Lamar's Reviews

Lamar Reviews - Sean Combs - "The Reckoning" (Airdate 12/12/2025)

We’ve all read a ton and watched hours of
coverage about what all has gone on with Sean
John, Puffy, Puff Daddy, P. Diddy, Diddy, Brother
Love, Frank Black Combs. I thought I had an idea
of what actually went on. Boy was I wrong.
He is not just a bad guy, this man is evil from top
to bottom, inside and out.
Combs Lawyers sent a cease-and-desist letter to
Netflix, demanding that the series be withdrawn.
After watching the documentary, I see why. But
Netflix doesn’t seem to be worried.
In the first episode we find out that Diddy’s father
was a drug dealer that got shot in his car at 33.
So, he was raised by his mother and seemingly
devoted to her.
When he was young, he was a go getter, not
afraid to work hard to succeed. He was smart, and
if he had chosen to use his talents for good, this
would be a completely different story, but he didn’t.
He chose to be devoid of any sign of humanity. To
erase any sign of a conscience. To use people in

the worst ways possible, leaving them broken in
every way. To charm and manipulate women only
to trap them, control them and physically assault
them over and over if they didn’t obey.
The only thing he cares about is money, fame, and
the power it brings him. Not only does he acquire
all of those things, but they also allow him to act
with impunity, never answering for anything he has
done. Until now.
But has justice actually been served? Convicted of
two counts of transportation to engage in
prostitution. 50 months in prison, and a $500,000
fine.
When I listened to the jurors talk about how they
found him not guilty for all of those charges, it
made me want to throw up. It seems like they
were star struck by Diddy’s fame and he charmed
them. To hear them say that since Cassie kept
going back after being beat, there must have been
love between them. This is a case of a couple
having some disagreements. To say that after
watching the footage from the hotel cameras, is

this year 1945? Do we still not understand what
abuse is and what it looks like, mental and
physical.
Alexandra Stapleton directed Sean Combs: The
Reckoning, but the man responsible for this
documentary is Curtis “Fitty Cent” Jackson is the
executive producer. He has had a “hate-on” for
Diddy for a long time and has been telling people
about him for years.
The Documentary is four episodes, total run time
is 4 hours 2 minutes, Rated TV-MA for language
and disturbing topics.
I feel for those who testified against him, it was
said in the documentary, he never forgets a slight.
I’m sure he has a list of every person who went
against him and is planning revenge.
This is a dark story about a very evil man that
would have made a great movie if it was fictional,
but sadly all these terrible things actually
happened to real people, and many real lives have
been ruined.
My Score: 5 Buds

Lamar Reviews - Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out Mystery (Airdate 12/5/2025)

If you see this movie because you love Daniel
Craig as Benoit Blanc, you will not be
disappointed. But the big surprise is Josh
O’Connor as Father Jud Duplenticy, a former
boxer turned priest. I was not familiar with him, but
he almost stole the movie. He was fantastic, to the
point that when Daniel Craig is not in a scene, he
is not missed, and that is saying something.
Father Jud, after a violent outburst, as
punishment, is sent from Upstate New York to a
tiny parish in the village of Chimney Rock. He
goes to work for Monsignor Jefferson Wicks,
played by Josh Brolin, a bombastic, angry
pessimist.
It is an understatement to say that Father Jud and
the Monsignor do not see eye to eye on how to
tend to the very small flock. That flock consists of
Glen Close as Martha, who keeps the accounts
and the running of the church. She had worked for
the previous Monsignor Wicks, Jefferson’s father,
and she is a devoted follower of both.

Thomas Haden Church plays the groundskeeper.
Kerry Washington is somewhat wasted as a
lawyer. Dr. Not Sharp, a broken-hearted alcoholic,
is played by Jeremy Renner. Andrew Scott plays
an author whose career is in the dump. And
Cailee Spaeny plays a musician with medical
problems looking for a miracle.
The Monsignor controls his small flock in a cultish
way and is very unwelcoming to any first time
visitors. This is very troubling to Father Jud who
was warned that Monsignor Jefferson is “a few
beads short of a full rosary.”
When one of the characters is murdered, in what
looks like, a “locked room mystery”, everyone is
present, but the evidence points to Father Jud.
Police Chief Geraldine Scott, played by Mila
Kunis, shows up to investigate, and she invites
Benoit Blanc to help.
Blanc agrees that it looks bad for Father Jud, but
he vows to get to the bottom of this mystery with
the Father’s help.

The movie at 2 hours 24 minutes, could be
considered a little long, but for me I was having
such a good time I did not want it to end, Rated
PG-13 for violent content, bloody images, strong
language, some crude sexual material, and
smoking.
Because the setting of this movie is a church there
is a lot of discussion of faith, especially between
Father Jud whose entire life has been changed by
his. Benoit is a man who bases his life on logic
and science. Their discussions on the subject are
very interesting to watch, and we see Blanc’s
surprise and amazement when he realizes just
how important Father Jud’s calling is to him.
This is the third Knives Out Mystery, and they get
better as they go, this being the best so far. What
really surprises me is that I feel like Daniel Craig
had less screentime in this than the other two, and
it was still fantastic. This shows the genius of
Writer and director Rian Johnson, and the faith he
had in Josh O’Connor.
My Score: A Full Six-Pack of frosty Budweisers

Lamar Reviews - The Running Man (Airdate 11/21/2025)

When you decide to remake a movie that is 38
years old you are spinning the roulette wheel.
When the star of the 38 year old movie is Arnold
Schwarzenegger your chances of winning are not
good. He could do no wrong in the 80’s when he
did the original running man. The movie is based
on a story written by Stephen King. Arnold had
them rewrite the screenplay to make it more action
oriented than the novel. The only thing the book
and the 1987 movie have in common is the title
and it follows the violent reality game, in the
looses way possible.
The 2025 Running Man stays a lot closer to the
novel except the ending. But don’t worry, the
violence and blood are still there. It shows a stark
dystopian America where the only thing people do
is watch TV. Media controls everything and it is
run by Dan Killian, played by Josh Brolin. Ratings
are everything, and he doesn’t care how many
people have to die on his game show to keep
them high.

His biggest hit is a gladiatorial game show called
The Running Man. Three contestants try to
survive for 30 days; the winner gets a $million.
They are hunted 24 hours a day by a group of 5
hunters. Citizens can get paid by calling in tips
when they spot them. There is nowhere to hide.
Ben Richards, played by Glen Powell, has a wife
and a sick child and no money to get medicine for
their child. He lost his job, and has a really bad
temper, and the Running Man is his last chance to
help his family.
This movie is a little long, 2 hours and 13 minutes,
Rated-R for strong violence, some gore, and
language.
I mentioned length, the 1987 original was 1 hour
41 minutes, which I think would have helped. Also,
the 1987 one was cheesy and a whole lot of fun!
This one not as cheesy, but also not as fun. It was
a little too serious. When the original story was
written it was set way in the future in the year
2025. In 1987 nobody could ever dream that
media would be as powerful as it is now. It’s been

this way for a while so not as riveting as it was 38
years ago.
Josh Brolin makes a decent maniacal villain, and
Colman Domingo as show host Bobby T, both
have their moments, nothing as memorable as
Richard Dawson in the original.
The most exciting and fun part of the movie is
when Michael Cera shows up, I could have used
more of him.
As I mentioned the movie was a little long, and
even though Glen Powell does a great job, this
2025 Running Man is not as much fun as the
original.
The good news is there is a huge segment of the
population that did not see the1987
Schwarzenegger Running Man, so they have
nothing to compare this newer one with.
By no means am I saying I did not enjoy this
movie, I did. I just prefer the original.
My Score: 4 Budweisers

"The Holiday Junkie"

It’s getting to be that time of year when Hallmark
and Lifetime holiday movies are really popular.
These two networks are fighting for the same
audience, but they do it in different ways. Here are
some of those differences.
Lifetime characters have better jobs, Hallmark
characters are mostly Advertising and Marketing
people from the big city.
Lifetime movies have a little more snark and are a
little funnier. Hallmark is more earnest, to the point
of corny, and proud of it. Nothing is ever
impossible, too sweet, or too magical. No
apologies. With Hallmark, objects can have
magical powers, a Nutcracker or a snowman can
come to life, no problem. When I think of Lifetime I
immediately think of drama and women in danger
first, and romance second.
Lifetime characters get together quicker, while
Hallmark takes them through turmoil until the
grand romantic gesture at the end.

