Thief's Monthly Movie Loot - 2025 Edition

For anyone interested...

__________________

Chadwick Boseman passed away in 2020 after privately battling cancer for four years. During that time, he worked on around 7 or 8 films including Spike Lee's Da 5 Bloods, a Thurgood Marshall biopic, and his Oscar-nominated role in Ma Rainey's Black Bottom. But no other role of his left a more indelible mark than his performance as King T'Challa, the Black Panther, in the Marvel Cinematic Universe.

Black Panther: Wakanda Forever follows the aftermath of T'Challa's death as his family and country try to process the grief. The main focus is on T'Challa's sister, Shuri (Wright) who's guilt-ridden for not being able to help his brother while Ramonda (Angela Bassett) has to put up a front as the new queen as different factions seek to take advantage of Wakanda's seemingly weakened state. This is all complicated by the arrival of Namor (Tenoch Huerta Mejía), the king of an underwater civilization that is indirectly threatened by people looking for Wakanda's vibranium.

But the film is as much about that as it is about the cast and crew members, as well as the audience processing the grief of Boseman's death as well. Director Ryan Coogler, and cast members Letitia Wright and Danai Gurira have been open about how they struggled to move on with filming as it was too "emotional" for them. I can't imagine how hard it might be to lose a co-worker/friend and still find the strength to take care of business, scratch everything you had done up to this point, and start anew, so big props to Coogler for taking up that fight.

The film does a pretty good job of balancing its story while also serving as a sort of send-off or homage to T'Challa and Boseman. The first two acts give us enough contemplative moments where our characters have to cope with the loss and I think it is handled extremely well. It is in these more pensive moments that the film shines, with Bassett and Wright in particular having some strong dramatic moments.

The character of Namor is another asset. Huerta's performance is really strong, and his character motivations feel genuine. The film still falls prey to the "big bombastic", CGI-fueled MCU formula in the third act but it's still handled better than other films in the universe and the very final confrontation between Shuri and Namor has emotional weight, even if the resolution feels a bit too convenient.

There are other loose strands that feel like they could've been executed better, or maybe even reworked; especially the introduction of young inventor Riri (Dominique Thorne) which felt just like a set-up for something else (which it is) and the subplot between Everett Ross and Valentina Allegra de Fontaine (Martin Freeman and Julia Louis-Dreyfus) which felt massively underwritten and ultimately unnecessary.

Despite those flaws, Black Panther: Wakanda Forever pulls the impossible task of putting forward a coherent story with both gravitas and action, full of characters that struggle with real pain and grief but without losing the entertainment angle, all while honoring Chadwick Boseman's legacy as a character and as an actor. At one point towards the middle of the film, Shuri is faced with the above question, after which she decides to "take care of business". I'm glad that everyone involved in this film did too.

Grade:

Christmas is a time of joy and celebration. A time to make others happy by being together and sharing presents; whether that means holding on to a "little funny man" or going all the way to Earth and abduct Kevin Bacon. That is the premise of this fun little short from James Gunn, featuring the Guardians of the Galaxy.

This Holiday Special follows the attempts of Mantis and Drax (Pom Klementieff and Dave Bautista) to cheer up their friend Peter (Chris Pratt) by bringing him his "childhood hero" Kevin Bacon (Kevin Bacon). But of course, between hanging out with cosplayers, dealing with hangovers, and Kevin Bacon's security system, things won't be that easy for the two.

I know I'm late (or early!) catching up with this, but who cares. It's a fairly simple short, but it's evident that Gunn and everyone involved are having a ton of fun with it, and so did I. The chemistry between Klementieff and Bautista is insane, and it was nice to see Sean Gunn having more to do. Plus, adding Bacon to anything is always a plus!

My only issue is similar to one I had with Vol. 2, and it's the fact that the Peter/Yondu relationship we've been getting *after* the first film (this short included) is not the relationship at all that we saw on that first film. So even though Rooker and Pratt sell it as well as they can, it just can't help but feel a bit off for me.

