Mom's Minute

Introduction to Kate - A Netflix Movie Review

If you have been waiting to watch a movie which appears to have attention-grabbing action scenes, then your wait is over with the Netflix movie Kate. From start to finish, the Netflix movie Kate puts you on a roller coaster ride of action as the star of the movie, Mary Elizabeth Winstead as Kate sets out in search for her archenemy.

With the above being said, you may be wondering what I thought of the Netflix movie Kate.  Was there too much action -- not enough drama or vice versa? Check out my Netflix movie review of Kate to find out.

Plot of the Netflix Movie Kate

The plot of the Netflix movie Kate, involves the main character Kate who is a trained assassin. At an early age Kate was trained to master her “craft.” Believe it or not, there is protocol in this “trade”, which Kate bypassed at the direction of her “handler.”  This one event as well as other incidental happenings in the film was the basis for the complete Netflix movie.  

Specifically, Kate was seeking to avenge something that happened to her by locating the person who targeted her as the victim. As a result she became a ruthless, avenge -seeking victim rather than the assailant, while at the same time trying to survive after being poisoned.

Choice of Characters in the Netflix Movie Kate

I think the casting staff did a good job picking actors to appear in the Netflix film Kate, starting with choosing actor Mary Elizabth Winstead as the lead actor who played the role of the  main character. The other cast of characters were also adequate including Woody Harrelson as her handler/trainer and actor Miku Martineau as the character who was at first the kidnapped victim who later became Kate’s cohort.

Realism of the Netflix Movie Kate

As with most action movies, the star appears to always endure a lot of battery, harm and injuries -- yet remains able to continue to triumph in various altercations. However, there was one blooper in the Netflix film where Kate was severely injured in her leg -- yet she was able to keep fighting and moving around which I guess can be attributed to movie magic.

Also, it appears to me the writer/director had a certain look they wanted for the Kate character relative to hair length which they accomplished by having her cut her hair during one of the scenes. Instead of blatantly going for this look, they could have had it be known to the audience that she was trying to disguise herself in some way by maybe trying on a wig, becoming frustrated with it and as a final result, decided to cut her hair. I think this would have been a more realistic and subtle approach to cutting her hair short.

However overall, I think the writers/director of the Netflix movie Kate were successful in delivering the type action movie that they set out to have on screen.

Stand out Action Scene in the Netflix Movie Kate

There are plenty of “John Wick'' type actions throughout the Netflix movie Kate in addition to hand to hand combat.  If you want to fast forward to one of the noteworthy fights in the Netflix movie, I would choose the one where she seemed to have met her match when she fought the flamboyant chinese actor/character who at first had an exaggerated personna about him. However during the fight with Kate, he seemed to remember that he was once an expert  fighter.  This is the impression I got especially when he seemed to become confident in winning the fight -- which of course he did not. This was due to the intervention of Miku Martineau’s character, Ani.

Combination of Action and Drama in the Netflix Movie Kate

 I think the movie had a sufficient amount of action and drama with an emphasis on the action.  Additionally, the movie is not overly long so the coming in and out of action scenes for snippets of drama was an adequate mix.

Assessment of the Netflix Movie Kate

I must warn you that there are many gruesome type scenes in the Netflix movie Kate, especially one dealing with a sword fight. This action Netflix movie did not forget to dot any i’s or cross any T’s when it came to showing violence. For this reason, you should be at least a certain age (17 years old)  in order to watch this movie -- even though it is streaming on Netflix.

All in all, I believe the Netflix film Kate will keep your interest, especially if you are a fan of action movies.

Rating of the Netflix Movie Kate

Note: Starting with this Netflix movie Kate, I will be rating subsequent movies in whole numbers instead of using fractions  i.e. 1 star instead of 1 ½ stars That way, I believe you will get a better idea on my opinion regarding if the movie was good or bad without any ambiguity.

With the above being said and based on a rating of 1 star to 5 stars with 5 stars being the highest, I rate the Kate Netflix movie 4 stars.

Introduction to Hugh Jackman’s Reminiscence Movie Review

You may have noticed that lately there have been several big block buster type films that were released only in movie theaters exclusively.

Exceptions include the Hugh Jackman’s Reminiscence movie that was released in theaters and also on HBO Max. After seeing the movie trailer, I decided to watch Reminiscence on HBO Max. Was this movie worth my time or my HBO Max subscription?  Check out my movie review of Hugh Jackman's Reminiscence to find out.

Plot of Hugh Jackman’s Reminiscence Movie

Initially, you may conclude that Hugh Jackman’s movie is a romantic drama based on the meeting of Hugh Jackman’s character, Nick Bannister and that of Mae played by Rebecca Ferguson. However, if you watch the complete film, you will find out the movie is much deeper and dare I say complicated than a simple “boy meets girl” movie.  

