Dallas Fisher

    Category: Uncategorized

    • She Rides Shotgun

      2025 finally has its small time, gritty crime thriller.

      Taron Egerton and Ana Sophia Heger play a father-daughter role that has been missing after Leave No Trace. She Rides Shotgun jumps right into the aftermath of a double murder, where Nathan (Egerton) is the culprit from many respects, and he brings his daughter (Heger) along with him. In a movie where everyone is out to get you, you know situations are going to get hairy. 

      The heightened intensity is felt in its most important moments, and it perfectly lays the crumbs without giving too much away. Weaving in and out of the main story with the detective aspect was almost unnecessary though because of its addition of too many characters and cheesy code names. Deeper corruption is always welcome in a story like this. The violence is handled wonderfully, but might not feel the most cinematic.

      What will be talked about from this movie are the performances. Everyone will tell you how fantastic Heger is, which she is, and she’s the first child actor of the year to not be utterly annoying. Her performance doesn’t outshine the film but instead, shares the load and talent of everyone around her. Egerton really transforms himself into a role I never thought I would see him in, he’s spectacularly intense, yet pleasantly soft. Not to be forgotten though, John Carroll Lynch. The character actor who has shown a darker side before, but nothing like this. His commitment and harshness is what really stuck out in a movie with two other solid roles. If only he was given more screentime. 

      The dynamic of the father-daughter relationship may feel like a replay but the duo holds itself together. In quiet moments you can even feel a real life connection to this, hopefully non-fictional story. You might as well be watching this through a child’s POV with how lost you felt throughout and with the musical choices. I really loved the inclusion of what felt like a song played in its entirety, it was like the scene was filmed in one shot but in post. I was not a fan of the other music that at times, felt like i was watching the X-files. 

      Thrilled to say this treats its characters and situations like real life. Sad to say it pulls a lot from multiple Ryan Gosling movies without doing too much to feel original. The struggle brought me empathy for the characters as it struggled to satisfy me in the end. Strong performances, lapse of judgement from the writing, and violently bad wigs had me feeling like this would have worked better as a streaming film. 

      5.9/10

    • Cinema Catch-Up Corner July 2025

      The Phoenician Scheme

      I bet making a movie with Wes Anderson is the most fun thing you could do in the Hollywood space. It actually feels like actors are doing what they set out to do. That being said, his movies continue to uninspire me as a film watcher and leave a bad taste in my mouth about most people involved in his projects. It’s doing so much that nothing sticks on an individual level.   A hard watch overall but that basketball scene was one of the best of the year.

      4/10

      Elio

      It was cute! The animation doesn’t do much to move the form forward and its subject matter, or “lesson” is too mature for its target audience. It did make me cry but I’ll never think about it again.

      6.6/10

      How to Train your Dragon

      I have absolutely nothing positive to say about this movie except I love this story, so why not just stick with the animated version. Bringing in live action actors lessened the impact of the story and hurt the fun. The dragons look impressive and scary, but they don’t fit into what this movie is trying to be.

      3.4/10

      The Life of Chuck

      Eighty Five percent of this movie is absolute, defiant, and perfect. Three acts filled with some of the most wonderful visuals and messages. Tom Hiddleston will melt your mind with his grace and the rest of the cast will hold onto your heartstrings without letting go. Mike Flanagan made something truly special.

      8.7/10

    • The Fantastic Four: First Steps

      One small step for Marvel, one decent leap for The Fantastic Four.

      It’s getting harder to talk about middle of the road Marvel movies because, in a vacuum, this movie is entertaining from the jump. Watching these characters, in their beautiful, blue uniforms, was such a delight. It made me laugh and feel like a kid again. It has the feeling of a classic episode of TV and the concise retro vibes that suck you in, until it doesn’t.

      The First Family gets to show off what makes them a family with internal and varying outside conflicts. Their dynamics are special from a comic perspective, and I think they did pretty well at making everything real and obvious. Joseph Quinn finally stands out as The Human Torch and maybe it’s just the nature of his character, but he’s the only one that seemed to have any personality. Ebon Moss-Bachrach as The Thing was missing the gravel needed for his character, and that’s all I have on him. Sue and Reed as the priority focus felt a bit lost because like I said, it mainly worked as a one off episode, but its sights should have been a lot higher if we’re rushing forward.

      I don’t want to get into too much detail, but having to speed through everything to make sure this fit into the MCU was a major flaw. Exposition instead of a few movies to really get to know these characters makes things feel lesser and unearned. The only reason for having any pull towards anyone is just because of their presence as characters themselves.

