John Wick: Chapter 4 (2023)

 

Every installment that comes out in this series I’m told the same thing–that *this* one is special; the best one yet. And each time I’m greatly disappointed. It's all set design and staged fights. Very little substance or character development exists in the World of Wick, even after a nearly 3 hour runtime. 

The biggest annoyance is the apparent indestructibility of John Wick. Only he can land headshots, yet after millions of bullets shot at him, none can hit his. He never sleeps or gets tired during prolonged battles. He hits and gets hit by numerous vehicles, yet suffers no consequence from it. 

He falls through and out of buildings without so much as a sprained ankle. He doesn’t eat, use the restroom, or attend to any other human necessities. This might as well be another crapped out turd from the Marvel Universe. 

I wish they’d make a 5th film with John Wick in retirement, homesteading in Colorado, tending to his garden, fruit trees, and chickens for 90 minutes. Nobody dies. There’s one fight, but it’s between Wick and a sticky canning jar lid, and he loses. 

Rating: F

Bullet Train (2022)

 

A shoot-em up firing mostly blanks. Implausible doesn’t even begin to describe it. The flash and bang will hold your attention, but ultimately you’ll end up wishing you had gotten off at the first stop. 

Rating: C-

Army Of The Dead (2021)

 

Reanimated leftovers from a genre that doesn’t have much left to give. A team was assembled one by one, then later eaten one by one. No one to really root for or miss after they died. Empty calories. 

Rating: C-

The Wolverine (2013)

Despite some decent camerawork and action sequences, the film eventually succumbs to the same cliques plagued by almost every superhero movie ever made. The big battle at the end was downright stupid.

Rating: C-

Sunshine (2007)

What on Earth, or should I say, the sun, inspired Danny Boyle to do a space flick? I'm not complaining, it just seemed an odd pairing. The result is a high tension space drama with a unique mission—reignite the sun.

I liked 75% of the film. The last great moment was when the ship computer reveals there are still 5 people on board, not 4. (You'll understand when you see it) But after we find out who it is, things go downhill fast. Suddenly plot holes appear everywhere, and a tight drama is replaced with cheap horror. This star faded.

Rating: C