The Pliley Review

  Genre: Family/Comedy Rating:   PG Synopsis:   Gru welcomes a new member to the family, Gru Jr., who's intent on tormenting his dad. However, their peaceful existence soon comes crashing down when criminal mastermind Maxime Le Mal escapes from prison and vows revenge against Gru. *** Finally got a look at Despicable Me 4 last night with my son, 15, and I feel it was the weakest of the bunch. (He agreed).  Though it is always fun to see Gru and the girls, this one just felt all over the place, even for a minion movie. The storyline was all over the place and they were so determined to pull in multiple new characters that it just did not work together as a whole. Yes, the baby was adorable but after a few times pulling a mad face at Gru, the joke was already old and took way too long to stop. I can’t say much else without giving away spoilers, but younger kids may still really like it, but anyone above 8 may not.  I will say that even though the story let it down...

  Genre: Comedy, action Rating:   R Synopsis:  In the near future, a 'Grand Lottery' has been newly established in California - the catch: kill the winner before sundown to legally claim their multi-billion dollar jackpot. *** Watched the movie Jackpot! last night and I feel if you go into it with very little expectation and just go along for the ride it's okay.  From the synopsis, you pretty much understand the entire movie. Nothing groundbreaking but it's a fun premise and something you can watch without thinking too much. I heard it described as a comedy purge about 1 person and I thought it matched the movie perfectly.  Now though the movie will not win any awards there are some great moments between John Cena’s, Noel and Awkwafina’s, Katie that are just adorable and sometimes hilarious. It was a great decision to bring these two together.  Final Thoughts Honestly, I have very little to say about this movie as it is actually kinda forgettable. But again...

  Genre: Action, adventure Rating:   PG-13 Synopsis:  64 years before he becomes the tyrannical president of Panem, Coriolanus Snow sees a chance for a change in fortunes when he mentors Lucy Gray Baird, the female tribute from District 12 *** With the new book announced for 2025, I had to post my review of the latest movie adaptation. Knowing the Snow character from the original story will give you a good idea of where the story is going, so throw any ideas of a redemption arch immediately out. But it is truly a journey watching how the character we all love to hate chooses paths that lead him to the future we know.  The entire cast embraced the characters and brought new life to the Hunger Games name. Individual shout-outs have to go to Josh Andrés Rivera as Snow’s childhood friend, Sejanus Plinth, Peter Dinklage as the creator of the games, Casca Highbottom, and of course, Rachel Zegler as Lucy Gray Baird. Rachel crushed it and I was so proud of her. And gi...

  Genre:  Horror, Crime Rating:   PG-13 Synopsis:   A man and his teenage daughter realize they're at the center of a dark and sinister event while watching a concert. *** I finally watched Trap last night and I have to say, it was better than some of Nights other works but definitely not one of the best.  Without spoilers, though the trailers leave little to the imagination, Josh Harnett was amazing as a Dad just taking his kid to the concert of her dreams while harboring a secret. And Ariel Donoghue, who plays said daughter, is just having a great time at a concert, not knowing what is going on all around her. Being oblivious in this case is not a bad thing as it matches her character's energy perfectly and when the inevitable happens it is great to see her reactions.  All the other actors did great, but at times some felt forced and not in a - I'm in character- type way.  Overall, it is a fascinating premise though, and was a fun ride, which is why...

                                                              Season Two Genre:  Action, Adventure, Sci-Fi, Dinosaur Action Rating:   TV-Y7 Synopsis:   With so many questions still not answered Darius and friends follow the clues to find out what exactly is going on while facing new dangers, finding new friends - and discovering surprising revelations. *** It is so hard to discuss without spoilers but WOW. Another 10 episodes but more than one seemed like filler. Honestly, I was super disappointed with this season. The main cast of voice actors still did an incredible job so I think the writers dropped the ball on this one.  It was already precarious with the 1st season as there were already theories with alternative agendas and villains behind the villains. So going into se...

                                                    Season One Genre:  Action, Adventure, Sci-Fi, Dinosaur Action Rating:   TV-Y7 Synopsis:   Years after escaping the dangers of Isla Nublar, Darius and friends are living among dinosaurs again - all while processing a devastating loss.  *** I love Camp Creatous so I was excited to know what happened to the Nublar 6. This was not what I had in mind and I am not sure how I feel about it.  There are a total of 10 Episodes each running around 24 minutes each. I found this to be a good balance, yet with more detailed storytelling it could have been extended but I see they wanted to keep the same pace.  Each of the characters brought new life to their roles showing the maturity of the years that have passed since we last saw them. I was disappointed that th...

  Genre:  Horror, Sci-Fi, Thriller Rating:  R  Synopsis:  While scavenging the deep ends of a derelict space station, a group of young space colonists come face to face with the most terrifying life form in the universe. *** You all know what a huge Alien fan I am so when this came out I wasted no time in going to see it at the theatre. All the movies in the franchise have been hit or miss for me, but for this one, I have mixed feelings. They tried to include so many things that the story at times felt jumbled and though including one or two callbacks to the original Alien movie was welcomed and pretty cool. However, including one of the cast members was, in my opinion, a big mistake. Without giving away spoilers it is hard to discuss this aspect of the movie, however since it happens early on, you can pretty much predict some of the outcome of the meeting.  I sincerely appreciated going back to the practical effects and what they were trying to do, but sad...

  Genre:  Action, Adventure, Comedy, Sci-Fi Rating:  R  Synopsis:  Deadpool is offered a place in the Marvel Cinematic Universe by the Time Variance Authority, but instead recruits a variant of Wolverine to save his universe from extinction. *** Honestly, I have mixed feelings about this one. I'm a huge fan of both characters and without getting into spoilers it is another Deadpool movie so by now you know what to expect. A lot of back-talking, foul mouth, and fighting. Mix that with Huge Jackman's Wolverine and it is a great time.  To me, it was the plot that let this movie down. It felt like they wanted to bring Wolverine back from the dead so badly, the multiverse to the rescue, but they could not decide on the how and why. Then they had so many ideas on the reason why he would be needed that they decided to use them all. Personally, I felt that it did not work.  The best parts of the movie were the cameos and the fighting, and at one point I even r...

  Genre: Animation, Science Fiction Rating:  PG  Synopsis:  After a shipwreck, an intelligent robot called Roz is stranded on an uninhabited island. To survive the harsh environment, Roz bonds with the island's animals and cares for an orphaned baby goose. *** If you watched the trailer then you know most of what the movie entails, however, I promise it is way more than what you think.  Seeing the first trailer for this movie I thought it gave off Iron Giant and Wall-E types and I was not entirely far off.  Though I was hesitant to watch this one at first, The Wild Robot was a good story overall. Roz's journey felt very natural and did not come across as exaggerated, more than a robot in the wild would be. There are some very funny moments, mixed in with some very emotional ones.  There is cheer out loud moments and others that make you gasp.  Watching everything unfold from Roz's perspective was absolutely the best direction for this movie and th...