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Reviews
Spider-Man: No Way Home (2021)
SUCH AN EMOTIONAL YET AWESOME ROLLER COASTER RIDE!
WOW!!! What an experience. This film was adventurous, hilarious, moving, and thought-provoking. This film is another example of why the character of Peter Parker/Spider-Man is so universally beloved. This character is the most relatable and multi-layered superhero. He shows that we all have struggles, we all go through pain, and we all make mistakes. Yet, he also shows that it's important to never give up, never let horrible events change you negatively, and do the right thing.
9/10.
The Suicide Squad (2021)
This Film Is Great!
This is the kind of film that I don't want to like but I do. It was fun, hilarious, crazy, wacky, unapologetically violent, unapologetically raunchy, and surprisingly heartwarming.
Despite the director's questionable views on certain things, he did an amazing job. Just like with "Guardians of the Galaxy" and "Guardians of the Galaxy: Vol. 2", he managed to make unknown and seemingly silly looking characters have more depth. He has this incredible ability to make silly and quirky-concept type characters and anthropomorphic characters genuine when it comes to humor and heart.
Everyone in the cast did an excellent job. The direction was great. The storyline was solid. The action was unapologetically wild, gruesome, and badass. The visual effects was amazing.
However, I did have a few issues with some parts of the story and the characters. I wish that they would've gone more in depth with some of the characters and have a few more moments to breathe a bit.
Still, I like that this film embraces the absurdity and insanity of the situation while still having moments of characters reflecting on whether what they're doing is right.
I may be rushing a bit but I hope that they make a sequel to this film. I'd like to see more of these characters and what other crazy adventures they go on.
8/10.
Space Jam: A New Legacy (2021)
Surprisingly Decent!
My brother and I just got through watching the film, and we really like it. It was crazy, adventurous, and surprisingly poignant, at times. LeBron James may not be the best actor in the world, but he was great in this. Don Cheadle did a great job playing the villain, and I actually hated him. All of the actors did a great job. The animation and CGI in the film are great. I didn't think that I would get used to the hyper realism animation that the Looney Tunes turned into halfway into the film. It was well done. I just wish that they would've had Pepe Le Pew in the film and showed Lebron bonding with The Toons. Still, that didn't stop me from enjoying the film.
Also, yes, most people don't like the film and that's perfectly fine. Everyone has their own opinions.
7/10.
The Revenant (2015)
Such An Agonizing, Flawed Yet Beautiful Movie
Well, I had FINALLY seen the film. My folks and I had seen it a few days ago and it was great!!! I enjoyed it! I was really impressed and blown away by it to where I'm still trying to process it. The acting was phenomenal(in a perfect world, Leo and Tom BOTH won their well-deserved Oscars), the direction was great, the story was okay, the flow was good, the cinematography was hypnotizing, the visuals were amazing, the music was beautiful, and it was very thought-provoking. It was slow at times and dragged on a bit. But it was still interesting enough to keep you hooked. It was like being transported to another world.
This film was loosely based off of the ordeal and journey of Hugh Glass, and did an incredible job bringing to life a story of an almost hard-to-believe event from history. It's unbelievable to think about all of the stuff that the real Hugh Glass went through! I've read some of what really happened to the historical figure and...wow! The human spirit is something else! Like 'Man in the Wilderness', this film shows that you should never give in and never give up hope. Don't let setbacks keep you down. This film and its 1971 ancestor has shown that even in the midst of misery, we can survive difficult situations when we put our minds and hearts to it. This film was extremely bleak and disheartening. It was raw, intense, disturbing, and extremely brutal! But it still had signs of hope and beauty that makes it worthwhile.
There are many things I love about this film. Too many to name. Here are some. I love the symbolic, spiritual, and philosophical aspect of it. I love it when he speaks Pawnee. He sounds both natural and rather awkward. I love the way nature was presented as a character of its own. I love how he interacts with other characters, especially Hawk and Hikuc. I even love how Glass' body movements are basically animal-like sometimes. In one scene for example, he appeared to be moving on the ground like a predatory animal(i.e. wolf, lion, panther) towards his "prey" but in a more quiet, stealth manner. It's like when he needs or wants to be, he comes across as beastly and dangerous. I think it's rather cool and badass.
