I was hoping they would have the balls to end it that way. This movie is excellent, and that ending was the perfect choice to remain true to its subject.
Reviews
30 Reviews
Spider-Man: No Way Home
(2021)
Phenomenal
17 December 2021
Warning: Spoilers
INCREDIBLE. I didn't think I would be ready to move on from the Avengers era, but I was proven wrong tonight because I cannot wait to see the rest of the Multiverse storylines in future MCU films.
There wasn't a weak performance from anyone, literally every cast member was acting at the TOP of their game. Alfred Molina killed it. Maguire killed it. Holland's emotions came through strong when they really needed to. And Andrew Garfield kind of stole all of the triple-Spiderman scenes? Delightful surprise.
MULTIPLE SPIDERMANS??? They pulled it off just as well as Spiderverse did, and god I hope we so more of them because I need more triple-spiderman banter. You know the writers' room was having a field day crafting those scenes and I'd bet my life they have a ton more that didn't make the movie.
Hyped for the next year's MCU.
There wasn't a weak performance from anyone, literally every cast member was acting at the TOP of their game. Alfred Molina killed it. Maguire killed it. Holland's emotions came through strong when they really needed to. And Andrew Garfield kind of stole all of the triple-Spiderman scenes? Delightful surprise.
MULTIPLE SPIDERMANS??? They pulled it off just as well as Spiderverse did, and god I hope we so more of them because I need more triple-spiderman banter. You know the writers' room was having a field day crafting those scenes and I'd bet my life they have a ton more that didn't make the movie.
Hyped for the next year's MCU.
The Ritual
(I) (2017)
For Fans of The Descent
9 September 2021
I strongly consider The Descent to be one of the greatest horror movies ever made. Hardly anything touches its cast dynamics, the character development, its narrative's basis in reality, the anxiety-creating decline of the characters' health, or it's absolutely insane monster reveal.
The Ritual hits all of those notes and that's why I find the two comparable. A traumatic, based-in-reality opening that reaches far into the ending? Got it. The characters' sanity and health slowly declining causing anxiety? Got it. Cast chemistry? Got it, they played a group of friends perfectly. Monster reveal? Ho-ly F.
The supernatural elements they introduce as the story progresses spook the hell out of you. It's also just an interesting premise of this dark ritual that infects your mind. Even the good films who use this trope reuse common elements like having a singular cursed object (The Ring, Drag Me To Hell), or a witch casting spells (Conjuring 3, The Witch), or the character seeks to complete a ritual (The Ninth Gate). The Ritual breaks out because it is none of these. It goes 10 steps further. It introduces a god character and utilizes ancient myth to give the magic of the forest narrative authority.
The simplicity of shooting on location in the forest gave the film a unique and genuine feel, often creating beautiful scenes that could not be recreated in a studio or computer. It immerses the viewer in this terrifying forest, especially when the extreme darkness comes at night.
The monster reveal was incredible. Out of nowhere, unexpected 10/10 reveal. Watched this movie three times now and it is still excellent.
The Ritual hits all of those notes and that's why I find the two comparable. A traumatic, based-in-reality opening that reaches far into the ending? Got it. The characters' sanity and health slowly declining causing anxiety? Got it. Cast chemistry? Got it, they played a group of friends perfectly. Monster reveal? Ho-ly F.
The supernatural elements they introduce as the story progresses spook the hell out of you. It's also just an interesting premise of this dark ritual that infects your mind. Even the good films who use this trope reuse common elements like having a singular cursed object (The Ring, Drag Me To Hell), or a witch casting spells (Conjuring 3, The Witch), or the character seeks to complete a ritual (The Ninth Gate). The Ritual breaks out because it is none of these. It goes 10 steps further. It introduces a god character and utilizes ancient myth to give the magic of the forest narrative authority.
The simplicity of shooting on location in the forest gave the film a unique and genuine feel, often creating beautiful scenes that could not be recreated in a studio or computer. It immerses the viewer in this terrifying forest, especially when the extreme darkness comes at night.
