Mom's Minute

Introduction to Interceptor Netflix Movie

I finally got around to watching the Netflix movie Interceptor. For awhile, Interceptor was the #1 Netflix movie, but dropped out of this coveted spot rather quickly. Was there a reason for this change in status? If so, what was the reason? (Cardi B’s meme pun intended). More importantly, should you spend your valuable time watching the Netflix movie Interceptor? Check out my movie review of the film Interceptor to find out.

Plot of interceptor Netflix Movie

The plot of the Interceptor movie is one that has been used many times in movies, TV shows, etc. In fact, here is a review of Blindspot, a TV show I reviewed previously with such a theme.

The Interceptor movie scenario involves the fictional imminent threat of a nuclear launch upon 16 of the largest states in the U.S. by an enemy. It appears that there are interceptor missiles that have the ability to destroy these extremely dangerous projectiles once that are released.  A small team controls these interceptors.

The movie story revolves around the character, Army Captain J. J. Collins played by actor Elsa Pataky who has the capability to not only oversee this interceptor operation, but also knows how to handle them as well. To add more drama to the movie, there is a backstory of unfortunate events that happened to Elsa Pataky's character.

Realism of Interceptor Netflix Movie

In my opinion, the movie Interceptor was a huge fail in convincing someone to believe this story. For instance, there are opportune moments where the bad guy, Alexander Kessel, played by Luke Brace could have easily destroyed Elsa Pataky’s character but, I guess due to the need to keep her in the film, this did not happen. Additionally, the crew who handled the Interceptors was relatively miniscule compared to the enemy’s group who was trying to launch the missiles.

To add insult to injury, the movie even had segments where Elsa Pataky’s real-life husband (Chris Hemsworth) who plays a character located in one of the 16 states targeted make remarks about the dire situations. To me, his appearance and remarks were unnecessary and further erased any inkling of realism the movie was trying to project.

The most unrealistic part of the Interceptor Netflix film was when the main antagonist disappeared for quite a long time towards the end of the movie. Spoiler Alert: This happened towards the conclusion of the movie when Elsa Pataky’s character was performing all of her heroic feats, sometimes using only one hand – if you can believe that.

Twists and Turns in Interceptor Netflix Movie

To the Interceptor Netflix movie’s credit, there are at least two unexpected incidents that happened. In my opinion, these unexpected scenes were well crafted. One occurs toward the middle of the movie, and the other happens at the very end. You will know what I’m referring to if you watch the Interceptor movie.

Recommendations to Improve Interceptor Netflix Movie

To me, the action fights were unrealistic in the Interceptor movie and Elsa Pataky's character was not believable in her role as the action hero Captain J.J. Collins.

The above being said, to raise the entertainment and the potential viewer-watching levels of the movie Interceptor, my recommendations are:

–Cast an actor who would be believable in this acton role, i.e., maybe Gal Gadot, or some other comparable female actor.

–Omit the section where Chris Hemsworth's character makes useless remarks that are better left unsaid.

–Do not let the enemy disappear for long periods to allow time for the main character to perform her unbelievable stunts

–Spoiler Alert: Do not lead the audience to believe the Navy Seals will come to save the day, when in fact it was another military service that did this instead. You will know what I’m referring to if you watch the end of the movie.

What was the Reason For the Netflix Interceptor Movie's Drop in Status?

There is a possibility that more popular movies were released shortly after, Interceptor, i.e Hustle; however, I think the negatives I pointed out above were the main reasons for the drop. There may be other reasons as well.

Assessment of the Interceptor Netflix Movie

Unfortunately, my overall review of the Interceptor Netlix movie is overwhemingly negative.

However, on a positive note, the visuals of the sky with the missiles soaring were very well done. Kudos to the special effects staff of the movie Interceptor for this achievement.

Regardless of my movie review, you may want to watch the Interceptor movie out of curiosity – which is fine. Just be aware that you will never be able to get that movie-watching time of 1 hour and 32 minutes back once you do.

Rating of the Interceptor Netflix Movie

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

Introduction to the Dune Movie Review

Dune is a film that was initially shown in the movie theaters for a short time, went to HBO Max, left HBO Max and then returned to HBO Max. Since the Dune movie is once again on HBO Max, I decided to watch it. Did I enjoy watching the Dune movie? Will you? Check out my movie review of Dune to find out.

