Lamar Reviews - "Send Help" (Airdate 2/6/2026)
I have been looking forward to this movie since the first time I saw the trailer. I am a huge Rachel McAdams fan, love her in everything she’s in. Dylan O’Brien is awesome as the guy you love to hate, and he is fantastically hateable in this movie. This is a dark psychological comedy/horror/thriller. It covers all those genres. McAdams plays office worker Linda Liddle. She is the backbone of the office, she is the worker that puts all the numbers together, does all of the research, while pompous know-nothing executives take all the credit and one even gets the promotion she was promised after 7 years. She is quiet, almost invisible at the office, a little frumpy, although it is all but impossible to hide her beauty, and eats tuna salad at her desk. She lives alone with her bird. Her new boss, Bradley, played by O’Brien, is a rude, self-centered, misogynistic, cruel person. They take the company jet to a huge meeting overseas and the plane goes down in the ocean.
The only survivors are Linda and Bradley. She actually saves his life, but he still has no respect
for her. But on the island, the power dynamic has changed. When it comes to food, water, and
shelter, Bradley is worthless. Linda on the other hand, has skills that would impress Bear Grylls. How are they going to make it until they are rescued? The movie is 1 hour and 53 minutes, Rated-R for strong bloody violence. The transformation of Linda Liddle from the start
of the movie to the end is amazing. It is the best, most interesting thing about the movie. The Linda we are introduced to is not quirky cute; she is a mess. Her Goodwill clothes not only do not match, they do not fit. Her flat hair not only lacks style, but it looks like it could use a good wash to get the oil out. All of her office conversations are cringe and awkward, totally ignored by all of her workmates. But when she got on the island, all of those seasons of Survivor she watched with her bird in her apartment started to pay off. And soon we are looking at a new confident Linda. A beautiful warrior Linda that is not afraid to stare down a wild boar pig with a sharp stick.
The other thing that makes this movie is all the twists and turns. Just as soon as you think you
know where the movie is headed it takes a sharp turn. By the time you are almost adjusted to that turn, it takes another. Then it goes upside down. I saw this movie in 3D, only because of the time I could see it only 3D was available, definitely not worth the extra $3. 3D is never worth the trouble or the money. You might feel a lull in the second half but don’t worry, one of those crazy sharp turns is about to come up.
Not everybody is going to love this movie, my smoking hot wife was not crazy about it, and a
couple of people we talked to coming out considered it just ok. That’s fair I can respect that.
But for me it was all I could have wanted it to be.
My Score is a judicious and laudable 4.93 Buds.
Lamar Reviews - "People We Meet on Vacation" (Airdate 1/30/2026)
Make no mistake, this romcom is not going to
change the world. But, since this is on Netflix, it’s
not going to cost you $50 to see it in a theater. You
can watch it from your comfortable chair at home
and pause it when you have to go to the
bathroom.
For a romantic comedy to be good, the chemistry
between the couple must be good and believable.
And you must like both people. It is, and you will.
Now there are no surprises here, but let’s be
honest, there hasn’t been any real surprises in a
romantic comedy in quite a few years. Yet we still
watch them, and if they are done right, we enjoy
them and forget them until the next one.
Poppy, played by Emily Bader, met when Alex,
played by Tom Blyth, agrees to give her a ride
home from college during a break.
Immediately it is clear that they are polar
opposites that don’t agree on anything. Alex is a
man with a plan, and he always follows that plan.
He is punctual, practical, neat and no nonsense.
Poppy on the other hand is care free, take it as it
comes, jump and look later, and filled with
wanderlust.
Those things in themselves guarantee that in
around 1 hour and 35 minutes they will declare
their love forever.
Trust me, I timed it. The question is, do we enjoy
the next little over an hour and a half?
The movie is 1 hour and 57 minutes, Rated-PG-13
for sexual content, drug use, nudity and brief
strong language.
The title would suggest single people meeting
people for no-strings flings will traveling the world
but that is not at all the case. This story is about 2
people who become platonic friends and meet up
once a year to travel on exotic vacations, (Poppy
is a Travel Writer), and totally enjoy each other’s
friendship.
We are introduced to the story present day as
Poppy is invited to a wedding that both her and
Alex are invited too. She is not going to go
because their friendship has become estranged.