The monster reveal was incredible. Out of nowhere, unexpected 10/10 reveal. Watched this movie three times now and it is still excellent.
The Suicide Squad
(2021)
Moral of the movie - Collective Action
10 August 2021
Warning: Spoilers
This is a fantastic movie with a few shortcomings.
The opening structure of the Suicide Squad was brilliant in the way it dropped you right into the action without introductions. Where Zack Snyder's Army of the Dead spent quite a long time reviewing who the main players of the heist team were before we ever saw them inside the zombie zone, Suicide Squad instead almost immediately shows you the Suicide Squad storming the beach of Corto Maltes. And it doesn't overly explain the stakes or mechanics of being on the squad. Like the kill switch that makes your head explode. It very succinctly illustrated why no one will abandon the mission - you die.
The funniest sequence of the movie was maybe the pseudo-competition between Peacemaker and Bloodsport in the rebel camp. When John Cena casually stabbed a sleeping guy 14 times, I lost my mind. The biggest belly laugh.
Now, the ending hour is the bread and butter of this movie. It is heralded by Harley Quinn blasting the wannabe president in the chest after they bone. This half of the movie makes up for all the shortcomings of the first. The conspiracy of Project Starfish really takes off. The Suicide Squad starts working together to save Harley. They enter the Jotunheim. Ugh. So many good scenes in here with real world implications.
The defection of Peacemaker and the fights that ensued between him, Rick Flag, and Ratcatcher had high stakes. They pulled at your heartstrings and your allegiance to right vs wrong. The fight between Peacemaker and Rick Flag had an insane amount of emotion coming off each actor. I knew Joel Kinnaman was great before this movie, but John Cena? Incredible emotion as he kills Flag.
The finale shows the meaning of this movie - Collective Action. They initially lose to Starro because the Squad is splintering off and are told to come home by Waller (Viola Davis). They collectively agree to not abandon the mission and fight Starro together. That's the first C. A. Second, as Waller is about to hit the kill switch, the tech team knocks her out. Third, you have Starro's hivemind of a horde of starfish drones, which ultimately proves to be too powerful for the Squad - we watch all members nearly die by Starro.
But fourth and finally, Ratcatcher uses the rats. A horde of individual rats, in contrast to the hivemind of Starro, bests the villain because it was millions of minds working together, instead of millions of bodies with one mind. The film's message is that many must work together to achieve a singular goal - with no one splintering off.
The opening structure of the Suicide Squad was brilliant in the way it dropped you right into the action without introductions. Where Zack Snyder's Army of the Dead spent quite a long time reviewing who the main players of the heist team were before we ever saw them inside the zombie zone, Suicide Squad instead almost immediately shows you the Suicide Squad storming the beach of Corto Maltes. And it doesn't overly explain the stakes or mechanics of being on the squad. Like the kill switch that makes your head explode. It very succinctly illustrated why no one will abandon the mission - you die.
The funniest sequence of the movie was maybe the pseudo-competition between Peacemaker and Bloodsport in the rebel camp. When John Cena casually stabbed a sleeping guy 14 times, I lost my mind. The biggest belly laugh.
Now, the ending hour is the bread and butter of this movie. It is heralded by Harley Quinn blasting the wannabe president in the chest after they bone. This half of the movie makes up for all the shortcomings of the first. The conspiracy of Project Starfish really takes off. The Suicide Squad starts working together to save Harley. They enter the Jotunheim. Ugh. So many good scenes in here with real world implications.
The defection of Peacemaker and the fights that ensued between him, Rick Flag, and Ratcatcher had high stakes. They pulled at your heartstrings and your allegiance to right vs wrong. The fight between Peacemaker and Rick Flag had an insane amount of emotion coming off each actor. I knew Joel Kinnaman was great before this movie, but John Cena? Incredible emotion as he kills Flag.
