scott-sw Reviews

Insidious: The Red Door (2023)

Great Finale for Lambert Family

[9/10 · 7 July 2023]

Although it is the fifth film in the Insidious franchise, The Red Door is more of a trilogy ender for the original Lambert Family centered in the first two chapters of Insidious. It is very satisfying on all levels.

It begins at the end of Chapter 2 after the parasite leaves Josh (Patrick Wilson) is released, preventing him from killing is family. Once the entity leaves, Carl (Steve Coulter) aids Josh and Dalton (Ty Simpkins) in blocking out the memories of their misadventures in the Further.

Nine years later, we learn that Josh and Renai (Rose Byrne) have divorced. They meet at the funeral of Josh's mother (played by Barbara Hershey in the first two movies). Dalton, Foster (Andrew Astor), and Kali (Juliana Davies) are all mourning, but there is considerable distance between Dalton and Josh. In an attempt to bridge that gap, Josh drives Dalton to school.

Josh admits his brain has been in a fog for years and wonders why. He cites that as his relationship breakdown with Renai, Dalton, and the other kids. Dalton tells him to get help as he prepares to pursue his art degree. The two fight and leave each other alone.

Dalton's art teacher then tries an experiment with her students to search their subconscious to find creativity. Dalton paints a red door, and the ability to astral project returns. At the same time, Josh seeks counseling and hopes a physical exam of his brain might solve some issues. His ability resurfaces as well.

The whole premise leads to good scares, suspense, and reconciliation of both memories, and with Dalton (along with Renai and Foster) with Josh leaving a bittersweet conclusion.

One weakness - if you can call it that - is Patrick Wilson's directing is not as stellar as James Wan. He doesn't use space in the scene or over-the-shoulder shots Wan utilizes to create tension and misdirection. A real weakness rests in a little corniness in the father-son reconciliation subplot.

However, numerous strengths make this one a great movie. The acting is great. The ensemble plays the parts so well to generate sympathy for their suffering and angst. Wilson drips with regret and sadness, and Simpkins' anger and confusion is palpable. In addition, the use of the Foster character was increased to help the plot along - which shows his confusion and struggle over the events in the first two Insidious movies. On the other hand, the Kali character (she was an infant in the first two) is completely useless and has very little screen time.

Additionally, Sinclair Daniel plays Chris, a friend who reaches out to Dalton. She's his opposite as being outgoing and friendly - and she breaks through his armor to bring him out of his shell. And Tucker (Angus Sampson) and Specs (writer Leigh Whannel) make a great cameo in a short scene.

This is one of the best horror movies of the last two to three years - mixing terror, suspense, and emotion masterfully. If audiences liked the first two, they should not only like this one, but also find it as a satisfying trilogy ender.

Halloween Ends (2022)

You do have Michael Myers in a Halloween movie, right?

[5/10 · 21 October 2022]

Halloween Ends is appropriately named as it ends the latest trilogy by David Gordon Greene. If only he could have delivered a dying scream instead of whimper.

It's four years later after the Halloween 2018 and Haddonfield is still recuperating from the awful stigma it has from being the town where Michael Myers has created havoc over a 40-year stretch.

And we have a new problem that is established in the beginning. Young Corey, played by Rohan Campbell, is babysitting a young boy. The child plays a trick on Corey who ends up accidentally killing the child. He is now the new Haddonfield pariah - and is shunned by the town.

Laurie Strode (Jamie Lee Curtis), meanwhile, has been trying to restart her life in the town with her granddaughter, Allyson (Andi Matichak). Laurie uses writing as a catharsis to her pain while Allyson moves into the medical field as an RN.

Laurie takes a shine to Corey when she witnesses some band members torment and taunt him for being a child murderer - even trying to implicate him as a pedophile. She takes action to help him. Still, he has hurt himself and must visit the hospital and meets Allyson. Laurie likes the idea and encourages them do date.

However, the irritating bullies return and kick Corey to the curb (I love alliteration). What happens, though, is a mysterious person takes Corey to his lair in the city sewar systems. You have one guess who this "mysterious" stranger is. It is Michael Myers who glares at the boy long enough to project the murderous personality into him. Corey goes on the rampage.

In the end, Laurie realizes Corey has become unstable and wants Allyson to stop dating him. Yet, the story gets worse as this drives a wedge between Allyson and Laurie. When Corey returns to the house, he is ready for murder - and it's tag-team wrestling for serial killers!

Michael (James Jade Courtney and Nick Castle) now pursues Laurie for the final showdown. This scene does not disappoint - but it comes way too late.

The movie did have some good ideas - but having four screenplay writers was the first sign of a meandering and incohesive plot. The plot is spread so thin there is no clear direction. At one point, Corey is the main antagonist, then it is Michael. Then it goes back to Corey.

Moreover, everyone killed by Corey or Michael is a huge jerk who deserves it. We have seen Michael kill people who didn't deserve it - even children in some cases. On top of that, the character has so little screen time, tension and scares are not as palpable. Audiences might it forget they are watching a Michael Myers Halloween movie.

At the end, in the final conflict between Laurie and Michael, the audience finally gets satisfaction. Real tension and scares exist - but it feels a bit late. It's almost as if the writers started with that scene and then realized they needed another 90 minutes to lead up to the final showdown.

Halloween has always been my favorite franchise, but writers and producers have maligned the name with multiple timelines, hackneyed stories. They have fully yielded to Jason Vorhees and Friday the 13th as the better and more consistent movies (except Jason X).

The latest Halloween trilogy is reminiscent of the latest Star Wars Trilogy: it tries to offer fan-service amidst a haphazard storyline with no definitive plan. This is very ironic considering Halloween had the same directors and writers instead of tag-teaming writers and directors.

Halloween Ends is not a total washout. I really wanted to like this one, but - despite the ending - it left me feeling hollow and lukewarm.

Smile (V) (2022)

Horror that makes you smile

[9/10 · 2 October 2022]

"Smile" is a very clever horror movie interlacing an intriguing story, good acting, and a fantastic concept. Comparable to Wes Craven's New Nightmare, It Follows, and Sinister, writer/director Parker Finn borrows from so much, he makes the movie its own.

We start with Dr. Rose Cotter, a psychiatrist who works tirelessly for mental patients in a hospital. She must deal with a college student brought in who have severe trauma from witnessing a suicide a several days ago. The girl was seeing visions of people with an evil smile, and she is worried something is after her. She then smiles and kills herself in front of Rose.

Now Rose begins her descent into madness. She starts experiencing the same thing. They are little at first, but grow in frequency, confusing her reality. She did have her own trauma as a child, and it seems to feed on it.

Rose eventually alienates everyone with her mental breakdown: her sister, her fiancé, her supervisor, and her mentor. It pushes her to the brink of being alone, except for a former boyfriend who is a cop. They do some investigation which leads to a revelation of an entity linked to all the evil things happening.

The movie is so effective on several levels. It relies on jump scares accented with a haunting and disturbing soundtrack. Both were done so well, it might take ten minutes after the movie to calm down (it certainly affected me in that way). Unique camera angles and walking daydream sequences bend reality, confusing the audience to no end.

Finally, "Smile" has an allegorical statement of how trauma robs a person of their dignity, warps reality, and affects the deepest parts of our soul. Is this an evil being, or just her trauma she shares with others?

Spider-Man: No Way Home (2021)

Spectacularly Amazing!

[10/10 · 18 December 2021]

Spider-Man, No Way Home, is amazingly spectacular in every way. It is excellent as both a continuation of the current series, and a marvelous tip of the hat to the previous cinematic renditions. It serves as its own movie while also offering enough fan-service for the die-hard Spidey fans (like me!).

We pick up immediately after Spider-Man (Tom Holland) and MJ (Zendaya) come face-to-face with the consequences of Far from Home. In case the MCU fans have forgotten, J. Jonah Jameson (JK Simmons) crossed into the present world of Spider-Man. More like a political commentator with his own online show, he rails against both Peter Parker and Spider-Man. They are one and the same.

Not only is Peter's life upended, but also MJ, Ned (Jacob Batalan), and Aunt May's (Marissa Tormei) lives are turned upside-down. Between the press, the police, and the pressure, they go into hiding with Happy Hogan (Jon Favreau).

The pressure mounts so much that Peter seeks out the help of Dr. Strange (Benedict Cumberbatch). Maybe he can make everyone forget that Peter Parker is Spider-Man. Peter wants to change the spell a bit, and keeps talking, distracting Strange and the spell goes wrong. The trailers tell the rest as enemies from previous Spider-Man renditions enter into his world. Dr. Otto Octavius (Alfred Molina), Norman Osburne (Willem Dafoe) and Max Dillon (Jamie Fox) come at Peter with a vengeance - but are just as confused as he is.