But that's a minor issue. This Holiday Special is, again, a lot of fun, full of great quips and little hilarious moments, and some great Christmas music. The kind of music that puts me in the Holiday mood, and makes me want to go all the way to Earth and abduct Kevin Bacon. Who's with me?

Grade:

Diamonds Are Forever features the return of Sean Connery to the role of James Bond after George Lazenby's one entry. This time, Bond infiltrates a diamond smuggling operation led by his arch-enemy Ernst Stavro Blofeld (Charles Gray) who plans to use the rocks to build a deadly laser satellite. Can Bond get his hand on those diamonds and not die in the process?

For the last several years, I've been slowly making my way through Bond's whole filmography. Despite the occasional dud, it's been an interesting journey to see how the franchise and the characters evolve through the years and decades. This entry is no exception, as it tries to feature a Bond that at times seems more bitter and cynical, while also amping up the sexual innuendo.

Even though Connery had his fair share of weak entries, there's no denying that he is the quintessential Bond, so as much as I liked Lazenby's entry, it was nice to see Connery back in the suit. I wish there had been more consistency between his angry attitude as he's supposed to be looking for revenge, and the excessive amount of double entendres. Not that I'm bothered by them per se, but it becomes tedious at points.

On the other hand, I appreciated how the film steered away from "silly gadgets" and tried to go for a more grounded approach, at least as far as Bond films are concerned. I wouldn't have minded a bit more from Q, though. Also, the story does seem to take an excessive amount of zigs and zags to get to the point and not everything feels cohesive. A crematorium used as a front? a clown/stand-up comedian? a moon buggy?

For most of the film, Bond is joined by diamond smuggler Tiffany Case (Jill St. John). I liked that she had chemistry with Connery, and seemed to be a more feisty companion/partner, and less of a damsel-in-distress. I do wish that the whole Blofeld doubles subplot was used more, as I felt they could've gotten more out of it. I did enjoy the few face-offs we had between him and Bond. Plus, we get two great henchmen in Mr. Wint and Mr. Kidd.

Overall, Diamonds Are Forever features a solid villain, a somewhat resourceful Bond girl, and a somewhat more sober story, resulting in a decent enough Bond entry; enough to place more or less in the middle of my Bond/Connery ranking. He would be replaced by Roger Moore in the next entry in 1973, making him the third Bond in four years. Curious... how everyone who touches this role seems to "die".

Grade:

Review might include some SPOILERS

The first Scream opened up in 1996 – almost 30 years ago – both revitalizing the horror genre while also making fun of its tropes and conventions. After five films, we've seen around 9 different "guys" try to kill our main characters. Scream (the previous one, not the original) introduced sisters Tara and Sam (Jenna Ortega and Melissa Barrera), but it still didn't work out for the dipshit in the mask.

Scream VI follows the sisters to New York City, where they've relocated with their friends, to attend college but also in an effort to get away from Woodsboro after the tragedy of the last film. But as is expected, more dipshits in Ghostface masks follow them to try to kill them. The sisters then have to figure out who is behind the murders, as they also learn to trust each other and battle their own personal demons.

I'm a big fan of the original Scream, and even though I wasn't a huge fan of its two sequels, I thought they did a pretty good job with the latest two entries. The previous one successfully introduced a new slate of characters while successfully integrating them with the classic ones. Scream VI might not be as well executed, but it still delivers most of what you would expect.

One of its strengths is in the "core four" main characters; Sam, Tara, and siblings Mindy and Chad (Jasmin Savoy Brown and Mason Gooding). They have good chemistry, are likable and easy to root for. On the other hand, most of the secondary characters feel useless and disposable which, to a certain extent, they are. I also don't think the big twist of who is (are?) the killer(s?) makes a lot of sense, or matters that much. As has been the case with some of the 9 previous dipshits, it all feels too convoluted and too convenient at times.

