Lamar's Reviews

Lamar Reviews - Mission Impossible: The Final Reckoning (Airdate 5/30/2025)

If you’ve been following my movie reviews for the last almost 30 years, you are aware that I have a complicated relationship with Tom Cruise. The first complication is that Tom Cruise has no idea of our relationship, and the second one is his

Hi-ra-grif-ically inconceivable connection with scientology. But in spite of that, when the cameras are rolling, this fool is movie magic! He gives it his full 100%.

I have loved every one of the Mission Impossible movies and could not wait for this one. Just for the record this franchise has made over $4 billion at the box office.

This is the 8^th film of the franchise and the second half of the 7^th film Mission Impossible Dead Reckoning, and if you believe what they are saying, the last of the Mission Impossible movies. Which makes me really sad.

The film treats us to several flashbacks early in the movie to not only catch you up, but to remind you of bits of the earlier movies, as well as the people that Cruise’s character Ethan Hunt has loved and lost. One of the long running threads that connects all of these movies is the lengths that Ethan is willing to go and the risks he will take to protect his team and the people he loves. That not only includes risking the country, but in this instance the entire human race.

Picking up where the last movie left off, Ethan and the team are tracking down villain Gabriel, played gleefully by Esai Morales, but who is working for the real villain The Entity, an artificial intelligence that has infiltrated the internet and is going to destroy the world and humanity as we know it.

Ethan is tasked with the most impossible mission ever by the President, played by Angela Bassett. None of her staff agree with her decision including the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, who is played by Nick Offerman from the office. It actually took me quite a few seconds to recognize him without the beard. But when the world hangs in the balance, and only one man can save it, who better than Ethan Hunt?

It is the longest Mission Impossible yet at, 2 hours and 49 minutes, Rated PG-13 for strong violence and action, bloody images and some language. Could it have been a little shorter? Yes. Do I wish it had been any shorter? No.

To keep the PG-13 one of the fight scenes that would have been the bloodiest happens completely off-screen. We hear the fight, which sounds horrific, but all we actually see is one of the characters’ shocked reactions to what happened, the rest is left to your imagination.

As you would expect there are a couple of stunt scenes that of course Cruise does himself that one will leave you gasping for air, and the other white knuckling the arm rest.

My high expectations were met and exceeded. This one makes me want to go back and watch all of them again. They keep saying Top Gun 3 is coming, and I can’t wait. Tom, still saving you a seat on the J-Team bus.

My Score: A Full 6 pack of Ice Cold Budweisers

Lamar Reviews - "Fred & Rose" (Airdate 5/23/2025)

This is not the first documentary about Fred and Rose West, there are at least 7, and maybe more, plus podcasts. I have only seen this one on Netflix but it’s hard to imagine anyone doing a better documentary than Netflix. Plus, this documentary has “previously unseen police video and unheard audio recordings.” I will say, hearing Fred’s voice as he is talking to the investigators about the murders. And the fact that he sounds like he is talking about picking up milk and bread at the local grocer. He speaks of horrific things in the same tone as discussing the weather.

If you are not familiar with the story, Fred West was a serial killer who killed and buried his victims without hesitation, feeling, and certainly not regret.

Netflix did a good job representing the victims and their families. The one thing it did not delve into was how terrible a childhood their children had. They had 10 children although at least 4 of them were fathered by Rose’s clients. Oh yeah, Fred’s wife Rose was a prostitute. Fred’s idea.

Let’s get this upfront, Fred is not a good guy, a good husband, a good father, he was evil in a human body.

All of their children were abused in every way possible, but the Netflix documentary did not delve into that as much as others have.

There are 3 episodes, close to an hour each, Rated TVMA, make no mistake this is not a family show. It shows just how horrific people can possibly be, and the details are disturbing.

The documentary gets right to it. Within a few minutes you see footage of this weird looking man handcuffed to a police officer showing them where his murdered daughter is buried.

Time was taken with the victims’ families so that they had a chance to talk about their loved ones that became Fred’s victims. They seem to have been able to get some closure.

Fred seemed to enjoy the cat and mouse game he played with the police, acting like there was only one body, then admitting to another, and another.

