304, The Rip

By my count, The Rip is the 15th collaboration with Ben Affleck & Matt Damon, who started out as best friends in Boston aged 8 & 10 respectively and went on to form one of Hollywoods most successful partnerships.  As a pair they have covered Dramas, Action & Sports movies as well as individually being superheroes, assassins & uncredited baseball players but there is no denying that when together, we always see the sum of their best work.

The Rip is no different.  A Gritty Miami Cop Drama that see our two headline acts making up part of a TNT (Tactical Narcotics Team), led by Damon with a rag tag bunch of hard hitting cops all ready to jump at a moments notice.  

For context, The 'Rip' is a term given to either a cash or drugs seizure - the bigger the Rip - the more prestigious the accolade.  The opening scenes show us the gunning down of the then TNT Captain, Velez, played by TV's S.W.A.T regular Lina Esco (Chris) and for me, a much underused cast member in this as S.W.A.T definitely took a down turn once she, a few of the originals left in the closing seasons.

Post murder, the subsequent questioning of her team led by FBI officers (with a lovely little twist) allows tempers to flare with some of the questions and potential accusations that start flying around.  

These interviews are cut seamlessly into flashback visuals of Cpt. Velez last moments, where just before her murder, she manages to get a text message sent (saying what and to whom will become evident later), but after a quick 1st Act of getting to know everyone and learning all you need to know about each of the TNT members personal stories, we are thrown into the main elements of the movie.  

After receiving a tip about a cash house, our team descends on said location to investigate, discovering a pretty hefty sum of stashed Cartel cash but it's very clear that the motives behind what they should do with the cash are split between the team and we enter into a tense 40 minute middle act of mistrust, tested loyalties and some quick fire action that leaves even the most astute audience members still wondering who is on the right side of the law and who isn't.

After some pretty strong and violent clashes within the team - backup arrives and the cash is offloaded but even then, something just isn't quite right and with 20 minutes to go there are a few twists and turns still remaining but let's just say, I don't think you'll be disappointed.

Comparing it to other Miami Cop Dramas such as Bad Boys and Miami Vice, this I'd say sits firmly in the middle.  It's not as dark and moody as Vice, but not as bubbly and colourful as Bad Boys and with the action taking place outside the bright lights of the City - could really have been set anywhere.

Damon and Affleck are on top form as are other familiar faces such as a fleeting early appearance from 'The Morning Shows' Nestor Carbonell (still wearing his trademark guy-liner) and Kyle Chandler as DEA Agent Mateo (Mayor of Kingstown / Friday Night Lights).  The rest of the TNT include Steven Yeun, Teyana Taylor & Catalina Sandino Moreno and all have a pretty decent resume's,  having appeared in movies such as Ballerina, One Battle After Another & Nope - just to name a few of their individual credits.

This movie is definitely one of two halves.  First half see's a well scripted, edge of the seat, tense thriller with some fantastic back and forths between all of the team - less action, more 'who you going to trust' whereas in contrast, the second half ramps up the pace and once you've worked it all out - goes hell bent on the action movie genre with full effect.

It's great to see once again some of Hollywoods biggest stars signing up for streaming movies and sometimes, a really good gritty cop drama is all you really need.  That is however until I saw the trailer drop this week for 'He-Man, Masters of the Universe' and my 10yr old self got way more excited that I should have.  Now that's a movie I can't wait to see in all it's glory but until then, there is plenty out there to keep you entertained and The Rip is definitely one of them.

(Images used in blog are sourced from Wikipedia, Netflix, Good Housekeeping, Rotten Tomatoes & MovieWeb)

303, Afterburn

 

A little offering available on Amazon Prime at the moment is Afterburn.  A Post-Apocalyptic Action film set 10yrs after a Solar Flare wiped out most of the known economic world.  Computers & currency are gone & the surviving population are living in the equivalent of social poverty with Warlords overthrowing governments to rule what's left of civilisation.

Our main protagonist - General Volkov (played by Game of Thrones Wilding Kristofer Hivju) is a Russian Warlord, who has commandeered prtty much all of wider Europe, overseeing a very Nazi'esq style militant force who rule with an iron fist and occupied France is his current domain.

The UK is set a little apart form this horrific new reality - still affected by the flare, our water borders make further invasions tricky and it's here, in a battered London we meet Jake (Dave Bautista - WWE), a Treasure Hunter turned 'Finder for Hire" who specialises in obtaining lost, high end items for anyone willing to cough up resources, including the newly self-proclaimed, and very wealthy "King" (Samuel L. Jackson).

