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Guardians of the Galaxy (2014)
Guardians Of The Galaxy
Guardians Of The Galaxy is just a pure fun sci-fi summer blockbuster that blindsided many people when it came out. Not many people expected it to have the success that it did mostly due to the fact that these characters were very obscure in Marvel lore. That obscurity gave the writers a chance to introduce for the first time on the silver screen five really relatable characters to root for, each with their own arc. The fun loving and bumbling Star Lord is a character who was abducted from earth and raised by a bunch of outcasts. At first, he like another Guardian was only in it for the money. However the film has him Bond with the others and begin to see that the value of life is more important. Gamora is the daughter of the Mad Titan Thanos who is only interested in stopping Ronan and her father from using the power stone to cause harm. Throughout the film she is a loner but her arc mostly revolves around learning to work with others. Rocket is not a raccoon to himself but we'll call him that. He was in it for the money and had no interest towards bonding with others. His character was the most interesting from this film, he was the last to join the group in the climatic battle and arguably he was the most stubborn. His arc not just centered around trying to learn the value in working with others but actually befriending them as well. His partner Groot loved people and by the way he is Groot. Groot's arc perfectly coincided with Rocket's in that he wanted Rocket to help others and was willing to make sacrifices to ensure that Rocket would. Groot's place in the Guardians created the emotional epicenter of the film. Drax, the last of the Guardians was a killer on a path to avenge the death of his wife and family. However after crossing paths with the other Guardians, needed to learn to work with them and not allow his grudge to get him killed. These are all five simple arcs that sum up the plot as a group of misfits trying to work with each other to stop a madman from using a power to conquer a world. Not an unfamiliar plot at all but the writing used to make the Guardians such realistic characters really helped make it feel fresh. Unfortunately that writing didn't save Ronan the accuser from being a pretty bland nothing of a villain. Roman's arc wasn't about anything other than being hungry for power over the Xandarians. No reasons why aside from the fact that they called him crazy this one time. Despite this though, this film is a summer blockbuster so I can forgive a slightly formulaic plot and bland villain based on the kind of movie this is. This movie is pure fun whether it's Star Lord dancing to "Come And Get Your Love" in the opening credits, to Rocket having Star Lord steal some guy's leg as a prank, to Yondu using his arrow to annihilate Roman's soldiers, and Star Lord challenging Ronan to a dance off just as he's about to commit global genocide. There are so many notable moments, sequences and songs in this film and if I'm being honest, this film has the best soundtrack of any Marvel film to date. Yes, there's some generic score music but the writers very much have you more keyed in on Star Lord's Walkman sound track. "Ooh Child", "Ain't No Mountain High Enough", and "Hooked On A Feeling" are just a few classics the film throws at you in creative ways to. For example, "Hooked On A Feeling" plays as Star Lord is being sprayed with a hose and you get to see... Those abs... Oh my. ANYWAYS, speaking of seeing things, the visual effects were very impressive, especially for the characters of Rocket and Groot. Rocket Raccoon looked like a real raccoon that could pick up a gun and blow somebody's fuckin' head off. Groot looked like a real sentient tree that smiled after annihilating an entire wave of Ronan goons. I think what really keeps this film going are the performances, even though Chris Pratt played himself. Is that a bad thing? No, the man is incredibly funny and did a great job, especially when the Guardians held hands at the climatic sequence. The other Guardians were unrecognizable as their alien characters. Actually I take that back, I can recognize Vin Diesel's mumbling anywhere but aside from him my statement stays the same. Bradley Cooper as Rocket in particular blew me away as I didn't know he had such a great range as an actor. From country singer to a bipolar eagle's fan to a talking raccoon, is there anything that man can't do? On a side note by the way, I loved Benicio Del Toro as the collector, he was unhinged as hell. I honestly wished he played a bigger role in the grand scheme of the MCU but to each their own I guess. Last but not least, the pacing was pretty solid as well. You could say that there were some scenes that may not have seemed to be needed in the film but I would be willing to counteract by saying that it is those scenes that help build the Guardians character. At the end of the day, Guardians Of The Galaxy is a fun summer sci-fi adventure that does lack a compelling villain and contain a few formulaic plot elements but it also has enough going for it for me to say it is one of the better Marvel movies to watch. While it wasn't as fresh as The Winter Soldier was, it certainly was just as fun. I'm gonna give the Guardians Of The Galaxy a 7 out of 10. I had twelve percent of a plan for writing this review.
Mirai no Mirai (2018)
Mirai
Mirai is a film not just about a young kid learning to accept his sister and learn to understand others but also a film in which every character learns to as well. It is the perfect picture of the modern family featuring modern day kids who are spoiled and entitled making life hell for their parents, who are harsh on them and feel bad for doing such because they were scolded as kids. Not just these elements but also sibling rivalry and the mother and father learning to accept one another's flaws and move on as well. The characters have a lot of dimension to them as well. The film begins with Kun being an entitled brat but as you follow him you see him do various favors for other characters involving food and comfort to show that he is in fact a good kid just stubborn in terms of refusing to stop demanding love and attention. However this issue and the many others I spoke about are addressed in the form of Kun interacting with and learning from family members of both the past and the present directly and learning a thing or two. However a plot event doesn't always trigger a memory directly related to it but often brilliantly animated sequences like the sequence in the ocean, on the bike on the road by the bay, and the sneaking through the house sequence. This type of storytelling allows the story to be slowly told over time as we see Kun develop as a character and in some cases it works well. Not in all cases though as a time jump in the second act jarred the film a little bit after a slow building first half lead into a faster second half with an ending sequence that had a rocky start but a glorious conclusion. The pacing of the film was definitely a bit off as the first act dragged because of the difference in speed between the two halves of the film. The story within this pacing was very well told, through a decent frame of using future and past characters to help steer Kun in the right direction and past events to help steer the adults back in the right direction as well. In fact, I only have two complaints with the storytelling. The first being that the first half of the third act in a bizarrely animated train station that didn't connect to the previous acts very well. The second being that Kun's grandparents didn't seem too involved in the plot aside from being there when needed. In a film about familial issues and learning from the past to make a better future it would've been a bit nicer to see more from their perspective. Aside from that though, a rock solid story. The animation in this film was realistic when the film didn't jump in time but when it did, I mean, my god. The film wasn't afraid to do 180 degree turns to fully showcase the work that went into creating all of these unique times in the bay area. Whether it was the jungle, cliffside, ocean, temple area or train station the film was never afraid to show the details to the viewer in all their glory. I can't blame them either as I found myself clapping during the transition from present to past and future. It isn't just limited in 2D animation either as one of the crown jewel sequences is the ocean sequence in which the camera spins around to match what is going on inside Kun's head and you get to see schools of colorful fish with light creating a rainbow on their scales. Safe to say, the animation was great here like in most G Kids films. I also appreciated the music, especially during those transition sequences but even more so in the first act. When Kun touches the snowflakes for the first time or meets his sister Mirai for the first time, the music pulses with child like wonder. It actually made me remember what it was like to see snow and meet my sister Al for the first time. This film was great at showing just how much fun (or unfair) life is from a child's perspective. Lastly, I felt the script nailed people in the real world perfectly. In life, people work on their flaws to the best of their ability and often times have to compromise as well. There's often no storybook ending, just life going on into the future with constant work on flaws. As human beings we accept each others flaws, laugh, cry, love, hate and move swiftly towards the future and even the script had characters acknowledge their own flaws and each others but talk it out. The film's title "Mirai" means future and that's ultimately what the past helps us in the present gear up for. Was this movie perfect? Obviously not but it was still pretty good and I'm okay with that. I'm gonna give Mirai a 7 out of 10. F-F-FUUUTURRRREEE!!!!
