BklynBryanCM Reviews

Attrition (2018)

Seagal @ his Hard hitting, bone crunching best!!!

[8/10 · 20 August 2019]

Attrition is a return-to-form for Seagal. Co-starring Siu-Wong Fan from the IP man series. It's Better than General Commander, Attrition has great action! Yes it's not as good as Classic Seagal. But it's as good as the following: Absolution, A Good Man, and Belly of the Beast. Attrition was a decent effort. Seagal teams up Expendables style with mercenaries to kick arse. It's real martial arts action. Great hand-to-hand combat scenes!! Seagal at his Hard hitting, bone crunching best!!

Isle of Dogs (2018)

Near perfect Stop Motion! Instant classic!!

[9/10 · 7 April 2018]

I love dogs and Isle of Dogs. IOD is an extraordinary film and remarkable fable for the present day. Isle of Dogs is an allegory for today due to the inhumane treatment of canines (dogs are sometimes unfortunately abandoned, abused, and/ or killed). The film asked the question "What happened to man's best friend?" The heartfelt message rings 100% true and nothing compares to the loyalty & love that dogs give us. The stop motion animation was top notch and beautiful to watch! Excellent characters, setting, & story!! All "cultural appropriation" false accusations aside, all-in-all Isle of Dogs is a highly relevant/ symbolic film. Overall, it is up there with the all-time legendary stop motion animation classics such as "Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer", "The California Raisins", and "Gumby". "Isle of Dogs" is an instant classic not to be missed/ dismissed

Bright (I) (2017)

Trust the audience instead of critics!!! BRIGHT spot for Netflix

[8/10 · 29 December 2017]

BRIGHT was a hybrid/ cross genre film blending sci-fi/ fantasy with crime/ drama & action. Don't trust critics! Approx 90% of the audience enjoyed BRIGHT. Will Smith delivered his trademark one liners and great action scenes. Highly recommend that you check out BRIGHT. Loved the haunting performance of Noomi Rapace! She was brilliant as the evil villain elf!! Joel Edgerton did an extraordinary job as the first Orc police officer. Some say that BRIGHT was an obvious allegory for the current state of politics/ race relations. After all Smith said "Fairy lives don't matter today". Which upset some people as well as Orcs being used as a metaphor for Minorities. However, the overall theme & moral of the story of BRIGHT was a positive message of different races working together toward a common goal. An orc, elf, and a human join forces to prevent an apocalypse (The return of The Dark Lord). BRIGHT had 3 million viewers in its first three days of streaming and received a limited theatrical release. I was fortunate enough to view BRIGHT at a movie theater. It definitely belonged up on the big screen. Netflix has green-lit a sequel to BRIGHT. Odds are that we will see Ward (w/ his new found BRIGHT powers) and his back-from-the-dead partner Jakoby battle The Dark Lord!!! Tikka needs to strengthen & improve on her magic abilities to help Ward & Jakoby. A sequel has great potential for expanding upon the story and characters. BRIGHT has something for everybody. It is the film version of a "renaissance man"/ "jack of all trades" seamlessly fusing sci-fi/ fantasy with crime/ drama & action.

Justice League (2017)

Disrespect to Superman!!

[6/10 · 22 December 2017]

JL was a major disappointment. Was very let down and depressed after witnessing the treatment of Superman. Shame on the WB Execs that Disrespected and RUSHED JL ahead despite "Mustache Gate". Should have taken the time to do the CGI mustache removal the right way or waiting on reshoots until after Henry Cavill was done with MI6. Blacksuit Superman had a beard! Could have just kept Cavil's facial hair.

Very horrible beginning with mobile phone footage of Superman. Next, Stepphen Wolf was not scary at all. Nobody feared him. Then WB CUT Justice League down to nothing!!! I remember thinking "That's it?!?!?!?". JL felt very brief like a cartoon episode. They removed so much footage to have a short run time in order to have as many shows as possible!!

