lucaslw-93145 Reviews

The Super Mario Bros. Movie (2023)

Solid Mario movie, less than solid casting for the two leads

[7/10 · 27 May 2024]

High 7, low 8 out of 10.

It's a neatly packaged Mario film. Pretty much every expectation you could reasonably have about a Mario film has its box ticked. There's organic and well-integrated fan service, decent humor, top-notch animation. The story is paced well and at 1.5 hrs of runtime, it doesn't overstay it's welcome. It is ultimately a straight-forward story. Little in the way of novel story-telling, but even so, the story we get is well executed within it's well-trodden parameters. Ending is a little weak and boring, but oh well, it's a Mario movie.

In terms of casting, I cannot wrap my head around Chris Pratt and Charlie Day being cast as the titular leads of this movie. Every scene they're in, their performance is jarring and incredibly recognizable in an immersion destroying way. Even Seth Rogan, who makes no effort to disguise his voice, fits better in his role than Pratt and Day do in theirs. Really a glaring black mark on an otherwise solid Nintendo movie. On the flip side, Jack Black, Anya Taylor Joy, and Michael Keegan Peele give great performances.

I would welcome a recast of Mario & Luigi if they end up making a sequel.

Avatar: The Way of Water (2022)

Lovely visuals from the mind of James Cameron and.. what technically counts as a script.. also from the mind of James Cameron

[5/10 · 26 May 2024]

Boy am I not a fan of this franchise. Some of the most involved VFX art and creative world-building in the history of cinema and they continue to dump mediocre script after mediocre script into this. James Cameron's lack of pretense with these movies is admirable. I'm convinced he knows these scripts suck but he just keeps chugging ahead to fund this monument to his imagined sci-fi paradise. Kudos for that.

If you didn't like the first plot of the first film, you won't like this one either. It's the same recycled, boring beats that didn't work the first time repackaged into this second installment. There's the literal same antagonist (despite dying in the first film), there's Jake learning a new way of life again, humans destroying the environment, and then a final battle between Jake and the Colonel. Riveting stuff, hard to see what's coming next with all the twists and turns the story has to offer. In fairness, there are children in this film, that's a new addition, but they're bland and the similarities drawn between the younger brothers of the two chiefs and the lone whale-creature are pretty much surface level and end at they're all "outcasts" however dramatized that may be. I'm not really invested in any of these characters and when the older brother dies or the younger sibling is in grave danger, I struggle to feel anything.

The colonel loves to threaten to kill Jake's children, but he seems way more invested in announcing how he'll definitely do it rather than actually kill anyone the 3-4 plentiful chances he gets to actually kill the kids. Not really a fan of that. Either write the children out of these cheap farces or have him follow through. The only thing more laborious than sitting through 3 hours of this slog is listening to the colonel repeat himself over and over again as he continually lets opportunity obnoxiously slip past him.

The soundtrack is forgettable, it wasn't till the 3rd act of the film that I realized there even was a soundtrack. Not that every great movie needs a memorable soundtrack, but this movie is already missing a lot.

Zoe Saldana is in this. Good for her, get that bag girl.

Idk, VFX are fine. The first one was groundbreaking for its time, by this point in 2022, I'm not entirely sure the VFX have been pushed much further than the first movie. It may have been my imagination or the fact that I watched this on a TV instead of a theater (55in 4k OLED screen though, so still no slouch), but parts of the VFX, largely the mix media between real humans and their CGI surroundings / alien fauna & flora weren't even top of the line by modern standards. Either way, Pandora remains a visually spectacle even if it's not enough to make up for the lack of story here. The ocean and sealife shots are still very cool to watch.

Not a fan, looking forward to making the same review in 15 years when Avatar 3 drops.

Judas and the Black Messiah (2021)

From history's archive of important stories

[8/10 · 20 May 2024]

Judas and the Black Messiah (JBM) tells the story of car thief turned FBI informant William (Bill) O'Neal and his relationship with Fred Hampton, the charismatic, idealist leader of the Illinois chapter of the Black Panther party. It's a tale of espionage, race, and betrayal. I'm reminded of another film, BlacKkKlansman, but while both films cover based-on-true-stories tales of espionage and race, the levity and sense of justice that makes BlacKkKlansman such a good movie are decidedly not in here. Where BlacKkKlansman has a very black and white morality where the protagonists are clearly the good guys, JBM is a much tougher tangle to decipher. Our lead character in LaKeith's Bill O'Neal is conflicted, struggling, and self-interested even as he takes on the word and scripture of his selfless black Messiah in Kaluuya's Fred Hampton. In some sense, it's a battle between the shades of black and grey on the scale of ideals. Not a knock against JBM, the two are their own, unique stories, but just something that came to mind when watching.

Daniel Kaluuya and LaKeith Stanfield are the titular co-stars of this movie and both bring their A-games. No real notes to list here other than to say it's a flawless performance from both actors.

Soundtrack wasn't particularly noteworthy, camerawork was good. Dialogue was solid and writing overall met the mark. As I've said before, it's not a particularly fun film to watch and can be downright upsetting at times, regardless of how much you agree or disagree with the broader political views of the characters, but that's neither the intent of this film nor something I'd be justified in demanding, especially in the genre of civil rights historical dramas. Whatever the case, Judas and the Black Messiah tells an important story and tells it well. I wasn't aware of this piece of history prior to the film and I appreciate this well executed adaptation of Bill O'Neal / Fred Hampton's story.

The Devil Wears Prada (2006)

Iconic movie, ok watch

[7/10 · 7 May 2024]

Meryl Streep is fine in this movie. She nails her role as a unreasonably demanding, unappreciative, tyrannical, perfectionist boss. It's not a steal-the-show sort of performance though. I've only really seen that a few times and while Streep does excellently in bringing her character to life, it's not really profoundly better than other good actors in respectable roles.

Anyways, the movie itself is just OK. It's slightly better than generic rom-com writing. Girl meets world, world changes girl against her nature, girl realizes her faults and goes back to her roots. Emily Blunt is fine in this, Anne Hathaway is fine in this. Writing is questionable, I'm still not sure why Hathaway's Andy felt such fierce loyalty to Streep's Priestly despite all the unreasonable abuse she endures. Some mediocre romance / fling arcs. Pretty middle of the road story.

