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1)Favorite film is Raiders of the Lost Ark.
2) Favorite directors include Steven Spielberg, Alfred Hitchcock, John Ford, Hayao Miyazaki, the Coen Bros., John Huston, Christopher Nolan, Sergio Leone, Tim Burton, and Ridley Scott.
3) Favorite actors include Harrison Ford, Humphrey Bogart, Johnny Depp, Morgan Freeman, Kevin Costner, John Wayne, Charlton Heston, Burt Lancaster, Dwayne Johnson, and Bruce Willis.
4) Favorite actresses include Cate Blanchett, Amy Adams, Marion Cotillard, Helen Mirren, Ingrid Bergman, Anne Hathaway, Helena Bonham Carter, Maureen O'Hara, Viola Davis, and Sandra Bullock.
5) Favorite film composers include John Williams, Hans Zimmer, Alan Silvestri, Michael Giacchino, Ennio Morricone, Bernard Hermann, Danny Elfman, Steve Jablonsky, James Horner, and Elmer Bernstein.
WARNING: For those looking for a fight and decide to toss crap at me, don't be a hypocrite and feign indignation when I throw it back. I'm not your poster boy.
Ratings
Most Recently Rated
Reviews
The Flash (2023)
Overstuffed and yet undercooked superhero movie
Time travel epic featuring the Scarlet Speedster in his first solo adventure. And probably his last considering how much this flopped at the box office. Ezra Miller is very likely an insane jerk in real life. So now the Flash brand is probably tainted for a long time.
But he does alright as Barry Allen. I will admit the first half hour of this movie had me thoroughly engaged.
The opening action scene is funny, thrilling, and fast paced. The bit with the baby in the microwave is utterly bonkers but once you learn the context, it is a hilarious moment. It was cool to see Ben Affleck and Gal Gadot as Batman and Wonder Woman again. It is a shame that WB couldn't use the DCEU cast to their full potential because I like them together.
But after that, the movie spends too much time on the hijinks featuring two Flashes and the humor doesn't land that well in the second act. Ezra Miller can be grating on his own and having two of him bickering with himself is obnoxious.
Things start to pick up again once Michael Keaton reappears as Batman. He is having a good time reprising his Bruce Wayne mannerisms and demonstrates he still has the gravitas to play the Caped Crusader. Sasha Calle is decent as Supergirl though she doesn't have as much screen-time as you would expect.
The third act is an overblown mess full of cameos and inside jokes. Some of the appearances are amusing because of internet culture and memes. But as we learned with Morbius and later with Madame Web, memes do not always mean a fulfilling movie experience.
As frantic as it often is and as sloppy as the Easter Eggs are, there were moments of genuine enjoyment that I got from it. Just not enough to call it a true success.
Madame Web (2024)
No real heroes in this movie except for Pepsi
Colossal misfire of a movie. The acting is bad, the writing is bad, the directing is bad, the editing is bad. I have not seen a superhero movie this badly made since the 2015 reboot of Fantastic Four. It is honestly kind of breathtaking to fathom how bad this movie really is.
Lead actress Dakota Johnson looks like she does not want to be in the movie. Her entire performance appears to be predicating on barely concealing her seething contempt for the script and its source material. Tahar Rahim's whole role as the villain is completely neutered by his dialogue obviously being dubbed over. Seriously, it looks like a random narrator takes over for his performance and does not sync with his line-reading.
The supporting cast members are wasted and feel like extras from a cheap slasher movie. The one person who almost could work as their respective character is Adam Scott as Ben Parker. Who you know...Uncle Ben? Huh, huh? *wink wink*
The movie is set up as a thriller, not an action movie. So most of the plot involves the characters standing around in a room or a forest or a diner or someone's house. Even when there are action scenes, it is pieced together in such a nonsensical format that audiences cannot hope to make out what is happening.
And I wasn't kidding with the review title about Pepsi. The villain is taken out by a giant Pepsi sign. That's really what happens. The End.
Beverly Hills Cop: Axel F (2024)
Eddie Murphy is getting too bland for this s**t
Though to be fair, he's probably the only person really trying in this movie. Which is saying something.
I cannot say that Beverly Hills Cop 4' is a bad movie exactly. But man, it is a very generic and bland sequel. And honestly it kind of looked cheap despite allegedly costing $150 million. Although I guess a portion of that was Eddie Murphy's salary.
The set-up is your basic "return to basics" kind of plot. Everyone's favorite cop from Detroit Axel Foley winds up back in Beverly Hills for a case. This time he is teamed up with a former pilot (JGL) and his estranged daughter (Paige) against a group of dirty cops led by Kevin Bacon. I forgot his character's name, but let's be real. It's every Kevin Bacon villain ever so the name does not matter.
Some of the action is not badly staged. I liked the opening chase scene in downtown Detroit. It's the part in the trailers with the snowplow. That was quite a lot of fun and you can see Eddie Murphy is having a blast.
To the movie's credit, it's not a PG-13 like the third movie and it lets Murphy fly off the handle with f-bombs and his more adult sense of humor.
Rebel Moon - Part Two: The Scargiver (2024)
Thank goodness Lucasfilm turned Zack Snyder down to direct a Star Wars movie
I know that some long running franchises like Star Wars or Star Trek or even Marvel are having problems right now. But for right now...please...do not hire Zack Snyder until he gets himself straightened out.
Zack Snyder has become a parody of himself. There is way too much slo-mo used in the action scenes. I guess there are some wide CGI shots that look passable even for a Netflix release. But even after a while, the action scenes get boring fast. Thank god this was only a two hour movie.
The dialogue is trying so hard to be serious and meaningful that it comes across as shallow and pretentious. Almost every line is some epic speech or flowery claptrap that wants to be cool or memorable that it just goes in one ear and out the other.