      Marvel has a problem lately at creating new universes within itself and introducing new characters that will be forgotten about until their next Endgame. I know we’re getting most of these introduced here again soon which has my curiosity peaked, but doesn’t leave much for hope beyond the surface level. There are no real surprises, and it’s lost a lot of weight when you know the intended outcomes. The impact just isn’t there anymore.

      It more than anything feels like a comic book as much as it can. Not only because of it’s colors, but because of its dialogue and subject matter. I do wish we were able to see more of their powers in use because if you didn’t get the first few minutes of explanation or have any past knowledge, you might not know what each does on an individual level.

      I LOVED Galactus and finding out Ralph Ineson voiced him was just the cherry on top. His presence is the definition of threatening. The wavering around his powers and who or what can stop him, is tiresome, but typical as of late. Silver Surfer being introduced was almost inconsequential, yet needed for a film about the Four. I hope to see more of what Julia Garner can bring to the role.

      Without repeating myself too much, The First Steps has a fabulous throwback feel that will leave you wanting more of this universe without necessarily needing more of the bigger picture. I really wanted to like this more.

      6.6/10

    • Oh, Hi!

      Oh, Hi!

      Sophie Brook’s new film is a smart romantic comedy that will seep into your brain and keep you guessing throughout.

      Iris (Molly Gordon) and Isaac (Logan Lerman) have a refreshing chemistry that kicks you right into gear with their relationship. Starting off as a weekend getaway movie, you can only speculate that this will turn into something more sinister. Not only does the speculation last the entire runtime, it lasts the ENTIRE runtime… That might be my only major complaint about the movie, well, and Lerman’s restrained performance. The speculation is tons of fun but can be super disappointing when it doesn’t fully lead to the climax you were hoping for. But, if you look at this movie from a different point of view, it was always about the ride.

      Gordon in this movie is scary good, and her performance is one of the best of the year. She’s unhinged in the best ways which makes it feel beyond realistic. There’s a look in her eyes where she knows she’s stolen the show from the inside and out. Playing off of what Lerman has to do really showcases her obsessive strengths. Special shootouts to David Cross and John Reynolds for making an impact in their own ways. 

      This being a romantic comedy with a “twist” aspect put it in the discussion with movies like Barbarian and Fresh. I was thoroughly impressed with the way it danced around the complications of relationships and their opposing perspectives. It doesn’t waste time showing how they feel about each other with each changing moment. The unknown keeps it interesting, and you notice fine details about characters and can really feel the innocence in the air.

      Oh, Hi! is edited and shot with professionalism; it’s steamy and hilarious (as long as you don’t have PTSD about your exes). It’s an attractive movie with the best soundtrack of the year. A perfect date night film for anyone at any point in their relationship.

      7/10

    • Jurassic World: Rebirth

      Coming off the stink that was Jurassic World: Dominion, I wasn’t excited about the 7th film in this franchise. Adding Scarlett Johannson, Mahershala Ali, and Johnathan Bailey to the mix did help drag me back into the theater for this one though.

      There’s a lot of emotion behind the trio’s motivations which helped elevate the stakes to an enjoyable level, at least for the humans. Even if these three characters were the best part about the movie, I still wish they were given a little more to do. Scarlett plays a mercenary that barely gets to show off any of her skills, which I’m sure has nothing to do with this being PG-13. Mahershala is beyond likable with his persistent charm and wise words, and Jonathan Bailey continues to grow on me as a loveable weirdo.

      Now, if they gave Scar-Jo, Ali, and Bailey a little more screen time instead of taking away their importance every fifteen minutes, we might have been in for a better ride. The “adding a family side story just for the sake of having kids in the movie” was a poor choice, and they ultimately felt like deadweight. Any time this family was on screen, I felt like I was watching a Spy Kids sequel (not a good thing). The things that happen to the family could have been transferred in a slightly different way to the A plot, and this movie would have moved along at the same pace.. Overall, it was congested to the point of being annoying.

      Can we talk about dinosaurs yet?? Let’s do it. When this franchise takes the time to focus on the dinos, it does some things right. For this installment it does continue the trend of adding bigger and mutated ones- that I don’t love. When it utilizes the “real” dinosaurs and their already massive scale- that I do love! There are sequences of real fear that expand to all corners of the Earth’s elements, which brought me back to the original wonder of the past. Gareth Edwards’ (director) hands can really be felt in the mix here. He knows how to make realistic and made up monsters come to life on screen almost too well as he can’t help but make them feel a little too much like Godzilla foe.

      Once again, we were shown that it’s almost impossible to recreate the magic of what Spielberg did for us in 1993. With laughable product placement, all the other comedy in this movie was out of touch and out of place. The music was more of an homage and at times threw me off balance from what was on screen. The Jurassic franchise loves to tease in many aspects, and here it wanted to tease us by making us feel like the bad people for not liking the most recent installments.

