January Movies - Week 3

Good Afternoon Ladies & Gentlemen,

It's been a busy week, so here we go...

Jan 14 – Peppermint (2018)
 
Yes, more female assassins movies! This one is a little grittier than most as we have Jennifer Garner as a woman whose husband & daughter are murdered by a drug cartel (because her husband is a f**king idiot to start, then b**ched out) and of course the entire justice system is corrupt (valid) and so the murderers get away scott free… cut to 5 years later & she’s turned herself into a f**king elite assassin with a “Death Wish” vendetta. Is the movie great? Absolutely not… there are a LOT of whole and that Eli Roth version of “Death Wish” is eerily similar. However, this movie is better than you think if that’s the kind of movie that you’re looking for… and I don’t understand why it was constantly berated as being racist when it came out a few years ago… but I assume that’s just a sign of the times. If you’re looking for something in the vein of “Death Sentence” then I recommend it.
 
Rating – 9/10 – She does cry a lot & do some stupid sh*t that isn’t consistent but… yeah, movies.
 
Jan 15 – Proud Mary (2018)
 
Another 2018 female assassin movie? Hold on… there’s more. This one though is a throwback to the 70’s Blaxploitation genre which I love… and has Taraji P. Henson as Mary, who takes on a young boy whose father she killed & tries to protect him from the seedy underbelly of Boston… and hijinx ensue. This movie is a tight 75 minutes or something without credits which is GREAT for the genre. There are moments where I’m not sure the tone & focus of the movie is realized entirely… but I enjoyed it… and we talked about it with Brent of the Home Video Hustle Podcast.
 
Rating – 8/10 – Check out the episode & it may convince you whether you want to watch it or not.
 
Jan 16 – Red Sparrow (2018)
 
That’s right, a THIRD 2018 female assassin movie… and this one totally isn’t like a Black Widow movie, it’s based on a book based on real lives… but it’s Jennifer Lawrence as the ultimate Russian ballerina honeypot so… you know I’m in. That being said… it’s also 2:20 long which… seems excessive.
 
Rating - ???/10 – Check out our Patreon Exclusive episode for as little as $2 a month at patreon.com/eilfmovies
 
Jan 17 – Ava (2020)
 
You may have noticed a pattern this week… this one is Jessica Chastain as an assassin who goes back to Boston to see her family (including Geena Davis as her mom, so my head canon is that this is a “Long Kiss Goodnight” sequel) and you’ve got Common, John Malkovich, Colin Farrell… and even friend of the podcast Amy Johnston as Jessica’s stunt double… and put to good use in this movie!
 
Rating – 9/10 – Some of the family was really hitting with Izzy’s family as reference… but yeah, check it out.
 
Jan 18 – Shadow in the Cloud (2020)
 
Okay, now we’re changing from a female assassin movie to… okay, Chloe Grace Moretz as a WWII soldier who boards a plane with a mysterious priority package… and hijinx ensue when GREMLINS start taking the ship apart. This movie was… pretty remarkable. Half of the movie is just Chloe locked in a room, the other half is bonkers, and with a few tweaks this movie could’ve been LEGENDARY!!! It definitely seems like a movie that was inhibited by the pandemic with production, etc. but it’s definitely worth a watch on Hulu… and again, like 75 minutes long.
 
Rating – 9/10 – I’ll say it! I really liked this movie even though it needed some minor changes to enhance it…
 
Jan 19 – Corvette Summer (1978)
 
Mark Hamill starred in Star Wars… and then followed up with this movie where he’s a teenager whose Corvette Stingray is stolen, so he goes to Vegas, meets a hooker (Annie Potts) who likes him for some reason, and tries to hunt it down. Hilarity ensues. Annie Potts is definitely the best part of this movie, even in her DEBUT!!! We joined the Gran Touring Motorsports BREAK/FIX Podcast to talk about this so… I’d recommend checking it out! The episode, not necessarily the movie.
 
Rating – 7/10 – It was okay but… yeah, not necessary. Just had LOTS Of fun talking about it with car nuts!

Got a little road trip coming up next week so may not be able to get the full seven movies... but also may have some fun stories to tell!

Until then,

Steve