They have not spoken in two years, and it would
be awkward. Reckless Poppy at the last minute
decides to go.
The audience is brought up to speed on what
caused the rift by showing flashbacks of Poppy
and Alex’s nine year travel history.
The movie works because you love both
characters, and you believe that they love each
other. Although neither one wants to approach the
subject. The movie does give us a few near
misses to give us hope, even though as we are
going, “will they or won’t they”, we already know
the outcome. It is the journey we want to see. And
in my opinion the movie does not disappoint.
This is basically Harry Met Salley without the
restaurant scene. But so is most every successful
romcom.
Jameela Jamil, Molly Shannon, and Alan Ruck
round out cast, and add some great moments to
the movie. It’s on Netflix, whatta you got to lose?
My Score: 4 Sweet and Fun Budweisers.
Lamar Reviews - "Anaconda" (Airdate 1/16/2026)
It’s the beginning of January and this is when
Hollywood releases the dogs. What could be
worse than a remake of the 1997 film of the same
name that starred J-Lo, Ice Cube, John Voight,
and a not-so-great CGI snake. It was bad enough
to become a cult classic. So, making an exact
remake would have been out of the question.
But making an action comedy would work. Of
course, that would require casting some really
funny actors and a beautiful woman that could be
tough. Jack Black, Paul Rudd, Steve Zahn, and
Thandiwe Newton, were great choices for sure.
But you still need a good writer/director to pull it all
together or you’re still going to wind up with a silly
mess. They chose Tom Gormican who did The
Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent that starred
Nicolas and Pedro Pascal. So, they put together a
team that looks good on paper…. But, will it still
suck on the screen? NO! It did not.
It has already made over $100 million in the first
two weeks. So, no it does not suck, but on Rotten
Tomatoes, the Critic Rating was 50% but the
Audience Rating was 76%. All you other movie
critics, please remove that stick, I know it must
make it uncomfortable and hard to sit!! My son
Clay and I went to the movie fully expecting it to
be bad, but maybe so much worse than the
original it might be funny. Oh, it was funny, but not
bad funny, it is genius funny, meaning they got it
exactly right!
Jack Black plays Doug, Paul Rudd plays Griff,
Steve Zahn plays Kenny, and Thandiwe Newton
plays Claire. They are childhood friends from
Boston who dreamed of making movies, but when
they grew up it didn’t happen. Doug makes a living
as a wedding videographer, Griff is a third tier
actor that just got fired, Clair is a lawyer that hates
her job, and Kenny who has had some problems
is finally sober, “Buffalo sober”, he now only drinks
beer, wine, and some of the lighter liquors like gin
and vodka. They get together and decide to film a
remake of the terrible 1997 film, Anaconda.
Working on a $43,000 budget they head to the
amazon, where they wind up being pursued by a
giant Anaconda.
The movie is a perfect hilarious 1 hour and 39
minutes, Rated PG-13 for violence/action, strong
language, some drug use and suggestive
references.
Even though people are constantly being
devoured by the gigantic snake, it is not really
scarry, but it is consistently funny. I laughed during
the entire movie, and mostly out loud. And so did
the rest of the crowd.
Jack Black for some reason that I can’t explain
has never been on my list of actors I love. I admit
it’s me not him. He is tremendous in every movie,
comedy or drama. And just like he does in every
role, works his butt off, and is hilarious in this
movie. We are now close; I’m putting him on my
list. My son and I loved this movie!
My Score: Giving it a strong 4 Buds, but in my
heart, it is a solid 5.
Frankenstein
There have been 433 feature films, 212 short
films, 85 TV series and 340 TV episodes featuring
Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein in some version or
interpretation. That sounds like a lot.
I can’t speak to 95% of those other hundreds of
versions. This is Guillermo del Toro’s version, and
it is a very different one than I’ve ever seen.
Half of the movie is told from Victor Frankenstein’s
point of view, and the other half is told from the
creature’s point of view. That makes it a very
interesting movie.
The question the movie forces you to answer is,
who is the actual villain in the story.
Victor is the son of a surgeon whose failure to
save his mother, played by Mia Goth, during
childbirth instills in him a drive to find a cure for
death.
