Critic

The Valero Verdict: Stuber

| Richard Valero

Welcome to another edition of the “The Valero Verdict” movie review. In this I will give you a quick movie review with a couple of bullet points of which I either liked or disliked. I will end the review with rating of the movie and a short overall thoughts.

On the docket today, Stuber, the action comedy starring Kumail Nanjiani & Dave Bautista.

  • Nanjiani is insanely funny in this film. His mannerisms, demeanor, jokes, and acting was just brilliant in this film. If Big Sick wasn’t his acting coming out party, this totally will be.
  • Nanjiani/Bautista chemistry was great. Sometimes in buddy comedies the chemistry can lack, these two hit it on all cylinders. They are the perfect pair and wouldn’t mind seeing them on the screen together again.
  • There were a lot of annoying typical elements of your typical action movie: Villain shoots one person point blank in the head, but can’t hit the main character 2 feet in front of him.
  • ONE MASSIVE PLOT HOLE that literally frustrated me throughout the movie. I will not go into detail as this movie doesn’t come out for another month, but once the movie drops, I will share my thoughts.

The Verdict:

*** 1/2 out of ***** gavels

The entire movie concept was was great, this had the one little piece of the puzzle that is really hard to overlook which would have made this an even better movie. Kumail proved very worth of being on the next level of comedic actors and I hope this propels him to bigger comedic roles. Bautista was a whole lot of fun in his first lead and first comedy role, I wasn’t sure what to expect from him but he was really great. The buddy cop things can be overdone and boring but Kumail/Bautista was a great combination and the funniest cop movie I’ve seen since Lets Be Cops.

Should You See It?: A summer of box office sequels and remakes and all sort of other things, go see this different funny take on the buddy cop movies and thank me later.

Subscribe to the Valero Verdict podcast on all your favorite Podcasting apps. Check it out here: https://anchor.fm/thevaleroverdict

Tell me what you thought of the movie, hit me up on here or talk to me on Twitter@RickyValero_

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The Valero Verdict: Dark Phoenix

| Richard Valero

Welcome to another edition of the “The Valero Verdict” movie review. In this I will give you a quick movie review with a couple of bullet points of which I either liked or disliked. I will end the review with rating of the movie and a short overall thoughts.

On the docket today, the final installment of the Fox led X-men movies, Dark Phoenix.

  • Sophie Turner has real potential to break out and be a massive star in the world of film. I think the growth we saw in Game of Thrones from season 1 to 8 was just a tease of what the future holds for her. I think she worked well in this movie but the script didn’t help her out at all.
  • Fassbender as Magneto is straight money, I would truly love to see him in this role again for a Marvel led film.
  • The script just felt like one big mess. The first act dragged on for what seemed forever and did we ever get a backstory on the villains? I don’t think so, they just appeared and that was that.
  • When we had action, it was fun. I think the third act was rather fun. It was one collective last time they got the group together to save the world. I liked it.
  • Anyone else notice the ending was eerily similar to the ending of The Dark Knight Rises? Also, you could see why they had to change the ending of the film after Infinity War came out as well.

The Verdict:

* & 1/2 out of *****

This is one of those times where you can say, no matter how much star power you have in one film, a bad script is a bad script they can’t even save it. That’s what this was, some solid individual performances amongst the star-studded cast but a MASSIVE let down for this being the last film with this crew (potentially). First Class was such an amazing film and it truly just went down hill from that movie.

Should You See It?: Hard pass. If you have seen all of these movies, sure check it out but wait till Redbox or On-Demand. The theaters are packed with other great films to check out right now instead.

Subscribe to the Valero Verdict podcast on all your favorite Podcasting apps. Check it out here: https://anchor.fm/thevaleroverdict

Tell me what you thought of the movie, hit me up on here or talk to me on Twitter@RickyValero_

The Valero Verdict: Aladdin

| Richard Valero

Welcome to another edition of the “The Valero Verdict” movie review. In this I will give you a quick movie review with a couple of bullet points of which I either liked or disliked. I will end the review with rating of the movie and a short overall thoughts.

On the docket today: The live action version of Aladdin (yes another live action film). This trailer was met with a WHOLE lot of controversy regarding the look of Will Smith as Genie and while it died down a little bit as more trailers came out, the movie was/is under a lot of pressure to perform.