Sleepy Hollow (1999)
Sleepy Hollow
Sleepy Hollow is basically the movie "The Adventures Of Ichabod and Mr. Toad" except people getting impaled, mutilated and violently decapitated for adult pleasure... and also it's not as good. Look, if you watched any of Tim Burton's films, you know the gyst of most with dark color palettes utilized in the cinematography, gothic production design and incredibly creative effects, especially in the stop motion films. Those are all present here but alongside a rather interesting story. In the original animation, Ichabod Crane is a decent guy who is after Katrina Van Tassel for her wealth and competes with Brom Bones for her affection. In that film the Headless Horseman is a tale told by Brom at a party that scares Ichabod and when he's attacked by the horseman later, it's unclear whether or not Brom Bones was the attacker due to the horse. That ambiguity adds an air of mystery to the story on whether or not the legends exist which in my mind was very effective. Now this is a children's cartoon short from the fourtys so the characters are simple, the art is simple and as implied by the word short it is brief. Sleepy Hollow has to deal with the challenge of taking this short story and stretching it out to feature length. It started this by altering Ichabod Crane's character to a constable who is trying to argue for fair trial in court and steering away from torture devices due to a past trauma. However the court sends him to Sleepy Hollow to put his scientific theories to the test to help catch the Headless Horseman who has murdered three people. From here, the film turns into a combination of a horror, thriller and mystery as Ichabod attempts to try and determine who the killer is and in the process, promote the truth. The story is equal parts predictable and unpredictable, there are obvious dream sequences, an obvious villain reveal and of course within those dream sequences, a great tribute to the original animation but that's it. The film doesn't focus on Ichabod's relationship with Brom and Katrina so much as they do on everyone's relationships with one another. I just gotta say, it doesn't work at all considering many of the characters in this film are over the top and the tone of the film constantly changes from serious to cheesy. The red herrings were well executed but they altered the original material a whole lot. I like the ambiguity of the originals ending and the fact that not all of the characters were solid people, they were all dickheads. In this film there are glimpses of that in certain characters but they often rode the line for much of the film. A more simple approach to the telling of this legend is effective and to be honest it might not be able to tell a good version by stretching it out. Look at the Grinch and tell me why that short hasn't gotten a good live action film. The film at the length it was at was incredibly convoluted on occasion due to the constant twisting and turning at that length. It just simply doesn't work stretching short stories out most of the time. The performances are fine, Johnny Depp did a decent job and so did the others but no stand outs. The pacing was solid only in the terms that this film needed each scene in order to tell the story completely. From the terms that I mentioned previously though, not great. Even revisiting certain scenes as the mystery builded to add context which was fun to see. The music, effects, and production design really help this film out though. This film had a score wrote by Danny Elfman during his prime which was a treat. Elfman had composed other brilliant scores for film's like the Spider-Man trilogy with Toby Maguire. I think what works the most about Elfman's scores is that they promote this air of wonder when characters did extraordinary things and also draws audiences right into the action during fight sequences or tense climatic moments. It's a shame this style of score isn't as incredible now since we've experienced it so often. I know Elfman still writes scores but my god, I don't know for which films recently. The effects were pretty solid for 2006 CGI and I was pleasantly surprised. If fans were seeing this film for the pure gore and violence than these effects were for them. The blood seemed real enough and the characters movements all seemed real enough. The production design was solid just like Burton productions usually are and it lived up to the standard. Despite solid elements though, I can't say I fully enjoyed this film or was annoyed by it either as the inconsistent story, mediocre acting and shoddy pacing equally matching the decent music, effects and production design. It was full meh. Which was a shame because this legend could've been more but on the same token it could've been less. I hate film reviews of mediocrity. I'm gonna give Sleepy Hollow a five out of ten.
The Sea of Trees (2015)
The Sea Of Trees
The Sea Of Trees is a film directed by Gus Van Sant that stars Matthew McConaughey, Ken Watanabe and Naomi Watts and tells the story of a man traveling to Japan's Aokigahara Forest and meets a man wandering through the woods and offers to help him. Going into this film I had been riding a red hot streak with A24 having seen "Uncut Gems" and "Good Time" and awarding both perfect ratings, largely due not only to their technical aspects but also consistent storytelling and wonderful messages. A24's best content is known for a commitment to excellence with no stone left unturned in the filmmaking process, no matter how small. This among many reasons is why "The Sea Of Trees" left me incredibly disappointed and confused. The film goes through three incredibly jarring tonal shifts and contains plot twists that are more predictable than who will live in die in Disney films. Let's start with those tonal shifts shall we? The first act is very bleak and depressing as Arthur, the main character played by McConaughey, wanders into these woods and attempts to take his own life and wanders upon another traveler and offers to help him. Now I'm not gonna spoil this film for you but I guarantee that the moment you see this traveler, played by Watanabe, you know exactly what purpose he serves the plot and what plot twists he contains. The second acts changes the film from a survival, mystery film into an emotional drama with plot details revealed through flashbacks, the best method of storytelling. Fans of Rick and Morty will know exactly what I'm talking about when I say that this story should've started where it began and at no point travelled back to the past to explain the characters. Now of course that would remove Naomi Watts character from the film who I don't even remember the name of but literally her character was a device used by the plot just to develop Arthur as a character. Her acting along with Watanabe and even McConaughey's was dull. I like all three actors in other films but really all three characters offered the same notes. Watanabe was dramatic and hopeful, McConaughey was a cynic and an eventual believer and Watts was just a depressed alcoholic. It made no sense for McConaughey and Watts to stay together in the film either as their interactions were soley just The two of them insulting one another. Arthur goes from stern to apologetic in five seconds flat and his character gets a bunch of information out of Watanabe that makes no sense when you consider the film's major plot twist. The film started off with wordless storytelling and I love when a film can tell a story with visuals as opposed to an exposition dump through dialogue, it is much less annoying that way and in a sense the audience feels a lot less like you're being talked down upon. However the second and third acts are just littered with loads of expositional dialogue and flashbacks which didn't connect well with what the first act did. Also the payoff aspect of the film in which the protagonist fully develops as a character took place in the end of the second act and it showed. There were four different points throughout the third act but the film just kept going on and on and it started to annoy me. This film felt so goddamn long and I think about fifteen minutes of runtime could have been shaved off here. Speaking of that third act by the way the tone changed again toward a supernatural element to the drama and that scrambled the whole film up even more. This film could've been very effective if it had stuck to that visual storytelling of the first act and stuck to a single tone but it didn't, this film is three different movies crammed into one film. I feel like this film tried to make too deep a statement and perhaps a much deeper one than needed to be stated. I will say that the film looked absolutely beautiful but that's literally just about all I can say positively that's really notable. The music was mellowdramatic but it was okay, not amazing though. The film at least managed to capture the Forrest beautifully whether that be at night during a rainstorm, during the day with petals flying through the air or just during the noon with characters lying on the grass. Aside from those visuals though, there's no reason to watch this one. It is available on Netflix but so are so much better films from A24 like Good Time, The Witch and It Comes At Night so go watch those. Don't even bother with this one.