Plot of the Dune Movie

If you read the Dune novel by Frank Herbert, you may already be familiar with the plot of the movie. I have not read the novel, so my review will be based strictly on my interpretations of the scenarios I saw as I watched the Dune movie on HBO Max.

The plot seems to involve a young man waiting to take his father’s place as ruler. The heir is the character Paul Atreides who is played by the actor, Timothee Chalamet. During this transfer of rulers, there are some battles, most of which take place in the wide expanse of the desert. A subplot is the attempt to secure a valuable commodity from their enemies.

Pace of the Dune Movie

In my opinion, this movie was slow-moving, except for the few times there were battles going on. If you expect this movie to have never-ending action, you may be disappointed. That being said, it looks like the screenwriter and director took the time to develop the characters, especially, the main character played by Timothee Chalamet.

Repetition and Redundancy in the Dune Movie

I noticed that this film followed the movie playbook of someone who was once a friend – then becomes an enemy. This situation happened at least twice during the movie. That being said -- and I editorialize here --since this movie is based on a novel, maybe the screenwriter was only following the book as written.

By the way, this 2021 Dune movie is the second reiteration – with the first Dune movie being released back in 1984.

Attention to Cinematography and Scenic Details tn the Dune Movie

Hats off to the staff responsible for the Computer-Generated Imagery – CGI, green screens, behind the scene props, etc. in the movie, Dune. In my opinion, they did a good job showing not only the desert environment but also the mountainous and stone structures that were seen during the movie.

Zendaya ‘s Acting Role in the Movie Dune

I was expecting to see more scenes with Zendaya in this movie, especially since she attended the media events and interviews to promote the movie with the star of the film, Timothee Chalamet. Looking back on the movie, she hardly had any lines and did not even appear on camera until the middle of the movie as well as when the film was almost over. 

The lack of Zendaya's screen-time did not go unnoticed by Timothee Chalamet. During one of the media interviews, he mentioned that in the movie sequel, Zendaya would have a larger part.  

To Zendaya’s credit – she did not seem to mind having such a small part in the film, given all the publicity she received for her latest Spider-man movie with Tom Holland -- Spider-man: No Way Home. However, that is a different story for a different time.

Stand Out Actor in the Dune Movie

Unfortunately, there were no actors that stood out to me in the film Dune, including the star of the movie, Timothee Chalamet. I think he probably tried to give a good performance, but there was really nothing in the script where he could have shown off his acting abilities. Maybe this had to do with the premise of the story, which did not give much room for any of the characters to show off their acting skills.

Ending of the Dune Movie

No Spoilers here. I will mention that after you’ve watched the movie Dune, you may forget how it  ended after a few days.  In fact, you may forget this film altogether. The good news is Dune seemed to have brought in quite a bit of box office money, so it cannot realistically be categorized as a flop. However and in my opinion, Dune cannot be viewed as a success from the standpoint of being an entertaining and enjoyable movie – which  unfortunately, it was not.  

Assessment of the Dune Movie

As I alluded to before, I  did not  enjoy watching the Dune movie. Fortunately, I did not rush out to see this movie when it was first released -- which was a good thing. 

On a positive note, I admired that the movie Dune is different from similar type movies I’ve seen in the past. I viewed the Dune movie as sort of a science fiction film that is based in the desert, instead of in space. 

The question is – Should you watch the movie Dune?  I will leave this question for you to answer. Just keep in mind that the movie Dune is 2 hours and 35 minutes long and there may be other things you probably would prefer to do instead of watching it.

Rating of the Dune Movie

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

Introduction to Hustle: A Netflix Movie Review

Have you ever planned to watch a specific film on Netflix and then changed your mind when a new movie showed up as the current #1 movie on Netflix? When the movie Hustle appeared in the list of films released on Netflix, I did not hesitate to watch it. With the seemingly lack of interesting Netflix content lately, I was hoping this movie would not be more of the same. Was it? Check out my movie review of Hustle to find out.

Plot of Hustle Netflix Movie

Adam Sandler plays NBA scout, Stanley Sugarman who wants to jump-start his sports coaching career by discovering an extraordinary basketball player to join the Philadelphia 76ers. It took Adam Sandler’s character a while to do so, but he finally located an amateur basketball player purely by accident who was located in Europe – Spain to be exact. As expected, there is conflict between him and the manager relative to bringing in a new, unknown basketball player to the lineup. There are other obstacles along the way. To avoid spoiling the movie, Hustle, I will not divulge the details here.

