Bright Movie Review

Bright is a great example of a film with an interesting world (magic in the modern day, prophecies), but the execution left much to be desired.

For my two cents, the film needed less David Ayer and Max Landis and more... quality. Flat direction and questionable writing (Landis was not a good choice for an LA-based cop drama about racism) made for an underwhelming experience. A number of scenes were trying to heighten the drama, but just fell completely flat due to bad direction (and cinematography) by Ayer. Had this been Ghostbusters' great blend of horror and comedy meets John Carpenter's auteur style meets fantasy, I'd have been all over it.

Acting was OK, with Joel Edgerton being the highlight, but the rest of the cast was racial stereotypes to an awkward degree. Noomi Rapace was wasted. It'd also be great to know WHY Edgerton's character wanted to be a cop, rather than wanting to be a cop since a kid.

This movie had a budget of $90 million - where did it go? The movie's look alternated between good fantasy (20%), shakey-cam street cop drama (15%) and a TV show (65%). There were some cool shots, but they also looked low-budget, to an extent.

I was hoping it'd be run-of-the-mill with some interesting elements, and it was, but it was also largely a waste of time.

Takeaway: Didn't care for it, but, as always, your mileage may vary.

Meddling Kids Book Review

Had Stranger Things been an anthology, this would have been an excellent second season.

Meddling Kids, by author Edgar Cantero, is a very fun homage to Scooby Doo and HP Lovecraft, clearly having a great time playing with some of the tropes from each source. Combine that with a decent amount of nostalgia, hefty dose of metaphors, plus the occasional meta, and Meddling Kids makes for an engaging pulp read.

I did have a hurdle in the first portion, getting familiar with the style (there were lots of references and the word choices felt like someone was having too much fun with the thesaurus), but once the story started going, it fell into a groove that didn't let up until the very end. That said, some action towards the end muddled things a bit, but the great characters and writing were enough to overcome any minor disruptions.

For a healthy mix of horror and comedy, Meddling Kids gets a solid RECOMMENDED.

I do mean it when I say I'd love to see this as either a movie or TV series, though 6-episode TV series would be ideal.

Justice League Movie Review

*MILD SPOILERS*

The first thing to acknowledge about Justice League is maybe the easiest thing to say about it:

It's a mess.

But what does that mean exactly? Well, your mileage may vary with both how much you enjoy the movie and how good you think it is.

As for me, I certainly didn't hate the movie as much as Man of Steel (which I consider to be the worst movie I've seen in theaters in the past decade, if not ever), nor was I as bored as I was during Suicide Squad, but it didn't have nearly enough of the good will of Wonder Woman or surprisingly entertaining tonal consistency of Batman vs Superman's extended edition (despite disagreements with the overall creative direction; I'm not bothering with the theatrical version).

My main gripes with the movie are:

• I stopped caring - Shortly into the movie, I realized I didn't care about anyone or anything that was on screen. Neither the plots nor performances were particularly exciting. Ben Affleck's Batman alternated between disaffected and disinterested, with a good chunk of dry smarm and wit to feign engagement. Cyborg's exaggerated movements were also awkward. 
• The film really needed breathing room - The editing, pacing and timing were rushed in a way that gave the movie a really awkward tone. Part of this may have been due to the split-directing duties between Zach Snyder and Joss Whedon, but there's a good chance the movie was a mess during the script. Speaking of which...
• The script - Clunky dialogue, cheesy lines, random (retroactive) introductions of plots/character motivations via dialogue, lack of subtlety - the film needed another pass on both the dialogue and the script.
• The music - Why did Danny Elfman replace Junkie XL? Despite my general dislike of both Man of Steel and Batman vs Superman, the music for both was of high quality. The lack of Superman's theme and other recent themes really hurt Justice League. Not to mention the very random inclusion of the Burton Batman theme detracted from the experience. Very, very disappointing. 
• The CG - This was really, really not good. From the blandness of Steppenwolf's face to the blandness of the terraforming. Sure, it led to some pretty flowers, but everything looked like visual crap, despite the big budget...

I could list more, but I'll try to summarize: the film was a very mediocre and underwhelming debut for DC's first-class team. I can't say that I was disappointed, because that meant I would have expected better from the current DC Extended Universe, although in seeing the movie that meant I unfortunately financially supported it. 

Had this been an entry in the DC Animated Movie universe, I'd have been perfectly contented. Hell, if all the rest of the Snyder-verse DC movies could be relegated to much cheaper DCAM versions, that may be the best win-win scenario - give people these stories with these characters and not continue with the exorbitant costs and missed live-action opportunities. 

That said, the film did do a few things well:

• Superman - Other than a debatable return, once Superman remembered who he was, we're finally able to see the "beacon of hope" Superman as played by Henry Cavill. Had this been the Superman from the get go, perhaps the DCEU course would be in a more positive direction. Note, though, that this movie is a giant refresh for Superman, with previous ones almost taking place in parallel dimensions, considering how different this Superman is.
• The Flash and Cyborg's banter - Other than one or two cringe-worthy jokes, they had a nice rapport.
• The overall team dynamic - Excusing script and performance issues, the team actually seemed motivated to work together to get the job done. They recognized each others strengths and tried to encourage each other to be the best versions of themselves. 

When it's all said and done, I would suggest either waiting to see the movie on cable, where commercial breaks may help disrupt the flow of the movie in a good way, or an extended edition of the film is released which hopefully reinserts some much-needed breathing room. Until then, Justice League is NOT RECOMMENDED. If you want some great Justice League content, watch the complete run of Justice League Unlimited. 

Dark City Director's Cut Review

I recently rewatched the Director's Cut of Dark City and hot damn is it a good, fun movie. I love the art direction, production design (seriously, the visuals are so cool) and especially the music by Trevor Jones. The general noir style is pretty great, though some of the trappings (misogyny) leave much to be desired (women aren't given great material, nor non-white characters).

This is the kind of movie I would love to make, as I think Dark City does a couple really cool things rather well:

1) Editing and pacing (and script) - The film only shows you enough, typically via quick glimpses, and yet its very effective at conveying the message, story and mood. Similarly...
2) Dialogue - Characters are able to say so much by saying so little. I particularly love a few of the dialogue choices with the main character, John Murdoch (Rufus Sewell), in that he knows something another character doesn't and either asks them a question or phrases his sentence in a specific way to not reveal anything; nicely done. It helps that the film is beautifully crafted, with a wonderful villainous turn by Richard O'Brien as Mr. Hand.

Not to mention, how many movies end with a really, really kick-ass telekinesis fight? Dark City features easily one of the best "psychic" fights ever filmed. Plus, the themes and ideas regarding memory and how that determines who we are? Very cool.

It's unfortunate that Dark City has become somewhat "lost in time." Had The Matrix not come out the following year (1999), I wonder if Dark City would have been more influential. Granted, something like The Matrix would have surpassed it at some point, because there's a bit more commentary and depth with The Matrix (more to the world and story that's relatable), but it could have been nice for Dark City to have had more of an impact.

To reiterate on one of the early points, it's a damn shame Trevor Jones isn't a more famous composer. His score for the film is perfectly atmospheric, suspenseful, exciting and action-packed - there are some great themes I just want to wrap myself in as if they were a blanket. I'd argue he's created at least three top-tier scores:

Dark Crystal
Dark City
Merlin

Excalibur may also be included, among others (Labyrinth).

While the Director's Cut is arguably the superior version to the theatrical, Dark City is easily HIGHLY RECOMMENDED. Hopefully it's legacy will only grow with time. It's such a beautifully 90s movie that must be scene at least once.

Thor Ragnarok Review

Thor: Ragnarok is a fine, if not very fine, movie, which I mean in a good way (and not just for the talent involved).

Ragnarok seemed very much like director Taita Waititi's Batman Returns, in that he very much gets to tell a story he would normally tell, but with so many toys and characters and things to play with in the Marvel Universe.

