KIMI: 7/10
Zoe Kravitz's film debut as the lead protagonist is a decent suspense thriller with nice twist and turns in the end. Kravitz's proves her acting chops, because the film does not work without her giving a convincing performance and she does a pretty good job. The film is available on HBO Max.
Spiderman: No Way Home 8/10
The movie had a lot of hype, breaking box office records and is the first major movie theater success since COVID caused the scene to die for a couple of years. Well the film lives up to the hype. It has a very good story that many Spiderman fans will love. The many villains script is very well done with a good reason for it. Even though, most people likely saw it, I don't want to spoil the film for the few who haven't seen it and waited until it became available like myself, but its worth the watch. Marvel has a formula that works and it's on full display in this movie. And I don't see their hold on the major box office fading anytime soon.
Ghostbusters: Afterlife: 9/10
As someone who has been waiting for a genuine Ghostbusters sequel, since really the official game, because that story is really legit and its canon, I was disappointed in the all female Ghostbusters 2016 film. Not for the same reasons a lot of keyboard warriors were upset, with the whole whining about "Woke" culture, but because it didn't have the feel that a Ghostbuster movie has. It tries its best, but they didn't nail it. This movie on the other hand captures that feel and has a good story. Basically, the film centers around Egon Spengler's grand children. Because of this dynamic, it also has a slight Goonies, Strangers Things, feel going for it. There are a lot of shoutout and nostalgic moments in the film without overdoing it most of the time. If you're a Ghostbuster fan, this film is worth the watch.
Free Guy (3/19/2022) - 1.5/5
One of those movies where the premise is both so central to the movie and completely beside the point that it's just dull. Whether you know too much about video games or nothing at all, this is either too unbelievably attached to movie tropes or too steeped in ridiculous half-jargon to be sensible either way.
On technical merits there's a lot to genuinely admire here, including the performance from Comer and the weird moments when you see the CGI in-game representations of characters we mostly see in live action, but in general this is a product of pure evil. Possibly worth noting that I watched this alongside The Big Picture's commentary and was primed to dislike it thanks to them, but I doubt I'd have had a better time left to my own devices.
And then there's that Space Jam, "hey look at all the IP we own!" ending.
Windfall (3/22/2022) - 3/5
I got so gassed up when I first saw the trailer for this movie. Plemons has been my guy since Friday Night Lights, Segal's been a sneaky good portrayer of down-on-their-luck man children with ambitions for more since Freaks 'n' Geeks and Lily Collins...well, I admit Mank is the only other thing I've seen her in, but her face is so perfect for film lighting I hate to say I can't even tell whether or not she's a good actor, she's automatically compelling.
And then there's Charlie McDowell, recently married to Collins and yet writer/director of one of the most compelling screeds against whether couples can ever truly know one another for the rest of their lives in The One I Love (here's where I admit I had no idea he'd also been involved with Netflix's The Discovery, nor that The One I Love wasn't a Duplass Bros. joint, until some Googling for this review) and so when you tell me these four got together to make a single location comedy-thriller examining the psychology of that location's scenario I was so damn in. And then you get the Andrew Kevin Walker cherry on top! Who cares if it's been forever since he was involved in anything of note? Anybody with the run he had from '95 to '99 is made for life in my opinion.
Unfortunately, Windfall appears mostly just happy to be here. I'm not encyclopedic enough to list off the "kidnapper gets chummy with the hostages" movies I've seen off the top of my head, but I do know that a lot of the beats these characters take feel very beholden to some standard tropes of that scenario. And while the film hints at some greater mystery about who the robber is in this house targeting this couple, so much of the movie centers around his killing time with these guys without giving up the ghost of who or what he is that it's impossible to escape the sense nothing is happening here. After the stakes are set in a tidy 15 or so minutes, the movie just idles and idles and idles.
It's a shame because everyone lives up to their end of the bargain: McDowell nails the playful tone of the first act and the lamenting tone of the third (I'll give the movie this: it rockets into that third act with a total hand-on-mouth moment that's perhaps more gratuitous than appropriate) while Plemons escapes the mumblecore trap Power of the Dog set for him earlier this year to remind us why he remains such a fun wild card of a performer. But the script, despite constantly hinting at some kind of psychological twist ala The One I Love that marries scenario to allegory in a tight little knot, just doesn't have that kind of nerve to it.
