Holy shit….what a fucking ending.

Let me be clear and say that before the last 15 minutes, I wouldn’t’ve considered this one of my favorite movies. But after that twist, it is 100% in my Top 10.

The way that the film implements the seven deadly sins and connects it to the themes of the movie is ingenious. The killer reveal caught me off guard, and the relationship between David and William is a great one, with Brad Pitt and Morgan Freeman knocking it out of the park.

I will admit that I at least was aware of the “What’s in the box?!” scene before watching, but it’s actually so much better when you’re in the dark about everything else. Including what’s actually IN the box, which caught me completely off guard.

This movie is a 9/10, easily. The only thing dragging it down is a few pacing issues in the early scenes.

Just got done watching it again after a while and man I love it so much. It's a fantastic story alone, but mixed with that extra Fulci magic to make it an all around horror experience from the get go. The very beginning with the lightning and thunder had me reeled in like a fish. Speaking of animals.. that spider scene is insane!! The character of Jill was played so perfectly I thought and the two characters at the end, those shots with that incredible atmosphere Fulci creates to wrap everything up, the music is beautiful to me honestly. I could go on and on but I'm interested to hear what your opinions are

Carry-On is a new Netflix thriller set at Christmas time that sees a TSA agent, Ethan Kopek, forced to allow a dangerous suitcase through security by a mysterious and dangerous Traveler. With the clock ticking before the suitcase gets on the plane and with the Traveler watching and directing his every move, Ethan is forced to find a way to save the lives of the passengers before Christmas. Between Carry-On and Rebel Ridge, Netflix has found success with action thrillers this year, thanks to charismatic leads and compelling antagonists.

Carry-On succeeds in large part because of Taron Egerton and Jason Bateman. I was a big fan of their dynamic, where Bateman, thanks to his crew and skills, is able to puppet Egerton into his bidding. I always appreciate it when a villain is just evil. There’s no ulterior motive, there’s no tragic backstory, and no reason for us to feel any sympathy towards him. Bateman plays a character like this incredibly well, thanks to his ability to deadpan lines that should carry more weight, but he dials it up when he needs to.

Egerton is phenomenal at showing his emotions and you can feel his fear and guilt on the screen as each attempt to foil the Traveler fails and the suitcase gets closer to its destination. It’s great to foil him with Bateman because you immediately sympathize with him. He’s a good person who’s at the wrong place at the wrong time, but he’s also the only person capable of saving the day.

While the movie doesn’t really deviate from a cookie-cutter story, I found it was able to generate enough tension to stay engaging. There are elements of the story that really worked for me, like some twists with who’s involved and the Traveler’s motives. But other things were a bit too out of place for me. I felt like Danielle Deadwyler’s character did not fit this movie well, specifically in a later action sequence she had with Logan-Marshall Green. Part of me wonders if the movie needed to have certain elements even to be made, but having an FBI subplot took me out of this intimate, thrilling experience.

The action in this movie is good, nothing too spectacular, but that’s ok with me. This movie is at its best when it’s just the Traveler instructing Ethan and Ethan trying and failing to outsmart him, and the movie knows it.

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Read the full review and see our thoughts here: https://firstpicturehouse.com/rapid-review-carry-on-2024/

Originally posted here: https://short-and-sweet-movie-reviews.blogspot.com/2024/12/mary-2024-movie-review.html

The Netflix biblical epic "Mary" is a retelling of the story of Mary and Joseph and the birth of Jesus. It's based on The Gospel of James or Protoevangelium of James, an apocryphal or non-canonical gospel, so don't be surprised if many of the events and characters portrayed on screen diverge from the familiar Bible teachings. It's an odd choice that is bound to irritate religious conservatives who will probably not be able to watch this one all the way through. However, that's not even the movie's worst offense.

Billed by the streamer as a "timeless coming-of-age story", it feels more like a comic bok origin story, with hilariously over-the-top scenes, like a schlocky showdown between Lucifer and the angel Gabriel, which veer on self-parody. It's never a good sign when it feels like you're watching an episode of "Supernatural". For those of you out there who think the Bible narrative is nonsensical, Netflix seemed determined to one-up it with mind-boggling plot developments, cartoonish characters and action sequences that feel completely out of place.

It's overblown, full of its own importance, and completely oblivious to how unintentionally funny it gets when it sacrifices depth in favor of faux-epicness. The acting is flat and uninspiring. Relative newcomer Noa Cohen as Mary has little to offer other than wide-eyed numbness and a gaping void of emotion. She's clearly out of her depth, but I suppose it's hard to blame the actors when the writing and dialogue are horrendous and the characters so hollow. It's not even an exaggeration, Timothy Michael Hayes' script has some of the worst lines of dialogue I've heard in a long time.

Casting Anthony Hopkins as the tyrannical King Herod is possibly the only thing this movie did right. The actor is a miracle of God, and the only entertaining thing about this 100-minute ordeal. I can't say he gives the movie a redeeming quality, because he's not really that much in it, but I will say you will spend most of this movie's running time wishing it had more King Herod and less Mary.

On a technical level, everything about this so-called Biblical epic screams "made for streaming". The cinematography and art direction are generically competent, but still underwhelming. The costumes are adequate for a period piece, apart from some headwear designs that feel more at home in Denis Villeneuve's "Dune". You'll know them when you see them. The original score by Timothy Williams swells with orchestral aplomb throughout, but it's undermined by the lack of a memorable main theme and by the movie's overall lack of emotional depth.

To my surprise, the film is directed by D.J. Caruso, who is best known for helming "The Salton Sea", "Taking Lives", "Disturbia" and "Eagle Eye". I've always thought of him as a competent director, capable of turning drivel into something watchable or at the very least mildly entertaining. That's not the case with "Mary", which I'm sad to say is the worst film I've watched in 2024. Don't even bother with this one. Just watch "The Nativity Story" or, better yet, the "Jesus of Nazareth" miniseries.