The robot (voiced by Anthony Hopkins) is the one likable character while the villain (a wildly over-the-top Ed Skrein) gives the most entertaining performance. Djimon Hounsou tries to add some resemblance of gravitas with his performance. But even he gets one-note after a while. This movie made Djimon Hounsou boring. Shame on Zack Snyder.
Sofia Boutella in supporting roles can be a captivating screen presence. But I'm afraid she is not yet leading lady material. Her romantic scenes with an embarrassed looking Michael Huisman are pretty dreadful. And even that turned out to be a waste of time.
I don't fancy myself as someone that even dislikes Zack Snyder in general. I liked some of his work. I liked Dawn of the Dead, 300, and I actually really enjoyed Man of Steel.
But he needs to hire better writers and to stop taking himself so damn seriously. Just have some fun for once.
The Marvels (2023)
Easily the worst movie in the MCU canon so far
But hey, they are at least thirty movies in before things started to fall apart. I don't want to give ammo to the haters. But this movie was not very good at all.
All the production woes that were reported behind the scenes are readily apparent in the first act. This movie not only switches the characters but it switches tone on a dime. From action to drama to comedy to being a friggin musical at one part. It's jarring and obnoxious.
The villain (played by a game Zawe Ashton) does actually have a fascinating motivation on paper, but she is saddled with cliched villainous dialogue.
The special effects are not as terrible as the trailers suggest but the movie is visually not that memorable for a movie that reportedly cost more than $200M. A key plot point is that the three main lead actresses switch places with each other (for reasons). It comes and goes when the plot demands it.
Iman Vellani is probably the one cast member who looks happy to be in this movie. She is delightful in her cheerful delivery and just being casually upbeat. Teyonah Parris is left with a sourpuss characterization that doesn't give her room to be her more naturally funny and snarky persona.
Brie Larson, probably the most hated actress in the MCU, is actually more personable as Carol Danvers compared to her first appearance. SLJ returns as Nick Fury but he's just kind of there to react to things. The less said about Kamala Khan's annoying family, the better.
This movie is indicative of all the problems facing the Marvel Cinematic Universe right now. It has a thin plot, poorly directed action, and uninteresting characters. It just takes a cool concept and makes it less cool. And that's a shame.
It almost makes me want to apologize to ETERNALS for being so boring instead of bad necessarily. Almost anyway.
Damsel (2024)
'DAMSEL' may not be in distress but it is still a pretty dull affair.
A grittier-than-usual fairy tale about a princess (MBB) condemned to be sacrificed to a bloodthirsty dragon by a ruthless monarch (Wright). She turns the tables on her scaly tormentor and escapes her doom to take revenge on the kingdom that betrayed her.
The set-up for this grungy fantasy flick is promising but it's not as thrilling as it wants to be. The pacing is off (a common problem with Netflix movies) and the characterization changes on a dime. A young prince is introduced as thoughtful if conflicted but then is all too willing to participate in his family's barbaric ritual. The dragon is presented as a voracious man-eater that presumably ate thousands of innocent young women. Yet near the end of the film, it is suddenly meant to be a sympathetic character.
It doesn't help that the script is inconsistent in terms of world-building. At times, the characters talk too much or the dialogue is almost too modern for its own good. Other times, the movie is too light on details about the characters' motivations aside from MBB really. I realized they were cheating by having the dragon use human speech to advance the plot and narrate the situation.
Millie Bobbie Brown is adequate enough as the hostage turned heroine. But her accent is inconsistent. To be fair, everyone has an inconsistent accent. If you want to see Angela Bassett deliver a rare bad performance, here is one. Robin Wright seems to hit the correct note as the evil queen but she's not on screen long enough.
The dragon's design is a let down and the CGI for the dragon is not very good. Think one of the lesser 'Dragonheart' sequels in terms of quality. However I did like the casting of Shohreh Aghdashloo as the dragon.
Some things I did like included Ray Winstone as MBB's father. He's given as much character development as everyone else. But he somehow makes his role work. The middle section when MBB is stuck in the cave and has to become resourceful to rescue herself is the best part of the movie. There are some moments that are suspenseful and well directed.
This movie is about the same length as Disney's earlier '80s movie 'DRAGONSLAYER' but it is nowhere close to that level.
The Super Mario Bros. Movie (2023)
Another medicore movie which is rewarded for its lack of trying
Weird how this movie was such a big hit despite its extremely bland characterization and by-the-numbers plotting.
As far as 2023 video game movies go, I wish the new Dungeons & Dragons was a bigger success. I will credit the movie animation for being honestly beautiful to look at. The world of Super Mario Bros. Has not looked better on film. Certainly better than the 1993 live-action misfire.
But it's a shame that the actual story is so forgettable and the characters are so one-note despite their iconic status.
Jack Black stands out as the one good vocal performance as the evil Bowser. Chris Pratt and Anya Taylor-Joy are kind of just phoning it in as 'plucky hero' and 'spunky heroine'. Charlie Day on paper should be a slam dunk as Luigi but he's actually pretty annoying in this. Seth Rogan is pretty much playing himself as Donkey Kong.
Perhaps I'm expecting too much of a Super Mario Bros. Movie, especially one that is a cartoon. But I look at other recent releases like Encanto, the Spider-verse movies, and Puss in Boots 2. All are family oriented animated movies that still tried and still cared about quality storytelling. The level of emotional depth is the same for any Saturday morning cartoon throwing in a random 'life lesson' by the end.
Another thing I'll lend some positive attention to is that the movie doesn't waste time and honestly it flew by quicker than expected. Gamers and families with little kids might get what they were expecting.
