The Marine 5: Battleground

The Miz is back again as Jake Carter, the poor beleaguered ex-Marine who can't seem to find a job where people aren't shooting at him, and I'm happy to say this is a much better installment in the franchise than the last film was. The script is simple, but was everything it needed to be for a popcorn action flick. This fifth "Marine" film was packed to the gills with WWE stars, with solid and believable performances by Heath Slater, Maryse, Naomi, and Curtis Axel. The Miz ia awesome as always, and I like how he's allowing the cumulative emotional toll from the previous two films to build up and show through his performance in subtle ways. He is a profession and very proficient actor, and I'm glad he now owns this role. However, I have to say the true star of this film is Bo Dallas. His turn as the big bad boss in this was just tremendous. His range of emotion and commitment to the character was great. I predict he could have a long career in film, if only he can get that first push (a push, I might add, that he has been long deserving of and not getting in the WWE). This was a solid installment in the "Marine" franchise and a big improvement from the last film, and I hope The Miz gets a whole slew of new sequels to come. 3.5/5

The Marine 5: Battleground on Netflix

A Serbian Film

I couldn't find this very controversial film at Netflix, or on any mainstream platform, but I was able to finally seek it out and watch it. First thing - this isn't a horror film. The things that happen in this film are horrible and deeply disturbing, but this is a drama/thriller, not horror. Second thing - this film is deeply philosophical. I wondered why it was simply called "A Serbian Film", but now, having finally seen it, I see it couldn't be called anything else. It examines the culture of violence in Serbia, and when it became almost incidental to see or be a part of violent acts. It delves deeply into the nature of victimhood, of when you can blame someone for committing violence on others, and when forgiveness can be possible. These moral questions aren't subtle, but straightforwardly asked, and the escalating violence of the movie compels the viewer to decide when what they are seeing is too much, and when they feel they must, in good conscience, look away. I imagine not many viewers make it too the end, which is sad, because the final minutes of this movie are so profound and affecting I was stunned by them. Honestly, even given the horror of what I watched (and, to be clear, this is easily in the top five most disturbing films I've ever seen), there's nothing about this I would have changed. It's brilliant, it truly is. 5/5

A Serbian Film is not available on Netflix

Gerald's Game

I don't remember this book well, but I do remember thinking it was certainly one of King's weaker offerings. When I saw Netflix had made it into a film, I was mystified how it would play on the screen, but I was pleasantly surprised at how good this was. Carla Gugino was mesmerizing in the lead role, and Bruce Greenwood was very solid as Gerald. I thought the way the script dealt with the setting of the film and the action within it was imaginative and extremely well thought-out. I do have to say I felt it came to a resolution far too quickly and easily. I don't remember it being that way in the book, and it was less than satisfying for me. I would have liked to see the tension play out longer, but, nonetheless, I thought this was a very good adaptation. 3.5/5

Gerald's Game on Netflix

The Attack

This Arabic drama manages to tell a very nuanced story about a incendiary topic, which is not an easy thing to do these days. We the viewers are never forced to take sides, and, because of that, we are allowed to feel the pain from all sides of this story. The acting is extremely good and is the glue that holds everything in this film together. I was captivated by this, and I definitely recommend it. 4/5

The Attack on Netflix