Mom's Minute

Disclaimer: There are spoilers in my movie review, so if you have not seen Fierce, and plan to do so, I recommend you watch the movie first before checking out my review.

Introduction to the Fierce Netflix Movie Review

Fierce is a film where language dubbings or voice overs are used. To follow the story along seamlessly, it may help to focus on the actors' faces rather than their lips while they are talking. That being said, I would categorize Fierce as a Life-time movie type human interest story.  If you enjoy these type movies which sometimes have a predictable ending, you may like to watch the Fierce movie.

Premise of the Fierce Movie

The Fierce movie has a simple plot dealing with a daughter who has been estranged from her father just about all of her life.  Just by incidence (of course), he ended up being a big singing star, moved out of their small town and managed to make a name for himself.  He left everything behind, including his significant other and unbeknownst to him at the time, his yet to be born daughter.

Currently he seems to be spending most of his time on a panel judging new singing talent.  You may have guessed that the storyline leads to a scenario where his daughter enters the contest. He did not know at the time that she was his long abandoned daughter -- even though he found out shortly thereafter.

Sequence of Events in the Fierce Movie

Looking back, I think this movie 's storyline seemed unlikely to happen in real-life, especially in this age of the internet. Sometimes with just a touch of a key, you can find out just about anything you want to know, including long, estranged relatives.

Regarding the movie,  It looks as if she knew that this person was her father, but he didn’t realize this until she competed on a signing show with him as a judge. 

Her father initially rejected moving the show to this town that he left years before, where his ex (with his daughter) still resided. However, of course the show must go on, and the singing talent show eventually moved to this town, despite his objections.

Animosity between Father and Daughter in the Fierce Movie

The  mother of his grown daughter did not appear to be overly saddened by his reappearance in town. In fact, she sort of imagined that bygones would be bygones and hopefully they would get back together.  Of course this did not happen.  In the meantime, the daughter has gained quite a bit of fame by appearing on the show with him as a judge, even though he often gave her a “No” vote relative to her singing talent.

Outside Influences in the Fierce Movie

As expected, there are outside conflicts that affected the daughter and father relationship. To make a long story short, he eventually learns who she really is, and the outside influence met his goal to oust exactly who she was. Subsequently, she was removed or disqualified from the singing contest.

Assessment of the Fierce Movie

In my opinion, this movie was overly predictable including the rise and fall of the singing fame of the daughter.  The movie showed how she rose up to become somewhat famous as well as the downside when she lost her fame. 

Spoiler Alert:  To bring this story full circle, eventually the daughter and father mended their relationship and believe it or not even started singing together. 

Rating of the Fierce Movie

Based on  a rating of 1 star to 5 stars with 5 stars being the highest, I rate the Fierce movie 2 ½ stars.

Introduction to The 2nd Movie Netflix Review

The 2nd movie appeared on my suggested movie list from Netflix so I decided to watch it. Was this movie worth my time and my Netflix subscription money? Will it be worth yours if you have not already seen it? Check out my movie review of The 2nd to find out.

Plot of The 2nd Movie

The plot of The 2nd movie centers around the kidnapping of a politician’s college student daughter in order to blackmail him to vote a certain way for a political issue. The kidnapping theme is a familiar plot of numerous movies but at least the reason for the kidnapping was different. A plus to watch this movie is to see how the kidnapping is going to unfold and how the kidnapped person is going to be saved or escape.  A negative is the movie, unfortunately is predictable with no suspense to speak of.

Actors in The 2nd Movie

Did you know that Netflix has a new drama series, The Big Sky, that stars the main character in this movie, Ryan Phillippe?  I have not watched the series, but found out by Googling Ryan Phillippe's name that he has had major acting roles in the past in additon to starring in The Big Sky.

That being said, I did not know who he was initially, but thought that he did not quite, in my opinion, fit the image of an action hero character. I may get some criticisms for my opinion here, but I saw him more of a lifeguard sort of guy who hung out at the beach or near the surf. In fact, if the actor who played his son was a little older, I think he probably could have been cast more fittingly as the action hero instead of Ryan Phillippe.

Acting Abilities of Ryan Phillippe as an Action Star

To stay on the mis-casting of Ryan Phillipe as an action movie star soap box --  in looking back on the movie, he appeared to be anxious and scared instead of strong, heroic and brave. Even though he took the first steps to try to apprehend the kidnappers and save the daughter, I think he looked weak and timid in doing so. Therefore, from the start, it was difficult for me to believe the movie storyline of him coming in to save the daughter because he simply in my mind did not fit the mold of an action movie star hero.

