auskooper Reviews

Harriet (I) (2019)

Harriet

[7/10 · 21 May 2024]

Harriet is the film about the famous conductor of the Underground Railroad Harriet Tubman. It takes place before the Civil War in the 1860, more towards the 1850s. It has the origins of her helping slaves to freedom. It shows more of what the US was like before the Civil War.

I feel like it did an alright job at telling her tale but could've been covered way more in depth. Probably have a show about her life to show it way more in depth. Just some things about her life seems to be cut out with it being a 2 hour long film. Maybe a 8-10 episode long series with each episode being 40-50 minutes long. Or even have more episodes than that, that's just the first episode range I thought of. That I'll feel would cover more depth of her life. There's obviously more to her life than what's in this film.

Blade: The Series (2006)

Continuation of the Blade Franchise, Pretty alright

[7/10 · 20 May 2024]

Blade the Series is the series following the events of Blade Trinity. Surprising that the pilot is TV-MA and the rest of the series is TV-14 with the series following 3 rated R films. It does have quite a bit of blood and violence and some sexual content, of which could make it TV-MA. Blade is definitely more of a R/TV-MA rated character than a PG-13/TV-14 rated one.

Wesley Snipes doesn't return as Blade in this series. The role of Blade went to Sticky Fingaz for the entirety of the series. It is still a sequel to Snipes' trilogy. I'm not sure the exact reason why but Sticky Fingaz did an alright job in the series.

It does some of Blade's youth towards the middle of the series. I felt like that would've been a good idea to include in the first film. I felt like it is good that they finally did a bit of it.

When the series started, it definitely seems like some time has passed since Blade Trinity and this show. Obviously not a direct sequel. Trinity ended on a note that there could be a follow-up, of which this series picks up after some time after the ending. The one season we got of this series definitely feels like it also could have a follow-up. I have researched it and it didn't get a season 2 is mainly of financial reasons of the studio. I feel like this Blade could definitely appear again in Avengers Secret Wars as a bit of insight of what happens after the series. Hopefully both Wesley Snipes and Sticky Fingaz could both return as they seem to have more time for their Blades.

Planet Hulk (2010 Video)

Planet Hulk

[8/10 · 18 May 2024]

Planet Hulk is an animated Marvel film about the Planet Hulk storyline in the comics. It is more comic accurate than the MCU version in Thor Ragnarok as it focuses on the Hulk and does take place in a universe with the Illuminati. It focuses way more on Sakaar than any one project in the MCU, with Ragnarok taking some time on Asgard and Earth as well, and this one pretty much takes place pretty much entirely on Sakaar. It really shows the brutality of Sakaar. There's some blood and intense scenes that might not be the best for younger audiences. There's no cursing or anything relating to drugs or sex in it. The only thing concerning parents/guardians of younger children is the violence. This film definitely proves animation doesn't always guarantee the most family friendly.

The Hudsucker Proxy (1994)

Hudsucker Proxy

[7/10 · 17 May 2024]

Hudsucker Proxy is a comedy film about a business and the creation of the Hula Hoop. It is a fictional take on it and is NOT based on any true story. There's several exaggerated elements throughout the film, so obviously it didn't happen in real life. It does bring some things from an economics class to life, like a corporation as a business and supply and demand. It mainly revolves around the corporation setting, so it is an economic film that revolves around the specifics. It's very comical in nature, so don't take it too seriously. Still could be somewhat educational with it touching a bit of economics. That's mainly what I have to mention about this film.

Daredevil (2003)

Daredevil's Director's Cut

[8/10 · 11 May 2024]

Starting off, I like to say that I only watched the R-rated 2 hour and 13 minute long director's cut and not the PG-13 1 hour and 43 minute long theatrical version and I'm reviewing that. I find it does feel pretty intense with the soundtrack and what happens. With that, it definitely has the layer of suspense throughout. I find it does a good job at pulling the origin of him becoming a blind superhero. Him becoming a lawyer protecting the innocent also stems from the same thing. Elektra doesn't get a lot of development, but think, she got a spinoff. I find there was room for a sequel besides a spin-off I believe takes place before this film, but the theatrical version doesn't have the best reception and got around $180M in the box office (isn't considered the best but it was against a $70M budget), and it has been 20 years since it originally released.

