Jake's Cinema Room

2024 | R | 141 mins | Directed by James Mangold In 1965, Bob Dylan decided to change his act in the folk music scene by going electric and rock. A Complete Unknown follows Dylan throughout the early part of his career all the way through to this defining moment in his long career. Director James Mangold has been down this road before having directed the great Walk The Line back in 2005. While not quite reaching the same heights as some of his previous works, Mangold is able to put together an engaging biopic filled with great performances and fantastic music numbers. James Mangold has always been a competent director, and this is another solid movie to add to his filmography. Working once again with Cinematographer Phedon Papamichael, who has shot several of Mangold's previous movies, bodes well for the movie as he is able to capture the look of 1960's New York. There is some grittiness brought to the look of the movie which is much appreciated. Little things stick out througho...

  2024 | R | 127 mins | Directed by J.C. Chandor

  2024 | R | 133 mins | Directed by Robert Eggers In this remake of Nosferatu, Director Robert Eggers puts a new spin on a classic tale. Taking the same basic premise and adding his signature style, Eggers effortlessly brings this story to modern day and makes one of the best horror remakes in years. Set in Germany in the early 1800's, the story follows Thomas Hutter (Nicholas Hoult) and his wife Ellen (Lily-Rose Depp). Thomas is tasked with heading to Transylvania to meet with Count Orlok (Bill Skarsgard). Little does Thomas know that Count Orlok is the being that haunts his wife Ellen's dreams, and he has grown an obsession for her. Now Thomas must do whatever he can to save his wife from this powerful being. From the opening shot, this movie is beautiful to look at. Despite the color palette being mostly greys and blacks and everything looking quite bleak, it all still looks incredible. The cinematography alone is enough to make this worth seeing. This has all the ingredient...

  2024 | R | 139 mins | Directed by Sean Baker

2024 | R | 85 mins | Directed by Gia Coppola The Last Showgirl follows Shelly (Pamela Anderson), a seasoned showgirl who loves nothing more than getting to perform in her Vegas show. She has been in the show for 30 years and has loved every minute of it. When Shelly and her fellow performers are informed that the show will be closing after 30 years, she must plan for her future and find a new avenue in life. Shelly struggles as this has been her career for so long and now she doesn't know how to move on after such an abrupt, life-changing event. We've seen this story before, time and time again. An actor or actress who has faded out of the limelight for an extended period, comes back for a role like you've never seen from them before. While this trend does work for some, it also feels like a swing and a miss for others. Unfortunately for Pamela Anderson, this doesn't quite feel like her big comeback. Giving credit where it is due, Anderson is really trying here. There a...

  2024 | R | 109 mins | Directed by Jason Reitman The taping of the first episode of Saturday Night Live was a crazy and chaotic night. Director Jason Reitman takes us through the ups and downs of that first episode in Saturday Night. We mostly follow series creator Lorne Michaels (Gabriel LaBelle) as he does everything in his power to make sure that the show not only goes smoothly but also makes sure that the show even makes it to air. With NBC executives breathing down his neck all night, cast members fighting with each other, cast members going missing and everyone questioning whether or not they can fit each segment into a ninety-minute show, Lorne has a lot on his plate to handle. A look into the first night of such an iconic series makes for an interesting idea. Saturday Night Live is currently in its 50th season and there's no doubt everything that has gone into the show over the years to make it last and stay relevant for this long. Getting a glimpse into how it all started...

  2024. PG-13. 90 mins. Directed by Hannah Macpherson

2024. R. 89 mins. Directed by Megan Park

  2024. 131 mins. Directed by Jeremy Saulnier Rebel Ridge follows the story of Terry Richmond (Aaron Pierre), an ex-Marine who is on his way to post bail for his cousin. Along the way he is stopped by two police officers who end up taking the cash he planned to use to bail out his cousin, as they believe it to be drug money. This puts Terry in a bind as he needed to get that money to the courthouse that day. When he is denied the ability to bail out his cousin, Terry attempts to file a police report against the officers who took his money. The chief of police (Don Johnson) for the small town gets involved and things escalate causing Terry to do whatever it takes to get his cousin out. Director/writer Jeremy Saulnier has put together one hell of a movie here. With Saulnier directing and writing the script, his vision is really brought to life on screen. The combination of great camera work, stellar action sequences and great performances from the cast all work flawlessly because of ...

2024. PG-13. 101 mins. Directed by Eli Roth

2024. PG-13. 105 mins. Directed by M. Night Shyamalan

2024 | R | 127 mins. | Directed by Shawn Levy   Deadpool and Wolverine sees Marvel finally bringing both characters into the MCU. With Phase 4 and 5 both regarded as being hit or miss, Marvel has needed a smash hit and something that will make the fans run out to the theater. Teaming up two of their best characters and banking on nostalgia seems like a sure thing. After all, Spider-Man: No Way Home has been the biggest movie for Marvel since Avengers Endgame and that movie brought out all the nostalgia. So, does the movie live up to the hype or does it fall short of such high expectations? For me, the movie more than lives up to the hype. Right out of the gate this movie lets you know exactly what you're in store for. A huge fight sequence including Deadpool killing many different people in very comical ways and spraying mass amounts of blood sets the tone for what's to come. From there on the movie keeps up with the violence and action as well as being consistently hilarious t...

  2024. PG-13. 100 mins. Directed by Jane Schoenbrun I Saw The TV Glow is the perfect example of a movie that has so much potential to be great but doesn't stick the landing in its execution. Director/Writer Jane Schoenbrun has an interesting vision for the story at hand and there are some great themes spread out throughout the movie. However, all the interesting ideas never feel like they are fleshed out enough and when the movie comes to an extremely abrupt ending, it all just feels like it led up to nothing worthwhile. This is a movie about finding your true self and being who you really are inside, but all that gets lost in a muddled story that loses itself by the end. There are glimpses of a truly great movie here. Everything is beautifully shot, and the cinematography is top notch. The score presents a great backdrop for scenes and does help draw you into certain moments that are supposed to be tense. Certain scenes do stand out because of the way they are shot and crafted, a...

