Lamar's Reviews

Lamar Reviews - Louis Theroux: Inside The Manosphere (Airdate 3/27/2026)

Louis Theroux made this documentary, and it is on
Netflix
This is about a group of idiots that somehow have
managed to make some big money by saying
controversial, horrible, outrageous stuff on the
internet. The money comes from scamming the
boys and young men who follow them out of
money by promising to teach them how to be a
proper man. Their definition of that is a blowhard
that screams male supremacy while subjugating
women.
When they are not bragging about being
influencers and having tons of followers, they are
screaming racists, homophobic, and antisemitic
rants. And immediately explaining why they are
not racist, homophobic, or antisemitic. The more
outrageous they are, the more clicks, followers,
and money they get. That is what it is all about,
money.
Theroux spends most of the screen time with
influencer, HSTikkyTokky. At the beginning of the

documentary, Louis says “They were deeply
mistrustful of mainstream media,” “But after
months of effort, I’d managed to find a way inside
the new world of men.” First off, these are not
“men”, these are boys that know absolutely
nothing about what being an actual man is. They
have no character, no manners, no compassion,
no kindness, and no responsibility for anyone
other than themselves. And second, Theroux
didn’t find a way inside, they let him inside and
filmed him filming them which gave them
hundreds of thousands of views, making them
even bigger.
Justin Waller, another one of these D-Bags, brags
about having 2 little girls, and another child on the
way with the pregnant woman he is with. He tells
Theroux he has many other women he sleeps with
and that he and the mother of his children have a
one-sided monogamy relationship. He dates and
sleeps with as many women as he wants and she
never speaks to another man.

Waller sells subscriptions to his online university,
The Real World to his followers, starting at $49 a
month.
There were some more lowlifes in the
documentary, but they are not worth mentioning.
At first, I was gob smacked by what these idiots
were saying and telling others how they should act
to be men. But after a while of being bombarded
by the utter stupidity of what they were saying, my
anger turned to pity. Pity that this was their life.
These aren’t stupid people. They could not
deceive and use people if they weren’t smart and
clever. They are more than capable of knowing
better, they just choose not to. My pity is for their
wasted lives. Lives that will never know the feeling
you get from being a decent human being.
This does not deserve a rating.
Trust me, I watched this so that you don’t have to.

Lamar Reviews - "Scarpetta" (Airdate 3/20/2026)

This is Amazon Prime’s newest whodunnit crime
drama based on a series of books written by
Patricia Cornwell. The Kay Scarpetta character is
based on Marcella Farinelli Fierro one of the first
women to be certified as a forensic pathologist
and she served as the Chief Medical Examiner of
Virginia from 1994 to 2008. She was known for
her crime solving using advanced forensic
technology, some of which she developed.
Patricia Cornwell spent time as an award winning
crime reporter and she is the author of 48 books
including 29 novels about Kay Scarpetta.
In this show there are two different mysteries and
two different timelines. Don’t worry, it’s not as
complicated as it sounds. The present timeline
has Nicole Kidman playing Kay Scarpetta,
returning to her old job after a long time away.
The other timeline in the late 90’s is a younger
Scarpetta, played by Rosy McEwen, taking the job
as chief medical examiner for the first time. She is
on the trail of a serial killer too.

McEwen matches Kidman’s mannerisms exactly,
down to how she lights and smokes the cigarettes.
Each present-day actor has a 90’s version. Jamie
Lee Curtis plays Kay’s over the top sister Dorothy.
The younger Dorothy is played by Amanda
Righetti who was in The Mentalist. Kay’s love
interest FBI agent Benton Wesley is played by
Simon Baker, who was The Mentalist. Present day
Homicide detective Pete Marino is played by
Bobby Cannavale, the 90’s version Marino is
played by his son Jake Cannavale.
The similarities and consistency make time travel
easy to follow and to believe.
It turns out that the case that Scarpetta is working
on now is connected to the case she solved 28
years ago that made her career, and the problem
is she might have been wrong.
There are eight episodes all dropped at once. 50
minutes each, Rated TV-MA for violence, sex,
nudity, language, alcohol, drugs, and smoking.
I’ve read probably half of the 29 books and loved
every one of them.

