House with a Clock in its Walls (2018) --- "The House Knows What Makes You Tick."

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     After his parents die in a car accident, Lewis Barnavelt (Owen Vaccaro) is sent to live with his estranged uncle Jonathan (Jack Black) in Michigan. There he discovers that his uncle is a warlock and that with the right training Lewis can be one as well but Lewis learns that this power is not limited to only good people. An evil wizard named Isaac Izard (Kyle MacLachlan) and his wife Selena (Renee Elise Goldsberry) used black magic to construct a magical clock hidden deep within the house and as long as it keeps ticking it will continue counting down to doomsday. Time is running short and it’s up to Lewis with the help of uncle Jonathan and his eccentric best friend Mrs. Florence Zimmerman (Cate Blanchett), who also happens to be a witch, to find the clock before it finishes its countdown and ends the world. Is Lewis strong enough to save his new family from being destroyed? Or will Isaac and Selena finally achieve their goal of ultimate power and world destruction?

     Directed by Eli Roth (Death Wish), written by Eric Kripke (Supernatural, The Boys), and based on the novel by John Bellairs, The House with the Clock in its Walls (2018) is an entertaining family-friendly horror comedy that appeals to both kids (7+) and adults. The end result is a hilarious, mildly crepy, non-stop thrilling, and slightly bizarre story that has a surprisingly dark theme for a family film.vThe visual effects were surprisingly pretty good, the setting is great, and the fast pace works well for the story.

     The cast performances were solid. Jack Black (Jumanji: Next Level) was good and surprisingly serious as Jonathan, rather than being his natural annoying and comical self. Cate Blanchett (Where’d You Go Bernadette) was interesting as the eccentric and slightly cooky neighbor, and she effectively added a nice female touch to the film. Owen Vaccaro (Daddy’s Home 1 & 2) is good and has a lot to learn but sadly I didn’t feel like he was engaging enough for me. Kyle MacLachlan and Renee Elise Goldsberry were great as the film’s villains and provided a substantial amount of creepiness to the film that it could even make the adults shutter. The rest of the supporting cast members were great in the respective roles too.

     Overall, The House with the Clock in its Walls (2018) is a family-horror-comedy film that will entertain both kids and adults. The story is bizarre, hilarious, and slightly-creepy with a surprisingly dark theme that worked quite well. In a way, you could say that this film is a combination of The Addams’ Family meets Monster House meets Miss Peregrines’ Home for Peculiar Children. The cast performances were solid, the visuals were pretty good, the setting is great, and the fast pace works well for the film. All in all, I recommend this film as worth watching.

Final Vote ---  of 10 stars

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Hobbs and Shaw (2019)

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     Luke Hobbs (Dwayne Johnson), a loyal DSS agent, and Deckard Shaw (Jason Statham), a former British military elite operative, return to stop a cyber-genetically enhanced anarchist Brixton (Idris Elba)  from gaining control of a bioweapon that could cause a mass-genocide that would alter humanity forever. With the help of Shaw’s sister Hattie (Vanessa Kirby), a recently rogue MI6 agent, and Hobbs’ brothers, can these two sworn enemies put aside their differences to save the world...again?  

Mi-5 (Spooks the Greater Good) (2015) --- "Loyalty IS Treason."

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     When charismatic terrorist Adam Qasim (Elyes Gabel) escapes from MI5 custody during a high profile handover with the CIA, MI5’s legendary Intelligence Chief, Harry Pearce (Peter Firth) is blamed and forced to resign. Convinced that there is a traitor in a senior position in MI5, he disappears and MI5 recalls ex-agent and protégé of Harry's, Will Holloway (Kit Harrington) to find and bring Harry into custody. Is MI5 compromised? Can Harry enlist Will’s help to uncover the truth and stop Qasim before he makes an imminent terrorist attack on London? Or will the people responsible get away with their dirty deeds?

Godfather Part 3 (1990) --- "All The Power In The Earth Can't Change Destiny."