This documentary will stay with you for a while. Jant Leach was assigned to Fred as the Appropriate Adult, a person who looks out for the rights of vulnerable people, underage or with possible mental disabilities in the UK. She is interviewed and shares some conversations Fred had with her about what police were discovering in his back yard and house. It was very disturbing.

At one point he is called out by one of the officials saying “Fred, you’ve got that awful smirk on your face again,” as he is seemingly avoiding telling the truth. Then he starts giggling as he gives up more information about more victims. It is the sound of someone without a soul. That soul has already found its home in hell long ago and is just waiting for the arrival of Fred.

Even Hollywood can’t come up with stuff to match the reality that in a world of 8.2 billion people, Fred and Rose can’t be the only ones like this.

My Score: 5 Cold and Disturbing Buds

"Your Friends & Neighbors"

Jon Hamm will always be Don Draper. If you are not familiar with that you need to immediately take a week off and watch Mad Men. It is an amazing show and so is John Hamm in it. But that does not mean he has not been able to play other roles and be just as good.

In Your Friends & Neighbors Hamm plays Cooper, he has a wife, Mel, played by Amanda Peet, 2 kids, Tori and Hunter played by Isabel Gravitt and Donovan Colan, and life is good. He lives in a ridiculously wealthy neighborhood, with gigantic mansions, and all the trappings that come with it.

But now things are not quite going his way, he caught his wife in bed with his best friend Nick, a former NBA star played by Mark Tallman, and now they are divorced. And to cap it off he has lost his job.

Now to add to the confusion Coop is sleeping with Sam, a friend of his ex-wife, played by Oliva Munn.

Even though Coop does not have a job he is still supporting his ex and his children in the style which they have been accustom. He refuses to admit to his family that he no longer has a job, creates a huge dilemma for Coop.

A great part of this show is having Hamm narrate what is happening and what Coop is thinking. We hear his inner turmoil and realization that living this opulent country club lifestyle with thousand- dollar bottles of scotch, $50,000 Birkin handbags and endless parties where people are trying to impress people, they actual hate, is ridiculous and has no real point.

At one of these parties, with all the guests outside, Coop goes to the bathroom and starts poking around, opening drawers. He comes across one full of luxury watches the owner never wears. He decides to take one and sell it. He realizes that every house in his neighborhood is full of expensive items they never use, and best of all probably would never miss. This is the answer to his money problems. Or so he thinks.

The show is on Apple TV, there are 9 episodes each about an hour, Rated TV-MA for tons of language, lots of sex and nudity, definitely an adult show.

Of course, we as the viewer ask the simple question, why does he not tell his family that at the present time he does not have a job and they are going to have to adjust their lifestyle until he can get his life back on track. There are multiple reasons, pride, embarrassment, sense of duty as a father and husband, but the real reason is storyline. Most of the conflict in drama and comedy comes from having characters who refuse to have a ten-minute conversation that would clear things up. Like TV cops announcing who they are to the bad guys from 2 blocks away to create a chase scene. Without conflict and bad decisions, we have no entertainment.

If you are a fan of Jon Hamm and you have Apple TV, you will not be disappointed.

My Score: 5 Cold Buds

Lamar Reviews - "Thunderbolts" (Airdate 5/9/2025)

There used to be an excitement when a Marvel movie came out. People talked about it for months before it came to the screens. For over a decade it seemed like they could do no wrong! Iron Man in 2008 got everybody’s attention. The Avengers in 2012 kept it going, Guardians of the Galaxy took it to a new level, and Black Panther blew everyone away. Marvel reached a crescendo with Avengers: Endgame, by killing off some major characters. Then came the decline, all the way down to Captain America: Brave new world, Eternals, (still not exactly sure what that was all about), and Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania (although Evangeline Lilly can do no wrong).

Marvel needed to change it up and do something different, and they did. Thunderbolts is that change. It still follows the classic formula that all successful Marvel movies have, but it noticeably different from the post-Endgame movies.

