The Pliley Review

  Genre:  Mystery, Drama Rating:   PG-13 Synopsis:  Through unlikely bonds formed during night shifts at a local aquarium, Tova, an elderly widow, learns of a life-changing discovery that may bring her joy and wonder once again. *** I will admit watching the trailer for this movie I was intrigued but was not sure if I wanted to rush to watch it. I am so very glad I did.  Immediately there is i nteresting narration and you quickly fall in love with Sally Fields character, Tova. She is an adorable lady with a great personality. There is no way to forget about Marcellus, the large octopus friend, voiced beautifully by Alfred Molina. And the introduction of Cameron, played by Lewis Pullman, added an extra layer to the story in many aspects.  The storyline is simple, yet surprisingly funny and with so much heart. You feel for each character on a deep level and can not help but root for them as each goes on their journey.  The cinemotographay is be...

  Genre:  Horror, Comedy Rating:   R Synopsis:  A woman and her overbearing boss become stranded on a deserted island after a plane crash. They must overcome past grievances and work together to survive, but ultimately, it's a battle of wills and wits to make it out alive. *** Just by watching the trailer and seeing the amazing talent we were dealing with I was hooked. It did not disappoint.  Without spoilers I can not go into to much detail, but I will say Rachel McAdams performance was just as unnerving as it was from the trailer. You definitely root for her in the beginning with the bullying and though I love Dylan O'Brien, his character is a massive *insert bad word here*.  Both actors just devoured these roles and left you without any doubt that they were suffering in that place. I have never seen a greater performance on an island setting since Tom Hanks and Wilson, though I think his character would not have lasted long with these two.  I w...

  Genre:  Science fiction, Thriller, Drama, Suspenseful Rating:   PG-13 Synopsis:  In the near future, an advanced AI judge tells a captive detective that he's on trial for the murder of his wife. If he fails to prove his innocence within 90 minutes, he'll be executed on the spot. *** From the trailer I was intrigued about the premise of this movie, though honestly I am a little on the Terminator side of the AI discussion.  Each actor did great with the material they were presented with.  Chris Pratt as  Det. Christopher "Chris" Raven is  semi likeable and plays the part perfectly. You can feel the distress and emotion as the story progresses.  Rebecca Ferguson as  Judge Maddox  is great as the AI judge.   Right off the bat I could not help but compare this movie to the Tome Cruise movie, Minority Report. Very similar vibes in a good way. Though out of the two I would prefer Minority Report.  The atmosphere and A...

  Genre:   Action, Adventure, Drama, History Rating:   R Synopsis:  A Caribbean woman gets her secret past revealed when her island is invaded by vicious buccaneers. *** Personally I was hooked from the moment I saw the trailer. Karl Urban hotness as a villian and Priyanka Chopra as the strong, kicking ass female main character, sign me up.  I am so happy to say that I was not disappointed.  Right from the start the movie had great action and a pretty straight forward storyline with each character having clear motiviations from the start. Though predictable in places it was still a great ride.  Whoever decided that Priyanka and Karl needed to be in a movie together deserves a raise. Their onscreen chemistry is just out of this world and you could cut the tension with a knife. It was glorious.  The fight scenes had me both smiling with joy and wincing in shock, the movie definietly earned the R rated on this one, but I mean her name says ...

Genre: Adventure, Comedy, Drama, Family, Fantasy, Fantasy Epic, Adventure Epic Rating:   PG Synopsis:  A young girl discovers a secret map to the dreamworld of Slumberland, and with the help of an eccentric outlaw, she traverses dreams and flees nightmares, with the hope that she will be able to see her late father again. *** I was not overwhelmed by the trailer of this movie, but thought I would give it a try.  First impressions of the movie felt very much like Nim’s Island. Single parent on an island, raising a child and something happens to the adult causing the child to have an adventure in the process.  With the rating it did become somewhat predictable to adults, however I believe that kids up to 14 may love this show. I think that adults should try to embrace the imagination of this as I know that most will have forgotten that feeling.  The cast did a great job with their respective characters but special shout out has to go to Marlow Barkley as Nemo and...