Rebel Moon - Part One: A Child of Fire (2023)
Zack Snyder's next sci-fi saga is a mess but a mesmerizing one.
Sprawling space opera that wants to be the next Star Wars so bad that it just rips off Star Wars. With elements taken from The Magnificent Seven, Gladiator, Braveheart, Warhammer, and Jupiter Ascending.
Zack Snyder still has an eye for unique visuals and incredible imagery. The various worlds and cultures we encounter are compelling from a design standpoint. The CGI is pretty good for the most part. I saw complaints about the visual effects not looking polished. There may be some wide shots that look suspect. But overall, it doesn't look *that* bad. There is a robot character that is a very good looking effect.
But the story feels very incomplete and most of the characters introduced, and there's a lot of them, do not leave an impression. It doesn't help that the movie is very po-faced and serious but not in the ultra gritty way that Snyder can do it like in '300' or 'Man of Steel' that is so over-the-top it becomes fun. Also for an R rated story, it really is not that much more violent than an ultra-light episode of 'GAME OF THRONES'. Oh that's another thing the movie rips off for the political intrigue. It doesn't help there are some GoT alumni in the cast.
There are a couple exceptions. Anthony Hopkins voices a robot that is actually an interesting character, but he's in the movie for like five minutes. Charlie Hunnam shows up as someone who looks like he's going to be the Han Solo of the story (there is a part two coming soon). He's alright. But then all of a sudden, he's not the Han Solo of the story. Ed Skrein plays the villain of the movie that is essentially every Imperial officer ever from the Star Wars franchise, plus a little bit of Hans Landa from 'INGLORIOUS BASTERDS' too. He is a cartoonishly evil character but at least he shows something of a personality. Everyone else is not bad per se, but they're very bland.
Sofia Boutella handles herself well in the action scenes. But she is saddled with horrendous dialogue and overwrought exposition. In fact, a lot of the script's problems is directly a result of Zack Snyder ignoring a vital rule in storytelling which is "show not tell".
I really dug the world that Zack Snyder has created for the plot but I wish that he just gave the audience just five minutes to sink in and settle into this world. Or just to halt the exposition dump for a while.
Meg 2: The Trench (2023)
What toxic waste has risen up from the depths of the Trench this time?
Meg 2: The Trench has no brains but a lot of balls to be as batshit crazy as it is. I don't know how else to say it.
It's one of those sequels that has twenty ideas for a story and uses ALL of them. It features not just one giant prehistoric shark but three of them. Plus a kraken sized octopus. And we got creepy little dinosaur-like reptiles scurrying about. There's even an early scene that is clearly meant as a 'take that' to JURASSIC PARK. Bold as brass, says I.
The story picks up years after the first movie and Jason Statham is raising the precocious daughter from the first movie on his own while still keeping an eye out for those pesky Megalodons. But an evil businesswoman is illegally exploiting the mega sharks' territory for profit (the fiend!!!) and now there are more megalodons plus other prehistoric monsters swimming loose towards the surface.
Ben Wheatley directed this movie and he's done movies that I liked quite a bit like High-Rise and Free Fire. What I gathered from those movies was his dark sense of humor and to his credit, that remains here. There is a lot of civilian casualties in this movie and I respect that. And there's a few death scenes that are surprisingly brutal for a PG13.
I can't say this is a project for thespians or method actors to get involved in. But some people know what movie they're in and are having more fun than usual. Especially Page Kennedy. He got some laughs from me. Jason Statham is one of those actors who it's hard to tell if he is bored or if it's just the accent. But he's not terrible in this, I guess. Sienna Guillory is laughably bad as the evil CEO who keeps making bad decisions that only serve to get herself killed.
There is some crappy dialogue in the script though. Look not for a monologue on par with Quint's USS Indianapolis speech in JAWS or the lunch debate in JURASSIC PARK. Expect a lot of one-liners trying to be quippy but instead a lot of them are quite pithy.
Though if it's Statham saying it, it's a little bit cool.
As incredibly weird and goofy this movie is, there are some cool action scenes to be had. When you can see them. The trench scenes are darkly lit and it is hard to see. But once the action moves to the surface and on land, it is easier to see and more fun to watch. Especially with the different monsters that show up in the third act.
This movie honestly felt even more of a throwback to the schlocky B-movie creature features we got in the 1990s than the first movie was. For better and for worse.
Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania (2023)
Safe entry into the MCU that feels small despite cosmic implications
'Quantumania' is on the lower end of the MCU but it doesn't mean it's a bad movie. It's more of a standalone adventure that happens to feature not one but two generations of Ant-Man and the Wasp.
The CGI effects for the Quantum Realm and the various action scenes look pretty; and lead to some rather original designs for the settings and creatures. I know that Marvel Studios has gotten flack for shortchanging their effects artists, but their work paid off here. There's some stellar imagery to behold in this movie.
Paul Rudd is great in this along with Jonathan Majors as the new villain Kang the Conqueror. For all this movie's faults, Kang is not one of them. He's menacing in a subtle way but can be bombastic when the moment calls for it. But I will say it's strange that Kang is not in the movie as much as you would expect. With Rudd as Scott Lang, he's likable as usual and his motivations are immediately sympathetic. He's a good everyman for a weird story like this taking place in the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
Returning cast members Michael Douglas, Michelle Pfeiffer, and Evangeline Lilly are not bad in this but it seems like they have less to do. Kathryn Newton takes over as Scott Lang's daughter Cassie and though not badly acted, her character is kind of annoying. It's one of those daughter characters who are written as a know-it-all in the mistaken belief that it makes them look smart.
For all the controversy surrounding Bill Murray, which I think is overblown, he is not in the movie that much. It's a glorified cameo where he plays a very obscure Marvel character. Corey Stoll comes back as Darren Cross who in this universe becomes the hideous villain MODOK. This is a character who should be threatening but he's really more annoying than actually sinister.