Lifetime has more out of the box storylines, while
Hallmark follows the same few basic storylines,
just in different ways.
Lifetime has a larger range of actors. Hallmark has
its favorite actors that you recognize in multiple
movies.
The Holiday Junkie is a Lifetime movie starring
Jennifer Love Hewitt. I’m a big fan. She plays
Andie, a young woman who runs a Christmas
decorating company with her mother. This is the
first Christmas she’s doing it alone since her
mother died. She has the opportunity to make the
company bigger if she can impress a rich venture
capitalist when she decorates his house.
At the house she runs into Mason, played by
Hewitt’s real life husband Brian Hallisay. Mason
hates Christmas for some secret reason. Imagine
that.
Travel problems delay the family’s return, forcing
Mason and Andie to spend time together.
If you have ever watched any of these types of
movies, I don’t need to tell you anything else.

The movie is 1 hour and 28 minutes, Rated-
TVPG-13.
If you can’t find this movie on Lifetime, you can
still watch it on YouTube. That’s where my wife
Carla and I watched it.
We made different predictions about what was
going to happen, what disaster was going to bond
them, what secret is making him hate Christmas,
and we joined in when the coffee shop lady,
talking about the big shindig in town, challenged
Andie to say Holly Hill Holiday Hop, five times fast.
Yes, it was predictable, yes it was corny, but it was
also fun, especially with your significant other.
These movies are easy, relaxing, and maybe even
therapeutic.
Jennifer Love Hewitt wrote and directed this movie
as a tribute to her mother Pat. And because her
husband was her love interest, the chemistry,
especially the kissing scenes, was very
comfortable.

My Score on the Holiday Movie scale is 4 Buds

Lamar Reviews - "Bugonia" (Airdate 11/7/2025)

This is a really hard movie to review, one of the hardest I’ve ever reviewed. Not because it is a bad movie, which would be really easy. It is not because it is wonderful, I would just tell you not to miss it.

It is because it is very strange, and very hard to explain, at least without ruining the experience.

If you have watched the trailer, seeing that Emma Stone is in it makes it intriguing, and trying to figure out what heck is going on makes it interesting.

I will tell you that when you walk into the movie you don’t know what is going on, after 30 minutes you think you know what is going on, and 15 minutes later, you realize you just thought you knew and you really don’t. This continues every 15 minutes until the movie is over. Then as you walk out, you will be trying to decide exactly what have you have just seen.

The movie is 1 hour and 58 minutes, Rated-R for bloody violent content, grisly images, suicide and language.

Now I know that does not sound like ringing endorsement, but I’m not saying don’t go see it.

The problem is, my hands are tied, this movie goes in many directions, and it would be really easy to spoil it.

Emma Stone is fantastic as Michelle, the Gucci, Chanel, and Prada wearing CEO of a major pharmaceutical company. She wants everyone to think she cares for all employees and wants them to feel free to leave work early to be with their families, unless of course they have work they could be doing, it is of course still a job.

Then we have Teddy, played by Jesse Plemons, who is perfect as a bee keeping conspiracy theorist who blames Michelle for many things including putting his mother in a coma after her company’s drug trial went wrong.

Don, played by Aidan Delbis is Teddy’s sweet and simple cousin he drags into his scheme to kidnap Michelle and force her to admit she is an alien and save the bees.

The movie is aiming at dark comedy, but it brings more cringes than laughs. We get the idea that Michelle is not what Teddys says she is but it is plain her company is not the hero in this story, but at the same time she is the victim that Teddy has kidnapped and is torturing for what end we are not sure, so he is not the hero either.

Don, Teddy’s cousin is the only innocent in the movie, and the only one that actually makes any sense.

Emma Stone actually had her head shaved on camera in the scene, and just minutes before that scene was shot, she shaved the head of the director Yorgos Lanthimos.

Every actor did a great job, this is one of those movies that will have you guessing over and over, then being totally surprised at the end.

It was a rollercoaster ride of violence and craziness, but I am truly glad I saw it. You may or may not have the same experience.

My Score: 4 Budweisers

Lamar Reviews - "5 Classic Horror Movies" (Airdate 10/30/2025)

Carrrie 1976

Carrie, played by Sissy Spacek is an Outcast
teenager tormented by her peers at school. They
refuse to leave her alone, constantly bullying her.
The problem for everyone else in the school is,
Carrie has some badass supernatural powers
these fools don’t know about and are not ready
for!!!
Spacek self-isolated herself the first day of
filming and went to the cast and said,  ‘I love you
guys, I’m very excited to be working on this. But I
just want to let you guys know, I’m going to
alienate myself from you. I want to feel that
alienation. But don’t take it personally. I just want
to let you know I’m doing it on purpose because I
want to get into the part.’ The rest of the crew
respected her for that and said it made it easier to
be as mean as possible because they knew it
would help her.

The Texas Chain Saw Massacre; (1974)

A group of teenagers on a road trip pick up a
random hitchhiker, who goes nuts and kicks them
out of their van. While trying to find help they wind
up at a house of psychopathic killers…including
Leatherface with a chainsaw.
You might think this is one of the bloodiest horror
movies ever, but you would be wrong. Director
Tobe Hooper wanted a PG Rating to get more
people in the theater. The censors told him less
blood would probably help. There is less than a
cup of blood in the entire movie and it still got an R
rating.

Alien (1979)

In Ridley Scott’s horror-sci-fi movie, the crew of a
commercial space ship are in cryogenic-sleep,
heading back to Earth when they are woken up by
a distress call from an alien vessel. They
accidentally encounter a malevolent alien beast
that infects a member of the crew. But the worst is
yet to come,… and when the crewmember falls
into a coma, something is waiting within him to
escape and hunt everyone down. 

None of the actors knew what was going to
happen in the “Chest exploding” scene, or the
blood and gore that came with it…..Their reactions
are absolutely real!!

Halloween (1978)

Halloween is a simple but very effective horror
movie……John Carpenter knew exactly what he
was doing……teenager Laurie Strode, played by
(Jamie Lee Curtis) finds herself the target of an
escaped mental patient. After being locked up in
captivity for 15 years after the murder of his sister,
Michael Myers escapes on Halloween and
descends upon his hometown, in search of his
next victims.
John Carpenter wrote it in 10 days, and it was
shot in 20 days. And John Carpenter actually
wrote the entire musical score himself in 3 days.
And it went too spawn many sequels.

The Exorcist (1973)

The movie about a demon possessed 12 year old
girl, played by Linda Blair, and the exorcism to get
the demon out.

There will never be a scarier movie than the
original Exorcist..there is no villain scarier than the
Devil..none…he tops them all…..
Mercedes McCambridge was the voice of the
demon coming out of Linda Blair. To get that
satanic voice, she chain-smoked cigarettes, gave
up her sobriety, drank heavily, and ate raw eggs.
To achieve a more realistic sound she was
physically tied to a chair with torn sheets by arms,
legs, ankles and wrists. And after all of that she
had to sue Warner Bros because they did not
credit her for the voice of the demon.
These are all great horror movies that set the
tones and tropes for future horror movies. And
they all deserve to be watched again….except the
Exorcist….once is more than enough for me….I
watched it over 50 years ago and never again.