Guess what WB? IT DOESN'T MATTER How many shows you run when the theaters are EMPTY!!! It is Quality over Quantity as far as worrying about a delay in your Bonus $ from Justice League due to the WB merger with AT&T. Serves them right that it bombed and lost money!! Karma is real. Learn your lesson WB!! Never disrespect Superman a.k.a. The Man of Steel (your #1 guy) ever again!! WB has severely damaged their brand just like they did with 1997's Batman & Robin!!! Yes it is that BAD!!

Some jokes were funny and Most were not. The comedy was hit or miss. The score was outdated and did not fit the film at all. Very boring and generic score from Elfman!! Very forgettable and paint by numbers music. Shame on Joss Whedon for everything that he contributed to Justice League. We demand the Zack Synder cut!! We want the black suit Superman!! We want Darkseid!! Why WB Why??? WB ruined a golden opportunity with Justice League due to selfish greed and lust for money!! KARMA IS REAL WB!

Star Wars: Episode VIII - The Last Jedi (2017)

Star Wars this is NOT! Disney milking SW dry like Luke did that Alien!!

[5/10 · 21 December 2017]

Waaaaay TOO MUCH forced Comedy that was very cringe worthy! TLJ abandons everything that is a Star Wars film. Kylo Ren even said to forget the Jedi, forget the Sith, forget the Empire and the First Order. Basically Forget everything that made Star Wars ... Star Wars!! Then start it over. Luke Skywalker deserved better! His character arc made no sense at all. The whole Casino "code breaker" part was FILLER. Snoke was wasted and Captain Phasma also wasted (she could have been a Badass villain, but she loses to wimp/ chickenhearted Fin). TFA promised us the start of an exciting new trilogy, but TLJ fizzled out. What a Dud "The Last Jedi" was. Too many Disney/ Marvel elements made their way into this movie TLJ. Critics must have received a generous amount of payola money $$$ to give Last Jedi Positive reviews!! SOMETHING IS ROTTEN IN THE STATE OF WALT DISNEY!!! SW Fans deserved better than TLJ!!!

Valerian and the City of a Thousand Planets (2017)

Worth a watch (especially for the Rihanna scene!!!)

[7/10 · 20 July 2017]

"Valerian and the City of a Thousand Planets" is a great science fiction film based on the graphic novels. Enchantress and Green Goblin team up to kick arse!! The CGI was actually pretty amazing. A lot of action, interestingly cool characters/ creatures, and of course Rihanna!!! Omg her part was jaw dropping!!! :-O Rihanna stole the show!! I would definitely recommend all to go see "Valerian" along with some popcorn & soda! Enjoy the ride!! Yeah it has parts when it drags or slows down (to delve into the story/ plot), but then it Speeds right Up again. Worth the price of admission!

The Fate of the Furious (2017)

Soap Opera that needs to go Back to Racing Cars!!!

[6/10 · 14 April 2017]

Fate was a step back from Furious 7. Honestly the series should have ended after F7. Only 1,3,5, & 7 were good films. Fast 8 attempted to one up F7 with bigger stunts, explosions, & action. But F8 lacked heart. Too much Soap Opera style drama/ forced drama. YES we go to these movies to see Action, but some plots like "the enemy of my enemy is my friend" is cliché. Deckhard Shaw killed Han!! Now they are going to Team Up?? Bring Han back from the dead just like Letty then F8 will make sense. Cipher is not an established or strong villain at all. They gave no back story about her. The Fast/ Furious series is Not the same without Paul Walker. They should bring back Agent Fuentes and Sean Boswell for #F9. I doubt Dwayne Johnson will return for F9 or F10 (he will just do the Hobbs spin off). F&F needs to stop All the Globe Trotting and go back to its single location/ setting roots (1-3). F8 was OK, but could have been much much better!! The Fast 8 crew somehow morphed into The Avengers as they seem to be superhuman and invincible. They seem to have gone the route of "A Good Day to Die Hard" with the absurd, unrealistic, fantasy action. Please please do a Throwback to the original TF&TF!!

Cartels (2016)

Killing Time

[3/10 · 8 March 2017]

"Killing Salazar" was the first of 7 (yes 7) movies released by Steven Seagal in 2016. It is quality not quantity Steven!! KS was a glorified Seagal cameo (he's not the main character). "Killing Salazar" has very minimal Seagal action/ screen time. He was in the very beginning and at the very end doing "Action" (shooting guns).