Fantastic Mr. Fox (2009)

Nice Wes Anderson stop-motion movie

[8/10 · 5 May 2024]

Great Wes Anderson film. The ambiance, color palette, humor, framing, and star-studded cast we've come to expect. It's well paced with loveable, semi-relatable characters and charismatic animation. On my watch through, I was satisfied with how well loose ends tied themselves up. Not everything is explained up front, but the important questions are answered exactly when they need to be.

It's not a profoundly deep film, though it does touch nice sentiments. Ultimately, Fantastic Mr. Fox is a lovely stop-motion / animated film that executes with the Wes Anderson film we've come to expect. Nice, chill watch.

The Flash (I) (2023)

A movie this mediocre does not need to be this long

[6/10 · 13 January 2024]

Opening 10 minutes are just a mess. There is nothing here that another movie hasn't done a better job at. The CGI is sloppy, painfully obvious. Acting is subpar. Unfunny comedy detours unnecessarily cut into mediocre action. Barry is really painfully unfunny though that's been a bit of an issue since his introduction in the initial Justice League movie but I guess credit where credit's due, the same stale tone carries on into his titular movie. It's really feels as if someone described the X-Men movies Quicksilver scenes to the director of The Flash and they then worked to recreate that experience without any understanding as to why Quicksilver's scenes worked. The small sidequest of Barry running low on calories doesn't even make any sense as he could just make his own sandwich or pick something up along the way with his powers. Stupid nitpick if you haven't seen the film, but seriously, at 2.5 hrs of runtime, this movie doesn't need any more padding. It's already rife with fat and not nearly good enough to deserve anything more than as lean and focused a story as possible.

There's cameos galore, Wonder Woman, multiple Batmen, (admittedly cool) retro Bat-tech, Alfred, a little bit of Aquaman and I really can't figure out why. I guess it might be for a cheap fan service bit, but it's seriously lipstick on a pig.

Second half of the movie is actually better than the first. There are several fight sequences with Keaton's Batman that are actually very well choreographed and thoughtful. They're sandwiched with sloppy and uninspired action sequences as well so consistency is a real struggle. The plot is convoluted and doesn't nail time travel as cleanly as Marvel's Endgame did. Fortunately, this movie is bad enough that you stop caring and turn your brain off fairly early into the movie. Silver linings.

Forgettable music / soundtrack, really bad and excessive use of CGI, uninspired and predictable plot, uncharismatic and unlikable lead in Ezra Miller, surprisingly great supporting cast (Keaton's Batman, Kara Zor-El), a mix of good and bad action scenes. The Flash stands out as a movie with great meme potential but only mediocre net entertainment value.

The Karate Kid (1984)

A fine classic

[7/10 · 25 December 2023]

It's a solid movie, Miyagi is a great character, he's got fantastic dialogue. Daniel isn't perfect. He's a bit prickly and ungrateful to Ali, it's a part of his defense mechanism, but it does make for some uncomfortable scenes.

The movie doesn't impart any profound life lessons on viewers, but there's enough to be heartwarming and enjoyable. Action in this movie is OK. It's just barely passable, but this was made in the 80s, so I'll take what I can get. Soundtrack is pretty solid, some good tunes matched up to the scenes.

Ending and resolution are abrupt, probably the weakest part of the movie but at least it makes for a happy ending.

Nomadland (2020)

A cinematographically beautiful movie about ugly realities

[7/10 · 12 November 2023]

Nomadland is a movie without a plot; it's what I'd characterize as a realistic-fiction, dramatic biopic.

If you're looking for a movie with a plot or if you value movies with strong story and narrative direction, you can probably skip Nomadland without missing much. But if you're the type of person who really enjoyed the journey of Boyhood, the grief of Manchester By the Sea, the visceral nature of The Florida Project, or the cinematography of In the Mood for Love, you'll probably want to stick around for this movie. Admittedly, I fall into the first category of movie goers myself. But even so, there are elements of Nomadland that I can appreciate, and of the above movies I've listed, Nomadland is probably my favorite.

Even with a runtime of just under 2 hours (1hr 50min), Nomadland doesn't overstay its welcome and does a good job of keeping you somewhat invested in the characters just enough for watching the movie to not feel like a chore. The most laudable aspect of the movie is how beautiful the cinematography is. A good portion of the film feels like Wes Anderson took a crack at more depressing material and the framing of each scene is very deliberate and clearly thoughtful. The icing on the cake is the Cast, all of whom put on a tremendous performance and secure the critical centerpiece to making this film work: immersion. I wouldn't have any problem with Frances McDormand winning Best Actress for her performance.

As for the journey of the characters, it's nothing profound, but the movie does do a commendable job in delivering insight of the real struggles that many Americans faced to varying degrees in the aftermath of the 2008 financial recession. As of writing this review, the current top review on IMDB laments this film for presenting the ideas of freedom and free will as a misleading cover up for the failures of American society. I don't know if we watched 2 different movies, but I think that viewer missed a large part of what the movie is about. Without spoiling too much, there's an entire scene at a cookout dedicated to Fern airing out her grievances at the difficulties in post-crisis America. In fact, the underlying themes of the movie are precisely what this Top Review accuses the movie of overlooking: the cracks in the American Dream, the forgotten nomads of society, and the expensive nature of hopelessness, poverty, and lack of choice.

As an review afterthought, the movie is also heavily reliant on Ludovico Einaudi for what feels like 90% of the soundtrack. No complaint here as Einaudi is a fantastic composer and his pieces fit perfectly with the subjects on screen, but I found it amusing in imagining how easy the person in charge of finding music for this movie had it.

In all, Nomadland is a very technically-beautiful movie and while it may not be my favorite, there is a type of movie watcher who will appreciate this movie and Chloe Zhao's direction for all that it is. I look forward to seeing more from Zhao and am excited to see what she does with Marvel's Eternals.

