Mr. Mom

Movie Name: Mr. Mom
Year of Release: 1983
Director: Stan Dragoti
Starring: Michael Keaton, Teri Garr, Martin Mull, Ann Jillian, Jeffrey Tambor, Christopher Lloyd, Graham Jarvis, Carolyn Seymour, Michael Alaimo
Score out of ten (whole numbers only): 6
Watch it on Amazon

Synopsis and Review

Mr. Stan Dragoti did not have a very prolific directorial career. He directed 6 feature films and his last directorial endeavor came out in 1991 (Mr. Dragoti passed away in 2018). That being said, "Mr. Mom" turned out to be a considerable hit when it premiered in 1983 and cemented Michael Keaton's reputation as a leading man (on his way to his early successes such as Ron Howard's "Gung Ho" before eventually landing on Tim Burton's "Beetlejuice"). It also cemented John Hughes' career as a successful screenwriter. The film follows the story of Jack Butler, who lives with his Caroline and their three children in a suburb of Detroit. Jack, alongside his friends Larry and Stan, all lose their engineering jobs at Ford during the early 1980s recession. Out of alternatives and having a large family both Jack and Caroline suddenly realize that Caroline has more opportunities to get a new job, since she has experience in advertising and marketing. Jack has to tackle the responsibilities of being a stay-at-home dad, which he soon realizes is a bit more complicated than what he assumed. While the first weeks are a challenge, he starts adjusting, and soon feels confident in what he's doing at home. Caroline on the other hand is climbing the corporate ladder, though her boss is intent on seducing her. She scores a major campaign with a big client, and has to go to Los Angeles for a video shoot. Her boss sees that as an opening, whereas Jack has an opportunity to interview for his old job back.

What has always been so interesting about John Hughes' scripts, was his ability to create memorable dynamics between characters even if his scripts operated within cliché-type situations. "Mr. Mom" which dabbles with the change of domestic roles, which had started happening in the 1970s, is particularly interesting since it takes place during the Reagan years, which were the years where a certain machismo and individualistic power moves were happening (one can't forget the whole yuppie trend/mentality that started during that decade). The film at some point could almost play as a pilot for a sitcom, but Michael Keaton and Teri Garr exude confidence, charisma, and chemistry, which elevate the material above what could be considered tepid situations. In a way, Ron Howard would work within these confines when he tackled "Parenthood", which feels like a cousin-feature to this one. However, whereas Ron Howard's feature is about family dynamics, "Mr. Mom" is about couple dynamics, family roles, and generally speaking, making both parties in the relationship be more aware of the challenges they go through in order to make their family stay together and flourish. John Hughes, as usual, peppered the script with an array of supporting characters that are one note, but "funny" nonetheless, including Joan the flirty neighbor, Ron the pushy and brazenly sexually harassing boss, Jack's work buddies, and of course the kids themselves. The script has a way of making the events in the feature heartfelt, even if some of the situations themselves can be considered problematic, and kudos to John Hughes for always being able to redeem his characters before the situations turned quite dark. The cast is top notch, particularly Michael Keaton and Teri Garr. They get good support from Martin Mull, Jeffrey Tambor, and Christopher Lloyd. Visually the film bears a rather generic look, thought the production team is solid, including Victor J. Kemper's cinematography and Lee Holdridge's score. It's a film that bears watching, even if it feels like a lifetime ago. Its shortcomings are overcome by a great cast, and by a heartfelt script. 

The Mandalorian and Grogu

Movie Name: The Mandalorian and Grogu
Year of Release: 2026
Director: Jon Favreau
Starring: Pedro Pascal, Sigourney Weaver, Brendan Wayne, Lateef Crowder, Steve Blum, Jeremy Allen White, Jonny Coyne, Matthew Willig, Martin Scorsese, Hemky Madera, Stephen McKinley Henderson, Shirley Henderson
Score out of ten (whole numbers only): 5
Watch it on Disney+