Florence Pugh as Yelena Belova, Red Room assassin, and Black Widow’s sister, carry’s the movie. She brings human dimension to Yelena as a depressed going through the motions of being an assassin and wondering why. Don’t get me wrong, the movie is not dark and depressing, especially with David Harbour as the hilarious over the top Red Guardian. This entire group is trying to kill each other before they are forced to join forces and become a team. The fake Captain America played by Wyatt Russell, Kurt’s son, Ghost played by Janna John-Kamen, Bob, played by Lewis Pullman, who looks exactly like his father Bill. They are led by Bucky, The Winter Soldier, played by Sebastian Stan. Of course there can be no Marvel movie without a villain, Valentina Allegra de Fontaine, is played completely over the top by Julia Louis-Dreyfus. She may not be the best Marvel Villain, but she is the most annoying.

The movie is 2 hours and 6 minutes, Rated PG-13 for strong violence, language, thematic elements, and some suggestive references.

The chemistry and group dynamics of the team are solid and that is important to the movie. The back and forth between the team is entertaining.

I love Marvel movies but after Avengers: Endgame everything has been about the multiverse which is very confusing. Especially if you are not a dedicated Marvel viewer who sees every movie, every TV series, and comic. If you get out of the loop it is hard to get back in and understand all that is going on. If you have never seen a Marvel movie you almost have to go back and start at the beginning to know what’s happening.

Thunderbolts might be a good entry point for someone who has skipped a few or never seen a Marvel movie.

Every time you see The Thunderbolts* there is an asterisk. That is because The Thunderbolts are actually the New Avengers and that is what they will be called in the future.  I think there is a good possibility that that they are the future of the Marvel Universe. At least at this point they have stopped the downward slide.

I really enjoyed this movie.

My Score: 5 Ice Cold Frosty Budweisers

Lamar Reviews - Bad Influence: The Dark Side of Kidfluencing (Airdate 5/2/2025)

Lamar Reviews - "Sinners" (Airdate 4/25/2025)

Wow, this movie is a lot! It has many moving parts. It is a period piece, a gangster movie, it’s a horror movie, and it’s about the power of music. Now the question, is it too much? Yes, it probably is, but Writer/Director Ryan Coogler manages to make it work. At least it did for me.

Michael B. Jordan plays two characters, twin brothers, Smoke and Stack. It is 1932 in Mississippi, and they have fought in World War I, then lived in Chicago for 7 years, working with the Italian and Irish mobs. Now, they are back with a bag of cash and a truck load of stolen liquor, ready to open a juke joint and make some big money.

They use the bag of money to buy a rundown sawmill. They go around town hiring musicians, like their guitar playing cousin Sammie, played by Gospel and R&B singing great, Miles Caton, and piano banging Delta Slim, played by Delroy Lindo. The brothers both have women they left behind. Mary, played by Hailee Steinfeld, that stack left, without saying goodbye, and Annie, played by Wunmi Mosaku, who smoke shared a child with.

Opening-night is going gangbusters and the blues music that is the soundtrack for the movie is fantastic. All is going well, until the vampires show up. Yes, that is the horror part of the movie, and it is a bloody spectacle. Think Tarantino’s From Dusk till Dawn.

The movie is 2 hours 17 minutes, Rated R for strong bloody violence, sexual content and tons of language, especially about sexual content.

Like I said earlier, it is true there might be too much going on in this movie, but I can’t think of anything I would take out that would not change it for the better.

For the period piece of it, Coogler does an excellent job of showing what it was like for African Americans at that time, in that place. To just say it was a hard, hard life would be disrespectful.

That is where the mournful blues that we have come to love so much came from. I’m sure, as we enjoy the music, we do not normally think about the pain that it originated from.

The cinematography of the huge sky and the endless rows of cotton are breathtaking. The action is nonstop once it starts and is very gruesome. But the music is always there pushing everything in the movie forward. I have to say I have never tapped my foot to the rhythm for the entire time in a horror movie.

When you go, and the movie is over, and you have caught your breath, sit still. Do not get up. There is a post credit scene. After that scene, sit still, do not get up, even if the person sweeping up popcorn is coming. There is still one more scene. Then, get up and walk out, thinking about what a great movie it was.

My Score: 5 frosty cold delicious Budweisers.

Lamar's Review - "Gone Girls: The Long Island Serial Killer" (Airdate 4/18/2025)

This is a documentary about ten sets of skeletal remains that were found along a beach in Long Island between 2010 and 2011, the search for their killer.