The movie just kind of feels overblown with the stunning visuals and scope. Yet also underwritten. A lot of key information is told via flashback or exposition dumps. As if it was a re-shoot or a scene was just cut. I will say it didn't feel long since it's about two hours and that feels like enough. It really doesn't waste time .
Without going into spoilers too much, you do think the movie is setting up high stakes and for some characters to make the ultimate sacrifice. And that does happen but not the way you think it might.
Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny (2023)
Competently made sequel with some wild stuff but mostly safe
Director James Mangold takes over the Indiana Jones franchise from Steven Spielberg. Although it is a half hour longer than necessary and there's more CGI than I prefer, it's a solid effort. And people on the internet need to relax. Harrison Ford doesn't die!
The opening twenty minutes is a WW2 prologue and the entire feel is identical to the original movies. The de-aging effects for Harrison Ford is better than expected, and the action is exciting. The spirit of Indians Jones seems reinvigorated again in these moments.
The main plot brings us to 1969 after the Moon landing and Indiana Jones is propelled back into a new adventure after a chance encounter with his goddaughter Helena (Phoebe Waller-Bridge). She happens to be a ne'er-do-well who has a cynical outlook on the world and is in love with money. Meanwhile an old enemy of Jones (Mads Mikkelsen) is looking for the same artifact as Helena. An ancient relic that can supposedly harness time travel! Now it's a race literally against time around the world from New York to Morocco and then Greece.
There's a lot of chase scenes in this sequel that are competently handled. You can tell that James Mangold wanted to evoke the earlier movies. A hectic escapade through the streets of Tangier is a highlight. The final action scene is absolutely bonkers and easily one of the most memorable set-pieces in the whole series. And yes, they do go back in time to Ancient Greece during a huge battle against Romans. It's utterly insane but I wanted more of that. Nazis versus Romans? Sign me up!
Harrison Ford is a bit more grouchy than the other movies but here we see why later. And they're well acted moments from Ford. Mads Mikkelsen is appropriately slimy as the chief villain, an ex-Nazi who has surprising motivations for acquiring the dial in question. We see return appearances by familiar characters and it's a warm reminder of exactly why we enjoy them in the first place.
Now we have to get to Jones' newer companions. I hate to say this but Phoebe Waller-Bridge was miscast as his co-lead Helena Shaw. She's much more grating than captivating as a screen presence. It doesn't help that her character has a treacherous streak in relation to Indiana Jones. I think someone else like Felicity Jones or Daisy Ridley would be more compelling.
They also throw in a kid sidekick who is not great but he's not necessarily annoying. He's just kind of there. But there's an escape scene he's in that is actually clever. It's very telling that Antonio Banderas shows up in essentially a cameo but I can buy his rapport with Harrison Ford better. Boyd Holbrook plays the bad guy's lead henchman and he's yukking it up.
Another complaint I have is the movie is fairly long at 2.5 hours. There's certainly room to trim it down to a full two hours. Honestly as much as I liked the opening action scene, it could have been cut. Or maybe a few bits of idle chitchat in some scenes.
Overall, this is probably the best Indiana Jones movie to expect with an 80 year old Harrison Ford. I do wish it was a bit more weirder and played it less safe. However, the sense of adventure is still there and it's got plenty of action to spare.
Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves (2023)
Smarter-than-average sword & sorcery spectacle
What an effortlessly fun and charming romp this was!
The directors embraced the weirdness of the D&D game without belittling it or getting too obsessed with minor details. Instead they let the action and humor do the world-building. Meanwhile the cast is clearly having a good time.
Chris Pine and Michelle Rodriguez have a nice rapport together as two rogues who gather a team for a near-impossible heist. Hugh Grant is quite funny as a dastardly schemer who holds Pine's daughter captive.
The action scenes are energetic and zany. There is a lot of cgi but it looks cool and imaginative instead of mind-numbing. The various monsters the heroes encounter are creatively designed and the traps the characters find themselves in are cunning.
The script feels like the lines are improvised as though you're watching an actual D&D session on the big screen. Which is very clever and the dialogue is very quippy. It does have a James Gunn/Joss Whedon sensibility to it.
If there is one complaint that I have about this movie, it's that the opening ten minutes are not that interesting. In fact, it's almost entirely exposition setting up how the characters are in jail. Then it uses a huge flashback besides the narration.
Now look, don't worry, that is the only boring part of the movie. It had me worried too and I thought this was going to be an overhyped slog. But listen, after they break out of jail, the rest of the movie is a fast paced and breezy adventure that's just so much fun!
In fact, that is what I loved most about this movie. It so easily could have easily been tiresome and ponderous. But luckily the cast and crew made it quite enjoyable to watch.
Black Panther: Wakanda Forever (2022)
Decent Marvel sequel that uses a sad death with respect
Despite the sad death of Chadwick Boseman delaying its release, this sequel to the megahit Black Panther is pretty good. For the most part, anyway.
The action scenes are pretty well done and the scale of the movie is much bigger than the first one. I remember people complaining about the CGI in the last movie. Don't worry, it looks far better in 'Wakanda Forever'.
It does feel more of an ensemble movie. But that also means the plot kind of jumps from one point to another following different characters. Some do a nice job.
Angela Bassett is excellent as Queen Ramonda. It's no wonder she got an Oscar nomination. Winston Duke is pretty good as M'Baku but he's not onscreen that much. Honestly, the teen scientist chick is not that interesting yet she gets a huge chunk of the story dedicated to her even being there Letitia Wright is the main protagonist and she's okay but I just preferred Chadwick Boseman.