The finale shows the meaning of this movie - Collective Action. They initially lose to Starro because the Squad is splintering off and are told to come home by Waller (Viola Davis). They collectively agree to not abandon the mission and fight Starro together. That's the first C. A. Second, as Waller is about to hit the kill switch, the tech team knocks her out. Third, you have Starro's hivemind of a horde of starfish drones, which ultimately proves to be too powerful for the Squad - we watch all members nearly die by Starro.
But fourth and finally, Ratcatcher uses the rats. A horde of individual rats, in contrast to the hivemind of Starro, bests the villain because it was millions of minds working together, instead of millions of bodies with one mind. The film's message is that many must work together to achieve a singular goal - with no one splintering off.
Black Widow
(2021)
Decent, but not great
21 July 2021
Warning: Spoilers
Let's get one thing straight. I'm drunk and want to curse far more in this review than IMDB will allow.
The characterization here is the most enjoyable part - the actors really explode with personality, development, and the familial element is so raw and real. It was insanely easy to believe that they were a dysfunctional family that loved each other. Their stories are so interesting. For a quick, fleeting moment, you can even catch a glimpse of Rachel Weisz playing Evie (The Mummy) again. Blink and you'll miss her delivery, but it's there. David Harbour is bombastic and lovable. Florence Pugh is has a humor and mystique to her, even after the movie ends, and I cannot wait to see her develop further.
BUT. The CGI and action sequences are so dumb it will transport you back to 1994 when the fire and explosions looked like ps1 graphics. I am still in disbelief that this movie was made in 2021... they need to drop the studio who did this movie. Forever. It was distracting me from what was on screen.
And to add to that, the characters were making it through absolutely unlivable situations. Huge explosions right next to Black Widow or Florence Pugh and they just do a backflip, or run through the fire. It was like those old garbage Delta Force movies. Then the giant space station in the sky? Exists? Why? No one has ever noticed this giant town-sized object in their airspace? Just preposterous.
I am actually livid that this part of the movie exists. So much of the movie is good, and then the last act is an inexplicable shift to mediocrity.
Overall, the movie is good. I will watch it again on my AMC Stubs.
The characterization here is the most enjoyable part - the actors really explode with personality, development, and the familial element is so raw and real. It was insanely easy to believe that they were a dysfunctional family that loved each other. Their stories are so interesting. For a quick, fleeting moment, you can even catch a glimpse of Rachel Weisz playing Evie (The Mummy) again. Blink and you'll miss her delivery, but it's there. David Harbour is bombastic and lovable. Florence Pugh is has a humor and mystique to her, even after the movie ends, and I cannot wait to see her develop further.
BUT. The CGI and action sequences are so dumb it will transport you back to 1994 when the fire and explosions looked like ps1 graphics. I am still in disbelief that this movie was made in 2021... they need to drop the studio who did this movie. Forever. It was distracting me from what was on screen.
And to add to that, the characters were making it through absolutely unlivable situations. Huge explosions right next to Black Widow or Florence Pugh and they just do a backflip, or run through the fire. It was like those old garbage Delta Force movies. Then the giant space station in the sky? Exists? Why? No one has ever noticed this giant town-sized object in their airspace? Just preposterous.
I am actually livid that this part of the movie exists. So much of the movie is good, and then the last act is an inexplicable shift to mediocrity.
Overall, the movie is good. I will watch it again on my AMC Stubs.
Zack Snyder's Justice League
(2021)
More Snyderverse please
2 April 2021
Shattered expectations - by far the best DC movie to come out of the DCEU, and after Snyder's Batman v. Superman cut, I had lofty expectations for this one too. It's a fun plot and has exciting action that has matured beyond the over-the-top Man of Steel destruction.
The exposition for each character, especially in the case of Cyborg, was appreciated greatly. I hope he gets his own movie soon.
What impressed me most was the cohesion of the different stories weaved into the overall arc. Nothing felt out of place, and everything felt necessary to the development. The movie is 4 hours long which caused me to fear that it might feel too episodic, but it really was not. It felt like one long film and the time flew by.