      But hey, at least there weren’t any locusts!

      5.2/10

    • M3GAN 2.0

      The bitch is back, but maybe she should have stayed dead. 

      A self aware sequel to the 2023 “hit” that attempts to bring us to the likes of T2 but fails by making things overly complicated. This franchise has a campiness that tends to work best when it follows the Evil Dead route, but instead we added almost a full other movie within itself. 

      I’ll start out with the things I loved, or at least enjoyed. Allison Williams is so likeable that it’s easy to look past the fact she’s kind of stale and not given a lot to do in the original or the first half of this movie. The action is pretty well done but would have benifited from a rated-R bump. The movie made me laugh, well Jemaine Clement did. Also, Megan as a character is so sassy that I couldn’t help but be entertained. And, that’s about it. 

      Why did they remove the horror aspect from this completely?? I get leaning into the comedy a little more, but this removes it so much that you forget what this was originally about (besides the fact they mention the plot of the first quite a few times). If you want to be a cross genre, that’s fine, but you can’t poorly execute half a dozen of them and expect it to fully work. 

      If you looked up the word panic in the dictionary, I think you’d find 80% of this movie playing on a loop. It’s mainly the characters planning and talking about what they’re going to do, and by the time we get to see those things play out, I don’t care anymore. There’s seriously so much talking to the point where it feels like most characters are trying so hard to be someone else. The family melodrama aspects couldn’t have been less interesting or important to the story. 

      As far as pacing goes, 2.0 almost makes a full arc that ends in a climatic setting. That setting is sadly only half way into the film. To no one’s surprise, there’s misdirectics that were there for the sake of having them and added no real stakes to the story. If the first half wasn’t spent in brash situations, we could have had time to focus on a little more of Megan and Co.

      M3GAN 2.0 feels unoriginal while also trying so much that it felt lost. You’ll have the smallest amount of fun if you buy in, but for me I couldn’t get past the message of the movie putting itself down. 

      2.6/10


    • 28 Years Later

      The world has waited a long time to see what has changed in the world of 28-Time Frame-Later, but was it worth the wait?

      Split into two halves, it’s almost like Garland and Boyle directed one each. Without a cohesive vision, I think it’s fair to say their chemistry has finally worn off. I know this world has never fully been about the “zombies,” but the human connection could have been more crisp. Aaron Taylor-Johnson and Jodie Comer are parents to a young boy, Spike (Alfie Williams). Spike slowly became the focus of the film and will determine your involvement in its enjoyment.

      To kick off the movie we get a father-son dynamic that worked for me. It builds a bond and helps develop care for the two we spend a solid chunk of time with. The tone and music slip right into the world we are familiar with and wanted. Introduced to the infected, we get something fresh, bloody, and nasty. Arrows rip through them like a replay in an NFL game and each one becomes more of a trophy.

      Characters have very little playing time as it was seemingly not in the contracts to have more than two of them on screen at a time. Comer is the latest example of a female character to be bed stricken for a majority of their film. She does good enough with the situation given and surprisingly leads to the most interesting and beautiful part of the whole thing. The pieces that unfold to get her to that place were unnecessary rough though. 

      Visually stunning set pieces grace the screen in a movie that could have benefitted more by moving to even more of a grand scale. Going backwards was beneficial for minute reasons. There’s so much promise to this world that is missing one strong character to grab onto and it didn’t necessarily need more infected or humans being shown as the bad guys, but it needed some conflict outside of what we got.

      Knowing there’s a sequel to this sequel makes sense for the story we get, but it leads to a product that’s incomplete and really kills the excitement. 28 Years Later has killer music, strong performances, but feels like it’s trying to hide something more from the audience as it’s process is scattered and unevolved.

      Saving the last bit to really dig in how truly awful the ending was. I understand what it was coming back around to and what it was spelling out in a more grounded sense, but oh my is it executed poorly. The jarring nature of its presence is unwelcome and proves how weak the writing was.

      5.4/10

    • F1: The Movie

      An F1 movie produced by Lewis Hamilton, Jerry Bruckheimer, Joseph Kosinski, and Brad Pitt should have the combined strength to make an all-time race movie, but does it?

      Kosinski follows up the success of Top Gun: Maverick with another A-list actor putting his life on the line in a high speed manner. Whether you like it or not, Brad Pitt is the dictionary’s definition of charismatic. This time he brings his cheeky and “soft” spoken side into the mix which is just what this movie needed. He might not go to the full levels of what Tom Cruise did in Maverick, but it can’t be understated how important he is to the screen here.