The World Is Not Enough (1999)
The World Is Not Enough
The World Is Not Enough is a film directed by Michael Apted that stars Pierce Brosnan, Sophie Marceau, Judi Dench and Denise Richard's and tells the story of James Bond not only trying to protect a woman from her former kidnapper, a terrorist who can't feel pain but also trying to stop that same man from unleashing his nuclear plot on the world. I'm not gonna lie, I wasn't looking forward to this film because I have heard that each of the Bond films in the Pierce Brosnan era got progressively worse as they went on and "Die Another Day", which I know I still have to review on here and this kinda spoils my review but I need to put this out there, is a dumpster fire. Plus while Tomorrow Never Dies isn't a terrible film per say, I was certainly recovering from the over-the-top campiness and loudness it offered. In a sense, I was surprised with "The World Is Not Enough" because, while those bond tropes were still present, it was much darker than both of it's predecessors offering a plot more personal to both Bond and M than before. The plot centers around Elektra King who is close with M and Bond being hunted down by a man who at one point kidnapped her. This plot without going into too much detail features Bond getting betrayed and tortured, M winding up as a captive and a look at something I don't see discussed in film very much. It also included Bond killing somebody right in front of M which actually for the first time since GoldenEye made me feel something genuine for the characters. It was refreshing to see some of the more serious aspects of this series I usually saw in the Daniel Craig films in this film. However the campy elements are still there and while the one-liners, womanizing, gadgets and over the top characters are toned down, they're still here and that often conflicts with the tone. For instance you'll go from watching Bond narrowly avoiding death and quickly slipping out a one-liner to watching another near death experience this time featuring harm done to the characters and actual fear and sadness on display. It was jarring at times to say the least. Would you like to know something else that was jarring? Denise Richard's performances as a nuclear physicist was and that is honestly the nicest word I can use to describe it. It was very clear that Richard's had no idea what she was saying when some of the more scientific aspects of the script were in play and her acting bounced back and forth between looking like a stone wall and underselling her lines to overdoing her emotion with that same stone emotionless face. Pierce Brosnan and Judi Dench both continued their excellence as per the norm in this film. I liked seeing Brosnan's bond struggle with injury and his emotions needing toyed with for a change, something you never truly saw in "GoldenEye" and "Tomorrow Never Dies". I also enjoyed seeing Judi Dench try being resourceful without the help of MI-6 for a change. The villain of this film, Renard, in all honesty wasn't the main attraction from the side of antagonsim. That comes from another character and aside from a few campy over the top elements, he really wasn't too notable. Sophie Marceau was pretty decent as Elektra King who I'll have no trouble remembering from this film, although some of her lines and acting in the film were over-the-top for sure. Aside from the ludicrous jet-ski sequence and saw sequences, the action and tone were toned back down to Bonds stealth based aspects, something I've always enjoyed in his films. In particular the opening sequence in the bank was very well done and the fight sequence in the villa in the water was good as well. When it comes to the action my major issue was the final confrontation between Bond and Renard being absolutely terrible. The audio was dubbed pretty badly and the punches felt as if they had no impact at all. It was blatantly obvious that they had a lot of issues filming this sequence. The music was pretty good though and in all honesty this film has my favorite opening bond song of the four Brosnan films. Although "Die Another Day" by Madonna is more iconic than "Beethoven's Fifth" so that may be debatable. I hope you guys can understand my sarcasm. "The World Is Not Enough" in my eyes definitely understood and implemented more of the good elements of the Bond films than "Tomorrow Never Dies" like it's seriousness and focus on the more personal side of Bond and M, stealth and understated action sequences. However it still doesn't reach the heights of "GoldenEye" due to a jarring tone, flat villain, over-the-top bond tropes and a horrible performance and poorly staged ending so it'll have to settle for being the second best within the four Brosnan Bond Films for me.