I admittedly have some issues with this film. The first issue is, like a lot of people are saying, that they should've addressed the hypothermia and pneumonia situation. He was in the winter weather most of the time and been in freezing water. His clothes being constantly wet and cold due to the snow mostly won't do him any favors. I mean, realistically, there's no way he couldn't have caught pneumonia at some point and not get seriously ill. Especially with the horrific, somewhat treated injuries he'd sustained from the bear attack that can cause serious infections. The filmmakers could've at least showed a scene or two of him trying to dry out his clothes as he's trying to keep warm. And trying not to get submersed in the freezing water too much. That's just unbelievable. The second issue I have is the wife subplot. I wasn't feeling that part of the story. It felt so superfluous, hollow, forced, and disconnected with much of the film. I wish they could've allowed us to truly get to know his wife besides seeing her briefly in flashbacks or as an illusion or symbol. Instead of a randomly fleeting memory, illusion, or symbol, the filmmakers should've established her more as a person so we can get to know her better and fully understand Glass' emotionally traumatic pain. Unfortunately, that situation wasn't executed well and probably should've been left on the cutting room floor. Oddly enough, though, I was on board with the son subplot and thought the portrayal of father/son relationship was beautiful. I wish they could've had more scenes between Glass and his son, Hawk. The third issue is, once again, like a lot of people are saying, is Glass and Captain Henry going after Fitzgerald by themselves instead of having several men with them. How ridiculously stupid is that! Even if it's just two against one, that one could most likely put up a fight with the right resources and tools. Especially knowing how dangerous, unpredictable, and shrewd he is. Perhaps this was to show how the naivety, bad judgment, and terrible decisions can have deadly consequences. Especially by a respected captain. Still, it could've been handled better by the writers. Along with that, I would've loved for the filmmakers to let us know how much time has passed since the bear attack. It felt like it was days but logically, it could've been weeks. Also, not really an issue but I wish there were more scenes with Glass and his friend that saved his life. They had an amazing chemistry and it had a sense of warmth when it comes to the heart. Lastly, though I agree that there were some parts that could've been trimmed down, I wouldn't have mind at all if the film was longer.
Despite several flaws and inaccuracies, the film was very well done and extremely beautiful. It was like an imperfect, gorgeous canvas.
7.8/10
Man in the Wilderness (1971)
Wow! Beautiful Movie!
I finally watched this film like two nights ago and I enjoyed it. I became surprisingly immersed into it and I didn't think I would be. The story was great, the direction was great, the acting was amazing, the flow was decent, the visuals were quite good, the music was beyond beautiful, and most of all, the messages/morals were very profound. Even though it felt a little slow at times, it was very enthralling to where you can't help but be into it.
Loosely based on the true story of Hugh Glass' ordeal and experience, this film really did a an outstanding job in bringing to life a story about an incredible person from history. To think, much of the traumatic stuff Hugh Glass went through is almost unbelievable and indescribable. It's amazing that he was able to get through all that and continue on. Boy, the human spirit and determination is something else! And that's what this movie, and for that matter, 'The Revenant', have shown. The shear will to live and having faith shows that we as human beings can get through difficult situations when we put our minds and hearts to it. It proves that even though things may seem bleak, don't give in and don't give up because a light of hope will make itself known. In a good way, this film felt real, raw, and at times, brutal. Ultimately, it came across as stunning, poetic, and surreal.
I think how the story plays out was great and poignant. It just touches the spirit and mind.
I only have like a few issues with it but they're not really that serious. I felt that it could've been a little longer. Like at least maybe 20 more minutes longer in which they could've possibly shown Zack's journey in the wilderness more and perhaps a few more glimpses into his past. I admittedly feel that this film was a tad bit too brief because the journey was amazing to look at and Richard Harris' performance was incredible despite having a couple of lines of dialogue. Perhaps with the small budget and little time they had, filmmakers did their best in terms of showing as much as we needed to see in understanding the main character and his plight. The second thing is the editing. At times, the editing feels a bit random and odd in some parts as if the timing was a little off. For example, if there's a scene coming to an end, it all of sudden cuts to the next scene without a more proper segue into it. This isn't in most scenes thank goodness. And finally, I wish they could've also focused more on the nature aspect of Zach Bass' evolution. Then again, they do show a good amount of nature playing a role in his physical and personal journey. Now that I think about it, this film does in fact shows that less is more. And every bit of detail of the story doesn't necessarily have to be spoon-fed to us. We understand the situation at hand with its subtlety.
The film does a wonderful and beautiful job in conveying its message, and getting to the point. It was so thought-provoking and mind blowing in several ways.
7.5/10