I have to admit that I feel sad that he's not in the movie given his untimely passing and they just killed off the character of T'Challa. It leaves the movie with a melancholy tone that seems appropriate. But it's not always fun to watch.
Tenoch Huerta is the main villain as Namor the Sub-Mariner. His motivation is understandable but I cannot say it makes him interesting. I think the movie wants Namor to be more sympathetic than he actually comes off as onscreen. He's a lot more of a jerkass than what they probably intended. Although I'm surprisingly not laughing at the tiny wings on his feet helping Namor fly.
The MCU version of Atlantis actually look intimidating and their introduction into the story is a suspenseful set-piece. The design of their culture taking cues from Mesoamerican civilizations like the Maya is an inspired one. Although I will admit, the lighting is pretty dim during the Atlantis scenes so I couldn't always get a good look. It's a unique approach but I think I prefer the version we saw in the DCEU's Aquaman movie.
Ryan Coogler's direction is good. There is nothing wrong with the fight choreography or how the plot beats unfold. It's a competently made and reasonably entertaining entry into the ever expanding Marvel Cinematic Universe. And thank heavens there actually feels like some semblance of gravitas to the story.
But I was left with the melancholy feeling that it won't be the same knowing that T'Challa (or Boseman for that matter) will not be a part of Black Panther's future in this franchise. And that's a shame.
Black Adam (2022)
It's a fun way to kill two hours but BLACK ADAM still feels like a first draft.
Dwayne Johnson's much awaited superhero movie is a fast paced and action-packed blockbuster. But it does have a messy script that does feel like a movie that was in development hell for a decade.
But then a cool fight scene happens or there is actually a germ of a good idea that pops up. Like how the besieged people of Black Adam's homeland praise him for ruthlessly killing bad guys instead of simply disarming them. It's an interesting effort at commentary that could had been expanded more-maybe in a reboot? The Justice Society is a welcome addition to the now defunct DCEU franchise. It's too bad because they make Hawkman look like a badass warrior and Pierce Brosnan is a lot of fun as the sorcerer Doctor Fate.
Dwayne Johnson is perfect casting as Black Adam. He plays the role surprisingly serious for the most part though he does have a couple one-liners. It is exciting to watch the Rock smash helicopters into mountains or toss rockets into tanks. But then he's saddled with an annoying kid sidekick when really Sarah Shahi makes better sense as his human familiar. The villain being a terrorist leader turned into a demon sounds cool. But he's just another CGI baddie to fight by the end.
To its credit, for a movie that clocks at two hours, it doesn't waste time. But I think an extra ten minutes could had been used to flesh things out better. As mentioned earlier, the fight scenes and CGI action actually does look pretty good for the most part. Director Jaume Collet-Serra seems more willing to have fun with insane spectacle compared to other first-timers in the superhero genre. And the muscial score and cinematography are way better than they have any right to be.
It's entertaining as escapist popcorn fluff but you can see where this could had been fantastic instead of just a little too familiar.
Nope (2022)
Jordan Peele keeps things simple and enjoyable in a slick UFO flick.
A definite improvement over Jordan Peele's last movie 'US', this newest thriller serves more as a conventional but competently made crowd-pleaser. Instead of metaphors about race or class, Jordan Peele shifts towards more abstract concepts like fame or fortune-seeking. But in the confines of a UFO movie. And it works.
Daniel Kaluuya is O. J. (yes really) who is the stoic son of a deceased Hollywood horse trainer. O. J. Accidentally spots a UFO while trying to manage his ranch (keep his father's legacy alive) with his flighty sister emerald. They figure it is their chance to strike it rich and make alliances with other attention seeking characters to document the extraterrestrial entity.
Jordan Peele's direction feels like a return to form like in 'GET OUT' where his style seemed fresh and energetic. You can see some of that in the big set-pieces and humorous moments, but he has also gotten better at 'show and not tell' as a filmmaker. I will say there is no real big twist with this movie (aside from the aliens' true nature being a bit of a surprise for the characters).
The cast is pretty solid. Kaluuya is better here than in 'GET OUT' but he's still a bit too reserved as a performer. Keke Palmer provides much needed humor as his more excitable sister Emerald. Steven Yuen has a memorable supporting role as a fame hungry entrepreneur.
I enjoyed the balance of science fiction and suspense but I will say it's not really quite as scary as I hoped it would be. I think SIGNS (2002) is a bit more effective as a horror story. But if you liked SIGNS or other UFO movies, I think people will be entertained by it.
Cocaine Bear (2023)
Cocaine Bear with bear a solid B+. Cocaine Bear without bear...maybe a C+?
Not quite as insane as I hoped it would be, but it has its share of memorably weird or crazy moments. This is an unabashed ott B-movie through and through.
Even if the bear never once looks realistic;the CGI is really cheesy. I kind of wish they used more practical effects for the 'Cocaine Bear' but those days are long gone it seems like.
But it does lend for some memorable set pieces. When the bear is on the attack, it's actually well directed and even suspenseful for some scenes. The ambulance chase is a highlight. Another thing I will give the movie praise for is being surprisingly grisly even for a horror comedy. Some characters die gruesome deaths in this. But don't worry, the way some people die in this is so cartoony and wild, it winds up being quite funny.
Some of the cast is better than they should be. Keri Russell is good as a mom looking for her lost daughter while the drug addicted bear is on the loose. After his failed outing as a leading man in SOLO, Alden Ehrenreich shows that he still retains some comedic timing and deliver a decent performance. Ray Liotta is the human antagonist in his very last live-action role before his sad untimely death. And he's good with what he has to work with in the movie.
As for the downsides, there is stuff in this movie that does not work at all. There is some family drama set up at the beginning of the movie which kind of escalates out of nowhere. But it's ignored once the 'Cocaine Bear' begins its rampage. And there are a couple scenes that feel like they were shot out of sync. One supporting character dies off-camera but it feels like they were almost ignored until we see the body later.
