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Showing posts from March, 2026

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 ...

Hoppers | Average Guy Movie Review

Mabel (Piper Carda), a 19 year-old with a passion for nature, is fighting to save a glade with special meaning for her family. It's under threat from the local mayor (Jon Hamm), and his highway construction plans. This very personal mission leads Mabel to discover technology that allows her to transfer her consciousness into a robotic beaver, Avatar style, and explore the animal kingdom, unlocking unimaginable secrets. But will she be able to use it to save the glade? Pixar 's 30th feature film is yet another hilarious foray into nature, but  in much the same way scientists use camera rigs disguised as animals to observe different species in their natural habitats. Only this time, a human actually gets to explore the animal kingdom by hanging out with the animals, and Hoppers is delightfully self-aware when it comes to the similarities it shares with a certain James Cameron property. One of several amusing pop culture references throughout the film. In many ways it is an even ...

Let Dan Go | Average Guy Movie Review

Several years after Dan (Daniel Griesheimer)'s tragic death in a car accident, his father Harry (Timothy J. Cox) reconnects with Dan’s wife Abby (Ashlee Lawhorn) in order to celebrate Dan’s life and reconcile their loss. Let Dan Go  opens outside a bar, where a desperate and frustrated woman pleads with her intoxicated husband to give up his car keys and come home with her. It is undoubtedly a familiar scene for far too many, and one that ends all too predictably. But despite a brutally honest approach to such a sensitive subject, director Arielle Carroll is also respectful of those that have suffered such a loss. Never going too far in her portrayal of the event that drives this short film.  After this intense and traumatic opening, we encounter Harry, sitting on a park bench, where he's soon joined by his daughter-in-law, Abby. It has been some time since that tragic night, but the pain is still fresh. On the face of it, this a catch-up. Two people who haven't seen each o...

The Bride! | Average Guy Movie Review

After more than 100 years of existence, Frankenstein's monster (Christian Bale) is struggling with loneliness. So he heads to Chicago to see Doctor Euphronius (Annette Bening), who he asks to make him a companion. They select a murdered woman (Jessie Buckley), and after bringing her back to life, the reanimated pair go on a manic adventure together. One that sparks a police manhunt, and something of a social revolution. Maggie Gyllenhaal's bold re-imagining of The Bride of Frankenstein  is a little bit messy. A mishmash of genres and styles, in much the same way that Frankenstein's monster was once assembled. It stands to reason, however, that at least some of this messiness is intentional. And while some of it doesn't work, the parts that do are at the very least, rather good. The look of the film, for instance, is incredible. Stunning, even. It's all very 1930's, but met with some deliciously garish and gritty punk stylings. As well as a beautiful shock of ble...