I honestly have no feeling about whether this is a satisfying movie in any way, but thanks to a trio of strong performances and a refreshingly brisk 90 minute runtime that recalls the lightweight domestic dramas of the late '90s and early '00s that fueled TNT and USA for years I wouldn't dissuade just about anybody from giving this a go, either. It's entirely possible that without my personal excitement for this movie on the way in, I'd be a little more enthusiastic about it on the way out.
Deep Water (3/22/2022) - 2/5
There's always a house party, there's always a man, there's always a piano. I can see them through the doors.
Because it does. Because it has. Because it will.
Having been in a not entirely dissimilar situation once in my life, this is the most I've ever related to a Ben Affleck role. A woman like Ana de Armas asks me to kiss her ass just once and I can live pretty happily depressed for a year or more.
The Batman 5/5
This movie feels like the start of something special, much in the same way that Batman Begins kicked off the Nolan series. There is so much I appreciate in this movie. The biggest being that it doesn't treat the audience as stupid. There doesn't need to be unnatural conversations about exposition. You uncover the relationship between characters based off how they treat each other, and it never has to be blatantly explained to you. What a concept that modern Hollywood doesn't seem to grasp. The character growth in this movie is a whole fucking journey that is so poetically well done that it touched that part of my brain that gets an ASMR-like feeling when something is so perfectly well put together. Not only do they get Batman, but finally, someone gets the ancient mythology definition of what 'hero' means besides just 'the big bad must be defeated/redeemed.'
Kimi 3.5/5
I didn't think I was going to like this movie as I was watching it, but the ending did put a smile on my face seeing this character overcome everything that was thrown at them. It's very much a pandemic movie and commentary about the anxiety of reintegrating into society. It's also strangely, a thriller. Though, it doesn't really become a thriller until halfway through the movie and suddenly, it no longer feels like this pandemic movie that you were watching before. Though the situation does allow Zoe Kravit's to confront her past and progress as a character, the remix of these two ideas just didn't really work as well for me. Zoe Kravit did a really great job though and after watching Batman, she plays a much different character than Selena Kyle/Catwoman. It's an interesting movie that feels very low budget and just not quite there to be considered good.
The French Dispatch It'sAWesAndersonFilm/5
Wes Anderson's version of an Anthology film. It has his unique touch that many hate/love. It's very tongue and cheek as always. I found the first two 'films' to be captivating, while the last one felt like a fumble. I find his movies to be hard to describe. They just have that feeling to them that feels care-free and child-like, but can also be incredibly heartbreaking and real. The 70's French-Urban setting also really plays into this. While I found the setting and cinematography to be beautiful to look at, it's a dilapidated city that feels like it's one step away from being a tragedy. That in itself, is very Wes Anderson I feel. If you like his films, you won't find much different in this. It's what you expect from him. If you've never seen his films... well you're in for a weird trip.
I've just come back from some travel so here's the trio of movies I watched on planes.
King Richard 5/5
Y'know, for as many Will Smiths as I've seen on screen, they always tend to be him Fresh Princing it. Not this one. It's like a switch went off in his head and he said, "I'm 60. It's about time I went for those roles." He nails it, too. Good to see it doesn't shy away from the meddling tennis dad Richard Williams became. I guess it's hard not to, given how public his persona was during the sisters' rise to stardom. There's some good performances throughout, to be honest and I do feel you get a lot from that time in their lives.
Ford vs Ferrari 4/5
Taking it as a dumb popcorn flick, it's decent. Bale's accent is not on solid footing (Ken Miles was a Brummie but Christian Bale doesn't want to go that far into the Midlands so he just wanders between Christian Bale and some other bloke) but it's fine. There's good playful interludes between Miles and Shelby and it's probably at its best when they're messing with the Ferrari mechanics during Le Mans.