As Marvel's third movie in 2017, Ragnarok struck me as the better versions of GOTG2 (space-fairing adventure) and Spider-man: Homecoming (comedic action), despite not being able to learn any of the lessons from either release due to production schedules. In fact, I'd go so far as to say that Ragnarok shares many of the same plots and beats as GOTG2, but is what I'd argue to be the clearer superior movie.

However, I'm a bit mixed on the beginning, which was a little wonky and out-of-character for Thor, but "enough" humor (as not every bit hit) and certainly the action helped.

I LOVED so many little details (the dragon's eye roll) in Ragnarok. Taika's very good with details and building worlds. There's lots of intelligence with his movies, both in details and the script.

Acting-wise, I loved so many newcomers: Valyrie (Tessa Thompson) and  Hela (Cate Blanchet) were both awesome, kick-ass and sexy (while not being objectified); Jeff Goldblum (Jeff Goldblum) was lots of fun; and Taika Waititi was a scene-stealer in his role. For returning members, Loki (Tom Hiddleston) was pretty good, though a more mature (particularly emotionally) version, to an extent (though his plot was semi-moronic, unless everything was part of Loki's journey because it's a path he was already on...). Thor (Chris Hemsworth), Hulk (Mark Ruffalo) and Odin (Anthony Hopkins) seemed rather different from their normal selves, which isn't necessarily bad, just different (e.g. Batman Returns). Hopkins gets some big bonus points, as I loved his bit as Loki-Odin - I won't say anything more.

Regarding story, though, there was something ultimately kinda flat about the movie for me, with the stakes never really feeling that high or low. Thankfully, however, Ragnarok lacked scenes that undercut the emotion and drama like in Spider-man: Homecoming (so maybe it did learn something). It also lacked the general amateur storytelling skills in GOTG2. Disappointingly for me, and your mileage may vary, it never got quite as high as I think it could have (it did have a ton of the right beats, though).

Having now watched three of Waititi's movies (Ragnarok, Hunt for the Wilderpeople and What We Do in the Shadows), Taika may be a better version of a modern Terry Gilliam, in that he's able to be so unique with his voice and have knowledge of and intelligence for utilizing different mediums and methods. His films are art.

That said, I'd love to see him develop and direct more TV pilots, as those three movies of his I've seen (Thor, Wilderpeople and Shadows) and indicative - Taika leaves me wanting more at the end, in both good ways and bad.

All said and done, Thor Ragnarok gets a strong RECOMMENDATION from me as a solid movie. It's a world I'd like to return to, as the comedy, visuals and music (and shoutout to the score by Mark Mothersbaugh) gel together in a fun way, which is exactly what Taika set out to do.

Movies on plane August 2018 part 2

Watched some more movies on a plane in August, so here are some thoughts...

Sleepless in Seattle
I'm not sure how common or uncommon this is, but I actually saw this film after seeing You've Got Mail. Highly lauded as an early 90's romantic comedy, it certainly has its charm in the ways that writer-director Nora Ephron is so highly capable. As expected, there's lots of great scenework and fun dialogue, particularly the scene with Meg Ryan and Rosie O'Donnell watching a movie. As well, the acting is top-notch, considering the relatively ridiculous central conceit of the show (falling in love over listening to the radio), which is hard to overlook.

However, the film is so effective at being a cute throwback to older Hollywood romance movies it sucked me in enough to suspend my disbelief about basically everything plot-wise after the first 30-minutes of the movie (that kid has god-like powers).

Between the two films, I prefer You've Got Mail, but Sleepless in Seattle is still RECOMMENDED.

The Devil Wears Prada
As another movie I'd heard so much about over the years, I was looking forward to finally watching The Devil Wears Prada. As expected, Meryl Streep created an almost instantly iconic, nuanced, understated and yet larger-than-life character in Miranda Priestly, though based on a real-life counterpart. Anne Hathaway does a largely fine job of holding her own against both Streep and Priestly, but...

Can we talk about how awkwardly this movie is structured / paced, particularly for Hathaway's character Andy Sachs? Don't worry, it's a rhetorical question.

Prada starts simple enough with the disinterested Sachs getting the highly sought-after position, with a natural arc of heading towards the "dark side" as a potential ally / partner to Priestly, but it does so in such an odd path. Basically, Sachs keeps trajecting upwardly, even when screwing up or when things go wrong. For her, it's just up and up and up; though maybe her arc is more like a staircase.

While yes, it makes sense from a story perspective for her to see Priestly's perspective and tease being on the dark side, the film avoids almost any opportunity to really explore the depths and pathos of the consequences of these actions. It misses out two-fold:

1) Exploring Andy's perspective as she goes on this journey. It's just constantly moving onto the next thing, onward and upward. No living in the past, just moving forward. Which makes for an interesting character choice, but also very odd and rather cold; which may be the point, but makes for an odd anchor for the audience, or at least me.
2) Exploring Miranda's perspective, particularly in her one key scene, which serves as the preview of the end of Andy's path if she continues on it.

Neither character really pauses to question what's going on - the plot keeps running forward. And while yes, that's not what this movie is, it would have made for a great opportunity. Instead, the comedy of the film removes any great dramatic beats. Unfortunately, I didn't find the comedy strong enough as a comedy movie.

As such, Prada is only MILDLY RECOMMENDED. The acting, particularly from both Streep and Stanley Tucci, are great, but the plot and general character of Andy Sachs left much to be desired. Note: I haven't read the book, and that the story is apparently based on real life does have some impact on things, I'm sure. I suppose if I viewed this more as a character study than standard story, I'd appreciate it more.

Movies on plane August 2018 part 1

John Wick Chapter 2 
John Wick 1 and 2 are not for me, as much as I'd love to like them.

I have three issues with this one:
1) The assassins (particularly Reeves and Common), and others, are trying too hard to be cool like the opening scene of The Matrix: Reloaded; which is bad.
2) Much as I respect physical actual action, this is just a bunch of Reeves awkwardly bobbing around with a gun near his head. Then when he's close, it's just spin everyone around before popping everyone in the head. Speaking of which...
3) If I wanted to watch Headshots: The Movie, I'd rather watch a "Let's Play" of Goldeneye 64 in Big Head mode on easy difficulty.

There are again teases of an interesting world, but the film follows characters I don't really care about and the most basic, basic, basic, basic story around: mess with John Wick = you die. It was boring and flat. Maybe I'd enjoy it more with a better director?

Unless you enjoyed the first movie, John Wick Chapter 2 is sadly NOT RECOMMENDED, but please go see it anyway and judge for yourself.


Ghost in the Shell
There are actually some decent things good in the film, such as production design, generally costumes and some elements of the story (the metaphysical, the villain mostly).

But there are indeed some problems in the movie, too, particularly with how much they messed with Major's origin and made it such a central point (save it for the second or simplify what was done), adding an origin to Bato's eyes and casting him with a New York accent (or whatever that crappy accent was), not to mention criminally under-utilizing the rest of the Section 9 team. Had the story focused more on them being a solid team, having good banter, but still having political machinations, it would have been better. I'm positive a minor recut of the movie will go a long way.

As for the controversy of the casting and whitewashing, it wasn't an issue to me as she's in a shell - a supposedly generic shell, per the show and mange (another movie fuck-up). Hell, once she got a better idea of her origin, she could have modified her shell for a not-going-to-happen-now sequel. Would giving the role to an Asian actress have been preferred? Absolutely. But her being whitewashed/her identity taken away was part of the story and not a bad idea for a story.

Despite its number of issues, Ghost in the Shell is RECOMMENDED, but maybe just barely. I wish either this version were better or there's a sequel that could show off just how good the property is, but maybe that's what the Stand Alone Complex anime series is for (particularly the second season).


Kong: Skull Island
It's a total B-movie, but hot damn is this fun. Easily my now second favorite movie of the year, considering how underwhelming this year has been (first is Get Out). Kong has some cliches with the 70s setting re: music and the military, but things just work and click due to some excellent direction and editing.

Sure, the characters don't really exist outside maybe Sam Jackson's character, but it's not really the point - Kong is the central figure of the story and he completely owns this movie. We just happen to be seeing Kong through these rando's eyes. Then again, John C Reilly was so much fun!

