Mladen Rudman is a former journalist and technical editor. Del Stone Jr. is a former journalist and author. Together, they review the movies, current and past.
Together, they review their favorite movies, both current and past. They favor science fiction, but can sometimes be convinced to watch an action movie, children's animated show or, God forbid, a chick flick. They often disagree, which is part of the fun. Feel free to tell them how wrong they are.
This week I'm reviewing the hot new series from Netflix and creator Rapman "Supacell."
“Supacell” Starring Tosin Cole, Nadine Mills, Eric Kofi Abrefa, Calvin Demba, Josh Teduka, Adelayo Adedayo and others. Directed by Rapman and Sebastian Thiel. Six episodes, one hour each. Rated TV-MA. Streaming on Netflix. Plot summary: Ordinary citizens who seemingly have no connection to one a...
"This Is Not a Test" is a vintage movie that serves as a cautionary tale, but probably not the "cautionary" that you think.
“This Is Not a Test” Starring Seamon Glass, Thayer Roberts, Aubrey Martin, Mary Morlas, Michael Greene and others. Directed by Frederic Gadette. 1 hour, 13 minutes. Unrated. Streaming on YouTube, Internet Archive. Plot synopsis: A sheriff’s deputy sets up a roadblock on a lonely mountain road ...
Sad news. In his way, Corman was a titan of the industry.
The fabled "King of the B’s" producer and director influenced the careers of Jack Nicholson, Ron Howard, Peter Bogdanovich, Martin Scorsese, Francis Ford Coppola, Jonathan Demme and many others.
Mladen and Del review the Netflix science fiction extravaganza "Rebel Moon Part Two: The Scargiver."
“Rebel Moon – Part Two: The Scargiver” Starring Sofia Boutella as flabbergasting Kora; Djimon Hounsou as uninspiring Titus; Bae Doona as almost likeable Nemesis; Michiel Huisman as meek Gunnar; Staz Nair as the soppy prince Tarak, Ed Skrein as the only-good-enough-character-in-the-film Atticus...
I can't believe Mladen chose a Wes Anderson movie to review. Have you seen "Asteroid City"? Not my cup of tea, but Mladen had other thoughts.
“Asteroid City” Starring Jason Schwartzman as Augie Steenbeck, Scarlett Johansson as Midge Campbell, Jake Ryan as Woodrow, Grace Edwards as Dinah, Tom Hanks as Stanley Zak, Edward Norton as Conrad Earp, Bryan Cranston as Host, and others. Directed by Wes Anderson. PG-13. 1 hour, 45 minutes. Amaz...
Del thought "Apostle" was a pretty good movie, though better suited for the Halloween season. Mladen hated it. He thought it was little more than torture p**n.
“Apostle” Starring Dan Stevens as Thomas Richardson, Michael Sheen as Malcolm, Richard Elfyn as Charles, Paul Higgins as Frank, Bill Milner as Jeremy, Catrin Aaron as Elaine, Lucy Boynton as Andrea Howe, and others. Directed by Gareth Evans. 2 hours, 10 minutes. Rated TV-MA. Streaming on Netflix...
Sharks, spiders, wolves, aliens, and now bears. They're outside, circling your house, trying to get in. Is there any hope for you? Check out "Unnatural," Mladen's and Del's latest review.
“Unnatural” Starring James Remar as Martin, Sherilyn Fenn (one of Mladen’s favorite B-movie actors) as Hanna, Ron Carlson as Brooking, Ivana Korab as Ella, Q’orianka Kilcher as Lily, Allegra Carpenter as Quincy, Gregory Cruz as Nate, Graham Greene as Buffalo, and others. Directed by Hank Bra...
Wellllll, as expected, curmudgeonly Mladen didn't like "The Holdovrs" as much as Del. Question is: Will YOU like it? The movie's up for five Oscars so it's gotta be one of those films nobody watches, right? Check at Del and Mladen's review here.
“The Holdovers” Starring Paul Giamatti as Paul Hunham, Da’Vine Joy Randolph as Mary Lamb, Dominic Sessa as Angus Tully, and others. Directed by Alexander Payne. Running time: 2 hours, 13 minutes. Rated R. Streaming on Peacock (free to subscribers) and for $19.99 on Apple TV, Google Play, YouTu...
Mladen writes: "I can’t tell you if I liked “The Thirteenth Floor” because I’m not sure I’m the one who watched it. Who is writing this review? Beats me."