  Genre: Action, Adventure, Drama, Horror, Sci-Fi, Thriller Rating:   TV-MA Synopsis: After a global pandemic destroys civilization, a hardened survivor takes charge of a 14-year-old girl who may be humanity's last hope. *** I will go on record immediately that I love this game and have played it through many times over the years. So when I heard about the TV show I was very excited.  I will admit that at first I was unsure about some of the casting choices, however it was clear very early on that each person played their parts beautifully. Both Bella Ramsey and Pedro Pascal did an amazing job in the lead roles. Gabriel Luna also played a great Tommy. Yet my heart could not stop the happiness when I saw the video game voice actors, Merle Dandridge as the same character  M arlene, Jeffrey Pierce the original Tommy as  Perry. And of course, the amazing  Ashley Johnson, the original Ellie, playing a new character of Anna and last but definately not least, the...

  Genre:  Drama, Horror, Mystery Rating:  TV-MA Synopsis:  Bizarre nightmares unfold in eight tales of terror in a visually stunning, spine-tingling horror collection curated by Guillermo del Toro. As a huge fan of Guillermo del Toro, I had high hopes for this. The opening is visually stunning and the music reminds me of the nightmare before Christmas.  There are some huge stars present and regardless of the story, I personally think everyone did an incredible job showing each character. The problem with a collection of short stories, such as this, is you run into a time problem. Some stories did not get enough time, while others wasted time on things that did not progress fast enough for the time allotted.  Here is a quick breakdown of my thoughts for each episode.  Lot 36 - A very slow start and quick end. Lots of build up very little reward, but the monster was cool. 6 out of 10. Graveyard Rats - Very cool visuals, great story, and straight to th...

  Genre:  Science Fiction, Horror, Drama Rating:  TV MA Synopsis:  Fourteen years after a deadly virus caused a global apocalypse, Jade Wesker fights for survival in a world overrun by infected creatures while being haunted by her past, her father, and what happened to her sister, Billie. Before I begin I want to make it clear that I really wanted this show to be amazing. I'm a huge fan of the games and the movies.  This show started off really well. Lots of tension, little bits of story, and already a mazing creatures. Sadly as it progressed it was so much back and forward in time that it was very confusing at times. There were also some things that did not make sense in either of the timelines. The writing also did not make sense and it did not improve as the show continued like I hoped it would.  Unfortunately, my husband and I watched this on Netflix under the 4k option and it was really bad quality. Definitely not 4k.  The actors all did amazing w...

  Genre:  Action, Drama, Crime, Thriller Rating:  R  Synopsis:  A docile family man slowly reveals his true character after his house gets burgled by two petty thieves, which, coincidentally, leads him into a bloody war with a Russian crime boss. I admit seeing the trailer for this movie I immediately thought of John Wick.  It was clear early on that this movie was hiding some weird mystery and WOW, what a ride. The movie did not hold back any punches and the beautifully choreographed fight scenes were just incredible. The violence was very graphic yet the main character  Hutch, played by Bob  Odenkirk, made it almost like dancing with a hint of humor. And not to sound creepy but some of those kills are freaking cool.  The storyline was perfect and everything played out in such a way that it felt natural and not forced. Each character brought what was expected to the overall movie and each actor did an incredible job of making me feel for the...

  Genre:  Action, Adventure, Drama, Horror, Science Fiction, Thriller Rating:  R  Synopsis:  A skilled Comanche warrior protects her tribe from a highly evolved alien predator that hunts humans for sport, fighting against the wilderness, dangerous colonizers, and this mysterious creature to keep her people safe. I'm a huge Predator fan so when I saw this trailer I had high hopes, with a hint of oh-please-let-it-be-good. I was admittedly very nervous about 1 person going toe to toe with a Predator, as we saw what happened last time and it was Arnie. Over the years the Predator franchise has had a few hits and misses. However, this one for me was a hit.  I'll admit before this movie I was a fan of Amber Midthunder from Roswell, New Mexico. I knew her acting skills were better than in the TV show so I'm glad she got a chance to show what she can do. The other actors I was not familiar with, however, everyone crushed their roles and I was rooting for them....