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     It is 1979 and it has been about 22 years since the events of The Godfather Part II (1974) After legitimizing his business dealings in the U.S. and Italy, the New York crime business has been handed over to Joey Zasa (Joe Mantegna) and all dealings are now legal and non-criminal. At the same time, his daughter Mary (Sofia Coppola) runs his charity and has just handed over $100 million to the Catholic Church. Now aging Mafia Don, Michael Corleone (Al Pacino) seeks to atone for his sins and intends to buy a large stake at the International Immobiliari, a Vatican-run property company. While attempting to link the Corleone's finances with the Vatican, Michael’s nephew Vincent Mancini (Andy Garcia), the illegitimate son of Sonny Corleone (James Caan), comes under his wing and starts a feud with Joey Zasa that has far-reaching and deadly consequences that will change the Corleone family forever. Can deal with both the schemes of a gangster seeking to upset the existing Mafia order and a young protege's love affair with his daughter? Or will he be forced to watch as the decades of hard work to legitimize his empire crumble underneath him and destroy his family?

Godfather Part 2 (1974) --- “All The Power On The Earth Can’t Change Destiny.”

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The story continues to follow the Corleone crime family by doing a side by side comparison between two iconic characters, Don Vito and his son Michael. In the 1920s, the early life and career of a young Vito Corleone (Robert De Niro) is shown as he goes from being just another boy in Sicily to one of the most respected mafia dons in New York. In the 1950s, Michael Corleone (Al Pacino) is attempting to expand his family business into Las Vegas, Hollywood, and Cuba, while at the same time trying to keep his failing marriage and his relationship with his siblings intact. How does a nobody become the most revered person in New York’s underground world? Can Michael save his family and his empire from collapse? Or will his paranoia get the best of him?

     Francis Ford Coppola (director and co-writer) and Mario Puzo (co-writer and author of the novel) return to continue the saga with The Godfather Part II (1974). The Godfather (1972) is a 3-hour long American masterpiece that told a detailed, complex, and a sometimes confusing story about family, loyalty, revenge, and the passage of time and featured a large ensemble cast of characters. No one was expecting it to be a box-office hit that could not be beaten until Jaws came out 3 years later, nor that it would win 25 awards, including 3 Academy Awards and 5 Golden Globes. Subsequently, it would be these achievements that would give Coppola free reign on the sequel film.

     At first, the Part II’s narrative seems to mirror its predecessor by being over 3 -hours long and beginning with a big family celebration where the Don makes his men sweat as they wait to meet the boss. However, Part II differs from its predecessor by not being another classic Hollywood tale but rather being one of corruption, greed, and villainy and yet also managing to be one of the saddest films ever made. It is both optimistic and pessimistic in equal measures as it focuses on two leads facing different circumstances. We see a son lose his soul in one time period while his father gains his in another time period. By the end of the film, the audience comes to the conclusion that Michael was always destined to be alone and carve his own path while forever dreaming about what could have been if things had happened differently. All in all, director Coppola has seamlessly extended the story of the original film which has ultimately made the original better than we first thought. 

     The cast performances are incredible once again. Al Pacino (Once Upon a Time in Hollywood) is once again commanding and delivers one of his best performances as Michael but this time we get to see a new level to the character. Michael has been the Don from some years now and we get to see just how great of a toll it is for one to bare; heavy is the head that wears the crown. Now I am not a huge fan of Robert DeNiro (The Family) but here he is quite convincing as a young Vito Corleone, especially considering the iconic nature of Marlon Brando’s performance in 1972 film. He symbolizes his performance by opting to show hardly any reactions on his face. The rest of the cast performances did an incredible job with their respective performances. 

     Overall, The Godfather Part II (1974) is a cinematic masterpiece that surpasses the original. The story is complex, dramatic, violent, and romantic about family, loyalty, revenge, and the passing of time. At the same time, this is also one of the saddest films I have seen as it manages to be both optimistic and pessimistic. The cast performances were incredible, especially from Al Pacino, who has grown tremendously since the first film, and Robert DeNiro, who is quite convincing as a young Vito Corleone. All in all, as an incredibly successful sequel, it's one of the first of its kind and is the reason why today’s filmmakers try so hard to make a successful sequel. So if you have not seen The Godfather Part II (1974) then I highly recommend that you do because you won’t regret it. 

Final Vote ---  of 10 stars

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