However, another strength the film has is in how well executed most of the thrills and kills are. Directors Matt Bettinelli-Olpin and Tyler Gillett do a pretty good job of handling the tension and featuring solid kills, even if they seem to gloat a bit too much on it in the last act. One of the things I liked, and would've liked to see more of, is how they present New York City as this cesspool where you could be stabbed in an alley or in a subway and people just won't care.

The film also teases a couple of interesting ideas and developments, but unfortunately, the script doesn't commit to them, and chickens out in the last minute. This goes from having several key characters being stabbed or shot at multiple times in the last act, making you think they're dead, only to end up jumping all of a sudden, in stretchers or with "some pulse" in the end. This literally happens five times in a span of 20-30 minutes, and it's just too much.

But the biggest offender is how they've been teasing this psychological connection between Sam and his biological father, Billy Loomis (Skeet Ulrich); something they've been doing since the previous one. However, as much as they keep pushing it (even having Ulrich reprising his role in hallucinations) they just can't seem to follow through with it in a way that feels coherent. Moreover, when you contrast the way that Sam dispatches the main killers in the end and her actions in the last shot, well, it feels more as if the writers wanted to have their cake and eat it too.

Still, Scream VI still manages to be a solid entry in the franchise. It manages to mostly overcome those key flaws and some clumsy exposition thanks to good characters, competent direction, and some neat kills (or near kills). It probably isn't as good as the previous two, but knowing that Scream VII is in the horizon, I'm ready to see who are the next dipshits with the masks.

Grade:

Just for kicks, what would be everyone's ranking of the franchise? I haven't seen 2 and 3 in decades, but still...

1) Scream (1996)
2) Scream 4 (2011)
3) Scream (2022)
4) Scream VI (2023)
5) Scream 3 (2000)
6) Scream 2 (1997)

Scream 1

Scream 4

Scream 5

Scream 2

Scream 6

Scream 3

Nice! We basically agree on the placement, except for both 2 and 3 which, again, I haven't seen in decades. Not sure how they would fare now.

That's the reaction of "the blind girl" (Virginia Cherrill) at the possibility of regaining her sight. Not to watch the wonders of nature or read a book, but to be able to see the man that has been so kind with her and that she feels she loves. That is part of the premise behind City Lights, one of Charlie Chaplin's most popular and iconic films.

The film follows Chaplin, in his role of "The Tramp", as he falls in love with the girl. Knowing her struggles, he makes an effort to help her. This includes buying her groceries, but also trying to seek help for her blindness. All this is interspersed with the Tramp's relationship with a millionaire (Harry Myers) that is his "best friend" when he's drunk, but doesn't remember him when he's sober.

As is the case with a lot of Chaplin films, most of what happens with the Tramp might feel like separate skits connected by whatever the story is. City Lights is not very different, but the main story behind feels a bit more cohesive than other of his films. Even the bits with the millionaire, which some people might consider to be the more peripheral, still feels fairly well connected to the main story between the Tramp and the girl.

Also, most of the different sequences and setpieces are fun. The most notable is probably when the Tramp is lured into a boxing match to split the money. The way that Chaplin uses the score and the fight/dance choreography is quite magical AND funny. There were a couple of funny scenes where the millionaire takes the Tramp to a party that were really effective as well.

But just like Chaplin did with The Kid, The Great Dictator, or even A Dog's Life, the beauty of his films is in how much heart and charm he injects into the story and the relationships within it. This is evident all through the film, but reaches its peak in the very last scene (after a somewhat bleak epilogue). I had read a lot of people singing praises about this film, but that very last scene was a true eye opener so yes, I can see now.

Grade:

G20 follows President Danielle Sutton (Viola Davis) as she heads out with her family to lead a G20 summit in South Africa. However, things go awry when a mercenary (Antony Starr) takes over the event in an effort to get some cryptocurrency, or something. Whatever, cause all we need is the American president blowing doors off, and she does.

My wife saw this film a couple of nights ago and sold it to me as "good enough". Seeing its premise, I really wasn't expecting much. That low expectation threshold may have factored into my final reaction, but I thought this was a pretty effective action film that still went a bit beyond just having the American president blowing doors off.