Dr. Strange needs to send them back to their original universes where they face certain death. Peter doesn't want that and seeks to help them as previous Spider-Mans have done, but failed. This leads to a well-structured and well-paced plot that develops the characters and presents plot turns with real potential consequences. In the end, Peter Parker grows up and becomes responsible - bearing the brunt of those consequences.

Tom Holland gives his best performance, dealing with loss, pain, and conflict with Dr. Strange. Also, Zendaya grew on me here, despite her emo portrayal of MJ. Her character, too, grows up and she has great chemistry with Holland. Ned, too, also grows as a character, and learns how to deal with power and responsibility as well.

Now for the spoilers - so don't read beyond here if you don't want them. However, anyone familiar with the plots, and the nostalgia, can probably guess what will happen. Yes, Tobey Maguire and Andrew Garfield reprise their Spider-Man roles and work together to defeat their cross-universe adversaries. They have to work as a team, and they learn about each other's disappointments, regrets and losses. One of the best scenes is when Garfield (God help me, I was glad to see him return) and Holland marvel at Maguire's webbing produced naturally in his own body.

Oh - and Charlie Cox does reprise his role as Matt Murdock who is Peter's lawyer. The blind lawyer even has a chance to display his uncanny abilities in the brief scene!

Back to Spider-Man (or rather Spider-Men), they also face more enemies that suggested in the trailers: Flint Marko, the Sandman, returns, as well as Curt Connors, the Lizard (but thankfully no Topher Grace as Eddie Brock). Another great aspect was that the villains have their own plot twists that are not easily predictable.

Moreover, the plot does justice in fan-service by redeeming mistakes in the original Raimi trilogy and the awful reboot with Garfield.

Anyone who is a die-hard Spider-Man fan like me will love this - and might even shed some tears. This is a movie that still has me pumped even an hour after it was over. It will definitely be seen again!

Halloween Kills (2021)

Good addition to the Halloween Franchise

[7/10 · 15 October 2021]

Halloween Kills lives up to its name. It kills - quite a bit.

As the second installment to a sequel trilogy, it picks up right after the first one let off. However, we do not have John Carpenter penning the script, or handling the director's chair. Both those duties fall to David Gordon Green (and two other writers in the mix).

Although not a perfect segue from the first installment, it is a solid entry into the oft-awry Halloween franchise that has taken so many twists and turns that previous entries often end up on the wrong track, lost, and driving the wrong way. The previous installment did have more scares and tension, but Halloween Kills packs a pretty good punch.

It picks up right after Halloween 2018 leaves off - sort of. It also picks up right after the original Halloween as police search for Michael Myers after he escaped from Sheriff Brackett (Charles Cyphers) and Dr. Loomis (Donald Pleasance). We then get the backstory on how the Shape was apprehended.

That's when we get the story of Officer Hawkins, his younger self played by Thomas Mann and his partner are able to track Myers down and use the police to finally capture him. Then we are catapulted to 2018 when Officer Hawkins as Patton Oswalt is found alive. We also see how Laurie Strode (Jamie Lee Curtis) and her daughter, Karen (Judy Greer) and granddaughter, Allyson (Andi Matichak) are fleeing the house just burned.

Yes, Michael (Nick Castle) survived and proceeds to murder the entire fire crew. He continues to find new victims.

At the same time, we jump over to a bar where an aged Lonnie Elam (Robert Longstreet) welcomes Tommy Doyle (Anthony Michael Hall), Lindsay (Kylie Richards) and Marion (Nancy Stephens) are reuniting from the terrible night from 40 years ago. A point to make is that while Marion and Lindsay are played by their respective actors from 40 years ago, Tommy was recast because of an unsuccessful attempt to find Brian Andrews who originally did the role.

Tommy tells the story of the vicious evil that still exists: Michael Myers. He then retells the story with a palpable effect, ending it with the idea that he is still out there, and he will die. Suddenly the news breaks, and the town knows the terror is on the loose again. They will stop him at any cost, much at the rallying cry of a jaded, angry, and cynical Tommy.

True, the film is good - but not perfect. It does have some flaws. First was with the number of characters we have. David Gordon Green wants to do good fan service - mostly in using common characters and many of the original actors. Even Charles Cyphers returns as Sheriff (retired) Leigh Bracket who is still mourning the loss of his daughter. But sometimes it is overkill to keep up with the old guard (some of whom are killed) and the new guard (also some are killed).

On the other hand, one scene has Michael climbing atop a car, providing a throwback scene from the original. Also Dr. Loomis returns - mostly by voice and stand-in in a couple of flashback scenes. I thought adding the voice was good, and seeing the movements of his arms and legs, but showing his face (a stand-in whose face was digitized) seemed disrespectful to the late Donald Pleasance.

Another flaw was the use of two other sets of characters: Scott MacArthur and Michael McDonald as a gay couple who have bought the old Myers house and upgraded it, as well as Michael Smallwood and Carmela McNeal as an African American couple dressed as medical professionals. Both were used for comic effect - and not in a great way. It was cringeworthy mostly with McNeal and Smallwood, filling the trope of the black people who will be killed, with often humorous lines that are not funny. More than anything, though, they detracted from the main plot.

One flaw I saw with Michael is a betrayal of character, which is something I detest more than anything in a movie franchise or a TV series. Character growth is good, but Michael, or rather "It" (as Dr. Loomis would say) does not grow. Instead, he becomes more ruthless, striking down several people at once instead of the old tactic of splitting them up as he did in the original. He also inflicts more pain and vicious attacks instead of a one slice or stab move.

A great strength, though, is there is no attempt to explain this evil. In the forced "Halloween II," Carpenter came up with a decent reason - although it is shied away from in this day. However, a worse take were the 4, 5, and 6 chapters that tried to blame family, occultism, and astrology. Even more disastrous was Rob Zombie exploring the pathology of Michael Myers.

On the strong side was an underlying theme that as society works to rub out evil, they become evil itself. This is prevalent as a mob at the hospital chases down an innocent man, thinking he is Michael Myers, and killing him. As Nietzsche said, "When fighting monsters, do not become one." The Boogeyman's evil triggered hate in the victims who struck back - and that's why you cannot kill the Boogeyman.

Major League II (1994)

HORRIBLE

[2/10 · 28 March 2021]

Major League II is a travesty and an ignoble sequel to the beloved Major League. In the original, a bunch of second-rate players are able to win their division against the NY Yankees. It was fun, grounded, and showed strategy in baseball. The sequel looks at their attempt to repeat their journey to an ALCS. It starts with the team acquiring the hot shot Parkman (David Keith) as an extra catcher. He is a major-league jerk who is both condescending and arrogant towards our favorite Indians. Jake Taylor (Tom Berrenger) returns along with Vaughn (Charlie Sheen), Cyranno (Denis Haysbert) and Lou (James Gannon) as the manager. Corbin Bernson returns as Roger Dorn, who buys the team from the former owner, Rachel Phelps (Margaret Whitton). Omar Epps replaces Wesley Snipes as Willie Mays Hayes. Two new characters are introduced: Rube (Eric Burskotter) is a new rookie catcher who has trouble throwing the ball back to the pitcher, and Tikkaki Ishibashi plays Japanese Baseball player Issura. There are so many problems with this movie, it is hard to know where to begin. First there are too many characters in this version too keep track of. Of course, the second problem is that while the first one was about the whole team, this one focuses on Rick Vaughn's character who is struggling with becoming a rounded pitcher with focus and diversity. He needs a shrink to help him with his sophomore slump, and becomes derided by fans and fellow teammates. However, with too many cast members, this is hard to create focus. The next sins are betrayals of baseball and the characters. Some antics of the players are not in line with baseball. For example, if Rachel Phelps is guilty of collusion to put together a bad team to lose enough games and move to Florida, MLB owners would have not permitted her to have partial ownership. Moreover, some things Isurro, Willie, and Cyranno do are illegal in MLB play. The worst sin, though, was character betrayal. Margaret Whitton plays Phelps as a cartoonish Cruella Deville instead of the sly manipulator in the first movie. Manager Lou Brown is no longer a no-nonsense, straight-laced manager but someone with an erratic, anger-ridden personality. Roger Dorn, also becomes cartoonish with over-acting and becoming a wining fool instead of a smarmy egotist. Even Bob Eucker (Harry Doyle) is not the same person as he was in the first film, becoming a disinterested alcoholic. Don't go into extra innings with this mess of a sequel. Stick with the first one - and I think the third one is better than this suicide squeeze.

Star Wars: The Rise Of Skywalker (2019)

Movie Good, Trilogy Bad

[6/10 · 22 December 2019]

The latest Star Wars movie, Rise of Skywalker, delivers a fairly decent movie. Unfortunately, it is not enough to completely rebound from The Last Jedi and save the franchise. The Rise of Skywalker was better, but not as much.