Fun symbolism: When Flash saves that girl he is crushing on from the car crash, and she's flying through the air as he looks at her lovingly and caresses her hair, there was some hilarious symbolism that Zach threw in. Flash stops caressing her, snapping himself out of his horny daydream, and grabs a hotdog floating next to her. He then sheathes the hot dog in his shirt pocket. Snyder was visually telling us "keep it in your pants Barry" and that made me laugh so hard.
The exposition for each character, especially in the case of Cyborg, was appreciated greatly. I hope he gets his own movie soon.
What impressed me most was the cohesion of the different stories weaved into the overall arc. Nothing felt out of place, and everything felt necessary to the development. The movie is 4 hours long which caused me to fear that it might feel too episodic, but it really was not. It felt like one long film and the time flew by.
Fun symbolism: When Flash saves that girl he is crushing on from the car crash, and she's flying through the air as he looks at her lovingly and caresses her hair, there was some hilarious symbolism that Zach threw in. Flash stops caressing her, snapping himself out of his horny daydream, and grabs a hotdog floating next to her. He then sheathes the hot dog in his shirt pocket. Snyder was visually telling us "keep it in your pants Barry" and that made me laugh so hard.
A Silent Voice: The Movie
(2016)
Scratches that emotional itch
8 February 2021
I went into this hoping to get emotionally wrecked, and while the film didn't tear me down to my core like others have, it did enough to satisfy me.
The film deals with once-in-a-lifetime emotions like suicide or the trauma of causing someone else's death or losing all of your friends because of your own selfish actions. These events are all transformative to our sense of self, and we become different people because of it. The characters reflect this real life phenomena in a believable way. I could relate with what they were going through easily because of how well they portrayed them.
The story is heavy with a lot to unpack. And that's unfortunately a shortcoming - they throw these once-in-a-lifetime emotions at you so quickly that there isn't adequate time to distill them or let the characters explore it. I still felt the weight of their emotional experience, but it was a bit hollow, and could have been improved as a series with double the runtime. Conversely, the story could have been improved if they removed most of the secondary characters except Yuzuru and Nagatsuka and focus on those main 4. They were the most compelling and deserved to be fleshed out more.
Another shortcoming - which may be caused by English translation of the Japanese audio - was that a lot felt missing from the scenes. Either the translation was severely lacking in accuracy and added context, or A Silent Voice too heavily relies on the viewer to just understand what the flashbacks and symbolism and dialogue mean.
The film deals with once-in-a-lifetime emotions like suicide or the trauma of causing someone else's death or losing all of your friends because of your own selfish actions. These events are all transformative to our sense of self, and we become different people because of it. The characters reflect this real life phenomena in a believable way. I could relate with what they were going through easily because of how well they portrayed them.
The story is heavy with a lot to unpack. And that's unfortunately a shortcoming - they throw these once-in-a-lifetime emotions at you so quickly that there isn't adequate time to distill them or let the characters explore it. I still felt the weight of their emotional experience, but it was a bit hollow, and could have been improved as a series with double the runtime. Conversely, the story could have been improved if they removed most of the secondary characters except Yuzuru and Nagatsuka and focus on those main 4. They were the most compelling and deserved to be fleshed out more.
Another shortcoming - which may be caused by English translation of the Japanese audio - was that a lot felt missing from the scenes. Either the translation was severely lacking in accuracy and added context, or A Silent Voice too heavily relies on the viewer to just understand what the flashbacks and symbolism and dialogue mean.
Demon House
(2019)
Great evidence
7 February 2021
It's not easy to write off what happens here.
A Travel Channel TV show host doesn't have the budget for the amount of NDAs and money to payoff, on top of the actual Demon House he bought, to keep that many people in line.
It requires a herculean effort to have coordinated that many people to risk their careers as CPS workers, NASA engineers, UCLA professorship, and police officers for the sake of a small one-time check. That explanation just doesn't hold up to scrutiny. Ed Weibe and Barry Taff are real people. So is the black cop. So is the priest. They aren't going to risk their careers for Zak Bagans okay. They just aren't.
