pinemaples Reviews

Thor: Love and Thunder (2022)

Thor: Love and Thunder

[9/10 · 11 July 2022]

I'll start off by saying that Thor: Ragnarok is one of my favorite movies of the whole MCU. I expected this one to be basically more of that, and in some ways it is, but it hits different. For a while, it's just goofy, and not always in a good way. The jokes largely don't land as well, and it takes a while before it really starts to get going. But when it does, boy it REALLY goes. It's a lot more serious than I expected it to be, and the vast majority of the comedy ends after the first 1/3 or so, after which it's just one fantastic scene after another. There's one part about halfway through where we are treated to probably the most visually unique scene in the entire series, and it blew me away. From that scene on, the movie just didn't stop for me and I loved everything from then on out. Christian Bale absolutely dominates and really shows Chris Hemsworth up in his own movie, which is saying a lot because Hemsworth is as good as always. But we've seen him before about a dozen times, while Bale brings a whole new energy to it. Speaking of energy, there's Natalie Portman's Mighty Thor. I'm so glad she decided to come back, because she was fantastic and in no way did she phone anything in, in the least. She absolutely sold every line and action, and same goes for Tessa Thompson. I loved her in Ragnarok, and I love her here too.

My only complaints about the movie: 1. It takes a bit to really pick up.

2. Overall, it strangely feels about 20 minutes too short.

3. Probably a result of complaint #2, but I thought I could've used just a bit more time with Valkyrie and Jane's Mighty Thor.

I'd give the movie an overall 8.5, but since IMDb doesn't do half-stars, I'll round that up to 9.

Morbius (2022)

Morbius is not a complete trainwreck, but it's definitely not "good" either. Just fine.

[6/10 · 7 April 2022]

Despite the 1-hour, 44-minute runtime, Morbius feels short and incredibly small-scale. Not a lot seems to happen, and by the end it feels really anti-climactic. It's overall just really weak. Most of the dialogue feels like a placeholder for them to come it and rewrite it later for a final draft that never happened. On the whole, it felt unfinished, and like the first part of a series. Out of all MCU movies and MCU-tangential movies (like Venom and Let There Be Carnage) so far, I'd say this one was the weakest.

All that said, I didn't hate it. I didn't particularly like it that much, either, but I wouldn't be opposed to a rewatch later down the line. Even considering my complaints, I'd be lying if I said I didn't still have a good time watching it.

Eternals (2021)

One of my new favorites

[9/10 · 8 November 2021]

I don't know where these bad reviews are coming from. This movie was amazing. Definitely more of a slower, more introspective take from the MCU, and very refreshing because of it. I didn't care for Black Widow so much, and while Shang Chi was a lot of fun, it didn't exactly blow me away and leave me bursting with confidence. I was worried for the future of Phase 4, but Eternals has made me really excited to see what comes next in the future of the MCU.

Star Wars: Episode VIII - The Last Jedi (2017)

"Nobody hates Star Wars more than Star Wars fans."

[10/10 · 24 December 2019]

I took my father to see this when it came out in theaters. After the movie, I told him that I thought it was my second favorite after Empire. My dad, who raised me on these movies, who has seen each of them when they first released in theaters dating all the way back to 1977, who has seen each of these movies almost as many times as I have, said "Nah, I think this might've actually been my favorite." I just watched this movie again for maybe the fourth or fifth time and I still love it. I think this was honestly my favorite of Mark Hamill's performances as Luke, because he shows so much range. He's a very tortured character, angry at himself, angry at the Jedi, angry at the Sith, and angry at the Force. In one brief moment of weakness, fearing the potential of the darkness in his nephew, fearing that he wouldn't be able to be the mentor Ben needed (the same fear he showed in Timothy Zahn's Heir to the Empire, mind you), he made a mistake, because of course, not even Luke Skywalker is perfect, and that mistake cost him the soul of the son of his sister and his best friend. Without giving spoilers, Luke's arc takes him from the part of a reclusive curmudgeon, reminiscent of what we saw from Yoda in The Empire Strikes Back, and leads him to be the hero and the face of hope that the Resistance needs when he utterly humiliates Kylo Ren in front of the entire First Order and the remains of the Resistance. The only real issue I have with the movie is that I feel the Canto Bight sequence is too preachy for my taste, as I just watch movies to have a good time - not to be given a sermon. But even that sequence has merits going for it, like that little drunk alien shoving tokens into BB-8 (that alien is played by Mark Hamill, by the way). Rose is adorable, and the fathiers are cute and the practical effects used to create them in the stable are flawless. My favorite part of the movie is the whole last half hour that takes place on the planet Crait. The imagery of the asymmetrical speeders skating on the dusty surface, kicking up the bright red salt underneath is an incredible, unforgettable image. And as mentioned before, that one-on-one final confrontation is so satisfying, capped with that "See you around, kid."

Terminator: Dark Fate (2019)

History's Not the Only Thing that Repeats Itself

[8/10 · 21 November 2019]

In much the same way last years's Halloween pretends every sequel to the original 1978 John Carpenter classic never happened, Terminator: Dark Fate, directed by Deadpool's Tim Miller, ignores all three movies that James Cameron, this installment's producer, didn't have a personal hand in. Genisys also kinda tried to forget Rise of the Machines and Salvation, but let's not talk about that. (Although, full disclosure, I really did like it!) This time around, Sarah and John did indeed make sure Skynet never comes to power, thus changing the future... sort of. The robot apocalypse still happens, just with a different mechanical overlord, now called Legion. Time is intent on staying the course, despite Christian Bale's famous now non-canon speech. As such, the story itself attempts to justify the recycling of plot mainstays: there is still a girl who gives rise to a savior, there is still a time-traveling hero to ensure her safety, and there is still a Terminator sent to kill her. Fortunately, Dark Fate ends up subverting this to some degree, but regardless, whether that justification works is up to personal debate.

I have no problem comparing Dark Fate with the older Terminators because the movie itself doesn't either. The beginning is loaded with fanservice designed to send franchise die-hards into 1984- and 1991-flavored flashbacks. Dark Fate can't help itself with repeating classic Terminator lines, often with new twists. Within the first 15 minutes of the movie, Mackenzie Davis's character Grace reworks the familiar quote into "Come with me if you don't wanna die in the next thirty seconds," while the returning Linda Hamilton herself gets Arnold's classic "I'll be back." Not only that, but in the opening scenes we are even treated to (admittedly good) effects-assisted younger renderings of Linda Hamilton, Arnold Schwarzenegger, and T2: Judgement Day's Ed Furlong.

