From Nobody 2 to Highest 2 Lowest: Today’s Rundown

Exhaustion has reduced 3 blogs this week to some bookenders. One at the beginning of this week and one to close out the week. Sorry, but 5 movies (2 prequels, 2 sequels, and a Spike Lee in a pear tree), two Alien: Earth episodes, and moving two kids back to college after the summer...ya girl is TIRED.

Let's kick today's rundown into gear already...

Mansell's family vacation (Nobody 2/2025)

I HATE that Nobody 2 was a disappointment. I wanted it to be as good as the first one. Everything that one loves about the Nobody (2021) is mostly absent in Nobody 2. The first one is dark, kinda depressing. Bob Odenkirk was masterful in the first one, playing a man who was almost dangerously addicted to the danger and risk. Choosing the life that he envied, but almost at a price of his soul. This sequel? COMPLETELY different tone. It was almost, dare I say, goofy. Instead of being tormented by his choice of an average life, he is walking the tightrope between both. Add an over the top acting performance by Sharon Stone and it becomes a mess. If both movies had been this way with comedy and wacky villains maybe this one wouldn't be such a disappointment, but you almost feel a whiplash if you dare to watch both back to back. Some of the action scenes are fun, but there are too many "huh?" decisions made by performances (Stone & Colin Hanks) and dialogue that drag this movie down. 2.75/5 If you want to see how a sequel can actually deliver, check out my review on Ne Zha II )

Alien: Earth (2025)

How are we liking Alien: Earth? The opening scene with everyone coming out of cryosleep and sitting around the table was perfect 1979 Alien vibes. Placing this story 2 years before our OG film is a bold choice and I can't wait to see how it all ties together. It seems when storytellers have a clear ending (i.e. Andor) the writing and world development come together beautifully. So I'm excited.

All Hail the King (Highest 2 Lowest/2025)

So Spike Lee & Denzel Washington joined forces again for Highest 2 Lowest. First collab since 2006's Inside Man. I love when directors have a "go-to" guy. Scorsese & DiCaprio; Coogler & Jordan; Tarantino & Jackson. They have a rhythm that is a pleasure to watch even if the movie is just ok. Highest 2 Lowest works in some parts and doesn't in others. I'm not sure if Lee has lost his fastball, if Denzel just makes most actors look average next to him, or it wasn't the right script to reimagine, but something was off about this movie. This is an English language reinterpretation of Akira Kurosawa's 1963 Japanese film "High and Low", which is based on Ed McBain's novel "King's Ransom". I loved the second half of this movie, but, unfortunately, it also highlights how...well, not good the first half is. I don't blame Lee, Washington, or Jeffrey Wright, but someone is to blame... The score is distractingly bad for the early drama scenes, almost giving the movie a telenovela vibe. And the actress playing opposite Denzel, as his wife...only highlights how good of an actor he is because...holy god, she's pretty terrible. When you have someone of Washington's skill, you had better be able to go toe to toe with him or else you will be exposed. Honestly, only Jeffrey Wright could hold his own in scenes with Denzel. I give A$AP Rocky all the credit in the world for trying, so kudos to him, but when working with two of the best, you better be as good or it will show. Overall...when Spike shifts back into NY Spike mode, in the second half that's when you're reminded just how good this duo is and how much we should appreciate what years we have left with them. 3.5/5

Directors can make a huge difference, see my review on Warfare, to see how Alex Garland's vision came to life

me...naptime

Well, time to wrap this rambling up...old girl has one more kid to move back and then collapse for a nice long nap (hopefully)