My Score for all 5: A full 6pack of Budweisers

Lamar Reviews - "Good Fortune" (Airdate 10/24/2025)

The last few weeks I’ve watched the trailer for
Good Fortune multiple times. The movie is written
and directed by Aziz Ansari, who also stars in it
along with Keanu Reeves, and Seth Rogen. Aziz
Ansari was really believable as Arj, a down on his
luck guy who is giving it his best shot, but life is
beating him like a rented mule. He’s trying to do
odd jobs on an app called “Tasker” that gives him
every possible odd job you can think of. Food
delivery, place holder in long restaurant lines, and
every once in a while, working part time at a big
box store. Still, he has to live in his car.
On the opposite end of that scale is Jeff, a rich
venture capitalist tech bro, played very nicely by
Seth Rogen. I am not a big Seth Rogen fan, I
know how that sounds, and I apologize. I
recognize he very talented, and the majority of
people find him hilarious, and I get it. For me, he
comes across like he doesn’t bathe as often as he
should. And he for sure doesn’t spend any time
attempting to groom himself. He is very funny in
this movie, playing a character that probably

should be hated, but comes across as a really
good guy, who is clueless about any lifestyle other
than his.
But make no mistake, the hammer that is hitting all
the nails in this movie is Keanu Reeves, as the
angel Gabriel whose job is to stop people from
texting and driving right before they have a car
wreck. Gabriel feels he should be doing more
important work, like saving lost souls.
When Arj’s luck changes for a minute and he
lands a job as Jeff’s assistant, things look up, until
he loses the job. He then becomes hopeless and
gives up on life. Gabriel decides to show him that
Jeff’s magical life is not what he thinks it is. To
demonstrate to Arj that money won’t solve all of
his problems, so he switches their lives. Now Jeff
is a food delivery guy living in his car, and Arj is a
multimillionaire living a life he could only dream of.
Gabriel’s plan is, when Arj learns his lesson, he
will want to switch back. The only problem is that
Jeff’s money has solved all of Arj’s problems, he’s
happy, and he ain’t switching back.

The movie is a quick 1 hour and 37 minutes,
Rated-R for language and some drug use.
There are some other notable stars, Keke Palmer
as Elena, Arj’s love interest, Sandra Oh as
Martha, Gabriel’s Supervising Angel, to name a
couple.
Every person involved in this film did a great job,
and their contributions helped make the movie a
success, but Keanu Reeves toted the load. If he is
not in the scene, you miss him and can’t wait till
he gets back.
People have the tendency when thinking about
Keanu Reeves to remember the Matrix, and John
Wick, and for good reasons. But you have to also
remember he was Ted, in Bill & Ted’s Excellent
Adventure. He appears to be a loveable goof, but
if you look a little deeper his comedy comes from
his empathy. Weather Reeves is playing a Killer or
a Clown, he’s always great doing it.
My Score is, the movie is a solid 4 Buds, and
Keanu Reeves performance is 5 Frosty ones.

Lamar Reviews - "Roofman" (Airdate 10/17/2025)

If you have been listening to my reviews you know
that I have a list of actors that, if they are in it, I will
see it, period. That list is Denzel, Clint Eastwood,
Tommy Lee Jones, Morgan Freeman, and Gene
Hackman when he was alive, to name just a few.
Channing Tatum has never been on that list but
I’m thinking about adding him. I haven’t seen
every movie he’s been in. I’ve seen a lot of his
movies and have really enjoyed him, except for
Magic Mike’s Last Dance. The terrible chemistry
between him and Salma Hayek was very hard to
watch. Channing Tatum has this unbelievable
charm that makes him so likeable that you love to
watch him on the screen. That charm is present in
every scene in this movie. So much so that you
have to keep reminding yourself that the person
he portraying is a criminal.
This movie is based on a true story that happened
in Charlotte N.C. I checked the facts against what
was shown in the movie, and what actually
happened in real life. Just like all “based on a true

story” movies, they add and subtract things. This
movie stayed closer to the facts than most of
these types of movies I’ve ever watched.
Jeffrey Manchester went to prison for breaking
through the roof of a McDonalds, waiting for
employees to open up, locking them in the cooler,
and taking a bank bag full of cash. He escaped,
lived in Toy-R-Us for months, met a woman at
church, and fell in love with her and her two
daughters. You can’t make this stuff up. It is an
unbelievable story that if it wasn’t absolutely true it
would be a stupid terrible movie.
Channing Tatum plays Jeffrey Manchester, Kirsten
Dunst plays Leigh Wainscott, his love interest.
Peter Dinklage plays Mitch, the Toys-R-Us
manager.
The movie is 2 hours and 6 minutes, Rated R for
language, nudity, (yes, it’s him), and brief
sexuality, (no ladies, don’t get your hopes up.)
This movie is way better than it should be. If you
look at the movie poster or even the trailer you are
thinking laugh out loud comedy. You would be

correct on the laugh out loud part, but it is not a
comedy. It is way more than that.
We feel for Manchester who served his country in
the military, but when he got out, he couldn’t find a
way to use his skills to provide for his family, until
he did, and it was illegal, now he is in prison.
His Wife divorced him. When he escaped, he met
a divorced woman with 2 girls, and he fell in love
with the whole family. He is still a criminal. The
chemistry between Tatum and Dunst really sold
what the relationship meant to Manchester, and
what he was willing to risk to have it. As he is
politely robbing and stealing, Channing Tatum is
so charming and likeable that we are on his side
and want him to get away. And yet, he is still a
criminal. Just like Tony on the Sopranos we have
to keep reminding ourselves he is a criminal.
When you leave this movie, you are not sure
exactly how you feel about the outcome. To me,
that is the mark of a well-made movie.

My Score: 5 Cold Buds

Lamar Reviews - "Downton Abbey: The Grand Finale" (Airdate 10/10/2025)

To say I never got into Downton Abbey is an
understatement. It had been out for a couple
seasons before I even realized it was Downton
and not Downtown. That is how uninterested I was
in the show. It first appeared in the UK in 2010,
then the U.S. in 2011. The show ran for fifty-two
episodes over six seasons, including five
Christmas specials. There are three Downton
Abbey movies, Down Abbey in 2019, Downton
Abbey: A New Era in 2022, and this one, Downton
Abbey: The Grand Finale.
I actually reviewed A New Era in 2022 to make fun
of it, and wound up really enjoying it, even though
I had no clue who these people were and what in
the heck was going on! Luckily, or tragically,
depending on how you look at it, I have spent my
entire life endlessly watching TV, so I can figure
out the plot and the characters of a show pretty
quick. If I had spent half as much time on
something actually important like world peace, a
cure for a disease, or answering the question, “Is
a hotdog a sandwich?”, I’d have a Nobel Prize.

By the end of the movie, for reasons I’ll never
understand, I was in love with the show and all of
the characters. I wanted to go back and start at
the beginning and watch the entire thing, but I
never found the time. Now that I am living my
dream of co-hosting The Bob & Sheri Show I
spend every waking moment looking for content,
just like Sheri warned me and still don’t have the
time.
So, I jumped at the chance to review Downton
Abbey: The Grand Finale. If you are interested in
this review, you are a fan of the show and have
watched it all. You know way more about it than I
ever will from watching two movies.
Grand Finale is set in the summer of 1930 with
Lord Grantham, played by Hugh Bonneville,
coming to the realization that it is time to turn over
sole leadership of the family estate to his daughter
Lady Mary Talbot, played by Michelle Dockery.
Everything is done in a very “English” way, “Stiff
upper lip, carry on old fluff, pip pip, toodly-oo and
all that.