Everybody does a good job, but the chemistry
between Kay, Kidman and Dorothy, Jaimie Lee
Curtis is explosive. The murder of their father
when they were young affected them in two
different ways. It drove Kay to grow up and solve
crime, while Dorothy grew up to be a free-spirited
party animal that writes children’s books and let
Kay raise her daughter Lucy. They are polar
opposites and clash every time they are together
in a scene. And in every one of those scenes
Jaime Lee Curtis steals it, dominates it, and
controls it. And Nicole Kidman, holding her own,
still giving as good as she gets, lets her.
Their volatile relationship is a big part of the show,
and the murder cases keep you interested.
I don’t know what other readers of the Scarpetta
series feel about how the show compares to the
books. The books are always better, but I’m
satisfied with what they did.
I’ve enjoyed this season and am very excited
about the second season that is for sure coming.
My Score is 4 Buds

Lamar Reviews - "EPIC: Elvis Presley in Concert" (Airdate 3/13/2026)

I don’t know if I’ve seen a movie title that is more
descriptive of the movie itself. This is for sure Elvis
in concert, and EPIC is the perfect word to
describe what you see on the screen.
If you are not an Elvis fan you should watch this. If
you watch this and you are still not an Elvis fan,
you never will be. If you are an Elvis fan, then stop
what you are doing and go see it immediately. You
want to see this on the big screen, in a theater, not
streaming.
80% of the footage in this movie has never been
seen publicly before. Baz Luhrmann discovered
the footage he used in this film while doing
research for his biopic film Elvis in 2022, starring
Austin Butler. He was shocked by how much
35mm footage in the Warner Bros film storage
facility in an old salt mine in Kansas.
Luhrmann took concerts from Elvis’s residency at
the International Hotel in Las Vegas, and his US
tour in 1972. This was not overweight Elvis, this
was not drugged out Elvis, this was prime Elvis at

his best. The charisma could be cut with a knife. It
was a perfect mixture of sweet innocent boy and
steamy sexual magnetism that came together and
drove women crazy. I saw this in person sitting
beside my wife during this movie. I’m not sure I’ve
seen her enjoy any other movie this much.
His jumpsuits and outfits would look ridiculous
hanging up or on another man, but on him, they
were perfect fitting sweaty uniforms for a
superstar. He moved like yoga teacher that has a
black belt in karate.
He talks about how much he hated the movies he
was in, and how terrible they were. He wanted to
be in good movies, but nobody wanted to take the
time to show him how to act. They just wanted him
to sing different songs to the same movie plot.
We see practice sessions and what it was like
backstage with the TCB band. They cued on every
move he improvised. We get to hear Elvis tell his
story in his words. We see the funny playful side,
especially with the band and backup singers.
And the music, there is a total of 27 songs

performed in this movie. I never stopped tapping
my foot the entire time.
The movie is a very short 1 hour and 36 minutes,
not nearly long enough. Rated PG-13 for smoking
and a tiny bit of language.
Watching the women at the concert is a real
experience. They continually charge the stage and
there was no way to count all the women he
kissed on the mouth between the ones at the
stage and the mob that attacks him as he is trying
to leave. Evidently there was no influenza in the
70’s. Or maybe this was ground zero for the flu.
This was a great experience, I loved it.
When my wife Carla asked me what I was going to
rate it, I mentioned something about a very strong
5 Buds. She asked me “what in the h-e-double
hockey sticks was I thinking?” She said, “This was
5 cases!” I explained that was not an option, but I
would re-assess.
My Score: A Full 6PK of Ice-Cold Budweiser
Doris Richardson didn’t raise no fool!

Lamar Reviews - "Scream 7" (Airdate 3/6/2026)

The first Scream in 1996 became the highest-

grossing slasher film in the world until Jamie Lee

Curtis returned in the 11 th Halloween in 2018.

Scream was different because it added humor to

the bloody violence, and it’s characters were well

aware of all the horror film cliches, but that didn’t

keep them from getting stabbed to death. The plot

was good and there was a hidden surprise killer.

By the third movie they became more funny than

scary because you were trying to figure out who

the Ghostface killer actually was.

Scream3 was supposed to be the end of a trilogy.

But, never say never. 11 years later, Scream 4

came out. They skipped another 11 years to

number 5 and came back with 6 a year later.

But Neve Campbell refused to be in Scream 6,

saying what they were offering to pay her was

insufficient compared to her contributions to the

franchise over the last 25 years. The movie

explained that by saying her character Sidney had

taken her family somewhere safe. It must have

worked since they paid her $7 million to be in this

one.