The Setting of Hugh Jackman’s Reminiscence Movie

The movie, Reminiscence, caught my interest mainly because the settings of the events are sometimes on land and sometimes on sea. Believe it or not -- sometimes the land is mmersed partially in water, and was actually inhabited by people. After seeing many movies with the usual typical land/air/water type environments - it was refreshing for me to watch a movie cast in different visual locations.

Acting Abilities of the Cast of Hugh Jackman’s Reminiscence Movie

I would say the acting displayed in Reminiscence was adequate for the movie story. There were no stand-out dramatic parts that stood out to me. It looks like the intent of this movie is to entertain the audience rather than garner an oscar or academy award for any of the actors. 

If you decide to watch Hugh Jackman’s Reminiscence movie, you may have to remind yourself that he is playing a role far different than that of his other major acting character -- the Marvel superhero Wolverine. I think he did a good job of transitioning from a superhero to this character. After a while, the knowledge that he played the part of Wolverine may began to fade as you continue to watch the Hugh Jackman's movie, Reminiscence.

Twists and Turns in the Plot of Hugh Jackman's Reminiscence Movie

As I watched Hugh Jackman’s Reminiscence movie, I wondered where and when the twists or the turns would come into play.  Of course this came to be, however, the writer/director took their time to reveal what was actually happening in the movie.  You will know what I’m talking about if you watch Hugh Jackman’s Reminiscence movie.

Ending of the Hugh Jackman’s Reminiscence Movie

I will not spoil this movie; however, suffice it to say that the movie had an ideal ending at least 15 minutes before the actual ending. In my opinion, extra footage was added to the movie that included actress Thandiwee Newton at the end which did not seem to serve any purpose. At least one thing is clear, there probably will not be a sequel to the movie, Reminiscence -- unless it is told with a whole new set of characters.

Assessment of Hugh Jackman’s Reminiscence Movie

I categorize Hugh Jackman’s Reminiscence movie as slow moving, but not to the point that it was boring.  You will have to be patient as the story unfolds to find out what is happening in the film. 

That being said, I believe the steadily escalating events in the movie are well worth the wait. However, due to the ending of the movie as well as the ambiguous time period that these events occurred, I would rank this movie as one that is “OK” to watch.

Rating of Hugh Jackman’s Reminiscence Movie

Based on a rating of 1 star to 5 stars with 5 stars being the highest, I rate Hugh Jackman’s Reminiscence movie 3 stars.

Introduction to Megan Fox’s Midnight in the Switchgrass Movie Review

Since Bruce Willis was once known as an A-lister movie headliner, you may be wondering why I did not use his name in the title of my movie review. To cut to the chase, of late, Bruce Willis seems to be using his name in exchange for millions of dollars and taking on below the bar type acting roles.

Enough said about Bruce Willis. The question is -- What did I think of the movie -- Midnight in the Switchgrass starring Megan Fox? Check out my movie review of Megan Fox’s Midnight in the Switchgrass to find out.

By the way, I reviewed the trailer for Megan Fox's Midnight in the Switchgrass movie. Check it out here.

Plot of Megan Fox’s Midnight in the Switchgrass Movie

In my opinion, there is nothing unique about the plot of Megan Fox’s Midnight in the Switchgrass movie. In a nutshell, there is a serial murderer on the loose whose victims are prostitutes. A sting is set up, headed by Megan Fox’s character to catch the criminal in action. During the sting, she comes across a suspect who loosely fits the mode of actions of the culprit -- but he is not the murderer. He is Machine Gun Kelly’s character in the movie. Later, of course, she comes face to face with the actual criminal.

Spoiler Alert: To add suspense to the movie, there is a situation where the criminal is almost apprehended, but is not. However, towards the end of the movie, he is of course ultimately captured.

Inconsistencies in Megan Fox’s Midnight in the Switchgrass Movie

From the start of the movie, you may notice that the victims fit a certain profile. They are mostly young females, way below the age of 35 or so.  The enigma here is Megan Fox was cast as sort of bait for the criminal -- who probably would not have picked her since she did not fit the profile.  But in the aurora of movie magic -- he did choose her as a victim.

Another inconsistency is how the criminal chose a different method of holding Megan Fox’s character captive when compared to the previous victims. No explanation was given or inferred in the movie as to why this was done.

An additional inconsistency is the fact that it was only after Megan Fox’s character told the other victim in an adjoining captivity location to try to find a way out -- did the victim finally try to escape. You would think that trying to find a way out would have been the first thing the victim would have done after being captured.