The big problem is Mary’s divorce and the reaction
of horror it brings to everyone outside of the family
as she becomes a pariah.
There are quite a few subplots in the kitchen and
the fact that there are still money problems that
have to be solved. Dealing with the changing
times doesn’t make it any easier.
The movie is 2 hours and 3 minutes, Rated-PG.
This is a wonderful ending for all of the fans of the
show, I’m sure. I say it that way because I do not
have the shared experience of seeing Downton
Abbey from start to finish. I’m just a spectator
catching a glimpse and enjoying the experience.
The biggest thing missing is Dowager Countess
Violet Crawley, played by the late Maggie Smith. I
loved her in “A New Era”, she stole every scene
she was in. This movie is dedicated to her.
To watch all the seasons is definitely on my bucket
list. If you are a Downton Abbey Fan, this movie is
a “must see”.
My Score: 5 Cold Budweisers

Lamar Reviews - One Battle After Another (Airdate 10/3/2025)

For five weeks of going to the movies I’ve watched
this trailer. For five weeks I’ve been confused
about what this movie is about. People are all the
time complaining about trailers giving up too much
about a movie. That certainly cannot be said about
One Battle After Another. I knew who was in it,
Leonardo DiCaprio, Sean Penn, Benicio Del Toro,
Regina Hall, and Teyana Taylor. All reasons
enough to watch the movie.
DiCaprio plays Bob who is a dope smoking bomb
maker for a domestic terrorist group called
“French 75”. He is in love with Perfidia, an over-
the-top leader of the group who is totally
committed to the cause. Sean Penn plays Col.
Steven Lockjaw, who leads the military group
trying to stop the French 75. Col. Lockjaw is also
an extreme racist that is sexually obsessed with
Perfidia. When Perfidia and Bob welcome the birth
of Willa, played by Chase Infiniti, Bob’s priorities
change. He wants them to be a family, but Perfidia
is still married to the cause and motherhood is not
in her plan.

The movie is fast-forwarded to the present with
Bob as a single dad doing his best to raise Willa,
while hiding from his past, and trying to protect
her. Bob does this while staying in a haze of pot
smoking paranoia.
But is it really paranoia if they are actually out to
get you? Col. Lockjaw has not given up the hunt
for Bob or Willa, and that is where the drama and
action really kick in.
The only people Bob can trust are Deandra,
played by Regina Hall, and Willa’s sensei, Sergo
St. Carlos, played by Benicio Del Toro.
The movie is a lengthy 2 hours 41 minutes, but I
can’t think of a thing that could have been left out
without hurting the movie. It’s Rated R for
pervasive language, violence sexual content, and
drug use.
After seeing the movie, I understood why the
trailer was so confusing. There is too much to
going on to put in a trailer and have it make much
sense.

There are funny moments, but this is not a
comedy. It is a thriller with a few very funny
moments. It is somewhat of a satire in as much as
it makes fun of extremism of both sides of the
political landscape.
For all of the baggage that hangs on DiCaprio’s
personal life, the man can act. He gives it all he’s
got as Bob, a loser that refuses to lose.
Benicio del Toro does not know how to not be
great in whatever role he is playing.
But the standout in this movie is Sean Penn as
Col. Steven Lockjaw. This is Sean Penn as I’ve
never seen him. He lives up to the ridiculous name
of Col. Lockjaw in every possible way, and then
some!
The movie is long, and if you get the $12 soda you
are going to have to go to the restroom. Make
sure you do it before the final 40 minutes, because
you don’t want to miss the climax of this movie.
Just the cinematography is breathtaking, and the
tension, you need a chainsaw to cut it.
One of the best movies of the year for sure.

My Score: 5 Ice Cold Budweisers for sure!

Lamar Reviews - "Ice Road: Vengeance" (Airdate 9/26/2025)

There is an Ice Road movie that starred Liam
Niessan as Mike also on Netflix . This as you
know is Ice Road: Vengeance, so you might think
this is a sequel to the first Ice Road. You would be
wrong. It seems one has absolutely nothing to do
with the other. You certainly don’t have to see The
Ice Road to watch this, and after watching this I
definitely wouldn’t recommend it.
Liam Neeson over his career has been a
tremendous dramatic actor and continues to do
so. But after Taken made so much money in 2008,
studios couldn’t wait to put someone in distress
and send Neeson after them in the most violent
way possible. They squeezed 2 more Taken
sequels out, each one worse than the other, until it
died as a TV series.
That didn’t stop studios from finding ways, they
gave him amnesia, they put him in a plane crash
to fight wolves in the snow, they put him another
plane with terrorists, made him a hitman twice, a
snowplow driver hunting the drug dealers that

killed his son, put him on train, then an icy road in
a semitruck, and now an icy road in a bus with no
ice in sight.
Mike McCann, played by Neeson, is in therapy.
His brother Gurty died in the previous Ice Road.
His brother’s ashes sit on the mantle in an urn.
Sadly, my first thought was, “will he kill a man by
beating him to death with that urn, or will he pour
the ashes down his throat and choke him to
death?” I’ve seen what Liam can do with
inanimate objects, just saying.
Gurty wanted his ashes spread on Mt. Everest
and Mike is going to make it happen. We switch to
a small village in Katmandu where an evil
businessman with a ponytail is trying to build a
huge dam that will take away the native land. If the
ponytail doesn’t make you sure the businessman
is bad, he also has a scar. A village grandfather, a
father, and a son stand in the way. They must die,
and Mike must stop them. Mike hires a sherpa
named Dhani, she is played by Bingbing Fan, who
is of course “ex-military”. Which would be helpful if
trouble starts.

They are picked up by a rackety 50-year-old tour
bus driven by smart talking, likeable Australian
named Spike, who of course is a dead man
driving. The other passenger is an American
human rights advocate, and his spoiled Gen Z
daughter who is glued to her phone. The other
passengers are the village son that can save the
land, and his soon to be kidnappers.
The movie is 1 hour 52 minutes, Unrated.
The action sequences are so corny they are
ridiculous. In fact, it would not have been very
hard to make this into a comedy, it is so laughable.
When the pouty teenage daughter asks Dhani to
teach her how to fight, Dhani, going full “Mr. Miagi”
shows her one move and the teenager repeats it
in slow motion three times. In the climactic scene,
facing certain death, she is able to overcome a
trained mercenary, boom! Wipe on wipe off, works
every time! Liam, I hope that lake house is
beautiful.
My Score: 1 Bud

Lamar Reviews - Unknown Number: The High School Catfish (Airdate 9/19/2025)

Spoiler Alert! If you have not seen this
documentary and don’t want to know who
perpetrated this crime, stop listening right now.
This documentary has been out for a while, and it
is widely known who was responsible and is every
newsfeed. In this review I am talking about the
unimaginable answer to that question.
This Netflix documentary is set in Beal Michigan, it
is a small town with one stoplight and 2 bars. The
entire school K-12 consists of a little over 600
students, so everyone knows everybody.
In October of 2020 Lauryn Licari and her boyfriend
Owen McKenny, both students at the school
started getting text from a number they didn’t
recognize. The text started off with things like
“Owen is breaking up with you, he wants me.”
Then they got meaner, calling Lauryn out for her
appearance.
It was clear by the text that the person sending
them not only knew Lauryn and Owen but had to
be close to them because of all the details they

knew. They referred to Lauryn as Lo, they knew
both Lauryn and Owen’s schedules, and talked
about things that were said and talked about
between them.
The texts escalated in their content and quickly
became crude and vulgar until they were
pornographic and suggesting that Lauryn kill
herself. Keep in mind, at this point the kids were
only 13, and their parents, Kendra and Shawn
Licari and Owen’s mom Jill McKenny, were losing
their minds.
The school tried to handle it, they couldn’t. They
bring in Sheriff Mike Main, who was way out of his
depth. Kids that had nothing to do with this were
accused, and lives were turned upside down.
Finally, the local FBI liaison came in and did a
deep dive into the phone records revealing who
was responsible for saying all of these horrible
things to a couple of kids.
Now, I have warned you, this is your last chance
to avoid knowing who did it…….

