The Matrix Resurrections – Review

The Matrix Resurrections – Budget Unknown – 2 hours and 28 minutes

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Thomas sits at his desk creating a video game named Binary when he gets a warning that a hacker purged the Modal 101 file.  While Thomas looks into the hack, Jude tells him their boss, Smith, wants to see him.  Thomas thinks Smith wants to talk about Binary’s budget and timeline, but Smith has other concerns.  Their parent company, Warner Brothers, wants to make a sequel to its trilogy game, The Matrix.  And they will make it with or without Thomas.  Thomas starts to panic because he had a mental breakdown after creating the game.  He couldn’t discern reality from dreams.  Now, Thomas sees a therapist to maintain his mental state.  

Thomas goes to a coffee shop with co-worker Jude, and Jude forces Thomas to talk to a woman he fixates on every day.  The woman is Tiffany, and she is married with two sons.  She feels like she knows Thomas, and he explains it away.  Later, they see each other and question him about his game.  She thinks a character, Trinity, looks like her.  Thomas goes back to his office, and an alarm forces an evacuation.  Before Thomas leaves the building, he gets a text message to go to the bathroom.  A man walks out of the stall and introduces himself as Morpheus, and Thomas panics.  It’s his game character that comes to life.  Thomas runs to his therapist to handle reality but ends up on top of the roof.  He attempts to jump off and fly when Bugs grabs him.  She tells him the Matrix is real and shows her bunny tattoo.  Her world knows him as the one Neo, and he follows her into the Matrix.

The fourth installment of the trilogy has all the effects and wild storylines from its predecessor (FTC Affiliate Disclaimer).  It shows clips of the past for people new to the series.  But, there are phrases, jokes, and other nuances you won’t understand without seeing the other films.  The writers do a superb job describing what happened to Neo over 20 years, why, and who is in control.  Also, it explained the change in characters’ looks while paying homage to the original actors.  While it created an end to the trilogy, it left the door open for something new for the next generation.

I give it 4 out of 5 stars

The choice is an allusion.  You already know what you have to do – Bugs

Limits are the domain of the limited – Morpheus

I quit calling it a habit.  Now it’s just a guilty pleasure – Smith

Sorry, I googled you – Tiffany

There is a bit of me in it, maybe too much – Tom

I don’t believe in the one.  I never did – Niobe

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The King’s Man – Review

The King’s Man – Budget Unknown – 2 hours and 11 minutes

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In 1902, the Duke of Oxford, Orlando, his wife, Emily, and their son, Conrad, brought Red Cross aid to a concentration camp in South Africa.  Gunshots ring out outside.  Their driver, Shola, protected Conrad, but Emily was fatally wounded.  Before she died, she made Orlando promise that Conrad would never see war.  Twelve years later, Orlando attempts to stop any war before it happens.  Orlando recruited Shola and Conrad’s nanny, Polly, to assist him.  They inserted domestics in the homes of dignitaries and politicians around the world.  They discover someone who wants to assassinate Archduke Franz Ferdinand and ignite the Great War.  Conrad and Orlando join Ferdinand and his wife, Duchess Sophie, in their motorcade.  Gavrilo Princip throws a bomb, but Conrad knocks it away.  Seeing his failure, Gavrilo considers taking his life.  But he gets a second chance and succeeds at the assassination.  Through his group of servants, Orlando learns that Gavrilo is a pawn.  And his master has influencers by the side of Tsar Nicholas, King George, and Kaiser Wilhelm.  These cousins use this war to ignite a childhood battle.  Orlando has a dire need to end it when Conrad wants to sign up to fight.  To keep his promise to Emily, Orlando will find the person at the top of the evil empire and take them down.  In turn, he constructs an organization called the Kingsman.