What started the investigation was the disappearance of Shannan Gilbert, 24 on May 1, 2010. The Suffolk County police did not put a lot of effort into the case because she was a prostitute. What forced the search and kept it going was her Mother Mari Gilbert. She would not let it go; she constantly called them, she was in the newspaper and on TV, demanding they do something.

In December of 2010 that found a set of skeletal remains. Soon after, three more were found. Through DNA they were able to identify them, all were sex workers who disappeared between 2007 and 2010.

The documentary spends a lot of time interviewing family members and friends of some of the murder victims. Also, journalists, law enforcement officials, and people who knew Rex Heuermann, who had been arrested for the murders.

The Documentary is on Netflix and consists of 3 episodes, each about 50 minutes long. Rated TV-MA

Part one, deals with the discovery of the bodies of the four murdered women and the indications of a possible serial Killer. There was also the possibility of finding more victims.

Part two details the corruption in the Suffolk County Police Department that hindered the investigation and led to the arrest of high-ranking law enforcement officials.

Part three shows some amazing police work along with discoveries that broke the case wide open and led to the arrest of Rex Heuermann.

I’m not sure how this documentary could have been any better. There were so many close calls that could have changed the outcome for these women.

What really sticks out in this documentary is how different the entire situation would have been if the victims had been women of any other profession than sex-workers. When someone that is living that lifestyle goes missing very often there is no immediate urgency. By the time family members get someone to investigate, the crime is cold. These victims were loved by friends, parents, and in some cases, their own children. No one grows up dreaming of a sex-workers life, circumstances and yes, sometimes bad decisions put them there, but they deserve to live and received justice if they are murdered.

The other thing that really hits home is how one act of corruption can affect the lives of so many people, and in this case let a killer get away for so many years.

This is a great documentary that you will want to watch in one sitting.

My Score: 5 Ice Cold Frosty Budweisers

Lamar Reviews - "A Working Man" (Airdate 4/4/2025)

The critic score on this movie is not high, but the audience score is. Is this Jason Statham’s greatest movie? No, it is not. Could the plot be better, less complicated, and all make perfect sense? Yes, it could. Are some of the characters played so far over the top that they are almost cartoonish? Aren’t they always? I think we established that this is a Jason Statham movie, so none of this should be a surprise. You can say this about every movie he’s ever done.

He has built a fantastic career by doing basically the same thing over and over.

His 31 films have made $8.2 Billion. And his net worth is well over $100 million.

If you are looking for him to change his brand you need to make yourself comfortable, you’re going to be waiting a while.

In his last movie, The Beekeeper, that made over $162 million, he played a man that had a history of being a badass, who has walked away from all that to seek a quiet life. A person who has been kind to him gets fleeced by phone scam people, and loses her life. He seeks revenge by killing people who use the phone to ruin elderly people’s lives. Who doesn’t love to see that?

In A Working Man, he’s Levon Cade, a former military badass who just wants to be a quiet construction foreman for a family-owned company. Are we seeing a pattern here?  The company is run by Joe Garcia, played by Michael Pena.  All is going well until Joe’s daughter Jenny, played by Arianna Rivas, is kidnapped by human traffickers, which I’m sure we can all agree that we hate, which are employed by a Russian mobster, which we hate even more. Levon has promised to have Jenny’s back and will not let her down.

The plot, which is too complicated, involves Levon being a widower with a daughter he is trying to get custody of from a bitter father-in-law. Add a blind gunnery Sargent played by David Harbour and you have more plot than you will ever keep straight.

The movie is just shy of 2 hours, Rated-R for strong violence, language and drug content.

I dare say that not one person walked into that theater expecting something they did not get. I went on a Sunday afternoon and it was crowded. I looked around the theater and saw every possible representation of age, race, and sex. I sat on a row of 2 grandmothers, late 60’s early 70’s that ate popcorn and watched Jason Statham brutality kill the bad guys, and giggle while he did it.

Whether he is killing giant sharks in The Meg and The Meg 2 or driving cars that fly upside down and keep going in the Fast & Furious, and Transporter movies, he has proved that nothing can stop or even slow down Jason Statham at the box office.

He’s got 4 more movies lined up including another Fast & Furious and Beekeeper 2. I already have my tickets.