It's far more silly than actually scary, but for audiences who know exactly what kind of movie they're in for, they will get their money's worth.
Bullet Train (2022)
Frantic ensemble action comedy held together by a bewildered Brad Pitt
Brad Pitt leads an insane cast of assassins trying to kill each other on a high speed Japanese train.
The script does sometimes try way too hard to be clever and not all the jokes land. But by the third act, it actually comes together for a really enjoyable finale.
Pitt plays his part as a perpetually confused but still capable action lead. Think if Jeff Bridges' the Dude from Big Lebowski suddenly became the lead in one of those Tarantino ripoff action flicks. He reminds us audience members that he still has the chops as an action lead but remains charming and funny.
The supporting cast is a giant one and most of them fare well in their given roles. Granted they are all playing cartoon characters but they are colorful and memorable ones at least.
Hiroyuki Sanada is excellent as a wise swordsman while Joey King is a great love-to-hate villain as a cold killer masquerading as an innocent schoolgirl. Brian Tyree Henry and Aaron Taylor-Johnson have this back-and-forth as hitmen who happen to be twins. Yes seriously. That is not a funny joke imo but there is a running gag about Thomas the Tank Engine that pays off surprisingly well in the climax.
The movie does run a tad too long and there is a lot of CGI in the closing action scene. But it still has good jokes and visual gags like the rest of the movie leading up to it.
Thor: Love and Thunder (2022)
Cartoonishly silly but colorful addition to the 'THOR' movies
Chris Hemsworth carries this fast paced sequel that has big ideas and an intimidating villain (played by Christian Bale no less). He reminds audiences that he can be very charming and cool as a leading man in a big-budget blockbuster like the THOR movies.
Unfortunately the script for 'Love and Thunder' is really uneven. This is likely because of a mandate that for some weird reason made the running time just shy of two hours. I think about ten or fifteen more minutes would had really fleshed things out better.
There's wonderfully choreographed fight scenes and colorful scenery. A city full of godlike beings is a highlight. Here we see Russell Crowe in full-ham mode as Zeus the egotistical leader of the Gods. There a terrific fight scene between our heroes and Zeus' guards that is exciting and creative. Whenever Thor and other characters fight Gorr the God-Butcher, there's a lot of imaginative designs for the frightening shadow monsters he can conjure up.
The return of Natalie Portman as Jane Foster is actually a plus. She's surprisingly good in this. In the first two THOR movies, she seemed out of place with her performances. But in L&T she actually has solid chemistry with Chris Hemsworth and there's good romantic banter between them. Valkyrie and Korg show up as Thor's new sidekicks and they're pretty solid supporting characters. I was never a huge fan of Korg but he has one pivotal scene that reminds audiences why Thor is a good hero and a better friend.
But there's a lot of corny jokes that don't often work. It did not annoy me as much as I feared but it was still hit or miss. There's these screaming goats that are silly and not that funny. The Guardians of the Galaxy show up for about eight, ten minutes in the opening fight scene. But then they leave. It's odd.
Bale is creepy as the evil Gorr the God-Butcher but he is not onscreen that much. But Christian Bale reminds us what a great screen presence he is during those moments. He is a vast improvement over Malekith from 'THOR: THE DARK WORLD' but not quite as memorable as Cate Blanchett's marvelously demented goddess Hela from 'THOR: RAGNAROK'.
The ending takes a few chances I didn't expect and it was heartwarming to see. The movie is not as good as 'Thor: Ragnarok' but it's still better than the second Thor movie.
Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness (2022)
His name is Doctor Strange. Let his movies be strange and scary
Sam Raimi lends the Marvel Cinematic Universe the same level of expertise that led to cult favorites like the Evil Dead movies and mainstream mega-hits such as his Spider-Man trilogy. And boy does it show in the best way possible.
Benedict Cumberbatch returns as Dr. Stephen Strange who finds himself on an extra-dimensional hopping adventure with a plucky girl sidekick named America Chavez (yes really). He and his new ally encounter bizarre alien creatures, deadly doppelgangers, and a surprising new batch of Marvel characters.
Plus a shocking appearance by Wanda Maximoff aka the Scarlet Witch (Elizabeth Olsen). Complicating matters for Dr. Strange is that Scarlet Witch has her own agenda that puts the multiverse at risk. Although I'm aware that her character's progression is probably not all that shocking after the events of 'WandaVision'.
Benedict Cumberbatch brings the same sly intellect and snarky humor to the role of Dr. Strange that made his take on Sherlock Holmes a big success. He's believably clever but also kind of goofy. But one believes it's the same character. Not like how they reportedly treated the Thor character in 'Love and Thunder'.
Elizabeth Olsen is pretty darn menacing in this movie. A big part of what makes MoM such a trippy and creepy movie is thanks to her go-for-broke performance as Scarlet Witch. Admittedly I didn't watch 'WandaVision' before seeing this but I think the script did a good enough job of explaining her motivation behind a lot of her actions in the plot.
Speaking of the script, the movie does move at a fast pace compared to other Marvel movies. It's just enough over the two hour mark. But that is just right to get the job done.
Sam Raimi clearly had fun using a Marvel movie sized budget to play with some grisly imagery and some truly outlandish CGI shots not often seen in the MCU. It is one of the more unique looking installments as a result.
The action scenes are all pretty wild stuff. There are even a few moments that play out like an '80s supernatural horror movie instead of this big tentpole blockbuster. I really did appreciate that. There is a middle-act sequence that does play out like an extended cameo for a lot of actors (who I will not name as a courtesy) and it's easily a highlight of the film.