Also, give the team that brought this Kong to life all of Andy Serkis' future work. This Kong was so much more compelling than Peter Jackson's version, which I've admittedly forgotten. Then again, it may have just been the movie, on the whole.

Either way, I'm completely onboard with the sequel and can't wait. The post-credits sequence is arguably the second best ending of the year (first goes to Split; third may be the post-credits from Spider-man: Homecoming).

Your enjoyment of B-movie cheese may vary, but Kong: Skull Island is HIGHLY RECOMMENDED by me. I'm sad I missed out on this in theaters, as I'm sure it'd have been quite the experience.

The Big Sick Review

To get to the point, The Big Sick is a highly enjoyable earnest romantic comedy that does an excellent job of promoting the importance of love in our lives.

Filled with great acting, the cast brings a number of honest moments to life, for better and worse. From awkwardness to tension, the emotions are both real and relatable. The family dynamics are a particular enjoyment.

While the movie does follow an archetypal love story (boy gets girl, etc.) and is very much a relatively youthful "of our time" story (trying to avoid "millennial"), the execution and specific content help Sick stand out. It's very refreshing that the film highlights the value of love and how it's so much more pure than dishonesty, guilt, fear, traditions and societal pressure. When we can learn to love and accept each other, the world is a better place.

Then again, we are just human, as the film so greatly shows.

With plenty of charm and laughs to spare, The Big Sick is HIGHLY RECOMMENDED. Special props to Ray Romano for stealing so many scenes with his more deadpan delivery, as well as both Kumail and Emily for telling (and in Kumail's case acting in) this story.

Baby Driver Review

I wish I liked Baby Driver. I really do. But sadly, I don't.

I go back and forth as to whether it's just a film that "wasn't for me" or if it's actually a bad movie. It's possible it's a mix of both.

To start, there's a lot to like about the film:

• The coloring/general look
• The costumes and character designs - Seriously, these are ridiculously good.
• The casting, for the most part
• Jon Hamm - so much, he's easily one of the best parts of the movie
• Kevin Spacey - for the most part
• Jamie Foxx - delectably wicked
• Eiza González - delicious, but... (see below)
• CJ Jones - solid, with the bare minimum / basic material he was given
• Edgar Wrights attention to detail
• A generally straight-forward and simple throwback story
• Practical effects
• The drama, for the most part - Particularly the end (see further below)

Then, there's a handful of things I'm mixed on, with the first one being pretty important: 

• Ansel Elgort - If the lead actor is one I'm mixed on, that's a really tough spot for a movie. He has an interesting arc during the movie and shows some good talent, particularly with his choreography, but Baby is one of the least interesting characters in his movie. His retro style (along with Lily James' Deborah) was very shrug inducing.
• Tonal inconsistency - Baby starts out so happy-go-lucky despite spending half a life in this job (and seriously, only now do things start going poorly?), but things get dark fairly quickly. I get the story of innocence lost, but it felt uneven in this story - characters being overly intense or too schmaltzy and "happy." There's such a great human story in Baby Driver that gets hurt by almost everything around it. 

But with a film that's generally style over substance, the things that "didn't do it for me" really bring the film down:

• Almost all the music - I rarely recognized the songs or found them enjoyable
• The choreography of almost everything to the music - I can appreciate the style and choreography, but with the challenge of the point above, it makes it that much more difficult
• The implausible action sequences - I get doing a stylized action movie, but I could never suspend my disbelief enough to buy into the stylized editing and fast pacing, trying to dive into the action and experience of Baby. This happens for pretty much every action sequence with cops, as I could never buy them responding or chasing Baby the way they did. Hell, even the way Baby acts, particularly while on foot. The implausible sequences become that much worse in comparison to the dramatic action.
• The Women - Yeesh. There wasn't a single woman in this movie that wasn't a character in relation to a man (Debora, Darling, Baby's Mom). Homage movie or not, Debora was too cheesy and retro for me. Darling was better, as she was almost a character, but the sexualization of her was a bit on the much side. Baby's Mom was largely so throwaway, more of an idea than a character.
• Kevin Spacey - For the small part, as great as his voice is, his "70s narrator"-style dialogue and delivery was a little too much for me, but slightly more than that his SPOILER character turn at the end seemed a bit uneven, though nicely in service of the general story of the movie
• Jon Bernthal - Seemed a little too out of left field for how dark and challenging he was of Baby. It set an odd vibe and tone to the start of the movie.
• Wright's "cleverness" - There were too many times where Wright would go for a joke, either spoken or visual, that just fell flat or rang hollow because it was too obvious how clever it was trying to be (much like Tarantino's often masturbatory dialogue). The best jokes were ones that were honest reactions by the characters.

To be fully transparent, similar to Guardians of the Galaxy Vol 2, the film lost me with the opening sequence with Baby dancing in the car, followed by the second half of the opening with the title sequence (or vice versa, I forget the order despite writing this the same night as watching). I then greatly struggled from there to get into it - there were tiny nuggets along the way, but I wanted to walk out probably 5 times in the first 30 minutes alone. 

Then again, the final act is pretty solid, particularly when Wright uses his great stylistic skills to highlight the thematic and character elements at play vs shallow style timed to music that detracted me from the movie. 

I honestly would love to do a recut of the movie to try and cut out the (stylized) parts I didn't care about - even if that means making the movie 30-45 minutes; hell, I'd LOVE to do a recut of the movie with whatever footage they shot, including picking new songs, etc. - I do enjoy the core story presented. The more I think about it, the more I realize how much more interesting Jon Hamm is in this movie than Baby, and the movie I'd like to see is more of their stories being at odds with each other.

Regardless of my enjoyment or lack thereof, Edgar Wright is an unprecedented technical, narrative and stylized director. Give him more work and stories to tell. 

Though Baby Driver didn't work for me, I'd still RECOMMEND the movie as it's one you should see and judge for yourself. Hell, you may greatly enjoy it! Heck, maybe I'd enjoy it more on a rewatch. Until then, Scott Pilgrim and Shaun of the Dead are the two Wright movies I enjoy the most.

Glow Season 1 Review

Glow!

In a way, I just want to leave the review as that one, simple exclamatory word - but where's the fun in that? Consider that the short review.

To put it simply with more words, I love this show. As someone who loves the highs of pro wrestling, Glow did the medium justice, not only with an excellent first season, but numerous cameos and inside jokes. Granted, while it did take a few episodes to find its footing, once it did, Glow had a really nice flow. This first season is the perfect refreshing summer show for 2017.

There are so many great themes Glow touches on that were simultaneously relevant when the promotion debuted in the 80s and with the debut of the show on Netflix in 2017 - sexism, racism, politics (Russia vs the US, to name one), feminism / lack of opportunities for women... to name a few. While the show does a deft job of featuring these themes, it has such a light tone that it allows the real focus to shine:

The characters.

Glow is such a delightful ensemble that I was sad when the first season ended. I want more! The season, like it's wrestling subject matter, built so beautifully to its seasons finale main event that I can't wait to see what happens next. Again, that's all because there are so many great, great characters. As nice as the two leads, Ruth and Debbie, are, who's backgrounds allow for an easy entry into the world of the show (an actress looking for a meaty part and a former-actress-turned-housewife looking for a release), I would gladly have seen more focus on literally any of the supporting characters:

Cherry Bang - Also an actress, but black, stereotyped and much more physically capable
Carmen Wade - Has industry legacy, trying to break away from family
Justine Biagi - Great story, won't say more
Sheila - Trying to find acceptance, aka get over

And then the myriad of other characters who didn't have much exploration, such as Arthie Premkumar or Tammé Dawson, played gloriously by actual (former?) wrestler Kia Stevens, let alone Rhonda, Reggie, Melrose, Jenny... the list goes on.

Hell, I would have also been fine with following either Sam or Bash, played brilliantly by Marc Meron and Chris Lowell respectively, though that would take away from the premise of the show. If I could give Emmy's to Marc, Chris and Kia today, I would - to steal a line from wrestling's great JR, they maximized their minutes every time.