After locating a very rare Stradivarius in the opening scenes, Jake is tasked with heading to France & obtaining the Mona-Lisa which initially doesn't sit well with him due to Volkov's reign in the area but, he is soon tempted by the promise of a beautiful refurbished sail yacht, allowing him to fulfil his dream of getting out, once and for all.  

So, off he goes to France - battling Volkov's reigime (with a little help) and after a few near misses - comes across the vault which houses much more than just a valuable painting and the realisation hits that perhaps he is destined to do more than just be a courier for hire.

Every Action Film needs a few elements in my mind.  

1) A strong lead, something The Rock and Jason Statham have nailed in the past but following the 2021 movie Army of the Dead (which is awesome by the way) and a few others since, Bautista does pretty damn well at it.  

2) A great female sidekick which in this, see's a welcome return for Ex-Bond Girl, Olga Kurylenko (Quantum of Solace / Oblivion).  

3) A great car, and what better for the rugged apocalyptic terrain than an awesome Baja Truck that steals most of the action scenes and finally, 

4) A Bad-Ass 'Slo-Mo' walk away from an explosion without turning around.  Yes - thats here too!

The film rattles along at a pretty decent pace and the 1hr 45m fly's by.  The action is plentiful with shotguns exploding heads all over the place to grenades, car and train chases, brutal WWE style hand to hand combat which is all shot brilliantly and a cracking little scene including a small group of wild, masked, cannibal, Parkour hunters who's end comes as fast as their introduction - but still plays out great all the same.

There is no real focus on the Solar Flare outside of the introduction to the movie setting the scene for the backdrop but it doesn't matter.  Slovakia and Hungary provide the locations for war-torn, occupied france and its rural landscapes and abandoned bunkers and hangers suit the mood of the movie perfectly.  Our leading four cast members all do a fantastic job and there are a few other familiar faces in smaller parts that again, all do well.

For me, it's another great little action movie where the budget seems to be as plentiful as the bloodshed and it doesn't feel wooden or over scripted in any way.  Friday night viewing?  Absolutely.  

Grab yourself a drink and settle in.  If Action is your beverage of choice - pour me another one!

302, Hamnet

I think it's fair to kick off this blog by stating I am not a very literary astute person, So on immediate review, I honestly assumed Hamnet was either a typo - or a play on words for Hamlet and there was just something I was missing.  Luckily - the opening screen of the movie is a written statement, educating the lesser aware audience members that Hamnet is completely interchangeable with the name Hamlet in the 16th-century so not a typo, just a variation thereof so my new understanding of what I believed I was about to watch was the story of how Shakespeare came up with the world renowned play, but again - not entirely the case.

(Includes spoilers)

Hamnet is less about Shakespeare the playwright and more about Shakespeare the Husband and Father.  In fact, there is very little indeed about the actual playwriting side of him and barely anything set in London or at the Globe, save for the last 20 minutes of the movie.

This movie follows a young Shakespeare, referred to as Will (Paul Mescal - Gladiator 2) starting out as an apprentice tailor & farmer, supporting the family business until his gaze falls upon farm girl Agnes (Jessie Buckley - Wicked little Letters) and after what is quite an inappropriate courting approach, manages to win her over quite quickly and she soon falls pregnant with daughter number one Susannah, and then a few years later - twins Hamnet & Judith.  

For me - this movie is more about the struggles of Agnes, raising the three kids with a mostly absent father figure while Will is off in London building his career.  A Medicinal Herbalist, Agnes is all about natural remedies and being at one with nature, something very apparent during Susanna's birth but it's the struggles of Will when he is at home - the distance between them and the love the children have for him that makes his absence ever so more heartfelt.

Tragedy strikes when Hamnet himself at aged 11 succumbs to what is portrayed as the Plague, sold to the audience as almost a sixth sense awareness of his twin Judith's ongoing medical problems she's carried since a touch and go birth, wanting to be there for her and take her pain away, allowing death itself to take him and not his sister and the fallout of that tragedy, linked with Will not being present at the time, sends the family into a trench of despair and forces Will even further into his work.

From then on - it's Agnes' loss of Hamnet and her belief that she alone dealt with the tragedy, with no real support from Will that drives the final parts of the movie.  That is until she visits The Globe to witness Hamlet being acted out on stage, and the connection to her own experiences, albeit faced with confusion to the namesake and the meaning but, all becomes clear to her in the end.   