Having Davis in the lead role is a definite plus, and she obviously delivers; both in the action moments and the dramatic moments. Having her character be a former soldier helps, but I also liked how she gave her some moments of vulnerability and shock before she properly "clicks" into combat mode. Obviously there are moments where you have to suspend your disbelief, but the film gives you enough to think that she could pull this off.

I also thought it was interesting and well executed how the film shifts from her Secret Service agent Manny (Ramón Rodríguez) to her towards the middle. For the first one or two acts, it is mostly Manny the one who leads the charge. But once that "click" happens, it's mostly all her. Other characters, her family included, also get some moments to shine; sometimes in ways that are not entirely believable, but it works.

Starr does a pretty good job as the villain, even if his motives and methods are a bit muddy and confusing. I was afraid his performance would be a bit like Homelander-without-cape, but he manages to create a villain that's believable and threatening. I think he still needed a bit more "oomph" to be more memorable, but he did a good job.

The echoes of Air Force One, or most recently Olympus Has Fallen, are clearly there. But even though the film doesn't necessarily reach the levels of the former, it still delivered what I was expecting. Great action, intense moments, a solid villain, and the American president blowing the doors off.

Grade:

"70% of all archeology is done in the library", says Indiana Jones to his class, shortly before jumping out of his office window and ending up traveling to exotic places where he finds an 'X' marking the spot for a hidden treasure that leads him to a a lost city. But that's what Jones has been doing since he was a teen, even when he doesn't like it.

Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade follows the titular hero (Harrison Ford) as he sets out to find his estranged father (Sean Connery), and by proxy try to find the Holy Grail that he has been obsessed with for decades. Things are complicated when they realize that the Nazis, as usual, are looking for the same things.

This has always been a frequent watch for me, even if it was 10 years since my last one. However, after my younger kid enjoyed the first one, I decided to throw this one at him. For the most part, he enjoyed it (although he said there were "too much deaths"). As for me, it was a lot of fun to revisit the film again after a while.

Although it never reaches the levels of the original, it does have a lot of strengths. It has an exciting opening, the addition of Connery is a big plus and his chemistry with Ford is undeniable. It also has a good amount of thrilling and effective action setpieces, even if some of them feel like they are tacked on (the zeppelin ride is one that I feel we could've done without).

However, the film is lacking in the antagonist field. The ones we get are not bad, but they are not that memorable; at least not as much as Belloq or Toht. I've also never liked the way they use Marcus (Denholm Elliot) and Sallah (John Rhys-Davies). The former is turned into a comic relief clown, and the latter feels underused and unnecessary.

Still, the film more than makes up for its faults with a really solid last act, which features our heroes in an exotic place, following a map to a lost city. Overall, Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade is one of those examples where a sequel almost manages to match the heights of the original, mostly thanks to its leading cast and Spielberg's flawless direction.

Grade:

Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania follows Scott Lang (Paul Rudd) and his family as they are inadvertently sucked into the Quantum Realm. While down there, they discover a subatomic world controlled by Kang the Conqueror (Jonathan Majors), an exile that shares a past with Janet Van Dyne (Michelle Pfeiffer). It is up to Scott and Co. to face off against him and defeat him before he finds a way to get out; or should he get out?

The third entry into the Ant-Man series kickstarts the MCU Phase V with what was supposed to set up Kang as the over-arching villain for the Avengers. However, Majors was dismissed following his appearance in this, and the second season of Loki, after accusations of physical abuse against his then-girlfriend, effectively stopping "what's coming".

Putting aside the validity of those accusations, from the perspective of this story and the franchise, it is a shame that they had to cut this because Majors is probably the peak of this film. His performance is fantastic as he crafts a villain that is undoubtedly threatening but that, much like Thanos, seems to have weight behind his "villainy". It is a truly magnetic performance that steals every single scene he's in.

