Mister_Ocean Reviews

The Flash: A New World, Part 1: Reunions (2023) Season 9, Episode 10

I teared up multiple times. Beautiful episode, perhaps the best Flash episode in years.

[9/10 · 4 May 2023]

I have no words to adequately describe what I just watched, but I'll try.

After an abysmal start this season with that horrendous acting from Javicia's Batwoman as The Red Death, I was not expecting the level of quality this episode brought.

It had everything that once made the Flash one of the best superhero shows on TV, and then some.

The beautifully written, heart-wrenching drama that used to be the core of the series is back: we get an extremely emotional final reunion with Barry's parents, but he knows he can't tell them who he is (let alone save them from what's about to happen) as it would destroy the timeline again.

So instead, he settles for being able to spend one more day with them, and telling them the words that he never had the chance to say before they were killed. We know he's been sitting on these words for years now, and he finally gets the opportunity to say them.

Great writing, and brilliantly performed by Gustin and the actors playing his parents.

It's a far cry from the manufactured teenage CW drama we use to get every other episode on the Flash. It feels truly genuine and real.

By the end of the episode, Barry proves that he has grown much during these past several years. He shows his maturity when he finally makes peace with his mother's death and lets Thawne kill her so that the timeline will be preserved.

Even more impressive, instead of hating Thawne or being angry at him, he thanks his enemy for giving him one last chance to spend time with his parents. Barry sees that what once was the worst day of his life is now one of his happiest.

And then we see the gulf between our hero and villain: Barry has managed to move on from his trauma, while Thawne is consumed whole by it. Serving his rage and hatred became his entire existence.

Aside from the brilliant plot and screenplay, this episode also had the best cinematography of the last few seasons. By a country mile.

The framing here is on par with shows like Mr. Robot: it's purposeful, and eye-catching. It strengthened the impact and tension of an exchange between Barry and Thawne at a bar, where Barry has to admit defeat.

The Dolly Zooms were versatile; sometimes used for the super speed, then used for dramatic effect. Effective in both cases.

The shots and sequences for the entire episode just felt so different than what we're accustomed to for this show, it's like night and day.

It's as if they got a real DP for the first time, or maybe they had to save all the budget from this season for these last episodes.

If that's the case, I'd take 5 excellent episodes and 8 terrible ones over a mediocre season any day.

Gotham Knights (2023)

I was expecting it to be absolute trash... but it's not?

[6/10 · 2 April 2023]

So I was expecting this show to be absolute trash, but then I watched it and I'm kinda... hooked?

Not hooked on the melodramatic bs teenage drama you can expect from most CW shows, of course. That is here, and it is indeed the worst part of this series.

The mystery of Bruce's death: how he died, why he died, and IF he even really died, that is the most compelling part of this show.

And the fact that this series brings to live-action a group of Batman villains that comic readers have been dying to see jump from the page to the screen is another exciting factor.

We finally get a Court of Owls story and a Talon that is uncompromisingly comic book accurate.

I was expecting it to be pretty tame when it came to the action scenes, but we see Talon just cutting people's heads off, and then Fed-exing it straight to GCPD.

Of course, it's not John Wick level of fight choreography and direction. It's closer to Taken in that regard; the hundred cuts and shaky cam kind of fight scenes.

So if you're expecting that, you'll be disappointed.

But if you're like me, and you were expecting this series to be complete garbage, I think you'll be pleasantly surprised that this show is... not bad.

The Flash: The Good, the Bad and the Lucky (2023) Season 9, Episode 6

That's not how casinos work. That's not how they work at all.

[2/10 · 16 March 2023]

Have the writers of The Flash ever played a game of Blackjack at a casino...? Have they ever BEEN in a casino?

Because this plot makes no sense. I'm not saying it's too complicated; I'm saying it feels like it was written by a bad AI or an alien.

The one bar in town apparently also turns into a casino?

And the villain's plan was to cheat in a game of blackjack at this casino-bar by using a meta's luck powers?

Okay, but the way he does it is by forcing the meta to... work at this casino... as a dealer?

And the owners of this casino-bar, who are not associated with the villains, is just okay with being scammed out of their money...?