Thor (2011)
Thor
Thor is a film directed by Kenneth Branagh that stars Chris Hemsworth, Anthony Hopkins, Natalie Portman and Tom Hiddelston and tells the story of Thor, an Asgardian prince who is cast out of Asgard and forced to live on Earth and learn humility. I was very excited for the Thor film as a kid, I loved watching him on "Avengers: Earth's Mightiest Heroes" (a great show that I recommend the kids watch on Disney plus) and when I heard they were making a Thor film, I bought a magazine that went in depth on the making of the film and I was Thor for Halloween that year. Watching it as a kid, I remembered enjoying it pretty well and I was excited to see him team up with the other Avengers, once the epic team up was released. Rewatching Thor very recently, I have to say that it was still a solid watch. I like Chris Hemsworth as Thor in this, he's as believably arrogant as he is badass in a fight and as I'll touch on in later reviews, I like the evolution of Thor as a character throughout the MCU films. Hell, I even enjoyed Thor's evolution as a character in this as he learned humility and attempted to right his wrongs with his family, it was nicely done. I also enjoyed the fish out of water element in that Thor had to adjust to life on Earth like the coffee cup smashing scene or the "Give me on of those large enough to ride" line at the pet store. Natalie Portman did a decent job as Jane Foster and her friends portrayed by Kat Jennings and Stella Skarsgård felt very realistic. This is a bit of a side note but Skarsgård in particular has a scene in an MCU film I'll be reviewing later that is downright hilarious so stay tuned for that. Tom Hiddelston was brilliant as Loki and to this day is arguably the best villain the MCU has to offer. I loved seeing the effect that being Thor's little brother had on Loki and how his upbringing made him feel like an outsider as it really pulled you into his character. His plan in this film was sketchy but I'll get into that a bit later. I've liked Anthony Hopkins in just about every role I've seen him portray but as Odin, he really shines as a wise but powerful aging god. The action sequences in this film were pretty fun as well, be it the opening scene where Thor and his friends take on frost giants or the fight on the Rainbow Bridge at the end. I think the film's highlight action sequence was the fight between Thor and the Destroyer though. I also enjoyed some of the energy brought to the film from director Kenneth Branagh, who is very experienced in filmmaking of the Shakespeare variety. There were a few things in this film that I didn't like as well. I didn't find the Frost Giants or Thor's friends known as the Warriors Three to be particularly memorable. The Frost Giants being cold (pun intended) emotionless beings whose sole motivation is to attack Asgard due to their history and grudge against Odin. The Warriors Three basically each having a character trait and consistently sticking to it throughout the course of the film. I honestly completely forgot about the Frost Giants until I re-watched this and forgot about the Warriors Three until Thor Ragnarok but that's for later. Loki's plan in the film was incredibly convoluted and didn't make much sense to me. The first few things he did made sense don't get me wrong but afterwards it felt like he overcomplicated what should've been an easy task. The film has him strive for the affection of Odin in the end and his birthright as prince of Asgard but in reality I think the film could've been more effective if it went in the opposite direction. I would've loved to see Loki try to concoct a plan like he did in Earth's Mightiest Heroes because it made way more sense than this films version of the character. The effects in this film were okay but they really haven't aged well. All of the metal in the film whether it's Asgard, the Destroyer or weapons and armor seemed overly chromatic at times and it was distracting. Speaking of distractions, I'm not sure how many of you guys have heard that the main critique of this film is the over-use of the Dutch angle, where the camera is tilted fourty-five degrees to start the scene. I'm only mentioning this because I'm pretty sure every scene in the film starts like this and admittedly it gets pretty annoying after awhile. SHIELD makes yet another appearance in a long line of them here and while it is important to the plot this time it also takes a decent amount of time to set up Hawkeye, the Tesseract and Captain America both for the film and for the Avengers. I do like seeing Phil Coulson though as Clarke Gregg is a treat no matter where he appeared be it in agents of Shield or the Avengers. It just felt to me like Thor suffers for being a stepping stone to the Avengers in the same sense that Iron Man 2 did in that it can't fully establish itself as a film because it has to set up future films. If it took more time to build on the lore of the Frost Giants and the Asgardians aside from that opening sequence or maybe even establish other Asgardians aside from Thor, Loki, Odin and Heimdall as complex characters, you might be talking about one of the better Marvel films out there. I definitely feel this film could've benefitted more by establishing Asgard more as a location and by people more so than those Earth in both regards. Still though, even with the same weaknesses as Iron Man 2 though it was a bit more enjoyable and I definitely didn't mind it as a film at all. I think if you go back and rewatch it, you'll actually see that it was decent.
Iron Man 2 (2010)
Iron Man 2
Iron Man 2 is a film directed by Jon Favreau that starts Robert Downey Jr, Mickey Rourke and Don Cheadle and tells the story of a man named Ivan Vanko trying to exact revenge on Tony Stark due to familial betrayal in the past, while Tony deals with poison in his body and alcoholism. Iron Man 2 as a film has had a mixed impact at best on myself as a film fan. There are a lot of things I liked in the film and many things annoy the absolute hell out of me and unfortunately a lot dip into spoiler territory. The things I liked in the film include as usual Robert Downey Jr's performance and honestly for the rest of my Marvel Series I'm going to stop pointing out how great it is because without him there is no MCU and he's fantastic in every film. I also enjoyed seeing the film take a stab at the heavy topic of alcoholism and watching Tony struggle with the poison in his body. It didn't delve nearly as deep into these topics as I would've liked but it was still nice to see I suppose. Don Cheadle also plays Rhodey A.K.A War Machine very well in the film and as I stated in my review of the first Iron Man film, much better than Terrence Howard. Often times Howard felt like he tried to take the shine away from his co-stars (which I've heard is true but I'll have to double-check that one) but Cheadle is much more calm and I really enjoy the dry humor he gives Rhodey as a character. Also now that I've mentioned Tony and Rhodey, the only standout action sequence of the film in my eyes was when Tony and Rhodey fought at his party but I enjoyed it more from a comedic aspect than any other reason. I enjoyed the special effects in the film as well and I've always loved the scene where Tony puts on the Mark V suit on the race track. That whole transformation sequence from Suitcase to suit was awesome and not to spoil future series but it was also a bright spot of Michael Bay's Transformers films. I also enjoyed AC/DC being utilized as well. It's about at this point that the notable positives end and everything else begins. Ivan Vanko and Justin Hammer are very flat as villains despite the efforts of Mickey Rourke and Sam Rockwell. Rourke's motivation to go after Stark is that Starks father took all the credit for the design of the Arc Reactor when in reality his father Anton Vanko was working on it with him as well. You never get a sense of the depth of this betrayal aside from the fact that Anton and Ivan live in a really crappy house in Russia and the Starks are... well... Billionaires. Ivan doesn't have a personality aside from wanting to bring Tony Stark down and an affection for his bird. The only notable line of dialogue I remember from his character in the movie is "I want my bird." His whole plan, by the way, of getting revenge on Tony was to go to a race track and attack him with whips? How the hell do whips stop multiple long range weapons? Without Hammer Tech being in this movie, Vanko would have gotten his ass kicked and that would've been the movie. Speaking of Justin Hammer, he has no memorable lines or development and is basically Tony Stark but without the charm or snarkiness. He does it all because he wants to beat Stark in the business world, isn't that entertaining? If done correctly, it could've been. Problem is, he was just a boring billionaire movie sterotype. He also made a few dumb decisions in the movie like partnering with Vanko, a man who is clearly unstable to stop Tony Stark. Vanko didn't just attack Tony on that track, he destroyed two other formula ones and it was in front of international news cameras. If your intention is to outdo Stark and promote your brand then why would you partner up with Vanko, that makes you look horrible. If you were going to hide it from the public and privately work with him, wouldn't you question his psyche? Iron Man 2 also introduced us to SHIELD, Nick Fury and Black Widow and while that part of the movie was interesting, it certainly wasn't a wow factor. The action sequences featuring Black Widow were decent although they were cut together choppily. Johanssen did play Widow well though thankfully and her interactions with Happy were pretty funny. Jon Favreau as Happy is one of the more underrated elements of Marvel films, the man is funny. Samuel L Jackson played Fury well for the brief time he was on screen, felt like I should mention that. While we're on the topic, SHIELD helped Tony deduce a message from his dad that allowed him to create a new element to stop the poison in his chest. My question is, why would Howard Stark hide something like that from his son at all to start, why would he hide it in the form of what is essentially an Easter egg to continue and why would he hide it at all? Is it to increase the value of the Arc Reactor technology? That Arc literally powered a building in the first Iron Man. This film really annoys me from a narrative perspective, I know it was released around the time of the writer's strike but good God. These are questions that I'm asking while reviewing this film purely from memory because these are the damn reasons I just don't want to rewatch it. All of the notable aspects were really small, it felt like Iron Man 2 was more focused on building a franchise of Marvel films than really standing as it's own film which was evident with the presence of SHIELD and a post credits sequence featuring Thor's hammer. It's a shame that that's the case because the ability to stand on it's own is why I loved the first Iron Man film. I just really couldn't get fully into this film.