If you want realism in your car scenes, this isn't it. Miles is constantly finding a magic extra gear for HEIGHTENED DRAMA and EXTRA SPEED. Even his wife gets in on that. One final thing that really stuck with me: Christian Bale either gets the song wrong or has decided, as an actor of great talent, to do get it confused with something else.
However, the version in the film decides to match it up with this tune:
https://www.youtube.com/shorts/UP0ozXF2VMY
I knew I wasn't going mad. I hope it was intentional.
Blade Runner 2049 3/5
Looks really nice but a touch too modern in spots and the lingering establishing bits add to a runtime that put me to sleep. In isolation, it's probably a greater movie but they've kind of devalued the original with the whole drama around the replicants. They get an Atari logo in for good measure which is kind of crass. It tells you they wanted to make a sequel rather than take the ideas of the first movie and kick them down the road with 30 years worth of technology to jump from.
Good performances, though. I've always found Ryan Gosling to be pretty crap at playing normal people. He just can't emote so making him some kind of robot, autistic driving savant or emotionally damaged wreck is fine. Speaking of emotions, there's a deepfake in this that erm .... you see what's going on under the hood. It's another nostalgia pull which, to the film's credit, is at least tying in with the story they're trying to tell.
Tighten it up by half an hour and you've got a good movie. Maybe have more of Dave Bautista in it. And less nostalgia. The cyberpunk aesthetic should be all the nostalgia you need. Not all the BLADE RUNNER GANG BACK, Y'ALL. FLY THAT MILLENIUM FALCON. And can we stop giving Jared Leto work? Nowt personal, I just think he's got some bodies buried somewhere.
So I went and did what most of the internet believes is self-flagellation which was to see Morbius. It was one of those movies I got over-interested in simply due to it being delayed so many times due to COVID (see also, No Time to Die and A Quiet Place Part 2), and it gave me a good excuse to finally get around to watching both Venom and Let There Be Carnage (TL;DR review: LTBC is better then Venom mainly due to Harrelson fully leaning into the schlockiness of the concept, but I did quite enjoy the banter/shitcanning between Eddie and Venom). And you know that they say: in for a penny, in for a pound.
Honestly, it's not the hot trash everyone's making it out to be. It's just a very formulaic, by-the-numbers anti-hero movie. The CGI is fine and has some neat effects but not spectacular, the science of how he becomes superhuman is very hand wavy, he figures out and masters his superpowers like instantly, you never buy that his female doc co-worker would ever want to jump his bones, and Matt Smith is a very cookie-cutter villain (but at least he looks like he's having fun).
The mid-credits scene can fuck right off though, in that it attempts to set up an idea the movie spends pretty much it's whole runtime trying to rally against.
Overall: 2.5/5.
The Batman 3/5: Looked real nice, fell pretty flat. Batman had zero agency until the last five minutes and the script could have used at least two more passes.
Turning Red 3/5: Pretty cute and gorgeously animated, but too long and suffered from some really, really godawful writing in spots..."my panda, my choice" made my skin crawl.
Revolver: I've been morbidly curious about this Guy Ritchie film for years, largely because it was torn to shreds upon release and (along with Swept Away) seemed like it would kill his career, but also because I've got several friends who really, really liked it at the time and I was excited to see if I would agree with them on it versus the critical consensus.
Well, I didn't. This film is pretty terrible. Superficially similar to the kinetic crime dramas that made Ritchie's name, it's shot through with heady musings on the nature of ego and numerology, drawing heavily on his interest in Kabbalah at the time, giving the film a pseudo-intellectual sheen that never really amounts to anything. The action is mostly pretty bad and some of the casting is bizarre (Ray Liotta plays a crime lord but his dialogue was clearly written for an English actor, so there's little turns of phrase that sound totally wrong coming from him), though the worst thing about it is the sense of ponderous seriousness applied to a story which is pretty straightforward. It really feels like Ritchie is straining to be taken seriously and demonstrating at every turn that he's not deep or talented enough to carry it off.