...because a Blackjack game where the players play against the House is somehow... a private game...?

And the people organizing this game are the very same people that attacked the bar-turned-casino owner YESTERDAY?

Look, I'm not asking for realism; The Flash can be a goofy show, and that's always been one of its charms.

But the writers seriously need to touch grass once in a while. Suspension of disbelief is a thing, you know.

Asinine plot aside, this was an incredibly boring episode featuring lackluster side characters. I get they want to spend more time developing these other people, but none of them are particularly compelling.

It's not like with Nora, Bart, Wally, Cisco, or Wells. Their stories were incredibly interesting, and that allowed them to momentarily steal the spotlight from Barry, in a good way.

The side character we have now couldn't steal a glance from me.

The Flash: The Mask of the Red Death, Part 1 (2023) Season 9, Episode 4

I can see why Batwoman was cancelled

[4/10 · 2 March 2023]

Oh boy, where to start.

Javicia Leslie as Red Death just does not work. Her incredibly bad acting is probably the reason Batwoman did not live to see a fourth season (that it got two extra seasons after Ruby Rosw left is a miracle).

She is just not believable as a villain here, and as much as I want to blame the stiff suit she has on for her stiff acting, her performance without the suit was not much better. Often, she would very much go into overacting territory, and it immediately ruins the viewing experience.

The character as written is supposed to be menacing, but whenever she takes off the mask, Javicia turns the whole affair into a goofy mess.

Nothing works about this character, and her turn into the Red Death here feels like it was forced by the higher ups at CW to give the Batwoman characters and world the send off they never got.

I'm not sure she deserves it. Nor does the cast of the Flash deserve this dead weight of a "lead actress".

The Menu (2022)

Utter Waste of Time and Money

[3/10 · 15 January 2023]

By the end of this "film", I left exhausted and was completely fed up with this asinine mess. This was as pretentious as you could get, as far up your own a**hole as you can go.

There is no horror, or suspense, or logic, or even a cohesive theme. Bits and pieces of what resembled a critique of the elite and classism showed up from time to time, but never really materialized into something coherent.

Something something wealthy, something something critics, something something men, something something working class. As unfocused as my eyesight without my thick glasses. "The Menu" takes a shotgun approach in its haphazard attempt to complain about everyone and everything.

"Nothing and nobody is up to my standards, so let's just set it all on fire." That's this movie: Nihilism in its purest, dullest, and dumbest form.

With such talented leads in Ralph Fiennes, Anya Taylor-Joy and Nicholas Hoult, it's a damn shame that "The Menu" could not even make a Happy Meal out of its luxurious ingredients.

TL,DR: Skip it entirely.

Black Adam (2022)

Like playing with action figures

[7/10 · 27 October 2022]

If you played with action figures when you were a kid, then this is the movie version of that. Everyone's fighting all the time and it's a lot of fun, but the story makes no sense.

Go into the movie with those expectations like I did, and you'll have a pretty good time.

Prior to the release, many were (rather strangely) worried about DJ as Black Adam. Happy to say he did a wonderful job as the amoral anti-villain, and it didn't really feel like he played himself.

Of course, if you saw "Faster", you would have known that he can nail those serious roles.

For the majority of the movie, it's heavy exposition and balls to the wall action with some very memorable scenes.

One of them involved a slow-mo sequence inspired by the "Quicksilver" scene from Days of Future past, with "Paint it Black" blasting in the background.

In fact, that would make a somewhat accurate summary of "Black Adam": not too groundbreaking, but definitely good blockbuster fun. Something we all need these days.

She-Hulk: Attorney at Law (2022)

I can't even...

[1/10 · 25 October 2022]

Despite the online backlash to this show, I still decided to give it a fair shot. Especially since the marketing for the show prominently featured Daredevil, and I was very much interested in seeing how they use him after his outstanding Netflix series.

Well, I guess I'll never know, since I legitimately could not get past the first 10-15 minutes of the pilot. For a show that bills itself as "a funny lawyer show", the writing is god-awful and I didn't laugh once.

Although Marvel used to be a powerhouse when it came to CGI and VFX (think Iron Man, Avengers), She-Hulk continued the studio's recent trend of rushed, low quality visuals.