Iron Man (2008)
Iron Man
Iron Man is a film directed by Jon Favreau that stars Robert Downey Jr, Pepper Potts and Jeff Bridges and tells the story of a billionaire playboy Tony Stark being kidnapped and creating a suit to help him escape and fight those using weapons to do wrong. One of my most unpopular opinions when it comes to film series in general is that Iron Man is the best film in the first phase of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, meaning I liked it more than the Avengers. The Avengers is soon to come in my MCU Series of film reviews so for now, I'll just explain why without comparing. Iron Man is a film I describe using the word effortless because that word describes how the filmmakers made it look to craft an excellent superhero film. The career redeeming and defining performance from Robert Downey Jr here as Tony Stark would forever have many fans (including myself for a few years) calling him Tony instead of Robert. He was suave, charming and understood the subtleties of playing a character who could be downright arrogant at times but was still good at heart and somebody you could root for. Shaun Taub was excellent as Yinsen and it was honestly a tragedy he was in the film for such a short time but the lessons he taught Tony helped shape his character throughout the entirety of the 21 following MCU films and definitely was the heartbeat of this film. Some of his lines while they were in captivity I can still quote to this day such as "This is an important week for you isn't it" and especially "Don't waste your life Stark". It was awesome to see Stark progress as a character from being a man who didn't seem to care about what his actions did to others to somebody desperately trying to keep others safe from mistakes he himself made. The script was beautifully written and never directly had any of the characters state what the message of the film was but rather let their actions speak it for themselves. I will say though that the only weak point of this movie for me was the third act in that the movies villain was mediocre at best. What Obidiah Stane wanted was purely monetary and self-involved and looking back on it, it didn't really make much sense why he did what he did. Without spoiling this film because I definitely think you should watch it without knowing much if you somehow haven't seen it, it feels like his plan wasn't really complete. Sure, he had access to a certain device that would help level the playing field but in no way did it tip the scale fully in his favor. Still though he was wonderfully portrayed by Jeff Bridges taking a sharp turn away from roles like in "The Big Lebowski" and at least came across as intimidating. Gwyneth Paltrow played Pepper Potts very well here and continued to play her well throughout the course of the MCU which is more than I can say for Terrence Howard. Howard did a fine job playing James Rhodes but I think that most fans would agree that Don Cheadles portrayal during films where War Machine made appearances was much more charismatic, serious when it needed to be and enjoyable. Also Iron Man started a trend in which all phase one movies featuring the armored avenger featured AC/DC which was awesome. I love AC/DC as a band and as a representation of the badass Iron Man armor and smooth as ice Tony Stark underneath it as well. I'm still wondering why we didn't get AC/DC in Iron Man 3 or any other appearances thereafter but hey, I'm not a member of the creative team behind Marvel so whatever. Also before I give my final thoughts on the film I'd like to point out that the effects still look pretty decent twelve years later even if they are slightly dated. I remember how amazing they looked back when I first saw the film when I was seven. I was awestruck by this movie honestly, Tony Stark was always so cool and I remember drawing and designing my own Iron Man armor when I was younger. I also tried to be a smartass as a kid to match Stark so maybe not all of the good rubbed off on me but Iron Man, the Sam Raimi Spider-Man film trilogy and the X-Men movies all I used to watch as a kid because they were really amazing on a writing, directing and action front and I wished I lived in the universe of all of those movies. I also used to like the Transformers movies as a kid though and looking back on it now... Yeah, let's look back ahead. Point is movies like Iron Man blew my mind as a kid and remind me of what I will always love about movies, how they can influence you.
Meari to majo no hana (2017)
Mary And The Witch's Flower
Mary And The Witch's Flower is a film directed by Hiromasa Yonebayashi and Giles New that tells the story of a young girl named Mary who stumbles upon a rare flower and with it, the discovery of magic and witches. I found out shortly after I finished the film that it was made by a group of animators who used to work for Studio Ghibli, a film studio known for films that push boundaries both narratively and visually like "Spirited Away" , "The Tale Of Princess Kaguya" and "When Marnie Was There". These films were much more than just films made to entertain kids with visual splendor, comedy or just keep them occupied in general, they were made to teach people of all ages about complex topics such as family, legacy and curiosity. All three have stuck in my mind since watching them because so much time and care was put into those films and it's because Mary And The Witch's Flower lacks that care on the narrative end that I won't find it particularly memorable. Now don't get me wrong, the visual aspect of this film was fantastic, the magic in the film dazzled with color. The film's titular flower was radiating with a particular shade of light blue that was very enjoyable to see. Not to mention the school of magic showcased sparkled with a dark purple, dark green and maroon colors. The critters held in the stronghold were designed very creatively as well and I enjoyed the animation of Tib and Dib, the two cats showcased in the film. All that said, the animation is about the only thing the film does exceptionally well as the story is very bare bones. The characters were all kinda one dimensional and I really failed to see any development for any of them. I guess you could say the Mary learned to be less bitter? Peter learned to be nicer to Mary? I have to question what exactly they learned and that really speaks volumes. The plot twists were as readable as a stop sign and the villains which the movie claimed to have depth were as shallow as a puddle. It really felt like an episode of Pokemon stretched out to an hour and fourty five minutes which isn't a bad thing, it's still entertaining just not too emotionally investing. I feel like this would work a lot better as a short film than q feature length picture. In between the visual dazzling and the narrative struggle, everything else was perfectly mediocre. Nothing from this movie aside from what I've mentioned will ever stand out to me in a good or bad way. Maybe that is a bad thing though, I mean if a film doesn't stand out to the general public does that mean it's existence was only to make money? Yes. Whether they intended to or not and I don't believe they did, this film will forever live in purgatory with other mediocre films like "Captain Marvel" or "The Good Dinosaur" as films that made money but people won't really remember and it's kinda sad but hey, films do exist on every end of the spectrum.