That pretty much sums up "The Thirteenth Floor," a dip into the metaverse of virtual reality.
Are you really reading this post, or is it your simulation?
Starring Craig Berko as Douglas Hall and another, Gretchen Mol as Jane Fuller and another, Vincent D’Onofrio as Jason Whitney, Dennis Haysbert as Larry McBain, Armin Mueller-Stahl as Hannon Fuller, and others. Directed by Josef Rusnak. 1 hour, 40 minutes. Rated R. Streaming on Google Play, Apple T...
"Rebel Moon" is being pitched as a Star Wars heir apparent, but is it really all that good? Mladen and Del weigh in on the Netflix project.
Starring Sofia Boutella as Kora, Michiel Huisman as Gunnar, Bae Doona as Nemesis, Charlie Hunnam as Kai, Ed Skrein as Atticus Noble and others. Directed by Zack Snyder. Two hours, 13 minutes. Rated PG-13. Streaming on Netflix. Plot summary: A quiet agrarian village on a fertile moon in a galaxy far,
Del and Mladen review "The Rover." Fun times during the apocalypse - NOT!
“The Rover” Starring Guy Pearce as Eric, Robert Pattinson as Rey, Scoot McNairy as Henry, and others. Directed by David Michod. 1 hour, 43 minutes. Rated R. Streaming on most major platforms except Netflix. Plot summary: It’s the end of the world and Eric’s (Guy Pearce) car has been stolen. ...
WARNING: SPOILERS! "Saltburn" is as polarizing as its subject.
“Saltburn” starring Barry Keoghan as Oliver Quick, Jacob Elrodi as Felix Catton, Rosamund Pike as Elspeth Catton, Alison Oliver as Venetia Catton, and others. Directed by Emerald Fennell. 1 hour, 13 minutes. Rated R. Mladen’s take Del is on a tear. He’s now forced me to watch two pointless m...
If you're a MAGAdiot you'll hate "Leave the World Behind" but if you're not, will you love it? Del and Mladen have something they'd like to tell you.
“Leave the World Behind” Starring Julia Roberts as Amanda Sandford, Mahershala Ali as G.H. Scott, Ethan Hawke as Clay Sandford and Myha’la as Ruth Scott. Directed by Sam Esmail. Two hours, 18 minutes. Rated R. Streaming on Netflix. Del’s take Early on in “Leave the World Behind,” Amanda ...
Is "Godzilla Minus One" another cheesy monster movie? You know, the kind where you can see the zipper in the rubber suit? Or has Toho Studios brought its iconic radioactive lizard into the 21st century?
Starring Minami Hamabe as Noriko Oishi; Ryunosuke Kamiki as whiny Koichi Shikishima; Sakura Ando as Sumiko Ota; Kuranosuke Sasaki as Quint, ah, Yoji Akitsu; Munetaka Aoki as Sosaku Tachibana; Hidetaka Yoshioka as Hooper, ah, Kenji Noda; and a toddler who cried as needed, among others. Directed by Ta
Mladen chose this oldie but goodie - or baddie, depending on whom you ask. It's "Geostorm" from 2017. Gerard Butler ("Angel has Fallen," "Greenland") and Jim Sturgess ("Across the Universe") team up to save the Earth from a weather-control system run amok. It's streaming on Hulu but I bet you've got a DVD stuffed somewhere - look between the couch cushions. This is our review, only six years late!
“Geostorm” Starring Gerald Butler as Jake Lawson, Jim Sturgess as Max Lawson, Abbie Cornish as Sarah Wilson, Talitha Eliana Bateman as Hannah Lawson, Alexandra Maria Lara as Ute Fassbinder, and others. Directed by Dean Devlin. PG-13. 109 minutes. Streaming on Hulu. Del’s take Every now and the...
"The Creator" has the gritty look of "Blade Runner" and the epic sweep of "Lawrence of Arabia." It's well worth two hours and 13 minutes of your Friday night. Go see it.
“The Creator” stars John David Washington as Joshua, Madeleine Yuna Voyles as Alphie, Gemma Chan as Maya, Allison Janney as Colonel Howell, and Ken Watanabe as Harun. It is directed by Gareth Edwards, has a run time of 2 hours and 13 minutes, and is rated PG-13. See it in theatrical release. Del...
SHARK!!!