I would say that all of the lead actors give, at the very least, passable performances, but that would be underselling it. The strongest by far is Mackenzie Davis as Grace, Dark Fate's answer to Kyle Reese. As an augmented cyborg super-soldier, Davis's character intentionally reflects her delivery: sometimes routine and mechanical, sometimes passionately human. She is sent back to save a young Mexican girl named Dani Ramos, this timeline's version of T1's Sarah Conner, sans romantic subplot. Gabriel Luna portrays this movie's liquid metal T-1000 - wait, sorry - "model REV-9." Luna doesn't have the same innate intimidation factor that T2's Robert Patrick did, but he puts on the emotionless, stoic expression well enough. Natalia Reyes, despite her role as Dani, the girl at the center of the story, isn't given much to work with. Most of her lines run the gamut of yelling, crying, and confusion. I feel like Linda Hamilton had a much wider range in the original movie alone, to say nothing at all of Judgement Day. This time around, though, Hamilton is pretty one-note, spending the majority of the movie either delivering flat sarcasm or spouting sentences that include the word "kill." Looking back to last year's Halloween again, the writers would have done well to take further inspiration from Jamie Lee Curtis's similar return as an older, hardened version of a beloved protagonist, where she displayed a fair amount more emotional versatility and vulnerability. Arnold himself is a lot more fun to watch, with surprising quality in his comedic timing that is actually enhanced with the obligatory robotic monotone. I'm well aware they brought The Governator back just because he's the face of the franchise and his involvement alone guarantees tickets, but I'm really glad he was a part of this production regardless. I just wish he had been in the film longer, as his presence feels honestly rewarding when we finally get to him.

Of course, Terminator is not a character study; its primary focus on action is also its strength, for what that's worth. It revels in pulling the camera back to frame explosions and then zooming it in for facial close-ups. The REV-9 largely likes to rely on the T-1000's moveset, almost exclusively using the good ol' knifehands. The few occasions he does his own thing are when he's at his best, breaking out some cool new tricks, but those moments are sadly a little too few and far between. What worked well, though, was when the firearms were sometimes used to comedic effect, with the bullets and buckshot that hit the REV-9's chrome-domed noggin mimicking the slapstick humor of an Acme boxing glove or a Three Stooges-style pie in the face. What I liked most was when the fights emphasized Grace's and the Terminator's shared command of sheer speed, which is utilized to great effect. Both of their characters move almost faster than the eye can track, and it is a true thrill. There are some genuinely competent setpieces in a good variety of locations with ideas that make me wonder why I haven't seen them before. At the same time, though, the way each fight scene starts gets repetitive in a hurry. It feels like the writers kept playing a game of mad libs that is entirely made up of the sentence, "But then the Terminator shows up in a (mode of transportation)." Car? Bulldozer? Semi? Helicopter? Airplane? Each vehicle is bigger than the last, but only to artificially up the scale of each encounter. The biggest issue that really holds the action back is that, for a lot of the time, it doesn't feel real. I'm not talking about the CGI- I'm genuinely surprised how consistently my subconscious failed to question whether the camera actually filmed a life-sized titanium endoskeleton performing on set almost as frequently as it filmed Gabriel Luna's actual face. No, the problem lies with the movie rarely making me believe in Davis's or Luna's martial acrobatics, and I'm sure part of that reason is that neither of the two are trained fighters. In many cases, each punch pounded or sledgehammer slung feels artificial. That's not to say it isn't highly entertaining, because it is. I had a great time seeing Davis, Hamilton, and Schwarzenegger take names as Luna's REV-9 blazed a ceaseless trail of destruction.

Terminator: Dark Fate once again tries to revive a franchise that just refuses to give up, and yes, I'm part of the reason. With each installment after the action landmark title Judgement Day largely receiving lower and lower general public opinion, these movies have lately begun to garner a lot of controversy and hate: some fair, some unfair. But for better or for worse, "Terminator" is a household name that helped bring the genre where it is today. It doesn't need to reinvent the wheel again, but it wouldn't hurt if the writers tried to play it a little less safe. Criticisms aside, Dark Fate is a perfectly enjoyable semi-sci-fi action movie. It's not a deep watch, so it's perfectly acceptable to turn your brain off. This isn't exactly the first time the series has attempted to relaunch a new multi-movie storyline, but I'm hoping that this time they finally stick with it. There's no cliffhanger ending. Nothing feels hugely left out. But there are a few avenues that seem unexplored, and some promises set up that I hope they capitalize on in the future. I want to find out if it's a future worth seeing. One thing you can count on, one way or another, The Terminator will be back.

Fast & Furious Presents: Hobbs & Shaw (2019)

The Hobbs and the Shaw

[8/10 · 20 August 2019]

Ever since the Fast and Furious franchise reinvented itself as "Mission: Impossible with cars", it has regularly churned our sequel after sequel. There was an announcement a while back that the series would end at the 10th movie, but apparently they weren't counting spinoffs in that number. The first such movie, Hobbs and Shaw, is directed by David Leitch, who also brought us Atomic Blonde and Deadpool 2. As fans of the series can probably guess, it stars now-series regulars Dwayne Johnson and Jason Statham as the title characters, a powerlifting cop who performs extracurricular activities, and a fearless villain-turned-antihero. Franchise newcomers include Vanessa Kirby as Hattie, the surprise third member of the buddy-cop duo, and Idris Elba as Brixton, this movie's freak of the week and resident Terminator-style bad guy. The movie knows exactly what it is and what it's doing, and it knows how to have fun doing it. The story is mostly nonsense and just a great excuse to give us over-the-top action and to make my popcorn taste better. The chemistry between the leads is amazing. You can tell how much Statham and Johnson are enjoying being on set together with the two cracking one-liners at each other throughout the entire movie, and I'd be willing to bet that most of said one-liners are unscripted. One thing you could hold against the movie, though, is that it tries to do too much. There are probably four or five different motivations the writers gave our protagonists for riding out the plot when one might have sufficed: villain tries to steal world-ending virus. In their defense, the other plotlines give Hobbs and Shaw reason to stick around when really anybody else could have been chosen to do the job. But the issue is also exemplified by the fact that the movie has two separate climaxes (climaces?) and THREE mid/post-credits scenes... not that I minded, because the two latter scenes were hilarious, and the second climax includes some creative stunts I've never seen before, culminating in an awesome final fight. It really didn't know when to end, but if you ask me, it's all just more of a good thing. Speaking of which, although the movie wraps up pretty well, they leave us with a sequel hook that sets up another spinoff. Is it wrong of me to hope they call it 2 Hobbs 2 Shaw?