Courtney Cox and Robert L. Jackson, the voice of

Ghostface, are the only actors to be in all 7.

The movie opens with a devoted “Stab head”,

which is a fan of the “Stab” movies that are movies

in the Scream moves about the true story of the

Woodsboro murders. He and his girlfriend rented

an Airbnb that was Stu Macher’s house from the

original Scream. You can imagine how that turns

out. I will just say it sets the tone for the bloody

action that will take place in the next hour and 44

minutes.

The movie is set in Pine Grove, where Sidney,

played by Neve Campbell, her daughter Tatum,

played by Isabel May, and her police chief

husband Mark, played by Joel McHale.

For Sidney the job of raising a teenage girl can be

scarier that being stabbed, but when the problem

of the boyfriend sneaking in the bedroom window

is overshadowed by knife toting killer wanting to

kill her, takes it to a whole new level.

The movie is 1 hour 54 minutes, Rated-R for

language and strong very bloody violence

This is the seventh movie in the franchise that has

been around for 30 years. The majority of critics

have panned it. The Rotten Tomato Score is 31%

but the people who have seen it rate it as 77%.

The opening weekend it made $64 million, the

best opening weekend of the entire franchise. And

that is during a time when the least amount of

people are going to theaters ever!

I as the “People’s Movie Critic” agree with the

people. I expected this Scream movie to be a very

close version of the other 6 Scream movies, and it

met that expectation. It might have been not quite

as good as some, and a little better than others,

but it was still a Scream movie. I guessed who I

thought the killer was, when they died, I picked

another, then another, and I was wrong every

time. I jumped a lot and laughed a lot. Mission

accomplished. My Score: 4 Cold Buds

Lamar Reviews - "How to Make a Killing" (Airdate 2/27/26)

Lamar Reviews - "Crime 101" (Airdate 2/20/2026) 

The trailer for this looks fantastic and it certainly
has some big names in it. Chris Hemsworth, Mark
Ruffalo, Halle Berry, Jennifer Jason Leigh, and
Nick Nolte, to name a few.
By the title you know this is a crime drama. There
are a couple of types of crime dramas, full on
action that never stops, explosions, and dramatic
CGI. Or, an intricate story that follows multiple
characters who start off on separate paths that
eventually come together, often with a twist
ending. Crime 101 is the latter, pay attention, there
will be a test.
Chris Hemsworth plays Mike Davis, a high end
thief that follows couriers transporting expensive
jewelry, he interrupts the exchange and takes it
without harming anybody, never leaving any clues.
All of his robberies take place on the 101 Freeway
in Southern California, hence the movie title. Mark
Ruffalo plays Lou Lubesnick, an aging, rumpled,
chain smoking detective that is obsessed with the
thefts taking place on Highway 101. His career

has stalled and his Captain is ready to get rid of
him.
Halle Berry plays Sharon, an insurance broker
who works for a company that insures high end
clients, some of which have been robbed by
Davis. She has put in 11 years and is waiting to be
made partner, but it looks like that is never going
to happen.
Nick Nolte plays Davis’s middleman known as
Money, who sells his stolen loot.
The movie is 2 hours and 19 minutes. Rated-R for
language, some violence and sexual material.
The movie opens with Hemsworth’s character
showing us how he makes a living and how
meticulous he is about how he goes about it.
The character development for Hemsworth,
Ruffalo, and Berry is extensive. We feel like we
know them pretty well, and actually like each one,
and care about them in different ways. We are
now invested in what happens. This takes the
movie to a deeper level for me.

This is a very different role than Chris Hemsworth
normally plays. Despite his devastatingly good
looks, he is confident and steady in how he
handles his job, but on a date, he is unsure, has
trouble with eye contact, and is not comfortable.
He has never been able to outrun his past.
The movie does not rush but gives time to savor
the story in between violent action sequences like
a crime caper from years ago.
In the midst of the relaxed tone is a rival thief
named Ormon, who is played by Barry Keoghan
who is an agent of chaos. He is the exact opposite
of Mike. He leads with violence, and doesn’t use it
because he has to, he uses it because he loves it.
I really enjoyed this movie!
My favorite exchange was. Character 1 “Eleven
million dollars. Isn’t that what you guys call “walk-
away” money? Character 2 That's the thing about
walk-away money. You have to be able to actually
walk away with it