For the rest of the movie, Seagal sat down and interviewed/ interrogated Luke Goss' character. Skip KS - nothing to see here. Little to no action and all talk in this "action" movie. Luke Goss did some decent action scenes, but we wanted Seagal fight scenes!!

Not much of a story/ plot here. The only good Seagal of 2016 was "End of a Gun". Kill Sal was the worst of Seagal 2016. It was worse than "Sniper: Special Ops" and "The Perfect Weapon". Salazar was not as decent as "Code of Honor" or "Asian Connection". The jury is still out on "Contract to Kill".

Fantastic Four (2015)

FANTA$$TIC BORE-DUMB (Word of mouth will DOOM F4!!!!)

[1/10 · 6 August 2015]

This movie will get bashed unmercifully ... and rightfully so!! This was nothing more than a rush job cash grab. Very cheap looking CGI. All TALK and NO ACTION!! Drowsy dialogue and a storyline that blatantly disregarded comic book origins!!! Seriously, the setting was the lab and the other dimension (that's it!). Why 20th Century Fox? Why? What a waste of money and time. Why a weak reboot? How is it 2015 and the Computer Special Effects looked better back in 2005? Fantastic 4 meant well, but ultimately FAILED to Deliver. Between Amazing Spiderman 2 and Fantastic 4 ... This could start the Superhero movie Backlash!! Fantastic ???? NOOOO!!!! F4 = FOUL FAKE FLOP FAIL.

Hercules Reborn (2014)

Stellar Swords & Sandals!!

[6/10 · 25 July 2015]

Far Surpassed expectations of the 4.2 IMDb rating!! "Hercules Reborn" is a swords and sandals action epic with twists & turns! The picture quality boasts extraordinary: clarity, details, and HD. John Hennigan had a dynamic screen presence and was believable as Hercules (unlike Kellan Lutz). Hennigan did great work with the Action sequences (his Pro Wrestling experience paid off vastly). Dylan Vox played a diabolical villain!!! Christina Wolfe was the damsel in distress, but she had some fight in her! Production found some truly Spectacular sets in Morocco. They made it work somehow (even on a shoestring budget!). I would rank this Hercules as being better than "The Scorpion King" sequels and the "In The Name of the King" sequels. Some people criticize and bash movies from Asylum, but "Hercules Reborn" was a fairly decent effort. "Hercules Reborn" was better than "The Legend of Hercules" (even though they both currently have a 4.2 IMDb rating). "The Legend of Hercules" had a 70 Million budget. "Hercules Reborn" is a remarkable achievement for Asylum considering its small micro budget. John Hennigan is a star on the rise!!

Frankenstein vs. the Mummy (2015)

Misleading Title (2 min fight)

[1/10 · 14 February 2015]

Frankenstein vs. The Mummy is an extremely low budget horror film. It is not scary at all just silly/ cheap gore and effects. The 2 monsters have a very brief fight at the end. Overall terrible D movie (not even B or C). I expected there to be at least 3 or 4 confrontations between Frankenstein & The Mummy. Avoid this movie like the plague!!! Terrible dialogue and script written by a 2nd or 3rd grader! Save your money!! The mummy effects and Frankenstein mask didn't look good. This mockbuster is nothing more than a desperate cash grab attempt. I suggest watching The Mummy trilogy, I,Frankenstein or a Universal Studios monster movie!

Bryan

Annie (2014)

Annie 2014 is ALL HEART!! Give it a chance!

[7/10 · 18 December 2014]

I saw Annie and it was fantastic! I know how some people say NOT to remake a classic, but Annie is the exception. I did not like the Karate Kid remake, but Annie 2014 gets an A+ from me!! Quvenzhané Wallis did a wonderful job in the lead role of Annie. You really feel for her character and care what happens to her. The musical numbers were great. I actually liked Jamie Foxx's character Will Stacks and I am NOT a Jamie Foxx fan. But I feel that he was meant to play the role with his background in singing, dancing, and acting. Cameron Diaz took her "Bad Teacher" character up a few notches and created a diabolical villain!! She is so mean, nasty, and heartless. It was special to see how the characters progressed throughout the film and at the end. People can change! The soundtrack has an Urban NY flavor to it that I love!! I'm going to buy the CD or DL it ASAP!! Not fair to compare 2014 to 1982 as the times are extremely different now as opposed to then. But if I had to choose 1982 or 2014. I'd definitely go with 2014!! It is a shame if racism is lowering the rating of Annie 2014. Critics can criticize this version of Annie, but it had a lot of HEART.