  2024. R. 115 mins. Directed by Richard Linklater Director Richard Linklater has once again crafted another stellar movie. The script, written by Linklater and Powell, is top notch and really works from start to finish. There are numerous scenes throughout with some great dialogue and the script is extremely witty, especially with the character of Gary Johnson. Linklater does a great job at building the character of Gary and letting the audience get to know him. Seeing a montage of Gary posin g as a hit man for different clients and putting on different disguises and accents is one of the best parts of the movie. Glen Powell knocks his performance out of the park. This is a perfect starring vehicle for him, and he performs expertly throughout. Adria Arjona gives a fantastic performance as well and her chemistry with Powell is a highlight of the movie. Add in some side characters played well by Austin Amelio, Retta and Sanjay Rao and this is one well rounded cast. The biggest flaw ...

  2024. R. 115 mins. Directed by Adil El Arbi & Bilall Fallah

  2024. PG-13. 97 mins. Directed by Jerry Seinfeld Jerry Seinfeld made one of the greatest, if not the greatest, sitcoms of all time. He has now also made one of the worst Netflix original movies. In his directorial debut, Seinfeld fumbles the ball and squanders an amazing cast with a below average comedy that never feels like it knows what it wants to be. How a movie can contain this much talent and essentially not execute on any level is nothing short of amazing. The movie follows Bob Cabana (Jerry Seinfeld) as he tells the story of how he helped create the Pop Tart for Kellogg's. This is a somewhat interesting concept for a comedy. Watching two rival companies go toe to toe and try to one up each other to make a new breakfast snack could make some funny moments. Unfortunately, that is the biggest problem with Unfrosted, it just isn't very funny. With a cast littered with so many great comedians, former SNL cast members and cameos from other talented actors there is absolutel...

  2024. PG. 94 mins. Directed by Mike Mitchell & Stephanie Stine The Kung Fu Panda franchise has always felt like one of the more underrated series from the likes of Dreamworks. Always flying under the radar but still managing to be successful both financially and critically, the Kung Fu Panda movies have been fun and entertaining not just for kids but for adults as well. After an eight year hiatus the franchise returns with Part 4, making it one of only two franchises from Dreamworks to have four movies along with the Shrek series. Continuing where the previous movie left off, Po (Jack Black) has been tapped to become the Spiritual Leader of the Valley of Peace. This means he has to find and train a new Dragon Warrior to take his place. While Po is searching for a new warrior to train a new threat emerges in the form of The Chameleon (Viola Davis), a sorceress who plans to re-summon all the master villains whom Po has vanquished to the spirit realm. With the help of Zhen (Awkw...

2023. R. 111 mins. Directed by Moritz Mohr  

  2024. R. 121 mins. Directed by Doug Liman

  2024 | PG-13 | 115 mins | Directed by Gil Kenan The latest entry in the Ghostbusters franchise is here. Frozen Empire takes the franchise back to the firehouse in New York City as we follow the Spengler clan taking part in their new roles as Ghostbusters. A mysterious artifact is brought out for the first time in almost 100 years, and it contains a new threat that could possibly cause a new ice age. With the help of some friends and the original Ghostbusters, our heroes will stop at nothing to take down this new evil. First and foremost, it is great to have this cast back together. Ghostbusters: Afterlife set up a great family dynamic and it continues here in Frozen Empire. Adding in the character of Gary (Paul Rudd) as more of stepdad this time around adds even more to the dynamic. The biggest highlight of the movie is the cast of characters. Everyone from the OG cast to the newer crew, all put in great performances, and they play off of one another quite well. From start to fin...

  2024. R. 113 mins. Directed by Peter Farrelly Three childhood best friends; Dean (Zac Efron), JT (Andrew Santino) and Wes (Jermaine Fowler) pull a prank on Halloween that doesn't go as planned. To get out of trouble they create an imaginary kid named Ricky Stanicky that takes the fall for their wrongdoings. Over the next twenty years, the boys use Ricky as a scapegoat anytime they do something wrong or want to get out of something. When their families want to invite Ricky to a party the guys must figure out whether to tell the truth or do something drastic. They end up going the drastic route by hiring an entertainer they met in Atlantic City named Rod (John Cena), who just so happens to also be a trained actor. Director Peter Farrelly has had a long history of making comedies. Some have been hilarious, like Dumb and Dumber and There's Something About Mary, while others have missed the mark entirely, like The Heartbreak Kid and Dumber and Dumber To. Ricky Stanicky falls somew...

2024. R. 107 mins. Directed by Johan Renck Spaceman is the latest Netflix vehicle starring Adam Sandler. It is also another foray into the dramatic side of acting for the comedian. Whenever Sandler decides to stray away from his comfort zone, it usually means we're in for a good performance. Whether it's Punch Drunk-Love, Reign Over Me or Uncut Gems, when Sandler tries, he can put out a really great performance. In Spaceman, this is no different. We get another truly great performance from Adam Sandler. Unfortunately, it's a shame that the rest of the movie doesn't stack up the same way. Jakub (Adam Sandler) is halfway through his solo mission on the edge of the solar system. When he decided to go on this mission he also decided that he would be leaving his wife Lenka (Carey Mulligan), who is also pregnant with their child. While soaring through space Jakub continually thinks about the state of his marriage as he and Lenka were having their fair share of problems when h...

  2024 | PG-13 | 107 mins | Directed by F. Gary Gray