Regardless, what I'm trying to get at is there are so, so, so many great, great characters in this show and I simply can't get enough of following their adventures.

Big props to the writing on the show, which shows great admiration for pro wrestling, even taking a number of the storylines and tropes found within the industry and using them in a meta way for the series. If there were a way to have this quality of writing on a weekly basis, I'd tune in every week. I wish more TV shows were written like this, with nice arcs that build toward "main events."

I could keep talking and rambling about the show, but seriously - at this point, just go watch the show! It's 10 well-paced episodes. The dramatic moments worked hand-in-hand to make the comedy, and show, that much better.

HIGHLY RECOMMENDED. Netflix - please fast-track season 2!

Spider-Man: Homecoming Review

Spider-man: Homecoming is the Star Wars: The Force Awakens of the MCU/Spider-man movies. And that's fine. For the quick review: If you're curious about the movie, go see it. It's an enjoyable summer blockbuster for which a big audience will greatly help.

As for a more extended spoiler-free review...

The fast pacing/editing of the film helps it become Marvel's funniest movie yet, easily glossing over a number of conveniences in the story, but sadly ruining any dramatic moments. There were a number of what should have been great dramatic character moments that were undercut by poor setup, the previously mentioned fast pacing or just awkward editing. Indeed, subsequent scenes progress as if nothing happened.

Regarding acting, Tom Holland is an excellent Peter Parker / Spider-man. He exudes a natural intelligence and charisma, creating two distinct personalities for the two personas (the awkward Peter and confident Spider-man).  While it was great seeing Michael Keaton on screen, particularly as a villain, I found his character to lack real motivation - it felt more contrived for the story Marvel / Sony wanted to tell than actually fitting of the character - why did he have such a grudge / the motivation he had? Better writing would have helped him greatly. At least Marvel tried to do a villain justice with this one, though.

The supporting character were lots of fun (Ned, Liz, Michelle, Flash), but ultimately created in service of Peter - I look forward to seeing them fleshed out. Aunt May was a particular victim of this. While Marisa Tomei is fun in the role, Aunt May was mostly around to be sexualized, providing Peter very little of the dramatic character motivation (and reminder of Uncle Ben) that's such an integral part of Spider-man.

As for the core MCU characters, Iron Man (Robert Downey Jr.) and his assistant/friend Happy (Jon Favreau) did fine, but felt largely unnecessary. However, Chris Evans as Captain America stole every one of his cameos.

As a hybrid installment of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, along with Sony's own Spider-man franchise, there are a TON of fun Easter Eggs and cameos that make the film a treat to watch, though also more of a Marvel movie than Spider-man, per se. Unlike with the Amazing Spider-man movies, I look forward to the pending "Spider-man Cinematic Universe" - it's been set-up nicely so far.

For music, following in the footsteps of Danny Elfman, Christopher Young, James Horner and Hans Zimmer, Michael Giacchino's score was underwhelming and ancillary - it nicely helped accentuate what was happening on-screen, but ultimately unmemorable. It kept teasing the retro theme used in the Marvel logo, but never built to it in the film. On a side note, of the pantheon of Spider-man composers, Christopher Young is my favorite of the bunch for his work on Spider-man 3 and contributions to Spider-man 2.

All of the above said, Spider-man: Homecoming is definitely RECOMMENDED. It's a fun time, but more of an intro chapter/return-to-form than proper Spider-man movie. Regardless, I'm looking forward to more Spider-man.

Wonder Woman is a step in a direction

And for the most part, that direction is the right one.

I'll create this review in two parts: the first is a shorter spoiler-free quick review, the second a longer more spoiler-discussed review.

QUICK REVIEW
Wonder Woman is a perfectly serviceable action superhero movie. It doesn't really break any new ground, but doesn't make any egregious errors. It does some things well and some things not so well. It's fine. I couldn't help but think it reminded me of an improved version of bad/mediocre 90s action movies (e.g. The Phantom, The Stranger, Spawn).

To put it quickly, Wonder Woman is a relatively fun movie with an uneven tone, hit-or-miss jokes and great action sequences. Considering it's 2+ hour length, it wasn't a chore to sit through. Reasonably Recommended


SPOILER WARNING

And here comes the LONGER REVIEW.

Let's get to some of the highlights of the movie first.

The Good
1. Chris Pine - From an acting and character perspective, he's the best part of the movie. Steve Trevor has a solid characterization and arc. It's great to see his consistency of character vs going on an emotional journey, for the most part. I would love to see more of him, but he went out with a bang.

2. The Action Sequences - Wonder Woman kicks ass! Going by the quality of the action sequences, the film peaks in the middle, when Diana does her fantastically shot Wonder Woman reveal. The fight on the battlefield and through into the city is some of the best action I've seen on screen in a long time. Even the end's fight isn't too shabby, with relatively clear action and some good character moments.

3. The Look - Other than some occasionally bad CG/green screen (sadly during the fight sequences), the colors and cinematography are generally nice.


The Mixed
1. Wonder Woman/Gal Gadot - Gadot is best when she's fighting, but it seems fairly clear she's not the greatest actress/actor in the film. Her "born sexy yesterday Diana" has a great innocence, but also a naive stupidity, which is really hard to determine whether it's a testament to Gadot's skill or reflection or her lack thereof. Either way, it's a partially odd characterization of Diana.

2. Ares and the Villains - They were alright, but largely forgettable/throwaway. The way they handled Ares seemed fairly standard for the twist reveal approach, but might have been better had they just revealed Ares as the big bad in the beginning to give him more character moments. That said, David Thewlis did a reasonable job with what he had.

3. The Ending - Considering the film was a fairly standard action superhero movie, the big action ending wasn't terrible, but it would have been nice if the theme of love were better incorporated vs "smash the bad guy."

4. The Supporting Cast - While Robin Wright was great, Connie Nielson was good and Lucy Davis was fun, the three men on the squad left much to be desired, particularly Ewen Bremner as Charlie. It was just too cartoony/cliched.

5. Diana and Steve's relationship - I enjoyed watching them form their bond, but not sure it was really earned. The only reason it sorta worked is because the film set them up from the beginning to be a couple, plus comic's history. Within the movie, they don't really do a whole lot together to earn the relationship.


The Indifferent
1. The framing of the movie, with WW reflecting on her past, was an interesting choice. I'm not entirely sure how necessary it was or how it fits into the DCEU on the whole (other than the Bruce Wayne connection), but it didn't hurt the movie.


The Could Have Been Better
1. The Tone / Middle of the Movie - The stuff on Themyscira and during the end have a fairly consistent tone, though the beginning does have some light-hearted moments. However, the middle is the weakest, and longest, part of the movie. The tone is incredibly mixed, trying to balance the tragedy and hardships of war with cartoonish comedy, caused primarily by the supporting cast, as mentioned above.

2. The Music - While it was great hearing WW's theme during the excellent middle fight, the build-up towards her theme could have been better. I wanted her theme to debut as she debuted, which, technically she did, but doing so in the middle of the movie was an interesting choice, particularly since it doesn't memorably come up again afterwards. Granted, it's use in the scene was most excellent.


The Questionable
1. Why was Diana ever a kid? If she's sculpted from clay, shouldn't she just be an adult? I'd rather see a young and inexperienced Gadot on the island learning everything vs a child.

2. How sheltered are the Amazons, exactly? It's a pretty bad reflection of their society that Diana's so naive. Granted, this is fairly typical to DC mythology... Also, what exactly is their power level, considering they seem largely immortal (presumably like elves)?

3. What are the power skills in this movie?? Diana has telekinesis now? Ares has lightning? What was really the point of Dr. Poison's gas pill to Ludendorff - just for an alright fight sequence? Why not distribute to an entire army?


The Wrap-Up
Despite the longer version being more critical, per se, I did enjoy the movie. It's easier to mentally sit back and appreciate it for the casual, middle-of-the-road superhero film it is vs try and hold it to a higher standard, considering how much pressure was on it (and where it was coming from).

