Rambo: Last Blood – Review

Rambo: Last Blood – Budget of < $50 million – 1 hour and 29 minutes

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After settlings on his father’s horse ranch, John Rambo seems to have everything handled.  His niece Gabby and long-time friend Maria help manage the horses and house.  John believes Gabby has a future breaking in horses but she is ready to go to college.  With a heavy heart, John has decided to let her go.  Now that Gabby moving on, John’s life mirrors the ranch.  On the surface, everything looks great.  Underneath lies darkness and pain.  John suffers from PTSD and takes medicine to cope.  When he is not working on the farm, he is digging tunnels all throughout his property.  He creates makeshift living spaces and weapons in the tunnel.  While creating a graduation gift for Gabby, John is dismayed by Gabby’s news.  Her old friend, Gizelle, has found Gabby’s father.  Gabby wants to go to Mexico to see him and asks him why he abandoned her 10 years ago.  John is steadfast against her seeing him.  Maria agrees.  Maria reveals Gabby’s father, Manuel, was abusive to Gabby’s mother and Rambo saved her.  Gabby apologizes and leaves to hang out with friends.  The next day, Maria is panicked stricken.  Maria unearthed the truth.  Instead of seeing friends, Gabby went to Mexico to meet her father.  She has not been seen or called since.  Maria wants to call the police.  But John knows U.S. police can’t cross the border and Mexico’s police will not care.  John must find her and bring her back.  And he will need to become Rambo to do it.

Picking up where the movie series left off, this Rambo has the drive of Bryan Mills, the ingenuity of Kevin McCallister, and the striking blow of Scarlet Witch (FTC Affiliate Disclaimer).  Yes, Scarlet Witch.  This movie gives fans the bloodlust it craves while paying respect and homage to the original Rambo movies.  If you are hoping to leave this movie with a greater sense of the world, a renewed self, or smarter, then you should go to another movie.  This is blood, guts, guns, knives, and explosions.  It is not for the weak of heart nor the stomach.  Newcomers, you don’t need to see the first four to understand this movie.  Original fans will like this movie but it can never be First Blood  (FTC Affiliate Disclaimer).

I give it 4 out of 5 stars

No, thank you. Too dirty – Maria

No, it’s not. It’s worst – Rambo

Why do I have to know you – Carmen

Nobody writes letters anymore – Gabby

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Ad Astra – Review

Ad Astra – Budget of $80 – 100 million – 2 hours and 4 minutes

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In the near future, Major Roy McBride patches a satellite close to the earth.  It is hit with a surge of energy that sends Roy hurdling towards Earth.  He wakes up in the hospital to learn there was a surge of power that caused catastrophic damage to power grids everywhere.  Thousands have died and more were injured.  Once at home, Roy is asked to come back for a debriefing.  They believe the source of the surge came from Neptune and created by the Lima Project.  Roy is perplexed because his father died on the Lima project decades ago.  His father, Clifford McBride was the first man to go to Mars and was attempting to be the first to go to Neptune.  The Lima Project was created to search for life deeper in space.  The government told the world the ship crew became injured and everyone died.   However, Clifford turned off the communicator and killed everyone on the ship.  The government was worried about future exploration being canceled so they created the lie.  They want Roy to travel to Mars in order to create a message for his father that will be sent to the Lima project in Neptune.  They hope hearing Roy’s voice will make Clifford stop attacking Earth with energy burst.  On his travels, Roy reflects on the emptiness and loneliness he feels on Earth.  He wonders if he should go to Neptune and stay with Clifford.  Maybe in the vast void of space, Roy can finally feel whole.

Visually, this is one of the best movies about outer space in a long time.  Also, it correctly predicts what will happen to these planets if humans traveled to them like we do Orlando.  It’s a sad and painful reality when it hits the screen.  It will become all too familiar to you.  However, Roy’s incessant internal self-loathing monologue becomes a bore.  The beauty and majesty of the graphics and weightless rigging are taken away with Roy’s constant contempt with people, earth, and physical contact.  You will want him to stop talking to enjoy the work the special effect department has done.  If you are a fan of First Man or teen angst, this is your movie.  Otherwise, wait for Vudu (FTC Affiliate Disclaimer).

I give it 2.5 out of 5 stars

Are you with us? Like I have a choice – Roy McBride

You and I share a great lost, Roy – Helen

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Official Secrets – Review

Official Secrets – Budget Unknown – 1 hour and 52 minutes

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Katharine stands in front of a judge, in a crowded courtroom. He asks her one question. How do you plead? A year ago, on Feb. 25, 2004, she worked as a translator at the GCHQ. She listened to recorded conversations in Mandarin and made note of any potential threats to the British government or their allies. While working, she gets a top-secret email. It states that US officials want them to listen in on UN diplomats’ private phone calls for incriminating information. The US plans to use this information to blackmail them into changing their vote on the Iraqi War. Katharine can’t believe what she is reading. She has been against the war, but using blackmail to force the vote is not something she can stand behind. So, she gets a copy of the document and gives it to a friend. She hopes the friend will investigate her findings. However, her friend gives it to a friend, who in turn gives it to a reporter at the Observer. The email is printed, almost word for word.  However, spell check will bring the article’s impact to a screeching halt. When the dust settles, Katharine’s motives, marriage, and freedom will be questioned.

Based on The Spy Who Tried to Stop the War by Marcia Mitchell and Thomas Mitchell, this story is painfully shocking to watch (FTC Affiliate Disclaimer). With real news events to drive the story forward, you see the pitfalls and triumphs for this tale. This movie calls into question if Katharine is a traitor or a concerned citizen. You may conclude the story snowballed far beyond what she imagined. Even though her story was released, it didn’t stop the war.  It’s easy to write off her whistleblowing as treason. Before you write off what she did, remember it was her actions that called into question if an unpopular war was legal. While it didn’t stop the war, it allowed the public to question the war’s legitimacy and the leaders’ wrongdoings. Kira gave an amazing performance of a woman in legal limbo while she and her husband’s lives hung in the balance. With an entire year condensed into 1 hour and 50 minutes, something feels missing in the story. This something was most likely covered in the book.

I give it 3 out of 5 stars

It’s just a job. You will find another job – Yasar Gun

Ours is not to reason why – Andy Dumfries

It was me. I did it. – Katharine Gun

Who changed it? – Martin Bright

You should fish somewhere else – Ben Emmerson

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