by John Delia Jr.

The life of a dog can be very short, but the dog’s purpose can last you a lifetime. A Dog’s Journey is a wonderful sequel and extends the story even further, grabbing your heart making it spill over with emotions. This story picks up shortly after where the first one left off. Bailey (voice Josh Gad) is a little older, and Hannah’s (Marg Helgenberger) son died, leaving his wife Gloria (Betty Gilpin) and a toddler Clarity June (Emma Volk) behind. Trying to help Gloria with the baby, Hannah and Ethan (Dennis Quaid) are doing their best to provide for them both. Being so young, Gloria seems to be preoccupied by trying to find a life for herself that tends to allow little CJ to wonder off. Sometimes it can be a little dangerous on a farm for a toddler. Bailey being the loving and protective dog that he is does his best to help keep CJ from harm. But after an incident, Ethan and Hannah offer to take care of CJ so Gloria can take a job far from home.

“Fourteen million dollar bounty on his head. Every interested party wants a piece of it. I’d say the odds were about even.”

The word “Parabellum” acts as a double entendre for the film. First there is the obvious reference to a 9mm parabellum bullet, and then there is the Latin phrase, “Si vis pacem, para bellum,” which translates to “If you want peace, prepare for war.” That is exactly what Keanu Reeves gives to those interested parties looking to cash in on the bounty on his head. Picking directly after the events of Chapter 2, Winston (Ian McShane) grants John Wick a one-hour head start after he violates Continental rules and kills crime boss Santino D’Antonio on hotel grounds. Now excommunicated with a 14-million-dollar bounty on his head, John is the target of every member of the criminal underground of New York. Cut off from resources and without protection, the most anyone can hope to survive is a hour or two; however, John Wick is not most people. His attempts to stay alive lead him along the streets of New York City to the sandy dunes of Morocco. All while attempt to stay one step ahead of his pursuers, including the High Table that he used to serve.

"Tell me a story..."

One of the first people in my life to tell me a story was J.R.R. Tolkien. I was given a colorfully illustrated copy of The Hobbit that I still have to this very day. Sure, it was abridged and was mostly filled with pictures, but I was likely five years old when I got the book. The fact that I've kept it this long should tell you something about the kind of story Tolkien told me. Since that time I've read the Fellowship Of The Ring trilogy at least three times. I've written music inspired by those stories. And then there are the six massive films from Peter Jackson. In all these years I've never quite shaken the words of a man I never did have the opportunity to meet... that is, until now. Watching the biographic drama Tolkien leaves me with a sense of connection that I always wished I might obtain to the man himself. It's still rather early in the film season, and while this might not quite be the season for such things just yet, I must say I've at least seen the best film of 2019 to date.

“That’s a great fifth option; let’s work on the other four.”

This line is one of the signature witty clips that Ryan Reynolds brings to the character of Pikachu in this movie adaptation of the popular Nintendo DS video game, Pokemon: Detective Pikachu. It is clear that Pokemon is standing the test of time, as I remember collecting and playing the cards in my youth. Though the card game appears to have fallen out of favor, the franchise received a resurgence a few years ago with the emergence of popular mobile phone app, Pokemon GO! In fact, I wouldn’t be surprised of the popularity of app led to the decision for this live action film starring Ryan Reynolds, Justice Smith, and Bill Nighy. This was a solid opening in my opinion, though I am skeptical of its film franchise potential, given that those without a basic understanding of the video game or card game (there does not appear to be any connection to the original animated series or subsequent animated films besides inclusion of the Pikachu character) are unlikely to get by the questions of “What are Pokemon?” or “Where do they come from?”

“No man will ever believe that a woman is smarter than he is.”

I love con movies. You name it, I’ve seen it. There is just something about someone or a group working towards pulling the wool over the eyes of some arrogant, corrupt fool that believes that they can’t be outsmarted. Mainly, it is about the scam; I like to see the elegance of the con. Lately I’ve been starved for a good con movie in recent years, essentially since Will Smith’s Focus, which was underrated in my opinion.