The Pliley Review

  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....

  Genre: Animation, Action, Adventure, Drama, Family, Science Fiction Rating:  PG Synopsis:  Legendary space ranger Buzz Lightyear embarks on an intergalactic adventure alongside ambitious recruits Izzy, Mo, Darby, and his robot companion, Sox. As this motley crew tackles their toughest mission yet, they must learn to work together as a team to escape the evil Zurg and his dutiful robot army that is never far behind. Interesting premise for the movie, as the movie Andy saw before his birthday party and his toy hero setting the stage for the original Toy Story. I'm not sure if it's accurate but it's easy to ignore as the story takes over.  Great writing, not too bad on the storyline. Being a kid's movie this one was pretty predictable and there was a section early on that seemed to be dragged out a little. It was really distracting that Tim Allen was not the voice of Buzz, though to Chris Evans's credit he did a great job with the character's mannerisms and attit...

  Genre: Action, Drama, Fantasy Rating: R for strong/bloody violence and some language. Synopsis:  When a strong-willed princess refuses to wed a cruel sociopath, she is kidnapped and locked in a remote tower. With her scorned, vindictive suitor intent on taking her father's throne, the princess must protect her family and save the kingdom. Straight out of the gate this princess is not one to be messed with. I found myself rooting for her right from the opening scenes. Joey King, as The Princess, really just brought her game and crushed this movie. I felt for her character on so many levels and you really do just want to cheer her on the entire movie. Dominic Cooper shined as Julius, the awful suitor to our wonderful princess. He can definitely play a villain for sure.  The choreographed fight scenes are just beautiful. Joey really did just make the moves her own and never once did it look out of place. The storyline is basic, yet I feel it matched the overall feel of t...

  Genre:  Action, Drama, Thriller, Suspense Rating:  TV-MA Synopsis:  Navy SEAL Commander James Reece turns to vengeance as he investigates the mysterious forces behind the murder of his entire platoon. Free from the military’s command structure, Reece applies the lessons he’s learned from nearly two decades of warfare to hunt down the people responsible. Let me start by saying that this is definitely not what I would usually watch. But honestly, for Chris Pratt, I will at least try. And overall I'm glad I did.   That being said I have to just say wow, just wow. Chris's performance was just incredible. The supporting cast also did amazing with what they were given but really Chris's reach in this series is just mind-blowing. I really worried that I could not take him seriously in this type of role but he really did show his range with this. Now for the bad part. I couldn't help but compare the TV show to a drawn-out version of Sylvester Stallone's Rambo. Si...

Genre:  Fantasy, Drama, Horror, Science Fiction Rating:  TV 14 - This season deals with very violent deaths. Watch it first.  Synopsis: In  March 1986, eight months after the events of the third season,  several teenagers in Hawkins are killed in mysterious ways. Due to the events in Hawkins and the imminent danger to her friends Eleven is taken  to a secret facility to help her regain her powers. And when Joyce finds a clue that suggests Hopper is still alive nothing will stand in her way. But what if it's a  Demogorgon?  Wow, Netflix really did push the boundaries with this season for sure. Though I have to say for the most part it was just beautiful. The color contrasts, characters, special effects, and everything in between were somehow magical.  This season more new characters were introduced and while each actor played their part amazingly, there is a clear winner. Eddie, played by Joseph Quinn, was just perfection. My son would li...

  Genre:  Fantasy, Drama, Horror, Science Fiction Rating:  TV 14 Synopsis: The new Starcourt mall is the talk of the town. But when strange things start happening with Billy, Max's brother, it's up to our favorite band of misfits to get to the bottom of the mystery.  Straight off the bat in this season, it was amazing. Immediately there is a mystery, drama, and the start of a creature of some kind. The new characters like Mayor Larry, Cary Elwes did amazing and as a huge fan, it was awesome to see him in the show. Personally, I'm not a huge fan of Lucas's little sister's character but Priah Ferguson did a great job with the material she was given and towards the end I felt better about her being there.  Everyone did such an amazing job with this season. From the writers to the actors and everyone in between. Special shout-outs this season are most definitely Millie Bobby Brown as Eleven and Dacre Montgomery as Billy. Both were just freaking incredible in th...

  Genre:  Fantasy, Drama, Horror, Science Fiction,  Rating:  TV 14 Synopsis:  Reeling from his experience in the Upside Down, Will adjusts to life among the living. While everyone else in town prepares for Halloween and something sinister is growing.  Immediately we are thrown back into the weird and wonderful. Everyone is dealing with the aftermath of season 1. New characters are introduced immediately and at first, I wasn't sure but then Billy got out of the car. Mainly kidding but seeing Dacre Montgomery and Sean Astin I had high hopes for this season. I also felt that Sadie Sink as Max was a welcome addition to the group. None of the new characters pulled away from the original cast, in fact, I believe they added layers to them. Each of them did an incredible job.  The action and adventure scenes were amazing as was the CGI. The new creatures were just incredible and played their part perfectly. Trust Dustin to make a friend.  The major d...