Grant Minnick's Movie Reviews

“I know what I have to do, but I don’t know if I have the strength to do it.” - Kylo Ren Star Wars: The Rise Of Skywalker is the ninth film in the Skywalker saga, and also serves as the final installment of the Star Wars sequel trilogy.  The film is directed by J. J. Abrams, and stars Daisy Ridley, John Boyega, Oscar Isaac, and Adam Driver.  It picks up after the events of The Last Jedi , and sees Rey fighting to destroy Emperor Palpatine, who was assumed dead.   As many of you probably know, The Rise Of Skywalker has been getting lots of mixed reviews.  Consequently, I went into the film a little worried about what I would be seeing.  I ended up walking out pleasantly surprised.  This is by no means a bad film, in fact, I would say it’s a pretty good film.  It provides a fulfilling ending to the Skywalker saga, and it left me feeling refreshed, and happy to be a Star Wars fan.   The visuals and special effects are brillia...

“What’s needed here this night is a pointless act of mischief!  Something that will accomplish absolutely nothing of substance… but will fill our hearts with gladness!” - Otto Pizcok a.k.a. The Baron Punk Rock And Trailer Parks was published in 2010, and is written and illustrated by Derf Backderf, or as he is credited for this book, Derf.  The book is set in the eighties, and follows Otto Pizcok, a 19-year-old high school senior unlike any other.  He has endless charisma, imagination, and courage, and prefers to be called by his self proclaimed nickname: The Baron.  When The Baron is introduced to punk rock by his two underclassman friends Pete and Wes, the trio makes it their weekly tradition to go to a punk and new wave music club called The Bank, to see bands like the Ramones, the Clash, and the Plasmatics.  As they spend more time at The Bank, Otto finds himself hanging out with famous people that come through the venue, and ultimately becoming a part...

“A true act of goodwill always sparks another.” - Jesper Klaus is an animated Christmas movie directed by Sergio Pablos, and stars the voices of J.K. Simmons, Jason Schwartzman, and Rashida Jones.  It was given a limited release in theaters in early November, and was given a wide release on Netflix on November 15.   The film tells the story of Jesper, a lazy postman who is shipped off to a town called Smeerensburg, where he must find a way to mail 6,000 letters in a year’s time.  Otherwise, he’ll be cut off from the family estate, and be forced to kiss his luxurious life goodbye.  At first, Jesper is shocked when he discovers that Smeerensburg is in the midst of a gang war that has gone on since the beginning of time, between the Ellingboe family, and the Krum family.  But when Jesper meets toymaker Klaus, the two of them find a way to spread cheer and positivity to the feuding families, making Smeerensburg a peaceful place to live, while also tryi...

“Getting divorced with a kid is one of the hardest things to do.  It’s like a death without a body.” - Bert Spitz Marriage Story is a drama starring Scarlett Johansson and Adam Driver as Nicole and Charlie, a married couple who is going through the process of getting a divorce.  The film is directed by Noah Baumbach and also stars Ray Liotta, Laura Dern, Alan Alda, and Wallace Shawn.  It was given a limited release in theaters in November, but got a wide release on Netflix on December 6th. Marriage Story is a wonderful film, but also an upsetting one.  The entire movie is about navigating through the incredibly difficult, strange, and taxing process of divorce, and what that will mean for not only the two divorcees, but also their friends, family, and their young son Henry.  It can be hard to sit through at times, and it will most likely make you shed some tears.  In fact, it made me cry not once, but twice.  The movie is often painful to watc...

“I heard you paint houses.” - Jimmy Hoffa The Irishman is directed by Martin Scorsese, and stars Robert De Niro, Joe Pesci, Al Pacino, Jesse Plemons, and Harvey Keitel.  It tells the story of the murder of Jimmy Hoffa (Pacino) through the eyes of mafia hitman Frank Sheeran (De Niro.)   This film has gotten a ton of hype, and for very good reasons.  This is a film starring legends, about legends, directed by Scorsese, who is about as legendary as filmmakers get.  It’s also a film that does almost everything right.  This is a film that movie buffs everywhere will be able to appreciate, and I feel like it could very well go down in history as one of the all time great mob movies.    I really appreciate many things about The Irishman , and I think it’s an incredibly unique movie that people will be able to watch and get many different things out of.  The shot composition is very careful, and there are many shots that foreshadow eve...

“Please, won’t you be my neighbor?” - Fred Rogers A Beautiful Day In The Neighborhood is directed by Marielle Heller, and stars Tom Hanks as Mr. Rogers.  The story follows a miserable reporter named Lloyd Vogel, who writes for Esquire Magazine.  When he is assigned to interview Mr. Rogers, Vogel is skeptical that Rogers is actually as kind-hearted as he seems to be.  But as Vogel shows signs of cynicism and misery, Rogers takes it upon himself to get to know Vogel better, and help him face his internal demons. A Beautiful Day In The Neighborhood has some of the most powerful movie moments of the year in my opinion, but it’s the way those moments are executed that makes them so powerful.  This movie is extremely creative and out of the box.  It has many moments that are very strange and surreal, which is odd considering that Mr. Rogers is the main selling point of the film. It’s really quite interesting to me the way this film was marketed.  In th...

“I suspect foul play.” - Benoit Blanc Knives Out is a murder mystery directed by Rian Johnson, and starring Don Johnson, Michael Shannon, Jaeden Lieberher, Chris Evans, Daniel Craig, Lakeith Stanfield, Jamie Lee Curtis, Toni Collette, Ana de Armas, and Christopher Plummer.  When famous mystery writer Harlan Thrombey is found dead in his own mansion on the night of a family get-together, the police are brought in to find out which one of his family members committed the crime, and why.   Knives Out is a film that is full of surprises.  For one, the acting is magnificent.  Almost every single cast member kills it here, (no pun intended.)  I especially loved Daniel Craig’s performance, and I also think that this film is yet another reason why people should be familiar with the name Lakeith Stanfield.  This man has a plethora of talent, and he has shown this ever since his film debut in the 2013 movie Short Term 12 .  Stanfield is one of the best ...