That all being said, it's probably the most fascinating film of his career. The film is a spectacular misfire on every level, but compared to pretty much everything else he's made, it's really ambitious and strange. Even if that ambition is wildly misguided and misplaced, it's hard not to be impressed at how big of a gamble he took with the film. Plus, it's got some solid performances from Jason Statham, Andre 3000 and Mark Strong which are almost worth it. Not quite, but almost. (2/5)
Darkman - 7/10
I like to use MyAnimeList's definitions where 8 is "very good", 7 is "good" and 6 is "fine".
Liam Neeson in his first leading role and Sam Raimi doing his corny-ass comic book thing. After watching the Red Letter Media Re:View of Darkman I watched it with my wife for the first time (for both of us) for movie night. You can definitely see the pieces of Spiderman and Robocop and many other movies in there and watching a non-Marvel Studios comic book-esque movie in 2022 feels fun. I like Marvel movies fine but seeing something like Darkman reminds you of how much character they could actually have versus the reality of "I dunno. Guardians of the Galaxy clearly had a director and the old Iron Man movies are kinda cute."
The Death of Stalin - 8/10
A great satire. It walks a very thin tightrope between comedy and drama and pulls it off well. In the midst of tragedy there is a place for black humor. Steve Buscemi as Khruschev was a hilarious choice. Jason Isaacs as General Zhukov steals every scene. Simon Russell Beale is good as Beria, but it's the real, historical Beria that casts his shadow over this whole story - a very scary man and one of the more evil people in history. Some of the scenes with him are not played for laughs. How do you take a serial rapist and murderer of thousands and fit him into your satire? Well, as in real life, you just have him shot at the end. Very satisfying.
The only complaint I have in this movie is its historical accuracy. That seems strange to say, since it's obviously a comedy and does not need to be terribly accurate; for example, many events that are spread across months or years are combined into a timeline of a few days, which I don't have any problem with. The only one that really irks me is the shooting of 1400 Russians getting of trains to to see Stalin's body - this never happened. Enough terrible things went on in the USSR that there's no reason to add in this subplot, and it could easily be edited out without making a lesser film.
I just watched All Quiet on the Western Front (1930) for the first time and it was honestly mindblowing. It's perhaps the oldest movie I've ever seen but a lot of what they did was much more modern than dramas that came after it. Too often I usually find those old dramas to be more like old vaudeville or radio dramas where the line delivery feels stilted but I felt like this film accurately depicted Remarque's classic book.
What was especially jarring was how anti-war it was and how disturbingly poignant it was. When Paul returned home on leave he described war how we have seen it too often in our lives; glorified stories of heroes and sacrifice for a goal nobler than anything in life. He even went to a bar where two patrons were Monday Morning quarterbacking the German march in Europe. As someone well-studied on World War I I thought it was interesting how the locations and battles were never mentioned, and I feel like it was reflective of what those soldier knew at the time. They were 16-20 year-olds in an antiquated world that had yet to even know about the horrors of machinegun fire and 24 hour shelling. It's impressive for the time and outright chilling knowing how history developed from that time.
Everything Everywhere All at Once – 5/5
Hands down one of the most "I laughed, I cried, I couldn't believe my eyes" movies I've ever seen. Easily one of my new favorites of all time. Cannot wait to watch it over and over again. Go in knowing as little about it as possible, with an open mind, and just soak all of it in as much as possible. Don't even run to see this move, sprint your ass as fast as possible to the theater (if you feel comfortable/safe doing so of course)!
Enchanto: 8/10
On: Disney+
A very nice feel good movie surrounded with color and charm. The film has a number a good catchy songs and the overall message is positive. It also follows the formula of recent Disney movies, where there isn't a central villain and more so a family conflict that needs to be resolved. I recommend it.
The Batman: 8/10
On: HBO Max
The movie premiered on streaming yesterday and I made it my evening flick to watch. I wasn't disappointed, this new batman movie is a pretty good detective story. It also has some very good, well choreographed actions scenes. The atmosphere is dark and gloomy like most Batman films and fits the mood perfectly. But the most surprising thing about the movie, was how all the characters people complained about in terms of actors portraying them, turned out to be fitting in their roles. Jeffrey Wright was very good as Jim Gordan. Zoe Kravitz was a believable Catwoman, more than the woman who played her in Dark Knight Rises. It also helps that she looks a lot like the comic book version of her with the short hair. And of course, Robert Pattinson did a good job as Batman. He is very believable as a young Batman still trying to understand what his actions and role as a vigilante really means and if it's all worth it. The villains also did a great job. The stand out is Colin Farrell of all people as The Penguin. Overall, I highly recommend it.