We pick up right after the end of the last one - where we found out Kylo Wren is hearing the voice of Palpatine. He flies to the Sith Planet and discovers the former Emperor is alive and trying to manifest himself within another. Then, we return to Rey being trained by Leia. Poe, Fin and Chewie are up to saving the galaxy as one. When they all put their heads together, they realize the only way to find the Sith Planet is through a Sith Finder that will guide them there. To find the clues, Fin, Poe, Rey, Chewie and Threepio must travel to a couple of different planets, ending their quest near the Endor system where fragments of the Death Star have landed. Rey and Kylo are playing a cat and mouse game and have their final light saber duel. Now it is up to Rey to stop Palpatine and the Resistance fleet to stop Palpatine for returning and taking his new fleet to conquer the galaxy. The journey is fun, the battles are epic, and the story is ... well a story - sort of. This is my first gripe of the new movie. While the pacing is far better, some things are developed that do not pay off well. Threepio seems to be making a huge sacrifice, which is really not has heave as we were led to believe. Adding to that sin is the attempt to do too much, too quickly. No, it is never boring, nor does it drag, but the plot is haphazard and unfocused. We keep going from one planet to another, and then another to find the Sith Home World to stop Palpatine. Also, Abrams has the direct intention of putting a Lesbian kiss, hoping to make a cinematic universe full of Wookies, Jawas, Uhgnaughts, Ewoks, and whatever the hell Jar-Jar Binks is, seem more culturally diverse. However, the biggest sin: Force Healing. Rey uses the Force twice to do some fancy healing of people who have been severely hurt. Well if that's how the Force works, the Obi Wan, Anakin and Han Solo should all be alive! Maybe that's how they got Palpatine back. Who the hell knows? In the last movie, they could teleport across the galaxy - so there is no limit to the Force. It's like Superman in the beginning before the creation of Kryptonite. The Force is just as invincible as Rey - who continues her Mary Sue journey without any struggle or pain. Then we have Poe and Finn, who are both used as comic relief along with Threepio while Rey keeps them in line.

Another huge error was lack of a cohesive story. I'm not talking about the individual movies, but rather within the scheme or a trilogy. For the most part, there is no consistency to bring them together. Even though the prequels were terrible, they did have consistency, and story-arcs that played out. The original trilogy did it superbly. The blame here, though, rests solely on Disney. After the Force Awakens with Abrams, it was handed off with no idea of the beginning, middle and end. Johnson took what Abrams did and discarded much of it - mostly on the death of Snoke. Now it was up to Abrams to set things straight, which forces him to make a long movie that has to rectify things like Rey's parents, and the death of Snoke.

However, what makes up for it is the individual movie. I liked the three new protagonists of Rey, Fin and Poe together most of the movie - something missing in the last two movies. Also, Adam Driver does a great job as Kylo Wren. He is a superb actor with a good, sinister presence. And, of course, are key cameos, some fan service, epic battles, and incredible special effects. The final battle is epic, as well as the duel between Rey and Palpatine.

You will not be blown away by Rise of Skywalker, but I think fans will like this one more than Last Jedi. Still, the next time Disney decides to make a trilogy, I hope they realize a trilogy must be a three-part story, not three separate films.

Avengers: Endgame (2019)

The Resolution We Have Been Waiting For

[10/10 · 21 August 2019]

The hardest thing to do is end something. The ending of a story, novel, or movie is probably the hardest thing to write. This is not the climax and falling action, but the resolution, where all the dangling threads are tied up and resolved. Very few writers can create one with supreme satisfaction - mostly because in this day and age writers want sequels and franchises. Avengers Endgame is the pinnacle of Marvel movies. It is a masterpiece of the super-hero genre. It gives closure, and resolution. The movie picks up almost immediately after Thanos snapped half the world out of existence. The remaining Avengers, Iron Man (Tony Stark), War Machine (Don Cheedle), Captain America (Chris Evans), Black Widow (Scarlet Johansson), Thor (Chris Hemsworth) and Hulk (Mark Ruffalo), and Rocket (Bradley Cooper) are trying to gather their wits after they had their asses handed to them. Tony is on his way back to Earth from Titan. His only companion is Nebula (Karen Gillian). Fortunately, Captain Marvel (Brie Larson) comes to the rescue. Bringing them back to Earth, they are reunited ... for a moment. Tony wants nothing to do with them after Cap's betrayal. He goes back to Pepper. The remaining heroes track down Thanos (Josh Brolin) and find the Infinity Stones have destroyed themselves, as well as him. Now, what do we do? Five years later, a van in San Francisco has its computer activated by a mouse. It activates the shrinking device that left Scott Lang (Paul Rudd) stranded in the shrunken universe. He comes back - but the five year isolation was only five hours to the Ant Man. He traverses the nation to find the Avengers. When he learns of what happened, he has an idea. The microscopic universe has entry and exit points in time. Yes, they can travel back in time and find the Infinity Stones, bring them back, and snap everyone back into existence. Hey, you have to realize that time travel was going to come into this sooner or later. The Avengers need Tony to figure out a way to take out the random effects, but he is tied too much to Pepper (Gwenyth Paltrow), and their daughter, Morgan. Tony, though, cannot back out of a possibility of setting things right. He is onboard with the idea, so three teams travel back to different points. Tony, Bruce, Steve, and Scott (hey, my name's Steve Scott!) head to New York after the Avengers battle. Roadie, Nebula, Nadia, and Clint (Jeremy Renner) return to the stellar world where two other stones exist. Rocket and Thor return to Asgaarrd before its destruction to fetch a couple of others. As they find the stones, they find themselves - as well as a slew of MCU characters that helped and hindered them on the way. Loki, Brumlow, Sitwell, Pierce (Robert Redford) all have their cameos as former HYDRA secret operatives. Of course, it would be a sin not to have Tom Hiddleston return as Loki. Tony and Steve go to another spot where Steve catches a glimpse of Peggy Carter (Haylee Atwell), and Tony gets to have some words with his father, Howard Stark (John Slattery). Thor gets to see Jane again (Natalie Portman), as well as his mother, Frigga (Rene Russo). Rocket has to work hard and convince him to take the stones back. Of course, Thor cannot leave without one particular thing. Meanwhile, Clint and Nadia have to retrieve the Soul Stone. They need a soul to get it. At the same time, Thanos, who is alive at this point, realizes the Nebula of the past is having glitches. He and Gamora (Zoe Saldana) are able to figure out what they are doing there. Realizing their plan, he has to stop them and make sure his plan comes through. You can tell this all-star cast was handled well, providing story, action, laughs, and even tears. A few of these heroes sacrifice themselves for others. They get to reconcile themselves over past mistakes, regrets, and get to redeem themselves. They are reunited with loves ones lost five years ago when Thanos snapped his fingers. And they fight together against a foe for the first time since Avengers Age of Ultron. They were one team. Someone could easily nit-pick this one, especially on the time travel. However, the ending brings so much satisfaction. Between the sacrifices, the second chances, the characters all have their resolutions tied up, with no post-credit scenes. Some of the character arcs are messy, but the movie provides an emotional satisfaction unheralded in motion picture history. Avengers Endgame gets a perfect score.

Spider-Man: Far from Home (2019)

Spider-Man Returns with More Hits than Misses

[7/10 · 21 August 2019]