I saw one review on here talking about the black cop not remembering his "lines" of minutes vs a month as proof? Why wouldn't they just reshoot the scene if he got the line wrong, you moron?
NARRATIVELY speaking, the documentary is great. The slow build of the investigation, and all of the things that went haywire, has a satisfying crescendo in the final lockdown of the documentary. The events in the lockdown are compelling evidence when taking into account he has barricaded himself inside. It's frightening to watch and if it happened to me, I would have thought my life was about to end.
I've watched it twice now, about two years apart, and it was just as fun to watch the 2nd time. Especially fun when you get to show friends who haven't seen it before.
A Travel Channel TV show host doesn't have the budget for the amount of NDAs and money to payoff, on top of the actual Demon House he bought, to keep that many people in line.
It requires a herculean effort to have coordinated that many people to risk their careers as CPS workers, NASA engineers, UCLA professorship, and police officers for the sake of a small one-time check. That explanation just doesn't hold up to scrutiny. Ed Weibe and Barry Taff are real people. So is the black cop. So is the priest. They aren't going to risk their careers for Zak Bagans okay. They just aren't.
I saw one review on here talking about the black cop not remembering his "lines" of minutes vs a month as proof? Why wouldn't they just reshoot the scene if he got the line wrong, you moron?
NARRATIVELY speaking, the documentary is great. The slow build of the investigation, and all of the things that went haywire, has a satisfying crescendo in the final lockdown of the documentary. The events in the lockdown are compelling evidence when taking into account he has barricaded himself inside. It's frightening to watch and if it happened to me, I would have thought my life was about to end.
I've watched it twice now, about two years apart, and it was just as fun to watch the 2nd time. Especially fun when you get to show friends who haven't seen it before.
Nothing better
2 November 2020
The Haunting of Bly Manor
(2020)
Great, even compared to Hill House
19 October 2020
Warning: Spoilers
A blending of the driving elements found in The Skeleton Key and The Others, as well as wholly original ghost storytelling, are what make this a modern masterpiece. This is very much a ghost story whereas Hill House was a mind bending thriller that had ghosts playing a minor role. The early scares involving the forbidden act of moving the dolls was excellent, thoroughly creepy stuff. And when the children looked at each other before locking Dani in the closet was creepy as hell.
I did see the possession of the children coming from almost the very beginning because they were acting extremely weird, and I was pretty positive it was Peter inside Miles by the time Miles tucked strands of hair behind Dani's ear. Major horndog. However it did surprise me the route they took with motivations behind possession and how it worked. Dream hopping was a unique idea. I loved trying to figure it out when Hannah was doing flashbacks for 10 straight minutes going from room to room. I was sure they wouldn't explain what was going with that, and Flora, adequately, but they did. They pulled off that narrative feat. It was especially moving when Rebecca saved Flora from her drowning experience, saying "I'll take this for you. You can retreat to your mother's loving arms as you die."
Mike Flanagan is really good at casting child actors. He's batting 1000 on them.
Bly Manor is also exactly the right way to do diverse casting. It never took away from who the characters were, and the narrative who the actors played in regards to race and sexual orientation. Jamie had big lesbian energy and I was loving it from the moment she showed up in those filthy jeans.
I thought it was a bit funny that as soon as Dani got grabbed by the Lady in the Lake ghost, Mike Flanagan threw us for a 90 minute flashback side quest to discover her origins. It reminded me of anime where the protagonist fights the Final Boss and has 10 episodes of flashbacks mid fight.
It's almost as beautiful as Hill House was, but falls slightly short of its predecessor in both the interesting characters and camerawork. Hard to top the single-shot of Hill House's immersive episode 6.