The CGI work for the She-Hulk character in particular is laughably bad, falling well below the quality of visual effects we can see in films and TV shows from a decade ago.

This type of stuff tends to happen when you don't give the post-production team enough time to finish their work, and rush a product out. I'm sure we've all heard of the terrible conditions that artists have to suffer when they work for Marvel/Disney.

I can only hope that the studio learns from this mistake of a show and realizes they should adopt a quality over quantity approach in the future. The Marvel brand is a cash cow they can milk for decades if they just take their time.

But greed is greed, I guess.

House of the Dragon (2022– )

Game of Thrones hasn't been this good in years

[9/10 · 22 August 2022]

Sharp, well-written dialogue filled with poetry, political intrigue and wit? Check.

Characters who drive the story forward with their decisions, ambitions, and flaws? Check.

A damn good story? Sure looks like it's going to be one.

Say what you will about the lackluster later seasons of GOT, but House of the Dragons is absolutely a cut above those disappointments.

This show is a time machine, transporting us back to the good old days, to the King's Landing we fell in love with: the one full of schemers and plotters vying for the Iron Throne.

For a first episode, the Heirs of the Dragon delivers a captivating hour that sets up an age when dragons dominate the skies, and the Targaryens rule the Seven Kingdoms virtually unchallenged due to their control of such power.

The only conceivable possiblity for conflict exist within, and the seeds for that inevitable infighting is sown here.

We know the battle for the throne is coming, and we know it will be between Princess Rhaenyra (the newly appointed heir to the throne and potentially Westeros' first Queen ruler) and Prince Daemon, the closest male in the line of succession who has long sought to be King, but is now sidelined.

The destination is set, but it is the journey that I am most excited to experience. Game of Thrones hasn't been this good in years.

Ms. Marvel (2022)

Much Better than Other Disney+ MCU Shows

[7/10 · 4 August 2022]

It's not saying much, since all the other Disney+ MCU show have been scattershot, but Ms. Marvel felt much more focused and cohesive.

I also found it to be compelling compared to the original Captain Marvel movie, for several reasons:

1. Kamala actually has to train using her powers. She isn't magically good at using them like She-Hulk in her trailer, Kate Bishop, or her idol, Carol Danvers. In other words, she's not a Mary Sue.

2. She makes mistakes, both as a superhero and as a human. There's actual internal conflict here.

3. We as the audience feel that by the end of the show, there's growth for the character, and she has found a solution for her internal conflict.

4. Most things feel earned.

Overall, I felt it was a solid superhero show, but the parts that resonated with me the most were the regular human bits. Particularly how the partition of India plays a more significant role in the show than I ever expected.

It still only touches the surface of those issues, but does a more respectful job than the abominable Falcon and the Winter Soldier (Do better, senator!.... Really? That's all it took Sam?)

Solid, entertaining, but not too thought provoking. Ms. Marvel is par for the course for the MCU.

Ma Rainey's Black Bottom (2020)

Davis and Boseman Do Heavy Lifting for Flawed Script

[7/10 · 20 April 2021]

Ma Rainey's Black Bottom, while definitely a flawed movie, is made worthwhile by the emotionally powerful performances of Chadwick Boseman and Viola Davis, who captivate the audience with their complex, layered characters. Whenever one of them is on the screen, they dominate it and deservedly capture our undivided attention. When both of them share it? Movie magic.

I wish I could sing only praises for the film, but there are noticeable issues. First, in some parts, the characters are going on and on about nothing at all. The dialogue in these parts did not add anything to their characters, and as they also did not further the plot, felt completely unnecessary. You could have shaved off about 20 minutes from the runtime, and the movie you were left with would have been a much leaner and meaner rockstar. As it is, the film drags in those places where the fat wasn't trimmed.

For a movie about musicians, there's very little of Ma's music. Perhaps three or four songs were featured, which I found to be disappointing. I'm very sure we could have gotten more of her wonderful music in exchange for some of those dull, hollow rants.