There may be other inconsistencies in Megan Fox’s Midnight in the Switchgrass movie as well; however, I will stop here.

Best and Worst Actor in Megan Fox’s Midnight in the Switchgrass Movie

You may come to the conclusion that Megan Fox as the star of this movie would stand out in her acting skills. This was not the case. The best actor in this movie would unequivocally be the actress who played the victim who was captured. Her name is Sistine Stallone, daughter of Sylvester Stallone who did an outstanding job of showing how scared she was after being kidnapped. 

Regarding the worst actor, I would have to say Bruce Wllis who appeared to just mouth his lines and frown at opportune moments -- instead of delivering a good acting job -- which I’m sure he is capable of. 

Assessment of Megan Fox’s Midnight in the Switchgrass Movie

Megan Fox’s Midnight in the Switchgrass film is a B-list or C-list  type movie at best. The plot is predictable and none of the characters seemed  believable in their roles  -- except for Sistene Stallone's character who I mentioned above. 

To add insult to injury -- Megan Fox's Midnight in the Switchgrass movie had a poor, hackneyed storyline.

Except for the “catchy” title, and the acting skills of Sistine Stallone, this movie is barely worth watching. In fact, a "positive" of the film was the short run time at only 1 hour, 38 minutes. So if you watch Megan Fox's Midnight in the Switchgrass movie, at least you will have wasted only 1 hour, 38 minutes of your time that you'll never get back. 

Rating of Megan Fox’s Midnight in the Switchgrass Movie

Based on a rating  of 1 star to 5 stars with 5 stars being the highest, I rate Megan Fox’s Midnight in the Switchgrass movie 1 ½ stars.

Introduction to Did Harley Quinn Save The Suicide Squad 2 Movie - A Ms. H Movie Review

I’m sure a lot of Suicide Squad movie fans were looking forward to the release of this latest film in the franchise.  You can count me in this group. I was especially anticipating watching Margot Robbie reprise her role as the totally unpredictable (and some people say -- “crazy”) Harley Quinn comic book and movie character.  

The Suicide Squad 2 movie has plenty of changes from the first one -- beginning with the absence of Will Smith and the inclusion of others -- such as Idris Elbas and John Cena. Did The Suicide Squad 2 movie deliver and is it worth watching -- especially with the entertaining Harley Quinn character in it? Check out my movie review to find out.

Plot of The Suicide Squad 2 Movie

The same playbook as the previous Suicide Squad movie is followed in which criminals are recruited to go on a dangerous mission in a return for reduced sentences.  Viola Davis returns as the recruiter and administrator of this team. She plays the part of Amanda Waller - the recruiter.

Margot Robbie also returns as Harley Quinn. In a nutshell, the Suicide Squad’s mission is to destroy villains who were holding some people in a hostage-like situation depriving them of certain freedoms.

Best Actor in The Suicide Squad 2 Movie

You probably know Viola Davis as an academy award winning actor.  Therefore it is expected that she would play her role realistically -- or as realistic as can be expected in a comic book movie. 

Of all the actors appearing in The Suicide Squad 2 movie, she stood out to me as delivering the most outstanding performances. This is especially evident in the scene where she is seemingly being bodily threatened-- but managed to keep her personna of power.

Humor in The Suicide Squad 2 Movie

If you can get past all the gruesome destructions, abundance of blood and the never-ending barrage of rats in this movie -- you may find a bit of comedy in it.  I will not spoil the movie for you here but at the beginning of the film there were a lot of humorous banter between the characters especially when they were all together in the transport plane that may bring a smile to your face.

Characters (And Animals) in The Suicide Squad 2 Movie

If you have an aversion to certain animals (rats) you may not be happy to see that in some scenes they seem to dominate the screen.  However, since The Suicide Squad 2 movie is based on a comic book, you, just as I did, will probably gloss over it and sometimes simply turn your head away from the screen if these animals are not to your liking.

Highlights in The Suicide Squad 2 Movie

Without a doubt, for me, Margot Robbie starring again as Harley Quinn was the highlight of the movie.  In my opinion, unfortunately, she did not appear as often as needed to raise the entertainment level of The Suicide Squad 2 movie. 

The above being said -- kudos to Margot Robbie for yet another job well done as Harley Quinn. She did not disappoint as she played the character that stood out for me during the whole movie.  It’s a pity that the screen had to be shared with other actors and animals, because in my opinion, she made the movie. In fact, I will go a step further and say that I saw no reason to watch it unless you see and experience the actor Margot Robbie as Harley Quinn.