Her (2013)
Her
Her is a film directed by Spike Jonze that stars Joaquin Phoenix, Scarlett Johanssen and Amy Adams and tells the story of a lonely writer who forms a complex relationship with his operating system Samantha. "Her" won an academy award for best original screenplay back in 2013 and it's easy to see why. So much love both literally and figuratively was put into penning the script for this film which became increasingly evident as the film went on. The relationship between Theodore and Samantha (Phoenix and Johanssen) was not your run of the mill movie relationship with dramatics and whatnot but rather with the high and low rollercoaster ride of a real relationship. "Her" does an incredible job making you feel what Theo and Sam do at every point they reach in their relationship, be it happy, sad, scared or mad and did so without being the slightest bit tonally jarring. Jonze as a writer showed he understands that the truth about romance is about how you and your partner will grow and change together, sometimes closer together and sometimes further apart. All of this takes place in the film along with the unique concept of what dating a constantly evolving and changing computer system would be like and how if conscientious it would feel to them. It all was incredibly sublime and refreshing to see a film that understood more than the basics of both romance and sci-fi successfully dig deep into topics relevant into today's society. Topics such as how we interact with each other, how often we turn to technology and how we process emotions are all featured here and very prominent in the present. Good Lord, I've spent all of this time typing and I haven't even mentioned the performances and they all felt so real to me. Joaquin Phoenix continued to shine as Theodore and when he showcased his range of emotion throughout the film, you felt like you were actually watching a man named Theo in a relationship with a real O.S named Samantha. From Johnny Cash to Joker to Theodore here in "Her" I don't believe there's a single script that Phoenix can't elevate with his performance. Matching him is his counterpart in Scarlett Johanssen who made Samantha seem so human that if it weren't for the lack of a physical body of course, you'd assume she was human too. I've never really enjoyed a performance from Johanssen so much, despite the fact she was great in "Marriage Story", "Under The Skin", "The Jungle Book", etc. Hell even smaller performances like Rooney Mara and Chris Pratt had a lot of depth as these characters had lots of depth to them. The music stood out too, especially "The Moon Song" sung so beautifully in the film that I was legitimately moved to tears. It wasn't alone in being emotionally moving as often the pieces of music that Samantha would compose for Theo whilst simply being together were wonderful as well. The film is set during the not-to-distant future in Los Angeles California and the cinematography is simply lovely. The film pops with vibrant yellow color as Theo and company are outside in the rays of the sun and happy and stalls in dreary gray as the mood dips as well. Inside the various locations colors like pink, blue and white pop out off of futuristic but close to modern interior design to match the mood of the script as well. Jonze understood the directorial task as incredibly well as he did the task of being a writer as this film was technically perfect with smooth graceful editing and pitch perfect pacing. When the film ended, I neither wanted less nor wanted more because the film's story didn't leave out a single detail and was so satisfying, what more can you want really. It's films like this that understand humanity, that challenge viewers by watching something more realistic rather than your typical Hollywood fodder, that do all of the little things like the music, the shots, the pacing and editing in a way that suits the film perfectly and that break the barrier between viewer and screen and allow each scene not just to be a simple series of events shot on camera but rather an experience. An experience that you can grow and change from having and that's the beauty of filmmaking. At it's best, it will give you lessons that will stick with you for a lifetime, discussions to debate with your friends and wonder aloud to yourself and maybe even the drive to express yourself in some artistic way as well. "Her" is definitely one of those experiences that I'm going to carry with me for a long time.
GoldenEye (1995)
GoldenEye
GoldenEye is a film directed by Martin Campbell and stars Pierce Brosnan, Sean Bean and Famke Janssen that tells the story of British Secret Agent James Bond trying to stop a Russian syndicate from unleashing a weapon known as "GoldenEye" on the world. Within the next week "No Time To Die" was scheduled for release so in the spirit of things I went back and took a look at a quintessential bond film that I had not yet seen actually. For me though Bond films all boil down to a few things in particular and those would be the man playing bond, the villain, the love interest and the music. I've long known that I can't go into most Bond films expecting fantastic writing because most entries aren't entirely focused on that aspect albeit with a few exceptions (Casino Royale and Skyfall). In this entry Pierce Brosnan dons the gadgets and tuxedo as the suave secret agent and he does a fine job. He's charming, stylish, clever and as M (wonderfully portrayed by Judi Dench) points out, a womanizer and egotistical. Izabella Scorupco does a fine albeit slightly forgettable job playing the bond girl and I actually had to go on to IMDb to find her characters name. She honestly wasn't to memorable and not too many of the bond girls are until the more recent films. Sean Bean did a great job as the villain and the way his villain was written was very interesting as Bond had to face someone with his own strengths and weaknesses. I do want to say that how Alec Trevelyan became the film's villain was easily forseeable but again the film isn't really focused on a plot that's too intricate. The music in typical bond film fashion was wonderful and despite being similar if not the exact same in this particular set of Bond films, I still enjoyed it. Overall, I'm reviewing this film more as a Bond film than am actual film because that's really what you have to do. Look at the "Fast and Furious" franchise, I mean it has a set of tropes the way that these Bond films do and if we all knocked each film as we all got bored with those tropes, those films wouldn't have any fans but they do and so do the Bond films. Still though I do enjoy when a film in these series often subverts what you'd expect and thinks outside of the box delivering a unique idea in an otherwise predictable experience. GoldenEye didn't lack that as multiple characters pointed out what James was doing wrong and how his ego would be his downfall and he actually used that knowledge to help him and others in the final act. Overall, GoldenEye is a good bond film and even just a good film with a few unique ideas mixed in with the usual tropes and hilarious over the top moments featured in this era of Bond films.