Batwoman (2019–2022)

Pretty bland

[5/10 · 8 May 2024]

I find that Batwoman can be a mixed bag but my opinion is overall negative. I find that the first episode of the first season and the first and last episode of the 2nd season was the best. Everything else was meh at best.

Starting off, I feel like the first season focuses way more on Kate Kane issues than actual Batwoman issues. I feel like if the first season was all there was to the show, I feel like Kate Kane would be a way better title than Batwoman. It kinda fixes the issue when Ryan Wilder took the role of Batwoman.

The show has Batman suddenly disappearing some time before the events of the show taking place but there's no logical reason for his villains not running all haywire. It only deals with his villains until it's way too late in the 3rd season. As well, when those villains seemingly come back, they just seemed to be gotten rid of as quick as they came in. I felt like those villains needed more time to be developed.

On a similar note, I felt like the whole Alice storyline went on a little too long and got a little too complicated starting in the second season (shows a secretive nation mentioned in the previous season and introduce a new male friend of hers).

I find with some of the things covered in the series, I find it would've been better if they made it TV-MA. It does have stuff relating to police brutality and drug usage. That would be better under a TV-MA rating rather than a TV-14 rating.

I mainly continued watching the series as I thought it might get better but it stayed at a low quality in my opinion. As well, I feel like you could only have a true opinion on a series if you watch every episode rather than just stopping at the first episode because that one episode is bad enough. For this series, there's like 50 episodes so watching just the first episode isn't enough for me to form such a strong opinion on it.

Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings (2021)

A Brilliant Chinese Oriented Film

[9/10 · 5 May 2024]

Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings is the MCU films focusing mainly on China and Chinese culture. It has the origins of Shang-Chi, a character known for being an expert in kung fu. It does include the real Mandarin as well the actor Mandarin introduced in Iron Man 3 (Ben Kingsley). It has this Mandarin as Shang-Chi's father. It focuses on the Mandarin's 10 rings and incorporating them in Shang-Chi's story. The origin of the 10 rings is still unknown in the MCU as of right now and is meant to be built up in a future MCU project, likely Shang-Chi 2 or Avengers 5. I find this film is underrated. I find it a good film and there's not enough talk about it. I find the story is solid and definitely sets up a continuation that leaves you waiting (I do find that can be a good thing as you can get extra satisfaction out of both films after the second releases). The action is similar to that of the Avengers films and pretty well done. It's definitely one of the best MCU films to come out since Endgame.

Arrival (II) (2016)

Arrival

[8/10 · 28 April 2024]

Arrival is a film about the discovery of alien life and the possible government intervention in it. It starts off them observing the aliens and studying their language. It has skilled linguist Louise Banks (Amy Adams) helping out with the military with learning about the aliens and how they would communicate. It shows the more realistic approach to if aliens were to exist. They might not be able to speak or understand English. It seems like most aliens in film is able to speak English, as it can be easier for us to understand, but don't know, alien life could evolve to communicate in the English language or any human language for that matter.

I mainly get to know this film because of Jeremy Renner. I know him from the MCU as his character Hawkeye/Clint Barton. I wanted to watch more of his films outside of the MCU, so that's a reason why I wanted to watch the film. As well, I am a sci-fi fan.

Zero Dark Thirty (2012)

Zero Dark Thirty

[8/10 · 26 April 2024]

Zero Dark Thirty is about the search for Osama bin Laden after the events of 9/11. It does showcase torture of people suspected to have a connection to bin Laden. That leads to disturbing imagery and some controversy from the audience. It released about a year after the finding and death of bin Laden, so it can have a complete overview of the manhunt of bin Laden. I do find it a good historical film amidst the disturbing imagery of which also sparked some controversy. I would not recommend to anyone who is pretty sensitive to torture. The torture could be a big reason why it is rated R, alongside the language (several f bombs throughout). The torture could be more of the filmmaker's creative liberty than what actually happened. The torture was a big part of the film and its controversy, so I figured to say something about it, about how it relates to the rating and the historical side of it.

Empire State (2013)

Empire State

[7/10 · 21 April 2024]

Empire State is a historical film staring Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson and Liam Hemsworth. It revolves around Liam Hemsworth's character getting into law enforcement after serving some time. It involves a heist between him and his friend. Apparently it is based on a true story. The blurb on the title and the ending messages, it actually happened. For the historical films, it is on my lower half of the list but it isn't that bad. I do prefer other historical films but I'm still alright with this one.