Sharknado 2: The Second One (2014 TV Movie)

Sharknado 2 earned a Theatrical release!!

[7/10 · 21 August 2014]

I saw Sharknado 2 at the movie theater on 8/21/14. The theater was full and the crowd loved the movie!! The crowd was laughing and clapping throughout the film. Part 2 was much better than the 1st. The opening credits were well done, cameos were cool, NYC was a great setting, All-star cast, & S2 delivered the laughs!! The theme songs were awesome!! Sharknado 2 garnered its theatrical release based on high Syfy Channel ratings (3.9 Million viewers).

Fin's chainsaw rivals Ash's in "Army of Darkness". The Asylum finally got a movie right!! April's circular saw arm is reminiscent of Cherry Darling's leg in "Planet Terror". Maybe The Asylum/ Syfy paid respect/ tribute to these camp/cult film favorites.

Sharknado 2 was fast paced and action-packed!! What made it great was the humor and style of the movie. As a New Yorker perhaps my opinion is biased, but I really enjoyed Sharknado 2: The Second One. Sharknado 3 was announced for a 2015 release. But the 2 main stars want a pay raise. Sharknado 3 wouldn't be the same w/o Tara Reid & Ian Ziering. The Asylum better get out their checkbooks!!!

I don't understand the negative reviews ... either they took the movie seriously or they have no sense of humor!!

Memorable scenes include: the subway, Citifield, and Ellis Island.

Bravo for the second Sharknado!!

RoboCop (2014)

I was skeptical, but RoboCop 2014 won me over.

[7/10 · 12 February 2014]

The trailers & teasers DO NOT do RoboCop 2014 any justice! I grew up with the original RoboCop films and I went into the remake thinking that it would be lousy like previous remakes (Total Recall, A Nightmare on Elm Street, Conan the Barbarian, The Karate Kid, & etc.). But for a PG- 13 movie the new RoboCop is packed with a lot of action!! The shoot-outs are intense. The drama and story were also very well done. YOU the viewer will actually CARE about Murphy and his family. You will want to see the villains get what they deserve.

The Special Effects/CGI were AMAZING!! Fantastic job well done. I was not feeling the black suit, but RoboCop does wear the classic armor/ suit in the beginning and at the very end.

There's a few references to the 1987 RoboCop film. For example: the ED- 209 robot machines, when Jackie Earle Haley said "I wouldn't buy that for a dollar", the classic RoboCop armor suit, "Dead or Alive - You're Coming With Me", "Thank You For Your Cooperation" & etc. The movie does have its differences and tries to stand on its own.

I would recommend RoboCop 2014 to new fans and fans of the original 1987 RoboCop. The ACTION scenes are HARD HITTING and FAST PACED. The bullets fly then RoboCop's targets die!!! Can't Stop RoboCop!!!!

The only thing that I did not like was RoboCop riding on a motorcycle instead of in his traditional Police Car. RoboCop on the motorcycle made me think of Terminator 2: Judgement Day. Other than that small blemish, I'd give RoboCop 2014 an 8 out of 10.

Gimme Shelter (2013)

Dramatic, touching, and emotional film. Hudgens' best acting to date.

[8/10 · 26 January 2014]

I saw Gimme Shelter on Jan. 24th (opening day) and it changed me. The film is realistic. Gimme Shelter is a gritty portrayal of a true story. This film will touch you & make you feel humanity. Vanessa Hudgens plays Apple who has lived a very difficult life filled with: sadness, pain, abandonment, abuse, and misery. Growing up she went from foster home to foster home. Rosario Dawson played Apple's sinister/ evil mother. Dawson did an excellent job of portraying a drug addict mother. Brendan Fraser (The Mummy) played Apple's father who works on Wall Street. The powerful message of the film is that sometimes strangers/ friends can feel close like family while your actual family can feel like strangers.