Have you been back in the water since “Jaws”? Then don’t see “The Black Demon,” the summer sensation on Amazon Prime.
It’s a shark movie … and the shark is REALLY BIG.
Check out Mladen and Del’s latest review.
Starring Fernanda Urrejola as “Ines,” Josh Lucas as “Paul,” Venus Ariel as “Audrey,” Julio Cesar Cedillo as “Chato,” and Jorge A. Jimenez as “Junior” and others; Directed by Adrian Grunberg; Rated R; 100 minutes; Amazon Prime Mladen’s take Like a good movie can be ruined by one...
What do jiggling breasts and exploding heads have in common? They're part of filmmaker Roger Corman's vision of a low-budget scifi-horror flick called "Chopping Mall." Set in the big hair, suspenders and shoulder boards-decade of the '80s, "Chopping Mall" offers all the hallmarks of an exploitation film. That's the direction Mladen and I went on this outing of Movie Face-Off.
“Chopping Mall” stars Kelli Maroney as Alison Parks, Tony O’Dell as Ferdy Meisel, Russell Todd as Rick Stanton, Karrie Emerson as Linda Stanton, Barbara Crampton as Suzie Linn, and Nick Segal as Greg Williams. Directed by Jim Wynorski. Rated R with a 1-hour, 17-minute run time. See it on Amazo...
Mladen takes us down the low road in this installment of Movie Face-Off. We review the cheesy '90s vintage "Trucks," based on a Stephen King short story. No, it's not the one with Emilio Estevez. You can watch it at a number of places online. We saw it on Amazon Prime.
“Trucks” stars Timothy Busfield as Ray, Brenda Blake as Hope, Brendan Fletcher as Logan, Amy Stewart as Abby, and others. Directed by Chris Thomson. Rated PG-13 with a 95-minute run time. See it on Amazon Prime, Tubi, Apple TV and Vudu. Mladen’s take To recuperate my manliness after Del forced...
This is my review of the new Arnold Schwarzenegger series "FUBAR" on .
“FUBAR” Starring Arnold Schwarzenegger, Monica Barbaro, Milan Carter, Gabriel Luna, Fortune Feimster, and Travis Van Winkle. Directed by Holly Dale, Steven A. Adelson, Phil Abraham, Stephen Surijik. Eight episodes. 45-59 minutes each. Rated TV-MA. Netflix. Del’s take “FUBAR,” the new Netfl...
This is my review of the trippy "The Last Journey of Paul W.R."
Image courtesy of Samuel Goldwyn Films. --- “The Last Journey of Paul W.R.” Starring Hugo Becker, Lya Oussadit-Lessert, Paul Hamy and Jean Reno. Directed by Romain Quirot. 1 hour, 27 minutes. Unrated. Hulu. Del’s take “The Last Journey of Paul W.R.” is a visually arresting but spiritually ...
Del reviews the LGBTQ-themed tone poem "Last Summer," a movie by up and coming auteur Mark Thiedeman. https://delstonejr.com/2014/12/del-reviews-last-summer/
Here is my review of "Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves."
“Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves” Starring Chris Pine, Michelle Rodriguez, Justice Smith, Sophia Lillis and Hugh Grant. Directed by John Francis Daley and Jonathan Goldstein. 2 hours, 14 minutes. Rated PG-13. Theatrical release. Del’s take “Honor Among Thieves” is silly, stupid, fu...
I have no desire to see this movie.
Bookmark this site. It's a great place for old movies.
Internet Archive is a non-profit digital library offering free universal access to books, movies & music, as well as 624 billion archived web pages.
A fascinating article, almost as long and subdued as the movie itself.
Despite delays, maxed-out budgets, radical re-writes, and some early bad reviews, Stanley Kubrick’s outer-space epic went on to set records and propel a generation of cinema lovers—a big gamble of a movie that still resonates 50 years later.
“The Adam Project” Starring Ryan Reynolds, Walker Scobell, Zoe Saldana, Jennifer Garner and Mark Ruffalo. Directed by Shawn Levy. 1 hour, 46 minutes. Rated PG-13. Netflix.
Del’s take
“The Adam Project” is a perfectly calibrated popcorn flick that pushes all the right buttons. It features a precocious young actor who does not fear the camera, a leading man who can laugh at himself, a leading woman who is tough as the proverbial nails, and a villain as despicable as people who vote a straight party ticket.
