Roqoo Depot

Movie Review: ‘Den of Thieves’

The trailer for Den of Thieves looked interesting, but I went into this one without much in the way of expectations. I walked away very surprised at how much I liked this film. Yes, it’s a heist movie with criminals and action, but this one captured a little bit of the magic of movies like Heat. It follows both the good guys and the bad guys, telling each side of the story as the criminals try to pull off their biggest heist while the cops try to stop them. It’s cat and mouse as they play off each other and strive to outwit their opponents. It’s also evenly matched.

On one side you’ve got Pablo Schreiber playing a criminal mastermind leading his crew of ex-military convicts in a lead up to taking down the Federal Reserve. On the other side, you’ve got Gerard Butler giving one of his best performances yet as he disappears into the role of a rough edged sheriff leading a major crimes team. This movie does a great job of focusing on the characters and rewarding the audiences with bursts of action, suspenseful heists, and a surprisingly good story. It’s not completely unique as there really are a lot of similarities with Heat, but it plays out well. It’s worth checking out.

I give it a five out of five metal bikinis.

Reviewed By: Skuldren for Roqoo Depot.

Movie Review: ‘The Commuter’

I’ll be honest, I’m a Liam Neeson fan, but after seeing the trailer for this movie, I really didn’t have much interest in seeing it. However, there are two things that swayed me. First off, Liam is saying this will be in his last action movie. Secondly, I got a MoviePass.

As far as action movies go, this one was enjoyable and I did like it. There’s some surprise actors that show up that I wasn’t expecting (Patrick Wilson and Sam Neill), and the cinematography and dialog is pretty good. It doesn’t feel like a dumbed down action fest, and while the train derailment is pretty over the top, the rest of the movie is fairly low key except for a couple hand-to-hand fights. It’s a decent story and worth a watch, but not one you have to go out and see on the big screen. Also, I’m not sure how much rewatchability this one will have.

As is, I give The Commuter a three out of five metal bikinis.

Reviewed By: Skuldren for Roqoo Depot.

Movie Review: ‘Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri’

Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri is a mouthful of a title for a film, but make no mistake, this is a great film. There’s a reason it’s up for so many aware nominations. It earned them. With spectacular writing and a truly outstanding cast, this movie will whisk you away with it’s characters as they take you on a twisting tale that will keep you entertained. There are times where you’ll laugh, times where you will be shocked, and times where you will fear for the lives of the characters. Martin McDonah, who both wrote and directed this film, nailed the characters and dialog. Surprisingly, none of this was shot in Missouri, but don’t let that keep you from seeing it. I loved it, and I highly recommend it. It definitely has the Fargo vibe.

I give it a a five out of five metal bikinis.

Reviewed By: Skuldren for Roqoo Depot.

Movie Review: ‘Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle’

Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle delivers a fun sequel with a great cast. Revamping the board game concept into the new era of gaming, this movie ensnares a group of students with a video game that sucks them into the world of Jumanji. From there, they become their avatars played by Dwayne Johnson, Jack Black, Kevin Hart and Karen Gillan.

It’s just the right mix for a fun film as the cast not only gets to do a comedy adventure film set in a video game universe, but they also get to play up on the idea that each of them is really a kid. The scrawny video game playing nerd becomes The Rock. The center of attention pretty girl becomes Jack Black. The big football player becomes the little Kevin Hart, and the nerdy girl becomes the beautiful Karen Gillan. From there, they have to save Jumanji by capture a gem before the big bad guy can.

If there’s a weak spot in the movie, it’s the villain played by Bobby Cannavale. He’s okay, but he’s definitely out shined by the rest of the cast. If you’re looking for a fun movie, this one’s a good pick. I give it a four out of five metal bikinis.

Movie Review: ’12 Strong’

12 Strong is based on a true story about a Special Forces team in Afghanistan that teamed up with a local warlord to fight the Taliban. Directed by Nicolai Fuglsig, whose only previous film was Exfil, this military drama does a good job developing interesting characters to keep audiences vested in the story. There’s some wild battles that culminates in a suicidal cavalry attack in the end, but at the heart of this movie, it really does come down to the characters. And in the leading role, Chris Hemsworth does a great job as the Special Forces captain leading his team and struggling to find a way to win a war with horse soldiers and an unpredictable warlord. This one is definitely worth seeing on the big screen for the battle scenes, and it has some good re-watchability potential.

I give it a five out of five metal bikinis.

Reviewed By: Skuldren for Roqoo Depot.