Assessment of the Suicide Squad 2 Movie

I watched this movie streamed on HBO Max, even though it is currently being shown in the theaters as well.  I’m not sure if I would have enjoyed the movie more, or be less critical of it if I had seen it at a theater on the big screen.  All I can say is I found the movie to be rather boring and gruesome except for those scenes where Margot Robbie’s character appeared.  To attest to my boredom, I actually missed part of the movie by dozing off during it -- awaking only to see the movie was still going on.  And no -- I did not miss any of the Harley Quinn appearances.

There were explosions, fires, fights, running and action in The Suicide Squad 2 movie; however, they were overshadowed by the lackluster characters -- including Idris Elbas as Bloodsport and others. If Margot Robbie as Harley Quiin was not in the movie -- I think I would have passed on watching it.

Should you watch The Suicide Squad 2 movie? I’ll let you reach your own conclusion and decision on this.  As for me, even with the excitement that the Harley Quinn character brought to The Suicide Squad 2 movie, I do not think I will be watching it again in its entirety any time soon.

In response to the question "Did Harley Quinn save The Suicide Squad 2 movie? "-- In my opinion -- my answer is a resounding "No."

Rating of The Suicide Squad 2 Movie

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

Introduction to Beckett - A Netflix Movie Review

I watched a youtube video that named the best Netflix movies released in 2021 so far.  A number of movies I’d already seen were on the list including the Martial Arts film -- Paper Tigers. However, what caught my eye was the movie that is purported to be the most popular Netflix film holding the number one spot at the time -- Beckett.

I was curious about this film, especially since I had previously bypassed watching it on Netflix numerous times. However after finding out that Beckett is the top Netflix movie so far, without hesitation, I decided to watch it. How did the Netflix movie Beckett fare under my close scrutiny? Check out my movie review of Beckett to find out.

Plot of the Beckett Netflix Movie

To make a long story short, this movie centers around the “cat and mouse” chases between the lead character Beckett played by Denzel Washington’s son, John David Washington. In the film, he and his girlfriend April Hanson, played by Alicia Vikander, are on vacation in Greece. 

During the early part of the movie, there is a car crash involving John David Washington’s character as well as his girlfriend. From that point on, it looks like there was no turning back as he is first medically treated for his car crash injuries, he next revisits the accident site, is accosted by enemies and from there the cat and mouse chases begin between him and several assailants.

Suspense in the Beckett Netflix Movie

The suspense involved the questions of why throughout the movie, John David Washington’s character  continued to  be chased, captured, and escaped many times over. You probably can imagine the Beckett’s character eminent sense of danger when he realized that he is being hunted in a foreign location by not only the police but by other government officials as well. 

Plight of Alicia’s Vikander’s Character April Hanson as the Girlfriend

Suffice it to say, Alicia Vilander’s character was the underdog in the movie, Beckett.  Her character was cheery enough at first --  but it seemed not important enough to last the whole movie. Sadly, it appears that after what happened to her character-- no one seemed overly concerned, alarmed or even cared about her. In fact, during a phone conversation between John David Washington’s character and her parents after the car crash --  he was asked how he was doing -- never mind  about the tragedy that happened to their daughter.

Capture Delays in the Beckett Netflix Movie

If you watch the Netflix Beckett movie, you may wonder why there are lulls in him being captured on several occasions. One moment, he seemed to have escaped his enemies and the next, he was back with them. You will find this happening throughout the movie -- which made his escapes repetitive in nature and sometimes rather boring for me to watch. Additionally, because he is the main and lead character in the Netflix movie, Beckett, you know that he will somehow make it out of the predicaments he may find himself in.

Acting Skills of John David Washington in the Beckett Netflix Movie

I must admit that there were several segments in the Beckett Netflix movie where John David Washington played the role of the victim to a “T”.  I could tell that he was trying hard to deliver flawlessly in his acting skills -- which he almost did. For his overall acting skills, I will give John David Washington a  top 5 star rating.

Slow Start of the Beckett Netflix Movie

The movie, Beckett, started off slowly, however, ater the third or fourth chase scene with John David Washington’s character as the chasee, as I indicated previously, the movie became repetitive. In my opinion, adequate attention was not given to the situation involving his girlfriend. Even though I rated him a 5 for his acting abilities, I think he could have done a better job showing emotions, especially when he saw "her" after the car accident.

Assessment of the Beckett Netflix Movie

On a positive note -- there were some high points in the movie.  Especially uplifting for me was seeing how complete strangers assisted John David Washington’s character the best way they could. However, the constant, escapting, getting caught and escaping again became monotonous after a while.

Suffice it to say that when the Netflix movie Becktett was over, I was glad that the chases would finally end. 

Rating of the Beckett Netflix Movie

Based on a rating of 1 star to 5 stars with 5 stars being the highest, I rate the Beckett Netflix movie starring John David Washington 3 stars.