Bullet Train (2022)

An ambitious, funny, action film that honors all it's inspired by

[9/10 · 12 November 2023]

If you like the multi-threaded juggling of movies like Love Actually or Pulp Fiction, the action comedy of Edgar Wright, the mystery chronicling of Knives Out, the militant obedience of Chekhov's gun in Paddington 2, then you're gonna (hopefully) love this movie.

A star studded cast (Channing Tatum as a casually down to clown passenger? Karen Fukuhara as the cabin stewardess? Ryan Reynold's as the assassin that called out sick? Sandra Bullock as the almost faceless handler?) Unreal performances. We get to see Brad Pitt in an Action Comedy role as his character, Ladybug works hard to balance between his demanding job as a really professional criminal and his lessons learned from his therapist on being a better person. Aaron Taylor Johnson puts up a distracting accent that, much like his performance, I wouldn't change in the slightest. He makes an incredible pair with Brian Tyree Henry. The two have a very natural chemistry that is only bolstered by the character writing & script. Hiroyuki Sanada has an incredible presence and really ties together the climax of the film. Bad Bunny & Zazie Beetz, surprisingly good in their short-lived roles. Joey King, haven't seen much of her work, but she steps up to the plate here. And Michael Shannon, nails the villain role per usual.

The action is vibrant & creative. A good mix of Deadpool, Hot Fuzz, and John Wick. The character cards like something out of Suicide Squad (the one silver lining of that horrid film) or Scott Pilgrim with a very fitting neon Japanese aesthetic.

At a little over 2 hrs, this medium length film is paced quite well, revealing little bits of context sandwiched between eccentric new characters or action sequences and keeps you on your toes literally until the last seconds of the movie. The narrative is compelling and the characters very likeable. While not all the twists and turns of the movie are unpredictable, every bit of the movie does well to honor it's setup in the first half and there is a very clean payoff to each setup. There's chaos in the story, but the directorial style keeps the audience neatly organized.

It's a fun movie, it's a movie with mystery, growth, comedy, revenge, twists, and celebrities. A joy to watch and recommended viewing to all regardless of how silly the premise sounds (or trailers make it look)

Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves (2023)

Rolling a 20 with this surprise masterpiece of a toy/game movie adaptation

[9/10 · 12 November 2023]

It's pretty amazing what you can do when you put together a good script, a fitting cast, and a director that lets both shine. There's a lengthy history of toys adapted into cinema and a far less lengthy list of successful efforts of that history. Battleship, Transformers, Jumanji, GI Joe may have brought in billions, but they're ultimately shallow stories that appeal with visual spectacle rather than memorable stories. Nothing inherently wrong with that -- those sorts of movies have their place in the grander landscape of Michael Bay action films -- but it does mean that when a toy-adapted movie comes out, expectations for a strong plot, developed characters, and good dialogue are left to the wayside. So it's extra surprising and a little special when something like DnD: Honor Among Thieves comes out and gives us a well paced, engaging, and clever story with developed characters and fleshed out motivations all while delivering even more visual spectacle than it's predecessors. This movie has everything and even does action better than standard action flicks. Even commercial smash hit Barbie doesn't really execute as well as this movie does despite the massive box office haul it was able to take in.

The writing in this movie is clever, most scenes set up to something more and have a payoff later in the adventure. The problem solving is creative and genuine to the game the movie adapts. The dialogue and chemistry between characters is witty and natural. Humor flows without feeling forced, overdone, or cheesy.

Action is choreographed flawlessly. Fights involving multiple characters are thoughtful in juggling the many fighters. Like the problem solving, the action is creative and the heroes utilize both environment and props to overcome the numerous goons. Camera cuts are used sparingly and not as a crutch for subpar stunt work. In honesty, some of these fights are coordinated at levels of sophistication rivalling that of John Wick or Shang-Chi. It's really a lesson Star Wars could add to their movie playbook.

The cast is really fantastic and fitting. There are well-known actors: Chris Pine, Hugh Grant, Michelle Rodriguez, but they each pull their roles off so naturally that I'm confident their selection was for fit over star power the way Chris Pratt was selected for Mario or The Rock for any of his roles. I'm not even that fond of Michelle Rodriguez, but she does do the barbarian role justice. (Bradley Cooper had a fun cameo in here too).

Whatever vision the director had for this movie, it's come together beautifully. From the writing to the cast to the action and the camerawork that dynamically pulls it all together, this is a movie that really puts respect to the DnD name. If other toys should need to be adapted to movies, I hope the creatives in charge can take a close look at this movie and aspire to create something as faithful to the source material and to quality filmmaking as this movie has.

Eat Drink Man Woman (1994)

A love letter to food, family, and love

[9/10 · 25 October 2023]

I'm not usually a fan of slice of life movies, but this is a really beautiful film and it's very much a joy to watch, both for the heartfelt story and the visual & culinary zeal. The artistry in the culinary scenes are hypnotizing, Ang Lee really got his money's worth spending weeks shooting all that food footage.

The navigating relationships part of the story reminds me a little bit of Crazy, Stupid, Love (CSL). This film is funny, but it's definitely not a rom com the way CSL is. However, it does juggle multiple threads and ties all of them up neatly and satisfyingly at the end of a meandering and beautiful journey. I guess Love Actually is another movie like that, but Yin Shi Nan Nu definitely executes the concept much more fluently.

The tone of the movie is pretty all over the place. It's funny one scene, somber & sober the next. For whatever reason, it works. I'm not sure why or perhaps I've misinterpreted the intent of some scenes. I think there's some deep message or lesson to take from the movie beyond it's title & the related quote from Chef Chu. If there is, it's certainly gone over my head. Even so, the movie has plenty to say on that titular point alone: life, and by extension happiness, is pretty straightforward. You eat, you drink, and you spend time with family and partners.

It's a love letter to Chinese/Cantonese/Taiwanese cuisine & artistry. To tradition, shortcomings in interpersonal communication (in the style familiar with eastern families), love and it's many expressions. One of the better foreign films I've seen.

