Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves is an entertaining movie although it is the throwaway variety of entertainment as it’s easily forgotten soon after it’s over, but while watching, I did have fun with the ensemble cast.
The Contractor is an okay suspense-thriller and does showcase Chris Pine’s charisma (the reason I liked him as Jack Ryan), however the plot is thin and the writing pretty standard and predictable.
Wonder Woman 1984 was a disappointment, especially when compared with the first film and while I had plenty of issues with some of the story elements, I can’t say it’s bad and probably worthy of a rental or outright purchase to add to ones superhero collection.
Stretch is a movie that unfortunately gone under the radar thanks to it going straight to streaming (before it routine) six years ago. Patrick Wilson is pitch-perfect in the lead and Chris Pine shows off his comedic prowess.
The Jack Ryan Collection is a solid release from Paramount for what I consider a nice franchise, however there never was one that stoodout, each being fine filmmaking and storytelling and nice performances from the respective actors.
Wonder Woman isn’t a masterpiece but I’d be lying if I didn’t say that I loved it, perhaps even more on my second viewing. I know many have complained about the third act, but I felt it flowed nicely and had a thrilling fight sequence; Gadot isn’t a great actress however she was perfectly cast.
Hell or High Water was one of the bigger surprises of a downtrodden 2016 and while I don’t think it’s perfect, as a character-driven, modern-day Western, it is fantastic with performances by Jeff Bridges, Ben Foster and Chris Pine (in that order).
Speaking as a mere casual fan (for shame!), Star Trek Beyond is a solid entry in the Trek franchise that in some ways matches with the 2009 semi-reboot and excels primarily with this young cast that I hope get at least one more shot as the marketing on this one really did not do it justice
Star Trek Into Darkness is a sometimes fun summer blockbuster featuring a great cast, decent story (even with some of the lazier plot points) and amazing visual effects. It’s a nice addition to the Star Trek franchise though my hopes any problems with the plot, or lack of originality, is corrected with the upcoming Star Trek Beyond.
Star Trek (2009) is an incredibly fun and innovative way to reboot the long-running franchise. The story is interesting enough but what makes the movie excel is with the ensemble Abrams and company put together from Pine to Quinto to Urban, who often steals the show.
The Finest Hours is not a great movie but perfectly adequate that tells a compelling story that is utterly amazing. The performances by Chris Pine and Casey Affleck aren’t anything awe-inspiring yet decent enough to carry their respective roles and storylines. While it could’ve been better, this is a movie at least worth a rental.
Horrible Bosses 2 like its comedy sequels that have come before (see The Hangover 2 & 3), is the definition of unnecessary and kind of lazy in its jokes. On the plus side Chris Pine was a hoot to watch in a completely comedic role (vs. the balance of snark and drama in the Star Trek movies) and the three stooges at least looked like they were having a good time which helped pass the time.
This Star Trek “The Compendium” 4-disc set is certainly a cash-grab by Paramount but with a low SRP, those who don’t already own either set might be swayed to get this one as it contains a plethora of bonus features and for big fans, about 30-minutes of IMAX footage on Star Trek Into Darkness. However, if you already own either movie, skip this altogether especially since I’m sure there will be a trilogy set once the third film is released on home video.
Jack Ryan: Shadow Recruit is hardly the perfect movie, it’s not even a good thriller, but it’s a satisfying enough flick so long as you aren’t a fan of the character or novels. The plot is a bit thin but the action scenes, as dumb since as they may be, were well filmed at least.
Star Trek Into Darkness is a fun summer blockbuster featuring a great cast, decent story (even with some of the lazier plot points) and amazing visual effects. It’s a good addition to the Star Trek franchise and hopefully leads to a third film.