Reel Talk is back this week with movie reviewer Greg Russell, and this time he’s looking at Mortal Kombat and Netflix’s new season of The Circle. Russell also prepared for this Sunday’s Oscars by giving his picks for some of the year’s biggest categories.
Russell’s picks:
Best picture - Judas and the Black Messiah
In the film based off a true story, a man infiltrates a chapter of the Black Panthers in order to report to the FBI. Russell said he was amazed by the film’s writing, saying he doesn’t think a spy writer could have written something better.
Best actress - Carey Mulligan
Russell says that Mulligan’s performance in Promising Young Woman was unique and captivating, and that there hasn’t been a film like it in quite a while.
Best Actor - Chadwick Boseman
Russell assures viewers that if Boseman does win the Oscar, it won’t be out of pity, he did excellent in this movie. Russell says, “He earned and deserves this Oscar if he gets it.”
He also took a look at a new movie based on an old video game. Mortal Kombat is out this weekend, which he says keeps up the game’s legacy with a more modern take on the action packed fight of good vs. evil.
He said that just like with other big blockbusters like Godzilla vs. Kong, you tune in for the action, and action is what you get.
Another show Russell looked at was Netflix’s The Circle. The reality game show has contestants living in the same apartment complex, but never meeting. They have to figure out which members of the circle are catfish as they vote each other off, survivor-style.
Strategy was a major part of the game, and relationships always had the possibility of being fake. “You feel like you’re forming connections with somebody, but you have to remember that it’s a game,” said contestant Delessa, who catfished other players as her husband Trevor.
To hear Russell’s full reviews and more, watch the video above.