Spiderman Far from Home is the last of the MCU Phase 4, finally bringing the end to the 23 film saga. Fortunately, the closing is far from being a bore, but also far from the perfection. Our favorite nerdy super-hero, Peter Parker, has returned to his high school in Queens, along with all the others who were snapped out of existence by Thanos during Avengers, Infinity War. Yes, some of his friends did continue and became five years older. Amazingly, we are left to believe that all of his friends such as Mary Jane, Ned, and Flash were all part of the glitch. And the world is mourning the loss of Iron Man. Someone needs to take his place. The clique is on its way to Europe. Peter (Tom Holland) is looking forward to getting a little time-off and getting to know Mary Jane (Zendaya) more. So deadest on this quest, he ditches some calls from Nick Fury (Samuel Jackson), infuriating the SHIELD agent. Peter also has doubts about Happy Hogan (Jon Favreau) dating his Aunt May (Marisa Tomei). However, Peter finds out trouble will follow him wherever he goes. While in Europe, some creatures called the Elementals stage attacks against some European cities where Peter's friends are. Fury brings Peter in to meet Quentin Beck/Mysterio, (Jake Gyllenhall). He is an agent from another Earth dimension, tracking the elementals, and needing to eliminate them. He asks Spidey for some help - and he gets it. Still, it is not quite enough to do the trick. While they seemingly defeat the alien entities, Peter realizes that something does not add up. It is mostly with Quentin, who is not who he appears to be. Now it is up to Spidey to defeat the charlatan, Mysterio. I must get my flaws out first - because Far from Home has them. The first one is the padding. The movie is probably thirty minutes too long - mostly dedicating needless scenes to peril and laughs that do not move the plot. The guiltiest scene was that of Peter trying to figure out Tony Stark's glasses, which are an engineering miracle. Peter accidentally launches a strike against Flash Thompson (Tony Revolori), so he has to stop it. Another has him put in an embarrassing situation with another SHIELD agent that Flash Thompson witnesses. The other flaw in this one relates to the source material. Although a fan of Spiderman comics, I am not a purist. It is plain to see that if Peter Parker was in modern-day Queens, the characters of Ned Leeds, Flash Thompson, and Mary Jane could very well be minorities. However, the characters of Aunt May and Mary Jane Watson are betrayed. Mary Jane had a super-outgoing personality coupled with strength and confidence - but Zendeya plays it with emo, attitude, and smarminess. Marisa Tomei plays Aunt May as an outgoing, sexy older woman who is more selfish for her own interest. The original Aunt May was selfless, strong, quiet, and reserved. And it seems EVERYONE realizes Peter is Spidey faster than Lois Lane realized who Clark Kent really was! Also, it seems like Peter Parker took a step back from what he wanted in Homecoming. In that movie, he wanted to be treated like an adult by Happy and Tony. He desired hero status, and wanted to do bigger things. In this film, he wants to be more like a kid and not have those responsibilities. Finally, since when can someone dupe Nick Fury as Quentin did? However, there is a lot to like about this movie. First is Tom Holland who plays the character with such Ernst. He makes Peter complicated, conflicted, and confused. He has to finally take initiative in order to protect the people he loves. This was much appreciated as Andrew Garfield played the part with too much emo, depression, and reactionary. Another strength, of course, are the special effects. As with most MCU movies, they do not take precedence over story, but rather add flavor to it. Furthermore, one particular scene laced with confusion and bizarre imagery matches what the Mysterio character was all about in the comics. It is truly mesmerizing. Far from Home does have a lot of misses, but the hits are rock solid. Probably the biggest shot-in the arm comes in a post-scene cameo that should have an audience clapping and laughing at the same time as an old Spiderman staple returns.

Glass (2019)

Not all good, but not all bad

[7/10 · 19 January 2019]

Glass is one of those movie that usually makes me nervous. It was made by M. Night Shyamalan, which is enough said. While most his material took a nosedive after Signs, it seemed to get a slight shot in the arm with The Visit and Split. Now, we have Glass - a sequel suddenly ushered in for the closing chapter in a trilogy. It is the follow up to Split, which was also a hidden follow-up to Unbreakable, probably Shyamalan's most underrated movie. It is almost 20 years since David Dunn (Bruce Willis) realized his bones were unbreakable and his awareness was awakened by the nefarious Elijah Price (Samuel Jackson). David, with his son, Joseph (Spencer Treat Clark), owns a security system shop. Meanwhile, David works with Joseph in finding criminals and bringing them to justice. He wants to find The Horde (James McAvoy). The Horde is the group of personalities within him: Patricia, Kevin, Hedwig, Dennis, the Beast, etc). He does and as he brings the monster out in the open, both are captured by police and taken into psychiatric custody into the same facility with Elijah Price, aka Mr. Glass. Now comes the Psychiatrist, Dr. Ellie Staple (Lauren Paulson), who specializes in the neurosis of people who think they are superheros (or super villains). She tries to convince them they are average human beings. Meanwhile, Joseph tries to get his father out of the hospital while Casey (Anya-Taylor Joy) wants to confront the man who captured and tormented her in Split. Also entering the cast is Elijah's mother, Mrs. Price (Charlayne Woodard). The movie has some things that are intriguing - as to how the cast members and stories from Unbreakable and Split come together for a common purpose. And they give good, credible performances - especially McAvoy. Shyamalan's direction also gives us a coherent story amid a glut of good characters, and stories that come together. However, lacking is the tension and fear missing from previous Shyamalan films. Personally, I think the film was marketed incorrectly as an action movie, whereas, like Unbreakable, it is more of a drama and a mystery. Also, the screenplay became a little disjointed at the end as he tried to do a little too much, including a character breaking the fourth wall not once, but three times. Also, there were two plot twists at the end. While one of them brings new light to a situation and works well, the other one is rather forced, and falls into the category of absurd. Glass is no Sixth Sense or Unbreakable, but it is not The Happening or Lady in the Water, either. Overall, I recommend it. Just do not expect something spectacular.

Halloween III: Season of the Witch (1982)

Shapeless, Hapless, and Horrendous

[1/10 · 19 October 2018]

Halloween III Season of the Witch is nothing more than HINO: Halloween In Name Only. Dr. Hallis, Tom Atkins, realizes something sinister is going on when one of his patients shows up dead with a Silver Shamrock mask. They are the new craze across America. Even his kids have them! His ex-wife hates him, and he must uncover the truth. That takes him to Conal Cochran played by Dan O'Herhily. He owns the Silver Shamrock company and he reveals his plan to murder children who wear his masks in the spirit of Halloween. Frankly, the plot sounds like something from a lame James Bond bad-guy. There was zero suspense, and absolutely no scares. The only thing an audience had to fear was being bored to death. This is the worst of all the Halloween Sequels, mostly because it is HINO.

Halloween (I) (2018)

THE BEST HALLOWEEN SEQUEL

[8/10 · 19 October 2018]

Whether you look at the homage of H20, or the Zombie reboots, or the 4, 5 and 6 sequels, this is, by far, the best sequel in the Halloween franchise. Yes, it is a flawed film, but it is the only one that follows with the same spirit, story, and suspense of the original. Apparently Michael was eventually captured by deputies on that night 40 years ago and taken back to the insane asylum. There, he receives a new psychiatrist, Dr. Sartin (Haluk Bilginer) who devotes his work to studying the man behind the mask. Two journalists played by Rhian Rees and Jefferson Hall wish to visit the infamous serial killer, Michael Myers (James J. Curney and Nick Castle), but he remains unresponsive. Michael, along with the other inmates are carted away on a bus to a state facility. Well, the bus crashes and Michael and the other inmates escape. Who would have thought? The audience knows where he is heading, along with Laurie Strode (Jamie Lee Curtis). Apparently, she has gone off the deep end with her PTSD. She has created traps, safe rooms, ammunition, a defensive perimeter with lights, cameras, and just about anything else she can think of. Unfortunately, her obsession with this has estranged her from her daughter, Karen (Judy Greer). Laurie does have a slightly tenuous relationship with her granddaughter, Allyson (Andi Matichak). One faithful friend is Officer Hawkins (Will Patton) who was one of the apprehending officers on the first night he came home. I did have a few problems with the story. One is the script that is a bit haphazard. I think it tries to do too many things, mostly with Allyson's teenage angst and relationships with her peers. Another problem is Dr. Sartin's twist, which does not advance the plot and actually derails it for about ten minutes. The largest problem, thought, was the pace of the Shape. Gone is his pathological patience and stalking which takes away some of the suspense. Instead, he works fast, often killing victims quickly, and killing some that did not help advance the plot. In the original, he killed to set-up a trap, and when he was cornered. Making up for it, though, is a screenplay that tells a story instead of paying homage as did the misfired H20. Director David Allen Gregory, also has a knack of building suspense and scares without the cheap, distracting jump scares prevalent in the slasher genre. The cinematography is also done well, adding to the suspense of certain scenes. What really shines is Jamie Lee Curtis who shows real acting talent of a woman who can reconcile her fear and determination. Halloween 2018 is finally the sequel fans like me have wanted. It is far from perfect, although previous sequels were even further from that target. This is the best sequel since The Return of Michael Myers (part 4). If you liked the original, you should like this one.

