warren, Amélie Hoeferle
Release Date: January 5, 2024
IMDB
You have heard of a haunted house…but have you ever heard of a haunted pool?
Night Swim (2024) is a terrible movie. Just laying all the puzzle pieces out on the table, one can not deny that the finished product is not effective or enjoyable. Bryce McGuire’s first major motion picture is not scary, and not recommendable. I know I am being harsh, but it’s early when I am writing this and benefit of the doubt has not crawled into my head yet.
It is rather strange that Kerry Condon is in Night Swim. Before this January, dumpuary, release, she had good taste in project well-reviewed films. Hell, she was Oscar-nominated for The Banshees Of Inisherin (2022) for Christ sake. Alas, a misstep here for the Irish actress.
Night Swim also stars Wyatt Russell in the lead role as the down-on-his-luck Ray Waller. A former professional baseball player forced into early retirement, Ray becomes entranced by the idea of a new family home with this cursed pool.
Wyatt has some family history in this role because his father, Kurt Russell, was a notable minor league baseball player who never made it to the MLB because of injury.
This is the only benefit of Night Swim. I learned that Kurt Russell was a switch-hitting second baseman who played for the California Angels’ minor league affiliates before moving up to Class AA with the El Paso Sun Kings in the Texas League. An attempt to turn a double-play ended his career with a torn rotator cuff.
The more you know.
Night Swim is streaming on Peacock.
STANKO RATING: F
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