Animated Movie Reviews: Blame, Pets and Egypt

Watched Blame!, Secret Life of Pets and Prince of Egypt over Memorial Day weekend, so sharing some thoughts...

1. Blame! - I assume/hope there's more to the manga? Dropped essentially into the middle of the story, the world and general idea are interesting, but the film lacks interesting characters with any depth. It poses a number of questions and doesn't fully answer them, which can be fine, but in this case there's so much more world building that outweighs the story. Some cool sequences and nice music, but a little too reliant on tropes and generics. Meh Recommendation.

2. The Secret Life of Pets - This movie made some odd (bad) choices with regards to story, jokes and timing. Louis CK was not a good choice for the lead role as he has neither the range nor the vocals; not to mention he plays an unlikable dog/character. It's largely misfire after misfire after misfire, with the rare fun sequence. It does have a cute ending, which helps make up for the rest, but not nearly enough. Not Recommended.

3. The Prince of Egypt - Some gorgeous animation, intense sequences and a handful of decent songs, it's not anywhere near a typical Disney animated movie. It may be the darkest animated musical I've seen (save for maybe a Don Bluth movie), though it includes some light-hearted sequences to balance the tone. Religious stories like this aren't really my thing, but the film really delivered on a number of emotional sequences and the pure craftsmanship of it all. Strongly Recommended.

On the Racial Controversy of La La Land

It may be controversial, but part of the beauty of storytelling and movies are the various ways to watch and analyze movies - from individual perspectives to various critical lenses. It's inherent to the ideas of art and beauty being in the eye of the beholder.

From that, I'll share my thoughts on why I think the racial controversy surrounding La La Land is overblown, to the point where it's possibly based more on people's projections and missing/ignoring certain key elements the story. That the film was lauded and released around the same time of Moonlight only further services the controversy.

Goes without saying, but SPOILERS are ahead...

To start, while I'll argue the main concern of the "white savior" narrative regarding jazz is both overblown and possibly non-existent, there are certainly a number of racially charged choices in the film that were either laughable or cringe-worthy, but which could also be viewed from a more positive perspective where diverse actors are still cast in those roles:

-Opening musical number: A truck is opened to reveal a group of black guys ready to play music, smiling
-Pretty much everything that happens in the black jazz club both times - Gosling's initial talk about jazz, then him joining the band later, along with...
-Emma Stone's horrible dance sequence where the black patrons watch amazed (it seemed like a parody, it was so bad)
-Gosling returning a black man's hat, dancing with the black wife then being chastised by the husband (going for a cute scene, but being awkward)
-Towards the end, Gosling jokingly saying the future club owner may be the black jazz pianist

To reiterate, I happily agree there are a number of questionable choices with regards to the story and casting. However, for the central complaint of Ryan Gosling being the "white savior" of jazz, I think the argument falls flat as it's missing the core (psychological) story of the film. To explain, here are the character's arc/stories:

1. Mia - Mia is pursuing her passion of acting by playing the game as it's currently set up, struggling to achieve success. Only when she breaks free of the system and creates her own path does she become lucky and achieve success. She pursues this path by fortuitously meeting someone who encourages her to pursue her passions - Seb. However, as both pursue their passions, the relationship becomes strained, forcing them to separate, mature and grow.

2. Sebastian "Seb" - Seb is an insufferable narcissistic hipster who's so adamant he has all the answers and skills that he pushes everyone out. Only by learning to let go and seek help from others does he gain the success and happiness which allows him to achieve his original dream of starting a business (jazz club). He does this by fortuitously meeting Mia where they enter a relationship and support each other, with Mia encouraging Seb to open up, such as when Seb gets lucky with Keith's opportunity. Similar to above, the relationship becomes strained because, as Seb is growing, he becomes confused with what he wants - career (and what kind) or love.

While Mia and Seb end up parting ways, they still have a love for each other, as seen in the bittersweet ending. It's a very well-done story on growth, maturity and how impactful the people who flow in and out of our lives can be.

I'll argue this was the core story director Damien Chazelle wanted to tell, with all of the Hollywood and jazz parts being set dressing.

That said, regarding the arguments and complaints that Seb saves, then may I present:

Seb does not save jazz. 

Saying Seb saves jazz reveals a misunderstanding of the movie. John Legend's character Keith is the one who saves jazz; Seb just happens to take part it in and use the money he earns to open a club (his original dream). While Seb was constantly, stubbornly argues about what "true" jazz is and how he's the one who's going to save it, Keith eventually corrects him by telling Seb what jazz really is - evolution, change and trailblazing. Remember - Seb is an asshole and flawed character with a flawed perspective, when he's telling Mia what jazz is, he's an idiot with the wrong perspective due to his character flaws.

Something else to think about with regards to the characters - Seb is an entitled asshole and one of Mia's flaws is she does't know jazz. She neither likes it nor knows it.

Again, there are a number of racially questionable elements of La La Land, but being outraged by the "white savior" angle is a disservice to the story being told - a story about the growth and maturation of two characters as they pursue their passions, combined with the benefit of how outside perspectives and encouragement can help us. It's almost a twisted advertisement for more platonic friendships.

Note: A quick review of the film, along with a few others, can be found here. The movie certainly has flaws - such as how I didn't enjoy any of the musical numbers and think the film would be better with those cut, along with some of the other nostalgia elements.

Movies on a plane review: May 2017

Quick reviews of movies marathoned on a plane...

Short list (in the order watched)

1. Split
2. Nocturnal Animals
3. La La Land
4. Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them

Split - Entertaining movie that gets bonus points alone for being an M. Night Shyamalan that doesn't suck. Two of the biggest highlights are the powerhouse performances by James McAvoy and Anya Taylor-Joy (who's on a fast track to being a kick-ass actress); Betty Buckley is also entertaining in a slightly campy way, whereas the two other girls are a bit too campy. Trying to avoid spoilers, but the best part of the movie is the ending. So great to hear that theme again (even if awkwardly edited), with the acting in the last several minutes being top-notch. I am loving the creative/story direction in this saga. While a bit lenient: Highly Recommended and can't wait for the sequel.

Nocturnal Animals - Solid acting by Jake Gyllenhaal, Michael Shannon and Aaron Taylor-Johnson in an interesting movie. Great cinematography with interesting ideas in the script, but the story/editing/pacing (something) could be better. Amy Adams plays her character similar to Arrival, which... worked, but maybe a tad too dry. However, I loved her performance at the end, along with the ending itself. Based on the description, was hoping for a bit more of either a John Carpenter or Stanley Kubrick-like story, but still entertaining. Also, great music. Recommended.

La La Land - Within the first opening musical number I was already saying "F*** this movie," not long after thinking "this can be my shining example of what a polished turd looks like," but as it went on and I mentally tuned out all the saccharine, nostalgic musical numbers and elements, I grew to enjoy the character arcs of both Mia and Sebastian, particularly how they matured as humans. Seb explaining jazz to Mia was a little cringe-worthy, among a number of other little moments (Mia dancing), but the general anti-hype towards La La Land and the "white savior" argument is completely overblown. Seb doesn't even save jazz! John Legend's character Keith does, with Seb only being along for the ride. I did hate almost every musical number - I'm confident excising those from the film and focusing more on the characters would be a huge improvement. I would have LOVED to see an alternate version where the colors of the film are adjusted based on the story (starts saturated like old films, then becomes more real, then returns to saturated a bit at the end - or something else to denote their happiness and growth). Acting-wise, I enjoyed both Emma Stone and Ryan Gosling (as someone who typically thinks he's overhyped), particularly since he went from asshole to tolerable. The main jazz song, City of Stars, was kinda lame, though. Regardless of the above, it's masterfully directed by Damien Chazzelle. Hopefully he can apply his skills to something non-jazz next. Highly Recommended, if only for the controversy surrounding it and seeing the various lenses with which to watch the film.

Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them - Entertaining, but a bit of a mixed bag. I continue to believe David Yates is a bad choice for the Potter-verse - he's tonally inconsistent, among other issues. He might get some great character work, but his storytelling is flawed. I loved Colin Farrel's acting/character (play more villains, please!), and even Eddie Redmayne's take on "Matt Smith's Doctor on the spectrum" was interesting. Definitely nice to see a more pacifist lead, even if he could have been a more active/driving force in the story (seemed often too reluctant). Alison Sudol's Queenie was also nicely played, if not a bit dated/stereotypical. The climax was a bit underwhelming - it needed a smidge more buildup in the sequence for me to be more affected. MINOR SPOILER - but the reveal at the end was pretty cool, though the actual ramifications of the choice make me sad. Meh Recommendation due to the conflicting tones.

On a side note, it was fun to compare the choices for diversity casting between La La Land and Fantastic Beasts, with La La Land receiving (a bit too much) flack for it's choices whereas Beast received nothing for arguably being too diversely cast for its time-setting (though kudos to it for casting the way it did).

Additional Thoughts on Moonlight - The Power of Sadness and Control

When I first finished watching Moonlight, my immediate thought was - "that was it?"

It was clear that Chiron was sad throughout the film and had a difficult life, but I unfortunately wasn't able to connect with the film the way others were; at least at first. After several days of reflection and conversations with friends, as well as soaking in the sorrow of the movie, it finally hit how profoundly sad the film was - with regards to how effective the film is at conveying that sadness (in other words, making me feel that sadness).

That said, I think I finally realized what one of my main "gripes" with the movie is, in which is caused me to have the initial reaction - we never actually see Chiron do anything. We see how he reacts based on how others are acting (or reacting) towards him, but he doesn't really do anything. He's not really a driving force in his own life, save for the third act. He's just depressingly, profoundly sad.

And that's the beauty of Moonlight. It's an almost documentary-like capture of a person who's experienced so little love in his life (and damn the people who caused him to retreat). It's a fantastic story reflecting on the importance of friends and family (or lack thereof), as well as how homosexuality is handled in certain cultures.

Highly recommended, and allow the film to gestate and ruminate with you afterwards. Discuss with friends, read think pieces like this article from Variety on Chiron's name.

Movies on a plane reviews: April 2017

Quick thoughts on movies watched on a plane in April 2017...

Moana - Loved it. Very enjoyable. The humor was fun, even if a little too meta/self-referential. The songs were mostly good. Arguably directors Ron Clements and John Muskers' best Disney musical; easily my favorite and one I'd be happy to rewatch (though I haven't seen Aladdin in a long time). The visuals were amazing, seriously top-notch, particularly water, hair and general design aesthetic. Kudos to Auli'i Cravalho as the voice of Moana (and Rachel House as Grandma Tala). Possibly top 5 of 2016. Easily better than Zootopia, possibly better than Kubo, though Kubo still has a special place for me (better score, simply different production design). Highly recommended.

Moonlight - Was a good, very sad movie. The impact took a little time to fully kick in, but once it did I was more onboard with it than I was immediately after finishing. A little surprised Mahershala Ali won for his little screen time, particularly as I enjoyed him more in Luke Cage as Cottonmouth (similar characters/acting techniques) - but big kudos, he's a talented actor. Reminiscent of Boyhood. Naomi Harris as the mom was really enjoyable. Didn't really think it was cinematic in the sense it could have been a play; but still powerful. After initial viewing, Moana, Handmaiden and Kubo stood out more for 2016, but Moonlight's up there. Also, really enjoyed Chiron showing different sides of his personality depending on who he's around (e.g. shyness) - so few movies do that. Highly recommended.

Doctor Strange - It starts very cliched and by-the-numbers, but once it eventually gets going it's enjoyable. The forced humor mildly works, but is clearly forced. Benedict Cumberbatch was the wrong choice for Strange (his accent didn't work for me). Rachel McAdams was wasted. Colorful visuals and some inventive sequences. Tilda Swinton kicked butt, regardless of any whitewashing controversy; glad to have seen her do her stuff rather than another Asian male stereotype. Music was... OK - consistent with Michael Giacchino's Star Trek and Speed Racer scores, but not anything special; the end credits suites were good, but that's to be expected with Giacchino. Modestly Recommended.

La La Land - Wanted to watch, especially right after Moonlight, but decided to sleep instead.

Batman: Eternal thoughts

Enjoyed the first portion (volume 1), but it became less compelling as it went on. Reminded me of Hush, Knightfall and No Man's Land, but as a rehash. Characters were rather one dimensional, mostly marquee villains (Scarecrow, Bane, Clayface, Freeze, et al) and Batman himself, otherwise compete flips on characters (Catwoman). Julia P may have been the best handled character, along with Bard; I'm going back and forth on Harper Rowe (interesting character, but a little too manic pixie dream girl? The design/hair is probably my gripe, along with her adept fighting prowess - even if she slipped up early it was obvious she'd learn shortly). Arcs seemed to end too abruptly or disappear and show up sporadically.

Another main gripe is it would have been great to see more pathos for Batman, rather than him just being angry all the time. There may be interesting psychology and storytelling that Batman "devolves" to anger, but it didn't do it for me.

Also, trying to avoid spoiler, but the ending undermined itself. It was building towards something so nice, then the rug was swept from underneath.

Scott Snyder has been writing Batman for awhile, but what's his general reputation?

Movies and TV of 2016

2016 was an interesting year for movies. A number of big blockbusters came out, but it was the indie movies that were the real winners, though it appears general consensus is hard to pinpoint one particularly "big" movie.

In any case, here are quick thoughts and my rankings for the movies I saw circa 2016.

Favorites
Kubo and the Two Strings - Hands down favorite movie. Amazing craftsmanship, production design and musical score, among others, help overshadow any story or character issues. It's message on the importance of memory and storytelling is beautiful (especially compared to self-indulgent Hollywood stories).

The Handmaiden - Fantastic movie. It's like Hitchcock meets Paul Verhoeven meets feminism. Beautiful visuals and music.

Moana - Incredibly vibrant movie with luscious visuals and good humor, if occasional a little too post-modern. Enjoyable songs, with great messages and themes throughout the film.

Sing Street - It may be relatively cliche, but the overwhelming charm, 80s setting and fantastic soundtrack make it a near-instant classic. Also has probably the best song of the year: Drive it Like You Stole It.


Very Good, with minor flaws
The Hunt for the Wilderpeople - Great performances by Sam Neill(!), Julian Dennison (the kid!) and Rima Te Wiata (Bella!), with plenty of charm and goofiness. The dynamic between Neill and Dennison are great, losing only a little steam towards the end.

Don't Breathe - Great filmmaking throughout. Some excellent shots, interesting enough characters and solid tension.

Moonlight - Profoundly sad love story. Took a little time to fully sink in, but haunting.

La La Land - Didn't care for most of the musical numbers or Hollywood nostalgia, but loved the growth of the characters during the film. Great maturity.

Train to Busan - Doesn't add much to the zombie genre, but is a great ride.

Kung Fu Panda 3 - The weakest of the three, but still great music, visuals, style and message

Deadpool - Very fun characters and relationships help elevate the mundane plot, but is also helped by it being partly a satire.

The Mermaid - STEPHEN CHOW!!! It's a great return-to-form for Chow, plus more modern elements.

The Lobster - Quirky, creative and very original. The third act may be a smidge on the weaker side, but that final scene!

Swiss Army Man - Incredibly inventive film with some inspiring sequences, but it's weirdness may be polarizing - occasionally simultaneously good and bad.

Arrival - The philosophy presented in the film, combined with the direction, cinematography and music elevate an otherwise cheesy plot (global crisis) with hit or miss acting/characters.

Green Room - Not the most interesting characters, but once the film and tension gets going it does not let up. Even up to the last shot. Incredibly excellent job of tension.

Finding Dory - Incredibly well made, very sentimental, but also strangely almost completely superfluous

The Jungle Book - Gorgeous visuals help elevate an otherwise shallow nostlagia trip with some nice genuine emotional beats.