Sam Raimi did a great job with this sequel and I hope whatever follow-up starring Doctor Strange as the lead character takes similar chances.
RRR (Rise Roar Revolt) (2022)
Very long but very good historical-action-musical mashup that's quite fun
Overblown yet riotously entertaining action romp courtesy of Indian director S. S. Rajamouli.
Its two Bollywood leads are very cool as they effortlessly use their martial arts skills to take out dastardly Brits or punch a tiger with a flaming torch. Speaking of which, the action scenes in this movie are crazy and over the top. But you'll have a blast watching it. Fists go flying, cars and buildings explode, there's motorcycle stunts, a one-vs-hundred brawl, and even a big melee involving tigers, leopards, and wolves.
The set-pieces are grandly absurd but showcase Rajamouli's eye for big budget spectacle. Hollywood needs to take a few cues from this guy.
It does clock at a mammoth three hours but the friendship between the two protagonists keeps things watchable when there's no fights going on. There's even a big dance battle just to lighten the mood that's a lot of fun.
Special mention to Ray Stevenson and Alison Doody hamming it up as the villains. Stevenson is chewing the scenery while Doody looks like she has not had this much fun since Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade.
Jurassic World Dominion (2022)
Delivers the prehistoric mayhem and dinosaur action as expected.
Ludicrous plot aside, I had a good time with this sequel being touted as the 'epic finale' for the now 29 year old movie franchise. Though I can see them doing more since it will probably make a lot of money.
It's cool seeing the original cast team up with the younger crew. Pratt and Howard are decent but newcomer DeWanda Wise comes close to stealing the show as a badass pilot. She's tough and charming in a cocksure fashion that lead star Chris Pratt has nailed down to a tee. Campbell Scott is pretty bad as an evil tech CEO though.
It's heartwarming to see Sam Neill and Laura Dern reprise their roles again as Alan Grant and Ellie Sattler. Although Jeff Goldblum is more fun to watch as Ian Malcolm again and he has the best one-liners.
Compared to the first two JW movies, one thing I appreciate about DOMINION is that it embraces its absurdness with gusto. For better or worse. There's a subplot with mutant locusts that's pretty stupid and it feels like it belongs in a different movie. The bulk of the story is essentially a rescue mission which feels more in the vein of earlier movies, particularly The Lost World or Jurassic Park 3.
Of course any of the stuff that involved dinosaurs directly was cool as hell. Seeing a black market where evil mercenaries sell dinos instead of drugs or guns was pretty cool. The raptor motorcycle chase is an awesome action scene. There's an early chase scene involving triceratops that's neat as well.
In terms of technical prowess, this installment has the best looking dinosaurs out of the Jurassic World trilogy. There are some shots where the CGI for the primeval beasts looks phenomenal. And you can see there's a concentrated effort to rely more on practical effects and animatronic models.
The finale takes place in a park full of escaped dinosaurs once more but there's more variety to the prehistoric wildlife this time. There's feathered raptors that can swim, a giant dino with massive claws named Therizinosaurus, the classic T-Rex, an aggressive rival named the Giganotosaurus, and plus a lot of angry pterosaurs the size of airplanes.
At being number six in the franchise, there are some new ideas that lend themselves for cool action scenes and dangerous predicaments. As for the science fiction elements, it's practically a cartoon at this point. Giant bugs and human cloning, oh my. But it's hard not to enjoy seeing a plane taken out by a giant pterosaur or watching a mosasaur sink a fishing boat.
Top Gun: Maverick (2022)
One of the best blockbuster sequels in years and it's so much fun.
Director Joseph Kosinski has had an interesting career in Hollywood. He made his debut with the long awaited sequel TRON: LEGACY. I found it visually stunning but a bit shallow. His next film was with Tom Cruise and it was a sci-fi movie called Oblivion and I liked it fine. His third movie was a firefighting drama called ONLY THE BRAVE and it was shockingly good. Made my top movie list for 2017. And now we have his latest film TOP GUN MAVERICK which is also a sequel that was long delayed for reasons including the pandemic.
And it is bloody brilliant filmmaking.
This is one of the best blockbuster sequels in years. And I would argue that it is even better than the original TOP GUN. The 1986 movie is a nice slice of 1980s cheese and it proudly flaunts its brash machismo no matter how campy it looks today. And the sequel TOP GUN: MAVERICK does contain a lot of that same robust filmmaking but also it lends some depth to its characters along the way.
Tom Cruise is in fine form as an older and wiser Captain Pete 'Maverick' Mitchell who is beckoned once again to the elite academy known as Top Gun. His task is to train a rowdy group of younger pilots for a top secret mission. One of the recruits is his deceased friend's grown son (Miles Teller) who feels some resentment towards Maverick. The other students are either too cautious or too arrogant but Maverick has to whip them into shape to meet an impending deadline.
The supporting cast is uniformly good. Miles Teller is a natural fit for playing Goose's son Rooster. He even looks a bit like Anthony Edwards. Glen Powell is a riot as the cocky rival nicknamed Hangman. The other students are not quite as prominent but they're all likable people. Jennifer Connelly is basically the love interest for Tom Cruise to court but they have solid chemistry together. Jon Hamm plays Tom Cruise's snobbish superior officer but his shift to a more genial personality feels genuine enough.
As has been reported, the highlight of the movie is the flying sequences. I am not exaggerating when I state that these are probably the most exciting flying scenes put on film in years. And it is elevated by the film crew actually using real fighter jets in these scenes. The dogfights and training scenes are directed in masterful style by Joseph Kosinski.
One of the best elements of the movie that I did not expect is that it does not take easy shortcuts. You think something is being telegraphed or foreshadowed. But then the opposite happens and you feel rewarded for it instead of cheated. Well done to the cast and crew for making such a spectacular piece of popcorn entertainment.