Unrealistic Situations in The 2nd Movie

I’m aware that The 2nd film is afterall a movie with a made up storyline, but the actions within the film seemed overly contrived. For example, there were numerous situations that did not pan out in the movie and did not make sense to me. The recurring situation was the ability of some of the villains to almost be destroyed to a pulp, and miraculously, in the next instance, you will see them reappear in another fight scene almost totally unscathed. This scenario happened at least twice in the movie.

Another unrealistic situation happened when the janitor had the daughter and her friend cornered in a room which to me indicated that for all intents and purposes, they were captured. Instead of letting the lead kidnapper know they were secured in a room --  for some reason, he just turned around and exited the room, leaving them there unguarded and unrestrained.  As expected, this gave them the opportunity to escape again. There were other situations in this movie as well that did not quite add up. You will know what I’m talking about if you watch the movie, The 2nd.

My Pet Peeve of The 2nd and Other Similar Type Movies

What is becoming my pet peeve in these kidnapping movies is how easily someone who is tied up can wiggle themselves free. This happened recently in some of the other similar movies I’ve watched.  My advice is instead of giving the kidnapped victims an easy way to free themselves from being tied up, maybe the writers can devise another way for them to escape, i.e., possibly keeping the rope tied around their hands as they try to run away or something else. In other words, the rope escaping scenes are becoming old.

Assessment of The 2nd Movie

There are a few positives about the movie that may interest you. For instance, there are plenty of fist fights if you are a fan of those and a few explosions as well.  Other than that, this movie was basically your run of the mill action film.  

Unfortunately, I’m unable to recommend you watch this movie unless of course, you have nothing better to do. If you are wondering why the movie is called The 2nd, I have my own analogy. It is called by this name, because, in my opinion, the movie is a second rate movie that should have gone straight to the trash bin instead of straight to video. To  answer the question of if the movie The 2nd was worth my time and money, my response is a resounding no.

Rating of The 2nd Movie

Based on a rating of 1 star to 5 stars with 5 stars being the highest, I rate The 2nd movie 1 ½ stars. 

Introduction to the London Heist Netflix Movie Review

London Heist is a 2017 gritty action film that may or may not keep your interest, depending on your preferences for movies. For added suspense, the storyline of the London Heist movie purports to make a major reveal dealing with the main character in the film.  Did I enjoy watching the London Heist movie? Check out my movie review to find out.

Plot of the London Heist Movie

As indicated by the title of the movie, the synopsis or plot centers around robberies. Following the playbook for robbery type movies, the film has a team, headed by the main character,  whose mission is to simply rob successful establishments of their funds.  Also and again in accordance with the robbery movie playbook, there is ultimately one last big score the team has to make that will supposedly set them up for life.

Subplot of the London Heist Movie

In an attempt to bring mystery to this film, the writers added a subplot. Namely, during the movie, the main character,  Craig Fairgrass as Jack seeks revenge for the demise of a close relative.  However, the plot thickens. There is a reveal regarding this close relative whose disclosure has a deep emotional impact on the main character.

Portrayal of Female Characters in the London Heist Movie

For some reason, the casting staff (I presume) decided to have two similar-looking blonde females as supporting characters. If you watch this movie, pay attention to the names of the characters to follow their roles in the movie, because they look like the same person to me. 
One female actor, Katie Clarkson-Hill plays the part of Holly while the other plays the role of Nichole, Jack’s wife.

The Intelligence Level  of the Female Characters

You may find yourself wanting to scream warnings and directions at these women to keep them out of danger.  The reason for this is, unfortunately, their parts were not written well. 

 Spoiler alert: For example, in one scene actor Katie Clarkson-Hill as Nicole was trying to escape her enemy by driving away from the home. Alas -- a two door wooden garage door was closed by her perpetrator which prevented her from leaving. Or did it?

 Since she was driving a relatively heavy, expensive car, even though the car may have gotten damaged, she could have simply barged through the wooden garage gates with the car and made her escape.  I believe if a male was playing this role, this action would have taken place.

Instead, she demurely stopped the car and whimpered as she exited the vehicle with a weapon aimed at her by the perpetrator.

