 MGM, 2023. Officially, "Creed III" is the ninth film in the Rocky saga, except for one glaring fact: It's the very first installment that underdog champ Rocky Balboa (Sylvester Stallone) does not appear in.
True, since 2015's "Creed," the story has slowly been shifted over to that of Adonis Creed (Michael B. Jordan), estranged son of the late, great Heavyweight boxing champ who also happened to be Rocky's best friend, Apollo Creed (portrayed in the early films by Carl Weathers). His story has thus far taken place in the shadows of Balboa's, their paths and their fates crossing as one career twilights, and another is just getting going. But what's evident most in "Creed III," is that Adonis needs Rocky, and without him, the story lacks emotional...punch.
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 Utopia, 2022. He was the greatest power pitcher of his - or arguably any - era. Now, for one night-only, a documentary about the life and legacy of Hall-of-Famer, Nolan Ryan, can be seen on the big screen.
"Facing Nolan" is a compelling, loving film that tells the story of one of the best and most intimidating pitchers baseball has ever seen. It's a must-see for any baseball fan, and even for the casual fan, it's a deeply rewarding biography centered on ambition, family, faith and love...about a young man who made the American Dream his reality. In theaters for one-night only, Tuesday, May 24th (check local theaters here), you can catch "Facing Nolan." Like his 108-mile-per-hour fastball (according to legend), don't let this one blow past you.  Sony Pictures Classics, 2022. In horse-racing terms, jockey Jackson Silva (Clifton Collins Jr.) has rounded the far turn of his career and is in the home-stretch. But as anyone in the sport will tell you, it's all about how you finish the race that counts.
The drama "Jockey" is a showcase for the long-time character actor Clifton Collins Jr., who shows here that he has what it takes to carry a film all on his own. There are a few stumbles narratively, but Clifton keeps his head down and finishes this one in stride.  Warner Bros. Pictures, 2021. The best and most unbelievable stories are often true. That is definitely the case when it comes to Richard Williams, a man who wrote out an 85-page plan detailing how not one, but two of his young daughters would take the world by storm and become the two greatest tennis champions the world has ever seen. That's a bit far-fetched, but what makes it miraculous is that he wrote this plan years before they were ever born.
His story is the story of his two daughters, Venus and Serena Williams, who did go on to become two of the greatest tennis champs and athletes ever produced. They weren't the first female African-American all-stars (look up Ora Washington, Althea Gibson or Zina Garrison), but they did open up the door for an entire generation of young girls as they absolutely dominated their sport for nearly two decades. "King Richard" is funny, touching and inspiring. It has the make-up of a traditional underdog sports film (an over-saturated genre to be sure), yet it doesn't feel like any of the others that have come before it. It's all held together with what will surely be an award-worthy turn by Will Smith, who after a few misfires ("Bad Boys For Life," "Gemini Man," "Bright") fires on all cylinders as the man behind-the-scenes in the life of two iconic Americans. Review: '12 Mighty Orphans' fumbles in trying not to become just another underdog sports movie6/16/2021  Sony Pictures Classics, 2021. If you've seen one underdog team sports film, you've seen them all, but that doesn't stop Hollywood from churning out another two or three per year ad nauseam. Welcome "12 Mighty Orphans" to the mix, a period football film that does nothing to further the genre, but one that might satisfy those who find themselves suckers for this brand of melodrama.
 IFC Films, 2020. Most sports dramas follow the same clichéd patterns, with rousing action sequences interspersed with bits of drama, featuring a man with the heart of a champion for us to root for. "Embattled" can't even balance the genre clichés properly. The problems start with the script, but they expand to cover the choppy, ineffective MMA fight sequences and the either overcooked or under-served characters at its center.
Review: 'You Cannot Kill David Arquette' the documentary you didn't know you needed to see8/27/2020  Super LTD, 2020. Most people know David Arquette as an actor. He's most recognizable as the lovable Deputy Dewey Riley from the "Scream" movie franchise, and back in the 90s, was thought of as one of Hollywood's best and brightest young up-and-coming actors. He graced the cover of Vanity Fair in 1996 alongside contemporaries like Leonardo DiCaprio, Will Smith, Tim Roth and Matthew McConaughey.
The explosion that was supposed to be a promising acting career never quite happened. Instead, David Arquette became the WCW Heavyweight Wrestling Champion of the World. And if that seems far-fetched, just get a load of the appropriately-named new doc, "You Cannot Kill David Arquette."  Warner Bros. Pictures, 2020. Ben Affleck has never been better than he is in "The Way Back," playing a character that hits a bit close to home for the actor who has recently opened up about his struggles with alcoholism.
 Sony Pictures Classics, 2019. "Maiden" tells the story of sailing pioneer Tracy Edwards, the first Captain of an all-female yachting crew to enter the prestigious Whitbread Round the World Race in 1989.
 Bleeker Street Media, 2019. Jesse Eisenberg is perfectly cast as a victim who desperately wants to flip-the-script, in this cleverly-penned examination of toxic masculinity.
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tom santilli movie reviews
Tom Santilli is a professional film critic, TV personality, host and
the Executive Producer of Movie Show Plus.
He also is the featured film critic appearing on WXYZ Channel 7 Action News in Detroit,
and appeared weekly on FOX-2 in Detroit from 2016-2020.
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