  • The biggest concern coming into this was if Will Smith could fill the shoes of Robin Williams in the role of Genie, obviously a lot different considering it was a live action version vs. cartoon. I will say this, Smith knocked it clear out of the ballpark. He filled the shoes very well and was a HUGE reason why I liked this movie so much.
  • Scott/Massoud: The chemistry between these two was amazing, from start to finish they gelled on-screen and I enjoyed it. Similar to Smith/Williams, these two were playing characters that are beloved by millions of people out there and they were truly fantastic.
  • The movie felt rather long. It felt every bit of the 2 hour and 8 minute run time.
  • The costume design: Time and time again Disney take the costume design to another level. The colors in this film (to go along with the Cinematography) made this film extremely pleasant to look at.
  • Ritchie did a really good job of paying homage to the original, while also making his own film at the same time.

The Verdict:

*** 1/2 out of ***** gavels

I wasn’t sure what to expect when I saw the trailer for this, I am equally annoyed as I am excited for a lot of these “live action” films but this one did not disappoint. Will Smith was amazing in the role of Genie, Massoud/Scott were fantastic together as Aladdin/Jasmine, I am not sure what more you could have wanted from this film.

Should You See It?: Absolutely. Disney did a fantastic job on this remake and I really was impressed with how Will Smith was able to absolutely slay the role as Genie. The whole family will enjoy this movie.

Subscribe to the Valero Verdict podcast on all your favorite Podcasting apps. Check it out here: https://anchor.fm/thevaleroverdict

Tell me what you thought of the movie, hit me up on here or talk to me on Twitter @RickyValero_

The Valero Verdict: John Wick: Chapter 3 Parabellum

| Richard Valero

Welcome to another edition of the “The Valero Verdict” movie review. In this I will give you a quick movie review with a couple of bullet points of which I either liked or disliked. I will end the review with rating of the movie and a short overall thoughts.

On the docket today, the third installment of the John Wick series.

  • The fight scenes: This had some of the best fight sequences of any movie I have ever seen. Between the hand to hand combat, the creativity with using the environment around them and the art in which they presented them was all done perfect.
  • Some of the most creative kills yet. Between using a horse, variety of new knifes, using dogs and even library books. They didn’t leave any stone un-turned in the kill column in this one.
  • Asia Kate Dillion: Oh how I love her in Billions and she did not disappoint in this movie at all. You felt her presence in this film, she just demanded to be heard when she was on the screen.
  • Halle Berry kicked some serious ass in this film. The big fight scene between her character and John Wick was shot to perfection.
  • Keanu Reeves has taken this role to a new extreme, I love watching the little thing he does within the Wick character that just impress you every single time. He is patient, calculated and smart throughout this entire film.

Overall Verdict:

**** 1/2 out of ***** gavels

This movie came out of the gate swinging and did not slow down one bit. The fight scenes were perfect, the killing was on another level and they brought in a pair of studs to the cast (Dillion/Berry) which made the movie that much better. Reeves is out of his mind in this role and I am 100% here for it. The score was brilliant, how they pieced together the score with the action sequences was out of this world. This movie is the best of the franchise yet.

Chad Stahelski really has brought another level to the action scene. He has really outdone himself in this movie and really excited what he brings to the next film.

Should You See It: ABSOLUTELY!!!!!! Reeves continues to knock it out of the ballpark in this role and I truly am impressed on how the continue to take it to the next level.

Side Note: Laurence Fishburne said he was “The Throne” in this movie, him being on the throne would have been better ending than Bran “The Awful” ending up on the throne AND FISHBURNE WASN’T EVEN ON THE SHOW!!!!!

Subscribe to the Valero Verdict podcast on all your favorite Podcasting apps. Check it out here: https://anchor.fm/thevaleroverdict

Tell me what you thought of the movie, hit me up on here or talk to me on Twitter @RickyValero_

The Valero Verdict: Pet Sematary

| Richard Valero

Welcome to another edition of the “The Valero Verdict” movie review. In this I will give you a quick movie review with a couple of bullet points of which I either liked or disliked. I will end the review with rating of the movie and a short overall thoughts.