Shazam! (2019)

If Wonder Woman, Aquaman, and Shazam were all strikes, would this be a turkey? (/bowling)

[8/10 · 28 March 2019]

We all know that DC got off to a bumpy start with its cinematic attempts, beginning with Man of Steel. Wonder Woman was the first movie we can all agree on being actually good, and after Justice League dropped the ball for many people, Aquaman was more or less able to pick it back up and keep running. I don't really know where else to take this sports metaphor, but Shazam is pretty awesome. While I am a big DC Comics fan, I didn't know much about Shazam going in, so roughly 90% of the story here was all new to me. Shazam was formerly known as Captain Marvel, but this was changed a few years back for obvious reasons. (Speaking of which, fun fact: In a wild coincidence, Djimon Hounsou was in this movie, in the MCU's Captain Marvel, AND in Aquaman.) The character of Shazam has had a few different origin stories over the years. For this movie, Henry Gayden and Darren Lemke adapted the story from the New 52 version, where protagonist Billy Batson is an orphan, bouncing around from foster home to foster home before being summoned by an old wizard who gives him the ability to turn into a superhero by saying the word "Shazam!" Director David F. Sandberg and the aforementioned writers are well aware of how silly and dated many parts of this concept are, and wisely play a lot of it for laughs. For the most part, this works REALLY well. A good portion of this story is Billy figuring out what exactly his powers are, with a couple really fun montages that reminded me of Sam Raimi's first Spider-Man movie. Asher Angel and Zachary Levi portray both sides of Billy Batson smoothly, despite Zac being in a padded suit the whole time (you get used to it, though he did actually do quite a bit of working out to prepare for the role to be fair). The only big thing Asher's really been in before was Andi Mack, which I've never watched, but he was an awesome lead actor and can definitely carry a movie by himself. I have to confess that I'm a big fan of Chuck, that TV show from about 10 years back, so I'm very biased, but I've always found Zac Levi to be a lot of fun to watch. I won't say much about his character, because I didn't even know he was in this move before I saw it, but I will always argue that Mark Strong can do no wrong, even if his character isn't quite used to his fullest potential. It was also fun to see Smallville's Lionel Luther himself, John Glover, playing basically the same role I grew up seeing him in. All these names aside, my favorite actor in this movie was also one of my favorites in the 2017 adaptation of Stephen King's It, Jack Dylan Grazer as Freddy Freeman. I really, really hope this kid keeps up this career because he's absolutely killing it right now. I mentioned that this movie is funny, and it really is, full of both self-referential and self-deprecating humor, but it also knows when to dial it back a bit to hit you right in the feels. Billy isn't the obvious choice for a kid to get superpowers; he's selfish and untrusting, and quite a bit of a jerk through most of the movie, and because of this, he learns some hard lessons. But to say any more would be saying too much, so I'll leave it there. I'd be dishonest if I didn't mention this, but most of the last 20 minutes or so just felt like they needed just a bit more time to smooth out the writing because it really dipped in quality to me. It wasn't bad, but it wasn't as good as it should've been, and wasn't near where the movie was leading up to it. It was like they tried to do too much in this last bit, and as a result they left it feeling pretty thin. The VERY end, though, was absolutely perfect, and mostly makes up for it. That said, the vast majority of the movie is a blast, and it'll fit nicely on my shelf next to Wonder Woman and Aquaman. Also, remember to stay after the credits for two more scenes. I don't want to say DC's planning something big, but it's looking like there's more to come, and I'm completely onboard.

Side note - not to be that person, but... I loved Justice League. Although, Steppenwolf was a terrible choice for a villain, I'll admit.

Alita: Battle Angel (2019)

Finally, an anime adaptation done right.

[9/10 · 17 February 2019]

Western-produced anime movies don't have the best track record. They have largely been hit-or-miss, ranging from decent attempts like Speed Racer, to controversial fare like Ghost in the Shell (which I actually really enjoyed), all the way down to dumpster fires like the infamous Dragon Ball: Evolution. I had mostly settled with the idea that the best we'd get was the overlooked and under-appreciated Tom Cruise vehicle Edge of Tomorrow, loosely based on the manga All You Need Is Kill. Now, a new precedent has been set. Alita: Battle Angel is a sci-fi cyberpunk story based on the manga series Gunnm (not a typo), also known as Battle Angel Alita, written by Yukito Kishiro. I can't speak for the source material, as I hadn't even heard of it before a few months ago, but this movie is an absolute gem. Director Robert Rodriguez is largely known for grindhouse flicks like From Dusk Till Dawn and Machete, but his past efforts have certainly given him practice in delivering quality action sequences, regardless of a film's budget. However, money clearly wasn't much of an issue in this case, and it shows; producer James Cameron (who also shares scriptwriting credit) has obviously taken what he learned from Avatar to craft some of the finest CGI sets and characters we've seen since we first laid eyes on the world of Pandora. As far as visual imagery goes, the only - ONLY - thing that could constitute as something resembling a flaw is the face of the title character herself, Alita. I feel like the phrase "uncanny valley" is a little trite, but I was frankly baffled that they had decided to borrow the big eyes that anime is known for, as it makes our lead look more than slightly alien. Then again, maybe that's just part of the fun and the point of her character in the first place. Regardless, it honestly ceased to bother me a mere few minutes into the movie, and I even started to get kinda attached to the look. A very large part of that selling factor is due to the headlining performance of Rosa Salazar. Despite being hampered by a few early lines that couldn't escape their inherent narm, Alita's charming innocence more than measured up to her clear prowess as a destructive force of nature... in the best way possible, of course. The title of the movie says it all. On the other hand, most of the supporting cast was only adequate, with the notable exceptions of Ed Skrein (who could expertly mix "smarmy" with "intimidating" in his sleep), Jackie Earle Haley (he was born to play the bad guys), and one other actor in particular: I don't think Christoph Waltz knows how to phone it in. He's like Morgan Freeman - no matter how good or bad the movie is, he's always a highlight. It was fun to see Mahershalalhashbaz Ali play a villain, but he just wasn't given enough to do, and Jennifer Connelly was even more underutilized. Keean Johnson's role as the love interest/occasional sidekick Hugo wasn't bad (certainly not like Kit Harington trying to play Vincent in Silent Hill: Revelation), he just came off a little dry. Complaints aside, the acting is certainly serviceable, and while it tells a great story, it also functions to link together each new high-speed spectacle. Robert Rodriguez and James Cameron's powers combine to form some of the most consistently impressive and individually unique fight scenes that I'm not sure I was aware were even possible in a technically-live-action movie. These sequences somehow feel like large-scale setpieces while still meeting the audience on the personal level we need to connect with Alita and cheer her on. The meaty 2-hour runtime ensures that not only do the mechanical melees get the love they deserve, we also quickly grow to love the battle angel and the beautiful war-torn future world she inhabits. While Netflix puts together their Cowboy Bebop adaptation and the live-action Akira production floats around in limbo, I hope that studios look to this for guidance on how to finally do it right. Whether you're an anime fan, you enjoy the rare good cyberpunk movie, or you just like good action, you owe it to yourself to watch Alita: Battle Angel.