Stand Out Actor in Hustle Netflix Movie

Even though he had a relatively small role, in my opinion, the stand out actor was Anthony Edwards who played the part of Kermit Wilt-Washington who was an arch-enemy or rival to the Bo Cruz trainee character. During basketball games, practices, etc. Anthony Edward's character would regularly “trash talk” and verbably bash the rookie basketball trainee. Anthony Edwards delivered his actions and lines realistically and he appeared to be a natural in portraying this character.

In fact, all of the actors showcased heir acting abilities adequately. However, if you watch the movie Hustle, you may want to check out Anthony Edwards' acting skills as he plays the role of a rival and competitor against Juancho Hermangolmez’s character.

To Adam Sandler’s credit, he did not rehash the previous character he played on one of his other films that I reviewed entitled Uncut Gems.

Chemistry Between the Actors in Hustle Netflix Movie

As you may know, some movies become successful among other things based largely on the undeniable chemistry between the main characters in the film. This was not the case for actors Queen Latifah and Adam Sandler who played husband and wife. To me, she seemed more like a big sister to him.

On the flip side and what may have saved this movie was the chemistry between Adam Sandler playing the mentor, coach Stanley Sugarman and Juancho Hermangolmez as his trainee, Bo Cruz.  Several scenes in the movie depicted Adam Sandler's character showing plenty of empathy and compassion toward the NBA recruit-trainee, which was well-acted and did not appear to be forced.

Predictability of Hustle Netflix Movie

Hustle Netflix movie can be described as a cliche sports drama movie. As you watch the events in the movie Hustle unfold, you probably can figure out how the movie will end. 

In the scenes where Adam Sandler’s character is training the recruit, you may also get some Rocky movie training vibes.

The above being said, I believe the movie Hustle is worth your time to watch. Why? Because Hustle is not only entertaining but there is some drama, it leans towards the positive, and the movie even teaches lessons. I’ll let you decide what those lessons are if you watch Hustle Netflix movie.

Assessment of Hustle Netflix Movie

Initially, I may have made an unexpected Netflix movie-watching detour to check out the film Hustle; however, I am glad that I did. There were a few disconnects in the film as well as ambiguity pertinent to some of the characters in the movie, but overall I think it is a Netflix movie that is worth your time to watch.

To answer the above question of if the movie Hustle was more of the same seemingly uninteresting content on Netflix of late, my response is a resounding “No". I think the movie Hustle will keep your attention and may even be inspiring to you.

Rating of Hustle Netflix Movie

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

Introduction to The Adam Project: A Netflix Movie Review

With a current under-abundance of good movies streaming, you may want to know which of the few is worth your time to watch.  Most of the note-worthy movies are now being shown in brick and mortar movie theaters exclusively before being moved to streaming services or other platforms. 

That being said, I was looking forward to watching The Adam Project movie since it seemed to be an A-list film that is on Netflix. Did I enjoy watching the Adam Project? Will you? Check out my movie review of The Adam Project film to find out.

The Adam Project – Yet Another Ryan Reynolds’ Movie

Should The Adam Project be labeled as yet another Ryan Reynolds movie? This question may sound negative to you, but it is more of an observation instead. Did you watch the previous Ryan Reynolds movie “Red Notice" as I did?  Even though this film was probably perceived as a “Rock” Dwayne Johnsoon movie, I saw it as yet another Ryans Reynold movie. In other words, Ryan Reynolds seems to be cranking out quite a few movies lately.

The good news is that Ryan Reynolds usually adds a comic element to his movies either because of his personality, script or some other reason.  And yes – The Adams Project movie fits this description.

Plot of The Adam Project Movie

The Adam Project film is a Netflix science-fiction space time travel movie. The plot of the movie involves the main character played by Ryan Reynolds traveling back in time from the future year 2050. To not spoil this movie for you, the year he actually traveled to was not the time-period he had planned for.  In fact, he had major technical space ship malfunctions and crash-landed in the year when he was 12 years old.

Back to the Future Film Vibes from The Adam Project Movie

Back to the Future is a classic movie which would be very difficult to compete with. Notwithstanding, you may think of the Back to the Future movie when you watch The Adam Project film even though a Delorean car is not the center of attention.  Personally, I did not view The Adam Project film as a Back to the Future movie rip off but a film about time travel with some comedic elements thrown in.