Synopsis and Review

Actor, writer, producer, director Jon Favreau has been involved in the Star Wars universe since the show "The Mandalorian" premiered on Disney + in 2020. In fact one has to go all the way back to 2019 to check his latest directorial endeavor, the "live action" rendition of "The Lion King". The narrative focuses on the bounty hunter Mando, and his adopted son Grogu, who are working for the New Republic, hunting associates or warlords of the former Galactic Empire. They tackle a new mission, to locate a Commander by the name of Coin. They've gotten intel on his location by the Hutt twins, siblings of Jabba The Hutt. The twins demand that the Mandalorian brings back Rotta, Jabba's son, who is on a different planet though they know very little of what's come of him. Mando discovers Rotta is in reality a very popular gladiator in a fighting pit. That fighting pit is run by Janu, a crime-lord. Rotta doesn't want to go back, as he suspects his uncles want to kill him, and he only needs to fight once more to get his freedom. What he doesn't realize is that the fight is rigged and he has no chances of winning. Mando is forced to fight in the pit, and he does vanquish Rotta, but refuses to kill him. They're forced to fight a series of lethal monsters, which they nearly avoid, but in the process have to escape the city once those creatures evade the pit. Mando realizes that Rotta just wants to live his life, and that he knows where the Commander he was set to bring back is located. 

I have to confess I have not seen "The Mandalorian" show, and went into this film with certain reservations in terms of what I would understand from the narrative and characters. As it turns out, this film and the creative team behind it, introduce the scope of the narrative and its main characters very efficiently, setting up the main purpose for the storyline, its key characters, and the obstacles they're likely to encounter. It's a b-movie approach to the Star Wars universe, which makes this film for the most part, quite enjoyable and never dull. There's been a progressively digital and artificial look to these films and its characters since George Lucas' came out with his first prequel in 1999 ("The Phantom Menace" was released that year). Jon Favreau in that regard, doesn't stray far from the style and perspective George Lucas created: this film in particular, feels very much like an overabundant exercise in digital animation, where human characters have very little to do or even say. And that is coincidentally where the film feels very light and not particularly accomplished: there isn't much in terms of characters, both human and digital, which add substance to the narrative unfolding. The Mandalorian doesn't get a chance to demonstrate much in terms of layers, including a sense of humor, whereas the main antagonists, the villainous twins, are criminals mostly from reputation, and eventually from the treatment they impose upon Mando, but there's never an actual sense for what is these creatures control and what they stand to win (and lose) by the events that are taking place. The film does play out like a small episode that exists within a much bigger narrative (the whole Star Wars universe), however the film does fail to bring these characters some extra dimension and even create interactions that would make them more alive, and not just digital artifacts moving around. The cast tries their best with the material they have, with Sigourney Weaver clearly having the most fun with what is happening. Pedro Pascal sadly has only a few brief sequences to be visible, since for the most part he is hidden behind the helmet. The production team is impeccable, including David Klein's cinematography, Luwig Goransson's score, and Doug Chiang & Andrew L. Jones production design. The visual effects are also impeccable. It's watchable, Sigourney Weaver has a blast, and the creatures are endearing, but sadly this is a film that is also quickly forgettable.

P2

Movie Name: P2
Year of Release: 2007
Director: Franck Khalfoun
Starring: Rachel Nichols, Wes Bentley, Simon Reynolds, Philip Akin, Philip Williams, Arnold Pinnock
Score out of ten (whole numbers only): 3
Watch it on Amazon

Synopsis and Review

"P2" is Franck Khalfoun's feature directorial debut. He's been a close collaborator of writer/producer/director Alexandre Aja, who made a name for himself in the horror genre with "High Tension", followed by the remake of Wes Craven's "The Hills Have Eyes", and more recently the remake of Joe Dante's "Piranha". Mr. Aja is a producer on this feature, and also one of the writers of the script. The film's narrative focuses on a character by the name of Angela Bridges, a young attorney who works very long hours in a Manhattan office. She lives by herself and is single, but on this day in particular she has a place to be. It's Christmas Eve, and her sister has called her and made sure she doesn't run late for the family gathering, as Angela has missed quite a few in the past. On her way out, she realizes her car doesn't start. She eventually calls a taxi, but realizes the building is locked, and she can't get out to catch the taxi. She goes back to the garage, and as it turns out, the security person by the name of Thomas, whom she spoken with earlier, drugs her. When she regains her senses, she finds herself chained to a table. Thomas confesses that he loves her and has been watching her for quite some time. He forces her to call her family and lie about an illness to justify her tardiness and non-attendance. Thomas has a rottweiler with him, which also prevents Angela from trying to escape. Thomas takes Angela to a different parking floor, where he has one of he co-workers tied to a chair. This co-worker verbally assaulted her, and tried to do physically. Thomas witnessed it, and tortures the man, before killing him. Angela manages to escape and desperately tries to figure out what she can do to escape the hands of her obsessed captor. 