      The entire F1: The Movie crew spent an entire Formula One season traveling the world with the real-life drivers to make this as authentic as possible. From one perspective, it does exactly what it set out to do; the racing mainly feels like racing you’d see on your TV. With shots of racers close up and shots only lasting a few seconds at a time, it can make it difficult to feel the full tension of where characters are within the race. What it does really well is the behind the scenes stuff. It shows a side of F1 that I never knew about, the technology. As a person who’s never watched a second of any race, they make it look like these cars and garages are from the far future.

      The conflict that begins and ends off the track is the most interesting part of the whole movie because everything on the track felt fabricated by Hollywood. I’m also not sure how fans of the racing itself will feel about the way they handled some of the actual racing. Some of it comes across as disingenuous and almost a mockery. I’m curious if showing more of the real F1 people and having them interact or if making this more fictional would have been a better idea. Because being right down the middle almost took me out of it completely.

      Do you know what brought me right back into everything? The people. By people, I mean the actors/characters they played. Sonny Hayes (cool name)(Pitt) fit this role about as perfectly as he could have. It will never cease to amaze me with how good he still looks. Javier Bardem as the rich guy owner plays up every scene he’s in, but also has the range to make things more serious. The seriousness didn’t stop there with Damson Idris, our rookie on the track and in my movie eyes, brought a real depth to his acting and within his role.

      Kerry Condon, though. She steals the show every which way. She might have been the only character that felt like a real human. This movie didn’t make her into a typical Bruckheimer character, but actually gave her more to do than almost everyone else. She was subtle, hilarious, relatable and gave a downright great performance.

      F1: The Movie is visually an entertaining spectacle if you don’t look too close. The opening scene will bring your heart right into the speed of it, and if you believe in what you’re seeing, it’ll never let go.

      I almost forgot to mention Hans Zimmer! Talk about a perfect score for a racing movie.

      It’s a good movie that I didn’t fully trust as a racing movie.

      7/10

    • Cinema Catch-up Corner June 2025


      Friendship

      Simultaneously the funniest and hardest to watch movie of the year. There’s a brilliant combination of absurdity and awkwardness that will have you laughing out loud throughout. Paul Rudd and Tim Robinson’s humor mesh perfectly. The only thing that hurts this is that I can’t handle Robinson for more than a few minutes at a time, and he’s on screen a lot.

      7.5/10

      Tornado

      A visually stunning samurai western that suffers from not having enough of its characters and story fleshed out. What you do get is still pretty solid though. The violence of the revenge is satisfying enough to keep you entertained in a way that makes you forget how long it took to get there.

      6.8/10

      Fight or Flight

      Love, love, love Josh Hartnett being back in a big way. There’s creative kills that are so fun to watch and it helps that it’s set in a concise location. But you know what? Everything outside of the action is so predictablly boring that makes the rest of this hard to tolerate.

      5.8/10

      Dangerous Animals

      This falls into the list of movies with the coolest premises that fail to fully deliver on them. Jai Courtney is beautifully unhinged and the highlight of a movie that gets less engaging as it goes on.

      6/10


    • Materialists

      Celine Song follows up her 2022 feature, Past Lives, with another three piece of on screen lovers. This time we have Dakota Johnson as a matchmaker (made up job?) caught between the choices of her past (Chris Evans) and her future (Pedro Pascal).

      At the heart of this movie, we have a pretty standard love triangle that doesn’t handle everything in the standard ways. Instead of attempting to make our characters relatable with over the top comedy, we get real life situations. Where the typical romantic aspects might not even be the things that are pulling on your heart strings. It’s a much deeper film about being human. Defiant contrasts bring a light and darkness throughout, whether it’s the characters or the subtly obvious NYC backdrop.

      Johnson in the lead role is soft spoken, yet firm, and gets the most to do in many ways. It barely feels like she’s acting with the press tour clips I’ve been seeing, and that’s perfect. She’s perfect. Speaking of perfect, Pedro Pascal. Even though Pedro has been super saturated lately, it doesn’t mean I didn’t love every second of him on screen. Evans goes back to a role from his pre Captain America days and he and Pascal are a great, but separate, duo. I will say all of the characters work super well on their own, to a slight disadvantage to the overall story.

      Materialists goes down unexpected, but welcome, paths. Diving into what feels like the real life effects of Tinder or Bumble, made for a spin on the genre as a whole. The film has a way of making things just serious enough for adults while being not too artificial in the story telling. It’s engaging even when characters are just driving around.

      A movie about choices and second chances. Celine Song might not 100% convince me of her romances, but a film filled with flirty dialogue spoken by hot actors is a certain romantic’s dream.

      7.8/10