There is a storyline of his not-so-great relationship
with his brother William, played by Felix
Kammerer, and his forbidden love for his brother’s
fiancée Elizabeth, also played by Mia Goth.
Oedipus complex much?
Victor Frankenstein, played by Oscar Isaac is
totally obsessed with the idea of creating the
creature and defeating death, and when he
succeeds, he’s not sure what to do with what he
has made.
The movie is a sometimes long 2 ½ hours, del
Toro has a lot to say. It is Rated R for bloody
violence and grisly images.
The creature is played by Jacob Elordi, and the
makeup is excellent. Elordi spent over 10 hours in
the makeup chair. Sometimes he would arrive at
the makeup trailer at 10PM and stay up all night to
be ready to shoot. Guillermo says Elordi worked
many 20 hour days and never complained. To play
the creature Elordi studied Japanese Butoh dance
and Mongolian throat singing to have the right
mannerisms.
Christoph Walz played Harlander, an arms dealer
who financially supported Victor, and helped him
get dead bodies from the wars he supported.
Charles Dance played Leopold Frankenstein,
Victor’s abusive father. Being a doctor himself, he
taught Victor medicine, but in a very harsh way.
When Victor’s mother died, he blamed his father,
and was set on defeating death, whatever the
cost.
One of the things that follows the book is the
creature’s friendship with the blind man. This is
how the creature’s humanity is fully revealed to us,
and we get to know him and what life is like for
him.
There are some trivial impossibilities that you
might notice, but you have to ignore them in a
movie based on impossibilities. It’s like critiquing
Superman’s cape, you are pointing out something
about a thing that not possible in the first place. So
let it go and enjoy a beautifully made movie, which
is what this is.
As I pointed out, the movie can be a little long, but
I really enjoyed Guillermo del Toro’s take on a
story he is truly passionate about.
My Score: A very solid 5 Buds.
Lamar Reviews - Champagne Problems (Airdate 12/19/2025)
We all have our list of standard movies that we
watch during the Christmas season. Maybe Elf,
Miracle on 34 th Street, Die Hard of course, or
possibly Polar Express. Whatever yours might be,
sometimes you want to watch something you
haven’t seen before. Or something that is short,
simple, and sweet, but a little more than a
Hallmark movie. If so, Champagne Problems
streaming on Netflix might just be the movie for
you.
We immediately meet Sydney, a businesswoman
who works for a big corporation that buys up small
businesses and is played by the beautiful Minka
Kelly. My first thought was how handsome is the
guy that is playing her love interest?
She lands the job of flying to Paris to negotiate the
purchase of a private Champagne vineyard. Her
mother died when she was young and only her
and her younger sister are left. She has spent her
life raising her sister and working extremely hard
to succeed. Since she has never been to Paris her
sister made her “pinky swear” to take one night to
see the city. She is actually only in Paris for one
night and then the meeting the next day. She
keeps her promise and one of her stops is a
bookstore where she meets Henri, played by
smoldering, drop dead good looking, French
speaking charmer, Tom Woznicka, from Slow
Horses.
The two beautiful people fall in love, and
everything is wonderful….until it isn’t.
Sydney is heading for a one on one presentation
with the owner of the winery, Hugo, played by
Thibault de Montalembert, a famous French actor.
But Hugo turns out to be a quirky guy and has a
different plan. There are three other companies
vying to purchase the winery, and all four of them
will be negotiating in the same room at the same
time.
The movie is 1 hour 39 minutes, Rated TV-14
This movie moves with very quick and smooth
pace. And like I said the chemistry between the
two stars is excellent and fun to watch.
Even better is the comedy among the bidders.
Brigitte, played by Astrid Whettnall, has the inside
track since she owns the Winery next door and
has known Hugo for years. Otto, played by Flula
Borg, is a strait-laced German who could not be
more German. Die Hard is his favorite Christmas
movie, he does a complete diatribe about how he
hates John McClane and loves the German
national hero, Hans Gruber. The last bidder is
Roberto, played by Sean Amsing, who is an ultra-
flamboyant son of a billionaire. He knows
absolutely nothing about running a business but
loves Champagne and throwing parties.
All of this happens with the backdrop of the city of
Paris and the beautiful snow covered grounds of a
winery. It is a beautiful movie.
Champagne Problems is very predictable, but just
like all these types of movies, extremely satisfying.