Collateral (2004)

A great movie with strong action and a well planned story

[8/10 · 21 October 2023]

What a wonderful action movie, full of pieces executed well beyond expectations. The film starts off with a few disjointed threads. Cuts between a sketchy man in a grey suit, a smooth talking taxi driver, and an anxious prosecutor. There's no deep sense of connection and it doesn't really come together until the third act, where all the pieces fit perfectly and the reveal is satisfyingly paid off. At the start, the pacing is slow as Mann builds the intrigue on who's who and why we should care. But once the bullets start flying, the pace picks up accordingly.

The cast is great. Tom Cruise really nails a lot about his role. For most of the film, he's excellent as Vincent. He's got the focus, nonchalance, and sociopathic stare of a seasoned assassin. He plays an indecipherable sense of empathy well, to the point where it's difficult to discern if he actually does or doesn't care about Max. There's an air of threat to his mercy, when he offers the Jazz trumpeter a way out and again when he forces Max to visit his mother in the hospital. Emotions and care delivered exactly how Vincent would if he were a real person. His stunt-work and action is clinical, precise, and visually impressive and his dedication to nailing the choreography enables some really nice long takes without the need for rapid, cheap cuts. Jamie Foxx plays a timid guy who learns to step up into a bad-ass role. Third time I think I've seen that, other two were from his roles as Electro in Spider-Man and as Django in Django Unchained. Actually, even in Spider-Man, Foxx's character's name was also Max. Kinda weird. Anyways, despite barely looking the part of a timid guy, Jamie really does put forth a convincing performance. He's excellent as Max as far as the script allows. Mark Ruffalo is great as well for the scenes where he's a part of the film, his unceremonious demise caught me by surprise, especially seeing how solid his detective work was up to that point.

A lot of the action in this film feel really good. The gunshots are engineered well (aside from the silencer scenes) and the action prioritizes efficiency over flashiness. It feels like an ancestor to its more refined descendant in John Wick.

Story tied together very well in the third act. All the previously unrelated components melded together well and the full realization of Max as a protagonist feels generally earned. There's no reliance on jumpscares to create a palpable tension. Even so, the ending feels a little scuffed, largely because of MIchael Mann's editing choices. There was lack of clarity in framing and cutting of shots, muddying an otherwise electric finale. The idea that Max had picked up on Vincent's Mozambique shooting pattern and used it against him, Vincent's realization that he'd been bested when his mag drops and he fumbles the reload, all of these could have been communicated with better editing, visuals, and perhaps a more polished delivery from Tom Cruise. In all, a strong film that shows off the best of Cruise as an action star and Mann's stylistic directing, even exceeding Mann's Heat in novelty and imagination, but doesn't quite stick the landing on execution.

Guy Ritchie's the Covenant (I) (2023)

A fictional war tale that does reality more justice than some based-on-a-true story films

[8/10 · 9 October 2023]

Guy Ritchie generally does a good job with his films and The Covenant is no different. Jake Gyllenhaal and Dar Salim really shine with this excellent script. It's a movie not based any true story, but strives to capture the heroism and heart of the Afghan translators who assisted US and allied forces in the prolonged fight against the Taliban.

Some moments are a little over the top (also, why does a private military contractor have access to AC-130 gunships and attack helicopters? Is that a thing?), the action fairly generic (sometimes tactically sloppy, but who knows, I'm only a layman), and the timing too fortuitous at times, but the core story is fantastic. Pacing is excellent, the narrative fairly unique among the well-trodden war-films genre. Each actor does their part and the dialogue sounds quite natural in context. There are some particularly good quotes, the motif on not taking roads, journey will be hard to Ahmed correcting Kinley that he's not there to translate, he's there to interpret.

The choice of title is well conceived. I think The Interpreter or something would have been the easy title to go with, but The Covenant does a better job of capturing what this movie is about. It's another strong movie from Guy Ritchie that uses its actors to their fullest and delivers a captivating, symbolic tale of courage and covenant.

Black Adam (2022)

Please never let these writers work in Hollywood ever again

[5/10 · 8 October 2023]

I'm convinced the studio executives that thought they could replace writers with AI got the idea from watching Black Adam. However much the writers for this movie were paid, it was too much.

Cliche after cliche, really goofy characters, boring character introductions, great amounts of wasted potential. There was no tension in the movie because of how little I cared about any of the characters. There's moments that are just wildly unexplained (like how the bad guy survived the cave in?) and require immense amounts of suspending belief.

The only thing I liked about the movie was the VFX for Dr Fate, which were actually quite good. Very fun visuals. The VFX for Cyclone, not so much.

In terms of cast, it's a bit of a mixed bag.

The Rock of course plays the titular Black Adam. He's ok. It's the Rock. His performance is the same in every movie, this superhero film is no different.

Aldis Hodge brings an strong performance to the goofily written Hawkman. I'm really not even sure what to make of that, what a waste of actor there.

Bodhi Sabongui plays Amon Tomaz and boy is he one of the worst child actors I've ever seen on screen. No charisma, flat delivery, genuinely such a lackluster attempt at a very boring character.

There's some attempt at their version of the defiant salute. It looks really stupid here and doesn't even make sense in the context that it's used. Yeah the population of that small area does the salute. Great, that'll show the demon god king. Ton of deus ex machina, none executed in any particularly graceful manner. Side characters that do their best to add nothing interesting to the plot outside of very awkward forced romantic chemistry.

Really really did not enjoy this movie, it reminiscent of the X-Men Dark Phoenix and X-Men Apocalypse movies in terms of how bad it is.

Ad Astra (2019)

A confused movie with too much fat and not enough direction

[6/10 · 10 September 2023]

I'm sure this movie has a theme and a message, but whatever that idea is, I don't see how it ties together in this two hour mess of a movie. A movie about space, exploration, and some other things that I can't quite corral under one umbrella. It's a movie about space travel and uncovering a conspiracy decades in the making. Until there's a sequence of space pirates? With no regard to how that would even work logistically. Or there's the rampant primates that have no lead in, no relevance to the movie after that sequence. No bodies to be found from that mayday signal either. Or Tommy Lee Jones's character stranded outside Neptune for decades with apparently no shortage of food nor sanity.