The film does, however, touch on the issues surrounding musicians of that era, specifically the exploitation of Black musicians by white America, among other related topics like the racist injustices suffered by blacks during that time, and the lasting impacts of slavery on the African-American population. But I think that the film doesn't adequately explore these issues, and most of the racism we see is the experiences that the characters recount to us through dialogue.

And this overabundance of "tell, not show" is a great detriment to what the film is trying to achieve. Showing us more of the crimes done against African-Americans would have helped drive the theme home, and I would say leaning too much on dialogue ultimately swept the film's legs off from under it.

Although the film has other ups like great dramatic lighting and superb Mise-en-scène, I don't think I would be very eager to watch it again anytime soon. Perhaps I'll give it another go when they make a Snyder Cut of it?

Godzilla vs. Kong (2021)

Dumb, Badass Fun.

[8/10 · 8 April 2021]

Let's be honest here. If you're looking for Oscar-worthy performances or writing, you're looking at exactly the wrong place, buddy. This movie is just a thin reason to have these two kaiju icons duke it out in the octagon in a no-holds-barred fight for the title of King.

And boy, is it a whole lotta fun.

You want brighter-than-the sun-after-you've spent-all-day-indoors, vibrant, eye-popping colors? Come and get 2 hours of it. Someone in the production department bought out all the neon and LEDs they could find and just glued it all over the sets. Hong Kong, where one of the fights take place, is literally drowning in neon, and that's not a bad thing.

After a year of barely any blockbusters, Godzilla vs. Kong roars into screens and shows you exactly what we've all been missing: a festival of groundbreaking, rich visual effects. I was trying to spot drops in quality in the CGI, but I struggled to find any.

The direction of the all-CGI scenes, especially the action sequences, is also noteworthy: when Kong is knocked down by a thunderous uppercut from Godzilla, the camera direction helps to give the impact a little more oomph.

And since it's CGI, director Adam Wingard doesn't have to resort to that style of quick-cuts, thousand-different-takes, lose-all-sense-of-space filmmaking that bogs down the modern action genre ever since Bourne popularized it. In fact, the fights feel fluid without sacrificing the perceived impact that two behemoths throwing punches would give off, precisely because they're a series of longer takes. It's a testament to the direction that you can perfectly sense the weight of these giants' movements, of their punches, kicks, and skyscraper-throwing.

Accompanying these brawls are outstanding sound design and orchestral music, which I feel does its job. The score knows when to creep away and when to crank up the volume to 13, but never takes any attention away from the monsters. Both Godzilla's and Kong's roars, screams, and whines are immaculately done. I still get excited inside when I hear Godzilla charging his laserbeam; for me, that sort of whirring noise that continually grows louder has become synonymous with the character. It's also really badass.

In fact, if I had to sum up this film in one word, it's just that: Badass.

Industry (2020– )

Unrealistic "realistic take", flawed but interesting.

[5/10 · 31 March 2021]

I think I remember the show being billed as a realistic take on the industry, but then I'm greeted with so many dramatic and over-the-top nonsense that I start to feel that I was lied to.

The actual finance bits - how the characters work out plans to profit from whatever scenario, how the industry actually works - are the bits that captivated me the most. Not the many, man sex scenes that would put the word "gratuitous" to shame or the stories of the characters themselves. It's odd that I just don't care about them, but I don't.

Harper, the main character, is a terrible person, and I'm supposed to root for or be invested in her? I disagree with every bad choice she's made and every reaction she's had to the things that happen to her. At her core, she is a compulsive liar, a conniving manipulator, and an unqualified cheat.

The things that she gets away with blows my mind and again, makes me wonder how the show bills itself as realistic. She's a cartoon villain if I ever saw one.

Production wise, it is shot well. HBO always seems to be on top of their cinematography, and they could make a dumpster fire look and sound good. Not that this show is a dumpster fire, but the production is probably why I don't rate it any lower.

Actors are fine, no stand outs for me personally, but they did their job. Perhaps that's the best way to describe the show: does its job, but doesn't stand out.

Industry: Induction (2020) Season 1, Episode 1

Captivating, but lacks focus.

[6/10 · 21 March 2021]

I found the pilot to be a fairly captivating look into the exhausting and (a little too) exciting lives of finance professionals. I don't believe for one second that there's so much sex involved, but the part about the seemingly never ending hours and the near perfect execution demanded of those working in this field feels realistic.