Justice League (2017)

Not as bad as most suggest

[7/10 · 8 September 2018]

Justice League, like so many of the comic book superhero movies, is very average, but hardly has bad as many critics and fans suggest. DC Comics/Warner Brothers has been playing catch-up to the Marvel Cinematic Universe, although it has not been as nearly consistent in quality. Bruce Wayne/Batman has been invigorated with hope since he witnessed Clark Kent/Superman sacrifice himself to stop Doomsday in Batman v. Superman. He is working with Diana Prince/Wonder Woman to build a team of heros to deal with the growing problem of powerful enemies. He recruits the elusive Arthur Curry/Aquaman, Barry Allen/Flash, and Cyborg. While the Flash (Ezra Miller) is on board quickly (no pun intended), Curry and Cyborg are a little reticent. While this team is being assembled by Batman (Ben Affleck) and Wonder Woman (Gal Gadot), the menacing Steppenwolf returns to the Earth to recover the four Mother Boxes left on the Earth. The Amazons have one, the Atlanteans have the other, while two others remain missing. As he moves in on them, the newly formed Justice League takes action. However, they lack a certain something to defeat the powerful being. The only choice, they assume, is to resurrect Superman. It is obvious he comes back, but he is not right. Superman must remember who he is and what he represents. Kal-El/Clark/Superman retreats back to Smallville to rediscover who he is while the remaining Justice League take a gamble on defeating Steppenwolf. First, the bad. The movie was a bit rushed, not giving enough exposition to set up the plot. The audience really has to pay attention to a quick-paced story. Another Achilles heal to the franchise is stealing ideas. In the early days of Marvel, they borrowed ideas from DC. As their cinematic universes expand, the opposite is happening. The World Boxes are the DC answer to the Infinity Stones of the MCU, and Steppenwolf is Loki, although a bit more sinister. On the other hand, we have some good conflict, and decent characters. While Cyborg lacks imagination, Erza Miller gives Flash his usual smart-ass comments and humor laced with a little fear. Even better is Jason Momoa's interpretation of Arthur Curry/Aquaman that defies the culture of ridicule and jokes of his uselessness by being stronger and tougher. Henry Cavill, however, really shows a little more depth as he renews relationships with his mother (Diane Lane) and Lois (Amy Adams). Do stick around for a couple of post-credit scenes, because one of them sets up for whatever the sequel will be. Sure, their writers could take some lessons from the MCU writers, but this DC outing is pretty decent.

Fahrenheit 451 (2018)

HBO'S FAHRENHEIT 451 MISSES THE MARK

[5/10 · 21 May 2018]

It is one thing to adapt a movie, but another thing to deviate too far from the source material. Such is the mistake of HBO's rendition of Fahrenheit 451. Both a remake and a rendition of the classic Ray Bradbury novel, this version only has the moniker to connect them. Granger Montag (Michael P. Jordan) is a fireman of the future, well beyond the Second Civil War. He is going through training from his mentor, Captain Beatty (Michael Shannon) to carry on the tradition of burning books, as prescribed by Benjamin Franklin. Wait? What? Didn't firemen put out fires instead? Yes. The outlawing of printed material such as books has played right into the hands of the government. Once people stopped reading, it was easier to control them. It was easier to make the public happy, and not be conflicted over which side to take in an argument. We may not be born equal, but are made equal through fire. Equally ignorant. Following these events is a media complicit with the government, and social media where you can like or dislike the actions of firemen, and the Eels, a loose-knit counter organization committed to preserving books, as well as uploading them to the internet. Of course, most people give a huge "dislike" to the Eels for wanting to think. Most people are happy enough to be glued to their virtual reality devices. Montag's life falls apart as he witnesses a woman burn herself alive rather than watch her book collection burn. He steals one, and seeks out Beatty's informant, Clarisse McClellan. His curiosity gets him into trouble and on the run. There are some good things about the movie. It does adapt well to the times, giving us a media that follows the firemen, social media to vote on the actions that are happening in real time, and realizing books can be uploaded into the internet. The best thing is Michael Shannon as Beatty. He gives the character a vivid image of systematic evil, committed to the cause of anarchy. However, there is a lot of bad with this version. First is Jordan's mediocre performance. We do not see a man in conflict, but rather playing both sides of the fence. True, he does side with the Eels at the end, but there is not much tension or much conflict that surfaces in his wooden performance. However, the true sin is straying too far from the source material, which hurts the overall message. Mildred, Granger, and Faber are all missing. This sin hurts because one of the big messages Bradbury wanted to get across was how technology leaves our lives empty, and strains relationships. In the book, Clarisse has a much better relationship with Montag because they look and listen to each other while Mildred can only have a conversation while reading lips. In fact, Mildred cannot remember where they met, and denies her attempted suicide. Instead, we now have disjointed movie that focuses much more on politics than relationships and thinking. The script tries to make a direct corollary between censorship, fake news, and politics to the Trump Presidency. However, Bradbury's goal was to connect the lack of reading to the lack of thinking, and the lack of relationships caused by the inundation of vapid technology. Adding insult to injury is a muddled, unclear ending that not only falls flat, but is completely unsatisfying. As a teacher who uses this book in the classroom yearly, I found myself very disappointed with the screen version. At this point, I am continuing the use of the 1968 version. It may be dated, but is more faithful in the adaptation of this classic, poignant novel.

Star Wars: Episode VIII - The Last Jedi (2017)

How to Ruin a Great Franchise

[2/10 · 21 December 2017]

You either love Star Wars, or your wrong. So who is wrong with The Last Jedi? Everything. This movie has so many problems it is hard to know where to begin.

Our favorite characters from another galaxy are decimated and on the run. Facing the First Oder, Poe decides to make a run to destroy a few of their ships, but ends up getting a lot of their forces killed as well as their ships. The rebellion escapes via hyperspace, but the First Order is able to find them. It is apparent they can track the rebellion through hyperspace so Finn teams up with Rose to run to some planet to find a code breaker who can somehow deactivate it. Poe will stay behind and try to rattle the leadership into some sort of defensive plan other than "running." Leia is blown out and supposedly killed, but somehow uses the Force to return. A General played by Laura Dern takes over as leader but her draconian style of leadership is not desired. So much so, Poe attempts a mutiny. Meanwhile, Rey has met Master Skywalker who turns out to be a huge jerk and wants her to leave. He finally capitulates to training Rey - who really does not need any training. Kyro Ren is obsessed with becoming better, but is still prone to fits of rage because Snoke thinks he is not good enough. Moreover, General Hux is upset because he does not have power and is continually insulted.

You can see the problem in the plot summary that among all these stories, they are not leading to come back into play as they should. You expect all these arcs to come together but instead are all over the place - and some of them really do not come back to connect at all. And between General Hux, Kylo Wren, and Snoke, there is more unbridled anger than a Jerry Springer Show. All these characters are prone to fits of rage that often falls into reckless anger. Darth Vader and Palpatine use anger, but keep it in check to carry out their goals. They can take a breath to formulate their plan. And their imperial officers are not angry, but rather ruthless Nazi like figures.

Another issue is the storyline of Rose and Finn going to a casino-like planet to find the codebreaker. First, this adds about 30 minutes of unnecessary run time, and only serves a point to make some sort of political statement about war. What? Since when is Star Wars about political commentary? Rian Johnson clearly wants to make a statement instead of having the movie be about overcoming obstacles, facing dire situations, being a hero, and sacrificing yourself for others.

Probably the biggest sins are the characters. Rey's character has no depth, little fear, and too much success. She does not suffer or have to make hard decisions about what to do. Her Force ability is so uncanny, she can use it to do remarkable things. Even in "The Force Awakens" she can do great light saber maneuvers with absolutely no training. She can do Jedi mind tricks. In this one, her abilities are nothing Luke has ever seen, and even is able to take on Snoke's royal army. Kylo Ren becomes so frustrated, he kills Snoke.

Luke, though, is the greatest sin. Rian Johnson has made Luke into a bitter old curmudgeon. He thinks the Jedi are arrogant, he does not want to help, and he does not seem to care. When told about Han Solo's demise, you would think he would rush to help his sister cope with the loss, or even grieve himself. No. He wants to remain alone. Then we find out about his falling out with Kylo Ren. The boy is his nephew. He though Kylo was such a danger that he considered murdering the boy in his sleep? What? What happened to the Luke Skywalker who persisted in bringing back his father from the dark side? He suffered and sacrificed through that goal to grown as a better person whereas Rey is already where she needs to be. Luke does make an appearance to come to battle with Kylo and announce the Rebellion is going on again, but it's too little too late in character assassination.

Coming back to the plot, Poe's mutiny is reversed by the general and then discovers they do have a plan - run away like Brave, brave Sir Robin. Yes, at this point, it felt like watching a Monty Python movie (at least Monty Python was intentionally funny). There is another battle which misdirects but does not give the audience any stakes. I thought at one point, Finn was going to sacrifice himself - which would have given the movie a bit of sacrifice and emotion.

It's almost like JJ Abrams handed off the baton to Rian Johnson without any notes, suggestions, or direction in what to do with the sequel. Phantom Menace and Attack of the Clones may have been boring and bad, but at least they have consistent story arcs and cohesion. Rian Johnson has made good movies like Looper, but he has fired the first shot that truly kills the spirit of the Star Wars legacy.