So many film makers have tried to replicated what Alfred Hitchcock did with "Rope". A tense exercise in suspense with a minuscule cast of characters. Some have been more successful than others, for instance take what David Fincher did with "Panic Room" as one of the more successful endeavors, and "P2" as one of the lesser successful ones. While "P2" presents itself as a polished B-movie, sadly and for its entire duration it never gives much insight into who these two characters are. Angela is summarized as a young woman with ambition who is overworked, and that summary seems to be all there is about her. Oh and she looks great in whatever clothes she wears (nothing like a bit of objectification to get the wheels moving). Thomas, the scoundrel/stalker lout, gets cornered into a simplification of what a stalker with no real life or motivation is all about. Apparently Angela is a target because she exists, is polite, and is an attractive young woman. The entire duration of the film doesn't provide much more insight to the characters than this, and while some brutal/violent episodes occur, the script doesn't go very far in terms of providing some intelligence/nuance for the game of cat and mouse these characters get involved in. Sadly there isn't much to say about this film, other than to say the film lasts 98 minutes, and you can feel everyone of them passing by. There's not much subtlety or irreverence to this script, not to mention much humor either, and the actors while invested, can only do so much to bring this narrative to life. Rachel Nichols is rather bland in the part (Jennifer Carpenter would probably, at the time, be a better choice), whereas Wes Bentley's trademark villainous persona is wasted in a film that doesn't make the best use of his constant ambiguous stare. The production team is adequate, meaning, the film doesn't look crass, but doesn't necessarily register as emblematic. It's a wasted opportunity, and ultimately a forgettable endeavor. 

Tron: Ares

Movie Name: Tron: Ares
Year of Release: 2025
Director: Joachim Ronning
Starring: Jared Leto, Greta Lee, Evan Peters, Gillian Anderson, Jeff Bridges, Jodie Turner-Smith, Hasan Minhaj, Arturo Castro, Cameron Monaghan, Sarah Desjardins, Aaron Paul Stewart, Roger Cross
Score out of ten (whole numbers only): 3
Watch it on Disney+

Synopsis and Review

Since his Oscar nominated feature "Kon-Tiki", director Joachim Ronning has taken a different path in his career, becoming a stalwart for any franchise Disney owns and that needs a solid and resourceful task master. He has tackled the "Pirates of the Caribbean" franchise, the "Maleficent" franchise, and his most recent franchise has been "Tron" (which started with the classic from Steven Lisberger released in 1982). "Tron: Ares" focuses its narrative on a program by the name of Ares, created by Julian Dillinger, head of the organization with the name Dillinger Systems. Ares is created with the purpose of being an expendable soldier, though he begins to show signs of self awareness. Dillinger Systems and ENCOM are currently on a race to bring digital constructs to reality. While Dillinger Systems manages to bring theirs to reality for 29 minutes, Eve Kim and her associate Seth Flores from ENCOM, discover Kevin Flynn's original permanence code, which allows for digital constructs to exist for more than those 29 minutes. Ares is tasked with tracking Eve as she returns to ENCOM with the permanence code. Ares and Athena (another master program) track Eve throughout the  real city, but are unable to capture her or the code - Julian eventually digitizes Eve into the Dillinger Grid. Ares manages to save Eve in an exchange for her to grant him the permanence he so desires. However Julian tasks Athena to track both Ares and Eve, get the code, and stop at nothing to realize her mission.