The Forever Purge: 7/10
On: HBO Max
Another solid entry in the Purge film franchise. It easily has the most action of any of the previous films, mainly because the plot is about a racist hate group determined to make The Purge go on forever. Yes, it has some "woke" themes but isn't overly preachy about it. Still, if you're someone who gets butthurt about the message that racism is wrong, then you might not like this movie. Everyone else, I recommend it. It's a popcorn cruncher.
The Cursed 4/5
A pretty good timepiece horror movie. Set in the late 1800's, it tells the story of a Manor and surrounding town being hunted by some kind of "beast". A pair of investigators are called for to look into the incidents, and horror ensues. Serious BloodBorne vibes. Fair warning, it's pretty violent and gory.
The Batman. 7/10
I watched this in two parts and sort of struggled with the first hour. I need to revisit to tell if it was boredom or if it was expectations. Riddler was a ? for me from the time I saw the costume reveal. It was ok for the most part. I felt they leaned a bit to much into crazy serial killer vs more calculated yet slightly mad version, which I think is a little more interesting. The Batman's detective work amounts to solving a few riddles and not a whole lot else. It works though because its a younger, less experienced Batman. I've never read the comics but it always seemed like his Tech and money do most of the heavy lifting.
I really liked Jeffery Wright as Gordon. Having Batman's relationship with the police be more involved was an interesting choice. Makes you wonder how they might play off that in the future.
As much as this is a Batman movie it certainly pulls a lot of other threads in some different directions. I think that's what worked most for me. Seeing characters and events become a little altered was refreshing. And they never lingered too long on the familiar. Selina was a much more compelling Catwoman than her Dark Knight Rises version(sorry Anne).
Gotham is served on a grim plate, being feasted on by its worst, built on the dead backs of its best. Reeves does a better job of making Gotham more of a character than a background.
It loses some steam in the 3rd act that make it apparent they didn't want to go out on a quiet note. But it doesn't really line up with the previous tone. This is also when I started to like Riddler a little less.
All in all its the best Batman thing I've seen in awhile and a solid foundation for the future. DC finally has something I believe rivals the best of the MCU. (I can't believe Shazam is one of my fav DCU films)
Here's another chunk of movies from the last few weeks. I probably forgot a few movies here, but if they were forgettable then they probably didn't warrant a review. I'll try to keep these short for the sake of brevity.
Hanzo the Razor: Sword of Justice (3/5)
Chanbara cinema with some fun action, a distinct style and good comedy. Ultimately brought down by gross sexual violence.
Hanzo the Razor: The Snare (2/5)
A sequel to the first Hanzo movie with very few new tricks and a doubling down on the aforementioned sex scenes with highly questionable morality to say the least.
Taming the Garden (4/5)
Visually stunning and intimate at the same time, Taming the Garden shows documents the momentous task of uprooting and transporting huge trees for the private collection of a wealthy Georgian. A documentary which shines a bright light on humanity's relationship with nature and inequalities in our societies.
Tokyo Drifter (3/5)
Colorful and highly stylish yakuza action from 1966. The editing and direction lean too heavily on style at the expense of a cohesive plot and well balanced pacing. Still highly recommended viewing for any Tarantino fan.
Memories of Murder (4/5)
A fantastic murder mystery by Bong Joon-ho and probably my favorite work of his. Fantastic cinematography and composition once again and those scenes in rainy rice fields really stuck with me.
Days of Being Wild (4/5)
Not my favorite Wong Kar-wai film, but a great start to the fantastic relationship between Kar-Wai and his long time cinematographer Christopher Doyle
Burst City (4/5)
One of my favorite recent finds from back shelves of my local movie store. Burst City is slathered from top to bottom with grimy Japanese punk aesthetics of the early 1980s. While the story mostly serves as a thin line connecting gigs and debaucherous scenes played by local bands, it all works rather well as an image of the punk scene from that particular time and place.