Stand out Actor in The Adam Project Movie

There are quite a few big name A-list actors in The Adam Project movie including Ryan Reynolds, Mark Ruffalo, Zoe Saldana and Jennifer Garner.  However, the stand out actor for me was Walter Scobell who played the 12 year old Ryan Reynolds' character in the movie. I believe the casting staff did a good job of choosing him for this role. He played his part low-key and did not seem to try to stand out in any way. As the saying goes, sometimes less is more.

As a side note, my second favorite actor in this film was Zoe Saldana whose action parts in The Adam Project movie reminded me of some of her other action movies.

Pros of The Adam Project Movie

The Adam Project movie is rated PG-13, so it is open to a wider range of movie watchers.  Additionally, the movie was not overly violent. The actors played their part admirably and the storyline was easy to follow.

There are a few humorous lines in The Adam Project movie which may make you smile. Also Ryan Reynolds departed from his “Deadpool” character type jokes, even though, during the movie, he would slip one in once in a while.

Last but not least, In these days of movies lasting over two hours long, I think The Adam Project movie has an adequate run time of 1 hour 46 minutes – which is a good thing.

Cons of The Adam Project Movie

In my opinion, the use of profanity by the child actor did not sit well with me. His script caused him to say quite a few profane words, even lip-syncing a phrase at one point.  I believe The Adam Project movie would have been even more enjoyable to watch without me hearing these words and phrases.

There were also some logic challenges in this movie dealing with time-travel, as well as the exclusion of the mother being in the know about the time traveling situation. The majority of the film was the interaction of Ryan Reynolds' character with his younger self, but I think the mother’s role, played by Jennifer Garner could have been expanded.

Assessment of The Adam Project Movie

Even with the cons above, I recommend that you watch The Adam Project movie now playing on Netflix. There is enough action and scenarios to keep your interest. 

In response to my introductory inquiry, I think you may find  The Adam Project  movie just as enjoyable to watch as I did.

Rating of The Adam Project

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

Introduction to the Diabolique Movie Review

Diabolique is a 1955 movie currently streaming on HBO Max. The Diabolique movie is shown in black and white and is a French film with English subtitles. The black and white graphics of the Diabolique film reminded me of another classic movie I watched awhile back – Gilda.

However, I digress. Have you seen the 1955 movie Diabolique? Should you? Check out my movie review of Diabolique to find out. By the way, even though I watched the movie on HBO Max, it is also streaming on some of the other services.

Plot of the Diabolique Movie

The plot of the Diabolique movie revolves around two women planning to avenge themselves as a result of the treatment they received from the husband. The husband had many unlikeable traits which you will find out about in more detail if you watch the movie Diabolique. 

Actions in the movie involve heavy lifting and dragging by the two women. You may find it interesting to note that one of the women (the wife) was ill. Even though she was weak and sick, you may wonder if she was able to handle her end of the revengeful plot.  You will find out if you watch the movie, Diabolique.

Suspense in the Diabolique Movie

In my opinion, for a classic movie, Diabolique had quite a few twists and turns. Furthermore, I believe there is an adequate amount of suspense in the movie Diabolique to keep your interest.

Remember that in the year 1955, technology was not as advanced as it is today so the filmmakers were limited to the resources they had available to them at the time. That being said, the movie is filmed and directed in such a way that draws the viewing audience into the story – even without all the bells and whistles of modern-day technology. 

There is no need to wait for the suspense to build up in the movie, Diabolique. The suspense for me started right at the beginning of the movie, Diabolique when there seemed to be a sort of comradery between the wife and the mistress. It was interesting to me how the ill wife leaned heavily on the mistress to carry out their revengeful scheme against the husband.

Acting Abilities Displayed in the Diabolique Movie

Looking back on the movie, Diabolique, I cannot point out any lack of acting skills from the cast. They all played their roles admirably and gave great if not outstanding performances.

Assessment of the Diabolique Movie

If you are not a fan of foreign subtitled films, I recommend you give the movie Diabolique a look-see anyway.  As the film moves forward, the subtitles will not be distracting but will help you follow the events in the classic foreign suspenseful film, Diabolique.

If you are interested in watching this film, make sure you select the 1955 version, since there is a 1996 remake of the film Diabolique available. Or you may choose to watch both. However, of the two films, I recommend that you watch the first, classic 1955 movie, Diabolique which I’m sure will keep your interest from start to finish. This is especially true if you are a mystery movie fan.

Rating of the Diabolique Movie

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