Here's another film to add to the list of feature films that are conceived, shot, and released, for no reason other than the familiarity of movie audiences with this particular universe. What I mean by my previous statement is the fact that this is yet another film that begs the question: does this really needed to happen and be shot? From this mediocre output, I'll go ahead and say no. This film isn't in reality a sequel to Joseph Kosinski's "Tron: Legacy" from 2010. It operates in the same universe, and even brings back Jeff Bridges for a cameo-like participation, but it chooses to focus its attention on different programs, and on a storyline that brings AI once again to the center stage, without bringing much of the whimsicality and inventiveness of the first film, or the slick sophistication from the second film. This film looks and feels like an attempt at mimicry of the films of this franchise, bares no soul or discernible point of view, and ultimately by the end of the feature, it feels as meaningless and devoid of substance much like the digital bits and bytes that is the core of most of these characters. About the characters of this film: there isn't much to say about any of them, since they're literally cardboard clichés, from the villainous CEO who stops at nothing to get ahead in business, the emotionally bruised but conscientious benign opposing CEO, and the programs who are logical, and yet bravely venturing into the real world, some experiencing an awakening, while others remain intent on following on their directives. It's baffling witnessing a film this expensive, and with such an impeccable production team, have so little to say about technology, AI, what it means to be human, and ultimately have a storyline that is exciting and adventurous. The cast is a bit all over the place, with Gillian Anderson and Jodie Turner-Smith being the only two who escape from this debacle unblemished, they make this film watchable, and dare I say it, tolerable. Jared Leto ads nothing to this film, the same going for Greta Lee. The score from Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross is fantastic, as is the cinematography from Jeff Cronenweth, with Darren Gilford's production design also featuring some inspired choices (the corporate offices for instance). It's a forgettable and mediocre endeavor. 

The Last Voyage of the Demeter

Movie Name: The Last Voyage of the Demeter
Year of Release: 2023
Director: Andre Ovredal
Starring: Corey Hawkins, Liam Cunningham, Aisling Franciosi, David Dastmalchian, Chris Walley, Jon Jon Briones, Stefan Kapicic, Martin Furulund, Nikolai Nikolaeff, Woody Norman, Javier Botet
Score out of ten (whole numbers only): 6
Watch it on Amazon

Synopsis and Review

At this point, as an audience member, one just has to resign to the fact that some books will be remade over and over again, even though there's no discernible proof that people still have any willingness or desire to see these adaptations. The never ending films about Robin Hood, Romeo and Juliet, Frankenstein, Ebenezer Scrooge, Peter Pan, Pinocchio, the novels by Jane Austen, and the everlasting Dracula, are classics that not only occupy a permanent state in everyone's literary collection, but seemingly in every director's ambitious "most desired" film project. "The Last Voyage of the Demeter" focuses on one of the episodes that takes place in Bram Stoker's "Dracula" novel. The narrative follows the crew of the vessel by the name of Demeter. They're carrying unknown cargo, and sailing from Varna, Bulgaria, all the way to London, England. A man by the name of Clemens overhears the vessel is needing more crew members, and  seeks out that opportunity. Turns out he has medical training, astronomy knowledge, and his family was also comprised of seamen. Even though he has all these credentials, Wojcheck the ship's quartermaster, rejects him and hires an older and more experienced seaman. However upon noticing the emblem of one of the containers the ship is carrying, the man quits, almost causing a fatal accident in the process. Clemens intervenes and saves Toby, the grandson of the Captain of the Demeter. Clemens is eventually hired. During the trip one of the containers falls and breaks, revealing a woman trapped inside. Clemens decides to perform blood transfusions to treat her, since he believes she's suffering from possibly fatal infections. Weird occurrences start happening, commencing with all the animals aboard all of which are viciously killed. One of the crew members is also killed. Anna, the woman rescued from the crate, warns them all about a monster from Transylvania, someone named Dracula, who is on board and needs to feed. She was on the crate to be a blood bag for him. While they're skeptical of her words, the attacks continue, eventually targeting Toby. The despair increases as the crew keeps getting attacked, until the remaining surviving ones decide to set up a trap for Dracula.