I did see the possession of the children coming from almost the very beginning because they were acting extremely weird, and I was pretty positive it was Peter inside Miles by the time Miles tucked strands of hair behind Dani's ear. Major horndog. However it did surprise me the route they took with motivations behind possession and how it worked. Dream hopping was a unique idea. I loved trying to figure it out when Hannah was doing flashbacks for 10 straight minutes going from room to room. I was sure they wouldn't explain what was going with that, and Flora, adequately, but they did. They pulled off that narrative feat. It was especially moving when Rebecca saved Flora from her drowning experience, saying "I'll take this for you. You can retreat to your mother's loving arms as you die."
Mike Flanagan is really good at casting child actors. He's batting 1000 on them.
Bly Manor is also exactly the right way to do diverse casting. It never took away from who the characters were, and the narrative who the actors played in regards to race and sexual orientation. Jamie had big lesbian energy and I was loving it from the moment she showed up in those filthy jeans.
I thought it was a bit funny that as soon as Dani got grabbed by the Lady in the Lake ghost, Mike Flanagan threw us for a 90 minute flashback side quest to discover her origins. It reminded me of anime where the protagonist fights the Final Boss and has 10 episodes of flashbacks mid fight.
It's almost as beautiful as Hill House was, but falls slightly short of its predecessor in both the interesting characters and camerawork. Hard to top the single-shot of Hill House's immersive episode 6.
Tenet
(2020)
Worth risking coronavirus
1 September 2020
Outstanding film experience, even with a mask and goggles on.
This tale requires a lot of focus to understand. Much of the first half is spent world building which is absolutely required to understand how the technology works and the characters in play. By the end, the payoffs at each of the climaxes are totally worth the wait. Yes, plural.
Visually, this film is going to blow your eyes wide open into stark white cue balls. So many "oh my godddd whaaaat" moments from beginning to end. Especially the ending 45 minute sequence, mixed with the tense score, will have you feeling like you just took molly and you feel the back of your head all tingly from the stimulation.
Robert Pattinson is amazing in this and you will love him like a close friend. Better than his role in Good Time. Better than The Lighthouse. Better than the craziness of The King. Most of all this role for him has me hyped as hell for The Batman.
I love the philosophical dialogue that they wrote about time, its effects, and the paradoxes. Can't speak too much on that without spoilers though.
This tale requires a lot of focus to understand. Much of the first half is spent world building which is absolutely required to understand how the technology works and the characters in play. By the end, the payoffs at each of the climaxes are totally worth the wait. Yes, plural.
Visually, this film is going to blow your eyes wide open into stark white cue balls. So many "oh my godddd whaaaat" moments from beginning to end. Especially the ending 45 minute sequence, mixed with the tense score, will have you feeling like you just took molly and you feel the back of your head all tingly from the stimulation.
Robert Pattinson is amazing in this and you will love him like a close friend. Better than his role in Good Time. Better than The Lighthouse. Better than the craziness of The King. Most of all this role for him has me hyped as hell for The Batman.
I love the philosophical dialogue that they wrote about time, its effects, and the paradoxes. Can't speak too much on that without spoilers though.
You must watch the extended cut
28 August 2020
You must watch the extended cut. It's like watching a different film. There are still a few eye-rolling dialogue choices, but they are made near invisible because of how great the movie becomes with the additional scenes and edits.
I watched this to get amped for the new Justice League. I CANNOT WAIT.
I watched this to get amped for the new Justice League. I CANNOT WAIT.
Hunt for the Skinwalker
(2018)
Interesting enough
20 August 2020
Having never read the book or known much of the ranch, all of the footage and story was new information to me. It was riveting to hear the experiences of the NIDS team and the ranchers who lived there. Extremely weird stuff.
Unfortunately, the doc has a lot of shortfalls. They never show any of the physical measurement data that I presume NIDS has loads of would be the biggest one. Like magnetic field anomalies or test samples from the calf that was mutilated. The annoying text that flashed across the screen as people talked was also unnecessary. He probably did this in the place of B-roll footage, but why? He had 40 hours of Knapp tapes, he definitely could have put Knapp's footage of the ranch there while people talked.