Zootopia - The relationship between the two leads plus social commentary help the film stand out, even if some of the jokes fall flat and the message is a bit garbled by the end. Zootopia is the more adult version of KFP3.

The Wailing - Interesting Korean horror regarding exorcisms and various religions. It starts as a comedy then slowly gets darker and darker.

Hell or High Water - Great relationships and dialogue save an otherwise paint-by-numbers plot. The movies screams TEXAS, but not in a bad way (similar to Fargo in MN). Nice commentary on land/history.

13th - Insightful documentary on the connections between slavery and the US prison system. The narrative could maybe have been structured better, but lots of information.

Enjoyed, but flawed
Batman vs Superman: Extended Cut - Acknowledging its made some disagreeable creative choices with regards to characters, the plot makes sense and may have received some undeserved hatred. Certainly better than Man of Steel or Suicide Squad.

Nocturnal Animals - Great cinematography, music, performances and ending, but it was missing something to really gel for me.

Star Trek Beyond - As the third entry, the film solidifies the series' direction of action-adventure. Entertaining, but fluffy, with zero new ideas (and a number of half-assed ones, like the new female character).

Captain America: Civil War - One of the more enjoyable Marvel movies, but very, very messy. Bit too self-indulgent at times.

Mike and Dave Need Wedding Dates - Crass and sophomoric, but knows what it is and has a number of funny (and cring-worthy) moments.

Under the Shadow - An interesting story, with nice visuals, but not as compelling as the comparable The Babadook.

Popstar: Never Stop Never Stopping - Pretty much what you'd expect from an Andy Samberg/Lonely Island satire on pop music, but well done, with good creativity and music.

Sausage Party - An almost South Park-level of satire with great commentary on religion/faith, but significantly marred by an overly crude and sophomoric script.

The Siege of Jadotville - Pretty entertaining war-action movie telling a lesser-known perspective from a real-life event, though lacking a bit on story and character development.

Lights Out - Completely serviceable horror with nice visual design.

Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children - It's fine. Not Burton's best or worst. Could have used more runtime and fleshing out of ideas/characters. Lead actor (Asa) could have been better and Sam Jackson could have been better utilized. 

The Nice Guys - Somewhat closer to the "meh" side. Russell Crowe is a bunch of fun, along with the daughter (though she has a few off moments), whereas Ryan Gosling is uneven. The film borders on a boring, been-there-done-that Shane Black story, though has nice moments and ideas. A lot of great trailer moments don't actually fit in the movie. Needed better editing for story and film.

Magnificent Seven - Probably more interesting if this is one's first exposure to this story, otherwise it adds nothing new to the narrative/genre. Good music and some elaborate, if not overly long, action sequences are the highlights, with some nice character moments when you can hear the dialogue.

Doctor Strange - Inventive visual sequences weren't enough to elevate a cliched script and origin story. Benedict Cumberbatch didn't work for me as Strange, though he was great in the end credits sequence. Lots of forced humor that didn't work.

Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them - A number of interesting ideas and elements weren't enough to save this from an odd, if not inconsistent, choice of tone (not a fan of Yates). I did love Colin Farrell as the villain (more roles like this please).

Didn't Enjoy
The Witch - Started very promising, almost like Kubrick, but I didn't care about any of the characters. Interesting ending, but fairly standard witch movie.

Keeping Up with the Joneses - Interesting characters and relationships aren't enough to save an incredibly cliched and predictable plot. There are some good ideas, for which I would be either open to a sequel or perhaps a TV series.

Gantz: O - Mostly impressive animation, though the humans are on the weaker side. The dialogue is very weak to average, with a number of dumb/forced creative choices. Also, it's pretty sexist.

War Dogs - Probably wanted to be Wolf of Wall Street, but failed. Too slowly paced with unlikable characters.

Midnight Special - This felt like an incomplete, pretentious movie.

High-Rise - Started interesting, then falls apart. Never quite achieves the highs it wants to.

50 Shades of Black - Funny, but forgettable and generic.

Ghostbusters - Starts out OK, but becomes less funny after the first-third. Unearned action sequence at the end, combined with a messy plot/bad writing hurt the movie. An unfortunate misfire for the talented lead actresses.

Now You See Me 2 - Better off rewatching the first, which was dumb-but-fun.

Batman: The Killing Joke - The original content is the most interesting part, then taking a big dive when it goes into an accurate adaptation of the comic. We never really follow any one character, which hurts.

Joshy - Forgettable indie melodrama.

Rogue One: A Star Wars Story - The weak characters prevented me from being invested in the story, which could probably shave a good 40 minutes and not miss anything.

Suicide Squad - Hard to care about any characters, let alone the plot. The tone is uneven and the editing is sloppy. Becomes more consistent towards the end, but it lost me by then.

Spectral - Found the film to be very flat and bland. The name of the villains made me roll my eyes.

X-Men: Apocalypse - Can't spell "Apocalypse" without "POS"


2016 movies I've yet to see, but want to:
Elle
Don't Think Twice
Hidden Figures
The Edge of Seventeen
20th Century Women
Tickled
Justice League Dark
Lion
Jack Reacher 2
Secret Life of Pets


As for TV shows, I didn't watch much, but here are the highlights:

The Expanse: Season 1 - It may have technically started in 2015, but this was a great first season. First few episodes move the plot forward quickly, then do a better mix of plot and character afterwards.

Luke Cage: Season 1 - Great style, characters and music. Really enjoyed this, even if I wish they had extended the first story arc a bit longer, if only to get more of one character.

Black Mirror: Season 3 - Easily the best season of the series yet. San Junipero is a great episode of television, though I did have issues with the two characters falling in love so quickly. The season opener was a bit weak, but each subsequent episode gets better and better.

Lady Dyanmite: Season 1 - Delightful. The season's a bit uneven, but the highs are incredibly high. The lows are fairly enjoyable, as well.

South Park: Season 20 - First two episodes were brilliantly hilarious, then the show got a bit too real for awhile, while also scrambling to match the then-current political events, but brilliantly picked things back up again towards the end

Westworld: Season 1 - I was compelled while watching, but ultimately ended the season underwhelmed. Some really great episodes, but the show mostly worked via storytelling gimmicks that fall apart upon reasonable analysis.

Game of Thrones: Season 6 - The last episode was the real money episode, otherwise it was a slow season (though certainly better than S5) with some nice moments scattered throughout.

Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt: Season 2 - While the first season had rough moments, it was pretty fun, on the whole. However, with season 2, I gave up after four episodes.

2016 shows yet to watch:
Atlanta
Insecure

Lady Dynamite season 1 review

Netflix's Lady Dynamite is a delight. Pilot's a bit rough, second ep is better, third is when it hits Maria Bamford-Mitchell Hurwitz/Arrested Development gold. It may occasionally get too meta and Hollywood-focused, with the last few episodes losing a little steam and the timeline being very, very strange, but the word play, visual gags and incorporation of mental disorders are pretty great. I hope it's the beginning of something great.

There's some great acting, too, particularly Mary Kay Place and Ana Gasteyer, with a bunch of great cameos. Bamford herself is particularly entertaining, as is Fred Melamed.

Also, the ending musical cue of every episode has the potential to be up there with Curb Your Enthusiasm's end cue.

Very much RECOMMENDED, though it may not be everyone's cup of tea.

Under the Shadow movie review

Quick review:
A middle-eastern supernatural horror movie set in the 1980s and in the same vein as The Babadook? Having greatly enjoyed The Babadook, color me intrigued.

When a friend first referred me to Under the Shadow, I was instantly captivated by the premise, even going so far as watching it the same day (thanks, Netflix). There were many intriguing elements in the film, despite coming up a bit short by the end. However, on the whole, I enjoyed the film, despite leaving the experience with more questions than answers, and would RECOMMEND it to someone who's interesting in the subject matter. At the very least, there's some great insight into the Iranian culture at the time.