Apollo 10 1/2 (2/5)
Seeing the Apollo program and life in the 1960s from the viewpoint of a young child seemed like a good premise. In the end though this movie seemed more like a list of things the director and/or writer was nostalgic about that era.
Drive My Car (4/5)
A beautiful and sweet story of a theater director who has to temporarily move to Hiroshima for work. Excellent cinematography and editing, some very good performances and a perfectly fitting soundtrack. It's my favorite movie from this year so far. My experience was honestly mostly hampered by seeing the film at a screen I hadn't visited before. The screen ended up being so tiny that I had trouble seeing everything clearly from the fourth row. I will definitely buy a Blu-Ray copy and give it another viewing soon.
The Northman (3/5)
Transitioning to big budget productions is always a bit tricky for promising young directors. While The Northman isn't as pure of an artistic vision as Roger Eggers' previous works, it still clearly has a lot of love and devotion poured into it. Certainly the best big budget action movie from the USA I've seen in a very long time.
The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent (3/5)
Nick Cage pulls of the role of Nick Cage surprisingly well. The movie and Mr. Cage are not afraid to look and poke fun at some of the darker aspects of his acting career and personal life and the references to older roles are mostly dealt out in moderation. The whole CIA plot feels unnecessary though and creates a lot of bloat in the third act of the film.
I caught up on a few notable recent movies over the weekend:
Everything Everywhere All at Once
For the first hour or so I was enjoying this but felt like it was all very slight. Inventive, absolutely, and very funny, but it seemed to be glancing at deeper themes without really engaging with them. Then it really steered hard into exploring them in the second half and everything clicked for me. I really loved how Daniels handled the set-up/pay-off structure of taking things which seemed like throwaway gags in the first half and then imbuing them with a real emotionality and warmth in the second, ultimately making for a film which is extremely entertaining throughout and ultimately very cathartic. (4.5/5)
Ambulance
A pretty distilled version of Michael Bay since the need for constant movement prevents it from getting bogged down in anything other than action and the central dynamic between the characters in the ambulance. The way that drones are used in this movie is really exhilarating and inventive, closer to the kind of personality-filled camerawork of Sam Raimi than just a quotidian replacement for helicopters. It is probably a touch too long for the story being told so it runs out of energy in the second half (basically any time the characters get out of the ambulance) but it's a ton of fun. (4/5)
The Northman
Greatly appreciated the scope and ambition, this is magnitudes bigger than anything Eggers has done before and it's cool that he didn't lose his focus on small details, since all the rituals and customs he deploys in this lend an air of authenticity and specificity to the world. That being said, it is a mythic tale and so it's a little hard to engage emotionally with anything the characters do, with the only really human moment coming towards the end when Skarsgard's character has to choose between two possible actions. Lots to admire, and the middle section of the film when Skarsgard is slowly unfurling his revenge against Claes Bang is fun, but not as engaging overall as I hoped. (3/5)
There's been a lot of talk about where the Christopher Nolan Batman movies rate in 2022, and I gotta say: the first two hold up magnificently, as long as you understand that they are SUPERHERO COMIC BOOK MOVIES.
They're important and they're one of the first examples of taking the genre truly seriously, and that's important, but they were elevated to such ludicrous levels in popular culture that nothing could possibly match it.
Both are solid 8/10, and I didn't bother with the third one. Wasn't in the mood to laugh uproariously.
Eternals (Marvell) 2021
OMG, I heard it was bad, but I did not think it would be boring. Hardly any of the character are likeable, understandable, or interesting. This should have been two movies. One to introduce half teh character really well, and a second to dribble in the the other half. That is assuming fan s NEEDED to see all of these characters have a Eternals movie, but less woudl have been better. Honestly, I could have done without the characters of Thena (Angelina Jolie) and Ajak (Salma Hayek). They Ajak serve no purpose and Thena is badly acted by Jolie as an unlikeable buzz-kill. [Honestly, Jolie is just angry she was not choses to be Wonder Woman; so she got her agent to demand that role of Thena (Athena) in this movie. Problem is she cannot act, and she is excruciating to watch on screen. She incites no sympathy for her 'condition' or 'forsight', and her "puppy love connection to Gilgamesh (Don Lee) does not work - he is great, but Jolie is wooden and dull.