Arrow: Elseworlds, Part 2 (2018) Season 7, Episode 9

The Batwoman Cometh

[10/10 · 20 December 2018]

I don't normally write reviews on TV shows, but I just HAD to go out of my way for this one. I'm three years behind on Legends of Tomorrow, The Flash, Arrow, and Supergirl. As that is, I went out of my way to watch the first two parts of the "Elseworlds" crossover event between the latter three shows because I had read that Batwoman would be making an appearance, and maybe I'm still riding the endorphin high, but I have to say: that was two hours of the most exciting television I have ever seen in my life. I'm a massive, lifelong fan of Gotham City's stories, and especially a fan of Bruce Wayne's sadly less-famous cousin, and the way she was played by Ruby Rose was a dream that I never thought I would get to see come true. I'd seen Ruby in several other things, like John Wick 2, The Meg, and xXx: Return of Xander Cage, but here, all I saw was one of my favorite comic book characters brought to perfect life. The power she gave to this character was incredible, and her brief appearance behind the red-wigged cowl was a thing of absolute beauty. Even "Elseworlds, pt. 1", despite missing Batwoman, was still an unbelievable setup and a powerful reminder of why I love the Arrowverse so much. I love Jeremy Davies's work in Lost and God of War, and his version of Dr. Destiny was a little cheesy, but still so much fun. As for Part 2 -- I have never freaked out so much watching 20 minutes of anything. The climax at Arkham Asylum was filled with amazing Easter eggs and setpieces, and featured a wild re-imagining of Nora Fries, as well as what I'm pretty sure was a cameo of Lonnie Machin, Anarky himself, of all people. The way they even worked Jonathan Crane's fear toxin into the overall "Elseworlds" plot was pure Bat-fanservice at its best. Even though I watched this only to see Kate Kane, I still found myself enjoying the crossover story itself just as much as seeing Gotham City's newest depiction, and even teared up at one of the more emotional moments. I can't wait until I get the opportunity to watch Part 3, but even more than that, I am 100% sold on the forthcoming Batwoman TV show, and I'll be dropping everything (maybe even Kingdom Hearts 3) to finally be able to watch one of my favorite heroes in action. Now, if only I had confirmation that they're reviving her comic book series...

Overlord (2018)

Wolfenstein: The Movie

[9/10 · 30 November 2018]

Overlord is the incredibly, gleefully R-rated war/horror movie directed by Julius Avery and produced by JJ Abrams, about a small group of soldiers on a mission to take out a German tower on French soil during WWII. Jovan Adepo stars as Ed Boyce, a young, fresh-faced, and kind-hearted private just trying to survive one horrible night. The rest of his team includes, among others: Wyatt Russell as Ford, an absolute animal of a man, John Magaro as Tibbet, a motor-mouth without a filter, and Iain De Caestecker (best known as Leo Fitz from Agents of SHIELD) as Chase, a war photographer who's too pure and innocent for this world. Mathilde Ollivier excels as Chloe Laurent, a headstrong young woman trapped in the crossfire covering her small village occupied under a Nazi force led by Pilou Asbæk's insanely hatable villain, Wafner. Also worthy of mention is Bokeem Woodbine as Sgt Rensin, who despite his unfortunately brief screentime, left a big impression on me as he fused elements of Sgt Apone from Aliens and Lt Aldo Raine from Inglourious Basterds into one utterly memorable force of nature. The movie opens with one of the most smotheringly intense airdrop sequences I've ever seen in a movie that blew me straight to the back of my seat, where I remained pinned by the rest of the movie's oppressively Wolfensteinian atmosphere. The film rarely lets up on the tension as roughly 90% of the movie keeps the camera closely trained on Boyce like a rail shooter from the arcades. The horror imagery, while wisely sparse and delivered in well-paced doses, is gruesomely and powerfully realized, serving to keep us on our toes and hiding behind our hands, peeking at the blood-soaked screen from between our fingers. The second act in particular caps off with one scene I will never forget, wondering when it was going to end, and not sure I ever wanted it to. I won't spoil it for you, but suffice to say that I won't ever look at Fitz-Simmons the same way again. Overlord is often hard to watch, but in a very good way, and the 2.5-hour runtime blows past you faster than a bullet through a Nazi zombie's head. This is one movie I cannot wait to own on blu ray, as I will definitely be adding this to my annual October horror regimen.

Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald (2018)

The Setup for the Real Story

[8/10 · 18 November 2018]

I was very grateful I rewatched Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them before I went to see The Crimes of Grindelwald, because this second movie strongly builds and relies on the viewer's memory of the original. I was surprised to see the two movies had the same director in David Yates, as this one felt very different. Eddie Redmayne, Katherine Waterston, Dan Fogler, and Alison Sudol all were the same quartet we love, but they seemed to have less screentime than before, to make way for Johnny Depp's Grindelwald stealing center spotlight. Newcomers Zoë Kravitz and Claudia Kim fit perfectly into the universe, and Jude Law made the perfect younger Dumbledore. I enjoyed the ways in which the movie revisited the wonder of watching Newt tame and tend to the animals, introducing new creatures for us to admire through the masterful CGI. Dan Fogler, as Jacob Kowalski, is still at the top of his physical comedy game, and is always a joy to watch. I appreciated how his character was more sure of his place in the magical community. We got more of a glimpse into what goes on in Queenie's mind, and were introduced to some sadder moments through her insecurities. The Crimes of Grindelwald also attempted to connect to the original Harry Potter movies through some nice surprise characters and Easter eggs, which I won't spoil for you. The central plot is much simpler compared with the first movie, and easier to follow. Unfortunately, it was also not near as tightly scripted or edited, with a bit too much exposition that tanked the pacing at times. As well, there were some scenes that didn't quite know where to end, and dialogue that liked to meander a bit. Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them was a much more self-contained story, easy to enjoy on its own. Conversely, The Crimes of Grindelwald is very much a bridge film to set up more plot threads to come to fruition in future installments. I personally didn't quite like it as much as the first in the series, but it is still absolutely worth seeing, and I will definitely be rewatching it - both in preparation for the third movie, and whenever I go back through the series on repeat viewings for fun.

A Star Is Born (2018)

A Director is Born

[9/10 · 7 November 2018]

A Star is Born, contrary to what the title might imply, is not a Christmas movie. It is in fact the newest remake of a story that's been told several times over the past century, beginning with the 1937 original starring Janet Gaynor and Fredric March. The most recent version prior to this year's edition was released in 1976 and starred Kris Kristofferson as a drunken rock star whose career is in the beginning of its decline. He has a chance meeting with an aspiring singer, played by Barbra Streisand, and works to launch her stage debut in his place. This year's adaptation follows a similar story, and features Bradley Cooper in his directorial debut, also channeling his inner Keith Urban as rock/country artist Jackson Maine, who becomes infatuated with Lady Gaga's character Ally after watching her sing at a hole-in-the-wall drag bar. This is easily the best I have ever seen of Bradley Cooper onscreen. He inhabited this character so completely that Cooper himself was gone and Jack was all I saw. Cooper, who hails from Pennsylvania, put on the most authentic southern accent I have ever heard from a non-southerner. Actors typically put on a hillbilly twang when they attempt to portray this type of character, but there was nothing artificial going on here in the least. Lady Gaga, while not on Cooper's level, still surprised me with her acting talent. I would argue that she mostly played herself, but this is exactly what the character called for, and she did it well. Sam Elliot was a surprise -- I didn't expect to see him in this movie, but as Jack's (much) older brother Bobby, he gave a very subdued, yet powerfully emotional performance. If I could, I would absolutely nominate him for best supporting actor, and he was a consistent highlight to the movie. A Star is Born is a romantic drama, first and foremost, but the music is absolutely central to the story. Most of the music, particularly the country style, was thoroughly enjoyable, and sounded like something I'd throw on to listen to while driving with friends. Once the movie delved into pop music, it lost its charm and came off as some of the more rote stuff I'd expect to hear from Bieber, but I think that was part of the point, as it helped us understand some of Jack's frustrations. The movie is pretty long at roughly 2 hours, 15 minutes. The story, unfortunately, seemed to meander a bit and got a little slow in parts, but I would still say that each scene helped to build and develop the characters and the relationships defined over the course of the movie. We really got to know these people, and it also provided an interesting look into stardom to help us see celebrities as fellow humans with real problems and real flaws. I'm very glad I finally found time to watch this movie before it left theaters, and I'd encourage others to do the same. If this is any indication of Bradley Cooper's future as a director, I'll be there day one to see his next movie.

Bad Times at the El Royale (2018)

Good Times at the El Royale

[9/10 · 18 October 2018]

Bad Times at the El Royale is a mystery crime thriller written and directed by Drew Goddard, and features an all-star cast including Jeff Bridges, Cynthia Erivo, Jon Hamm, Dakota Johnson, Cailee Spaeny, and Chris Hemsworth. The movie starts out like you might begin a joke: a priest, and hippie, a singer, and a vacuum cleaner salesman meet at an empty hotel. What follows next is a crazy story of deceit and duality, where nobody is who they seem to be. The El Royale boasts a very distinct, Tarantino form of style and story structure, broken up into distinct chapters that each focus on a different character. These characters are where the movie really shines. Jon Hamm is likable as always. Jeff Bridges does some of his best acting in years, and his patented mumble of the past decade is gone; I haven't heard him this articulate since Tron: Legacy. Dakota Johnson plays another subdued role, but still proves that she can act when she's not chained down by bad writing and directing. Chris Hemsworth has never been more intimidating, and I've never heard him put on a better American accent. I want to draw special attention to Lewis Pullman, who, despite being relatively new to the screen, gave perhaps the best performance of the movie as the meek hotel clerk Miles. My complaints with the movie were very few. They all boil down to a couple scenes that drag just a bit. Other than that, Bad Times at the El Royale did not disappoint in the least.

Venom (2018)

A Bite With Some Venom

[7/10 · 9 October 2018]

I enjoyed Venom. I really, really did. Tom Hardy is always a fun actor to watch, and while it's not his best performance, he does a good job here. Michelle Williams is great as always as Annie, and Riz Ahmed (who I loved in Nightcrawler and Rogue One) plays a decent villain in the form of millionaire, borderline mad scientist Carlton Drake. Director Ruben Fleischer had previously worked on Zombieland and Gangster Squad, and while those two were better movies, Venom is still very watchable. I'll be honest. The plot itself doesn't make much sense in a lot of ways. There are huge inconsistencies with the way the symbiotes work with hosts, and how compatible the host can be. The movie is almost 2 hours long and still felt way too short and underdeveloped, with some holes where scenes were clearly cut out, either for runtime or to try to help keep it PG-13. There's also an entire scene from the end of the movie that appears in the trailer, which was really disappointing. With that said, I loved the visuals in most of the fight scenes, especially the one at the end. The back-and-forth banter between Eddie and Venom was a sheer joy, and probably my favorite thing about the movie. There was a nice blink-and-miss-it cameo with John Jameson at the very beginning, and Spider fans will want to stick around for the mid-credits scene. There's a lot wrong with this movie, and I feel it's a huge missed opportunity for them not to go for the R rating, as we've seen Logan and Deadpool 1 and 2 prove that they can succeed with flying colors. I sincerely hope they release an unrated extended cut when it hits DVD and Blu Ray. As it stands though, it may be a guilty pleasure, but Venom was generally very enjoyable.