It's about an hour and a half long, which is about half the length of Oppenheimer and some other historical films tend to be around the 2 hour mark. This makes this one of the shorter historical films. I like the longer ones as it is more detailed.

Transformers: Dark of the Moon (2011)

Dark Of The Moon

[6/10 · 20 April 2024]

Dark of the Moon is the third film in the Transformers franchise. It involves a bit of human politics in the war between autobots and decepicons. That leads to news outlets saying everyone should pick a side. At the same time, the main character Sam decided to go back into the mainstream society after the events of the first two films. There's a lot of action just like the first two. If the first two films had too much action for you, likely this one would be too much as well. For me, I'm not the biggest Transformers fan after watching these first three films but I might watch the rest anyway because it might turn around after a movie or two.

Mixels: Pothole (2014) Season 1, Episode 6

Pothole

[9/10 · 17 April 2024]

Pothole is the sixth episode of Mixels. It has the first time that a Electroid mixes outside their tribe. It as well showcases the roads in the Mixel world and show it having a big pothole. Those two things are what I find how this episode expands the Mixel world. It shows the basic Mixels grasslands rather than either Infernite or Electroid land. Like most episodes, mixing it part of the solution to the problem. It showcases more of how Mixels interact, especially Mixels from different tribes, and Mixel humor. Overall, it is a pretty typical episode of Mixels from the golden era of the show. Definitely better than the second season.

Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 (2023)

The Best Guardians Film

[9/10 · 17 April 2024]

Guardians of the Galaxy Volume 3 is the last film in the MCU by James Gunn. It sure brings an epic end to James Gunn's trilogy packed full of action and emotion. It is definitely my favorite from the Guardians trilogy. With the ending, there could be a Guardians 4 with a new writer/director. There could be a new era of the Guardians without James Gunn.

This film is definitely one of the deeper Marvel movies. It revolves around the backstory of Rocket Raccoon and focuses around animal abuse. There's typical Guardians humor alongside the dark and emotional storyline behind Rocket. That's mainly through flashbacks but still deeply emotional.

The High Evolutionary is definitely one of the best MCU villains. He does seem like a threat and the film does a good job at making a good conflict with him at the protagonist team. As well, he is a good villain with no justifiable goals.

With all that being said, Guardians 3 is definitely the best Guardians film in my opinion and is one of the best MCU films.

Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen (2009)

Revenge of the Fallen

[6/10 · 15 April 2024]

Transformers Revenge of the Fallen is the second film in the Transformers franchise. It has quite a lot of action, of which is a little too much for my taste. It focuses on the action more than the story. I will find it a little better if it focuses on the story over the action. I'm alright with action but not if it's not developed alongside the story and not just it being the story. I find it does have a bit of story but it focuses a little more in the action. It is closer to an R rating with some of the sexual content but it still enough for just a PG-13 rating. That's mainly what I have to say about the film. Would recommend to anyone who likes a lot of action.

Wish (II) (2023)

When You Wish Upon A Star

[7/10 · 14 April 2024]

Wish is the movie that celebrates Disney's 100th anniversary. It has story elements and animation style akin to the older Disney movies, i.e. Snow White and Sleeping Beauty. At times, the animation seems a little questionable with them trying to combine the old hand drawn 2D animation and the new computer generated 3D animation. Besides that, I don't find it that bad.

I feel like the theme is good to teach younger generations, that to follow your own wish and not just give it to someone else and hope they'll grant it for you. That gets rapped up in a stereotypical villain from the Disney Renaissance like Ursula, Scar, and Jafar who's evil mainly for the sake of being evil.

I find the soundtrack ok, but I definitely prefer the soundtracks of previous Disney films.

That's mainly what I have to say about this movie. I would recommend if you feel like it would be something down your lane.

Howard the Duck (1986)

Howard the Duck

[7/10 · 13 April 2024]

Howard the Duck is the first modern live action Marvel movie to release. I find it alright but it would've been better if it released today with current day cgi. With back then, visuals would've been as good as today, so looking back on it today, it isn't as good as some things today. I find the 3rd act is kinda messy. It just has a lot of stuff happening and it is likely to not make a lot of sense at times. Earlier in the movie makes a little more sense than the later movie.

Don't know, Howard from this movie might come back through the Multiverse down the line. That could fix the visual issues with the film. Then the audience could appreciate this film more if his return is done right. I find that in the MCU, he is definitely underutilized. Don't know, we could see the two Howard the Ducks interact via the multiverse.