I know I'm whingeing about this, but honestly this movie make "Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice" and "Justice League" seem thoughtful and well written. So much of the MCU, even the 'bad' movies are somewhat entertaining, and worth watching - Eternals is a trash fire. It wastes the talents and work of Gemma Chan, Don Lee, Kumail Nanjiani, Lauren Ridloff, and Brian Tyree Henry who were pleasant to watch and understood the assignment.
The Rock
Despite growing up in the '90s and watching most of the big Bruckheimer-produced movies that came out during that time, mostly on TV because I was too young to watch them in the cinema, I'd somehow never seen this one, arguably the best film to come out of that run. I think it hits the sweet spot for Michael Bay since he's got enough of a budget to make the film feel truly big and sweeping, but not so big that his style can go to the excesses that it would from Armageddon onwards. It's restrained, relatively speaking, and it takes its time setting things up before Connery and Cage get to the titular Rock, but Bay's style really shines through in his expressive camera moves and broad sense of humour. As such it feels very much in keeping with the kind of tight, action-thrillers of the era while also being distinctive and brash in a way that sets it apart. You can easily see why Bay would go on to, for better or worse, redefine Hollywood action for the next decade. Also, wow, one hell of cast! So many great character actors in small but memorable roles. (4/5)
READY PLAYER ONE, 9/10
I like the premise of the movie and the idea that what's in the movie is not far-fetched from what we can have in the future. Especially with the technology we have. But it's also concerning since if the setting in READY PLAYER ONE happened in real life, then people will be more inclined to just live in an alternate reality and never want to live their real life.
@maian1 said:
Everything Everywhere All at Once
For the first hour or so I was enjoying this but felt like it was all very slight. Inventive, absolutely, and very funny, but it seemed to be glancing at deeper themes without really engaging with them. Then it really steered hard into exploring them in the second half and everything clicked for me. I really loved how Daniels handled the set-up/pay-off structure of taking things which seemed like throwaway gags in the first half and then imbuing them with a real emotionality and warmth in the second, ultimately making for a film which is extremely entertaining throughout and ultimately very cathartic. (4.5/5)
Came here to talk about this movie, but I don't think I can do it better than you.
Just reiterate that if you are interested in inventive science fiction/fantasy with heavy doses of humor, action, martial arts and an emotionally charged response to nihilism, you should definitely see this one.
We had a Memorbial Day Weekend in honor of a meme I'm unfortunately getting tired of. That being said the real star was what we watched during the pre-party process. We found a blockbuster Indian movie RRR, a 3 hour epic of over the top action, comedy, and some incredible musical hits inspired by historical revolutionaries Rama and Bheem. It was an absolute treat and it was fun guessing where their allegiances lie, but I encourage giving a long intermission between the two acts. 5/5
Now on to the main show. Morbius was terrible in all the ways an anti-villain origin story about a broody vampire could be. The movie set up motives and themes but seemed utterly unwilling to delve deeper into any of them. It also does the tired thing of having the villain be a parallel of the protagonist who simply is less patient or slightly less moral. The first 40 minutes went too fast for any beat to land and the last 40 minutes trudged along like molasses as Morbius and Milo sped through Manhattan as their gassy selves. It was not bad in a fun way, and it's only saving grace was it's brisk runtime (and that I snuck in It's Morbin Time into the subtitles). 1/5
I also made a recipe for Bloody Morbys. Basically take your favorite Bloody Mary recipe and replace the tabasco/hot sauce with a packet of Taco Bell Fire sauce. Morb appetit
Top Gun: Maverick 9/10
Just got back from the theatre, IMAX of course, and ho-ly crap. What. A .Ride.