This Documentary is on Netflix, it is 1 hour and 34
minutes, Rated TV-MA for very uncomfortable
language describing sexual acts.
Turns out it was Lauryn’s mom Kendra. How could
a mother text these things to her daughter?
Calling her ugly and stupid, and calling her out for
the lack of her sexual experience when she not
even old enough to drive a car. Not to mention
begging her to kill herself. This is her mother.
And not only is she in the documentary, she is in it
trying to solve the mystery while knowing it was
her doing it. Then she has the audacity to be
interviewed on why she did it, which was all BS.
There are many theories to why. One that is
floated, which Sheri and I discussed, is her being
jealous of her daughter. Cute popular girl who is a
good athlete and is dating a nice, well liked boy
who is also an athlete. Plus, at school they are
referred to as “the Golden Couple”. Watch it for
yourself and you decide. I watched, knowing who
did it and still enjoyed the show. You can too.
My Score: 5 Cold, but uncomfortable Buds

Lamar Reviews - "The Roses" (Airdate 9/5/2025)

There was a 1989 movie called The War of the
Roses starring Michael Douglas, Kathleen Turner
and Danny Devito. I thought this was a remake of
that movie, but technically it is a reimagining of the
same novel because a lot of the plot points are
different.
Both are about a happily married couple that have
problems, decide to divorce, and eventually wind
up fighting over the house.
The Roses stars the amazing Olivia Colman who
played the Queen in the TV series The Crown and
Queen Anne in the Favorite, which earned her an
Oscar, a Golden Globe, and a BAFTA (British
Academy of Film and Television Arts). And
Benedict Cumberbatch, who has played
everything from Doctor Strange to Sherlock
Holmes, and has been great in everything I’ve
ever seen him do.
The movie opens with Theo, played by
Cumberbatch and Ivy, played by Colman, in the
middle of a couples-counseling session where

they make a list of things they like about each
other. Their lists are both savage and hilarious. It
sets the expectation of how the banter is going to
go. The movie then takes a quick time-travel back
to a meet-cute where Theo runs into Ivy in a UK
restaurant kitchen where she is a cook. 30
seconds after they meet, they are hooking up in a
meat locker. They wind up moving to America
where Theo is a very successful architect and Ivy
is a stay-at-home mom. Theo wants to see Ivy’s
dreams come true so he buys a closed down
restaurant she can re-open.
A crazy event happens that causes Theo to
become unemployed, and Ivy to become a famous
chef so they have a complete role reversal. She is
now the breadwinner, and he is Mr. Mom. A role
he is not really suited for. Theo is busy with his
stay-at-home-dad duty turning his son and
daughter into super athletes while Ivy has a
growing restaurant chain and drinking champagne
on private jets. He resents her success; she
resents him for that while hating herself for not

being there for her children. That is when the
fireworks really begin.
The movie is 1 hour 45 minutes, Rated-R for
language, sexual content, language, drug content,
and language. When I say language, I mean not
one letter of the alphabet is missed and a few are
repeated multiple times. Just so you know.
The banter between Theo and Ivy is lightning fast
and cuts like a Ginsu knife. There were times
when I could not catch my breath. Adding to all of
this is Andy Samberg, and Kate McKinnon as
Theo’s attorney and his wife. Allison Janey has a
cameo as Ivy’s attorney and for the few minutes
she is on the screen she owns the movie.
If you haven’t seen the 1989 War of the Roses you
really should, it’s great. That being said, The
Roses absolutely stands on its own. The dialog
was some of the best I’ve ever heard in a movie.
Everybody in the theater, including me, was
laughing out loud.
My Score: 5 cold frosty Buds

Lamar Reviews - "Nobody 2" (Airdate 8/22/2025)

I am a huge fan of Bob Odenkirk, loved him in Breaking Bad, loved him even more in Better Call Saul. He played a very different character in the first Nobody movie, and it was a ton of fun. He was the last guy I expected to be an action star, but he really pulled it off.

I admit I was a little worried when this was coming out because I was worried this would just be more of the same thing I had just seen a few years ago. You only get to meet the character the first time once. It is very rare for a sequel to be as good as the first. You have already been amazed once, hard for it to happen again.

All that being said, I was pleasantly surprised with what they did with it. It was better than I expected.

The movie opens with Hutch, played by Bob Odenkirk, owing for all of the money he had burned in the first movie. He is doing jobs for a mysterious man played by Colin Salmon calling the shots and giving Hutch assignments to pay off his debt.

He has no work/life balance and is neglecting his family. His wife Becca, played by connie Nielson has had enough and Hutch has no choice but to take the family on the vacation. As you might suspect the trip does not go as planned.

The movie is a quick 1 hour and 29 minutes, Rated R for strong bloody violence, and language throughout.

The one thing the movie has plenty of is villains. John Ortiz plays Wyatt, a tough guy, Colin Hanks plays Corrupt Sheriff Abel, and Sharon Stone plays the only true believable one, a badass bloodthirsty Sociopath. I don’t know who cast Colin Hanks as a bad guy, but they missed by a mile. He don’t have a villain in him. He would have sucked as a villain if he had been the only one in the movie much less having Sharon Stone to be compared to. It could have really hurt the movie, but his performance was so forgettable it didn’t matter.

Bob Odenkirk trained like crazy to get ready to shoot Nobody. Cardio, stunt conditioning, boxing pad work, pushups squats, and tons of other stuff. After Nobody he continued to work out and when Nobody 2 came up he was ready.

The fight scenes were good and plentiful, not quite as satisfying as the first one, but it would be almost impossible to match that much less exceed it. Again, I was not disappointed.

One of my favorite things that was in the first one that is also in this one is Christopher Lloyd as Hutch’s dad. He was awesome in the first one and he is just as good in this one. The man will be 88 years old this year. He has 258 credits as an actor and is wonderful in every role he has played.

The big question, is it worth seeing? Yes, it is. As far as sequels go it works, and I really enjoyed it. I’m not saying this movie was necessary, but it certainly holds up. I don’t think there will be another one, that would be pushing it. I do hope Odenkirk does continue to do more action roles, he’s really good at it.