My Score: 5 Cold Budweisers

Lamar Reviews - "Send Help" (Airdate 2/6/2026)

I have been looking forward to this movie since the first time I saw the trailer. I am a huge Rachel McAdams fan, love her in everything she’s in. Dylan O’Brien is awesome as the guy you love to hate, and he is fantastically hateable in this movie. This is a dark psychological comedy/horror/thriller. It covers all those genres. McAdams plays office worker Linda Liddle. She is the backbone of the office, she is the worker that puts all the numbers together, does all of the research, while pompous know-nothing executives take all the credit and one even gets the promotion she was promised after 7 years. She is quiet, almost invisible at the office, a little frumpy, although it is all but impossible to hide her beauty, and eats tuna salad at her desk. She lives alone with her bird. Her new boss, Bradley, played by O’Brien, is a rude, self-centered, misogynistic, cruel person. They take the company jet to a huge meeting overseas and the plane goes down in the ocean.

The only survivors are Linda and Bradley. She actually saves his life, but he still has no respect
for her. But on the island, the power dynamic has changed. When it comes to food, water, and
shelter, Bradley is worthless. Linda on the other hand, has skills that would impress Bear Grylls. How are they going to make it until they are rescued? The movie is 1 hour and 53 minutes, Rated-R for strong bloody violence. The transformation of Linda Liddle from the start
of the movie to the end is amazing. It is the best, most interesting thing about the movie. The Linda we are introduced to is not quirky cute; she is a mess. Her Goodwill clothes not only do not match, they do not fit. Her flat hair not only lacks style, but it looks like it could use a good wash to get the oil out. All of her office conversations are cringe and awkward, totally ignored by all of her workmates. But when she got on the island, all of those seasons of Survivor she watched with her bird in her apartment started to pay off. And soon we are looking at a new confident Linda. A beautiful warrior Linda that is not afraid to stare down a wild boar pig with a sharp stick.

The other thing that makes this movie is all the twists and turns. Just as soon as you think you
know where the movie is headed it takes a sharp turn. By the time you are almost adjusted to that turn, it takes another. Then it goes upside down. I saw this movie in 3D, only because of the time I could see it only 3D was available, definitely not worth the extra $3. 3D is never worth the trouble or the money. You might feel a lull in the second half but don’t worry, one of those crazy sharp turns is about to come up.

Not everybody is going to love this movie, my smoking hot wife was not crazy about it, and a
couple of people we talked to coming out considered it just ok. That’s fair I can respect that.
But for me it was all I could have wanted it to be.

My Score is a judicious and laudable 4.93 Buds.

Lamar Reviews - "People We Meet on Vacation" (Airdate 1/30/2026)

Make no mistake, this romcom is not going to
change the world. But, since this is on Netflix, it’s
not going to cost you $50 to see it in a theater. You
can watch it from your comfortable chair at home
and pause it when you have to go to the
bathroom.
For a romantic comedy to be good, the chemistry
between the couple must be good and believable.
And you must like both people. It is, and you will.
Now there are no surprises here, but let’s be
honest, there hasn’t been any real surprises in a
romantic comedy in quite a few years. Yet we still
watch them, and if they are done right, we enjoy
them and forget them until the next one.
Poppy, played by Emily Bader, met when Alex,
played by Tom Blyth, agrees to give her a ride
home from college during a break.
Immediately it is clear that they are polar
opposites that don’t agree on anything. Alex is a
man with a plan, and he always follows that plan.
He is punctual, practical, neat and no nonsense.

Poppy on the other hand is care free, take it as it
comes, jump and look later, and filled with
wanderlust.
Those things in themselves guarantee that in
around 1 hour and 35 minutes they will declare
their love forever.
Trust me, I timed it. The question is, do we enjoy
the next little over an hour and a half?
The movie is 1 hour and 57 minutes, Rated-PG-13
for sexual content, drug use, nudity and brief
strong language.
The title would suggest single people meeting
people for no-strings flings will traveling the world
but that is not at all the case. This story is about 2
people who become platonic friends and meet up
once a year to travel on exotic vacations, (Poppy
is a Travel Writer), and totally enjoy each other’s
friendship.
We are introduced to the story present day as
Poppy is invited to a wedding that both her and
Alex are invited too. She is not going to go
because their friendship has become estranged.