Come to Daddy (2019)
Come To Daddy
Come To Daddy is a film directed by Ant Timpson that stars Elijah Wood ("Lord Of The Rings") that tells the story of a man child who arrives at a cabin by the sea to meet his father, whom he has not seen in thirty years. This film has flown under many people's radars as a sort of Hidden gem and there is a lot to like about it. Each act is effective in it's own way with the first being incredibly tense and mysterious where very clearly all is not as it seems, pushing viewers to the edge of their seats, the second is bloody, gruesome and revealing as details hidden at first reveal a grandiose story and the third is a fusion of what each of the first two acts did well with the suspense of the first and gruesomeness of the second with an emotionally satisfying crowd pleasing conclusion. The story of this film definitely took risks and showed me things that I haven't seen in awhile from a violence perspective and I loved it which is why I was frustrated when the film went into a more predictable route screenplay wise as it progressed. The predictable plot of the film was backed by a backstory that is so ridiculously large scale that you might have issues taking it seriously. Despite these issues though the film does have a lot going for it like a beautiful somber score and a pretty decent performance from Elijah Wood (I haven't seen him in a film since the Lord Of The Rings trilogy but he is doing his own thing now and it is both weird and amazing). The film is also paced pretty well too as there really isn't a full moment throughout. All in all, "Come To Daddy" isn't incredible cinema or the most original movie of the year and it didn't have to be, it just had to do what it's intent was which was to unnerve and entertain and it did just well enough at that for me to think of it fondly.
Superman: Red Son (2020)
Superman: Red Son
Superman: Red Son is a film directed by Sam Liu starring Jason Issacs, Amy Acker and Diedrich Vader that tells the story of a young Kryptonian who crash lands in the Soviet Union and comes to learn the difference between reality and dreams of the future of the world. The concept of an alternate reality where Superman represents truth, Justice and the Soviet way was incredibly fascinating to me and up until I saw the trailer for this film a few months ago and did a little research, I had no idea there was an actual comic that addressed that alternate reality. Superman: Red Son had a few of the strengths of pretty much all DC Animated Universe films in that the animation was gorgeous and the voice acting from all characters was committed, Jason Issacs in particular was very good as a Soviet Superman. The score was also very well composed as the music drew you into each scene in the film, be it tense, action-packed, sentimental or happy and is definitely worth mentioning. It's just a shame that while the technical aspects of this film are all brilliant at their peak, the narrative issues this film are baffling at their floor. Characters throughout the film contradict their points and go to show the flaws in other character's ideals by literally doing exactly what they hate about said character multiple times, particularly Superman, Lex and Batman. This also goes with characters having access to extremely hard to find items without any explanation as to how including one such reveal in the third act of the film that made me totally check out and I'm trying not to spoil anything but Jesus Christ it was baffling. The film's ending I've heard was also different than the comic and I really like to have seen the comic's ending because the film ended with your typical explosive experience rather than the clash and compromise of ideals that the film was promoting. Again, I do enjoy this film and pretty much all DCAU films from a technical standpoint as the animation, voice acting, sound design and score are done brilliantly pretty much everytime. Narratively though in recent times (with the exception of "Batman vs TMNT") DCAU films have fallen victim to plotholes that remove what made the source material special in the first place and one-dimensional characters or inconsistent characters and hopefully they return back to films that are sound on all fronts like "Batman: Under The Red Hood" or "Justice League: Flashpoint Paradox".
Slow West (2015)
Slow West
Slow West is a film directed by John Maclean and stars Kodi Smit-McPhee, Michael Fassbender and Caren Pistorius and tells the tale of a young Scottish boy traveling to the frontier to hopefully track down the love of his life with the aid of a mysterious man. Slow West is one of the more beautifully shot films I've seen in recent memory as it perfectly captures the old West whether it be on the brightly lit flat plains, shrouded and lively forests or just plain old towns which drew you into the film's realistic atmosphere. Also drawing you in were stars Kodi Smit-McPhee and Michael Fassbender whose perfectly opposed personalities and responses to certain horrific and unfortunate events allowed for good character development from both men. Slow West paints a dreary depressing and bleak Outlook of life not just as outlaws but as newcomers onto one of the worst places to live in the history of our country at least and the music matches this Outlook very nicely as well. That being said the film's story takes some particularly odd turns around the beginning of the third act with an ending that perhaps didn't punctuate what most would think that the message of the film very well and in fact punctuates a different message without much evidence to back it up. There are also certain interactions between characters in the second and third act that lead to decisions by said characters that didn't make much sense either and the overall story showed us very much what we've become accustomed to seeing in western films like these. Still though, despite the weaker story elements here, the positives do manage to outweigh the negatives here for the most part and most notably the good performances and atmosphere of the film are enough for me to recommend it to you guys.
Space Jam (1996)
Space Jam
Space Jam is a film directed by Joe Pytka that stars Michael Jordan, Wayne Knight and the Looney tunes in which the Monstars challenge the Looney Tunes to a game of basketball who in turn recruit the now retired Michael Jordan for help. Space Jam is something of a cult classic is most film circles and while I can see the appeal it has at least from a pop culture standpoint, I can't see that appeal from a filmmaking standpoint. The plot doesn't really have character development beyond Michael Jordan at least as characters mature through their issues really just because the script says they do. Speaking of the script, it is littered with repetitive dialogue, product placement and one-dimensional and obnoxious characters both human and animated. I really feel that these Looney Tunes work better in a quick 15 minute or half an hour show because their humor doesn't wear out in that time frame the way it does over the length of a film. Now on a more positive note, I have to say that I do enjoy the music in the film and when the tunes are at their looniest the animation is stellar but even the animation led itself to some pretty awful editing during the third act. The third and first acts of this film felt incredibly short as well as the second act dragged on and on and while this film was an hour and a half long it felt like two hours and fifteen minutes. If you enjoyed this film, I understand why as there are elements of appeal that exist here and even I can't deny that but I also can't deny that this film had plenty of problems and while I didn't go into this film expecting it to be a masterpiece or a game changer, I expected it to be at least decent and entertaining and for me, it was inconsistent and forgettable.