On the docket today, Pet Sematary. The remake of 1989 Horror film based on a book by Stephen King.

look at that thing, it’s terrifying looking.
  • The only thing remotely scary about this film was the cat, I mean just look at it. If you stare at that picture long enough, the cat takes your soul.
  • Jason Clarke is an amazing actor. The ONLY thing about this film that was good was him. He is one of the best actors in Hollywood and it showed in this film. He’s emotion is so raw in this film, you just felt everything that he felt throughout the entire film.
  • They somehow managed to make a 1 hour and 41 minute run time feel like 3 hours. The 3rd act dragged out and it was so uninteresting at that.
  • THE BACK OF SEMI-TRUCK HIT A KID AND THE KID DIDN’T EVEN HAVE A MARK ON THEM. (sorry for yelling)
  • We’ve made 1.3 trillion (don’t fact check me) Horror movies, can people stop going into random dark rooms? or can they stop locking themselves in rooms? That would be just great.
  • Best quote in this movie: “Good thing your no fucking vet.”

The Verdict:

* out of ***** stars

This just wasn’t a good movie, not even Jason Clarke’s phenomenal performance could save this movie. Lithgow was good in it, but outside of that, predictable, not scary (Minus that Cat that is going to give me nightmares forever), and dragged out 3rd act, this was another remake we did not need.

Should You See It?: Absolutely not. I’ve really debated what movie was worse, this or Dumbo. I would pay to see Dumbo fight the cat from this, I would lay AT LEAST $20 on the cat. That in itself would be more entertaining than both of these trash movies.

Tell me what you thought of the movie, hit me up on here or talk to me on Twitter @RickyValero_

The Valero Verdict: Shazam!

| Richard Valero

Welcome to another edition of the “The Valero Verdict” movie review. In this I will give you a quick movie review with a couple of bullet points of which I either liked or disliked. I will end the review with rating of the movie and a short overall thoughts.

On the docket today, Shazam!. Normally I would say something fancy here about the movie being highly anticipated or anything at all. How about we say, Could DC finally make a good movie?

  • Grazer/Levi/Angel connection as Shazam/Freeman/Batson is spectacular. Grazer himself having to have the chemistry between both of the key characters was very pivotal in this movie and he was great.
  • Zachary Levi was a fantastic Shazam. You got the perfect dose of confused, witty, sarcastic, warm and funny all wrapped up in one.
  • The weird playing of Slow Hands by Nail Horan in the background of the family dinner. Did someone actually listen to those lyrics prior to editing it into the film? It was just weird.
  • Story telling was spot on. Sanberg did a great job of putting the pieces together. I really enjoyed his investment into the characters and making you care about them.
  • My biggest problem was the ending, it felt like it was never going to end. It dragged out for maybe 15 minutes too long.

The Verdict:

*** 1/2 out of ***** stars

This was a strong movie, and a really shocking feel good movie. I liked the different lighthearted approach to the Super-Hero genre. It is one we really haven’t seen before. The chemistry between the leads was great, Mark Strong was a great villain and outside the 9 hour ending, the movie was a lot of fun. (Also DC finally making a good movie was a joke, calm down)

Should You See It?: Yes, and I think you should take the entire family. It was a whole lot of fun and a great feel good story for the kids to enjoy as well.

Tell me what you thought of the movie, hit me up on here or talk to me on Twitter @RickyValero_

The Valero Verdict: The Highwaymen

| Richard Valero

Welcome to another edition of the “The Valero Verdict” movie review. In this I will give you a quick movie review with a couple of bullet points of which I either liked or disliked. I will end the review with rating of the movie and a short overall thoughts.

On the docket today, the 100th movie about Bonnie & Clyde. I kid, the Netflix movie starring Kevin Costner and Woody Harrelson about the two Texas Rangers who helped take down Bonnie & Clyde.

This movie poster looks dumb.
  • Let me start with the positive. Costner and Harrelson have fantastic chemistry together. These two were a great pairing.
  • But the duo could not overcome the lackluster script. It felt like throughout the film they were going through the motions and I don’t blame the acting as it wasn’t bad, they just didn’t have much to work with.
  • The movie was so boring and dull, you were anticipating at some point the film would pick up and get moving and it never did.
  • The whole build is for the end (we all know what happens) and it came off as “just another scene”. I hated it so much because the whole movie led up to this moment and it fell flat on its face.