They have not spoken in two years, and it would
be awkward. Reckless Poppy at the last minute
decides to go.
The audience is brought up to speed on what
caused the rift by showing flashbacks of Poppy
and Alex’s nine year travel history.
The movie works because you love both
characters, and you believe that they love each
other. Although neither one wants to approach the
subject. The movie does give us a few near
misses to give us hope, even though as we are
going, “will they or won’t they”, we already know
the outcome. It is the journey we want to see. And
in my opinion the movie does not disappoint.
This is basically Harry Met Salley without the
restaurant scene. But so is most every successful
romcom.
Jameela Jamil, Molly Shannon, and Alan Ruck
round out cast, and add some great moments to
the movie. It’s on Netflix, whatta you got to lose?
My Score: 4 Sweet and Fun Budweisers.

Lamar Reviews - "Anaconda" (Airdate 1/16/2026)

It’s the beginning of January and this is when
Hollywood releases the dogs. What could be
worse than a remake of the 1997 film of the same
name that starred J-Lo, Ice Cube, John Voight,
and a not-so-great CGI snake. It was bad enough
to become a cult classic. So, making an exact
remake would have been out of the question.
But making an action comedy would work. Of
course, that would require casting some really
funny actors and a beautiful woman that could be
tough. Jack Black, Paul Rudd, Steve Zahn, and
Thandiwe Newton, were great choices for sure.
But you still need a good writer/director to pull it all
together or you’re still going to wind up with a silly
mess. They chose Tom Gormican who did The
Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent that starred
Nicolas and Pedro Pascal. So, they put together a
team that looks good on paper…. But, will it still
suck on the screen? NO! It did not.
It has already made over $100 million in the first
two weeks. So, no it does not suck, but on Rotten

Tomatoes, the Critic Rating was 50% but the
Audience Rating was 76%. All you other movie
critics, please remove that stick, I know it must
make it uncomfortable and hard to sit!! My son
Clay and I went to the movie fully expecting it to
be bad, but maybe so much worse than the
original it might be funny. Oh, it was funny, but not
bad funny, it is genius funny, meaning they got it
exactly right!
Jack Black plays Doug, Paul Rudd plays Griff,
Steve Zahn plays Kenny, and Thandiwe Newton
plays Claire. They are childhood friends from
Boston who dreamed of making movies, but when
they grew up it didn’t happen. Doug makes a living
as a wedding videographer, Griff is a third tier
actor that just got fired, Clair is a lawyer that hates
her job, and Kenny who has had some problems
is finally sober, “Buffalo sober”, he now only drinks
beer, wine, and some of the lighter liquors like gin
and vodka. They get together and decide to film a
remake of the terrible 1997 film, Anaconda.
Working on a $43,000 budget they head to the

amazon, where they wind up being pursued by a
giant Anaconda.

The movie is a perfect hilarious 1 hour and 39
minutes, Rated PG-13 for violence/action, strong
language, some drug use and suggestive
references.
Even though people are constantly being
devoured by the gigantic snake, it is not really
scarry, but it is consistently funny. I laughed during
the entire movie, and mostly out loud. And so did
the rest of the crowd.
Jack Black for some reason that I can’t explain
has never been on my list of actors I love. I admit
it’s me not him. He is tremendous in every movie,
comedy or drama. And just like he does in every
role, works his butt off, and is hilarious in this
movie. We are now close; I’m putting him on my
list. My son and I loved this movie!
My Score: Giving it a strong 4 Buds, but in my
heart, it is a solid 5.

Frankenstein

There have been 433 feature films, 212 short
films, 85 TV series and 340 TV episodes featuring
Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein in some version or
interpretation. That sounds like a lot.
I can’t speak to 95% of those other hundreds of
versions. This is Guillermo del Toro’s version, and
it is a very different one than I’ve ever seen.
Half of the movie is told from Victor Frankenstein’s
point of view, and the other half is told from the
creature’s point of view. That makes it a very
interesting movie.
The question the movie forces you to answer is,
who is the actual villain in the story.
Victor is the son of a surgeon whose failure to
save his mother, played by Mia Goth, during
childbirth instills in him a drive to find a cure for
death.
There is a storyline of his not-so-great relationship
with his brother William, played by Felix
Kammerer, and his forbidden love for his brother’s

