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Reviews
Dallas & Robo (2018)
Fantastic Start!
What a pleasant surprise Dallas & Robo turned out to be! It tells a story of two best friends named (you guessed it) Dallas and Robo who traverse through space looking to save up enough money to buy back their stock car so they can race again. While doing this they get into some pretty wacky situations like going undercover, journeying to the moon to win a bet, fighting off cannibal bikers, conducting an interrogation to find out who the murder is, etc. All of this is very entertaining and by the end I was hooked. I really found myself feeling for the characters and even Dallas when she was kinda being an asshole and fired her whole team because she let her ego get in the way. Since this is animation, obviously the acting is through the voices and the two leads (Kat Dennings and John Cena) do a very good job at it. Also, a big round of applause goes to the creators Mike Roberts, Andy Sipes, and Matt Mariska.
Hoping season 2 is just as great.
Defendor (2009)
Why I Keep Coming Back
I remember seeing this back when it first came out. About 8 years later I was reminded of the movie.
I love it. It sucks you in with sharp dialogue and relatable characters who you definitely root for until the end. Not only all of that, but the story/message is beautifully done.
"Defendor" isn't like other super hero movies, though. It doesn't follow the same bland pattern we all know and love (or hate). Arthur doesn't fly or have "super powers". He is simply a guy in a make-up mask who protects people with homemade weapons (he uses a jar of wasps among other things) - whose purpose in life is to capture Captain Industry. Kat Debrofkowitz isn't your regular "damsel in distress" either. She is a young prostitute who first meets Arthur when he beats up Chuck Dooney for being a "punk with a badge".
The whole first half of the movie is being told through Arthur/Defendor giving his deposition to Dr. Park explaining why he assaulted Mr. Debrofkowitz (Kat's dad). There, Kat knowingly lies to Arthur telling him Radovan Kristic (played by A.C Peterson) is Captain Industry - when he is in fact not - because she figures they both want revenge so it'd be a win-win. The second half is happening in real time.
At the end when Defendor/Arthur gets shot I cry every single time. I can't help it and I rarely cry watching movies.
Woody Harrelson and Kat Dennings make a great team. Elias Koteas plays the prefect bad-cop-douche-bag. Sandra Oh is very believable in her role too. The whole cast did a stellar job, but major props to Peter Stebbings for taking a washed up premise and making it fresh, beautiful, inspiring, and for the ages.