For a director who talked about wanting to make this the most realistic depiction of space travel ever, this movie leaves you wanting a lot. Neither a realistic enough movie to be informative, nor an interesting enough movie to cover the preposterous plot, Ad Astra is a two hour movie that leaves you thinking "what the hell did I just watch"

Barbie (I) (2023)

It's an OK movie, runs a little long but funny enough to be decently entertaining

[7/10 · 28 August 2023]

This movie is about the best movie you can make with the Barbie franchise. I still found it to be a relatively average movie. I suspect part of that may be that I'm not the originally intended audience, but it may also be that this movie wants to be a thought provoking and social commentary film while handcuffed to the Barbie IP.

The casting is fine, Margot Robbie does a good job as Stereotypical Barbie, Ryan Gosling is ok as Sterotypical Ken. Simu Liu is a fun addition as are Kate McKinnon and Michael Cera. I don't know, didn't feel like there were any knockout performances nor any terrible ones.

The writing is fine. Again, hands are somewhat tied because the whole movie is a pointed critique on Barbie and Mattel's spotted history as it relates to female empowerment but also capitalist consumerism. And then in the next scene they have some of the sickest product placement for a car in the Chevy Blazer EV. Still, it's a decently funny film with good self-awareness and a script that isn't afraid to take punches (rightfully so) at Mattel. So many punches in fact that I'm surprised Mattel OK'ed the script.

Even if I personally didn't get much out of it, I'm sure there's messaging in there that will resonate more to other audiences. I mean there has to be because some of the dialogue is very on the nose. I'm not sure if that's a product of bad writing, constrained runtime, or the very setting of the film, but the sweeping brainwashing and the subsequent deprogramming speech are not very fleshed out; they're pretty generic speeches and not particularly rousing. Normally not a critique I'd levy on a toy movie, but for a movie with a central and visible motif on empowering the every-woman, a tired mother just trying her best, I'd expect something a little more profound.

I did quite like the obscure lore that this movie brought to the spotlight. Seems to be a successful strategy pioneered by Disney's Marvel, built on by Sony's Spider-Verse, and now replicated by Mattel's Barbie. What a weird evolution. It's fun though, Alan is great, there's an entire graveyard of discontinued Barbie variants, I wish they had found a way to tie in the Mattel debacle with Computer Scientist Barbie.

At just under 2 hours, the movie does feel a little long. I think there are some minor pacing issues but I'm not sure where I would fix what.

Overall, it's an OK movie. Pretty much exactly the quality I'd expect out of a Barbie movie but executed in a manner I'd never have predicted. Social commentary that feels strange considering how good this movie has been for the company it criticizes.

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem (2023)

Strong 8/10. A solid, fun watch for all ages

[8/10 · 28 August 2023]

This TMNT franchise is a bit of a mixed bag. There's some great TV shows, a mix of decent to bad live action movies, and the fair bit of toys and comics whose sales motivate the continued efforts at TMNT content. This newest movie is the greatest addition to the long TMNT legacy and takes viewers along for an infectiously fun origin story.

The art style is unique, embracing the rough, visible sketch strokes and Impressionistic use of lighting of comic-inspired animations. It's a style pioneered by Sony's Spider-Man Into the Spider-Verse, even if the TMNT director denies the direct linkage. What this movie blends in is it's own take on that style. Characters are proportioned closer to Picassos than Monets. Strokes of the digital brush are proud and pronounced. And so whether or not Spider-Verse art is a direct inspiration for this TMNT style doesn't matter because the team behind the movie has really pulled off a unique look without compromising style. It really looks good, an appropriate translation of comic book art to silver screen.

The voice acting is equally as impressive. A star studded cast of veteran stars features in supporting roles. The real upstarts are the four youngsters that voice the Ninja Turtles. Their youth is properly displayed in voice-work with no efforts to mask or mature their performances. Each one has vocal flair and idiosyncrasies that make discerning who says what very easy, even in chaotic four-way conversations. Voice actors can only deliver performances as good as the scripts allow and though the story-side of the scripts are tight and well-formed, there are enough side-gags and hip slang in the lines to keep you wondering how well some of the dialogue in this film will age. For whatever reason, some off the dialogue is used in context that sounds like Seth Rogan trying to stay youthful, though that may also just be a projection of my own age showing. It's not an issue to any degree, just something at the back of my mind: will the dialogue sound as good in ten years as it does now or, if it doesn't, will that just serve as a time capsule to the time period reflected in this film.

With a runtime of 1hr 39m, TMNT: MM keeps the pace consistent and the story tight. There's not a lot of fat that needs to be trimmed and the flow from scene to scene is quite natural. There are solid character growth arcs for all the entertaining characters, heartfelt moments, narrative payoffs. Though the movie isn't groundbreaking in ambition of story and drama, the scope of what the story promises is executed in quite flawless a manner.

Lastly, there are some action sequences that suffer from chaos, making it difficult to fully comprehend and track the physical happenings, but generally the action sequences are good enough. I'm not a TMNT fan deep in the lore and legacy, but I am still confident that TMNT Mutant Mayhem is a wonderful, modern addition to a franchise with a deep legacy.

Oppenheimer (I) (2023)

A magnetic, well paced story with great visuals

[9/10 · 13 August 2023]

This is the first film I've seen in 70mm IMAX. The showings were functionally sold out, 4 showings a day, all the good seats booked for 3 weeks. Finally watched it on the 4th weekend (3 weeks post release). For a movie playing on film for that long and that many cycles, the watching experience was quite good. There was some noticeable flicker, some dust and imperfections that had accumulated from the tens of showings the film had gone through, but it did produce a really beautiful image. Some of the blemishes fit well with the black and white scenes of Admiral Strauss's confirmation hearings.

One of my least favorite dishonesties of movies based on a true story is the impulsive need to embellish already fascinating real-world events. That's a mistake Nolan is careful to avoid with Oppenheimer. This really is an incredible tale, so many details and events that seem extraordinary but really have a close basis in reality. It's clear now that Robert Oppenheimer has a biography worthy of the big screen and one of the most interesting stories of all recorded human history. Nolan services this well in a 3 hour movie, heavy with dialogue, where the pacing is excellent, narrative captivating and the length of the film goes by quickly and naturally.