Hell Fest (2018)

One Hell of a Fest

[8/10 · 29 September 2018]

Hell Fest is a slasher flick set in a horror-themed amusement part of the same name. It is directed by Gregory Plotkin, whose only other feature-length directorial work was Paranormal Activity: The Ghost Dimension. Amy Forsyth stars as Nat, with Reign Edwards as her best friend Brooke, and Bex Taylor-Klaus as Brooke's roommate Taylor. Nat has been away at college for a long time, and drops by Brooke's house to catch up over Halloween. Brooke convinces her to go with her and Taylor to Hell Fest, and when they get there they meet up with some of their guy friends Gavin, Quinn, and Ash, played by Roby Attal, Christian James, and Matt Mercurio, respectively. I loved the group-of-friends-at-a-theme-park setting, as it reminded me of whenever I'd go to Six Flags or Universal with my friends, so it was instantly relatable at that front. There's a scene early on where they're mapping out their plans for touring the park, and a good few scenes where they're just running around having a good time, which all felt very realistic and fun. It took me a bit to warm up to Nat, as she plays the pessimistic, perpetual-downer kind of person, but she does get better as the movie goes along. Gavin was the exact opposite as the handsome, yet shy and awkward, adorable guy crushing on Nat, and I instantly loved him. I also have to mention Bex Taylor-Klaus, as she will be a very polarizing part of this movie. I absolutely love Bex. I originally saw her as the character Sin in the TV show Arrow, and I quickly became a big fan of hers. I think she's awesome, and she was a big part of the reason I went into this movie in the first place. She plays a kid who is just infatuated with all things horror and has a ridiculously good time at this park, to the point where I'm sure a lot of people will find her extremely annoying. The Hell Fest park itself is simultaneously the best and worst idea for a theme park ever. I've personally been to a few haunted houses, but nothing on the scale of a full-blown amusement park. The beginning of the movie, and some scenes throughout, make it look like it'd be a blast to visit with a good group of friends. However, its very theme also easily makes it a nightmare for security and guest safety, which this movie, as a slasher film, obviously dives into head first. The movie takes a lot of familiar horror cliches, but for the most part uses them well. The jump scares are earned by default as the group is, of course, in a horror park, so there are always going to be actors and animatronics jumping out at them. I like to make predictions during a scary movie to see if I can figure out how things turn out, and while I was right about some things here, I was pleasantly surprised about a lot of others. I appreciated how smart and resourceful Nat grew as the movie went on. There was one stand-out scene in particular with a ride that reminded me of the Haunted Mansion from Disney World mixed with a bit of The Mummy from Universal. I won't spoil what happens, but I thought it was a very well done scene with some shots that were creepy, and still also really sad and thought-provoking. I found a lot to enjoy about this movie, but there were a few things that didn't quite make sense to me, and I think could mostly be chalked up to occasionally poor editing. On the whole, though, I was very satisfied with Hell Fest. I thought it was a lot of fun, and while it doesn't have the best competition (looking at Slender Man and The Nun), it might be the best horror movie to come out this year.

The Predator (2018)

Why is The Predator a comedy?

[4/10 · 21 September 2018]

I wish I could say The Predator was good, but it's not. This fourth film in the franchise was written and directed by Shane Black, who also appeared in the original Predator. He had since gone on to do great movies like The Nice Guys and Kiss Kiss Bang Bang, the latter of which is a personal favorite of mine, so I have no idea how he dropped the ball so badly here. The Predator stars Boyd Holbrook, Trevante Rhodes, Olivia Munn, Keegan-Michael Key (as in Key and Peele), Sterling K. Brown (Gordon from Supernatural), Brian Prince, Augusto Aguilera, Thomas Jane (yes, that Thomas Jane), Alfie Allen (Theon Greyjoy), Jacob Tremblay, and Yvonne Strahovsky, with a couple special appearances by Jake Busey, son of Gary Busey, who starred in Predator 2. If that sounds like a lot of names to you, that's because it is. One of the problems of this movie comes from the fact that it is bloated with far too many characters, half of which barely get any time to shine despite being part of the main group. I also owe it to myself to mention that Thomas Jane's character was so far over-the-top that it annoyed me more than the dumb mistakes made by the child character. Speaking of which, can we all agree not to write dumb or annoying children anymore? If you want to see kids done right, look to 2017's It or Stranger Things. I would, however, like to say that Sterling Brown was by far the best actor in the movie, and I genuinely enjoyed his character. Sadly, the plot, when it's even there, is a complete mess. The ending makes no sense at all, and is completely out of left field. I like when a film doesn't take itself too seriously, but The Predator doesn't take itself seriously at all. It's much more of a comedy than an action flick, and it's not a thriller in the least. There is absolutely no tension anywhere in this movie. I did appreciate the two times I counted where characters directly quoted the original film, and I have to admit that a lot of the more comedic lines were very funny, but that's not what this film should be. Comedy is used in an action thriller to break up the tension, not the other way around. The practical special effects were honestly done very well the scant few times they were present. Conversely, the CGI was pretty bad, especially on the Predator dogs, which were entirely unnecessary and had no reason to be in the film at all. As I said before, this movie is not good. If you are a completionist and want to see this movie just to complete your Predator viewing checklist, knock yourself out. Dedicated Predator fans should probably skip this. If you're just looking for an end-of-summer/early fall action movie, please avoid this one. Go see The Meg or Peppermint instead.

Peppermint (2018)

Come for the action, stay for the revenge.

[7/10 · 16 September 2018]

In much the same way as the revenge thriller John Wick celebrates Keanu Reeves's return to the action genre, Peppermint marks Jennifer Garner's first time behind the barrel of a gun in almost exactly 11 years. Unfortunately, unlike John Wick, Peppermint just seems to be missing something. Revenge movies aren't exactly a new concept; we've seen this a million times in media, as with Max Payne, Payback, and The Punisher. Peppermint is about a woman, Riley North, who sees her family gunned down by gang members on her daughter's birthday just a few days before Christmas. She picks the thugs out of a line-up and testifies against them in court, but the DA and the judge let them walk free. Riley proceeds to take a page out of Bruce Wayne's playbook and spend the next few years traveling the world and learning the tricks of the vigilante trade before returning home and exacting her own brand of justice on the people who wronged her. Sadly, the movie kinda fast-forwards through the bit where she takes out the people who actually pulled the trigger, which I would have liked to see a lot more of, and instead focuses on the boss who gave the order. The writers also tried to throw in a bit of a twist near the end that I couldn't help but feel was a little out of left field and didn't make a whole lot of sense. Still, the action is the main reason for the film's existence, and it certainly doesn't disappoint on that front. It's been a long time since Alias happened, but even after a decade of family friendly movies, Jennifer Garner is still as deadly as ever. The plot doesn't have a whole lot going on, but it doesn't really need to when the gunplay is strong enough, and in that, Peppermint mostly delivers. A scene near the halfway mark even hints at the possibility of a sequel. If they can learn from their mistakes in this one, I'd love to see Riley work her way further up the gangsters' ladder. Don't expect a deep storyline if you go to see Peppermint. Just enjoy the satisfaction of watching a lot of homeless bullets find a warm place to stay.