My Score is 4 Cold Buds

Lamar Reviews - "Weapons" (Airdate 8/15/2025)

Wow! Wow! Wow!.....This is a very smart mixture
of horror, suspense, and dark humor weaved
together very tightly with perfect proportions of
each. The suspense builds steadily at a perfect
pace, drawing you in and to the edge of your seat.
There are some definite jump scares moments,
and they get me every time. I feel like the guy
sitting behind me to the right must have thought
he was sitting behind a 12 year old girl. I’m that
way, I can see it coming and that makes it
worse…. I’m expecting it, and the longer it takes,
the more anxiety I have. The only way to avoid it is
to close my eyes, but then I’m mad that I missed
it. As soon as I jump like I’ve been shot, I realize
what I have done and now I’m embarrassed. I try
to play it cool like I’m stretching or looking around,
which only makes me look worse.
The movie opens with the incident that sets
everything in motion. At 2:17 am 17 elementary
students from the same class disappear by
walking out their front door and running into the

woods without leaving a trace. Only one student in
the class did not go missing. Alex, played by Cary
Christopher, has nothing to say about what
happened. The other person of major interest is
the teacher of the class, Justine, played by the
excellent Julia Garner. The parents want to blame
her for something she knows absolutely nothing
about. The school’s principal Andrew is played by
Marvel’s Benedict Wong. Archer, one of the
missing children’s fathers, is played by Josh
Brolin.
Can’t say anymore without ruining the movie.
The movie is 2 hours and 8 minutes, Rated-R for
strong bloody violence, grisly images, language,
some sexual content and drug use.
I can tell you this without spoiling anything, the
story is told in 6 different chapters. Every time it
arrives at a pivotal spot it goes back and shows
that person’s perspective and how they arrived at
that moment. It may sound confusing, it’s anything
but, and it fills in much needed information. It is an

interesting construct that works great in this
movie.
I’m not going to lie; I went into this movie with
excitement, zero research, and a lot of trepidation.
This movie does not follow any beaten path of
other horror movies; it makes an entire new road.
The word horror does not exactly describe this
movie, toward the end when things get going and
it’s heading to a climax, that word fits. But the
majority of the movie is pure suspense, along with
some pretty surprising twists. What really makes it
work is the dark, and at times, very dark, humor.
The dark humor starts off slowly, almost as if you
aren’t sure you should find it funny, then it picks up
and in the last few minutes you are slammed with
suspense, violence, and concern, but the
craziness will have you laughing out loud.
Trust me if you like what I have described, you
have a decent credit score and don’t mind making
payments on popcorn and a drink, you need to
see this at the theater.

My Score: 5 Delicious Ice Cold Budweisers

Lamar Reviews - "The Naked Gun" (Airdate 8/8/2025)

When I first heard they were making a remake of
Naked Gun I wasn’t sure. I loved the first one, the
second one was still good, and the third one
probably was not necessary. I was worried about
the remake until I found out that Liam Neesom
was going to be in it, he was the perfect pick for
Frank Drebin Jr.
A lot of listeners might not remember police
Squad, the TV show the movie was based on. The
show was created by the Zuker Brothers, and it
lampooned police dramas. The show was hilarious
from the opening scene all the way through. ABC
canceled it after airing four of the six episodes.
The final two episodes were shown during the
summer. The president of ABC, Tony
Thomopoulos canceled the show because “the
viewer had to watch it too close in order to
appreciate it.” TV guide magazine called the
explanation for the cancellation “the most stupid
reason a network ever gave for ending a series.” I
agree. That show was hilarious, and the Naked
Gun series is a direct reflection of it.

What made Leslie Nielsen the perfect Frank
Drebin is exactly what makes Liam Neeson the
perfect Frank Drebin Jr. They both play this role
completely straight, as serious as they can be, no
matter how crazy everything around them was
going. Neeson looks just as serious doing
slapstick in this as he did killing the men that
kidnapped his daughter in the Taken movies.
Yes, there is a storyline, but nobody really cares,
this is about constant corny puns, and banana
peel type physical comedy. It works because of
the relentless amount that is delivered, with
perfect timing, which forces you to pay close
attention. And I mean it about the attention, if you
are not watching you will find yourself realizing
why something is actually hilarious, while missing
the next joke. If you are not careful you will fall
behind.
The movie is a perfect 85 minutes, Rated PG-13
for crude/sexual material, cartoon violence/bloody
images and brief partial nudity.

We can all stop wondering if there is anything
really going on between Liam Neeson and Pamela
Anderson, it is. There is chemistry between actors,
and that is important. Then there is real chemistry
you can cut with a knife that is between “more”
than just actors. That is what is between Liam and
Pamela.
There are a lot of things that make this movie
work. The fact that the original was so long ago
helps this new one stand on its own. This is not a
rehash of old material. To compare this to the
original is not fair to either one.
I am fortunate enough to remember the Police
Squad TV show and the original 3 Naked Gun
movies, and they took police satire to a level of
silliness that was way funnier than it should have
been.
This movie took a big chance because it had a lot
to live up to, and it pulled it off. I hope they are
happy with it and leave it where it is at. A sequel
would be asking too much,
My Score: 5 Budweisers

Happy Gilmore 2

The 1996 Happy Gilmore is considered a modern comedy classic that people are still quoting lines from. It is also the movie that turned Adam Sandler into a movie star. 29 years later we get a sequel. Since we last saw Happy life has been great, he won 6 tour championships, tons of endorsement deals, gold jackets, and a family that consists of four rowdy hockey playing sons, who act just like their dad, and one daughter who is a promising ballerina. And his beautiful wife, pro-tour PR director Virginia Venit, played Julie Bowen. Things took a turn, and he lost everything, and for the last 10 years he’s been working at a grocery store and is constantly drinking. His daughter Vienna, played by his actual daughter Sunny Sandler, has a chance to attend a prestigious ballet school in Paris, but it costs $75,000 a year. The only chance to make that kind of money is to do what he’s best at, play golf. That is one part of the story, the other part of the story is about a rich energy drink manufacturer named Frank Manatee, played by Benny Safdie, who has come up with a rival renegade golf league. Can Happy make a comeback and play golf again?

The movie is an hour 54 minutes, Rated PG-13 for strong language, crude/sexual material, partial nudity and some thematic material. Sandler had planned a big part for Carl Weathers, they had talked a lot about it and Carl was excited, then he passed away. They had to rewrite a lot of the movie. There are a lot of nice references to how great Chubbs, the character Carl played was in the movie. This movie is dedicated in memoriam to the following people, Bob Barker, Carl Weathers, Frances Bay that played Grandma, Richard Kiel who played Mr. Larson, and Joe Flaherty, who played Donald, all who appeared in the first Happy Gilmore.

The entire Sandler family makes appearances in this film. His daughter Sunny, her older sister Sadie, and Adam’s wife Jackie. There are clips that appear as flashbacks, which show all of the actors that were in the movie that have passed away. Also, their names are written on tombstones in cemetery where Happy Gilmore and Shooter McGavin, played by Christopher McDonald meet up. The cameos are endless Travis Kelce, Bad Bunny, golfers-Bryson DeChambeau, Rory McIlroy, Scottie Scheffler, Fred Couples, Nick Faldo, John Daley, actor Steve Buscemi, and more, a total of 60.

Happy Gilmore 2 plays the right homage to the 96 original, and all the people who were in it. The plot is just as silly as the first one, but different enough to feel fresh. If you like the first one, you won’t be disappointed with this one.

My Score: 4 Budweisers

Fantastic Four: First Steps

I’ve been watching the trailers for a while, and I couldn’t wait to see the movie. It has a distinct
look that felt like reading a comic book. I read Fantastic Four comics when I was a kid and this
took me back. The movie is set in a 1960’s version of New York City. We don’t have to sit through an origin story, it does a quick recap of how they left Earth as astronauts and came back as superheroes. The crime-fighting team consists of Reed “Mr. Fantastic” Richards, played by Pedro Pascal; his wife, Sue “Invisible Woman” Storm, played by Fanessa Kirby; her brother, Johnny “Human Torch” Storm, played by Joseph Quinn; and Reed’s best friend, Ben “The Thing” Grimm, played by Ebon Moss-Bachrach. They have a sidekick robot named H.E.R.B.I.E butler/maid that runs around and is voiced by Matthew Wood They have been protecting Earth for 4 years, and Sue is pregnant.