It (I) (2017)

Best King Horror Adaptation

[9/10 · 15 September 2017]

What is It? Well, It is the best Stephen King horror adaptation since Kubrick's over-indulgent The Shining, and It surpasses The Shining on so many levels. We come to the town of Derry, Maine, a town that has six-times the national average of missing people and murders. That has a huge skewing once every 27 years when It stalks food for hibernation. That is according to Ben Hanscom (Jeremy Ray Taylor), Derry's newest pre-teen denizen. He shares this information with some other kids like Bill (Jaeden Lierbeher), Richie (Finn Wolfhard), Eddie (Jack Dylan Grazer), Mike (Chosen Jacobs), Stanley (Wyatt Oleff), and Beverly (Sophia Willis). They are, in fact, the Losers Club because of their age (middle school) and tics. Bill stutters, Eddie is smothered with a hypochondriac mother, and Mike who only has the sin of being black in a very white-bred town. They are all having visions of Pennywise the Clown (Bill Skarsgard). He tricks them with illusions to create ghastly fear, and he operates from the sewers of the city to get his prey. In fact, one of his recent victims was Bill's little brother, Georgie. Of course, this motion picture only reflects the first half of King's classic novel. A sequel will reveal the second half in which the afore-mentioned come back together as adults to confront It again. If this one is any indication of the sequel, audiences will wait with heavy anticipation. It has a great screenplay penned by Chase Palmer, Careu Fkuanga, and Gary Dauberman that respects the source material and adapts it well to modern times. Even better is the direction offered by Andy Muschietti. I will add kudos to cinematography and editing of Choon-tuk Chung and Jason Pallantin, respectively. All these elements blend for a perfect recipe of horror and suspense. Jump scares are plenty without being triggered by the gotcha tropes of dogs, cats, and friends around the corner. The scares are for the monsters, visions, and disturbing images. The suspense is geared up with unpredictability. What will happen? How will these kids stop It? Even more troublesome is the evil perpetrated by real humans. The adult figures are often the absent, abusive, and overbearing parents, and the vicious bullies in town. What really makes this one work, though, are the believable, earnest performances of the young kids. We can identify with them as the ones being picked on for being fat, bookish and nerdy, or for stuttering. Even these children have differences between themselves. The 1990 TV mini-series has nothing on this one as it is raised to a level of reality without the camp or cheesy early 1990's special effects. Now to hope the sequel will live up to the success of the current installment and live up to expectations.

Man of Steel (2013)

Man of Steel?

[7/10 · 20 July 2017]

Man of Steel does for Superman what Nolan's Dark Knight Trilogy did for Batman: made two superheroes as real people in the real world. While the movie does misfire at times, it is a good, solid piece of the DC universe. Of course, we must go through the origin story since this is an official reboot. So we have to learn of Jor-El (Russell Crowe) and General Zod (Michael Shannon), the plot to overthrow the planet, the exile of Zod and his cohorts, and the escape of Kal-El to Earth. The story continues as the Kents adopt the boy and watch him grow up. Straying from the story, Clark (Henry Cavill) is a loner, realizing his abilities and identity make him an outsider. He does good deeds, moves on, does some more incredible good deeds, and moves on. He eventually discovers his father's spaceship. Also discovering the ship is a young Lois Lane (Amy Adams) who has been following the trail of mysterious good deeds. It is then, she discovers the lonely Superman. As he reveals himself to the world, it does not know what to do with him – especially the U.S. military. All that changes when Zod escapes and returns to Earth. Now, they must trust the incredible alien. A few problems do exist in the story. The beginning is laden with a complex plot addition that seems irrelevant to the rest of the story. It does allow for Zod to have a slight motivation, but it is negligible to the story's end, and it drags it down a little long. Second, the end battle is drawn out a bit too long, overdosing on the destruction and mayhem of a real fight between the last two survivors of Kyrpton. However, this is the greatest aspect in this particular version of Superman: a gritty realism in both characters and situations. It really gets going as Clark goes through changes, discovering his super- hearing and super-sight at a young age and not knowing how to deal with them. This keeps him as an outsider and a loner. Another scene has him deal with a rowdy restaurant patron who pours beer over Clark's head. When he discovers flight, Superman must learn to control it, and eventually finds it exhilarating. One of the best scenes is when he circles half the globe and then ascends to the edge of space. Then comes the burden of being Superman: defending the people of Earth from Zod. This is a lonely life that keeps him isolated. And his super powers cannot shield him from emotional trauma and his own fear of rejection. The characters of Jonathan (Kevin Costner) and Martha (Diane Lane) are stellar, giving a sense of worry and love for their adopted son. Many people are going to want to compare this one to the original Superman starring Christopher Reeve. True, it is a classic, especially with the more difficult special effects needed at that time. Also, Reeve played the roles of Clark and Superman as opposites: Clark the bumbling, inept fool, and Superman as the confident, strong type. Henry Cavill, gives a more quiet performance, giving us emotion on both sides of his identity. He does struggle with who he is, while Reeve only struggles as Clark. Margo Kidder gave us a strong Lois, but she was still ditzy. Amy Adams is strong and passionate, but needs coaching on restraint from Perry White. Also, Laurence Fishburne is a strong, wise, and reserved Perry White. Simply put: the older version was for kids, Man of Steel is for the adults that want to see realism in our heroes – even the imagined ones like Superman. We all have to reconcile seeing our parents, and our heroes as real, fallible human beings. In this case, Man of Steel, is about a Superman who may have steel-like skin, but has a fragile soul like the rest of us.

Spider-Man: Homecoming (2017)

Spider-Man Swings Back to the Top

[7/10 · 7 July 2017]

Spider-Man Homecoming is appropriately named, finally bringing our favorite web-slinger home to fun, lighthearted fun. After the Raimi- Maguire era came to an ignoble stop, and after Garfield's gloomy, glum, grim take bottomed it out, Spidey is swinging strong. This is the best since the apex of Raimi's Spider-Man 2 over a decade ago. We begin immediately after the Avengers defeat of the Chitari in New York when Adrian Toomes (Michael Keaton) is scavenging through the alien technology. He was contracted to do so, but then ingloriously kicked to the curb by the government and Tony Stark/Ironman (Robert Downey, Jr.) He takes some for himself to research and use. Kick forward to near present day when Peter Parker/Spider-Man (Tom Holland) helps the Stark Team against the Cap Team in Civil War. Then, we return to New York where Stark tells Spider-Man he will be an asset to the Avenger and to wait for his call. Spidey is now relegated to the kids table while Happy Hogan (Jon Faverau) "monitors" his progress. The adults tend to ignore Peter Parker as he gives minor help and juggles his life at high school. He still wants to prove himself, and eventually stumbles across Toomes' team as they try to sell weapons fueled by alien technology, and rob from ATMs. Happy and Tony tell Spidey to stay out of the big stuff, but not much else. Spidey is desperate to prove he is ready and pursues the low-lying crime syndicate on his own. He does a few impressive things, but eventually, his endeavors backfire. Tony Stark/Ironman has to bail him out, and takes the suit. Alone, Spidey has to figure out how to save the day. There are a few gripes to get out of the way. First is the Spider-Man suit from Stark can do as much as the Ironman suit. This takes away from Peter's ingenuity and creativity he displays in the comics. Secondly, the Aunt May character is underused, undeveloped, and miscast. And this seems to be a conscious decision by writers and producers to focus on the Peter Parker cadre at school. Aunt May is a prominent character, and can show all of strength as Rosemary Harris proved in Spider-Man 2. Finally, the lacking of adults in the movie spreads to the crew as well. With the focus on high school, mostly Peter's peers, it is a high school movie. Of course, Peter is in high school, and attempting to reconcile his aspirations for peers and his responsibility. On the other hand, the strengths of homecoming outpace this missteps. The first kudos is to Tom Holland who portrays the web-slinger with such conflict, hope, and frustration so well. Between his anger with Happy and Tony, and reconciling his disappearances with Aunt May and his friends, and trying to impress the Avengers, Holland gives us an earnest performance. The audience will believe he is 16. Just as good is Michael Keaton as Adrian Toomes. As a Spider-Man comic collector, I never held the Vulture is high regard. That goes the opposite way in this cinematic adaptation. This was the best villain since Doc Ock in Spider-Man 2. He does garner sympathy to a certain extent, but Keaton gives the Toomes character the right amount of bitterness, anger, and desperation. Finally, there is a Spider-Man who has to reckon with being a kid and wanting to be an adult with adult figures failing him. As a kid, he makes mistakes because he does not stop to think things through. This is Spider-Man movie of the future. It works, and works well. It still does not have the power and gravitas of the original Raimi/Maguire movies (1-2), but it is a great one for the ages.