My Score: Based on the scale of Christmas Rom-
Coms, 5 snow covered Budweisers.
Lamar Reviews - Sean Combs - "The Reckoning" (Airdate 12/12/2025)
We’ve all read a ton and watched hours of
coverage about what all has gone on with Sean
John, Puffy, Puff Daddy, P. Diddy, Diddy, Brother
Love, Frank Black Combs. I thought I had an idea
of what actually went on. Boy was I wrong.
He is not just a bad guy, this man is evil from top
to bottom, inside and out.
Combs Lawyers sent a cease-and-desist letter to
Netflix, demanding that the series be withdrawn.
After watching the documentary, I see why. But
Netflix doesn’t seem to be worried.
In the first episode we find out that Diddy’s father
was a drug dealer that got shot in his car at 33.
So, he was raised by his mother and seemingly
devoted to her.
When he was young, he was a go getter, not
afraid to work hard to succeed. He was smart, and
if he had chosen to use his talents for good, this
would be a completely different story, but he didn’t.
He chose to be devoid of any sign of humanity. To
erase any sign of a conscience. To use people in
the worst ways possible, leaving them broken in
every way. To charm and manipulate women only
to trap them, control them and physically assault
them over and over if they didn’t obey.
The only thing he cares about is money, fame, and
the power it brings him. Not only does he acquire
all of those things, but they also allow him to act
with impunity, never answering for anything he has
done. Until now.
But has justice actually been served? Convicted of
two counts of transportation to engage in
prostitution. 50 months in prison, and a $500,000
fine.
When I listened to the jurors talk about how they
found him not guilty for all of those charges, it
made me want to throw up. It seems like they
were star struck by Diddy’s fame and he charmed
them. To hear them say that since Cassie kept
going back after being beat, there must have been
love between them. This is a case of a couple
having some disagreements. To say that after
watching the footage from the hotel cameras, is
this year 1945? Do we still not understand what
abuse is and what it looks like, mental and
physical.
Alexandra Stapleton directed Sean Combs: The
Reckoning, but the man responsible for this
documentary is Curtis “Fitty Cent” Jackson is the
executive producer. He has had a “hate-on” for
Diddy for a long time and has been telling people
about him for years.
The Documentary is four episodes, total run time
is 4 hours 2 minutes, Rated TV-MA for language
and disturbing topics.
I feel for those who testified against him, it was
said in the documentary, he never forgets a slight.
I’m sure he has a list of every person who went
against him and is planning revenge.
This is a dark story about a very evil man that
would have made a great movie if it was fictional,
but sadly all these terrible things actually
happened to real people, and many real lives have
been ruined.
My Score: 5 Buds
Lamar Reviews - Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out Mystery (Airdate 12/5/2025)
If you see this movie because you love Daniel
Craig as Benoit Blanc, you will not be
disappointed. But the big surprise is Josh
O’Connor as Father Jud Duplenticy, a former
boxer turned priest. I was not familiar with him, but
he almost stole the movie. He was fantastic, to the
point that when Daniel Craig is not in a scene, he
is not missed, and that is saying something.
Father Jud, after a violent outburst, as
punishment, is sent from Upstate New York to a
tiny parish in the village of Chimney Rock. He
goes to work for Monsignor Jefferson Wicks,
played by Josh Brolin, a bombastic, angry
pessimist.
It is an understatement to say that Father Jud and
the Monsignor do not see eye to eye on how to
tend to the very small flock. That flock consists of
Glen Close as Martha, who keeps the accounts
and the running of the church. She had worked for
the previous Monsignor Wicks, Jefferson’s father,
and she is a devoted follower of both.
Thomas Haden Church plays the groundskeeper.
Kerry Washington is somewhat wasted as a
lawyer. Dr. Not Sharp, a broken-hearted alcoholic,
is played by Jeremy Renner. Andrew Scott plays
an author whose career is in the dump. And
Cailee Spaeny plays a musician with medical
problems looking for a miracle.
The Monsignor controls his small flock in a cultish
way and is very unwelcoming to any first time
visitors. This is very troubling to Father Jud who
was warned that Monsignor Jefferson is “a few
beads short of a full rosary.”