At this point is there anything to say about Dracula that hasn't been covered by the multiple adaptations that the book has gone through (there's even a recent one from Luc Besson which came out in 2025). "The Last Voyage of the Demeter" focuses on the part of the book where the captain of the vessel recounts violent and mysterious episodes that occurred with his crew on their trip from Bulgaria to England. The film expands this part of the narrative, to illustrate, much like Ridley Scott did with "Alien", that one alien-like creature, starts killing each one of the members of the crew, using darkness, tempests, and fog to hide its presence and attacks. What "The Last Voyage of the Demeter" fails to do quite so well, is give each of these characters a bit more dimension or identifiable traces, ones that makes them resonate a bit further with the audience. While the Nostromo crew from "Alien" was able to have unique identifiable characteristics and personality to them, the crew from the Demeter, save for its Captain, doctor, and quartermaster, are largely forgettable. This scenario was ripe for a more suspenseful and character- developed storytelling, because most people already know the outcome of that dramatic journey - the creative team had the opportunity to bring all these characters to life without relying so much on common places. While the film isn't necessarily contrived, it hits more clichés than surprising turns. The cast is solid, with Liam Cunningham, David Dastmalchian, and Corey Hawkins in particular, creating memorable performances. The production team is top notch, including Bear McCreary's score, Tom Stern's cinematography, Eward Thomas' production design, and Carlo Poggioli's costume design. It's possibly an unnecessary film, but one that is competently illustrated, and worth watching. 

Stop! That! Train!

Movie Name: Stop! That! Train!
Year of Release: 2026
Director: Adam Shankman
Starring: RuPaul, Ginger Minj, Jujubee, Rachel Bloom, Brooke Lynn Hytes, Symone, Marcia Marcia Marcia, Latrice Royale, Chris Parnell, Brian Jordan Alvarez, Natasha Leggero, Nicole Richie, Sarah Michelle Gellar, Drew Droege, Guy Branum, Missi Pyle, Jesse Tyler Ferguson, June Diane Raphael, Michelle Visage, Evan Mulrooney, Charo, Jai Rodriguez
Score out of ten (whole numbers only): 0
Watch it on Netflix

Synopsis and Review

Director Adam Shankman is back, following his lackluster sequel to Kevin Lima's "Enchanted". Mr. Shankman has become a staple of "Ru Paul's Drag Race" reality tv show, and therefore it's only suitable that he tackles this spoof/satire/comedy made entirely of contestants from the show, and the sizable & diverse array of guest judges they've featured. The narrative follows two best friends, Tess and DeeDee, who work as train stewardesses. They find themselves unexpectedly out of a job, but quickly bounce back when they get a new gig with Glamazonian Express, a fancier and more upscale train line. They immediately have some antagonism with a trio of other stewardesses, who deem them subpar. While the Glamazonian Express is crossing the country, at the United States Train Command Center, devoted employee Donna Dusk discovers that the train is headed towards a massive storm, which can derail the train and possibly kill every passenger and crew member. The President of the United States, Judy Gagwell, is made aware of the news, and following some poorly handled public statement, eventually appears on the train itself to try to save the situation.

For those who have seen "Ru Paul's Drag Race", it will come as no surprise that this feature film looks like and feels like one of the acting challenges the contestants have to go through, on their journey to win the coveted prize money and title of America's Drag Superstar. Sadly, for a feature that is meant to be a spoof/satire of catastrophe films, akin to what ZAZ (Jerry Zucker, Jim Abrahams, David Zucker) did with "Airplane", "Stop! That! Train!" has very little in terms of comedy or for that matter, entertainment value. It's not so much that the cast doesn't try - the main issue with this feature lies with its material, the script, which is so mediocre and borderline amateurish, that this feature feels like a high school endeavor peppered with TV stars who all thought this would be a good way to keep their personas alive in the mind of this particular audience. It's ironic that by the end of the film, when the end credits start rolling, the creative team decided to include the bloopers from the shooting, and even those fall so flat that the only people laughing are the performers who originated the mistake. This film had the potential to be a great excursion and satire on destroy films, from a very unique perspective, peppering the over the top events with high camp, particularly considering drag queens are the lead performers, but instead we get a version of what putting a film around Ru Paul's show's drag challenges actually are. The ambition should be a tad higher, particularly considering that while the budget for this film was low, it was still much higher than many independent films that are currently being shot or seeking funding to be shot. The creative team for this film should have aimed to create something that satisfied an audience thirsty for escapism and satire, as opposed to creating something that feels like a wink for their friends and people in their arena. Of all the cast assembled, Chris Parnell, Missi Pyle, and Rachel Bloom escape with their dignity intact, whereas the remaining should hope they never have a retrospective of their film work include this particular endeavor. It's a miss.