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The Mandalorian & Grogu | Average Guy Movie Review

Mandalorian bounty hunter Din Djarin (Pedro Pascal) and his apprentice Grogu continue to hunt down wanted men throughout the galaxy. Only now they're working for the New Republic. In order to gain intel on the whereabouts of a particularly illusive imperial officer, Mando and his little friend are forced to do a job for Jabba the Hutt's siblings, who took over his territory after his death. They want the duo to rescue Jabba's son, Rotta (Jeremy Allen White) from the planet Shakari, where he is forced to participate in gladiatorial games. So the first Star Wars  movie to hit cinemas in seven years is a leap from streaming platform to the big screen for Mando and his adorable little friend. It's an arguably safe move, I'll give you that, but also a smart one. In the year when NASA sent people to the moon for the first time in half a century, the bosses at Lucasfilm  are apparently following a similar plan. And much as Artemis II worked for the legendary space agency, ...
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Greenland 2: Migration | Average Guy Movie Review

After 5 years living underground, the Garritys are forced to leave their bunker in search of a new home. With all of North America uninhabitable, their only choice is to head for Europe, and the place where the Clarke asteroid impacted our planet. Which, due to its unique makeup, is believed to be one of the last hospitable places on Earth, and could hold the key to a new life on the surface.  I remember when Greenland  landed on Prime Video  after a cinematic release was aborted thanks to Covid. It was a bit of a surprise, in that it wasn't your typical Gerard Butler vehicle. Instead of the Scottishy-American hero in a super cheesy action flick, you get this pretty average guy and his family, caught up in an extinction level event. Their journey to safety is certainly tense, and a thrill ride for audiences, but witnessing all the chaos of Armageddon  from their perspective makes it all oddly relatable. Possibly a little too relatable. There was, however, one thing t...

The Dummy Detective | Average Guy Movie Review

A ventriloquist who also works as a private detective is hired by a mysterious woman struggling to deal with a stalker. As they begin their investigation, the PI and his dummy find themselves marooned, along with their client, at a creepy hotel in an isolated village. But when guests start dying, the duo realise they've got more than just a stalker to deal with. Usually when watching a murder mystery, the ventriloquist is the suspect. It's just a question of who's in charge; the dummy or the guy running them. But in an amusing twist,  The Dummy Detective  flips that on its head by having the dummy and his right hand man - so to speak - do the investigating. The whole thing kind of feels like a get together at Agatha Christie's house. Well, a puppet convention, anyway. The result is a crazy mash-up of genres and styles.  Set in the modern day, but inspired by classic noir movies. It's   And Then There Were None  with puppets.  All of which gives the mystery ...

The Wilde Girls | Average Guy Movie Review

During the Great Depression, sisters Tinsley and Mattie Wilde, two clueless socialites from New York, are sent to Washington State after their father commits suicide. There they face the elements, wild animals, merciless killers, and people they're used to looking down on. All without the creature comforts they are more than accustomed to. How will they survive? Everybody loves a fish-out-of-water story. Seeing someone struggle to adjust to a situation and/or environment they are clearly not suited to can be rather hilarious. Especially when said person is somewhat unlikeable. Which is exactly what you get with The Wilde Girls ... one of them, anyway. Writer/director Timothy Hines' cartoonishly calamitous trek into the woods is delightfully reminiscent of Disney 's classic cartoons. Tinsley (Lydia Pearl Pentz) and Mattie (Cali Scolari) lost in the wilderness is amusing all by itself, especially with Tinsley being so irritatingly snooty - think Jack Black as Bethany in Juman...

Für Elise | Average Guy Movie Review

Two people at a turning point in their lives attempt to figure out where their relationship is going through a discussion on Beethoven's famous piece of music; Für Elise.  Perspective is a word that springs to mind when it comes to Jaschar Marktanner's fascinating short film, Für Elise . More importantly, how perspectives may differ from one person to the next. Watching Tobias Mosig's 'Ludwig' play the titular piece of music - beautifully, I might add - as he regales a mildly interested Elise (Marlene Fahnster) with what turns out to be a (spoiler alert) fictional tale behind the origins of Beethoven's famous work, is at first quite charming. Until, that is, Elise destroys it with her own, arguably more relevant perspective. The thing is, they aren't really talking about music. From the moment they appear on screen, it is clear how familiar these two are with each other, and yet it all feels very awkward. Something is clearly off, which only adds to the intr...

Crime 101 | Average Guy Movie Review

A meticulous diamond thief (Chris Hemsworth) targets jewellery stores neighbouring the 101 freeway in Los Angeles. In need of some intel for his next job, the thief begins cultivating a relationship with a high end insurance agent (Halle Berry), disappointed with the lack of forward motion in her career. All while the one cop (Mark Ruffalo) who has connected the 101 robberies slowly closes in. I think it's fair to say that Bart Layton's latest crime thriller has some serious Heat vibes. Obviously this works in the movie's favour, even if Crime 101  doesn't quite meet the incredibly high bar set by Michael Mann's classic tale of cops and robbers. But it is still a slick and stylish thriller, that sees Hemsworth's complicated thief steal millions of dollars in diamonds by intentionally avoiding violence. It's a brilliant performance, in which we see something a little different from the Thor  actor. Yes he's playing a career criminal, but not what you’d ca...

Mercy | Average Guy Movie Review

In 2029, a Los Angeles police officer finds himself on trial for the murder of his wife. His is the 19th case to be heard in the new 'Mercy Court'. Strapped to a special chair, Detective Chris Raven (Chris Pratt) has just 90 minutes to prove his innocence to an A.I. judge (Rebecca Ferguson), or he will be executed. Timur Bekmambetov continues to explore the 'screen life' genre with Mercy , only this time he's apparently weighing in on the Artificial Intelligence issue. Much like he did with Searching , Bekmambetov has his main character using screens to solve a crime, and in this case, prove his innocence. Pratt brings a likeability to Raven (great name!), but doesn't shy away from this troubled man's flaws. Whereas Rebecca Ferguson's portrayal of Maddox, the A.I. judge, can be a little uneven. At first she is perfectly cold and unemotional, but towards the end of the movie that begins to faulter, somewhat. Although it's definitely more the fault of ...