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Warning: More in-depth SPOILER-filled thoughts below

First things first, I greatly enjoyed The Babadook. It was different enough as a horror film to merit intrigue (e.g. the story direction changing halfway through), encapsulating a terror-ific overall experience, despite an arguably good or bad ending. Under the Shadow has a fairly similar premise of a mother trying to take care of her problematic child, but there are some key differences:

1. The father is still in play, even though he's transferred to another city
2. The story is much more linear, per se (follows one character)
3. The story tries to play with reality, to mixed results

To continue with the listing format, here are two things Under the Shadow does well:

1. Shideh (Nargas Rashidi) - She's a compelling character, with an intriguing backstory: she wants to assert her independence, but is stuck in a culture that limits her freedoms, not to mention leaving open the question of to what extent she's pursuing her own goals or those of her mother.
2. The cinematography - Shadow is a gorgeous movie. It's crisp and vibrant, yet still colored in a way that works for both the Iranian, 1980s and horror settings.
3. The depiction of war-torn Tehran - As someone who's has limited exposure to that experience and perspective, it was great to see it told on the screen, even in a fantastical way. Despite living among the horrors of war, it was still a fairly human story, at least until the supernatural elements kicked in.

Here's one thing I'm neutral on:

1. The pacing - Shadow is on the slower side, but building up nicely towards the end. I would have enjoyed a bit more supernatural teasing earlier, but the film was focusing more on character, relationships and other elements

Here are a few things I thought could have been better:

1. The playing with reality - The film could have delved much more with the idea of whether what Shideh was experiencing was real or not. As the film progresses, it clearly delves more into the supernatural, which is fine, but the earlier portions feel like a red herring and/or missed opportunity for the viewer (or to me, at least), even if it's meant for the character to disbelieve; yet her belief never really played a factor in the film.
2. Dangling character direction - As great as the setup for Shideh is, it's never really paid off. She's still stuck in the same directionless situation at the end as during the beginning, she doesn't become a better parent (per se) or pick a new career. As such...
3. It's anti-climactic - Even though there's a fairly elaborate ending sequence, it feels rushed, with the film rather abruptly ending, leaving me wanting more in a bad way.
4. The focus on Shideh and Dorsa - Something about the amount of time spent on these two, particularly Shideh trying to find the tell, felt like it took away time better spent elsewhere, whether getting to the horror faster or focusing on other ideas.

And finally, here are a couple more positive final thoughts:

1. I love the idea raised in the film of using supernaturally-tainted weapons for war, such as the implication of the missile in the apartment. It's such a fantastic concept, though would have been a different story than the one told
2. Will there be a sequel? - The film leaves a pretty open end to their fate, with both Shideh's mother's medical book and Dorsa's doll's head remaining in the apartment. Will the jinn follow them to her step-parents house? If the story continues, the Shadow has the potential to become an AMAZING start to an ongoing horror series, ideally a trilogy. Even if I was a bit underwhelmed, I would still like to see another chapter in this story.

Sky High movie review

Spoiler-free review for the top portion, while some more spoilery-comments below*...

For YEARS I have wanted to see Sky High and, thankfully, it was worth the wait. I had grown a bit skeptical due to the relatively low IMDb rating (currently at 6.2, the equivalent of "fun-but-flawed" leaning more towards flawed), but it turns out this is closer to the live action Josie and the Pussycats movie (itself a rather delicious satire of both pop culture and consumerism, among others) where people may just not have been in on the joke.

Suffice to say, Sky High is pure camp fun that almost perfectly blends superheroes and teenage Disney (Channel) sensibilities, complete with elements of coming-of-age, family dynamics, comedy, action and the right amount of commentary on both class and gender power dynamics. There's even some brilliant material on ageism. It touches on lots of topics, yet handles each of them deftly to the point of leaving very few, if any, dangling threads. I would have loved to see more material on certain elements, but I view it more as a positive of wanting more of the world, rather than a critique.

I fully am of the mind that, had Disney continued the trend of Sky High and Enchanted, they could have had a nice renaissance of building tongue-in-cheek worlds to appeal to slightly older audiences, instead of spending BILLIONS on acquiring Marvel (though it's netted well for them).

HIGHLY RECOMMENDED if you're looking for a fun, campy Saturday afternoon (or any time) movie. In a way, it's a genuine classic, if not cult classic.

*Some more SPOILERY comments below.....

Things I liked:

• Kurt Russell may have been perfect in this, with Kelly Preston doing an admirable job, as well
• Mary Elizabeth Winstead - Pretty much everything about her in this was fantastic: the casting, the music that plays when Will Stronghold (Michael Angarano) sees her, her general villainous storyline ESPECIALLY her backstory
• Bruce Campbell, 'nuff said
• The cheesy dynamic between Magenta and Zach, complete with the "happy ending" 
• Every contrived plot moment to allow the "sidekicks" to use their powers
• Steven Strait going from villain to thoughtful stranger-turned-friend
• All the many nods and Easter Eggs to comics/superheroes
• Michael Giacchino's cheesy musical score - it's not really memorable, but works perfectly 

Things that could have been better or are odd, but rolling with anyway:

• Will Stronghold - Angarano was serviceable, but his storyline was rather par for the course. It was both interesting and nice that he developed one of his powers part way through, particularly to advance the story, though there could have been more emotional weight to the idea of never gaining powers building to a reveal at the end (but would have been a different story). As well, while some of the relationship elements were fun, others were a tad too cheesy; or at least, the ending of him and Layla kissing at the end (remember: they're 14ish years old)
• The dynamic between Royal Pain and her "dad" was very strange/didn't make much sense

Despite any flaws, Sky High was such a fun time that I wish we had more of the world and voice. Although apparently as of November 2016 a sequel may be in the works!

The Wailing movie review

I'll preface that I'm not familiar with every Korean horror movie of the past 10-15 years, but I will say two things from the ones I have seen of the past 10+ years: 1) they are interesting, and 2) they are not afraid to go to dark places.

The Wailing is another great entry along those two lines. With beautiful cinematography (and some gorgeous shots), the film starts practically as a comedy before steadily progressing into darker and darker territories, raising new questions and doubts on the path towards a beautiful crescendo of an ending. It's a type of horror I don't often see in American horror films, which, in my experience, are typically either shock scares or a steady sense of dread.

The movie does a great job of blending the practical with the supernatural/religious, providing enough treats and morsels of hints that fully roped me in, anxious to see what would happen next and how everything would be resolved. Maybe one of the greatest parts of the film is how this is pretty much all unveiled through the knowledge/perspective of the lead character, which is why the film is able to take such great twists and turns. There is also some very interesting race commentary, though that's all I'll say on that.

It may not have had the ending I wanted, but it had the ending I needed, overall earning a HIGHLY RECOMMENDED status from me. One of the nicest compliments I can say about The Wailing is that, for 2.5 hours, it flew by and left me wanting more.

The Lobster movie review

I rather enjoyed The Lobster - it is fun and quirky in many of the right ways. I thoroughly enjoyed the discordant dystopia presented in the film, particularly in the first act. Featuring/hiding animals throughout the rest of the movie was a wonderful touch. On the whole, the acting was also fantastic, with almost everyone having very dry, awkward personalities that fit the tone of the movie brilliantly. Colin Farrell continues his renaissance with another great choice (everyone does really well).

The movie is far from perfect, though, as I hav two gripes with the film (SPOILERS if you haven't seen it):

1. It's a bit long in the tooth - As the film is rather unique, it became challenging to stay with the voice towards the end. Had the pacing improved, it may have remedied the issue and helped with rewatchability. Then again...

2. The final act - While the very end of the movie is executed excellently, I would have loved if the third act went in a different direction: do more commentary on romance and societies by having a minor twist where the loners are an additional layer of the society controlling people's love lives, with Léa Seydoux's character actually working for a company trying to control society (same one that owns the hotel). The current dark revenge ending was fine, but it felt like a missed opportunity. It would have also been great to see some of the fallout from the loner's mission to the hotel, but what was done (to expose the lies relationships are built on) was nice.

In either case, The Lobster gets a solid RECOMMENDATION for its originality, ideas and humor.