Vanessa Hudgens should win an award for this film.

Superman Returns (2006)

Returds = Kryptonite for TRUE Superman fans.

[5/10 · 5 September 2011]

S. Returds = Kryptonite for TRUE Superman fans.

It's a Super disgrace that Returds is considered by some to be a sequel to Superman II. SR is NOT a sequel to Superman 2!! Returds is supposed to take place in between Superman II (1980) and Superman III (1983). Yeah right! Then WHY does Lois Lane have a CELL PHONE? Really? Hello! No cell phones yet! Where are the PHONE BOOTHS for Clark Kent to change into Superman? Also, WTH happened to The Daily Planet? WHERE ARE THE TYPE WRITERS? There were NO MODERN Computers yet (only those OLD comps like Richard Pryer used in Superman III). Why the fancy high-tech look for the Daily Planet? If this was supposed to be a true sequel to a 1980's film then they should have made it believable within the time frame! The Miscasting of Lois Lane is the main gripe for many Superman fans. Why Lois looks half her age is a mystery?

The only reason why SR made any money was because of nostalgia! Many people (including myself) really wanted to see a new Superman movie at the theater.

The idea to create a son for Superman was too tied into Superman II: The Richard Donner Cut. Supe having a son DOES NOT go with Superman III or Superman IV, so Returns is NOT a prequel to Superman 3 or 4. And if Returns is not a prequel to part 3, then it can't be a sequel to part 2.

Kevin Spacey does a great job as Lex Luthor until he punches Superman and stabs him with the Kryptonite crystal. If SR was supposed to be a sequel, then they should have kept with the Lex Luthor character that Gene Hackman so masterfully portrayed. Gene Hackman's Lex would Never ever punch or kick The Man of Steel (he would have Zod, Ursa, or Non hit Superman). Hell, Lex would even sic Meteor Man on Supe before he ever laid hands on him. Lex Luthor is a thinker, not a fighter.

You know what's funny though? "Superman Returns" could have been salvaged! All could have been made right & the movie would have been saved if … At the end when Lex and kitty fly away in the helicopter, THEY DON'T REALLY FLY AWAY AND IT IS REALLY SUPERMAN CARRYING THE AIRPLANE!!!! THEN SUPERMAN DROPS LEX LUTHOR IN JAIL !!! Come on! That should have been the ending instead of the LAME GILLIGAN'S ISLAND ending!!! GTH Bryan Singer! Thanks for ruining Superman!!!

Saw II (2005)

Not aSAWesome as part 1.

[7/10 · 25 August 2011]

Predictable movie and Mark Wahlberg's brother can't act his way out of a paper bag. The Original Saw was ... well it was highly ORIGINAL. All you heard was Jigsaw's Creepy voice and all you SAW was the deranged puppet (along with the deaths). In part one, they didn't show the actual man that much until the very end. In Saw 2, they REMOVE the MYSTERY of who Jigsaw is by showing the actual man way too much! In Saw I, Jigsaw is MORE THAN A MAN (something like what Ra's Al Ghul told Bruce Wayne in Batman Begins).

As soon as Amanda removes the bricks and finds the tape recorder, the viewer knows that she is in cahoots with Jigsaw a.k.a. John Kramer (yes they even gave him a last name completely removing the mystery & horror of the 1st Saw).

I was thrilled with Saw. I was even working at a movie theater when it came out back in 2004. I loved the audiences reaction! Saw was true horror! Now, Saw II is not completely abysmal & it does have some redeeming qualities. Sexy Shawnee Smith reprised her role as Amanda & she was spectacular as Jigsaw's apprentice!! Some of the deaths were decent with the very first one standing out. The ending is a 360 with Eric Matthews inadvertently returning to WHERE IT ALL BEGAN!!! The first Saw has an IMDb rating of 7.7, Saw II 6.7, Saw III 6.2, Saw IV 5.9, Saw V 5.7 ... DO YOU SEE THE PATTERN? The series went on a Downward Spiral until Saw VI 6.1, but alas Saw: The Final Chapter took the series back down again with a 5.5 IMDb rating. THE POINT HERE IS: Nothing beats the Original! But as far as the SAWs go, Part II is the second BEST!!