In the middle of this happy news, Earth is attacked by an enemy they may not be able to defeat. Galactus the World Devourer who consumes planets to sustain himself. He is preceded by the Silver Surfer, played by Julia Garner who warns every one of their imminent destruction. The movie is a few minutes shy of 2 hours, Rated- PG13 for action/violence and some language. The previous versions of The Fantastic Four were not successful at all. They tried, but the casting was wrong, and the stories were weak in all of them. It is the complete opposite in this movie, this cast is perfect, and this might be the start of a very successful franchise. If you are not familiar with The Fantastic Four, then this will tell you all you need to know and get you started. If you suffered through the other terrible Fantastic Four movies, then you will really appreciate this one, and be looking forward to the next one.

My Score: 5 Budweisers

Lamar Reviews - "Eddington" (Airdate 7/25/2025)

If you have had a good nights rest, and you are
feeling great, with everything going your way, the
birds are chirping, you are glad to be alive and you
know for sure nothing can bring you down,…..I
promise you the movie Eddington can! The first
warning sign should have been the 5 to 7 minute
standing ovation it got at the Cannes Film Festival.
After all the last Joaquin Phoenix, Joker: Folie a
Deux, got 11 minutes for that one. How did that
work out? Them people love sucky movies.
This is no lightweight cast. Joaquin Phoenix,
Emma Stone, Pedro Pascal, Austin Butler, to
name a few. These are heavy hitters, I know
Phoenix will do anything, Irrational Man,
Napoleon, that interview in 2009 with David
Letterman. Austin Butler is pretty new, probably
didn’t know any better, but Emma Stone, and
Pedro Pascal, come on!!
This is supposed to be, according to director Ari
Aster, a comic contemporary Western. City
Slickers and Blazing Saddles are comic Westerns,

and Eddington ain’t nothing like that. The only
laughs are the extremely uncomfortable ones, and
they are few and far between.
This is not a movie you see to get away from
reality, this is a movie that forces you to relive the
worst parts of the 2020 pandemic. There is no fun
here, only bad memories.
The movie opens with a homeless man aimlessly
walking towards town mumbling to himself. That is
how I left the movie when it was over.
Joaquin Phoenix plays Joe Cross the Sheriff of a
small desert town in New Mexico called
Eddington. He is a very soft-spoken guy that is
married to Louise, played by Emma Stone. Louise
has more problems than she can handle, and her
mother Dawn, played by Deirdre O’Connell, who is
living with her and Joe, is not helping at all.
Sheriff Cross is at odds with Mayor Ted Garcia,
played by Pedro Pascal, over dealing with the
pandemic. They basically hate each other’s guts.
Garcia is up for re-election and Sheriff Cross
decides to throw his hat in the ring.

The movie is 2 and a half long, Rated R for one
scene of graphic nudity.
After more than almost an hour and a half of paint
drying and snail races, I’m hoping to have to go to
the bathroom. I totally understand what happens
in a bathroom, I got no idea of what is going on in
that boring movie! Something finally happens and
everything goes crazy and violent, and then it
ends, fades to black, then comes back to what
must be a few months later, and it makes even
less sense. This is one of those movies that
people see in their own way and decide from
themselves what it means.
Here is what it means for me. Joaquin Phoenix
poured his heart and soul into this role, just like he
does every role he plays. The fact that I was
confused and felt worse when I left the movie
wasn’t his fault, he did a great job of acting out
what the script said. It is writer/director Ari Aster
fault, he wrote it.
My Score: 2 Buds, an actor can’t make KerryGold
butter out of what’s in a litterbox.

Lamar Reviews - "Superman" (Airdate 7/18/2025)

For my generation there is only one Superman,
and that’s Christopher Reeve. And it turns out he
was more of a Superman in his real life than he
was in the movies. After being paralyzed from the
neck down by a horse-riding accident, he became
a prominent advocate for spinal cord injury
research and disability rights. He and his wife
founded the Christopher and Dana Reeve
Foundation.
His first two movies were outstanding, but just like
all franchises, they didn’t quit while they were
ahead, they kept going until they weren’t very
good. Reeve is still the gold standard for
Superman.
That being said, David Corenswet makes an
excellent Superman/Clark Kent. He is charming,
and wrestles with self-doubt as to whether he is
successful in his mission to do good and protect
humanity.
Raychel Brosnahan is the perfect Lois Lane and
looks like a younger Margot Kidder.

The chemistry between them is excellent, If I have
one complaint about the movie is there is not
enough interaction between them on the screen.
For a Superman movie to be really good it has to
have a great Lex Luthor. Just like Reeve is the
standard for Superman, Gene Hackman is the Lex
Luthor above all others. Nicholas Hoult really
leans into the evil genius, brains vs brawn, while it
is evident that he is driven by jealousy over
Superman’s popularity among the people.
Lex’s plan is to use AI, trained monkeys, and
social media to turn the world against Superman.
Director James Gunn has a lot going on in this
movie, possibly a little too much. But it is still a ton
of fun!
The movie is 2 hours and 9 minutes long, Rated
PG-13 for violence, action and language.
This movie is the most comic book like Superman
movie I’ve ever seen. This Superman is so
earnest in protecting life you see him actually
rescue squirrel from a collapsing building, and in
the middle of a fight against someone doing their

best to kill him, Superman points out they could
and should do more with their life.
At Superman’s lowest point he heads to the farm
of the human couple who adopted him, played by
Neva Howell and Pruitt Taylor Vince. It is just one
of quite a few truly heartwarming moments in the
movie.
Another stand out, especially for us dog lovers is
Krypto, the super dog that is a CGI copy of
Director James Gunn’s actual rescue dog Ozu.
Gunn got Ozu just after he had started writing the
script for Superman and he was destroying the
house, shoes, and furniture. Gunn said he even
ate his laptop. One day Gunn thought, what if Ozu
had superpowers? He would be a handful. That is
exactly what Krypto is, a flying, ridiculously strong
dog that will not mind. Don’t worry, this is not
Disney, so the dog does not die!
This was so fun, a win for DC Universe. I’m
looking forward to the next one.
My Score: 5 Buds

Lamar Reviews - "Poop Cruise" (Airdate 7/3/2025)

Every time I click on Netflix to find a movie or series to watch I wind up clicking on Documentaries and gong down a rabbit hole.  I find myself clicking on something that seems like unbelievable fiction that turns out to be dramatic, or horrifying, maybe inspirational, or it could be informative. But the craziest thing is it is true, and I can’t help but look at it. This time was no different.

The Trainwreck series on Netflix is a collection of documentary films that explore the dark side of various events. This includes Woodstock 99, The Astroworld Tragedy, The Balloon Boy, and many others. The Poop Cruise caught my eye because it happened 12 years ago, and I vaguely remember hearing about it.

I’ve been on a couple of cruises many years ago, and my wife Carla has done the same, but we have never done one together. I enjoyed it, I like the idea of it, and we have friends that go on cruises every year. We just seem to find other things that we wind of choosing. This documentary does not encourage me to head down to the dock and run onto the gang plank.

This incident occurred in 2013 on the Carnival Triumph cruise ship. They were halfway across the Gulf of Mexico when the engine room caught fire. The ship’s power was cut off with 4,200 people on board.

This ship was over 892 feet long, that is basically 3 football fields. Everything regarding that ship runs on electricity, without it nothing works. No lights, no air conditioning, no cooking, and no flushing toilets. Out of all of these inconveniences, the toilets turned out to be the worst.

This documentary is about the experiences told from the point of view of passengers and crew. Larry and his daughter Rebekah, Devin, on board with his fiancée and his future in-laws, cruise director Jen, Bartender Hannah, chef Abhi, and a bride along wither her two bachelorettes.

This documentary is a quick 55 minutes long, and as you would expect there is some language using four letter words.