I'm a huge fan of the first film so I am definitely biased(My dad quoted the need for speed line whenever he could). Its pretty much everything I could have hoped for. The action is balls to the wall breathtaking, and they pretty much nail all the beats and connective tissue you would want to see. I'm not gonna say much about it since I'm sure people know if they want to see this. I was gonna give it an 8, but damn I had such a blast, and might even go see it again cause I had that much fun. Even my step sister who didn't really love the first one said she had a great time. And If you liked the first, treat yourself. It takes a fair amount to get me out to the theatre to see a movie and this might be one of the best big screen experiences I've ever had.
I watched Dr. Strange and the multi universe and that movie was hella confusing
Jurassic World Dominion 5/10
The CGI was terrible like I couldn't laugh how bad the dinosaurs looked. I did like how some of the newer ones had feathers and looked like birds. Aside from Sam Neil, Jeff Goldblum and Laura Dern returning which was the highlight of the movie. Plus the movie was two hours long and I walked out of the second hour just cause how bored it was. I would probably just rent this if I had to see this movie as it felt like two different movies with the dinosaurs living with humans and bringing in the OG Jurassic Park cast.
Sonic The Hedgehog 2
8/10
Definitely a huge improvement over the first film. Loved seeing Tails and Knuckles being voiced by Idris Elba was cool and made him sound like a hunter. Sonic being less annoying was good. Jim Carrey was hilarious as Dr. Robotnik and liked how he was more serious this time around. Super Sonic on screen was awesome definitely reminded me of Sonic 2 where he first appeared. Definitely hope Jim Carrey returns for Sonic The Hedgehog 3.
The Batman 8/10
I definitely liked the direction Matt Reeves went with Bruce Wayne/Batman. Robert Pattinson really felt like a loner goth type kid compared to other versions of Batman. In alot of ways The Batman felt like a direct sequel to Christopher Nolan's Batman trilogy. You just had Batman show up with no origin story and he definitely felt like a badass! It definitely made me feel like I was watching Batman from Arkham Asylum games. Colin Farrell as Penguin was hilarious though he felt like a side character. Catwoman, I thought was decent. The Riddler definitely was amazing to see how Paul Dano had his own spin of the character. It felt like Silence of The Labs where you were at the end of your seat. John Turturro as Carmine Falcone was great casting and I hope he returns. Andy Serkis as Alfred Pennyworth was good as well. I think the biggest problem is the movie felt like a murder mystery for the first hour then the second hour it went into Batman mode. Like you had two different styles for this movie. I liked the ending as it felt forced though I hope the sequel goes all out. Definitely felt like a realistic Batman which was great to see again and made me wanting more.
Attraverso la neve 10/10
Una storia interessante, molti momenti tesi.
Oxygen - 4.5/5
1st, it's a sci-fi movie,
the plot is there is a woman who awakes in a cryopod, and she doesn't really remember much at all. Slowly, she regains some of her memories and tries to escape the cryopod.❄
And even if it was quite slow at 1st for me, and the MC didn't really leave her cryopod (makes you think the film wasn't that expensive to shoot), it kept me interested and not bored all the way to the end. 😉
Just stopping by to say I've watched Top Gun: Maverick 4 times in theaters now :D.
3 times in IMAX(EPIC af)and one in a new format I'd never heard of--ScreenX . They have projectors on the side which gives certain scenes a 270 degree panoramic view. For Top Gun it really made it feel like you were in the planes. Though I probably wouldn't recommend it for a 1st viewing. The sound was pretty mediocre, especially compared to the IMAX sound where you could feel the jets. It wasn't even surround sound which I thought was odd considering what the experience is going for. The main screen is a little small if you're used to IMAX and AVX and the like. It might have just been the theatre I was in and other theatres do it much better. It seemed very retrofitted to an old theatre as a bit of an afterthought.
Anyway, go see Top Gun in theatres if you think you want to watch it. They brought it back to IMAX in some areas by popular demand. I'd go see it again if there was 4DX shows still going lol.
I feel the need...
Thor Love and Thunder: 6.5/7 out of 10. A fun time but def like 3 movies smushed together. Christian Bale is cooking as Gorr and was the best part of the movie.
I have to stop watching it but Thor Darkworld Because Chris Hemsworth Is such a crappy actor
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