Visually, the movie is quite beautiful. I'm not certain how much of that is attributed to the IMAX 70mm format and how much of it is from the actual cinematography itself. Explosions of course are the main attraction, but the color grading, visuals of atomic illustration, overlays of rain hitting the pavement, close up portraits, all stunning in resolution and framing.

Ludwig Goransson returns for what I think is his second time scoring a Nolan film. This soundtrack is quite good and reminds me much more of a Hans Zimmer style score than Goransson's work in Tenet did. It's not as unique as the Tenet score, but it works quite well in a classical sense. There are great motifs as well, I believe Gieger counters are layered into some of the pieces played around the Trinity test, other really nice elements that make for music living up to our expectation for Nolan film soundtracks.

And on the topic of sound, we are once again faced with Nolan's biggest weakness. Dialogue is indecipherable. I can't tell how much of the dialogue I heard versus struggled to hear. I think the odds of understanding lines was marginally better than a coin toss. I'm very lucky that Oppenheimer is not a movie whose comprehension relies as critically on dialogue as Dunkirk or Tenet might, but even so, the difficulty in understanding conversations or following the 20 different character last names did produce difficulty in understanding some of the secondary arcs like Admiral Strauss's revelations or who the more pointed communist ties to Oppenheimer were.

Some of the practical/special effects were mediocre. The radiation poisoning, disintegrated bodies were lacking, but in the context of the story, those faults are easy to forgive.

A really gorgeous film with a captivating real story. Nolan does justice to the Oppenheimer tale as best he can in a 3-hour time budget. A Nolan movie through and through and a much better historical drama than Dunkirk was.

Puss in Boots: The Last Wish (2022)

A good sequel and an entertaining addition to the Shrek / Puss in Boots story

[8/10 · 23 July 2023]

It's a pretty solid kids movie. A bit of a rehash of "the real treasure was the friends you made along the way" mixed with "power was inside of you all along", but it's packaged in a feisty, succinct, fun movie. This sort of story seems to be a favorite of DreamWorks, but as long as it keeps working, I won't complain.

We get a really delightful pick of characters. Goldilocks, the three bears, Big Jack Horner, and all the supporting fairy tale characters were all quite great. Death was nice. Had some very great action scenes and a fantastic aesthetic. Not my favorite voice acting though.

On that topic, the voice acting choices were strange here. Mostly with Big Jack Horner. John Mulaney was such a strange choice for that. He doesn't change up his voice at all and it sounds like he recorded his lines in an echoey chamber at home or something. Perplexing. Big Jack Horner did have the hardest character intro riff, but it only lasted for like 10 seconds, so didn't get to enjoy that for long.

Even so, there's good flair in the dialogue, naturally weaving in Spanish in ways that feel natural and not forced. Good character development that pushes the story along and gives us depth in the secondary parties.

The action sequences in the movie were great. Creative choreography, dynamic environments, strong narrative consistency. The only questionable choice was the animation style. Puss in Boots seems to have watched Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse and erroneously concluded that the cell-shading and stuttery animation styles in that movie were what made it great. And while there are a single-digit number of scenes where that type of animation works alright for this movie, it mostly comes across as cheap and out of place against the more orthodox hyper-realistic animation style Dreamworks typically deals with. Not an artistic decision that kills the movie, but certainly one of the more controversial directions the art style takes on.

Ford v Ferrari (2019)

An entertaining, well-told movie with a little overdramatization where it didn't need any

[8/10 · 16 July 2023]

High 8/10

Ford v Ferrari is a love letter to the little bit of automotive history about the rivalry between Ford Motor, Ferrari, and the people behind a great racing story from the 1960s. It's got a great cast, fantastic cinematography, and a generally good story.

Despite what the film title may suggest, the two main characters of this tale are Ken Miles, an abrasive, snippy yet uniquely talented driver, and his friend Carroll Shelby, legendary American racer, winner of Le Mans, and a man retired from racing into car design and sales due to heart complications. They both compete for Ford with Enzo Ferrari relegated to side character as the catalytic rival. Miles, played by Christian Bale, and Shelby, Matt Damon, are both brought to live in convincing manners and the two actors portraying the pair have fantastic chemistry. There's a suite of suits as well, Henry Ford II as the out of touch bureaucrat CEO surrounded by yes-men executives lead by the comically inept and antagonizing Leo Beebe and his more reasonable foil, marketing leader Lee Iacocca.

I was disappointed to learn that much of the conflict between Beebe/Ford II and Miles/Shelby was manufactured for the movie. It's a real shame because Beebe comes off more as the trite antagonist for the sake of having an antagonist and we spend parts of the film needlessly delving into the rocky relationship between the two camps. Parts like Miles being left off the first Le Mans roster never happened either and it's actually Miles behind the wheel when Ford's initial Le Mans trial ends in mechanical failure. It's puzzling because, from what I understand, the real Ford II was a racing enthusiast and the actual story of development and the challenges the whole Ford team surmounted makes for great storytelling by itself. And yet we're given this cookie cutter good v bad relationship to superficially drum up conflict instead. Really a wasted opportunity there in my opinion.

At times, the dialogue is a little heavy handed with exposition as well. It's not a pervasive issue as there are certainly moments and character introductions that are told with great poise, but some moments sprinkled throughout the film that feel a tad out of pace. One scene in particular comes to mind, where Miles's otherwise very lovely and reasonable wife throws a bit of a fit that he's not openly talking about his offer to design and race Le Mans with Ford/Shelby. I'm not sure if that scene was based in reality, but it was such a strange fixture that felt tacked on to drum up a little bit of thrill for no good reason.

But for all it's woes, this movie does impress. At a runtime of around two and a half hours, Ford v Ferrari certainly doesn't have the luxury of showing every race Miles and Shelby competed in. The filmmakers chose very wisely to avoid a rushed race montage, a fixture common in many competition movies, and instead focus on depth, dedicating nearly an hour of screentime to illustrating the gripping experience of Ken Miles racing the cutting edge Shelby GT40 at Le Mans. The race itself is shot beautifully. Great camera movement, impressive stunts, and beautiful sets make for an immersive viewing experience that's as visually stunning as it is dramatically entertaining. For a 24 hour race condensed into an hour, Le Mans, as told by Ford v Ferrari, neither bores nor overwhelms. It's lean in narration, with a fantastic balance of emotions, actions, thrill, and humor.

