MOVIE REVIEW! - "Nobody 2"

After destroying a major Russian cash flow in the first “Nobody”, assassin Hutch Mansell (Bob Odenkirk) has been taking assignments in order to pay off the debt. Unfortunately, it is causing a major strain on his family life.

Hutch gets permission from his superiors to take a break. He then takes his wife Becca (Connie Nielsen), son Brady (Gage Munroe), daughter Sammy (Paisley Cadorath), and his father David (Christopher Lloyd) to Plummerville. This was a small town his own father took him to when he was younger.

It’s not long, though, when Hutch stumbles upon a corrupt criminal bootlegging system. He soon finds that not only are the sheriff and his men behind it, they are led by the absolutely sadistic Lendina, played to glorious over-the-top perfection by Sharon Stone.

Hutch just wants to have a nice vacation with his family in "Nobody 2".

Of course, what follows is plenty of action and mayhem as Hutch tries to deal with this newfound problem. The only question I would have for anyone inquiring as to whether or not they should go see the movie is simple: “Did you like the first one?”

Because if you did, then I think you’ll enjoy this movie as well. Now, two quick notes. This movie, primarily its story, can be ridiculous and maybe a little too much at times. Secondly, that means that it’s not quite as good as the original in spite of being a worthy follow-up overall.

Once again, Odenkirk makes this crazy ride and the action work. It was something of a surprise in the first movie that he proved to be an able action star and this movie continues to show off this side of the actor who has seemingly done it all from comedy to drama to action.

Of course, Hutch has a new problem to take care of in "Nobody 2".

Another thing that helps make the movie work is his genuine chemistry with Nielsen as Becca. She now knows completely what Hutch does and while she does understand why he has to do what he does, she also misses her husband.

During one scene where they are trying to reconnect, we learn where they met and we learn that she always knew there was something dangerous about what Hutch used to do. Perhaps this is why she’s willing to stick around instead of running away from him.

We also get our supporting cast back as well. Lloyd returns as Hutch’s father David and is as great as ever. Also, RZA shows back up as Harry, Hutch’s adopted brother. Rounding out the cast is Colin Hanks as the corrupt Sheriff Abel, the first person that Hutch runs into when his family arrives in Plummerville.

The action set pieces are aplenty and it sometimes feels like you get one after another, and I say that in the best way possible. This makes the movie’s already lean 89 minutes move even faster. Whether Hutch is beating people up on a duck boat or setting up even more elaborate “Home Alone” style booby traps, he is definitely in top form in the action department… with a little help from his friends, of course.

Again, the question really is whether or not you liked the original movie. In a world where the “John Wick” clones are getting a little tired, “Nobody 2” manages to be a decent sequel and something that any action movie fan should enjoy. This is most definitely a vacation worth taking!

MOVIE REVIEW! - "Weapons"

In Maybrook, Pennsylvania, at 2:17 in the morning, seventeen children got up out of bed, ran out of the house, and they never came home. The only thing that the kids had in common was that they were in the same third grade classroom with Ms. Justine Gandy. This is just the beginning of the story.

What follows is an intriguing mystery horror film that takes a look at the same time period after the kids disappeared from the different perspectives of the film’s cast. At first, we follow Justine (Julia Garner), the teacher that the whole town is blaming for the event due to all the kids being from her class.

Then, we see the same events through the eyes of several other characters such as Archer (Josh Brolin), a contractor whose son is one of the missing children. The various storylines culminate into one of the most satisfying conclusions that I’ve ever experienced with a horror movie.

Julia Garner plays Justine Gandy, a troubled teacher who is trying to find out what happened to her students in "Weapons".

Now, the movie does start slowly as writer and director Zach Cregger gives us all the puzzle pieces before finally putting them together through these different points of view. Thankfully, the movie starts to rev up and the answers do start to come into focus.

The movie is the follow-up to Cregger’s previous box office and critical success, “Barbarian”. With this movie, Cregger solidifies his status as a modern day horror master. Surprisingly, though, this movie is not just serious horror.

The movie actually contains far more dark humor than I expected the film to have. There are certain moments that make you want to cringe and laugh at the same time. I would love to give some examples here, but that would be getting into spoiler territory so all I’ll say is just be prepared to laugh here and there more than you probably thought you would.

"Weapons" takes place after one night when 17 children got up out of their beds, ran out of the house, and never came home.

The cast for the movie is amazing. Garner and Brolin are great in their parts, but they are also surrounded by stellar supporting roles from actors such as Benedict Wong, Alden Ehrenreich, Amy Madigan, and Austin Abrams.

While there is a healthy amount of humor, though, make no mistake about it that this is a solid mystery horror film. The whole movie has an unsettling tone and plenty of jump scares. It even has a few memorable gory moments as well.

If you’re a major horror fan like me and/or if you really enjoyed Cregger’s “Barbarian”, then you will love this movie. It went in directions that I didn’t expect it to go, there were twists and turns, and ultimately the movie stuck the landing in a big way. I feel that “Weapons” will go down as a solid horror classic!

MOVIE REVIEW - "The Naked Gun" (2025)

The new version of “The Naked Gun” lives up to the original three films as a slapstick action comedy. The movie stars Liam Neeson as Frank Drebin Jr., the son of Leslie Nielsen’s character from the original movies. That makes this movie a legacy sequel set in the same film series and not a hard reboot.

In the movie, Frank, along with his partner Captain Ed Hocken Jr. (Paul Walter Hauser), must stop a diabolical billionaire, Richard Cane (Danny Huston), from throwing the world into chaos. Meanwhile, he also finds himself falling for Beth Davenport (Pamela Anderson), the sister of someone who may have been killed by Richard who is seeking revenge.

The only real criticism here is that this is the type of comedy that’s going to throw jokes at you constantly from every direction. That means that some of them have soft landings or don’t land at all. It’s inevitable in this kind of movie but that’s the only bad news.

Liam Neeson is Frank Drebin Jr. in "The Naked Gun".

For movies like this, you really just want the majority of the jokes and gags to work and they certainly do in this movie. Neeson is also great as Drebin Jr. as he plays the role mostly with a deadpan straight face and this only lets the jokes hit harder much in the same way that Nielsen used his signature deadpan humor to get the point across in the prior films.

Neeson’s chemistry with Anderson is also present and it is just as good as the chemistry between Nielsen and Priscilla Presley. Huston also does a great job as an over-the-top villain that is suitable for this type of movie.

There’s not really much more to say than that without going into spoiler territory. Audiences have been desperate for a good comedy that truly makes you laugh out loud. Sure, there have been some okay comedies here and there, both on the big screen and on streamers, but nothing that you would want to go home and write about.

Thankfully, if laughter is the best medicine, “The Naked Gun” is just what the doctor ordered and if you get the chance, I say go see it in theaters and give yourself about 85 minutes worth of slapstick comedy joy!