When one of the characters is murdered, in what
looks like, a “locked room mystery”, everyone is
present, but the evidence points to Father Jud.
Police Chief Geraldine Scott, played by Mila
Kunis, shows up to investigate, and she invites
Benoit Blanc to help.
Blanc agrees that it looks bad for Father Jud, but
he vows to get to the bottom of this mystery with
the Father’s help.
The movie at 2 hours 24 minutes, could be
considered a little long, but for me I was having
such a good time I did not want it to end, Rated
PG-13 for violent content, bloody images, strong
language, some crude sexual material, and
smoking.
Because the setting of this movie is a church there
is a lot of discussion of faith, especially between
Father Jud whose entire life has been changed by
his. Benoit is a man who bases his life on logic
and science. Their discussions on the subject are
very interesting to watch, and we see Blanc’s
surprise and amazement when he realizes just
how important Father Jud’s calling is to him.
This is the third Knives Out Mystery, and they get
better as they go, this being the best so far. What
really surprises me is that I feel like Daniel Craig
had less screentime in this than the other two, and
it was still fantastic. This shows the genius of
Writer and director Rian Johnson, and the faith he
had in Josh O’Connor.
My Score: A Full Six-Pack of frosty Budweisers
Lamar Reviews - The Running Man (Airdate 11/21/2025)
When you decide to remake a movie that is 38
years old you are spinning the roulette wheel.
When the star of the 38 year old movie is Arnold
Schwarzenegger your chances of winning are not
good. He could do no wrong in the 80’s when he
did the original running man. The movie is based
on a story written by Stephen King. Arnold had
them rewrite the screenplay to make it more action
oriented than the novel. The only thing the book
and the 1987 movie have in common is the title
and it follows the violent reality game, in the
looses way possible.
The 2025 Running Man stays a lot closer to the
novel except the ending. But don’t worry, the
violence and blood are still there. It shows a stark
dystopian America where the only thing people do
is watch TV. Media controls everything and it is
run by Dan Killian, played by Josh Brolin. Ratings
are everything, and he doesn’t care how many
people have to die on his game show to keep
them high.
His biggest hit is a gladiatorial game show called
The Running Man. Three contestants try to
survive for 30 days; the winner gets a $million.
They are hunted 24 hours a day by a group of 5
hunters. Citizens can get paid by calling in tips
when they spot them. There is nowhere to hide.
Ben Richards, played by Glen Powell, has a wife
and a sick child and no money to get medicine for
their child. He lost his job, and has a really bad
temper, and the Running Man is his last chance to
help his family.
This movie is a little long, 2 hours and 13 minutes,
Rated-R for strong violence, some gore, and
language.
I mentioned length, the 1987 original was 1 hour
41 minutes, which I think would have helped. Also,
the 1987 one was cheesy and a whole lot of fun!
This one not as cheesy, but also not as fun. It was
a little too serious. When the original story was
written it was set way in the future in the year
2025. In 1987 nobody could ever dream that
media would be as powerful as it is now. It’s been
this way for a while so not as riveting as it was 38
years ago.
Josh Brolin makes a decent maniacal villain, and
Colman Domingo as show host Bobby T, both
have their moments, nothing as memorable as
Richard Dawson in the original.
The most exciting and fun part of the movie is
when Michael Cera shows up, I could have used
more of him.
As I mentioned the movie was a little long, and
even though Glen Powell does a great job, this
2025 Running Man is not as much fun as the
original.
The good news is there is a huge segment of the
population that did not see the1987
Schwarzenegger Running Man, so they have
nothing to compare this newer one with.
By no means am I saying I did not enjoy this
movie, I did. I just prefer the original.
My Score: 4 Budweisers
"The Holiday Junkie"
It’s getting to be that time of year when Hallmark
and Lifetime holiday movies are really popular.
These two networks are fighting for the same
audience, but they do it in different ways. Here are
some of those differences.
Lifetime characters have better jobs, Hallmark
characters are mostly Advertising and Marketing
people from the big city.
Lifetime movies have a little more snark and are a
little funnier. Hallmark is more earnest, to the point
of corny, and proud of it. Nothing is ever
impossible, too sweet, or too magical. No
apologies. With Hallmark, objects can have
magical powers, a Nutcracker or a snowman can
come to life, no problem. When I think of Lifetime I
immediately think of drama and women in danger
first, and romance second.