That's mainly what I have to say about this film. Maybe watch it if you like to watch the older marvel movies to see how they evolved.

Thor: Love and Thunder (2022)

Thor Love and Blunder

[6/10 · 13 April 2024]

Thor Love and Thunder is the fourth entry in the Thor franchise and it is a step down from the previous. I feel like Ragnarok did a better job at the comedy. I find comedy in Love and Thunder just didn't land properly. As well, I feel like Gorr the God Butcher was underutilized in the film. I feel like he wasn't used enough in the film and it doesn't make him feel like enough of a threat. He's the GOD BUTCHER and he doesn't seem to fit the role. I do find Christain Bale does a good job as always but it doesn't help the flawed script.

I find the CGI in Love and Thunder is a little more spotty than Quantumania. I'm more likely to pick out a worst CGI moment from this movie than Quantumania.

Out of the Thor films, my favorite ones are the first and Ragnarok. I find Love and Thunder is a little more watchable than the Dark World. It's definitely more memorable. I do find the post credits scenes in Love and Thunder is good enough setup for the future and would like to see the continuation. I hope that a possible Thor 5 does better than this one and possibly be on bar with Ragnarok. Taika Waititi seems to kinda overstayed his welcome as director, so probably best to get a new director in for Thor 5. I'm alright with him staying as Korg but not as director or writer.

Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania (2023)

Quantumaniac

[8/10 · 12 April 2024]

Believe me when I say I actually like Ant-Man and the Wasp Quantumania. It was the first Marvel movie I saw in theaters and was satisfied with it when it was over. I like the typical Ant-Man humor in it. For me, it's supposed to be an Ant-Man movie, so it's supposed to have jokes and not always make sense. I find the humor in the Ant-Man movies good, and it's definitely better than the humor in Thor Love and Thunder. I like how this movie covers the Quantum Realm in detail. It was just a mysterious place that is smaller than atoms in the first two Ant-Man movies, and was a plot device for time travel in Endgame, but in this movie, we finally get to actually see it in detail.

I find the CGI alright, of which my opinion is better than other people. I find MODOK is done right. I find it where MODOK is not possible to do in live action without looking somewhere on the uncanny spectrum. He's either creepy or weird and can't really be anything else while remaining comic accurate. People like comic accurate but MODOK is a character people might hate on either way (not comic accurate, complain about being not comic accurate. Comic accurate, complain about looking weird or creepy).

I also find it does an alright job setting up the Multiverse. It has Kang the Conqueror, of whom in known to be the Multiversal threat throughout the Marvel multiverse. It is definitely a film that would help build up to the whole multiverse in the MCU'S future (even if it bombed, it helps show what to try to stay away from).

Overall, it's by third favorite comic book film of 2023.

The Flash (I) (2023)

The Flash Review

[7/10 · 11 April 2024]

The Flash is the first and only movie about the Flash in the DCEU. The main complaint I have is that it really feels like a sequel and this is the first Flash movie. I haven't watched the show with Grant Gustin or Zack Snyder's Justice League yet, so I don't know anything about how they developed Flash and how he handled getting his powers there. It does delve into the multiverse. I prefer the Marvel multiverse movies that came out, of which I'm talking about Quantumania and Across the Spider-Verse. They feel like sequels and are actually sequels, with this one just feeling like one but isn't actually one. That's mainly because it's trying to do the Flashpoint storyline, of which is better to pull off if there's a previous Flash film developing the character.

Another complaint is that it kinda revealed a couple things that are meant to be reveals/surprises in the advertising, makes it kinda predictable.

For what I find on the better side, it does feel like it does raise the stakes a bit. Barry really shows a conflict of thought and grows as a character. The action is alright, not bad but could be better.

Dune (2021)

Dune Part One

[7/10 · 8 April 2024]

Dune is the 2021 film remake of the Dune book series. It takes place thousands of years in the future and is about a desert nation. It does showcase advanced technology but not as much as other movies like the Creator (2023) or RoboCop.

There's various actors you could recognize from other action/adventure picks like Zendaya (MJ in the MCU), Oscar Isaac (Moon Knight, Apocalypse in X-Men Apocalypse, Spider-Man 2099 in the Spider-Verse trilogy, and Poe Damon in Star Wars), Jason Momoa (Aquaman in the DCEU), Josh Brolin (Cable in Deadpool 2, Thanos in the MCU, and he's in Men in Black), and Dave Bautista (Drax in the MCU). Timothée Chalamet you could know for starring as Willy Wonka in the new Wonka movie.