At this point there may be some variables to how I understood the final act to others, but for me - Hamlet was the result of Will's grief on losing his own son.  Transforming that experience into the play and his take on Hamnet's final moments, forcing the whole audience to share in the loss, making it even more meaningful to him than Agnes ever initially believed.

How much truth there is to all of this I can't comment - Yes, Will was married to Agnes and they had three kids, one being Hamnet who died at 11 so that bit's true, but I can only assume there's artistic licence for the rest, the lifestyle of the family for example but, only Shakespeare himself can answer the connections between the loss of his son and Hamlet the play.  However that said, to the unknowing mind - it all appeared pretty believable to me. 

Hamnet is not a happy film - There are no real high's but there are plenty of lows.  The movie itself won 2 of it's 6 Golden Globe Nominations for Best Motion Picture (Drama) and Best Performance from a Female Actor for Buckley (beating Julia Roberts & Jennifer Lawrence) in what was a worthy performance on her part.  

The 16th-Century backdrop is as expected - It's dark, muddy, basic and although based in Stratford-Upon-Avon, it's the village of Weobley, Herefordshire that plays host to our location due to it's largely unchanged, Tudor-era appeal and well-preserved black and white timber buildings.  London itself is only really seen from a skyline perspective and in very small doses until you enter The Globe itself, which disappointedly wasn't the actual Globe - but a replica constructed on a backlot at Elstree Studios.

Oscar nominations are out later this week and it's predicted that Hamnet will appear in some of the top categories which stands to reason following it's success at the Globes.  

So why the appeal?  Well, there is no denying the raw emotional power of some scenes and the depth of the tragedy.  It does have exceptional performances from Buckley and Mescal (as well as the kids and other cast members) and it offers a new female perspective to the life and times of a very famous male playwright, giving voice to a previously overlooked role in the creation of what is now known as one of the greatest plays ever written.

I can say with all honesty I don't need to see it again, and if you're after a light-hearted romp through Tudor England then this probably isn't going to be that.  But, If you are a fan of Shakespeare and this is your kind of thing, then it's an award winning movie you can easily add to your list.

(Images used in blog are sourced from IMDB, Discover Britain Magazine, Universal Pictures, Original Cin, Financial Times & Film Review)

301, People we meet on Vacation

Romcom time! and Netflix new offering for early 2026 is a light-hearted escapade focussing on two lonely souls thrown together in a globe trotting adventure, set across 12yrs and the will they / won't they story line that won't take much working out!

People we meet on Vacation is an adaptation of the book by the same name from Emily Henry who also holds Exec Producer credits on the movie release.  Yes, for those who are a fan of the book there are some location changes but in general, the development of the relationship isn't tampered with and feedback is that it's a pretty good realisation of the best selling novel. 

Our wanderlust lead Poppy (Emily Bader), is a Travel Writer, slowly becoming disillusioned by the endless airport lounges and lonely travel arrangement but refusing to set any future plans or settle down.  Enter Alex (Tom Blythe) - the complete opposite.  A planner and homebody who gets thrown into the manic lifestyle of Poppy after agreeing (via a mutual friend) to help out as designated driver on a road trip that obviously goes haywire but somehow, the unlikely duo strike up a seemingly plutonic 'bestie' friendship that oddly sees them agree to meet up once a year and go somewhere, anywhere in the world - regardless of love interests or personal situations.  

The movie focusses on telling the story of a decade of annual, single weeks away - mostly set in flashback following the most recent hook-up (a mutual friends wedding) that sees our duo not in the best of places after a 2 year hiatus of ghosting and awkwardness, initially due to events over the last few get away's but, we get to see all the trips in retrospect and how their relationship developed over time, culminating in that "will they - wont they" finale that rounds off Act 3.

To be honest, there's not much more too it - a few credit bolstering characters in Poppy's parents with cameos from recognisable faces Molly Shannon (SNL / White Lotus) & Alan Ruck (Succession / Ferris Bueller's Day Off) and passing love interests for Poppy and Alex in the form of Lucien Laviscount (Emily in Paris & Snatch) and Sarah Catherine Cook (White Lotus) and finally, Jameela Jamil as Poppy's boss.  All do a good job in this with the Parents in particular offering a very funny interlude.

The movie takes us to Barcelona, Tuscany & New Orleans, all shot on location with a few trick shots that see New York scenes filmed in Spain but there is no denying some of the locations are literally stunning.  