Big Reveal in the London Heist Movie

Looks like most of the other characters knew the big reveal long before the main character.  Ironically, the opportune moment to share this information was towards the end of the movie, when not only those close to him divulged the secret, but other non-relatives did as well. Go figure.  

 Assessment of the London Heist Movie

The sequence of events in the London Heist movie was disjointed to me with too many alterior actions that had no bearing on the storyline. There are a slew of characters who seemed to be haphazardly thrown in the movie, sometimes it seems to keep the action scenes going.

 Spoiler alert: Regarding excess characters, I’m referring to the motorcycle riders who pursued the main character. Interesting enough, even though they were chasing the main character at a high rate of speed on a public street -- no police cars showed up. I chalk this up to movie magic and the push to have action scenes in the movie without the usual normal-- real-life consequences.

To answer the question of whether or not I enjoyed the London Heist movie, unfortunately, I would say, "No." I label it a so-so type movie which to me was ok for the action but left a lot to be desired relative to the plot.  

Rating of the London Heist Movie

Based on a rating of 1 star to 5 stars with 5 stars being the highest, I rate the London Heist movie 2 stars.

Introduction to The Output Netflix Movie Review

The Outpost was one of Netflix’s top ten movies a few weeks ago which slowly moved out of that category. At one time, it looked like a lot of people were watching this movie. As for me, I decided to review The Outpost movie now since it’s been awhile since I’ve watched a war film.  

Also, since The Outpost movie is relatively long with a run time of 2 hours, 5 minutes, I wanted to be sure I allotted enough time to watch it in its entirety at one sitting. Was I glad I watched The Outpost movie on Netflix? Check out my movie review to find out.

By the way, The Outpost movie is rated R and should not be watched by anyone under the age of 17.

Synopsis of The Outpost Movie

During the opening credits, a narrative appears that gives a little background on what The Outpost movie is all about. The gist of the movie is there is this squadron of Army soldiers who is located right in the middle of what looks like a valley, surrounded by mountainous terrain. Their mission is to become friendly with the native people probably for the purpose of gathering intel, while at the same time defending themselves against hostile enemies. This movie is said to be based on a true story, even though I’m sure characters, etc. may have been added or manufactured for more dramatic effect.

Main Characters in the Outpost Movie

There are two big name actors in The Outpost movie -- namely Orlando Bloom and Scott Eastwood. There are other actors who played strong roles in this movie; however, they may not be as well known as the aforementioned actors. For the most part, there were numerous characters in the movie, all with different storylines. I think this situation can be expected in a war movie made up of soldiers from all walks of life.

War Actions in the Outpost Movie

Spoiler Alert: I think the draw for The Outpost movie is there is a build-up from lots of small war skirmishes during the film until the one large battle that takes place towards the end of the movie. I found the actions in The Outpost to reflect a fair amount of realism and the actors did a good job of executing these actions. On a negative note -- due to the constant changing of who was in command, the movie appeared to be disjointed; however, this may have been what actually occurred. 

Suspense in the Outpost Movie

To make a long story short -- There was little to no suspense in The Outpost movie. The soldiers were located at a post in a valley surrounded by enemies so you will probably come quickly to the conclusion that eventually a huge attack is going to happen. A hint of suspense was revealed regarding the health status of one of the soldiers who was caught in the fire of battle; however, for the most part, in the movie Outpost the suspense elements were few and far between.

Language in The Outpost Movie

There is a lot of profanity in this movie, as well as racial and ethnic innuendos that I was not fond of.  In fact, I do not recall a scene where a profane word was not said.

Additionally, I found the racial conversations and tidbits to be offensive. To be specific --  there was chatting among two soldiers where a racial slur was allowed to be said out loud during the movie.  I’m sure during rehearsals, etc. this racial slur was probably said numerous times which is why I am reducing the rating of this otherwise 5 star rated movie to 4 ½ stars. I think this line of chatting could have been omitted since it did not serve a useful purpose to move the story along. Even if it did, this particular scene should have been left out.

Assessment of The Outpost Movie

The Outpost movie is definitely not a feel good movie, but shows the gruesome realities of war and conflicts in stark details.

Except for the language and racial slurs, I would have rated this movie higher because it does take you right to the war battlefield. Just a bit of advice -- After watching this movie, you may want to look at a feel-good or some other type movie or TV show to get your mind off of the harshness and brutalities of war shown in The Outpost movie.