The Batman (2022)
Robust, brooding, and suspenseful reboot of the Caped Crusader that delivers
Excellent casting and stellar direction makes this latest interpretation of the Caped Crusader a winner. Matt Reeves breathes new life into Batman's world and roster of characters in a stylish and moody thriller that owes a lot more to '70s detective movies and '80s crime dramas than contemporary action cinema.
Gotham City has not looked this dark and foreboding since the Tim Burton movies. At first glance at the skyline, it seems perfectly normal for a typical urban setting. But once you traverse through the streets and corridors, it looks like an ugly monstrosity. It looks gothic but like it's decaying from the inside out.
Robert Pattinson is a good fit for a moodier Batman. He's playing Bruce Wayne as a more volatile Batman but he is not a crazed murderous vigilante;he even shuns guns at one point. He wears the suit most of the movie and is Bruce Wayne in only a few scenes. I appreciated that. Zoe Kravitz is wonderful casting as Catwoman. She's sexy and sly and knows how to be coy with her male costars. She's surprisingly convincing in the action scenes.
Paul Dano is extremely creepy as The Riddler. His face is obscured for most of the movie but his voice is chilling when delivering lines. Colin Farrell is a riot as Penguin. His makeup and physical transformation is astonishing. He yucks it up in every scene like a sleazier version of Robert De Niro. Jeffrey Wright fits the role of James Gordon like a glove. His partnership with Pattinson's Batman seems forged out of weary friendship and wariness of his own colleagues on the police force.
The movie is more like a mystery than an action thriller. Although there are some killer action set-pieces, particularly a hectic car chase through Gotham traffic and a cataclysmic showdown. I don't want to give away too much of the plot because watching it is that much an experience and it's quite rewarding.
While the Gotham that Matt Reeves created is a much darker and cynical world than arguably either Tim Burton or even Christopher Nolan, the movie is not a hopeless and oppressive movie. There are big moments and then smaller moments that are surprisingly moving.
Matt Reeves' reimagining of a revered comic book hero is a suspenseful and thrilling alternative to other less ambitious superhero movies. I can't wait for the sequels.
The Lost City (2022)
As a return visit to the theaters this was a pleasant escape from reality
That may sound like a kind if backhanded compliment but that is not my intention. Rest assured, The Lost City (of D) is a lot of fun and is honestly better than it should be.
The story does like milking the plot structure from '80s classic adventure movies like Romancing the Stone or Indiana Jones. It follows frustrated romance novelist Loretta Sage (Bullock) and her dim cover model Alan (Tatum) after she's kidnapped by a weird billionaire (Radcliffe) who's looking for a lost treasure. And he thinks Loretta Sage knows how to locate it. The lovelorn Alan follows after them to rescue Loretta with the help of a cool-as-hell specialist (Brad Pitt) who is not onscreen very long.
The movie sounds tiresome on paper and I'll be honest, the first ten or fifteen minutes are both rushed and thinly written. I was worried if this was going to be the whole movie. But luckily once Sandra Bullock and Channing Tatum are onscreen together trying to survive and fall in love, it is quite a lot of fun.
Once the adventure begins, it really picks up and the jokes are really funny. Despite being 57, Sandra Bullock remains a gorgeous woman and her comic timing is as good as ever. Channing Tatum has mastered playing the 'dumb but sweet manchild' to a tee now. I saw more of Tatum' ass than I ever wanted to see though. They had surprisingly good chemistry.
The show is nearly stolen by Daniel Radcliffe who is having an absolute blast as the bad guy Abigail Fairfax (yes really). He really yucks it up as a wacky rich lunatic and has some great lines. Brad Pitt really just has a cameo appearance in turns of screen-time without going into spoilers. But he is so cool and funny at the same time.
A couple of the side characters are kind of wasted unfortunately. There is a sidestory about Loretta Sage's assistant (Da'Vine Joy Randolph) who is also on a rescue mission and it is jarring whenever it cuts back from the main story to her. Randolph's demeanor and delivery could make some lines funny but they don't give her that many good jokes and that's a shame. A second character who is basically a grown woman acting like a teenager is very annoying but she's not onscreen long thank god.
On the flip slide, Oscar Nunez (from The Office) is in this and he is pretty damn funny. It's a one-joke stereotypical kind of character but man he is hilarious and did everything right.
There is not quite as much action in this as say Jungle Cruise or the more recent Jumanji movies. But it's clever how they handle the fight scenes and chases.
Despite its generic sounding title, The Lost City is a good time.
The Last Duel (2021)
Gritty and un-romanticized medieval piece that also works as a courtroom drama
Ridley Scott returns to the historical genre in this medieval drama about a knight and a squire who fight to the death after one is accused of raping the other's wife. Based on a true story of course.
Matt Damon is surprisingly boring here. His character may not be cruel but he can be thoughtless and indignant despite his noble background. But Adam Driver is far better as the accused squire. He's pretentious and flamboyant like a young Alan Rickman;in fact his appearance is very similar to Rickman in Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves.
But both Matt Damon and Adam Driver are outshined by Jodie Comer. She far and away does the best of all three. She's sympathetic and compelling as a clearly capable woman who is restricted by the social and legal framework of her era. Ben Affleck is actually quite entertaining as a depraved and corrupt nobleman.
There's more emphasis on drama and dialogue instead of action. The structure of the narrative takes its cue from Rashomon. The events before and when the rape occurs are told from the perspective of all three individuals.
But there's a few battles sprinkled throughout the story. The climactic duel is a tense and brutal fight scene. There is actually not much of a soundtrack throughout the movie.
But once the score starts to swell to match the scene, like for an earlier Ridley Scott movie, it soars.