Spoiler-Free Review: From the World of John Wick: Ballerina

0:00 You know, a couple of weeks ago, Garrett, we had some options for this weekend and you presented this movie as one of those options for us to check out. And when I called you up and I said, hey, is it you know you told me I had a choice. I think in your best john Wick, you said you still do. So let's talk about Ballerina from the world of John Wick. Eve mccarl what brings you here? I'd like to go hunt him. You have no idea what you just walk into.

0:42 You don't have to do this. You can still me why didn't you leave? I'm working on it. See how y'all doing. I'm Jeff Johnson with Garrett Gibson, welcoming you back to the box office for the film by Podcast. Excited to talk about this one. An assassin trained in the traditions of the Ruska Roma organization sets out to seek revenge after her father's death. Garrett, did this one just blow the doors off us?

1:23 Or what it really did? There's so much NonStop action in this film you kind of forget you're not watching an actual John Wick film, because you know, you get the Keanu, you get the exact same action, and honestly, a pretty solid storyline, so a very. Solid story Yeah yeah. All right, so it blow us away. So for that you mentioned Keanu. For those that haven't checked into the Continental recently, let's just clarify something. This movie is taking place in between John Wick Chapter three Parabellum and John Wick Chapter four, So, uh, you know, very clever cameo with Keanu Reeves. But is cameo the right word, Garrett, because cameo implies like we see a quick scene, a quick shot, and I love I almost spoil it, but I love the shot, the first shot that we saw of him.

2:21 Saying yeah, yeah, te time. Back to the third movie. But he's kind of in this what he's got. Like two three, maybe four scenes, Yeah, we might get about i'd say all together five to eight minutes the screen time of him. And I'm okay with it. Definitely okay with what Lynn Wiseman has done here. He's directing this one. You know, you're watching this movie and you're you're quick to just imagine this is probably Chad Stahelski again, but it's not. It's Lynn Wiseman who gave us the Underworld series. I think the last big movie he gave us was Lift re or Die Hard and after that he's done some TV. What'd you think of Lynn's direction here? I think didn't skip a beat on this film Compared to the other john Wick films in this universe. I think it delivered. I think it touched on all the vital aspects, a good storyline, NonStop action, and honestly, a great revenge film. I've got to tell you, I think it delivered on all those aspects.

3:20 Well, it's one of those things where these movies are always fueled by a vengeful act, right, Yes, and you think we're tired of it, but we are absolutely not tired of it. Eve's storyline, played to perfection by Anna di Armis. Yes, absolutely. I'll tell you something, man, The little hint of her capabilities that we saw in No Time to Die really prime the pump for her to have her own movie here. All I can tell you, look, with all love and respect to Keanu, I would be okay with john Wick ending at chapter four and giving us two, maybe three more movies of honest character, maybe even a team up with Keanu at some point. What do you think?

4:06 I think you're right. I think she absolutely nailed this role. She's definitely coming into her own at this point in time of her career. And if they did decide to in john Wick with Chapter four completely, no prequels, no, nothing like that, and decided to just run with her character Eve, I would love it. I would watch two, three, I would even watch four films with her in it, because she's that believable in this role. She delivered on every aspect and I couldn't be more pleased. Ian McShane is back playing Winston. I love this guy. I love his character and it's just the right amount of Ian McShane for this movie. Would you agree?

4:49 I would agree, And just his character Winston over the five films that he's been in now just extraordinary. I think this is one of those characters that real captures his acting capabilities and it feels like that role is tailor made for him. So yeah, now it's always a pleasure just to see him in one of these films. I'll tell you another pleasure and a little heartbreaking at the same time. We get one more moment with Lance Reddick's character Sharan at the front desk. I kind of forgot that he had filmed this before his passing, so I was excited when he when he shows up, and then it brought it all back to me. I was like, oh man, yeah, we lost we lost this man. But great to see him. Great to see Angelica Houston. Tell me, tell me about tell me a little bit about the director here, Angelica Houston. Oh she.

5:43 I'm gonna start by saying she's gorgeous as always, aging, fantastic. But her acting in this film series reminds me of why I fell in love with her as a kid at while she was playing more Titsha and everything was growing up. So it's one of those things where it just brings me back to her great acting capabilities. I gotta say she gives enough of an almost leading role in this film. Every time she's on the screen, she kind of steals the scene, and I've got to say I fell in love with her all over again. Yeah. As she's playing the director of the Ruska Roma Organization, you know, we're taking these little girls, We're creating ballerinas.