If you are a regular listener to the show, you know bathroom subjects are not my favorite thing to talk about, so I’m not going to delve too deep into the biology, but these people had been cruising for a few days before the fire. That means all you can eat buffets, and fabulous dinners, so the fire didn’t happen on empty stomachs and digestive tracts. 4,200 people were given instructions to do number one in the showers of the ship, and number two in red biohazard bags, tie them up and put them in the provided receptacles. Like what you do when you walk your dog, but it’s you, not the dog. 

These conditions lasted 5 days. You can’t stay in your room because without AC it is stifling. You have to find a place to sleep, the majority of the food is spoiled and what is left becomes every person for themselves. And the smell.

Needless to say, it was a “crappy” time, which was way more fun to watch, than to experience.

My Score: 5 Buds   

Lamar Reviews - How to Train Your Dragon (Airdate 6.27.25)

This may be the least risky movie of the year. How to train your dragon has been made multiple times since 2010, and every one of them has been well received. The big difference here is that this one is live action.

Gerard Butler was the voice of Stoick the Vast in the animated ones and he playing him on screen this one, and he has the physicality to pull it off.

Hiccup is played by Mason Thames, Astrid is played by Nico Parker, and Nick Frost plays Gobber.

This one runs longer than the animated films but the movie didn’t drag, and I was never bored.

Hiccup is of course the son of Stoick, the chief of the tribe. Stoick is a bigger than life Viking that fights fire breathing dragons with his fists. These dragons constantly attack the tribe and carry off their sheep. All dragons must die.  He of course is the toughest man in the tribe and expects his son to follow in his footsteps and be chief someday. Hiccup is small thin young man who is smart, and a genius at designing things.

In the beginning of the movie all Hiccup can talk about is killing dragons. If he is able to kill one his life will be complete. He will immediately get the respect of his dad and the entire tribe, plus his crush Astrid will not only notice him but might be interested in him. Astrid is tougher and smarter than any boy in the tribe.

When the opportunity to kill a dragon finally presents itself Hiccup can’t bring himself to kill it. Not only that, he makes friends with the wounded dragon and nurses it back to health. Hiccup realizes that the dragons are not their enemy and can actually be trusted.

The movie is 2 hours and 5 minutes, Rated PG.

You do not need to have seen any of the original animated versions of the movie to understand and enjoy this. It absolutely stands alone.

The visuals in this movie are fantastic, and the CGI was seamless when matched with the live actors.

The message of the story is great and meaningful without beating you over the head with it. It shows that we should recognize our differences, celebrate them, and use them to work together to accomplish things.

On a separate note, it really dives deep into the parent/child relationship, and all of the pressure that can bring. For the audience this will register whether you are looking at it from the child side or the parent side, and tug at your heart. Expect some big feelings, and damp eyes as the ending comes together, unless you are the youngest ones in the room. And that age group is busy enjoying all the action that is taking place on the screen.

If this is your first Dragon Training experience you will not be disappointed. If you’ve seen the earlier films, this will all be familiar, but you will still be glad to watch it all take place again.

My Score: 5 Buds or 5 Juice Boxes, which ever applies to your I.D.

Lamar Reviews - "Ballerina" (Airdate 6/13/2025)

In the John Wick Timeline, this movie takes place between John Wick: Chapter 3 Parabellum and John Wick: Chapter 4

The movie was scheduled to come out a year earlier but after John Wick producer/director Chad Stahelski watched what original director Len Wiseman had done he took over the project and made a new version that took a lot of time to re-shoot. Stahelski added a lot more action scenes.

The movie does take a while to set up the story with Eve as a child, played by Victoria Comte. She watches Chancellor, played by Gabriel Byrne, order her father to be killed. Which means this is another revenge movie. Avenging the father’s death is not near as cool as killing 439 people over the death of a Beagle puppy, but it will do. Yes, the number is correct, I checked.

When we see adult Eve, played by Ana de Armas, she has spent the last 12 years being brutally trained as an assassin by the Director, played again by Angelica Huston. At this point the movie starts to hum, and the blood starts to flow.

Of course, she wants to find the Chancellor and kill him for the murder of her father, and of course she is forbidden by the Director to do it. And of course, she goes rogue and does it anyway.

Yes, there is a plot, but I think we all can agree that in this, like all John Wick movies, it is not all that important. There needs to be someone at the end of the line that needs to be killed, and there needs to be many dozens of bad guys between our hero that have to be killed to get there.,

I’ve said this about all of the john Wick movies, they really should not be as good, and as entertaining as they are. It is pure repetitive nonstop action with a lot of inventive ways to kill someone. After you have seen the first one the other three shouldn’t matter. But for some reason they do, maybe it is Keanu Reeves, or a combination of him and the other characters. Past the dog, the rest of the plot doesn’t matter.

The question is, can Ana de Armas deliver the same when the sequel comes out?

The movie is 2 hours and 4 minutes, Rated R for strong bloody violence, and language.

Ana de Armas has prove she has what it takes to be an action star

Yes, you get a little bit of John Wick in the movie as a handoff, but I believe that she can be a stand-alone star that can carry at least one more movie of the franchise on her own.

My wife Carla is a little more realistic than I am, so she doesn’t enjoy a pure action movie as much as I do. Yes, what you are watching on the screen is unbelievable and could never happen, but that’s the point. This kind of movie is an escape from actual reality. Another thing she can never understand is how I laugh out loud at the cartoonish violence like when she kills multiple people in every way possible with a pair of ice skates.

This is not exactly John Wick, but it is a great place holder until Reeves makes another one.

My Score: 5 Cold Buds

Lamar Reviews - "The Tylenol Murders" (Airdate 6/6/2025)

This is a three part docuseries about the 7 random people in the Chicago area who died when they took Extra Strength Tylenol capsules that contained cyanide. As soon as they figured out the cause of death word went out to stop taking the medication. Johnson & Johnson, who manufactured Tylenol, pulled it from shelves all over the country. Later there were some copycat poisonings that killed some others as well.

There are interviews with police and federal agents, medical examiners, and families of the victims that give a good picture of what it was like back then.

Mary Kellerman 12, died on September 28, then Adam Janus 27, the same day, then Stanley Janus 25, Theresa Janus 19, Mary McFarland 31, Paula Prince 35, and Mary Reiner 27, the next day.

When they learned the cause of death Tylenol quickly warned everyone in the US to not take the product. This was a nightmare for Johnson & Johnson, it was their best-selling and most profitable product.

You have to keep in mind that in the 80’s there was no such thing as tamper-proof packaging. Nothing was sealed. You could twist open anything and replace it with something else and no one would know. You used to just get on a plane.

To commit this crime all you had to do was to have cyanide, empty some Tylenol capsules, put the cyanide in and drop a few in some bottles. Then go to the store and put the bottles on the shelf. It’s done. This was not rocket science.

There were some suspects, but they could not make anything stick.

Then we take a harder look at Johnson & Johnson. In 1982 they were cleared immediately, and James Burke, the CEO, was called a hero for the way they handled the situation. But should they have allowed the recalled bottles to be looked at before they destroyed all 31 million bottles?

Is it possible they may have covered up things that pointed to them? We don’t know, and the documentary stopped short in pointing a finger in that direction.

The documentary is 3 episodes, about 2 hours total, Not Rated.

If you are not familiar with this case this documentary is very informative in the details and facts of the case. It changed product packaging forever. Everybody at the time thought it was the end for Johnson & Johnson, but they came back stronger than ever.

But if you watch this hoping to find out who the actual person responsible for the deaths was, you are going to be sorely disappointed.

I watched it and walked away thinking that was two hours I’ll never get back.

May Score: 3 Buds