Bill & Ted Face The Music (2020)

If there was ever a film that I was looking for a sequel for it was the Bill & Ted Franchise of the late 80's and early 90's. In 1989, we were brought on a time travelling adventure with Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventure which featured a young Keanu Reeves (Knock Knock) and a young Alex Winter (The Lost Boys) as two San Dimas, Californians with dreams of making it big as rock stars. They returned in 1991 for the sequel Bill & Ted's Bogus Journey where they had to make it through hell and a game with death to save the world. Well, it's 29 years later and they have returned with Bill & Ted Face The Music which was directed by Dean Parisot (Fun With Dick and Jane). Older and not much wiser, they have been chipping away at trying to fulfill a destiny that was given to them, but with kids and their marriages on the rocks, they are told they don't have much time to save the world with the song that will unite them all. The film also stars Samara Weaving (Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri) as Thea,  Brigette Lundy-Paine (Downsizing) as Billie, Kristen Schaal (Toy Story 4) as Kelly, William Sadler (Bill & Ted's Bogus Journey) as Death, Anthony Carrigan (Barry) as Dennis Caleb McCoy, Erinn Hayes (Children's Hospital) as Elizabeth, Jayma Mays (Red Eye) as Joanna, Hal Landon Jr. (Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventure) as Chief Logan, Amy Stoch (Bill & Ted's Bogus Journey) as Missy, Beck Bennett (Sing) as Deacon, Jillian Bell (22 Jump Street) as Dr. Taylor Wood, and Holland Taylor (Keeping The Faith) as the Great Leader.

One of the things that worked for this film is that they didn't try to mix up the formula or install new humor to try and make it hip, they went with what worked before and they ran with it. I have to say that I absolutely loved this film from the beginning all the way to the end because it was a Bill & Ted movie that delivered with a great message of unity as one no matter what race, sex, or creed that you may be and that is exactly what we need in this day and age with all the madness that is happening. I was actually impressed that the make up department did a great job making Keanu Reeves finally look his age for once because that man does not age whatsoever. I was definitely shocked at the sight of it but tons of kudos to them and for the various looks we received throughout the film. I was definitely impressed with Weaving and Lundy-Paine, but Lundy-Paine was the real star of the show as far as the kids and don't get me wrong cause Weaving was great too, but Lundy fit more the part of one of their kids. I loved the fact that they brought back Chief Logan and Missy, it brought back some nostalgia for us long time fans of the franchise, but this movie would have not been what it was without William Sadler who once again appeared as Death. Everything about his performance was excellent and mix that with Anthony Carrigan and it just gets better. I had so much fun watching this film and I recommend it to anyone that loves comedy or the franchise so therefore I am giving the film an A- for a final grade.

Guns Akimbo (2019)

Sometimes being a part of a major franchise can be both a blessing and a curse for an actor or actress where some have prospered with a career outside said franchises while others have perished. Some of the major players to have found careers outside their big breaks were Zac Efron (High School Musical), Robert Pattinson (Twilight), and the man at the center of today's film Daniel Radcliffe (Harry Potter). The film of his that I chose for today is 2019's Guns Akimbo which is an action comedy that was written and directed by Jason Lei Howden (Deathgasm). Radcliffe plays Miles, a computer programmer who thinks that it's cool to troll people online while drunk inside while the subject matter is of a real life game where people are pinned against each other to the death. To get even on Miles, the creators kidnap him, bolt guns to his hands, and force him to face the best player in the game or they will kill his ex-girlfriend. The film also stars Samara Weaving (Mayhem) as Nix,  Rhys Darby (What We Do In The Shadows) as Glenjamin, Ned Dennehy (Mandy) as Riktor, Mark Rowley (The Last Kingdom) as Dane, Natasha Liu Bordizzo (Hotel Mumbai) as Nova, Grant Bowler (Killer Elite) as Degraves, Racheal Ofori (Artemis Fowl) as Effie, Edwin Wright (Turbo Kid) as Stanton, and Milo Cawthorne (Deathgasm) as Hadley.

This was a bad ass film and I love some of Howden's work cause Deathgasm was a bad ass film in it's own right. This one is taken to a whole other level with all of the bad ass action scenes especially when Samara Weaving is on screen being a total bad ass who snorts drugs to power up like in a video game. I love all the little things that they added in editing like the bullet count in the guns that Miles has and some of the scenes where people are watching has a very Death Race look and feel to it and why shouldn't it since this is almost the same thing. The stories are almost very similar in which there is something to be won, but the forces that be want to keep taking from you to hope that you don't win. I feel a film like this with the right kind of promotion behind it could have done very for itself in the box office cause I feel it had everything action fans would want and Daniel Radcliffe is a name that so many of his fans would show. Hollywood needs to realize that there is great material out there being made, they just need to take a chance and Samara Weaving is proving to be a household name. I have loved her in everything that I have seen her in as she has not disappointed me yet. A part of me is wondering if a sequel is being made because I would love to see them continue the story for sure and with that being said I am going to give the film an A- for a final grade. By the way, Rhys Darby has an awesome cameo as the homeless guy in this film, lots of great stuff there.

Mayhem (2017)

There are so many different ways to watch films these days from your television, DVD's, Redbox, Netflix, Disney Plus, and so many more. If you are a fan of horror then one app you will definitely want to check out is Shudder which is a reasonably priced app. The film I chose for today is featured on the app and it stars one of my personal favorites in Samara Weaving (The Babysitter) and it called Mayhem which was directed by Joe Lynch (Chillerama). The film stars Steven Yeun (I Origins) as Derek Cho, a rising star in a huge law firm that is about to find out that he was just framed for something he didn't commit and he is about to be fired. Before he can get the boot, the building is put on lock down due to a virus that causes it's victims to act out their wildest urges and with the help of Melanie Cross (Weaving), he'll get the revenge he craves because of the virus no one is held accountable for their actions. The film also stars Steven Brand (The Scorpion King) as The Boss, Caroline Chikezie (Supernatural) as The Siren, Dallas Roberts (Dallas Buyers Club) as The Reaper, Mark Frost (Faust) as Ewan, Claire Dellamar (Dick Pic) as Meg, and André Eriksen (Vikings) as The Bull.

This was an excellent film from beginning to end and I say that because there was non stop bloody action and mayhem (pun intended). I loved the concept of the film where because Derek found that legal loophole, you can do whatever you want and not be held accountable as long as you are infected. Remember, they are acting on pure impulses because of what the virus does to you. It kind of has the feel of 28 Days Later without them being zombies and at the work place like Fight Club. I thought some of the acting was a little over the top, but it actually worked for this situation because this is a satire of ruthless no good coke snorting lawyers and the crap they get away with. We are supposed to be rooting for Derek and hope that he catches up to his jerk boss before the quarantine time is up and they succeed in accomplishing that. The acting from Steven Yeun and Samara Weaver was fantastic and Samara is growing to be one of my favorites as she carried The Babysitter, Ready Or Not, and definitely helped with this one. Yeun does an amazing job as the films main character and protagonist as I said before you root for him to make it to the end. If you love the right kind of insanity to go with your comedy and horror then this is definitely the film to watch and you can do so on Shudder. Remember, the film has lots of action, great comedy, some nudity, and some bad ass scenes which is why I am going to go ahead and give the film an A- for a final grade.