Film reviews

Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves

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When I learned of the film Dungeons and Dragons: Honor Among Thieves, I first thought about fairytale storytelling. I reflected upon fantasy and how a video game, a TV series, or a movie is written. Dungeons and Dragons: Honor Among Thieves is like a setup of the HBO series Game Thrones (which ran from 2011 to 2019). While the writing and continuity are along the same lines as Game Thrones there is a difference in that this movie gears on a medieval fairytale with comical storytelling. Upon reflection, Dungeons and Dragons: Honor Among Thieves could be described as Monty Python and the Holy Grail (1975) on acid. The ride is different, but also invigorating due to clever filmmaking.

In Dungeons and Dragons: Honor Among Thieves, the film focuses on a thief, Edgin, (played by Chris Pine). Edgin is a nice guy who is on a mission to retrieve a lost relic. The journey is anadventurous and joyful ride. However, Edgin is not alone, but has a group of others to join him on his adventure. There is Holga (played by Michelle Rodriguez), Xenk (played by Rege-Jean Page), Simon (played by Justice Smith), and Doric (played by Sophia Lillis). The antagonist would be Forge (played by Hugh Grant.) A fairytale journey involving a wild and smart bunch of adventurers, Dungeons and Dragons: Honor Among Thieves stays on-point while also being humorous and not a bore.

The main reason why Dungeons and Dragons: Honor Among Thieves is close to a masterpiece is because its creativity is “euphoric.” It contains magical moments which are mixed withfanciful scenes galore. There are spells, there are twists, and there is misdirection. When there is a fairytale film with Pine, Grant, and Rodriguez, it is sure to be a joyride where the humor will drive the film’s awesomeness. The success is due to having a great cast in a film that is different from what we are used to seeing them in.

Humor and magic are quite enticing, but the key factor in this film is how each adventurer has their own backstory. That is the element that really pulls together the joyful magic throughout Dungeons and Dragons: Honor Among Thieves. Each character having their own story gives the audience insights into how some of the missions or twists could turn out for everyone. I love how the movie is set up to feel so interactive. The hints regarding who has trials and errors helps to enhance the fairytale jam of the film.

The film also seems scientific because of how its magical realizations are portrayed. It is like an “algorithm”—mission, journey, magical backstories, new realizations, and more to explore. Moving through these algorithms is enthralling in Dungeons and Dragons: Honor Among Thieves. There is a new gem hidden in many different corners of the film.

The magical moments are numerous within the film’s dynamic, its gems, and its backstories. Dungeons and Dragons: Honor Among Thieves is different and enchanting. I was rather entertained by this adventure of a film since there truly is creativity in this medieval fairytale. Three and a half stars.

Film reviews

A Good Person Review

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Actor, producer, and director Zach Braff has a narrative eye for projects that portray genuine emotions. A focus on “connectivity” is a key component in his projects. Dating back to his 2004 masterpiece Garden State (which he also starred in), Braff dives into scenarios that relate well with his audience. Problems surrounding family dynamics are always a major factor in his projects including Garden State, Wish I Was Here (2014), and now in A Good Person. His current film explores a heavy tragedy impacting multiple parties and explores both connections and disconnections that lead to the film’s growing tensions.

A Good Person features Allison, played by Florence Pugh. Allison has a life that seems like it is headed in a successful direction. In the beginning, it seems like Allison has it all, but then her life is changed forever after a traumatic car accident. Allison survives the accident, but her passengers do not. As she wakes up, she can’t overcome an opioid addiction, and is plagued with grief. The extra hard part for Allison is that the people in the accident were related to her fiancé. In hard times, Allison’s mother Diane (played by Molly Shannon) tries to encourage her to get her act together by getting a job and being more productive. Allison, however, is too addicted to drugs and always uses pills to help overcome her pain.

As her grief takes over her mental capacity, some positive light is shed as she gets to know Daniel (played by Morgan Freeman). Daniel would have been her father-in-law. Daniel is also looking over his granddaughter, Ryan (played by Celeste O’Connor) because of her emotional state of mind. With Daniel’s old-school attitude, and laid-back, but firm sense of humor he tries to help both Allison and Ryan find ways in life to better themselves. His efforts are a touching representation of rebuilding oneself after losing what is special.