Again, great performances by the whole cast. Really great wardrobe, set, and makeup. Impressive props, shot very well. Despite a narrative that seems needlessly embellished, Ford v Ferrari is a very entertaining movie and immortalizes a lovely piece of American racing history.

The Truman Show (1998)

An icon of a movie

[8/10 · 10 July 2023]

Pretty interesting premise and generally well executed. Jim Carrey's chaotic, over-the-top persona works in the context of a man losing his mind as he is slowly disillusioned to the truth of his reality. The movie toes the line of psychological thriller with the premise being so eerily uncomfortable and does well to induce a sense of claustrophobia as Truman claws his path at an attempt to escape his enclosure. The tone doesn't quite commit all the way and still retains a baseline sense of levity throughout, even as the ramifications of the movies premise unveils its own grotesque truth little by little. I appreciate that from a viewing accessibility perspective, but was a little strange from a tonal consistency point.

Either way, an enjoyable watch and I can understand why this is an iconic film. It's certainly aged well in both story and production.

John Wick: Chapter 4 (2023)

Weakest of the four films and a welcome send off to a legendary character

[7/10 · 18 June 2023]

Strong 6/10, low 7/10.

The dialogue is mediocre in this movie. Sort of feels like it was written by ChatGPT as an approximation of things that sound like they might sound badass. There's a few lines in the movie that actually are pretty good, but honestly I can't recall which ones because they're drowned out in a river of other quasi-philosophical garbage dialogue.

Characters in this movie. Like Chapters 2 and 3, there's a new set of characters we get introduced to. And at this point, it's pretty clear the creators have run out of ideas. It's really the same sort of formula they've already spent the first 3 films acclimating us to. A geriatric or out of shape antagonist that inexplicably is way harder for Wick to kill than it should be, some head henchman that Wick will struggle against multiple times throughout the film, a few quirky assassins (this time it's a hunter with a dog and a literal blind guy). Donnie Yen brings a suave performance as the blind assassin Caine, but like, it's a blind assassin. So hard to balance the practicality of that role with making the guy look cool and honestly, I don't think they even came close to nailing it. It's such a bizarre thing to watch action sequences with Caine.

Ok, so dialogue is mediocre at best, characters are uninspired, the plot is more or less an echo of John Wick Chapters 2 and 3. But let's not kid ourselves. No one's watching John Wick hoping for Christopher Nolan level plots. At this point, we're in this for the action. So how is the action? Alright? I guess? I mean don't get me wrong, the action is still very good, but against the context of 3 other John Wick films, we're not getting much more that we haven't already seen. There are some admittedly very cool sequences. The opening fight utilizes archery to make for some very nice close combat choreography and henchmen deaths, there are some cool moments when we're introduced to Caine's style of vision impaired combat, there's an incredible long take midway through the film where an overhead camera follows Wick as he clears room after room with bright, pyrotechnic Dragon's Breath shotgun rounds. But between each of these moments of excitement, there's Wick struggling to take out endless waves of faceless hitmen, who now all seem to have bulletproof suits, Wick surviving increasingly ridiculous falls or car crashes, and martial arts that, while physically impressive in the real-world context of Keanu's age and statesmanship, looks increasingly drab onscreen. If you've watched the first 3 John Wick movies, you can get 80% of your John Wick 4 enjoyment out of watching a few clips on YouTube.

Ultimately, this film is a send-off to the legacy of John Wick. The movies are no small accomplishment and despite the shortcomings of the fourth installment, this is a series that has radically redefined what action can and should be in 21st century movies.

Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse (2023)

One good landing away from being the greatest superhero trilogy of all time

[10/10 · 12 June 2023]

The featured IMDb review as I'm writing this describes Across the Spider-Verse as a "visual concert" and I have to agree. There really isn't a better way to articulate how incredibly beautiful this film is. There are so many different art styles in the movie. They should all clash with one another and the fast pace of the narrative is such a chaotic catalyst to manage, but it still works so well. In isolation, every scene and style is gorgeous, from the emotional washed out watercolor of Spider-Gwen's moments with her dad to the loud bombastic entrances of Spider-Punk, or the busy, charismatic styles of Spider-Man India. They're all woven together in a complimentary way, edited with cuts, zooms that keep the screen dynamic, that keep you on the knifes edge between taking it all in and being overwhelmed. It's a balance that seeds a desire in me to watch this movie over and over again just so I can soak in every pixel of detail. Avatar (2009) was lauded for it's visual appeal, but Across the Spider-Verse is really where eye-candy is at. Apples to oranges? Maybe, but that's really how I feel about how incredible this movie looks.

It doesn't stop there though, this movie is equally as mindful of your ears and delivers an ensemble of punchy songs, soundtracks, musical motifs to truly complement the moving painting that this movie is. There are swelling orchestral pieces, spirited hip hop tracks, snazzy electronic snippets, and the chilling synth motifs that were iconic in the first installment. If you were blind or if you were deaf, there still would not be a dull moment, as either side of the equation is tuned to perfection, but together, it's just something ethereal.

I really cannot believe there's more. The story is so good. It's well written, it's genuine. We're brought along for the ride as Miles navigates his responsibilities and follow as he stretches himself thin constantly trying to have his cake and eat it too, the central theme for the many conflicts this film sets up. Then there are subplots, there are cliches, and neither overstay their welcome. We have romantic tension, jealously, friendship, betrayal, action, loss, sacrifice. All woven into the beautiful web of a story and so well paced. It's a fast moving movie but you don't feel rushed.