A glaring downside, however, is the lack of focus in this episode as it jumps around between characters and stories without a strong thematic connection other than "this work is hard, look how hard these people have to work".

Even though for the most part I was interested to se what happens next, there are times where I felt I was looking at the clock a little too frequently. Sometimes there's just nothing going on, so pacing was somewhat of an issue.

I also had a problem with what happened to one of the characters, though I won't spoil their story. It was very sudden and unexpected, but not in a good way at all and felt like a twist for twist's sake. Instead of helping enhance the narrative and theme, it was just silly writing.

Zack Snyder's Justice League (2021)

Long, But in a Fantastically Epic Way.

[9/10 · 18 March 2021]

Four hours will seem daunting to many people, and I myself had to watch it in parts. But it is worth it, in every way, to set aside the time to see this film.

Snyder put so much effort and care into these characters; you can tell that Whedon never really did. The focus of the movie isn't just on Batman and Wonder Woman - as in the inferior 2017 Version - but on everyone who makes up this team. That is definitely the right move.

The lives and stories of each member of the team, the different worlds they come from, we get to see and feel it all. This is where the four hour runtime suddenly feels like a blessing. Rarely have we gotten to know superheroes so intimately.

Cyborg, who was entirely sidelined as a supporting character with minor importance in the Whedon cut, is established as the heart of this movie. All he ever wanted was for his busy father to be there, and it's not until Victor loses his mother and his own life that his dad finally shows up. When later he loses his father too, it pushes him over the edge and gives him the drive to be a hero, to be a part of the world rather than to shy away from it.

The Flash is more than just a joke machine, having key, emotional moments with both his father and a love interest. His relationship with his father motivates him, both in his normal life and his superhero outings. Billy Crudup gives a believable performance as a 150% supportive dad in the short screen time he had.

Aquaman also receives the same treatment; his "Surfer Dude" persona is muted to make way for an intriguing inner conflict. His hatred for his mixed ancestry is palpable; his struggle in being an outcast in both of the worlds he come from is communicated perfectly by Momoa. When he does finally come to terms with his heritage, we don't question it.

I feel the story and plot will not be what most people see this movie for, however. Certainly, it won't be what they remember. The most memorable aspect will be the cinematography, the epic feel to a large majority of the scenes and the artistic quality of the images that Snyder puts in front of them.

The camera work is sublime; every fight scene is punchy, purposeful, and the action is directed and shot well. When they get to work, these heroes feel like how they're supposed to: larger than life. Whether it's Wonder Woman banging her cuffs together, the Flash running faster than light, Cyborg taking down buildings with his arm cannons, or Superman handling the villain who had given all the other heroes so much trouble without breaking a sweat - literally - these heroes do a fine job of bringing a sense of epicness and scale to this film, much more so than what I've felt from other superhero flicks.

This is what Superhero Films can - and should - be.

WandaVision: Breaking the Fourth Wall (2021) Season 1, Episode 7

Has Renewed My Interest in the Show.

[6/10 · 20 February 2021]

The last few episodes have been decent compared to earlier ones, thankfully. This one has renewed my interest in the show, in large part because of a major twist that I should have predicted involving a side character. Though, sadly I still can't say that I'm enthusiastic about WandaVision.

Mainly, I just want to see where the story goes, since I haven't really been awed by anything so far. The show has been getting better, but when you start with episodes as rough as those first three, it doesn't exactly mean you have a fantastic show.

Rather, it's just decent, and maybe that's enough for some.

R.I.P.D. (2013)

Lacking in Brains and Heart, but has Some Style.

[4/10 · 15 February 2021]

Something about the way some of the action sequences were shot made the movie a little bearable; the camera moves dynamically and helped to add energy and life to an otherwise disappointing story.

Jeff Bridges also brings quite a few laughs out, and really that's it. The rest of the movie sort of falls flat; Ryan Reynolds still shouldn't carry a movie, the plot is uninspired, and the writing leaves a lot to be desired. The VFX is fairly inconsistent; I liked the way they illustrated the wormhole from Earth to the Afterlife, but the rendering of the monsters was PS1-quality and downright laughable sometimes.