As a narrator he does try to make it TOO MUCH. Like he's some poetic horror writer. That's not your audience please stop.
Overall, really fun to hear about NIDS and the 2017 interviews of people who experienced UFOs. It's worth watching if you don't know much about the ranch. Could have used more current day interviews though.
Unfortunately, the doc has a lot of shortfalls. They never show any of the physical measurement data that I presume NIDS has loads of would be the biggest one. Like magnetic field anomalies or test samples from the calf that was mutilated. The annoying text that flashed across the screen as people talked was also unnecessary. He probably did this in the place of B-roll footage, but why? He had 40 hours of Knapp tapes, he definitely could have put Knapp's footage of the ranch there while people talked.
As a narrator he does try to make it TOO MUCH. Like he's some poetic horror writer. That's not your audience please stop.
Overall, really fun to hear about NIDS and the 2017 interviews of people who experienced UFOs. It's worth watching if you don't know much about the ranch. Could have used more current day interviews though.
Yeah
9 July 2020
The Gentlemen
(2019)
Can't wait for a sequel
5 April 2020
This is the best Guy Ritchie movie since Snatch.
The classic british gangster plots of Ritchie scripts has fermented into a string of hilarious gags, fun chase scenes, and some contemporaneous jabs at societal ills.
Hugh Grant really steals this thing, and so does Colin Farrell. I look forward to a sequel.
The classic british gangster plots of Ritchie scripts has fermented into a string of hilarious gags, fun chase scenes, and some contemporaneous jabs at societal ills.
Hugh Grant really steals this thing, and so does Colin Farrell. I look forward to a sequel.
Incredibles 2
(2018)
Predictable but enjoyable
2 April 2020
I saw the villain and the ending coming a mile away, so much so that it distracted me from the rest of the film. I kept begging them not to take the story down that road, that it's tired and unoriginal, and they did it.
And worst of all, they completely blew it when the time came to giving the villain a captivating motivation. Like when Ozymandias of The Watchmen wanted to frame Manhattan for the destruction to avoid nuclear holocaust. He gave a final speech that made you question your morality. The Screenslaver is clearly meant to be the adult messaging in the movie, a critique on society's obsession with technology and the draining effect it has on our lives. But we never really have that reckoning, and the villain is silently vanquished.
The denouement of Screenslaver was just lame. Very surface level villain stuff. Compare that to the outstanding never-meet-your-heroes betrayal plot of the first Incredibles, you see why this villain falls short.
It was also unbelievable that Bob Parr is such a terrible dad. He's been parenting for like 14 years now? But thumbs his nose at changing a diaper? Dude has three kids.
I'm so hard on this movie because the first Incredibles was one of the best Pixar movies ever and it should have lived up to its pedigree. Finding Dory was worthy, why not Incredibles 2?
And worst of all, they completely blew it when the time came to giving the villain a captivating motivation. Like when Ozymandias of The Watchmen wanted to frame Manhattan for the destruction to avoid nuclear holocaust. He gave a final speech that made you question your morality. The Screenslaver is clearly meant to be the adult messaging in the movie, a critique on society's obsession with technology and the draining effect it has on our lives. But we never really have that reckoning, and the villain is silently vanquished.
The denouement of Screenslaver was just lame. Very surface level villain stuff. Compare that to the outstanding never-meet-your-heroes betrayal plot of the first Incredibles, you see why this villain falls short.
It was also unbelievable that Bob Parr is such a terrible dad. He's been parenting for like 14 years now? But thumbs his nose at changing a diaper? Dude has three kids.
I'm so hard on this movie because the first Incredibles was one of the best Pixar movies ever and it should have lived up to its pedigree. Finding Dory was worthy, why not Incredibles 2?
Onward
(I) (2020)
Only worth it for Chris Pratt's DnD
1 April 2020
Chris Pratt and Tom Holland can't carry this over the finish line.