The Verdict:

* out of ***** stars

Netflix has been really good with a lot of the movies they have been making but this one misses the mark. Great casting in the two leads, Harrelson and Costner do their best to overcome a rough script but can’t even make the movie watchable.

Should You See It?: If you are bored and can’t find something to watch on Netflix, pick a random episode of The Office to watch and skip this garbage.

Tell me what you thought of the movie, hit me up on here or talk to me on Twitter @RickyValero_

The Valero Verdict: Aquaman

| Richard Valero

Welcome to another edition of the “The Valero Verdict” movie review. In this I will give you a quick movie review with a couple of bullet points of which I either liked or disliked. I will end the review with rating of the movie and a short overall thoughts.

On the docket today, Aquaman. The very highly anticipated DC movie starring Jason Momoa.

  • This story was a complete rip-off of Black Panther.
  • This movie really tried way too hard to be funny, like it got embarrassing at some points.
  • The colors were pretty.
  • The action was a bit lackluster, the “big fight” scene in the water was just horrendous, at times you didn’t even know who was who during the fight.
  • Momoa was okay, but honestly he didn’t really have much to work with here. The screenplay was not very good and they didn’t put him in position to succeed at all.
  • Arthur? I feel like you could go back in time and get a better Super-hero name for this guy, this is what I think when I hear Arthur.

The Verdict:

* out of ***** stars

A loaded cast with a terrible script, while colorful and pretty to look at (Add Momoa to that if you’d like) the film feels like one big dud. Aquaman is one of the characters that belongs in ensemble movies but not his own standalone film.

Should You See It?: Absolutely NOT. Especially on Date Night, don’t be like “You can stare at Jason Momoa for two hours”, THEY WILL LEAVE YOU. Just no.

Tell me what you thought of the movie, hit me up on here or talk to me on Twitter @RickyValero_

The Valero Verdict: Triple Frontier

| Richard Valero

Welcome to another edition of the “The Valero Verdict” movie review. In this I will give you a quick movie review with a couple of bullet points of which I either liked or disliked. I will end the review with rating of the movie and a short overall thoughts.

On the docket today, Triple Frontier. The big budget heist film from Netflix starring Ben Affleck.

Oscar Isaac, Ben Affleck and Charlie Hunnam
  • Let’s start with the soundtrack because it was certifiable bad ass. From Metallica to CCR to Bob Dylan to Pantera, it was loaded with some great songs and placed in the right spots throughout the film.
  • Good guys actually die, I HATE in action/shooting movies and everyone makes it out alive.
  • The action sequences were well shot, from the first one on, they were well placed, they were well shot and they felt meaningful. Sometimes you have sequences with action/shooting in films and you are often like, “why did that even happen”, it was refreshing not to have that in this film.
  • The goal in mind wasn’t an easily obtainable goal, they didn’t walk in, take what they wanted and walk out without any issues. That in itself was worth the price of admission. (well a fraction of my $9.99 Netflix hits me with)
  • Does Charlie Hunnam act as anyone other than Jax in any of his movies? Is it just me? You really could take his whole entire presence and pick it up and set it in a Sons of Anarchy scene and it would work. Just kind of bugs me.
  • Favorite quote: “Great trip boys, this turned out to be some full on cowboy shit.”

The Verdict:

*** out of ***** stars

This what I believe in Hollywood is a Popcorn flick, it isn’t your most well acted, it’s not the best script, and no one is winning any Oscars but it’s a very fun action flick.

Isaac was easily the star of the show, I felt like he portrayed his character fine in this and was easily the best thing about this film. The rest of the acting was just fine, Affleck was Affleck, Hunnam was Jax and the rest of the cast was okay.

The story isn’t going to knock your socks off but you are going to enjoy some fun shooting, with a decent story and a solid twist or two.

Should You See It?: Toss some popcorn in the microwave, sit down and enjoy an action packed heist movie.

Tell me what you thought of the movie, hit me up on here or talk to me on Twitter @RickyValero_