In fact, the whole contraption is so finely tuned and calculated that I found myself missing the pop and fizz of 45-rpm vinyl, which is to say it’s a little too polished for my tastes. Oh, it’s a terrific movie and you’ll like it a lot. But the next day you’ll struggle to remember much about it except that you probably should have sprung for a Diet Pepsi to wash down the popcorn.
The story is about the titular Adam (Ryan Reynolds), who steals a spacecraft and wormholes into the past to prevent a tragedy. Unfortunately he overshoots his destination and arrives at the location and time of his 12-year-old self (Walker Scobell), whom he enlists in trying to save the future. In the process Adam bucks up his long-suffering mom (Jennifer Garner), revisits his dad (Mark Ruffalo) and reunites with his future wife (Zoe Saldana), all while thwarting the evil machinations of his former boss, Maya Sorian (Catherine Keener).
What follows is a thrill-park ride of battling robots right out of “Lost in Space,” dodging anachronisms and revisiting the good old days, none of it very demanding of deeply embedded cognitive skills. And you know what? That’s OK. Sometimes a movie is meant to do nothing more than entertain and “The Adam Project” does that and does it well, like successfully parallel parking an Edsel.
Reynolds is perfection as the wisecracking, flummoxed-when-he-should-be Adam, but more impressive is young Scobell, who matches Reynolds snark for snark and even looks like Reynolds, maybe if you squint. Garner is effective as the suffering mom, and Ruffalo is pretty funny in his role as the absent father who must re-learn his priorities if young Adam is to avoid the awful fate of growing up to become old Adam. Less effective, I thought, was Saldana as Adam’s future wife, Laura, who seems perpetually pissed-off. I mean, the fate of the world hangs in the balance and everybody’s trading witty remarks except ol’ buzz kill Laura, who just wants to stab things.
As a story “The Adam Project” keeps its focus on the action, not the novelty of time travel. “Peggy Sue Got Married” and “Back to the Future” both staked their claim on nostalgia – cars with tail fins, ’50s music and fond memories of the people who created and financed those movies. But in “Adam” nostalgia remains a sideshow to the primary conflict between Adam and Maya, and Adam’s desire to reconnect with his wife. It’s nice to see Mom and Dad getting along.
Predictably the movie has received high marks from the public. It’s one of those stories that requires nothing more of its audience than an hour and 46 minutes of their time, a big tub of buttered popcorn and maybe a healthy tolerance of the absurd. Nothing wrong with any of those things, except maybe the popcorn. Pop a Zantac and you’ll be fine.
As I watched it, however, I felt like I was taking a ride through a Universal Studios attraction, where every twist, turn and visual is calculated just so by mountains of data, algorithms and public feedback. Can you complain about a movie being too perfect? Maybe I should just shut my mouth.
I’m giving “The Adam Project” a B+. It’s funny, entertaining, and every now and again touches the heart. It’s a Diet Pepsi in lieu of champagne.
But then, who drinks champagne with popcorn?
Del Stone Jr. is a former journalist and writer.
https://youtu.be/IE8HIsIrq4o
“Don’t Look Up” Starring Leonardo DiCaprio, Jennifer Lawrence, Meryl Streep, Cate Blanchett, Rob Morgan, Jonah Hill, Mark Rylance, Tyler Perry, Timothee Chalamet, Ron Pearlman, Ariana Grande, Kid Cudi and others. Directed by Adam McKay. Two hours, 18 minutes. Rated R. Netflix.
Del’s take
An existential threat is hurtling our way and what does the president of the United States want to do?
“Sit tight and assess,” decides President Orlean (Meryl Streep), who fears an approaching apocalypse might cost her party the midterm elections.
That’s the message of “Don’t Look Up,” a hilarious yet stinging denunciation of many things – our leadership’s response to the climate change crisis, the empty-headedness of American culture, the corrosive influence of social media and metrics, and the dehumanizing fist of runaway capitalism. It is the new “Idiocracy” and it arrives just in time to skewer all the people who deserve a sharp stick in the eye.