There are new characters, we're reunited with familiar faces as well. But everyone in the movie is as compelling as the next. Spot, a villain we're set up to underestimate overdelivering in the best ways as he matures into his powers. Spider-Man 2099 giving us everything we want to see in a antagonist who's ultimately doing what he does in pursuit of well-intentioned utilitarianism. Spider-Man India who's steals the show every time he's on screen. Pregnant Spider-Woman, who I didn't even know was a variant I'd love to see. Miles, Spider-Gwen, Peter B. Parker, all the others as great as they were in the first movie. Oh and the voice acting. Oscar Isaac as 2099 especially. Incredible. I'm excited to hear more of Jharrel Jerome as Earth #42 Miles Morales as well.

Unlike the first movie, Across the Spider-Verse is a Part One (of presumably two?). While the movie is clinically perfect in what it delivers, there isn't any resolution so it isn't the entire story. I'll fully acknowledge that setting up problems is much easier to write than the solutions for those problems are, but this film has done an absolutely incredible job setting up a promising showdown. We've got Miles struggling to juggle his double life as Spider-Man, his desire to save his dad at the risk of destroying his entire universe, the guilt of knowing he exists at the cost of his universe's Peter Parker and he is, by extension, the reason Earth #42's exists without a Spider-Man., then the very real manifestation of those same consequences in Earth #42 Miles Morales as the Prowler, the manhunt lead by Spider-Man 2099, and his own continued hunt for Spot. Miles won't face on these challenges alone, but even with help of the full Spider-crew accumulated across these two masterful films, writing, directing, producing, and animating a third act worthy of the first two is going to be a monumental creative endeavor. If the geniuses behind this epic can pull it off, and I have every confidence that they can, we may well be looking at the greatest superhero trilogy ever to grace cinema.

Heat (1995)

The heist movie that stands the test of time 25 years after its release

[9/10 · 28 May 2023]

I can see why this is a classic. It's exciting, well paced. Cast is phenomenal (outside of Al Pacino? I'm not sure if it's him or if his character is just intentionally kooky and insane). It's 2 and a half hours, but every moment you're on the edge of your seat. This really does feel like a film that redefined the heist / crime genre.

The film does require a little suspension of disbelief. There's a hubris on both sides of the cat & mouse dynamic. And of course, it's very much a Tom and Jerry dynamic where hunter and hunted is constantly oscillating back and forth. Reminds me of The Departed in that sense, though Heat is certainly the more entertaining film of the two, even if it's not as polished. There's some really great detective work, sandwiched in with laughably lax police work. Several moments where there's an opportunity to catch the criminal gang and the detective is just like "naw, let 'em go. I'll get coffee with one of them later because we don't have evidence beyond breaking & entering". My brother, they brought a giant industrial grade drill into the platinum storage facility. What the hell do you think that's for? The other big area of weakness is at the climactic bank heist, where the scene generously assist with the aim of the heist crew and limits the aiming capabilities of half the LAPD. I'm willing to look past both of these shortcomings because 1) the characters themselves are fascinating. There's a multitude of dynamics and arcs, each one much more interesting than exaggerated police work. 2) action scenes looked cool as hell. Plus the sound design in a lot of the firefights was quite nice as well.

The ending was really interesting to me. If I understood it correctly, it's basically a game of battleship where Neil sees the lights behind him and realizes that if he steps out while they're on, it'll cast a shadow in the direction Detective Hanna is likely standing in. But then he also realizes that Hanna is just as smart as he is, so Hanna would assume that Neil would NOT step out from that direction when the lights turn on, which is why Neil waits for the lights to turn on before stepping out. He miscalculates however since Hanna realizes the same thing just a split second before and catches his shadow before Neil can get any shots off. Not sure if I read that correctly, but what a wonderful ending to a titular set of complementary characters. It's a good ending to the movie, especially right after Neil resolves to follow his long standing code "Don't let yourself get attached to anything you are not willing to walk out on in 30 seconds flat if you feel the heat around the corner" in the lead up to the airport showdown.

Really enjoyable watch, even with it's flaws. Strong 8, weak 9. Iconic movie through and through.

Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 (2023)

Consistency in a sea of mixed Marvel phase 4-5 movies

[8/10 · 15 May 2023]

The story is sort of taking the basics of a movie and elevating it to it's best form. The first 2/3 of the film is pretty much MacGuffin after MacGuffin as the crew rushes to complete missions in new exotic settings.

But the music is punchy, well fitting. The soundtrack has been a part of the GotG DNA since the first movie and it's reassuring that Vol. 3 is no different in this regard.

The new characters are magnetic, Will Poulter really shines as Adam Warlock in a way I wasn't quite expecting. I haven't really seen much of Chukwudi Iwuji's work, but he's quite incredible as the High Evolutionary here. Really brings an insanity with the right amount of deranged intensity. Cosmo returns from the holiday special as the wonderful side charcter/guardian. Really really loved the inclusion here, what a wonderful treat for dog-loving audiences.

And the visuals. Marvel gets flak, rightfully so, for some of their 3rd act action sequences being an unintelligible blend of weightless polygons rendered on the sweat and tears of hundreds of VFX artists, but GotG Vol 3 really has a masterful balance between complex, overwhelming VFX & still strong cinematography and very coherent action pieces. Fights are often chaotic, but still retain their visual clarity.

Lastly, the sequels cliche main stay: exploring the past of a character. Rocket's origin is a heartbreaker no doubt. It's not a new concept, but it is done quite well. We get the set up for who Rocket is, why he's rejected the Raccoon portion of his identify, the loss he's felt, and all at the same time, we get a well developed, fleshed out antagonist in the High Evolutionary. There's meaning to WHY Rocket is so important in the story. Despite being a very sad origin story, they cap it off perfectly with the final action sequence where we see Rocket has been prepping for revenge the entire movie. Gravity boots, his new family coming back to help him, and the wonderful chain combos they pull to take out the High Evolutionary. Generic 3rd act of a Marvel film? Maybe, but so enjoyable.

Small gripe I had, felt like a few too many "death" fake-outs for me. Rocket, Drax, Star-Lord/Quill. Not sure I enjoyed that creative decision, the Star-Lord one at the end especially.

This is the Guardians of the Galaxy film I was expecting walking into the theater. A very consistent trilogy and wonderfully fun viewing experience.