So basically, sub-par summer flick. I'd say skip it, peeps.

WandaVision: We Interrupt This Program (2021) Season 1, Episode 4

A Torrential Vomit of Plot Development. Finally?

[6/10 · 13 February 2021]

WandaVision has just been rescuscitated after drowning in a quicksand of boredom during its first three episodes. We get some much needed plot development in an episode that doesn't feel like a rehash of what we just saw (wink wink, episode 2 and 3).

A new character essentially trades the beat up Toyota for a brand new Ferrari, and puts the pedal to the metal, propelling the story forward. I still haven't decided if I like this yet; many of the mysteries have just been answered, so many that it feels like the writers just vomited all over the script.

And yet, it's nice to see the script finally move for once. I don't think I'm alone in that sentiment, as I suspect some people were turned off by the cumbersome pace of the initial episodes and had cancelled their Disney+ subs already.

Although I do praise the show for finally moving things along, I can't really praise the writing. Everything just feels very predictable, and the show has not given me anything to think otherwise. I already had some suspicions as to who was actually behind what was happening (and I was right, for now at least), and why they're doing it (I'm fairly sure the next few episodes will vindicate me).

So then it seems my impressions of this show so far is it's slow, cumbersome and almost entirely predictable. I wish it was not so as I find Elizabeth Olson charming in the role. Oh well.

The Good Liar (2019)

Trainwreck of a plot kills great performances!

[3/10 · 24 January 2021]

Loved both actors' performances and its quite literally the only salvageable parts from this trainwreck. The story goes everywhere and nowhere at the same time.

Go watch something else.

WandaVision (2021)

Cumbersome, Slow, and Unmemorable.

[4/10 · 24 January 2021]

This review will be updated as more episodes come out, and is more of a first impression rather than an in-depth review.

The first three episodes of WandaVision are unbearably slow while also somehow doing very little for the characters or plot. While I appreciate its attempts at recreating the style and aesthetic of various decades, the show so far seems to be delivering mostly filler - which is extremely odd, given that it just started.

Only a few minutes per episode serve the grand mystery- the show's most interesting aspect, by far- and it means a majority of the episodes are terribly boring to watch.

I don't know about you, but being drip-fed incremental developments in plot is not entertaining. Honestly, it felt like all three episodes thus far could have been one episode. In fact, they felt like the same episode.

Wanda and Vision would try to blend in, notice their shared amnesia, feel that something strange is going on, and then forget everything all over again. It's like the writers are trying to repeatedly hammer into the audience's heads something they already knew from the first episode: things are not how they seem and someone is behind it.

We get it, already. What's next?

Dragon's Dogma (2020)

A Great Theme's Potential Wasted

[3/10 · 24 September 2020]

Short Version: Jarring CGI animation coupled with weak dialogue and underdeveloped characters ruin a plot that had some potential. Skip it!

Long Version: Coming into Dragon's Dogma with no knowledge of the source material, I had no expectations of what I was about to watch. Though after finishing the series, I wished that I had read a review or two beforehand. There are a lot of problems here.

Visually, the 3D style CGI animation on display here is the first barrier to entry. In a lot of action scenes, it fails to deliver the impact we're supposed to feel when a building crashes down onto a character, or when swords are clashing and blood is spilled. It just takes you out of the experience.

When you get past the animation, you're then left with a fairly weak script that does not do an adequate job of developing the characters, and there aren't even that many. Often, I would be disappointed that some characters' motivations or backstories aren't being explored further, and that the writer is more interested in getting to the next monster or the next battle without taking the chance to let the characters breathe or have a real conversation.

All of this prevent the potential of the plot from being fully realized, and dampens the intended effect of a powerful theme worth writing about. Dragon's Dogma asserts that revenge only continues the cycle of violence -- that fighting fire with fire only creates a larger flame -- and that if we truly wish to end the suffering, we must sue for peace and non-violence. Succumbing to our thirst for revenge only leads us to become the very thing we hate. All good there, but honestly, Afro Samurai did it better (Go watch that if you haven't).