Wonder Woman (2017)

A Good DC Movie

[8/10 · 7 June 2017]

Not since 2012's Dark Knight Rises has the DC cinematic universe shined like this with Wonder Woman. Gal Gadot stars as the iconic character of Diana, the Amazonian who fought for justice throughout the ages of comics. In this modern re- telling, the Amazonians are immortal women who reside on a secret island, hidden from the world. Born of the Greek Gods, they have Herculean qualities in combat, strength, and character. Eventually, they are accidentally discovered by soldiers fighting in World War I - the War to end all Wars. After a skirmish battle, we find Steve Trevor (Chris Pine) as the lone American who is helping the British cause against the Germans. At the same time, a sinister German known as Ludendorff (Danny Hutson), and his sadistic cohort of chemical warfare, Dr. Maru (Elana Anaya). They have a new chemical gas agent that can really turn the stalemate in World War I. As Diana thrusts herself into this war to stop it, she automatically thinks the Greek God, Ares is behind it. He is the God of War. If he is stopped, it would bring the war to an end. As she learns of the plot, she knows that Ludendorff must be him. Diana, though, is not only naive about the outside world but also impatient with the politics behind waging war. She always wants to do the right thing, and it has to be now. Steve has to temper her, and teach her the ways of how the world works. There are a few faults with the movie. The first being the run time of 2 hours and 40 minutes. That is a long run time that may leave the kids squirming in their seats. Also, Steve Trevor's secretary, Etta Candy (Lucy Davis) is wasted for a few measly minutes for brief comedy as opposed to being a full fleshed out character. Also, as Diane adjusts to British Society, especially the fashion, she is a fish out of water (or should I save that for an Aquaman review?). Some of the comedy misfires. However, making up for these errors are the way Wonder Woman conflicts with British Society. She thinks Etta is a slave since she "has to do what Steve tells her." Diana is shocked that women are looked at with disdain and as many British officials disregard her and consider her an intrusion into "men's work." For the record, women had no vote in the United Kingdom until after the close of WWI. Fortunately, one of my high praises is the message of feminism does not exceed to male bashing as did last summer's "Ghostbusters" reboot. Instead, Diana works as a team member with other men under Steve's command. She earns respect, and gives it to the men around her. There is also a good melding of the use of time element, which is reminiscent of Captain America, The First Avenger. Wonder Woman, though, is pulled off much better. Probably the best thing is the characters and actors. Finally, we care about DC characters. Gal Gadot finally gives us a comic hero we can identify with, something lacking in Man of Steel. She is not larger than life, and brings a sincerity to the role. Chris Pine, who often relies on charm, gives us a character we can identify with as the hero who wants to do the right thing, and must come to terms with a strong female presence in his life. This is also a bright movie, unlike most DC outings. Man of Steel had much introspection and brooding. Batman v. Superman was incredibly dark as the two big ones battled for supremacy. Even Nolan's Dark Knight Trilogy was a bit bleak. Green Lantern was just plain silly. So see Wonder Woman. See it again. And maybe a third time. It is the most re watchable of the DC universe, and a good time at the movies.

Rogue One: A Star Wars Story (2016)

A Decent Addition to the Star Wars Saga

[7/10 · 11 February 2017]

Star Wars Rogue One puts the "war" in Star Wars. It is gritty, dirty, and a dark trail that eventually leads to hope. It starts without a crawl, but we quickly meet Jyn Erso (Felicity Jones) and her parents on a remote ring world. An Empire Officer known as Orson Krenic craves the power and grandeur behind the building of the Death Star and forces Jyn's father, Galen Esro (Mads Mikkelson) back to the Empire to help build it. Jyn was raised by Saw Gerrera (Forest Whitaker) for several years. One day, he disappears, seeking to join an extreme wing of the Rebellion against the Empire, and she is now on her own. Another faction of the Rebellion liberates her from an Empire transport and she finds herself flung into the Rebellion. Her two allies, Cassian Andor (Diego Luna) and a droid K2SO (Voice of Alyn Turdyk) are on a mission to find an Empire pilot who has defected. He has knowledge of the Death Star. On their way to find him, they find two more allies, Baze Mallbus (Wen Jian) and Chirrut (Donnie Yen). A series of events leads our rebels to a lonely planet where Jyn is reunited briefly with her father, to find out he has a plan of his own. Once they return to the Rebel Base on Yavin 4, rebels contemplate deserting their cause out of fear. Jyn, Assian, Baze and Chirrut cannot walk away from it, though. Finding a group of rebels determined to forge ahead, they make a run at stealing the plans of the Death Star. First out, this has good action, paced with some character development and story development. It is a dark side of the rebellion that has soldiers who have gone to extreme measures for their cause. Moreover, they have been hardened by the gritty, dark side of war. And this is the troops part of war, lacking the Force, light sabers, and duels. the closest we get to the Force is Chirrut, a blind man who would rather chant his way with the Force instead of emptying himself. Of course, the sinister Darth Vader is back, with the voice of James Earl Jones. He did have ample screen time and a pretty good battle scene against some rebel soldiers. The best part was the epic battle between the Rebellion and the Empire in the effort to steal the Death Star Plans. And for all the nitpickers who griped about the design of the Death Star will find a very satisfying answer. The characters are not fleshed out as well as the original trilogy, and the CGI used for the return of Grand Moff Tarkin was used way too much and will likely kick an audience out of the story for a while. Still, overall, this has it all for Star Wars fans: fights, space combat, droids, and decent stories, decent characters, and the perfect cameos.

Galaxy Quest (1999)

Great Fun at the Movies!

[8/10 · 12 December 2016]

Galaxy Quest is probably the last great comedy, and the last great parody made. Released in 1999, it closed out the decade with great humor wrapped around satire. Galaxy Quest is the name of a 1980's TV show starring Jason Nesmith (Tim Allen) as Commander Taggart. His crew includes Alexander Dane (Allan Rickman) as an alien sidekick, Gwen DeMarco (Sigourney Weaver) who communicates to the computer, Tommy Laredo (Daryl Mitchell) who is the ship's helmsman, and Fred Kwan (Tony Shalhoub) as the ship's engineer. The show was canceled after 80 episodes but has developed a cult following and has become a regular at Sci Fi conventions. Moreover, Tim Allen's character has an overgrown ego who finds side gigs on the side and is unaware of the disdain from his co-stars. If you are thinking Star Trek, you have hit the nail on the head. It is exactly that and out-does it in great parody and respect at the same time. Apparently, an alien race came across the TV show's signals and mistook them as historical documents. Those aliens patterned their technology after the show and have built a real star ship with all the weaponry and computers. Tim Allen is the first to discover it and bring the others along - only to find out they are helping these aliens deal with a real sinister bad guy, Saris. Probably the best part of the movie is how the characters fall back on their TV roles when disaster strikes. Even more humorous is Allan Rickman's hatred for his alien role since he no longer considered a real Shakespearean actor. The actors have to resign to the fact that the Sci-Fi conventions are the only line of work for them since the series has been canceled. One character, Guy (Sam Rockwell) was an extra guard who died in a Galaxy Quest episode, so he's convinced he is going to die on the real mission. Even a young Justin Long plays a fan nerd who knows all the technical workings of the ship who must be called in to help in towards the end of the show. Also, Tim Allen finally shines on the big screen. I always considered him the Bill Cosby of the 1990's since both men did well with TV but struggled in motion pictures roles. Allen finds his niche. This is the last great comedy that relied on situation, dialog and character for laughs instead of gross exaggeration and disgusting humor. It is also the last great parody that is its own movie instead of merely imitating the art it pokes fun at. Even Star Trek fans will love it how the movie pays homage as well as satirizes the culture. The audience will feel great after watching this one.

Spider-Man 3 (2007)

The Web is Very Tangled

[5/10 · 5 July 2016]

Spiderman 3's webbing caught me. Fortunately, I got out of it. This third installment by Sam Raimi and Tobey MacGuire shows a lot of misfiring of the web as well as the execution of a disjointed screenplay. Spiderman/Peter Parker is riding high on his success. He is planning on proposing to Mary Jane Watson. However, following a disappointing opening night and being replaced, she is down in the dumps and Peter has no clue how to help her. At the same time, an alien symbiote has fallen to earth in a small meteorite. Also, Flint Marko escapes from prison. A person who was complicit with the death of Ben Parker, he falls into the midst of a scientific experiment that turns him into the Sandman. Harry Osborne, the Green Goblin II, is still planning his revenge against Peter Parker/Spiderman. They fight, and Harry gets amnesia, forgetting his feud with Peter/Spidey. He starts dating Mary Jane. Also, a new photographer, Eddie Brock (Topher Grace), gets on at the Daily Bugle and starts annoying Peter Parker. Furthermore, Gwen Stacy is a new friend of Peter, and Brock likes her. Eventually, the symbiote gets on Peter, taps his dark side, but then ditches the new suit that merges with Brock and becomes Venom. If you can't follow that story, then you get the problem. The movie tries to do way too much with a huge, disjointed story, and too many characters. Ironically, all the performers give great, credible performances with the loose screenplay. Raimi even does a good job at directing the actors and characters, but has trouble with the labyrinth screenplay. He does well with the juxtaposition of Venom and Sandman as one is redeemed, but the other isn't. He handles ideas of forgiveness as well. Where Raimi and MacGuire fail is when Peter Parker gives into the dark side with the symbiote suit. It becomes ridiculously silly. Then, as the Symbiote attaches itself to Eddie Brock to become Venom, it is clear that Topher Grace was terribly miscast as an evildoer. The worst part is the campy ending that somewhat rivals the Batman and Robin fiasco. No, this is not a complete disaster, but it cannot be rated as a masterpiece, either.