Unfortunately, the film he has to live in is not necessarily up to the same level. Even though I don't think this is even close to the worst MCU film, it still has a bunch of flaws. First, even though I like the idea of exploring a subatomic world, I don't necessarily like how Peyton Reed brought it to life. For some reason, I got the feeling that he was just throwing wacky stuff up, perhaps trying to be Taika Waititi (last I remember, being Taika Waititi didn't even work for Taika Waititi in Thor: Love and Thunder).

Also, as much as I liked Kang, I think the premise of needing Scott to achieve his goals felt a little manufactured and flimsy. I did like the many ways that the film made use of the ant/insect gimmick, though. Finally, the CGI was pretty bad which has become more the standard recently; which is a shame cause so many of these superhero films rely on it to sell themselves.

For all its faults, Quantumania still manages to be a fairly entertaining and engaging film. This is thanks mostly to the chemistry between the characters, which includes Kathryn Newton stepping up as Scott's daughter, Cassie. But most importantly, it is thanks to Majors menacing performance as Kang. As the MCU moves on past him, only fate and time will tell if he was the only shot they had.

Grade:

As a fan, the fact that Spielberg and co turned Last Crusade into an out-and-out comedy never really sat right with me. There was a formula that had a perfect balance to it, and that's what I missed so much from the very first time I saw it. I know we're not meant to take these movies seriously, but being silly so often took away that inspirational, adventurous edge.

__________________

Yeah, a lot of the original Indiana Jones trilogy really seemed to have a problem finding the right tone, whether it be Temple being too dark as a result of Spielberg going through that divorce at the time, or Crusade going too far in the opposite direction as an over-correction from that; Raiders, though? That one's still the Goldilocks "just right" porridge of the series, if you ask me.

The term "heat lightning" refers to flashes of light in the horizon from distant thunderstorms; something you can't hear, but you can see far away and wish it stays away. One can say that's what sisters Olga and Myra (Aline MacMahon and Ann Dvorak) are running from by living in the middle of nowhere in the Southwest desert, but it's more than rain and thunder that they're running from.

Heat Lightning, the film, brings the thunder to the sisters' doorstep in the form of two mysterious men with mysterious motives, one of which might have a past with the oldest sister, Olga. But as much as she says she's different and tries to stay different, George (Preston Foster) seems determined to get her back, for one reason or another. This is also interspersed with the sisters' interactions with other customers that end up stranded at their station for the night.

This is a Pre-Code film that was recommended by a guest on my podcast. It features most of the traits of a Pre-Code film with sharp dialogue, lots of sexual innuendo, and a bleak ending. I really enjoyed the way the story unfolded and how you can see the emotional machinations this man uses to break Olga. We find out early on that his motivations aren't honest, and in a way I'm sure so can she; which I think makes the path they take more interesting to think about.

In the above quote, Olga assures George how different she is from who she was. As the film goes on, we will realize how true or not that statement is. Much like "heat lightning" itself, what we do see are the flashes of something that is in the distance, back where she came from, but that still puts light and shadows upon us, reminding us of who we were and who we can be.

Grade:

That is the assurance that a certain character gets late in this film. That you're not necessarily defined by your actions, regardless of how horrific they might be; at least in the eyes of mom, that is. That is part of the premise that this M. Night Shyamalan film toys with. Trap follows Cooper Abbott (Josh Hartnett), a firefighter and family man, that takes his teenage daughter (Ariel Donoghue) to a concert, only to realize that the whole concert might be a trap to catch a dangerous serial killer.

My history with Shyamalan is very odd. I remember watching The Sixth Sense in theaters and not being that crazy about it, figuring the big twist halfway through. My enjoyment of each of his subsequent films continued to grow more until it peaked with The Village, which still stands as my favorite from him and probably my favorite film from 2004. It's interesting how, consciously or not, he has created a filmography that seems to be reliant on twists.

Trap is a different beast, though; at least in that respect. Shyamalan reveals pretty early on who's the serial killer. I found this quite refreshing as we then devote our energies on seeing how he tries to figure out a way out of this trap. I also enjoyed the levity with which he treated this character which was an interesting mixture of dread and dark humor. I thought the balance was pretty good and effective. I still was kinda expecting some "a-ha!" moment in the end, but was surprised that the focus was more on the characters.