Searching (III) (2018)

What you're searching for.

[10/10 · 12 September 2018]

When I first saw the trailer for Searching, I thought it looked good, but I didn't expect just how good it would turn out to be. The new mystery thriller stars John Cho as David Kim, a father scrambling for any information he can find on his computer after Margot, his daughter, goes missing.

The presentation is a little unorthodox in that it mimics a "found footage" style, which is mostly seen only in horror movies. What sets Searching apart from movies like Unfriended is the way the camera pans around the screen, smoothly guiding the audience's attention towards pertinent details, while smartly hiding extra particulars lurking in the background until they begin to become relevant. In a way, this echoes more traditional mystery styles, where a detective might unknowingly pass a stranger on the street in one scene, until turning around and recognizing them as important to the case. Incredibly, this approach never wore out its welcome for me over the 102-minute runtime, as I quickly forgot it was anything out of the ordinary.

Part of this is due to the incredible world-building and how fleshed out and well-rounded the characters are. Over the course of the movie, you get to know each of the primary characters, as well as many secondary and more minor ones. Different traits organically pop up over natural interaction and the audience gradually learns how none of the characters are exactly what they appear to be on the surface. It also helps that this is some of the best acting I've seen in a movie, especially from vehicle lead John Cho, known for other roles such as Harold from Harold and Kumar, or Sulu from the newer Star Trek movies. Debra Messing and Joseph Lee both pull their weight too as the detective leading the investigation and the brother, both of whom David grows to rely on as the story proceeds. Michelle La easily stands out among the rest as David's vulnerable yet increasingly enigmatic daughter Margot. There are no cliches, no stereotypes, and no cardboard-cutouts. These people feel like people.

When the mystery comes to a head and reaches its climax, the reveals are never out of left field and each point makes sense as you think back to how all the events connected over the course of the film. It almost begs a second viewing so you can look back on the way all the events unfolded, re-examine each of the clues that were scattered along the trail, and shake your head at the notion that you couldn't see the truth from the beginning.

Yet, through all of the mystery, the movie never loses its heart. You can't help but feel you're right there with David the entire time, being outraged at the unjustness of each person standing in his way, crying every time he is defeated and hits a dead-end, and reveling in each connection you and David make together. You feel that David's failures are your failures, his successes are your successes, and his family is your family. The opening sequence in particular, reminding me strongly of the Pixar movie Up, left me heartbroken. The writers simply excelled at putting the viewer in the situation. I was right there with David, every step of the way.

I cannot recommend this movie enough. Whether you're looking for a good mystery, an edge of your seat thriller, or simply a movie about family, Searching is what you're searching for.

The Nun (2018)

Not bad, but still "nun" too special.

[6/10 · 7 September 2018]

As a big fan of The Conjuring, parts 1 and 2, it makes me sad that the spinoff movies never quite live up to the main titles, and The Nun is just the latest example. Taissa Farmiga (interestingly, the sister of Vera Farmiga, one of the two main characters in the proper Conjuring series) plays a great, believable lead character, as do Demián Bichir and Jonas Bloquet. I'd also like to recognize Ingrid Bisu as a standout actress for a minor role. The cast is largely very good, even if almost every other character appears in only one scene. While most of the scares in the first half of the movie largely consist of done-to-death tropes (no pun intended), they fortunately saved their best for the second half, with a few truly unique and unsettling moments, especially at the climax. While said scares can be hit or miss, the visuals and imagery are consistently fantastic and creepy.

The biggest problem with the movie, unfortunately, is the plot. It's clear the actors did their best with what they were given, but the behind-the-scenes crew largely did not do them many favors. I don't know whether to blame the director, writers, or editors. Some camera cuts and story moments made no sense, some outdoor scenes were dark when I was sure it was supposed to be daytime, and many scenes just left me in utter confusion. One element in particular felt entirely out of place in a Conjuring movie, and would surely have been more at home with Indiana Jones. Two more revelations were completely shoehorned in, leaving me with my head in my hands - not with my mind blown as it should've been, but in disbelief that the writers would set them up so poorly. I can't help but feel like some of the script was rushed and/or edited on the fly, long after shooting had already begun.

Despite my complaints with the story, I can't honestly say I didn't enjoy The Nun. No, it's not near the quality of the primary two Conjuring movies. It's not quite up to the standards of Annabelle: Creation either, but at least it's far better than the first Annabelle. You could do a lot worse for an early fall horror movie.

Mile 22 (2018)

22 Miles Too Long, Half an Hour Too Short

[5/10 · 26 August 2018]

Mile 22 is a bit of a mixed bag. I enjoyed the premise, which was largely about a team of special forces escorting a foreign defector to a set destination. I read something similar in 2016's All-Star Batman, and it worked really well in both cases. Lauren Cohen performed well as probably the most sympathetic character. I had never heard of Carlo Alban before, but I'll have to start keeping an eye out for other films he's done, because he was outstanding. Additionally. I was very surprised at how much Ronda Rousey brought to the table, especially for one major scene approaching the halfway mark, which is particularly intriguing considering she didn't have a single fight scene in the whole movie. On the topic of fight scenes, most of them featured Iko Uwais (known for The Raid), and each one was very well choreographed and brought a lot of new elements I'd never seen before.