The movie is 2 and a half hours long, which makes it pretty long. Even with it's length, it still has plenty of details to cover in a sequel, of which is currently out and I haven't watched yet.

I find it a good film for people who like futuristic movies or movies taking place in a desert nation or any movie based on a book.

W. (I) (2008)

W. Review

[8/10 · 6 April 2024]

W. Is the 2008 biopic about Former President George W. Bush. It showcases his relationship with his father, former President George H. W. Bush, his interest in baseball, his governorship of Texas, and his presidency. It is a lot to take in in this one film and could be better to have in a many episode series, but it's still fine as is. It does good as a general overview of Bush's life. I would like to see another movie or a show that would go in his life a little more in detail. They could even make a movie about his father simply calling H. W. I'm interested in learning more about the Bushes as they have a long history when it comes to politics, as both H. W. and W. Became president, with H. W. had also been vice president and W. Was governor of Texas. This is definitely an alright film about W.'s life. At first, I didn't know what to think about Josh Brolin as W. Bush, if I could actually see him as Bush and not Cable from Deadpool 2 as a politician. I could see the resemblance somewhat. I say he is accurate enough. I find he looks a little too different from the guy who played H. W. I find the two bushes in the film don't look close enough to each other like the real life Bushes. That's the main complaint I have about the casting.

Mixels: Nixels (2014) Season 1, Episode 5

Nixels

[10/10 · 6 April 2024]

Nixels is the fifth episode of Mixels. It is the first episode that shows their enemies, the Nixels, in detail. It has the first mix that's not a max since the first episode. It does include more screentime of Infernite land. It makes sense that the Infernites has a lot of screentime earlier on, as they were in 4 of the first five episodes, as they are the mascot tribe of the entire Mixels franchise.

Going back to the Nixels plot point, it does introduce the conflict that would be explored throughout the rest of the show. The Nixels are pretty much the opposite of the Mixels, as they are black and white and cannot mix. They despise anything fun. Their fun is destroying anything we would typically consider fun. This is the first time we see them and it was a good introduction for them.

The American President (1995)

The American President

[8/10 · 5 April 2024]

The American President is a fictional story about a widowed president of the United States having a relationship with an environmental lobbyist. That brings him some issues for his reelection campaign. I find it similar to Bill Clinton as he was rumored to have an affair when he was president and that had lowered his popularity a bit. I figured to bring Clinton up as if Michael Douglas was to play a real president, I feel like the president he most closely resembles when it comes to the face is Clinton. I find it a good analysis of American politics though the story is fictional. There's plenty of references to real life American politics, and that's the reason why I would recommend.

RoboCop (2014)

2014's RoboCop

[7/10 · 5 April 2024]

2014's RoboCop is the remake of the 1987 film of the same name. It does explore the usage and the possible consequences of technology to bring people back from the dead. With that, they're bringing back a cop from the dead with technology and use him for fighting crime. It's not rated R like the original one. I feel like it would be better if it was rated R. I feel like the concept is like the slasher horror movies but it isn't necessarily horror, of which would be best if it is rated R. I haven't watched the original one yet, so I can't really compare the two. I find this one could get a sequel. There's definitely some room, but it could be unlikely as it's been about 10 years since its release. Looking at our current technology, RoboCop seems to be a little further out than 2028, so if there's another remake, it could possibly take place in the 2030s, 2040s, or sometime after that. I feel like we have evolved technologically but not quite there yet.

Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales (2017)

Dead Men Tell No Tales

[8/10 · 2 April 2024]

Pirates of the Caribbean Dead Men Tell No Tales is the fifth film in the Pirates of the Caribbean franchise and currently is the last one. How it ended, there could be a sixth Pirates of the Caribbean down the line. If anything, if they're still working on a sixth Pirates of the Caribbean, they should keep Johnny Depp. The franchise is nothing without him. I predict a sixth would bomb if he doesn't return. That out of the way, I find this one is a good addition to the franchise. It deals with death and the Trident of Poseidon. That really expands the mythology of the universe. What it introduces is really what makes it deserving of another sequel. I probably can't go on a lot further without mentioning the franchise getting another sequel and actually talk about the film itself, so I'm leaving it off here.