 In response to my earlier question about if I was glad I watched The Outpost, I would reply in the positive with a lot of reservations about some of the language and chatting used.

Rating of The Outpost Movie

Based on a rating of 1 star to 5 stars with 5 stars being the highest, I rate The Outpost movie 4 ½ stars. 

Introduction to the Ava Movie Review

 When I checked Netflix to see what was playing and saw that Ava was the number one movie trending, I did not make a mental note to give it a look-see later on. I instantly clicked on it and watched this movie with no delay.  Maybe Netflix used clickbait by showing that an A-list actor, Jessica Chastain would be starring in the movie, along with other well-known actors. If so, I think this marketing ploy worked with me.

Plot of the Ava Movie

The plot of the Ava movie is really routine and can be described as run of the mill when you think about it.  In a nutshell, actor Jessica Chastain stars as a paid assassin who destroys criminals, mostly while in disguise or undercover. However, do not discount this movie because of the simple plot. There are other underlying issues with Jessica Chastain's character that she had to contend with in addition to getting rid of the bad guys. The film Ava is even more interesting because there are other subplots in this movie which I will not divulge here.

Actors in the Ava Movie

I mentioned previously that there were a few  well known actors in the movie Ava, which, in my opinion added to my enjoyment of the movie. That is not to say that most good movies must have A-list actors. But in this case, I think having A-list actors was a plus.

Among these actors are Colin Farrell as Simon who seemed to be the head boss so to speak, John Malkovich as Duke who was the seasoned trainer-mentor as well as the recruiter, Common as Michael, Ava’s sister’s fiance who is involved in sort of a romantic triangle with her sister, played by Jess Weixler and last but not least, Geena Davis as Jessica Chastain’s character mother.  With this wide array of A-list actors, it is no wonder that I'm sure you will find the movie not only interesting to watch, but exciting as well.

Action in the Ava Movie

If you watch the Ava movie, you will not have to wait long before action occurs. Even though there are a few drama-type slow moving side-plots, inevitably, some of the movie scenes will lead to action, involving not only fists byt weapons fighting as well. 

 It’s no secret that a lot of action scenes in movies are performed expertly by stunt people, which I’m sure was done in the movie Ava.  I liked that if stunt people were involved, expertise was used to disguise that this was being done. 

For example, while in the midst of a fist fight, you may see who you envision may be Jessica Chastain, but the character is really probably a stunt fighter with either her face hidden or the scene is shot from far away. Towards that end, I think that just about all of the action scenes were done with almost perfection.  I say almost, because I’m sure there were a few flaws or mistakes in some areas.

Violence in the Ava Movie

Unfortunately, there is violence in the Ava movie. I decided to segregate the violence segment from the action segment in my movie review, because I want to bring attention to thre fact that there is violence in this movie. There may not be an abundance of gruesome violence in the movie Ava, but the scenes where intense violence was shown were...well… intensely done -- I think maybe to the extreme. To give you a hint and not to spoil the movie, one of these gruesome scenes involved Colin Farrell’s and John Malkovich’s characters.

Needless to say, this film is rated R so if you are 17 years or younger, you should not watch 

the movie, Ava.

Best Fight Scene in the Ava Movie

After watching the movie, Ava, you may come to your own conclusion as to which fight scene is your favorite. The one that stood out for me happened early in the film when Jessica Chastain as Ava Faulkner was dressed in a beautiful long red gown and wore her dark brown hair (wig of course) styled with a side part. Take note of how she rips apart and uses a section of her red dress at the conclusion of the fight. You may or may not agree with me, but of all of the fight scenes in the movie Ava, I think this may be one that you might remember the most.

Assessment of the Ava Movie

Even with the sometimes extreme action, in my opinion, this movie is worth watching. If you decide to watch the Ava movie, time may fly by and before you know it, the movie will be ending. 

However, do not fret. Spoiler Alert:  Just before the credits rolled for the movie Ava, something happens that may give you an inkling that maybe Ava’s journey is not quite over. Who knows? Even though throughout the movie, her resolve was tested extensively, maybe there is more to her story. In other words, you may be wondering if there will be a sequel.  I guess we will just have to wait and see.

Rating of the Ava Movie

Based on a rating of 1 star to 5 stars with 5 stars being the highest, I rate the Ava movie 5 stars.