The lead duo are both incredibly easy on the eye and entertaining.  Both were relatively unknown (to me) with Emily Bader only most recently appearing in 'My Lady Jane' (2024) & Tom Blythe being a bit more present in my viewing archive, having starred in The Guilded Age, Hunger Games: Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes & Billy the Kid (TV - 2022/2025).  

The camping / skinny dipping scenes will definitely get a chuckle, as will much of Poppy's erratic behaviour paired with Alex's frustrated glances and Alex finding out that he can be a 'vacation version' of himself is eye opening - as is the "Let's pretend we're on honeymoon and get the freebies" scene that I have to admit - we did play on during our own honeymoon and take it from me, it definitely works!  But, the most enjoyable part for me was watching my wife literally chuckling throughout the whole movie, making observations of how 'Alex-like' I am (without the six-pack) and that in itself was worth the sub 2hrs duration for some nice easy viewing on a Monday night.

Again, as with many movies such as this it probably wont go down in Rom-Com history as a movie for the ages, but it's watchable, likeable, enjoyable and if I'm being totally honest - pretty damn cute.

(Images used in blog are sourced from IMDB, Town & Country Magazine, Variety & The Today Show)

  

300, High Rollers

High Rollers is a late 2025 Amazon Prime release that matches Ex-Professional Theif John Travolta (Mason Goddard) against a criminal organisation in need of his particular set of skills.  High Rollers is the sequel the 2024 release Cash Out and see's most of the original cast members return with the exception Kristin Davis (Sex and the City) being traded out for Gina Gershon.

It's clear to say that this film isn't exactly rocket science.  After kidnapping his Ex-FBI girlfriend (now Gina Gershon) in a dramatic beach scene less than 5 minutes in, Goddard is quick to give chase and even quicker still stopped in his tracks but within 10 minutes of the opening credits has not only correctly guessed who is behind the kidnapping, but what they want from him and his band of brothers - all of which is confirmed by a phone call from the protagonist a few seconds later.

This movie doesn't hang around - and given the whole film is just 99 minutes long you can see why.  No need to worry about a 3hr drawn out overly scripted waste of air watching this one but that said - it's a great cast with Travolta, Gershon and other familiar faces such as Noel Gugliemi as Hector (doesn't he always play someone called Hector?) & Lucas Haas adding to the roster.  

Other members of the gang make up the 'younger' element of the team although as with Cash Out - I personally can't help but think that had these movies been granted a bigger cinema release you could easily see actors like Sydney Sweeny & Michael B Jordan picking up these parts but being honest, Natali Yura and Quavo do a pretty decent job.  

Considering they are being held to ransom to complete the heist, our damsel in distress (Gershon) remains practically un-phased by the whole ordeal and the criminal 'go-between' seems relatively friendly & supportive.  Private jets, new identities and seemingly unlimited resources to pull off a Hotel & Casino Heist are made available to the crew & the new identities given to the team, such as 'Kai Ritchie' & 'Jennifer Aston' add further to the fact that this movie isn't taking itself too seriously and is happy to rush through the set-up and planning and focus the bulk of the screen time on the actual heist itself.  

What follows is a pretty expected second act.  Standard protocol seen many times in heist movies such as hacking security cameras, recon of facility, embedding aliases & a potential plot twist to seamlessely roll into Act 3 - the finale, but as always - no spoilers!!!

Other than playing Santa Claus in some Capital One Christmas Ads - 2024 & 2025 only saw these two movie releases from Travolta which for me is a real shame as personally, I think he's great.  Don't get me wrong, these are not Oscar Winners by any means but when you look back at some of his more recent credits - let's say to "From Paris with Love" in 2010 (a personal favourite) there is an impressive CV with most of them being highly watchable and entertaining.  Let's just say that the 71yr old Travolta looks great and shows no signs of slowing down just yet.  

Real world Mississippi locations provide a pretty backdrop for the majority of this movie and the Casino scenes (all shot on location) really add to the plot and pace of the film.  

In the end - there is very little not to like.  It's fun - fast paced, doesn't take itself too seriously, has some great locations and the acting isn't too wooden (for most of the cast).  It's a no-brainer that if you want something totally standalone to while away 1.5hrs of your day then this is a winner and although watcing the first film would get you up to speed quicker with the cast and characters, it's not essential.     

The good news - Cash Out 3 is already in post production so it's clear Travolta has bought into a long term franchise here and I'd expect to see most of the cast return again as they have before.

(Images used in blog are sourced from IMDB, Screen Rant, Rotten Tomatoes & Movie Freak)