X-Men: Apocalypse (2016)

Average

[6/10 · 3 June 2016]

In no way am I saying X-Men Apocalypse is a bad movie. However, with the glut of super-hero movies done well, this one is definitely in the average category. Apparently, Apocalypse was one of the first Mutants to appear a little more than 5,000 years ago in Egypt. With untold power, he was about to transfer his mind to another when the attempt was thwarted by his minions. It left him buried underneath the Earth until a cult reawakens him. Also discovering this long-forgotten mutant is CIA Agent Moriah MacTaggert (Rose Byrne). When the vault is opened it causes a world-wide tremor that alerts our favorite wheel-chair bound Mutant, Charles Xavier (James McAvoy). They reunite. At the same time, we find Erik/Magneto (Michael Fassbender) living quietly in Poland as a working man with a family. He has a wife and a child. However, he is discovered and local authorities kill (by accident) his new loved ones. His new anger makes him ripe for recruiting for Apocalypse who is seeking new minions. He also adds Ororo Munroe/Storm (Alexandra Shipp), Angel (Ben Hardy), and Psylocke (Olivia Munn). At the same time, other mutants make themselves available to counter the power-mad ancient Mutant. This includes Jean Grey (Sophie Turner), Scott Sommers (Ty Sheridan), Night Crawler (Kodi-Smit McPhee), Quicksilver (Evan Peters), Mystique (Jennifer Lawrence), Hank McCoy/Beast (Nicholas Hoult) who all must band together to stop Apocalypse. The movie has some good things - mostly in McAvoy and Fassbender as Xavier and Lensher, respectively. Both men play their familiar parts with such adeptness and depth - especially Fassbender. Magneto is one of the best Mutant Villains because of his complexity, conflict, and pain. He is someone you can sympathize with, especially with the discovery of his family. Another great aspect are some of the supporting characters, especially Quicksilver who steals about every scene he occupies. He also has a great scene of his endeavor to save a bunch of young Mutants from an explosion. Jennifer Lawrence is probably the best, usurping the role from a quiet, sinister Rebecca Rojmin Stamos. Also, this one (like First Class and Days of Future Past) is wonderfully etched with the time surrounding the events. This time, it is 1983 where we have the musings of Return of the Jedi by the cadre of Mutants. However, as they ponder the points of the finale of the original Star Wars Trilogy, a huge hint of foreshadowing occurs when one of them says "The third is usually the weakest of a trilogy." They hit the nail head on. Not every trilogy ender can be an Iron Man III or Captain America III (and the Mutants could have used the Avengers help in this one). First, there are too many characters and sub-stories to follow. Just like Last Stand, do we need this many main Mutant characters? At a point, it becomes exhausting. And while Fassbender, Lawrence, and Peters are stellar, the rest of the Mutants don't have much depth. Another strike is the use of special effects over story and character. It is too much, especially towards the end with an over- the-top climax and resolution where the CGI distracts from the conflict. Moreover, one really has to know the whole plot line from First Class, Days of Future Past, and even the original X-Men Trilogy. In other words, this one is hard to watch unless you have seen ALL of those previous movies to know how they progress with the story arcs. I'm not saying it is a total washout. It is certainly no Spider Man 3, or even Last Stand, but it fails to deliver the depth, fun, story, and character the two previous installments offered. I still recommend it, just don't expect it to be as entertaining as previous installments.

Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice (2016)

Batman and Superman Winners

[6/10 · 2 April 2016]

Just like the critics and fans, Batman and Superman duke it out for supremacy in the DC Universe. Despite its flaws, the Dawn of Justice does justice to the two heroes. Batman is on a vendetta against Kal-El/Clark/Superman. The collateral damage from the most recent Superman has cost many lives, many of whom were close to Bruce Wayne/Batman. He now worries about the unchecked power of Superman. So does the United States. When Superman has to save Lois (big shock, right?), some more collateral damage happens somewhere in Africa. Now the U.S. Congress wants to meet with Superman and discuss this immense power, since they think with great power comes great ... wait ... wrong franchise. Still, you get the idea. As Batman investigates some strange activities of Lex Corp and its founder, Lex Luthor, he meets the reporter, Clark Kent. Of course, he has his own agenda, wishing to investigate the Bat Vigilante who operates outside the law. In fact, when Wayne and Kent meet, the young reporter is already on to him. Also, a new casual observer is growing curious, as well as stirring up curiosity: a meta human who will be known as Wonder Woman. Finally, we have a Lex Luthor who has created an elaborate plot to pit the two against each other. We have a battle, a team-up, and the defeat of a bigger threat known as Doomsday. Fresh from the genes of General Zod, it wreaks havoc in Metropolis, so only the two heroes, I mean three, stop him. First, I want to get my gripes out of the way. First, the trailer for the movie pretty much gave away the whole plot - so thanks a ton, Warner Brothers. Second, Jessie Eisenberg as Lex Luthor will have people considering him for a prestigious award: a Razzie. While Gene Hackman went with camp and humor, and Kevin Spacey went with more sinister, Eisenberg gives us a loopy Lex Luthor who has Tourette's Syndrome. There is also some lazy writing within the screenplay, as they could not execute the story as well Marvel writers have. Instead of focusing on our three superheroes, they pull some tricks out of left field to introduce Flash, Aquaman, and another hero I am unfamiliar with. However, it has a lot going for it. The most controversial casting decision, Ben Affleck as Batman, was the best choice. He owned that role, playing it to perfection. It even rivaled Christian Bale's take on the role. Henry Cavill as Superman is no Christopher Reeve, but he plays the role more for complexity and not so much as comical. Clark and Superman are much closer to each other. Moreover, unlike Brandon Routh and Kate Bosworth, Cavill and Adams have a good chemistry as Lois and Clark/Superman. Another good aspect was the fights and the action. While Doomsday went a little over the top, at least it was entertaining and fun to watch. And the fights between the two leads are both entertaining and done with a much greater level of believability than the Doomsday fight. The movie was drawn out a little long, especially the ending that will still pique the audience's attention. So that part did work for me. I just wish the writers could have found a way to shorten the path. Overall, despite these mistakes, Batman v Superman is one to watch for the ages. I look forward to the next one.

Star Wars: Episode III - Revenge of the Sith (2005)

The Only Decent Prequel

[7/10 · 26 February 2016]

The good thing about Attack of the Clones, is that Lucas could only improve. That he did with his third installment, Revenge of the Sith. In this outing, war has broken out. Separatists, led by General Greivous, have split the Republic. Now with a standing army of clones, Emperor Palpatine has them dispensed to quell the uprisings. Secretly, though, Palpatine is the one behind the separatist movement - using them to give himself emergency powers. While the Jedi oversee the clone troops, the Emperor works against them. Enter Anakin Skywalker and Ben Kenobi who are trying to bring the war to an end. Skywalker kills Count Dooku, leaving Palpatine without an apprentice. He takes interest in Anakin as Ben Kenobi tries to locate General Greivous to bring the Separatist Movement to an end. That is when Palpatine seduces Anakin to the dark side, promising him a way to keep alive the ones he loves. After Kenobi finally brings an end to the separatist military leader, though, Palpatine does not relinquish power. Anakin discovers he is a Sith and brings Mace Windu in. However, tempted again by the Dark Side, Anakin ascends to Palpatine's apprentice. He must now rid the galaxy of Jedi. Kenobi somehow returns, then follows a pregnant Padme to the planet of Mustafar where Anakin is. Yoda confronts Palpatine, and loses. However, Kenobi defeats Anakin, rendering him to a life forever in a special life- support suit. Padme gives birth to twins that will be kept in hiding. Yoda exiles himself. This is a dark episode of Star Wars - as well as the most violent. It also has better dialog, especially when the Emperor is tempting Anakin. The plot is much more streamlined, and there is an even pace of the story. True, some of the exposition involves people sitting and talking, but there is more action interlaced with the plot. The acting, too, is not very deep. It keeps the audience from getting completely involved in the conflicts and temptations, but the performances are not as wooden and the previous installments. Overall, though, Revenge of the Sith was a decent, watchable prequel. It was not as stellar as the original trilogy, but still entertains far better than Phantom Menace and Attac of the Clones.