The fatal car accident is the doorway to resolution and forgiveness. The writing of A Good Person is strongly emotional and poetic. Braff himself wrote the film during Covid, so many of his frustrations came out in this screenplay. It is audacious and vivid in its portrayal of human feelings. The film’s emotions are so natural and demonstrate how filmmaking appreciates life. “Life” is what Daniel wants Allison and Ryan to “appreciate,” but both are allowing their emotions to take over their lives which Daniel will not let them do that.  Although he has his own anger due to who died in the car accident, his heart is forgiving based on the evidence and the fact that it was a mistake.  Daniel is able to be “forgiving” if there are efforts for change and resolution. The writing of A Good Person strikes a chord with the message of Allison and Ryan needing to be heard and found.

The dynamics of a full range of emotions caused my blood to boil during A Good Person. There is a car accident leading to a young woman’s depression, drug addiction, and disconnect. There is also a granddaughter who is lost and having temper issues due to grief. Both face challenging mental health problems and are impacted differently.  The film illustrates how one incident drives the need for Allison to change, but also how the same incident causes a major change for Ryan.  The impact of Allison’s accidental car crash on Ryan leaves lasting consequences.

The brilliance of A Good Person is monumental thanks to the dynamics being portrayed feeling so real. I love this movie for the message it tries to get across. Braff’s take on movies about life’s issues are wonderfully crafted and include unexpected sadness.  His exploration of “Connection” is the saddest, but best part of A Good Person.

Love may be lost in A Good Person. Faith, however, looks for restoration in the film. There is no easy way to define the experience of A Good Person. Audiences will have to watch for themselves and see how it makes them feel. I believe that movies are about feelings and allowing people to connect issues in movies to real-life scenarios. A Good Person does a lot of that, but leaves viewers with a strong reminder that resolution is almost always possible. Three and a half stars for A Good Person.

Film reviews

John Wick: Chapter 4 Review

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John Wick: Chapter 4 is almost three hours long, but it doesn’t feel like that because it’s one of the most action-packed and lethal flicks in this franchise. In this latest, possibly the last, John Wick film, all the events and conflicts from the previous films come together. There are simply no limits to the violence in John Wick: Chapter 4. It left me breathless and dazzled.

Keanu Reeves continues as John Wick in John Wick: Chapter 4, but this time he’s on his biggest mission yet—taking on the High Table, the world’s most powerful crime organization. All that Wick has worked for has come to this point. The way for Wick to earn his freedom is to win the battle against the High Table. Wick still works for Winston (played by Ian McShane), and he’s come a long way towards meeting Winston’s expectations, and the expectations of Bowery King (played by Laurence Fishburne). But before Wick makes his way to the High Table, there are some harsh situations and enemies he must get by, including no less than an entire army. With another crime boss, Marquis (played by Bill Skarsgard), and a deadly assassin, Caine (played by Donnie Yen), who happens to be blind, coming into the fray, John Wick: Chapter 4 sizzles with deceit, twists, and the most danger yet for Wick.

From the previous films in this franchise, I had a feeling this would be the longest ride of destruction yet in a John Wick movie. And besides the destruction, the ride was also invigorated by its dialogue. When Wick is told, “Kill as many as you can,” the clock starts for massive damage to begin. I was astounded by the film’s vast array of destruction. It was like attending a prize fight because the punches were loud, and it seemed like you’d be able to hear them from miles away.

Reeves is a man of a few words, in real life and in most of his movie roles, and his quietness helps him role with the punches in John Wick: Chapter 4. In one scene the phrase, “a genuine conundrum,” is used, and Wick indeed finds himself in all kinds of conundrums in this film. Most of the time Wick succeeds in finding his way out of the situation, and he usually does the most damage. The unstoppable force of John Wick will make the audience feel his wrath in Wick in John Wick: Chapter 4.

The fighting, the adventures, the twists—every moment creates an important foundation in John Wick: Chapter 4. There is no stopping Wick from reaching the top to regain his freedom—or is there? Can Wick make it out alive? John Wick: Chapter 4 will keep its viewers wondering what’s to come.

This is definitely one of the best films in the franchise. John Wick: Chapter 4 brings the stressors of the previous films to a gun blazing pinnacle. A wild ride of Keanu Reeves action and unparalleled craziness. An unforgettable experience. Four stars for John Wick: Chapter 4.

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