Sound Speed Action: Movie & TV Reviews

Episode 25 - Special Topic: 2023 Super Bowl Trailers

For today’s episode, we are going to look at the movies that studios chose to promote during the 2023 Super Bowl. No surprise here that a lot of these movies are franchises however we do have a few original works in the mix as well. Here is the breakdown:

* Universal

* Fast X

* Strays

* Super Mario Bros.

* Cocaine Bear

* Paramount

* Dungeons and Dragons Honor Among Thieves

* Transformers: Rise of the Beasts

* Scream VI

* Disney

* Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny

* Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3

* Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania

* MGM

* Air

* Creed III

* Warner Bros. Discovery

* The Flash

* Sony

* 65

We have a lot of great movies to catch up on this Spring and Summer. Be sure to check them and see you at the movies.

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I know I have been talking a lot recently about Rian Johnson ("Glass Onion", "Knives Out") and his work a lot lately. What can I say - I am fan of his style of storytelling and definitely his sense of humor too. Natasha Lyonne (Netflix series “Russian Doll”) and Johnson have developed a whodunnit mystery series which is both unique and yet also a play/throwback to so many great mystery/detective series like “Columbo”, “Murder She Wrote” and more. From the moment this series starts it becomes very clear that only Natasha Lyonne could steer this series in the lead role. She brings so much fun as well as her own unique energy to this role. Look out for a lot of great cameos in this new series. This first season of “Poker Face” consists of 10 episodes and the first 4 episodes are available to watch now on Peacock. The remaining episodes will be go up on Peacock weekly on Thursdays.  Rating: 9 out of 10. This is one not to miss. Check it out and let me know what you think.

Update: I have seen 2 of the 4 available episodes now and they are both excellent .   

Now what's next in the queue?

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Episode 22 - SPOILER Review: Avatar - The Way of Water (2022 film)

James Cameron is a bit of a madman but it’s hard to argue with the fact that he knows how to entertain an audience. Today’s SPOILER review episode is about a film that was 13 years in the making. On this episode, I'm joined by my friend and filmmaker, Jonathan Olivo, as we dive into James Cameron's highly anticipated film 'Avatar: The Way of Water'. Also a special shout out to my friend Cody who reminds us how “Avatar: The Way of Water” from 2022 uses very similar (if not identical) story beats from “Avatar” from 2009. We spend half the time of the episode sharing our thoughts on what we did and didn't like about the sequel as well as discussing other film tangents too. Thank you Jonathan and Cody to your contributions to this episode. It is strongly recommended that you see this film on the biggest theater screen with the best sound (Dolby Atmos or IMAX) and in 3D. A one of a kind movie like this is absolutely worth it!

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Episode 22 - Review: Glass Onion (2022 film)

Rian Johnson knows how to put on a show. He does it again with “Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery”. In this mystery, Johnson brings back Investigator Benoit Blanc (Daniel Craig) to resolve another puzzle. This movie had some big shoes to fill. “Knives Out” (2019) is a timeless classic that continues to age well and to this day I notice new things when I continue to rewatch that movie. What I love about Glass Onion is that its a completely new mystery with, besides Mr. Blanc, a whole new cast of characters. This film is very different from the 2019 movie but similar in that it makes fun of today’s culture and the fantastic actors also portray a hysterical group of modern-day a-holes. Big shout out to Daniel Craig, Edward Norton and especially Janelle Monáe for her stealing every scene of this movie that she is in. Composer and frequent Rian Johnson collaborator Nathan Johnson is back to score this movie and does an excellent job. What is so great with this movie is that it is not predictable. The trailers do not spoil anything and the movie will keep you guessing right up until the end. “Glass Onion” can be streamed on Netflix starting December 23rd. Netflix, you gotta bring this one back to the theaters. It’s a hell of a ride that is without doubt worth the price of admission.

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Episode 21 - Review: Prey (2022 film)

This one breaks the curse of bad movies debuting in the month of August. The spirit of “Predator” Director John McTiernan is alive and well in the 2022 installment of this franchise, “Prey”. This latest entry may be the best in the franchise.  Amber Midthunder commands the screen as our hero, Naru, in this very efficient action movie. “10 Cloverfield Lane” fans will be happy to know that Director Dan Trachtenberg hasn’t lost his creative touch with his follow up movie to the Cloverfield sequel. Sarah Schachner is a Composer to look out for. She has led one of the best scores that I have enjoyed so far for 2022. Threading the needle of respecting an original concept while having a new movie be memorable and stand out on its own is no easy task. “Prey” makes it look easy. Be sure to not miss this one and check it out now on Hulu.