The story is about a milquetoast, Walter Mitty-style astronomer (Leonardo DiCaprio as Professor Randall Mindy) and his edgy PhD candidate assistant (Jennifer Lawrence as Kate Dibiasky) who discover a planet-killing comet that will smack Earth in six months. They discreetly sound the alarm only to discover the authorities, who don’t understand the science and don’t care, won't respond to the crisis unless it serves their interests. So Mindy and Dibiasky whistleblow the story to the media, where it lands with an apathetic thud. Most people are more invested in the breakup of two popular singers, Riley Bina (Ariana Grande) and DJ Chello (Kid Cudi). As doom becomes an undeniable reality the government staggers into action by entrusting the fate of the planet to a whackjob Elon Musk-style billionaire (Mark Rylance as Peter Isherwell), who wants to break up the comet into smaller pieces and let them collide with the Earth so the fragments can be mined – by his telecommunications company, Bash – for precious metals crucial to the manufacture of smart phones. All that’s left is negotiating with the countries to be annihilated over how much money they want for their dead.
“Don’t Look Up” offers more Oscar-fueled star power than a map of the Milky Way, and many of the performances are better than strong. DiCaprio as hapless Dr. Mindy channels a furious Howard Beale (Peter Finch in “Network”) when he finally revolts against the frustrating ennui of 21st century America, while Jennifer Lawrence effectively portrays the optimism of youth as it dashed against the rocks of the corrupt, self-serving inertia that serves as leadership these days. Meryl Streep evokes a dumb-as-a-box-of-rocks, Donald Trump-style president whose only strong suit is a kind of animal cunning, while Cate Blanchett, as the glib yet shallow peroxide blonde who leads Dr. Mindy astray and then abandons him when he becomes a liability, perfectly portrays the fickleness of American media.
A few other performances worth mentioning: Ariana Grande is a hilarious Riley Bina, as is Mark Rylance as Isherwell, which I suspect is a composite of Musk and Steve Jobs. And Jonah Hill as the juvenile White House chief of staff (and Orlean’s son) makes you want to reach through the screen and slap him. The one performance that left me cold was Timothee Chalamet’s Yule, though at one point he offers a prayer for the ages.
“Don’t Look Up” has gotten mixed reviews. Nick Allen of RogerEbert.com calls it “McKay’s worst film yet” while Charles Bramesco of The Guardian dismisses it as a “disaster.” The New York Times and CNN were more merciful. The complaint centers around the jokes and caricatures, which they say are lowbrow. I would argue that in an age where attention spans near a half-life of a nanosecond, the lack of “razor-sharp wit” is as much commentary as the jokes and characters themselves.
I enjoyed the hell out of “Don’t Look Up” and I thought it communicated exactly what the “Let’s Go Brandon” crowd needs to hear – that they’re a bunch of fu***ng idiots who are screwing up the country and the planet with their selfish ignorance. The fact that this message was delivered with a hammer, not a scalpel, is a strike in the movie’s favor. Do you seriously think people who believe vaccines are evil and Donald Trump is still president would notice or respond to “razor sharp wit”? Give me a break.
Isherwell brags that his algorithms are so good they can predict when and how President Orlean will die. She will be eaten by a “bronteroc.”
I won’t tell you what that means. To find out you must watch past the credits. But it’s pretty damned funny.
Meanwhile, check out “Don’t Look Up.” Pay no heed to the critics – it’s funny as hell and I think you’ll enjoy it, unless you’re one of the people being skewered. And who knows? If you have a sense of humor, you too might get a laugh.
I rate it a solid A.
Del Stone Jr. is a former journalist and writer.
https://youtu.be/RbIxYm3mKzI
Had enough Christmas cheer for one lifetime? How about something dark and menacing to offset all that Hallmark Channel giddiness. Mladen and Del review "The Platform."
“The Platform” (“El Hoyo”) Starring Ivan Massagué (Goreng), Zorion Eguileor (Trimagasi), Antonia San Juan (Imoguiri) and others. Directed by Galder Gaztelu-Urrutia. Rated for mature audiences. 1 hour, 34 minutes. Netflix. Mladen’s take “The Platform” is a very good movie that could’...
If you had forgotten, or blanked it out, Thanksgiving is Thursday. What will you do after the feast is consumed, the football watched, the nap taken and the dishes cleaned up? Watch "The Turkey Bowl," the subject of today's movie review.
“The Turkey Bowl” Starring Ryan Hansen, Matt Jones, Alan Ritchson, Kristen Hager and Barry Switzer. Directed by Greg Coolidge. 2 hours. Rated R. Hulu, Epix, DIRECTV. Del’s take After your gut has been stuffed, your nap wrapped up, the football games watched and the dishes scrubbed to gleaming ...
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