Unfortunately, for every high point that brought the movie up, there was something that knocked it back down again. The biggest offender was Mark Wahlberg's character, who the filmmakers seemed determined to make unlikeable. The movie wastes absolutely no time in telling you that, as a child prodigy, he's smarter than anyone could ever hope to be, and they try too hard to balance this by making him annoying, brash, and anger-driven. I feel this wouldn't be as big a problem if it were anyone else, but as someone who's front-and-center in almost every scene, this gets old fast. It was well-performed, sure, but it was very heavy-handed, which was a bit of a running issue here. The film loved to highlight particular themes and little character traits, as if they were saying, "Hey! Isn't this cool! Look what we did! It's so deep!" John Malkovich, as the director of Wahlberg's unit, spends a good ten seconds monologuing to himself while his team is knee-deep in enemy fire; I found myself asking if anyone would honestly do this in reality. The villains got the shortest end of the stick as far as writing and performance goes. There was almost no motivation for what was going on, they had very little screentime, many major developments are left unexplained, and not a single one of the antagonists was memorable. They were largely just a bunch of cardboard-cutout comic book bad guys.

POTENTIALLY MILD SPOILERS AHEAD: At a point that felt like it would be the penultimate climax, something that the whole movie had been driving toward finally happens. While we're waiting for the aftermath, anticipating the moment our team regroups, recovers, and takes the fight to the bad guys, the movie just ends. It's extremely anti-climactic and leaves you wondering A) why the movie was only an hour and a half long, and B) where the last 30 minutes is.

I enjoyed a large portion of this movie, but I couldn't help but think that they just ran out of budget. If you're looking for some truly great shootouts and action sequences, Mile 22 certainly delivers. Just don't expect any plot payoff.

The Meg (2018)

Prehistoric Fun

[8/10 · 21 August 2018]

I've heard that there was a lot of corporate meddling in the making of The Meg, that it was originally intended to be a lot more R-rated. Be that as it may, I enjoyed the final released version and the fact that it felt like your generic "Hypershark vs Croctopus" with an actual cast and budget. It had a feeling of pure fun around it and never took itself too seriously. Hearing Jason Statham sing Dory's "Just Keep Swimming" song from Finding Nemo is something I never knew I wanted. Bingbing Li is both awesome and adorable, as was Sophia Cai as her daughter. It was interesting seeing Ruby Rose in the role of a scientist for once, with Cliff Curtis and Rainn Wilson rounding out the surprisingly great cast. There were, unfortunately, some low points with a bit of a cringe factor (take a drink every time someone says the word "prehistoric"), and the ending felt a bit anti-climactic. I'm sorry that some of the crew were frustrated with the way their movie turned out, but with that said, The Meg was just as enjoyable for me as the trailer led me to believe.

The Darkest Minds (2018)

The Weakest Minds

[4/10 · 15 August 2018]

After watching The Darkest Minds, I'm wondering how a movie can feel simultaneously way too fast-paced and way too slow. Some plot points don't get the explanation they need, and many major events don't have the impact they deserve. It almost feels like the writers expected the audience to know what's happening because they had read the book, which I didn't realize existed until the credits rolled. It honestly felt like a high school drama project. Most of the actors didn't carry their own, and that's not just the children. That said, there were some bright spots too. Amandla Stenberg (Everything, Everything; The Hunger Games) was by far the most solid actor in the movie, followed by Harris Dickinson, who reminds me of a young Cillian Murphy. Miya Cech was just adorable as Zu, and I was also extremely surprised to see Gwendoline Christie and Mandy Moore of all people, who did the best with what they had. The special effects were mostly good, and the soundtrack was probably the best part of the whole movie. There was one scene near the end in particular that was really well done, and actually got a tear out of me. The Darkest Minds had a lot of potential, and I feel that re-editing the movie would have solved a lot of its problems. Times cried: 1 (surprisingly)

Slender Man (I) (2018)

Keep Your Blindfold On

[7/10 · 11 August 2018]

Slender Man was surprisingly decent, especially considering how clearly it's cashing in on the recently-declining, once-giant internet creepypasta phenomenon. It features horror alumni Joey King (The Conjuring, Wish Upon) and Annalise Basso (Oculus, Ouiji: Origin of Evil) and introduces Jaz Sinclair and Julia Telles to the genre, the latter turning in a great lead. I never would've guessed that she was 23; makeup and wardrobe did wonders helping her fit into a high school setting, as well as everyone else, for that matter. Joey King's characters have always ridden the fence between strong and annoying, but this was one of her best performances I've seen. Annalise Basso in particular has always been one of my favorite actresses, and here she delivers a more minor yet important role with ease. The story wasted almost no time ratcheting up the oppressive mood, starting as early as the third scene and not letting up for the rest of the movie. Aside from a few unintentionally silly moments, the camera work, audio, and transitional effects were mostly great, with one fantastic scene near the end reminding me strongly of the 1990 Tim Robbins movie Jacob's Ladder. Slender Man isn't the new Blair Witch, but it's likely to stick with you for a good while. Just remember: whenever you hike through the woods, keep your blindfold on.

Mission: Impossible - Fallout (2018)

Your mission: choose to accept it.

[10/10 · 28 July 2018]

Mission: Impossible is one of those series I can always count on to be great. Besides the second movie, I've consistently found each installment to be just as enjoyable as the last, and that includes Fallout. I loved seeing Rebecca Ferguson return from Rogue Nation, as well as Sean Harris, and Ving Rhames hasn't had this much screen time since MI3. Henry Cavill was a very welcome newcomer, bringing a brutal kind of power we hadn't really seen in the series yet. The sound design in particular really stood out this time around too, with most of the soundtrack having an ominous or somber tone, usually whenever it wasn't eerily silent. I selfishly hope this series goes on forever, but we all know Ethan Hunt has to retire sometime. Until that happens, or until he gets a decent replacement, I'll just enjoy what I can get while I hope for a seventh movie.

The Equalizer 2 (2018)

The Sequelizer

[9/10 · 25 July 2018]

I was a fan of the original Equalizer TV show growing up, and I enjoyed the Denzel Washington/Chloë Grace Moretz movie 4 years ago. After one fantastic Jack Reacher movie and the good-but-not-as-great Jack Reacher: Never Go Back, I was a little worried that the "Sequelizer" would go the same way. While a couple minor plot elements felt a tad confusing or slightly underdeveloped, I think that The Equalizer 2 might actually be even better than the first. I feel like it might be a bit more of a slow-burn compared to the first one, but to me, that only serves to enhance the mystery driving the story. An interesting fact: this was the first time both Denzel Washington and director Antoine Fuqua ever made a sequel. I don't believe a third film is needed, but I do feel that the Robert McCall character has a bit of personal baggage that might need to be handled. With this in mind, I have hopes that they might pull a hat trick and make this a proper trilogy.