Lifetime characters get together quicker, while
Hallmark takes them through turmoil until the
grand romantic gesture at the end.
Lifetime has more out of the box storylines, while
Hallmark follows the same few basic storylines,
just in different ways.
Lifetime has a larger range of actors. Hallmark has
its favorite actors that you recognize in multiple
movies.
The Holiday Junkie is a Lifetime movie starring
Jennifer Love Hewitt. I’m a big fan. She plays
Andie, a young woman who runs a Christmas
decorating company with her mother. This is the
first Christmas she’s doing it alone since her
mother died. She has the opportunity to make the
company bigger if she can impress a rich venture
capitalist when she decorates his house.
At the house she runs into Mason, played by
Hewitt’s real life husband Brian Hallisay. Mason
hates Christmas for some secret reason. Imagine
that.
Travel problems delay the family’s return, forcing
Mason and Andie to spend time together.
If you have ever watched any of these types of
movies, I don’t need to tell you anything else.
The movie is 1 hour and 28 minutes, Rated-
TVPG-13.
If you can’t find this movie on Lifetime, you can
still watch it on YouTube. That’s where my wife
Carla and I watched it.
We made different predictions about what was
going to happen, what disaster was going to bond
them, what secret is making him hate Christmas,
and we joined in when the coffee shop lady,
talking about the big shindig in town, challenged
Andie to say Holly Hill Holiday Hop, five times fast.
Yes, it was predictable, yes it was corny, but it was
also fun, especially with your significant other.
These movies are easy, relaxing, and maybe even
therapeutic.
Jennifer Love Hewitt wrote and directed this movie
as a tribute to her mother Pat. And because her
husband was her love interest, the chemistry,
especially the kissing scenes, was very
comfortable.
My Score on the Holiday Movie scale is 4 Buds
Lamar Reviews - "Bugonia" (Airdate 11/7/2025)
This is a really hard movie to review, one of the hardest I’ve ever reviewed. Not because it is a bad movie, which would be really easy. It is not because it is wonderful, I would just tell you not to miss it.
It is because it is very strange, and very hard to explain, at least without ruining the experience.
If you have watched the trailer, seeing that Emma Stone is in it makes it intriguing, and trying to figure out what heck is going on makes it interesting.
I will tell you that when you walk into the movie you don’t know what is going on, after 30 minutes you think you know what is going on, and 15 minutes later, you realize you just thought you knew and you really don’t. This continues every 15 minutes until the movie is over. Then as you walk out, you will be trying to decide exactly what have you have just seen.
The movie is 1 hour and 58 minutes, Rated-R for bloody violent content, grisly images, suicide and language.
Now I know that does not sound like ringing endorsement, but I’m not saying don’t go see it.
The problem is, my hands are tied, this movie goes in many directions, and it would be really easy to spoil it.
Emma Stone is fantastic as Michelle, the Gucci, Chanel, and Prada wearing CEO of a major pharmaceutical company. She wants everyone to think she cares for all employees and wants them to feel free to leave work early to be with their families, unless of course they have work they could be doing, it is of course still a job.
Then we have Teddy, played by Jesse Plemons, who is perfect as a bee keeping conspiracy theorist who blames Michelle for many things including putting his mother in a coma after her company’s drug trial went wrong.
Don, played by Aidan Delbis is Teddy’s sweet and simple cousin he drags into his scheme to kidnap Michelle and force her to admit she is an alien and save the bees.
The movie is aiming at dark comedy, but it brings more cringes than laughs. We get the idea that Michelle is not what Teddys says she is but it is plain her company is not the hero in this story, but at the same time she is the victim that Teddy has kidnapped and is torturing for what end we are not sure, so he is not the hero either.
Don, Teddy’s cousin is the only innocent in the movie, and the only one that actually makes any sense.
Emma Stone actually had her head shaved on camera in the scene, and just minutes before that scene was shot, she shaved the head of the director Yorgos Lanthimos.
Every actor did a great job, this is one of those movies that will have you guessing over and over, then being totally surprised at the end.
It was a rollercoaster ride of violence and craziness, but I am truly glad I saw it. You may or may not have the same experience.
My Score: 4 Budweisers