Special kudos to Hartnett, who's having a hell of a comeback. His performance here is great and he manages to have us rooting for him. Donoghue is pretty good as his daughter, and I thought Saleka Shyamalan (the director's daughter) was very good as singer Lady Raven, who somehow gets caught in the trap as well as the killer tries to find ways to escape. If anything, I wish the characters of Cooper's wife (Alison Pill) and the profiler (Hayley Mills) would've been executed better. The way it is, Hartnett gets more moments to shine, but I think there could've been a nice counter-balance there.

Beyond that, Shyamalan's direction is usually flawless. This one's no different as he manages to put us in the middle of the thrill and excitement of this concert, and mix it up with the thrill and excitement of a manhunt, or the desire to escape, depending from your perspective. His visual prowess is always tops, even in the films from him I don't like that much. I know they're not all good, but not all of them are "monsters". Trap is what it is, and I enjoyed most of it. End of story.

Grade:

Set in the 23rd Century, Forbidden Planet follows Captain Adams (Leslie Nielsen) and his crew as they arrive at the planet Altair. Their mission? To find the whereabouts of the crew of the Bellerophon, a ship that was sent there 20 years earlier but never returned. As soon as they arrive, they encounter only two people: Dr. Morbius (Walter Pidgeon and his daughter Altaira (Anne Francis), as well as Robby, their robot.

This is one of those iconic films that is always mentioned in one list or another, and still somehow I hadn't gotten around to it. An Internet friend called it "a pillar of the genre", and you can easily see why. Forbidden Planet seems to have established a bunch of common tropes from science-fiction films; from intergalactic travels and foreign planets with two moons, to smart robots and laser blasters that go "pew pew". It's all there.

The film also has a fairly intriguing plot as we try to figure out the fate of this crew as well as the motivations of Dr. Morbius. The film is a bit of a slow burn and doesn't rely on action setpieces. It does manage to build up dread effectively, though, even if the pace seems a bit off from time to time. Still, I think that the interactions between the main characters (Adams, Morbius, his crew) manage to hold your interest pretty well.

Where I think the film falters is in most of the things regarding the character of Altaira. Interestingly, this seems to be a very loose adaptation of Shakespeare's The Tempest, but still, as far as the film's concerned, her character doesn't seem to be entirely necessary. Moreover, her interactions with some of the crew members, Adams included, end up being fairly cringey and even misogynistic.

There are a couple other things that seem to be unnecessary, like the issue with the drunk cook. Even Robby the Robot seems to be more of a curious misdirection, instead of something integral to the plot. Despite its faults, Forbidden Planet still manages to be quite a fun and interesting ride, and one that's worth watching to any fan of the sci-fi genre.

Grade:

This was largely why I couldn't get into the film. I find the whole "grown woman with the maturity of a child" trope in a handful of science fiction films highly disconcerting since it often results in the male characters taking advantage of her, which this film has in spades. I also didn't gel with the story until late in the film when they finally explained the origin of the monster. Before that, it seemed kind of bland on ideas.

Visually, it looks amazing, but it leaves so much to be desred.

__________________
IMDb
Letterboxd

Yeah, even films that don't necessarily follow that specific trope but just feature a woman in male-centered environments (military base, etc.) can't help but have the characters uncontrollably wolf whistling and leering at her while she giggles and laughs at them. In this one you even have the main character hinting to the doctor that he should probably let his crew have their way with his daughter.

Morbius: "Of course, you must make allowances for my daughter, gentlemen. She's never known any human being except her father."
Adams: "I hope you'll make allowances too, sir. We young men have been shut up in
hyperspace for well over a year now... and right from here, the view looks just like heaven."

That one was quite shocking. Still, as far as the film's story goes, I found myself intrigued from the beginning about the fate of the Bellephoron. So even when these moments came, along with some unnecessary detours, I was still looking forward to the resolution.

Yes! I somehow forgot to bring it up in my review, but the special effects were amazing for the time.