Category Archives: No Spoiler Reviews

Action, Adventure, No Spoiler Reviews, Thriller

POINT BREAK (1991): The Things I Liked…

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Point Break (1991), Keanu Reeves, Patrick Swayze, 20th Century Fox
Point Break (1991), Keanu Reeves, Patrick Swayze, 20th Century Fox

My Keanu Reeves appreciation period continues with director Kathryn Bigelow’s Point Break, a good action/adventure/thriller about a Rookie F.B.I. agent who goes undercover to catch suspected bank-robbing surfers. 

As a fan of both Keanu Reeves and Patrick Swayze, their dynamic in this movie, coupled with all the ways the story is engaging and good in surprising ways, add up to why Bigelow’s film is memorable.

I suspect that even now – thirty-four years since it was released, Point Break still has one of the most memorable endings of any movie. How very wise of me to have watched this version instead of the unfortunate 2015 remake. 

If you’ve never seen Point Break and you’re curious, enjoy this early and notable Bigelow film, long before she delighted movie fans with The Hurt Locker (2008) and Zero Dark Thirty (2012).

Happy Film Loving, 

G

Source: JustWatch
Action, Adventure, Fantasy, No Spoiler Reviews, Romance

THE GORGE (2025): The Things I Liked…

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Weeks ago, I doubted the quality of Anya Taylor-Joy and Miles Teller’s latest action/adventure/fantasy film, The Gorge, purely based on the trailer. 

Luckily, especially after the recent disappointment of George Clooney and Brad Pitt’s Wolfs (2024), among one or two other movies that failed to deliver, I’m happy to confirm that I didn’t find The Gorge boring or bad.

In a story about two highly skilled operatives hired to protect a mysterious gorge, Taylor-Joy and Teller are well cast for a couple of reasons, including their chemistry. Sigourney Weaver and Sope Dirisu were also memorable.

So pleasant was my surprise to be truly enjoying The Gorge, that the following words came to mind as the movie played.

Hello, good story, special effects, and engaging execution.

Taylor-Joy and Teller sure move very convincingly as capable snipers.

Look at me liking this movie and eating my words.

Watch The Gorge if you’re curious. Perfect, it is not. What it is is fun, satisfying and romantic.

Happy Film Loving, 

G

Crime, No Spoiler Reviews, Thriller

WOLFS (2024): The Thing I liked…

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Wolfs (2024), Brad Pitt, George Clooney, Sony Pictures Entertainment copy
Wolfs (2024), Brad Pitt, George Clooney, Sony Pictures Entertainment copy

I’d started and stopped watching Wolfs at least thrice prior over the last few weeks before finally committing. Perhaps the mood wasn’t right before. Either that or the dialogue, pace and story failed to keep me engaged enough to watch the whole thing.

Full disclosure, it took me first attempting to find almost anything else that’s not too emotionally taxing and starring actors I generally enjoy watching before giving up the search and surrendering to Wolfs. 

George Clooney and Brad Pitt are usually fun to watch, especially together. Yet, writer/director Jon Watt’s crime/thriller about two fixers forced to team up doesn’t bring out their usual magic to its fullness.

My favourite character in Wolfs is courtesy of Austin Abrams, his physical performance and especially the dialogue when he ‘explains the day.’ For me, everything else outside of that is quite forgettable.

Have you watched or tried to watch Wolfs, and how was it for you? 

For those who haven’t and are curious enough, as always, give it a try; maybe it’s just the pace and vibe you’re after.

Happy Film Loving, 

G

Comedy, Drama, Horror, No Spoiler Reviews

THE SUBSTANCE (2024): The Things I Liked…

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I  wasn’t sure I’d end up watching The Substance, Demi Moore, Margaret Qualley and Dennis Quaid’s Coralie Fargeat-directed drama/comedy/body horror hit, especially because of the words ‘body horror.’

It was the cast, memorable trailer, colours and social commentary about a fading celebrity’s tribulations that eventually lured me in. I had no expectations of actually making it through to the end, but I did. To my surprise, the words ‘I love it’ left my lips while the movie played. 

The hard-to-forget final scenes slightly aside, Fargeat’s film may just be too clever, funny and beautiful to induce nightmares because I slept peacefully post-viewing.

The production design, colours, the edit, performances, sound design and the story are my favourite things. The Substance has a clear and vital message delivered smartly and very creatively.

The reflections that Fargeat’s beautiful movie inspired within me are: 

Do your best to prepare for the upcoming phases of your life. Truly love yourself, count your blessings, and society’s impending rejection should surely matter less. And you won’t be so inclined to take some ill-calculated risks.

If you’ve seen it already, I’m curious about what The Substance had you thinking. For everyone else, if the words ‘body horror’ also generally give you pause, I still say try to watch this movie. You, too, may be surprised by your response. 

Happy Film Loving, 

G

Action, No Spoiler Reviews, Thriller

SPEED (1994): The Things I Liked…

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I have always wanted to watch Speed, that 90s hit action movie starring Keanu Reeves as a young police officer. One tasked with preventing a bomb aboard a city bus from exploding if only he could keep it moving at 50 miles per hour or above.

Directed by Jan de Bont and also starring Sandra Bullock, Dennis Hopper and Jeff Daniels, I found Speed watchable at best. By the end, I wondered if I’d have enjoyed it more had I seen it around the original release date. It’s also likely that Speed just isn’t my favourite kind of action movie/thriller. Whatever the answer, I did appreciate the pace and the handful of clever story elements.

As for my favourite thing about Speed? That has to bewatching a young Keanu Reeves doing a good job in a relatively early role, of course.

If you have not already seen it, and you’re curious enough, you know what to do. 

Happy Film Loving, 

G