The prequel to the franchise plays fast and loose with history but maintains the names and causes of the Great War.  While viewers will get the Kingsman’s development, they won’t get the style and grace they remember.  The standout fight scenes are no more, and the non-action sequences get boring.  Weapons and clothing of the time shouldn’t hinder the eye-catching cinematography.  While the first two movies were new and fresh, this one was slow and a bit unimaginative.  Seeing the start of the Kingsman and their use of invisible domestics is ingenious.  Viewers see the first Arthur, Lancelot, Galahad, and Merlin.  Also, the post-credits hint for a part two that you can predict.

I give it 3.5 out of 5 stars

Reputation is what people think of you.  Character is who you are – Orlando

Do you really think a knife can beat a bullet – Polly

It would appear so – Shola

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Sing 2 – Review

Sing 2 – Budget of $85 million – 1 hour and 50 minutes

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Buster Moon’s theater is a raging success with its latest rendition of Alice in Wonderland (FTC Affiliate Disclaimer).  Gunther, Rosita, Meena, and Johnny shine with Nana watching from her private booth above.  During the performance, Miss Crawly watches Suki in the audience.  Suki is an agent for Crystal Entertainment.  Suki starts to leave before the second act, and Buster chases after her to find out why.  She tells Buster that the show is cute but not ready for the big leagues.  With his dreams dashed Buster tells Nana.  Nana tells Buster that nobody can crush his dreams but him.  If he wants something, he needs to fight for it.  

Buster comes up with a plan, but he needs one more arrow in his quiver: Ash.  With the original crew in tow, everyone boards a bus to Crystal Entertainment to audition for Jimmy Crystal.  Buster and his friends finagle their way onto the audition stage, but Jimmy won’t let them get past their intro.  Jimmy turns to leave.  In an outburst, Gunther says something that makes Jimmy turn around.  Gunther dreamed of a sci-fi play with Clay Calloway as the star.  No one has seen Clay since his wife died.  So Jimmy asks Buster if he knows Clay.  Buster lies.  Jimmy agrees to back the show and gives Buster 3 weeks to put it together.  With the funding, Buster has one problem.  He doesn’t have a script.  So, he and Gunther start working.  After they partially complete the play, Buster sees each crew member has an unforeseen issue.  Johnny can’t dance, which the big fight scene needs.  The star, Rosita, needs to make a big dive in her performance.  But she is afraid of heights.  During a progress check, Jimmy’s daughter, Porsha, shows Rosita how to do it.  Porsha demands to be the star, and Jimmy makes Buster do it.  But Porsha can’t act.  Buster’s final hurdle is Clay.  Miss Crawly tried to get him, but he threw her out of his home.  Buster and Ash go to talk to him, but Clay says no.  Ash can see how much Clay is hurting.  So she tells Buster to leave, and she will continue to help Clay take the stage.  When Jimmy discovers that Buster doesn’t have Clay, he threatens to end the show and Buster’s life.  But as long as Porsha is the star, Jimmy will keep funding the play.  After he downgrades Porsha, can Buster pull off the show of his career?

The sequel to Sing has all the laughs and foot-tapping music of the first movie.  But it doesn’t have the same inspiring premises as its predecessor.  In the past, the actors had to get over issues in their lives.  This time, the movie has a bad guy for them to fight collectively.  So their inner demons take a back seat.  Also, the funniest moments are in the trailer.  With these few negatives, the movie still entertains with current and original songs.  This sequel makes the film feel final, so it’s doubtful they will create a part three.

I give it 4 out of 5 stars

Do you mind, I’m in a meeting – Buster Moon

Well, you’re still in one piece, aren’t you – Nana

She sounds like a jerk – Ash

Well, you did say dress to impress – Miss Crawly

You better not, or I’ll throw you off the roof – Jimmy Crystal

You’re firing me – Porsha

Momma always says ‘Gunther, you are not as stupid as you poppa.’ – Gunther

I’m fine – Rosita

You did great too – Meena

There’s no rock star living here anymore – Clay

Teach me to dance – Johnny

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