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Episode 20 - Review: The Black Phone (2022 film)

It’s been a minute but we are back for the 20th episode! WOOHOO!  Today, Katie and I discuss Scott Derrickson’s (“Sinister”, “Doctor Strange”) new coming-of-age horror film, “The Black Phone”. This film is led by fantastic actors Mason Thames as Finney and the show-stealer Madeleine McGraw who does an awesome job playing Finney’s sister, Gwen. The film is also adapted from a short by Stephen King's son, Joe Hill and is produced by horror pro, Jason Blum. Of course a horror movie is nothing without its creepy villain and any time you have Ethan Hawke (reuniting with Director Derrickson again after working on “Sinister” together) playing a villain you know you are in for something special. He does not disappoint Now we have some very different takes on this movie so get settled in and get ready to dig into a very different type of horror movie.  

“The Black Phone” is playing in theaters now and is also available to rent and buy on most video platforms.

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Episode 19 - Review: The Gray Man (2022 Netflix film)

A throwback to late 90’s/early 2000’s action movies, Netflix’s upcoming action movie “The Gray” delivers on your action movie needs. Very few filmmakers live/eat/breathe action movies like the Russo brothers (“Captain America: Winter Soldier”, “Captain America: Civil War”, “Avengers: Infinity Wars”, “Avengers: Endgame”). This movie is one the largest movies by Netflix yet. It is huge in scale and has a hell of a cast with Ryan Gosling, Chris Evans, Ana De Armas, Billy Bob Thorton, Alfre Woodard, Shea Whigham and Dhanush. There are so many incredible action set pieces in this blockbuster film. “The Gray Man” is a very light and very thin action movie. It is a fun first installment of what is sure to be an exciting franchise that has a lot of potential to continue evolving in a similar fashion to “Mission Impossible”. You can check out “The Gray Man” on Netflix on Thursday July 22nd and (if you are in the States) in theaters too.

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Episode 18 - Review: Elvis (2022 film)

After a decade of being off the film scene, Director Baz Luhrmann (“Moulin Rouge”, “The Great Gatsby”) is back behind the camera with this biopic about The King - Mr. Elvis Presley. I am also really excited because on this episode I have a guest and my good friend Katie Basso on the podcast to discuss the latest film with me. After seeing this film last week, we had a lot of thoughts on this biopic that we wanted to share.  Austin Butler is a force in this film as Elvis. Look out for his name come awards season. There is nothing nothing nothing like the visual, editing and directing style of a Luhrmann film. Seeing this film in the movie theater is A MUST! Tom Hanks also shines as  Elvis’ questionably shady Manager Colonel Parker.  With “Elvis” Luhrmann re-introduces audiences to his “red velvet curtain” appeal/style of story-telling. After seeing this film also be sure to rent his other classics including “Strictly Ballroom” and as previously mentioned his best work “Moulin Rouge”.

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Episode 16 - Mid-Season Review: The Old Man (2022 Hulu series)

Nothing can keep the new Hulu spy series, “The Old Man” down. Not a global pandemic. Not a separate health scare for lead actor Jeff Bridges. Nothing. Jeff Bridges and John Lithgow bring Thomas Perry’s 2017 spy novel to life in this adaptation. Jon Watts (Director of the Tom Holland Spider-Man movies) produces and brilliantly directs the first 2 episodes of this series. Bridges and Lithgow are made for roles like these. This thriller works because it’s not predictable and the story slowly untangles as we start to understand what motivates our 2 lead characters and why they are trying to keep their past work buried. Nothing is what it seems. We are given hints about what is happening but even you don’t really know what’s going on until it happens. The series also echoes just one part of John Wick 3 with 2 Rottweilers whom are also badasses in this show. Don’t miss this one!

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Episode 16 - Review: Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness (2022 film)

In today's episode, we review the Marvel sequel movie  "Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness". Comic book movie Director OG Sam Raimi is back! Here Raimi adds his horror touch to this latest MCU entry. Elizabeth Olsen steals the show as Wanda Maximoff/Scarlet Witch. While the connection to the greater MCU weighs a little too heavily on this movie at times, this is an entertaining story about the consequences of one's actions. "Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness" is streaming now on Disney Plus.

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This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit sohrabsmovieq.substack.com