Movie Reviews
‘A Real Pain’ – Another outstanding performance by Kieran Culkin, and best work from Jesse Eisenberg as writer, director.
“A Real Pain” film is written and directed by Jesse Eisenberg is about two cousins with complete polar opposite personalities that come together to take a trip to Poland in memory of their grandmother who recently passed away. While they appear happy to reunite, the journey only rehashes their past conflicts with one another.
The movie beings with the melodramatic music, which sets the tone when we see Benji Kaplan (Kieran Culkin) sitting at the airport, with the look of no care of the world while waiting for his cousin David Kaplan ( Jesse Eisenberg) to show up. They seem excited to see each other and ready to get on the flight to Poland. However, Benji’s personality begins to emerge and so does the comedy. Benji uses flattery in such a hilarious way to manipulate David, and gets what he wants out of him. When they meet up with other people in their tour, Benji uses his dark raw sense of humor and becomes the popular one in the group. During their sightseeing of the city, Benji coerces David in to taking pictures for everyone on their cellphones and gets treated as the errand boy.
It gets more hysterical with Benji’s continuous satire and deflecting his actions onto David, and even becomes brazen to the tour guide James (Will Sharpe). Benji manages to get his way again, and strangely enough the group is mesmerized. There is a crucial moment where the group visits a concentration camp and are asked to remain silent out of respect… I gasped, along with others in the theater, hoping Benji doesn’t act out… In fact, the visit to the Holocaust allowed him to grieve. But nonetheless, Benji waited for the opportunity to get the group’s attention with his sobbing.

During a group dinner, David lashes out and “over shares” the deep personal family issues involving Benji that results in the group showing sympathy towards Benji – the vanity for more attention. In the hotel room, David finally confronts Benji and they vent out their differences. The point being, Benji needs to get over his emotional hurt and move on. David strikes a chord with Benji when he tells him how he can light up a room, but manages to ruin the moment.
At the end of the movie, the Kaplan cousins are back home at the airport. David politely invites Benji to stay with him in New York for dinner and to meet his family, but Benji kindly declines. Benji tells David he prefers to hang around the airport because, “You meet the craziest people here (airport).” The emotions hit you when you see Benji left sitting alone in a crowded airport. The look in his eyes says it all.

Kieran Culkin has an another outstanding performance portraying an emotionally disturbed young man, Benji, who is unable to overcome his personal complex issues. Culkin’s talent illuminates the screen with is incredible diverse acting that contributes to the story’s depth. He really brings the audience to laughter and leaves them feeling empathy for Benji’s pain.
Jesse Eisenberg did a magnificent job with directing this film. He turned a painful situation into a dramatic comedy in a lighthearted way focusing on the love hate between relatives, something the audience can relate to. In a particular scene, the Kaplan cousins take a car ride to visit the town their deceased grandmother found refuge from the camps, along the way they pass a sign similar to the Pisces in the zodiac. We see this sign again when they leave the town. I saw this as a symbolism of how opposite David and Benji’s characters are from each other. David is the responsible, and successful, family man. Benji is carefree, impulsive, snarky, and unstable. Could the fish also symbolize Benji fishing for attention to comfort his pain, as we see him people watching at the airport?
“A Real Pain“ is truly worthy of some Oscar nominations.
Movie Reviews
Final Destination Bloodlines – This wild horror film takes you down memory lane where it all makes “cents”. (Movie Review)
While patiently waiting and strategizing over a decade, the mysterious entity of Death finally settles the score. Final Destination Bloodlines takes you back to 1968 where it all began. Brec Bassinger makes a solid entrance in the film portraying the young Iris Campbell – The root of all chaos from messing with predestined mortalities.


Richard Harmon takes charge of holding the film together with his role as the rebellious Erik. Harmon knows how to deliver the fright in this arrogant heavily pierced character.
Final Destination Bloodlines has a great storyline, but unfortunately, the remaining cast seemed sapless like twigs.


On the other hand, watching Tony Todd’s last film appearance as William John Bludworth brought out emotions in the theater. The mystifying backstory of Bludworth was revealed along with his connection to Death’s design – those last words were haunting.

Final Destination Bloodlines is all about the details. It focuses on the small elements that trigger the chain of events making it “crystal clear” the characters will slip through the cracks trying to defy Death. The numerous disaster scenes are truly worth watching in IMAX format. Directors Zach Lipovsky and Adam Stein made great use of the color red throughout the film, with an excellent choice of needle drops to set the tone for the characters’ gruesome fatality. One moment I was singing and in a split second screaming.
Nonetheless, this movie has many shocking twists and plenty of blood splatter to keep horror fans gasping and on the edge of your seat. Unlike the other films in the Final Destination series, this one blends in humor to relieve the tension to create an elevating viewing experience. It also brings back the original tactics that Death had planned to put into motion – careful driving behind a trailer hauling massive logs.
Just like the overall basis of the series, no matter how hard the characters tried to escape and challenge their fate, Death’s retribution ultimately concludes in Final Destination Bloodline.
Final Destination Bloodline will be released in theaters May 16, 2025.

Movie Reviews
In theaters May 9th is the fascinating sci-fi film, ‘Watch the Skies’ – Review
Watch the Skies is a heartfelt sci-fi film with a remarkable ensemble cast, showcases the impressive talent of rising star Inez Dahl Torhaug. The story centers on a young protagonist as she unravels the mystery surrounding her father’s disappearance years before. This all happened while he was conducting investigative work on UFOs. The film balances whimsical and quirky moments with deeply profound emotional scenes that are captivating.

A unique blend of British-European humor and sci-fi adventure, Watch the Skies draws inspiration from a real-life Swedish extraterrestrial research group. Sci-fi enthusiasts will find themselves particularly well-equipped to enjoy this charming and thought-provoking cinematic journey.

Synopsis: A rebellious teenage woman’s father went missing years ago and she believes that he didn’t run away but was abducted by aliens. She joins forces with a funky UFO club made up of a lovable group of weirdos and rejects. Together, they embark on an adventure that takes them far beyond the boundaries of the law and ultimately, our world.
Movie Reviews
Blake Lively brings extravagant fashion to this murder-mystery comedy movie in ‘Another Simple Favor’ – Review
When it comes to making a grand entrance in a movie , Blake Lively definitely kills it in Another Simple Favor. She looked sophistically stunning in those posh outfits and lavish shoes! Lively really steals the spotlight portraying the charming and deceptive Emily Nelson / Hope McLanden who disrupts Stephanie Smothers (Anna Kendrick) during a book reading to ask for a simple favor. Kendrick is a master in emerging into roles of the sweet, impulsive and vulnerable characters.

This saga takes place in the beautiful Island of Capri, where the extravagant wedding of Emily (Lively) to the handsome Italian mobster Dante Versano (Michele Morrone). When Aunt Linda (Allison Janney) makes a surprise appearance with Emily’s deranged mother Margaret (Elizabeth Perkins), well you know sparks will be bursting. Stephanie (Kendrick) is determined to seek answers to the mysterious occurrences and disappearance of Emily. The plot thickens with mind-bending, jaw-dropping twists, which leads the possibility of a trilogy.


The entire cast was amusing. This movie has a lot of dark raunchy humor, which at times could be a bit “tmi”. From feuding scenes with Henry Golding as Sean Townsend (Emily’s ex-husband) to Blake’s bedroom scene where she playing a dual role – uncomfortable, awkwardness. However, it received plenty of laughter from the audience.


Another Simple Favor will be available on Amazon Prime Video starting May 1, 2025. It will sure be a great suggestion for a girl’s night movie party.


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