The Equalizer 2 (2018) – A Podcast Film Review

Denzel Washington returns to exact some brutal vigilante justice on the predators of the world in this follow-up to the 2014 hit, the first sequel in the veteran actor’s long and varied career. In this one, he seeks to avenge the murder of one of his old friends from his black ops days, only to find that he has to battle with forces that may outgun him at every turn.  Melissa Leo co-stars in Antoine Fuqua’s intense actioner.

Mission: Impossible – Fallout (2018) – A Podcast Film Review

The sixth film in the franchise sees Ethan Hunt trying to recover some plutonium before it gets employed by a ruthless anarchist terrorist group out to shake up the world order through detonating these bombs in the the world’s most revered religious meccas. Tom Cruise gives hit his all, amid a fine supporting cast and some of the best technical crew in the business.  ROGUE NATION’s Christopher McQuarrie returns to deliver one of the most satisfying entries in the series and one of the best action films of the year.

The First Purge (2018) – A Podcast Movie Review

The fourth film in the Purge series is a prequel to the other three, as The First Purge shifts directors to Gerard McMurray, though retaining James DeMonaco’s services as screenwriter.  This one showcases the trial run’ experiment that led to the Purge, as the alt-right government seeks to cure societal ills by finding a way to eradicate crime throughout most of the year, mostly by sweeping house and trying to get rid of the nation’s poor.  Social commentary abounds in this franchise that is sometimes marketed, and perhaps mis-marketed, as a horror series.

Skyscraper (2018) – A Podcast Film Review

Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson stars in this high-rise thriller, playing a security consultant for the Pearl, the world’s largest building in Hong Kong, set to open to the public soon.  While in the mostly empty building, it gets taken over by terrorist out to steal money from its billionaire owner, and to pin the blame on Johnson, who is staying there with his family.  Now he has to clear his name, rescue his family, and save a building from being destroyed, all single-handedly.  Neve Campbell co-stars in this film written and directed by Rawson Marshall Thurber.

 

Ant-Man and the Wasp – A Podcast Film Review

Ant-Man’s second foray in his own Marvel Cinematic Universe film isn’t quite a solo adventure, as now he has a partner in Hope, who dons a high-powered suit as The Wasp.  They’re out to save her mother from the Quantum Realm, where she’s been presumed missing for the last thirty years.  Unfortunately, Scott Lang, aka Ant-Man, is under house arrest and not quite able to get out and join in on the quest easily.  Meanwhile, a bevy of parties are out to steal the hi-tech suits before they can come into play.  Peyton Reed returns to direct Paul Rudd, Evangeline Lilly and Michael Douglas, along with newcomers in Laurence Fishburne and Michelle Pfeiffer.

Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom (2018) – A Podcast Film Review

Acclaimed director J.A. Bayona takes over the reins of this lucrative franchise with JURASSIC WORLD: FALLEN KINGDOM, the follow-up to 2015’s biggest box-office smash.  Chris Pratt and Bryce Dallas Howard reprise their roles, this time having to figure out if the dinosaurs on Isla Nublar should be saved, or if the active volcano that’s in full flow should course correct their existence back to extinction.  A wealthy benefactor wants to put them into sanctuary, but someone in his organization sees a bigger opportunity to keep these dinos alive by selling them to the highest bidders around the world.

Deadpool 2 (2018) – Ryan Reynolds – Film Review Podcast

Ryan Reynolds returns as the mer with a mouth, this time trying to mature into potential fatherhod, with DEADPOOL 2, the follow-up to 2016’s surprise smash hit. This one introduces Josh Brolin as Cable and the pulling together of their mutant super-team, X-Force, as Wade Wilson seeks to stop the wrath of a vengeful, troubled teen about to go on a killing spree.

Ready Player One (2018) Steven Spielberg – Movie Review

Steven Spielberg adapts Ernest Cline’s best-selling novel about a future in which many, if not most, of the world escape into a massive multiplayer online game known as the OASIS. The creator of the OASIS has passed away, but as a final act, promises to bestow upon the first finder of three hidden keys the actual “keys to the kingdom” with full ownership of the wildly popular virtual realm.

Tomb Raider (2018) Alicia Vikander – Movie Review

Alicia VIkander takes the starring role in this reboot of a film series that once famously starred Angelina Jolie, TOMB RAIDER, based on the wildly popular video game. Unlike most other films based on games, this one tries for a more traditional approach to its storyline, and with a cast that includes a couple of Oscar-winning actresses, does it break the game-to-film curse?

Pacific Rim: Uprising (2018) – Film Review Podcast

This follow-up to the off-the-wall Gullermo del Toro kaiju flick sees more emphasis on action and effects with less overhead. Kaiju are gone but something is causing the new drone Jaegers to go amiss.

Does new director Steven DeKnight do justice to the original?