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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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Emergence | Average Guy Movie Review

An ageing spy is unknowingly sent on a suicide mission and hunted for a valuable device in his possession. Jamel Lewis' bold proof of concept (which you can view below) is both a stunning demonstration of his abilities as a filmmaker, and an intriguing glimpse at the espionage thriller he has in development under his production banner; 210 Films . But more than that, it's a love letter to the stunt performers and coordinators who have elevated action cinema to the heart-pounding adrenaline rush that it is today. Kicking off mid-mission, Emergence  follows Chukwudi Iwuji's 'Marcus' as he simply tries to stay live. It is unclear exactly what he has done to garner such attention, even if his own emergence on to our screens is a little suggestive. All we know is it has to do with a mysterious device that everyone seems to want and he currently possesses. Thankfully such ambiguity doesn't prevent this electrifying short from taking hold. In fact, the not knowing actu...

Unfortunate Fortune | Average Guy Movie Review

Todd is a man struggling under the weight of life. He's searching for help. Guidance, even. So he turns to a fortune teller. But quickly discovers that the fortune you get, might not be the one you want. If you get a bad fortune, can you blame the fortune teller? Probably not. But as this crazy short film suggests, you might want to see how things play out, or at least check your interpretation of said fortune, before making any major life choices. Hope for the best, plan for the worst, and all that. Which is certainly what Todd (Timothy J. Cox) should have done, anyway. Cox is perfectly unhinged as this man on the precipice between hope and desperation, and yet still manages to make Todd relatable. That is, to a degree.  Usually however, it isn't just the person at the centre of this kind of situation that is affected. Family members are especially vulnerable. In this case it's Todd's estranged wife Kate (Diane M. Strohm) and his father Rick (George R. Hildebrand) - a ...

Seven Snipers | Average Guy Movie Review

A veteran sniper calls on members of her old unit for help when a warlord she once tangled with comes looking for revenge. Seven Snipers  is a movie that wastes no time in getting to the action. After briefly meeting Kris Hendricks (Radha Mitchell) - A.K.A. 'Voodoo Child' - during what can only be described as an impromptu and somewhat tense archery lesson with her daughter, Anja (Annabel Wolfe), we learn of the fear that she has been living with for many years. The how and why of it all, naturally, are saved for later, but in those opening moments we see just how capable and ferocious Kris can be when it comes to protecting her own. Moreover, it is an opening that perfectly sets the tone for what is to come. In many ways  Seven Snipers is your standard revenge tale. A protagonist hiding from their past, calls in old friends when that past catches up with them. Death is soon to follow - if he's not already lingering somewhere. There's nothing particularly original about...

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...