fiancée Elizabeth, also played by Mia Goth.
Oedipus complex much?
Victor Frankenstein, played by Oscar Isaac is
totally obsessed with the idea of creating the
creature and defeating death, and when he
succeeds, he’s not sure what to do with what he
has made.
The movie is a sometimes long 2 ½ hours, del
Toro has a lot to say. It is Rated R for bloody
violence and grisly images.
The creature is played by Jacob Elordi, and the
makeup is excellent. Elordi spent over 10 hours in
the makeup chair. Sometimes he would arrive at
the makeup trailer at 10PM and stay up all night to
be ready to shoot. Guillermo says Elordi worked
many 20 hour days and never complained. To play
the creature Elordi studied Japanese Butoh dance
and Mongolian throat singing to have the right
mannerisms.
Christoph Walz played Harlander, an arms dealer
who financially supported Victor, and helped him
get dead bodies from the wars he supported.

Charles Dance played Leopold Frankenstein,
Victor’s abusive father. Being a doctor himself, he
taught Victor medicine, but in a very harsh way.
When Victor’s mother died, he blamed his father,
and was set on defeating death, whatever the
cost.
One of the things that follows the book is the
creature’s friendship with the blind man. This is
how the creature’s humanity is fully revealed to us,
and we get to know him and what life is like for
him.
There are some trivial impossibilities that you
might notice, but you have to ignore them in a
movie based on impossibilities. It’s like critiquing
Superman’s cape, you are pointing out something
about a thing that not possible in the first place. So
let it go and enjoy a beautifully made movie, which
is what this is.
As I pointed out, the movie can be a little long, but
I really enjoyed Guillermo del Toro’s take on a
story he is truly passionate about.
My Score: A very solid 5 Buds.

Lamar Reviews - Champagne Problems (Airdate 12/19/2025)

We all have our list of standard movies that we
watch during the Christmas season. Maybe Elf,
Miracle on 34 th Street, Die Hard of course, or
possibly Polar Express. Whatever yours might be,
sometimes you want to watch something you
haven’t seen before. Or something that is short,
simple, and sweet, but a little more than a
Hallmark movie. If so, Champagne Problems
streaming on Netflix might just be the movie for
you.
We immediately meet Sydney, a businesswoman
who works for a big corporation that buys up small
businesses and is played by the beautiful Minka
Kelly. My first thought was how handsome is the
guy that is playing her love interest?
She lands the job of flying to Paris to negotiate the
purchase of a private Champagne vineyard. Her
mother died when she was young and only her
and her younger sister are left. She has spent her
life raising her sister and working extremely hard
to succeed. Since she has never been to Paris her

sister made her “pinky swear” to take one night to
see the city. She is actually only in Paris for one
night and then the meeting the next day. She
keeps her promise and one of her stops is a
bookstore where she meets Henri, played by
smoldering, drop dead good looking, French
speaking charmer, Tom Woznicka, from Slow
Horses.
The two beautiful people fall in love, and
everything is wonderful….until it isn’t.
Sydney is heading for a one on one presentation
with the owner of the winery, Hugo, played by
Thibault de Montalembert, a famous French actor.
But Hugo turns out to be a quirky guy and has a
different plan. There are three other companies
vying to purchase the winery, and all four of them
will be negotiating in the same room at the same
time.
The movie is 1 hour 39 minutes, Rated TV-14
This movie moves with very quick and smooth
pace. And like I said the chemistry between the
two stars is excellent and fun to watch.

Even better is the comedy among the bidders.
Brigitte, played by Astrid Whettnall, has the inside
track since she owns the Winery next door and
has known Hugo for years. Otto, played by Flula
Borg, is a strait-laced German who could not be
more German. Die Hard is his favorite Christmas
movie, he does a complete diatribe about how he
hates John McClane and loves the German
national hero, Hans Gruber. The last bidder is
Roberto, played by Sean Amsing, who is an ultra-
flamboyant son of a billionaire. He knows
absolutely nothing about running a business but
loves Champagne and throwing parties.
All of this happens with the backdrop of the city of
Paris and the beautiful snow covered grounds of a
winery. It is a beautiful movie.
Champagne Problems is very predictable, but just
like all these types of movies, extremely satisfying.

My Score: Based on the scale of Christmas Rom-
Coms, 5 snow covered Budweisers.

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