Netflix Movie Review: ***^ Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery (2022)

This is a very good Netflix film.  It is part of the Knives Out franchise and has the same detective, Benoit Blanc (Daniel Craig).  However this is a different case, and a different bunch of suspects.  Blanc invites himself to a murder mystery party at the request of Helen Brand (Janelle Monáe), the twin sister of Andi Brand.  She suspects Andi was murdered, she did not commit suicide.  They are sure someone at the party is responsible.  Helen also is coming to the party as Andi to help with research.  The party is hosted by Miles Bron (Edward Norton).  The invited friends are: Claire (Kathryn Hahn), Lionel (Leslie Odom Jr.), Duke (Dave Bautista), Peg (Jessica Henwick), Birdie Jay (Kate Hudson) and Whiskey (Madelyn Cline).  They are all enmeshed with Miles, and lied for him in court so he could take over Andi's business.  However she found some information that would prove the case, and that is the night she was murdered.  Claire is a politician dependent on Bron for support, Duke is an internet personality and hopes Bron will put him on t.v. news, whiskey is his girlfriend, but she sleeps with Bron and it is known to Duke.  Peg is Birdie Jay's assistant.  She is negotiating with Bron about a mistake Birdie Jay made.  Birdie Jay is a former model, now fashion designer and her business is dependent on Bron.  Lionel is a scientist and working on a new energy source.  Bron announces that he has used this new volatile source in his home.  Lionel protests for the lack of testing.  It was this source of energy that lead to the split between Andi and Bron.  Andi did not believe it was a viable product.  So there are a set of people who would benefit from Bron's death, here to play a game of Bron's murder.  Turns out Duke saw Bron leaving Andi's house, and so he is murdered via pineapple to which he is highly allergic.  He steals Duke's gun and shots Helen, but a book in her pocket stops the bullet.  Helen finds the evidence in Bron's glass onion room; but Bron burns it.  Sounds like everyone will lie for Bron again, so Helen starts to destroy his things, and everyone joins in.  The energy source explodes.  Everyone makes it out, and it sounds like Bron's friends are remembering things and appear willing to testify.  Money cannot buy everything forever.   

Movie Review: ****Guardians of the Galaxy Volumn 2 (2017)

Again our heroes team up to save the galaxy, this time from the father of Peter (Chris Pratt), Ego (Kurt Russell).  This movie has all our old beloved characters, Gamora (Zoe Saldana) the blue humanoid, Drax (Dave Bautista), the tattooed guardian, Rocket (voiced by Bradley Cooper)  the raccoon looking creature and Groot (voiced by Van Diesel).  In addition to Ego, we have two other new characters, an empath named Mantis (Pom Klementieff), and Gamora's sister, Nebula (Karen Gillan).  First our heroes are saved by Ego, and then betrayed by him, as he is hoping to use Peter to help him reshape the universe, destroying all life except himself and his son.  Seems pretty demented.  However, since Ego is an immortal, it makes his defeat pretty complicated.  Yondu (Michael Rooker) the individual who kidnapped Peter when he was young, and emotional abused him,  also plays an important part, that enables Peter to come to terms with his past, and understand what happened.  The two sisters finally come to an understanding, after trying to kill each other most of their lives.  Some of the funniest moments happen when the empath interprets the emotions of the others.
The think that makes this movie is the relationships between the characters.  there is platonic love, admiration, friendship and camaraderie.   In theaters now and good for a fun adventure.

James Bond Movie Review: ****^ Spectre (2015)

James Bond (Daniel Craig) delivers a punch.  Before M died she asked him to kill a man, and then attend the funeral.  Which he does, and there starts to find the vast organization.  He first goes to the widow, Lucia (Monica Bellucci) who has been marked by the organization for death.  She does not defect with Bond, givres him information about the organization.  Even when headquarters goes silent because all spy agencies have been compromised by Spectre which is putting dummy people in charge of the world's intelligence.  M (Ralph Fiennes) says Bond is on his own.  One major act, blowing up many towns, and they will be in.  The 007 program will be deleted.  C (Andrew Scott) is a major part in this, as he is a double agent.  

But Bond is on the trail after seeing an old nemesis, Mr White (Jesper Christensen) a member of Spectre he killed years prior.  How could that be?  Because of this lapse Bond goes to the psychiatrist, Madeleine (Léa Seydoux) the daughter of Mr. White for examination.  He tells her of her father's death, but she does not want to help him.  He is humiliated, but when he sees the psychiatrist being kidnapped he rescues her.  She blames him for her trouble.  However she is helpful.  Her father was in Spectre.  She agrees to go with him to discover what happened to her father.  They finally meet the head of Spectre, Blofeld (Christoph Waltz).  He makes her watch the suicide of her father.  There is a terrible scene of Bond being tortured, with the girl and Bond's bomb watch saving the day.  This time Bond needs help.  There is a vast spy satellite network which is to go online and replace all spying agencies.  This is controlled by Spectre, and C is a big part.   M and Q (Ben Whishaw) and Moneypenny (Naomie Harris) must tackle the new intelligence web and stop the bombs by hacking their computer system. C falls to his death in a fight with M.  

Bond confronts Blofeld, but can't get to him.  He discovers he has to save Madeleine.  He is able to save her and then he chases Blofield in a boat while Blofeld is in a helicopter.  The helicopter crashes with Blofeld inside.  He is arrested, rather than killed.

I think this Bond movie is very well done, with a good balance between action and intrigue.  Of course Spectre has a strongman.  Hinx (Dave Bautista).  At one time he pokes someone's eyes in.  But he is often chasing Bond and usually coming out on the best end of the fights.  

Updated after new watching of the DVD 12/11/2025

Movie Review: ***^Guardians of the Galaxy (2014)

This movie is really very fun.  Each of the characters has his own back story.  Peter Quill (Chris Pratt) was kidnapped just from earth after his mother passed away.  He was raised by smugglers and thieves. Gamora (Zoe Saldana) was orphaned.  She is green, and was raised by Ronan (Lee Pace), the psychopathic killer, and served him as an assassin.  Rocket, (Bradley Cooper) the talking raccoon came about because of illegal experimentation and manipulation.  Of course this manipulation was painful and left considerable scarring. Groot (Vin Diesel) is Rocket's partner.  He is a walking tree.  We really don't learn much of his background; but he is unique.  These four have a chance meeting which leads to their arrest and imprisonment.  Quill discovers an orb, which is high desired for its powers.  Gamora is sent to kill Quill and get the orb.  Rocket and Groot recognize Quill as someone with a bounty on his head, and they want to collect.
In prison they meet Drax (Dave Bautista) whose desire in life is to revenge the murders of his wife and daughter at the hands of Ronan.  He first takes his vengeance on Gamora, but is convinced Gamora may be used as bait to attract Ronan.  become a team, and work at breaking out together.  They even recover the orb, and Quill's cassette tape of Earth songs.  However Ronan is after them.
They get to the buyer who is going to make them rich, but Ronan intercepts the orb, and leaves them mangled and disheartened.  Ronan is set to use the orb to cause mass destruction.  The team find their better, heroic natures, and are after Ronan to keep him from destroying the world.