6:29 We're also creating assassins. Dude, I don't care if you're talking Black Widow, Red Sparrow. You know ballerina, Like I love, like a school for girls to go training to be badasses. That's gonna work it. I don't care what movie it is, right, You're. Right, everyone wants to see this new wave that we're getting now that we're out of that classic eighties nineties kind of Arnold and Sevester and all that kind of stuff. Now we're experiencing this new badass wave of his kick ass chicks, and I am all for it, I've got to tell you. And especially with the direction that they're getting in films like this, Oh, it's not going to stop brother.

7:10 Women like Anadi Armus showing us exactly why strong is the new sexy. Can't get enough of it now. Listen, I watched plenty of trailers for this movie to get you know, I was all excited for it to come out, and I don't recall a single second of the Big bad in this movie even being referenced one time, So you know, I don't want to spoil it out, you know, because I know it was a pleasant surprise for me. But damn great to see him back on the screen after all this time, right, it really is. Honestly, I haven't seen him in much as of late, and then he just kind of nails this bad guy role and it's not something you typically see him in all of it. Yeah, it's one of those things that I think without them saying anything in the trailer, it just helps it that much more along to where you're right, Uh, you know, I don't kind of want to see it.

8:10 He might not be that believable. No, he is freaking believable, and he nailed the role. Yeah. Well, and this isn't the only person to do this with, because there's a there's a side character. There's a little subplot with a very popular guy who again I didn't see him in the trailer. I didn't hear about him being in the movie, And just the right amount of screen time for this guy, and again I was pretty pleased. I think you hit the nail right on the head. Again, Jeff. It's one of those things where you don't get a lot of screen time of them, but I think it's just the right amount that just compliments his film. So well, well, I'll tell you what's really complimenting this film.

8:52 You know right away that you're in the John Wick world because the cinematography by Romaine le cerbus Is is gorgeous. When you think about some of these scene locales that we're looking at and then the Tyler Bates score is there. Thou and I love it kind of dabbles it kind of he kind of dabbles back into the John Wick score here and there, but he's also giving Eve her own theme and her own, her own storyline. And it put me right at home in this universe. I knew for a fact, I'm in the I'm in John Wicks world. It's just Eve's time now. These movies they always have, Like I mentioned, Tyler Bates, he's always got He's always given us a great score of these films, but they also have some great artists on the soundtrack. How awesome was it to hear Evan Essence blarin at the credits?

9:42 That was actually pretty cool. Yeah, it's one of those things that kind of takes you back because it's been a while since you've heard Evan Essence if you're not, you know, huge Evan Assence Lincoln part and then that just takes you back to the early two thousands right there. Soon as it fires up. Yeah, fight like a girl from Evanescence featuring k Flay. As soon as we have theater I found on Spotify and can crank it up great song. Great song. So stay for the credits. You're gonna like it. You're gonna you're gonna have a good time with it. Absolutely love that you mentioned the action is just over the top. It's uh, but I gotta I gotta point something out here. Man.

10:24 We're so used to the gun fu you know, like the close quarters you know, fire six shots and then use the butt of the gun. We've seen it time and time again. Truth truthfully, I'll never get sick of it. But this movie is it is it basically all bets are off for any anything that you can pick up and use as a weapon. I'm talking duct tape, I'm talking ice skates. What definitely is. I don't think there's one household it on that they skip past it in this one. When they're fighting, whether it's kitchen, you know, the restaurant, whatever, they're picking it up and using it and it it also makes me smile. There's a lot of scenes in this where something gets used and I just had to look at you and just chuckle real quick because it's yep, it's comical, but it's also freaking awesome action. It's you know, brutal, and I don't I don't have any other words to say other than I enjoyed it thoroughly.

11:24 I walked out of there thinking, if there wasn't a single knife in my kitchen, I now can think of like fifteen, maybe twenty five kitchen items that I can turn into a lethal weapon. Weapon. Now I love that speak of leath the weapons. Will we ever see a movie that gets more creative with grenades? Oh my gosh, now no, I don't think so. Yeah, there's a there's a heavy usage of grenade grenades in this film. Creative grenade. Yeah, very creative, and it's not something we've seen a lot and the John Wick films or anything. So you know, the first time, the second time, you're like, oh man, that's pretty cool, and then it just keeps going and it's like.

12:09 Whoa what Yeah, yeah that four? Like that fourth creative grenade kill You're like, just keep serving them, keep tossing those, because I am loving everything you're doing. Man. Uh. Ballerina from the World of John Wick is in theaters this weekend. Garrett, we haven't even pretended to keep people in the hook. Obviously, stream it, see it, skip it, you got we gotta we gotta tell me. I want to see this one right. I would walk, run, ice, skate, I don't care how to get to this film. I would go check it out in theaters. We've been enjoying the Baba Yaga for four films, and now it's time for the Kiki Mora to take her rightful place on the silver screen. And we we're here for it.

12:55 We love it and give five like a girl, fight like girl.