Hunt to Kill (2010)

Cliffhanger: First Blood (Mash-up). Better than The Stranger!!!

[7/10 · 2 December 2010]

Hunt To Kill was 100 times better than Stone Cold's previous movie (The Stranger). I Definitely recommend Hunt To Kill to all Stone Cold fans and WWE fans. HTK is a mash-up of Cliffhanger and First Blood. You have to be patient and wait until Steve Austin starts hunting! Yes, the movie may start out slow as hell, but give it a chance. The final two fights at the end are both awesome! Director Keoni Waxman did a decent job.

Steve Austin plays Jim Rhodes, who is a border patrol agent. JR (ironic that he has the same initials as Austin's real life friend Jim Ross) knows the terrain and is at home in the wilderness (Gabe Walker + John Rambo = Jim Rhodes). The film begins with partners Steve Austin and Eric Roberts about to take down a crystal meth lab. It goes wrong, and Rhodes loses his partner. FFWD >>

Jim's daughter always manages to get into trouble and so she is in the sheriff's office "At The Wrong Place, At The Wrong Time." Because a small crew of criminals are after their money that went missing in the area. They need someone to guide them. Jim Rhodes gets a call from the sheriff so he heads to the office not knowing what awaits. Rhodes agrees to guide the thugs, but the main villain Banks shot the sheriff.

So off they go into the woods ... One of Bank's henchmen tries to molest Jim's daughter Kim which leads to Stone Cold's first fight. It was short, but an okay skirmish none the less. The Main Bad Guy Banks is an idiot so he kills his goon (Banks will later commit another even more moronic blunder). FFWD >> They find the money and of course, GUESS WHO GOES TO GET IT? Yeah Jim Rhodes, just like Gabe Walker in CLIFFHANGER. So, Jim retrieves the $ and then Banks shoots him down into the river. Now, the young Kim Rhodes becomes the guide. So, she purposefully leads them astray.

Once again, one of the goons lays a hand on Kim. Banks' female companion Dominika takes exception which leads to a scuffle between her and the goon. She kicks his ass, breaks his leg and the posse decide to leave him behind. Later on, they get hungry and guess who was carrying the food? Yep, the guy they left behind (Geary).

FFWD >> Stone Cold catches up with Geary and finds out which direction they went (Austin shoots him up with arrows after wards). Austin catches up to his enemies which leads to Stone Cold Fight 2. Steve Austin vs. Gary Daniels (from The Expendables). It was a good fight scene between Jim Rhodes and Jensen. They have a stick fight or a tree branch fight. Austin finishes him off by sticking the branch through Jensen's chest and he says "Stick Around" just like Schwarzenegger did in PREDATOR. It was cool to see Austin vs. Daniels because they were on the same side in THE EXPENDABLES and now in HUNT TO KILL, they are enemies.

FFWD >> Austin catches up to Banks and Dominika (last 2 villains left). J.R. throws a wooden spear at Dominika and then she is dead. So, now it is Rhodes vs. Banks, but his daughter is in the way (think Arnold vs the main villain in TRUE LIES).

Banks escapes, then he pistol whips Kim and takes off on a motor bike. Austin catches up to Banks which leads to the FINAL FIGHT. The last fight is COOL. I don't want to spoil the way Jim Rhodes kills Banks, but I will say that Banks is very persistent. At the end Banks taunts Rhodes by saying "you can't kill me!, you can't kill me!!" & Austin says ... "When I Hunt, I Hunt to KILL!!!" Jim Rhodes then proceeds to kill Banks in a unique and special way!

Overall I would give "Hunt To Kill" a 7 out of 10. Yeah, the budget was low and the film starts out real slow. But once Steve Austin starts hunting, the movie picks up the pace!! Hunt To Kill is > The Stranger. It is not better than Damage or The Condemned.