The Pliley Review

  Genre:  Action, Sci-Fi Rating:   PG-13 Synopsis:   Eddie Brock is still struggling to coexist with the shape-shifting extraterrestrial Venom. When deranged serial killer Cletus Kasady also becomes host to an alien symbiote, Brock and Venom must put aside their differences to stop his reign of terror. *** Honestly, I had high hopes for this one even though it is a sequel. I was right to believe in the power of Venom.  Right off the bat, I have to give a huge s hout-out to Cletus, Woody Harrelson, and Frances, Naomie Harris, as they are an amazing power couple. Both brought an enormous range of emotions to their relationship and as individual characters. They knew how they wanted their characters to come across and they were played perfectly. Even the smallest facial expression conveyed the love and craziness hidden below the surface.  The plot was an interesting way to introduce a new symbiote without having more spaceships or astronauts involved...

  Genre: Action, Adventure, Comedy, Crime, Thriller Rating:   R Synopsis: When a mysterious enemy frames their late captain for corruption, Miami cops Mike and Marcus go rogue to expose a conspiracy - and clear their own names.  *** Being the huge Bad Boys fan I am, I was excited to hear about this one.  Right out the gate, we’re back with the boys driving fast with their usual banter and I was living for it. They were not playing around and within the first few minutes, I was freaking out. The plot played out beautifully and with the right amount of tension, though knowing some of the actors it was not a stretch to predict some upcoming events.  Will Smith as Mike and Martin Lawrence as Marcus are a classic combination that just works in this type of setting. I secretly hope they continue these movies for years to come.  The most recent cast members Vanessa Hudgens, Alexander Ludwig, Jacob Scipio, and Paola Nunez who joined during the last movie, all retu...

  Genre: Family, Musical, Adventure Rating:   PG Synopsis: When a powerful spell turns her parents into giant monsters, a teenage princess must journey into the wild to reverse the curse before it's too late. *** Watch out Disney I think Netflix is coming for you! It is hard to say much without giving away the story, however, I am happy to say that this is not your typical princess story and the twist-like ending is just perfection.  The animation is just gorgeous and the songs are catchy enough to keep your interest. The voice actors did a great job embodying their characters and bringing them to life. Special shout-out has to go to Rachel Zegler as Princess Ellian and John Lithgow as Bolinar who really brought out all the emotions through their journey.  This movie has all the makings of an adventure movie that kids and adults alike will love. Final Thoughts Interesting take on an animated princess movie and I’m here for it.  Score: 8 out of 10. Great family...

  Genre:  Action, Sci-fi Rating:   PG-13 Synopsis: Godzilla and the almighty Kong face a colossal threat hidden deep within the planet, challenging their very existence and the survival of the human race. *** I’m going to be a little hard on this movie considering we have had a few over the recent years and they all seem to suffer from similar issues.  Yes, this movie has both Kong and Godzilla doing what they do alone until they need to reunite and battle a greater enemy…again. However, like previous ones, this one is focused more on Kong. Which is fine, but give him the respect he deserves and give him his own movie.  With that being said Kaylee Hottle as Jia stole the show for me as far as the humans go. Her acting is pretty amazing to watch and her relationship with Kong makes for the best parts of the show. It is always good to see Dan Stevens so watching him as Trapper was a treat. And the returning mom of Jia, Rebecca Hall as Dr. IIene Andrews played the...

  Genre:  Comedy, Adventure  Rating:   PG Synopsis: Po must train a new warrior when he's chosen to become the spiritual leader of the Valley of Peace. However, when a powerful shape-shifting sorceress sets her eyes on his Staff of Wisdom, he suddenly realizes he will need some help. Teaming up with a quick-witted corsac fox, Po soon discovers that heroes can be found in the most unexpected places. *** Since I consider Po, my spirit animal I had high hopes for the continued story and was intrigued to see where it would go.  Though the story starts with promise it is sad to think that Po would lose his title, essentially ending the series. The cast still gave a great performance, and of course, Jack Black as Po is iconic. The new addition of Awkwafina as Zhen added some much-needed banter, heart, and comic relief since the Furious Five were absent this time around.  The animation was great and they chose a good villain, however, the final battle was really ...

  Genre:  Sci-fi, Adventure Rating:   PG-13 Synopsis: Paul Atreides unites with the Fremen while on a warpath of revenge against the conspirators who destroyed his family. Facing a choice between the love of his life and the fate of the universe, he endeavors to prevent a terrible future. *** Part Two wastes no time in jumping right back into the world of Arrakis and the war for control of the spice. If you have read the original book or watched the older movie version you will have some idea of where the story is going.  However, without spoilers, the ending does not match the book exactly, so even if you know, you will not know everything.   Like the first movie, the cast is brilliant and plays to their characters extremely well. Timothée Chalamet is still crushing it as the main character Paul. The introduction of the newest character, Feyd-Rautha Harkonnen played by Austin Butler added the right amount of threat. I do have to shout out, Florence P...

  Genre:  Horror, Sci-fi Rating:   PG-13 Synopsis: A young woman named Sam finds herself trapped in New York City during the early stages of an invasion by alien creatures with ultra-sensitive hearing. *** Disclaimer: I am a huge fan of the original A Quiet Place (9 out of 10) and though I liked the second one (7 out of 10) it did not have the same weight. After watching the trailer I had immense hope for this one. I was right to do so.  Day One solves some of the problems in the second by introducing new and interesting characters in a completely new setting. This is how a sequel to the original should have been done. Many questions arose while watching the original movie and thanks to the storyline, new setting, and characters some questions are answered. Both about the big cities and the creatures themselves.  The casting in this movie was spot on and I honestly could not pick a favorite between Lupita Nyong'o as Samira and Joseph Quinn as Eric. They were inc...

  Genre:  Action, Adventure, Animation Rating:   16+  Synopsis: SECRET LEVEL is a new adult animated anthology series featuring original stories set within the worlds of some of the world’s most beloved video games. From the creative minds behind LOVE, DEATH + ROBOTS, each of the 15 episodes is a celebration of games and gamers. *** Right from the introduction to the series, you can tell without reading the descriptions that it is the same Love, Death, and Robots team. As it is 15 different stories you have to remember that the same story will not continue on the next episode. The cast did an incredible job of embodying each character and bringing the animation to life. Each animation style was done with a specific vision in mind and I thought that each one was executed amazingly. The visuals on every single one were just stunning and some I just loved so much there were not enough words to describe them. This series really shined in this element.  The biggest ...

  Genre:  Musical, Fantasy Rating:   PG Synopsis: Elphaba, a misunderstood young woman because of her green skin, and Galinda, a popular girl, become friends at Shiz University in the Land of Oz. After an encounter with the Wonderful Wizard of Oz, their friendship reaches a crossroads. *** Disclaimer: I’ve never seen the musical and going into the movie knew nothing about the plot and only vaguely 2 songs.  Right off the bat, I was on Team Green as I hate bullies. Yet I have to say the harshness of the opening definitely pulled me in. The library scene had me cringing as I’m a huge book lover, but all the songs were amazing during the entire movie.  Though I have nothing to compare the performances story or character-wise, high praise goes to both Ariana Grande as Galinda and Cynthia Erivo as Elphaba in their respective roles. Ariana, of course, took to the songs like a fish to water and although I had never heard Cynthia sing before the vocals for both were i...