My Score, as a critic: 3 Buds 

My Score, as an audience member: 5 Cold Buds

Lamar Reviews - "The Alto Knights" (Airdate 3/28/2025)

In this movie Robert De Niro plays the two main characters, mobsters Frank Costello and Vito Genovese. I know it was supposed to be magical, but to me it was tedious.

I don’t think having Robert De Niro playing both major parts was the way to go. Having one actor play two parts really doesn’t make any sense to me, unless they are evil twins or brothers or some other reason. These guys are not kin, and they are completely opposite in all ways. In this movie it seems more like a stunt to me.

Costello grew up with Genovese and they formed a crime business selling black market alcohol during prohibition. Genovese got it some trouble and went to Europe to hide out. It was supposed to be for a short time, but World War II broke out and Genovese was stuck overseas for a long time. By the time he finally got back Costello had built it into a huge business, so he doesn’t feel like he owes Genovese anything. To keep the peace, he gives him some territory.

That does not set well with Genovese who is hot tempered, paranoid and a really bad guy. Costello, make no mistake, is a gangster and a bad guy, but he is also a businessman and tries act like one.

De Niro shows absolutely no energy in either role. As Costello he seems to spend most of the time sitting in his chair smoking. Every once in a while, his wife, played by Debra Messing, comes in and asks if everything is ok, and Costello tells her everything is fine.

The title Alto Knights comes from a local club that really never figures into the story except when it shows the history of Costello and Genovese growing up.

The movie starts with Costello being shot and then we jump to flashbacks that confuse, more than they move the plot forward.

The movie rehashes a lot of the famous mob stories like the Mafia summit meeting in upstate New York that ended when local police became suspicious of all the fancy cars with out-of-state tags all in one place. Nothing new, it was like watching a slow documentary about something you already know all about.

The movie is 2 long hours, Rated-R for violence and language.

There is nothing here that we have not seen many times in many mob movies. And the one thing it lacks is the excitement and tension of a good mobster movie. There was some action but not as much as you would expect.

I did manage to stay awake, but just barely. This movie did not add anything to De Niro’s career or legacy.

For an actor to have accomplished all he has in the movie industry, this was definitely a step down.

My Score: 2 Buds

Novocain

Jack Quaid is turning out to be a really good actor who gets better as he goes the fifth Scream, The Boys on Prime, Companion earlier this year, a lot of voice work in animated features, and now this movie.

The title of the movie is Novocain, and if you’ve seen the trailer, you know this is action from start to finish.

The main character in the movie is Assistant Bank Manager Nathan Caine, played by Jack Quaid and he is as mild-mannered as any human can be. The main reason for this is he is afflicted with congenital analgesia, a very rare condition that does not allow him to feel pain or temperature. The movie makes it easy to understand by showing things he has to do to survive like being on a liquid diet because he can’t chew food because he might bite off his tongue, sorta like when you go to the dentist and bite your cheek or tongue by mistake. He also has to set the timer on his watch to remind him to pee or he will burst his bladder. Nathan has one friend, a fellow gamer Roscoe, played by Jacob Batalon, and he has never seen him in person. He has a serious crush on a co-worker named Sherry, played by Amber Midthunder, but he has no earthly idea of how to talk to her. When he finally works up the courage it is Sherry who makes it a successful date.

When something unexpected happens and puts Sherry in jeopardy, Nathan makes it his mission to save her. He is a very unlikely hero with zero fighting skills, but since he can’t feel any pain, he sure can take a lick and keep on going.

The movie is 1 hour 50 minutes Rated R for strong bloody violence, grisly images, and language throughout.

No action movie deals with physical punishment in a realistic way. Both heroes and villains get kicked in the face multiple times and keep getting back up. As unrealistic as the action scenes may be in this movie, at least his condition explains how he can reach into a deep frier and pull a gun out of it.

Jack Quaid’s winning smile and unassuming cheerfulness makes it very easy to believe in his quest to save the woman he loves and possibly have the life he’s always wanted.

And speaking of that woman, Amber Midthunder does a wonderful job making you understand why Nathan is so smitten by her.

This is another one of those movies that is not going to change your life, unless you are looking to get in a better mood. The plot is certainly not deep and complicated, but there are a few twists, turns, and surprises to keep you paying attention.

It is bloody, violent, at times cringy, funny all the way through, and at times, sweet. Did I mention bloody, it truly is bloody.

My Score:5 Buds