Uncut Gems (2019)
Uncut Gems
Uncut Gems is a film directed by the Safdie brothers that stars Adam Sandler as a charismatic New York Jeweler who makes an incredibly high stakes bet to pay off his existing outstanding debts. Uncut Gems offers not just a career reviving performance from Adam Sandler who shines brighter than the previous gem in the film but also a look at the world of gambling and debt in New York City. The film had an unrelenting pace about it, constantly moving to the best of the downward spiral of the protagonist Howard Rather (Sandler) and became increasingly more intense as the steaks were raised higher and higher. The distance placed between him and his family, the debt collectors after him and his interactions with some very well known faces were all painted beautifully by picture perfect acting as well as a sharply written script and kinetic energy from behind the camera in the minds of Benny and Josh Safdie. Honestly, there was not a single moment watching this film that I felt bored and despite racking my brain for flaws in this film from my perspective, I couldn't find any. I view this as some of A24's best work since... Well, "The Lighthouse". They consistently make great films more focused on building character, atmosphere and hiding subtle messages for audiences than trying to create franchises or constantly drag out the same ideas over and over and "Uncut Gems" is no exception. I'm not saying that film franchises are a bad idea by any stretch of the imagination, I'm simply saying that it is certainly refreshing to see films that stray away from that and occasionally focus on the more artistic merits of filmmaking. "Uncut Gems" is one of the best crime thrillers I've seen in the past decade at the very least and a surefire masterpiece.
The Way Back (2020)
The Way Back
The Way Back is a film directed by Gavin O'Connor that stars Ben Affleck as a man who is suffering due to a rough past but finds a shot at redemption at his high school as a basketball coach of his old highschool basketball team. Ben Affleck is back ladies and gentlemen and as a matter of fact, he's out here giving the performance of his career buoyed by his own personal descent into alcoholism and ultimately finding his way back to sobriety. I could honestly write an entire paragraph about his performance, it was magnetic. Speaking of magnetism, The Way Back's strongest points are found when the games are at their most intense and Affleck is directing his players and teaching them ways to improve their games. However, aside from these two incredible strengths, the first two acts of the film still feel like the typical formulaic sports drama with supporting characters not given too much thought. The third act however divulged into the humanity of recovery which I enjoyed very thoroughly and while the sports aspect of the film could be done with or without outside of the intense moments, the drama aspect ultimately holds it together. Overall though, I enjoyed the experience a lot especially at it's heightened peaks of various emotions and I'm very much excited to see where Ben Affleck takes his return to film from here.
Color Out of Space (2019)
Color Out Of Space
Color Out Of Space is a film directed by Richard Stanley and stars Nicolas Cage based on the novelization of H.P Lovecraft and it definitely reached the tone of Lovecrafts writings in ways that I've never seen a film try before. The film is stunningly gorgeous, filled to the brim with vivid colors and gorgeous cinematography as every shot seemed to dazzle with care and consideration, a dazzle only matched by equally unnerving sci-fi concepts presented in a beautifully written script by Scarlett Amaris based on the wonderful original short story. The story goes in bold directions and offer plot points and sci-fi elements that I haven't quite seen done this well in awhile and I won't spoil it as I highly urge everyone reading this review to go watch this film. The actors were all great, particularly Madeline Arthur and Nicolas Cage who didn't quite go too crazy with this role as he allowed the plot to wow you in ways that his performance usually does. Speaking of wowing people, the score of this film is magnificent and you'll notice as it creeps into your ears and mind the way the Color creeps into and weaves it's way into the characters lives. If I had any complaint with this film it'd be that the film does start off very slow in an attempt to build the characters, which in films like these is still something I appreciate. Aside from that small critique, I think Color Out Of Space is one of the best and most creative sci-fi films I've seen in a long time thanks to the innovation in it's plot, jaw-dropping visuals, unsettling and inevitable score, wonderful performances and direction and one of the best minds in sci-fi in Lovecraft previding the basis.
Hell or High Water (2016)
Hell Or High Water Review
Hell Or High Water is a film directed by David Mackenzie that stars Ben Foster, Chris Pine and Jeff Bridges. Hell Or High Water manages to tell quite the compelling story despite trudging through the usual Western tropes thanks to a brilliant script written by Taylor Sheridan that fully fleshes out the characters thanks to the necessity of their actions being pushed forward due to dire circumstances. Chris Pine gives the best performance of his career and Jeff Bridges and Ben Foster follow closely behind. The music brilliantly sets the mood for a western Texas ravaged by depression and characters that aren't happy with their lives, I'd highly recommend listening to the score. The sound design and the shoot-outs and set pieces within the film are beautifully crafted almost as beautiful as the film's stunning choreography. Overall, despite the occasional trope or stereotype this film manages to do largely everything right as a film and is definitely one of the better westerns I've seen in recent memory.
Sonic the Hedgehog (2020)
Sonic The Hedgehog
Sonic The Hedgehog was a film directed by Jeff Fowler that stars Ben Schwartz, Jim Carrey and James Marsden and I was pleasantly surprised with it. The film had dazzling visuals including the titular hedgehog himself as the redesign was animated beautifully. The performances were all done very well including Schwartz and Carrey who owned their roles as Sonic and Robotnik. The film does have it's flaws particularly in the script department as there are some inconsistencies in the writing as well as a few repetitive elements in plot points and humor and the score was forgettable albeit with the exception of one incredible scene with Robotnik. However, armed with great performances, wonderful nods to the characters roots, heart, visual marvels and the incredibly energetic pace and wonder often associated with it's protagonist, I find my money well spent, myself and my mom smiling and recommendations heading my friends ways.
A Shaun the Sheep Movie: Farmageddon (2019)
Farmageddon: A Shaun The Sheep Movie
Farmageddon: A Shaun The Sheep Movie was co-directed by Will Becher and Richard Phelan and stars Justin Fletcher and John Sparkes. Farmageddon focuses on the alien Lu-La and her goal to return to her family on her home world with the help of Shaun and the gang. The film has a lot going for it including the animation (the best I've ever seen from Aardman by the way), the infectiously good music and the comic hijinks of Shaun, Bitzer and the Farmer being amusing as always. The script, however was very inconsistent as characters often faced zero consequences for their actions when something bad occurred which nullified their development. Be that as it may, this film is still definitely one of the better that I've seen this year due to all the positives I've mentioned amplified by the bond between Shaun and Lu-La as well as the kind of creativity in it's plot that only Aardman is really known for. I definitely recommend watching it on Netflix when you have some free time.
How the Grinch Stole Christmas! (1966)
Perfect Holiday Film Making
A holiday classic, How The Grinch Stole Christmas is excellently animated, brilliantly told and full of heart, humor and holiday fun, this adaptation of Dr. Seuss' writing would make him beam with pride.
Predator (1987)
A trendsetter for action, horror and sci-fi
Predator works as an action, sci-fi and horror film that set as much trends for the genres as Alien did. Both genres contain excellently designed creatures, memorable characters and musical scores. People grew up with the two film franchises and enjoy both for a reason, both are iconic and enjoyable, both set the stage for films today, both are regarded as two of the greatest sci-fi films of all-time. The reason I say this is because I constantly hear the argument that Alien is better when in all actuality, they're two different and iconic films that set the stage for a new generation.