It really feels like a movie with a half hour cut out of it, unfinished and partial. When I watch a Pixar movie, I am spoiled by the complexity of Finding Nemo and Toy Story and Coco... and Onward had the heart to be just like them.
The story sadly just isn't enough to develop them as lasting characters. There are a lot of fun gags and hearing Chris Pratt be a DnD nut was a joy, but there wasn't enough story here.
Maybe a sequel will flesh things out better.
It really feels like a movie with a half hour cut out of it, unfinished and partial. When I watch a Pixar movie, I am spoiled by the complexity of Finding Nemo and Toy Story and Coco... and Onward had the heart to be just like them.
The story sadly just isn't enough to develop them as lasting characters. There are a lot of fun gags and hearing Chris Pratt be a DnD nut was a joy, but there wasn't enough story here.
Maybe a sequel will flesh things out better.
Joker
(I) (2019)
Great Villain Film
31 January 2020
There is a lot of frustration at our inability to categorize Joker, and I think that's why it is so polarizing. The arguments go, "If it's a superhero movie, where's the usual fanfare and effects and fighting," as well as "If it isn't a superhero movie and is instead a think-piece, where's the message? Why is it morally ambiguous?" The answer is that we're watching a movie about a villain. And not even an anti-villain like say Ozymandias in "Watchmen" (2009) or an anti-hero like Walt Kowalski in "Gran Torino." This Joker villain is a more human archetype than the chaotic evil Heath Ledger's was.
We aren't used to seeing a true villain main character, nor do movies typically make us sympathize with them.
This character of Arthur Fleck is instead a loner whose disconnection from love, or any meaningful social interaction, for the entirety of his life has turned him into an emotionally anarchic villain. His inexperience has left him so inept at emotionally processing the negatives in his life that his superego is gone. Nothing is there to check his id, and thus he lashes out repeatedly when someone insults him, or threatens him, or makes jokes at his expense.
This is a *great* comic book movie because it displays the inner machinations of its villain without compromising on the humanity Arthur Fleck. He is not a villain with powerful abilities deadset on taking over the Earth. He's a man who doesn't know how to navigate society or other humans, making the character unrelatable and tough to sympathize with. Arthur Fleck could appeal only to our basic human needs like those listed in Maslow's Heirarchy; love, personal security, having a job, having real friends. Beyond that, his actions are morally reprehensible and even our greatest empathies could not trick us into feeling sorry for Arthur by the riotous finale.
Okay, so the messaging is unclear and the moral of the story isn't stated at all. But one main message throughout the film is the proletariat will rise up against the bourgeoisie, and that is pretty constant from beginning to end. However, I think the truer message for the comic book character Joker is that Arthur Fleck does not care about the political revolution he started. He just wants to be heard. He wants the attention. He only cares about himself. And in that final scene where he dances on the car, I finally understood that this was a movie about experiencing what it means to be utterly alone, through the eyes of a villain that is an ordinary human.
We aren't used to seeing a true villain main character, nor do movies typically make us sympathize with them.
This character of Arthur Fleck is instead a loner whose disconnection from love, or any meaningful social interaction, for the entirety of his life has turned him into an emotionally anarchic villain. His inexperience has left him so inept at emotionally processing the negatives in his life that his superego is gone. Nothing is there to check his id, and thus he lashes out repeatedly when someone insults him, or threatens him, or makes jokes at his expense.
This is a *great* comic book movie because it displays the inner machinations of its villain without compromising on the humanity Arthur Fleck. He is not a villain with powerful abilities deadset on taking over the Earth. He's a man who doesn't know how to navigate society or other humans, making the character unrelatable and tough to sympathize with. Arthur Fleck could appeal only to our basic human needs like those listed in Maslow's Heirarchy; love, personal security, having a job, having real friends. Beyond that, his actions are morally reprehensible and even our greatest empathies could not trick us into feeling sorry for Arthur by the riotous finale.
Okay, so the messaging is unclear and the moral of the story isn't stated at all. But one main message throughout the film is the proletariat will rise up against the bourgeoisie, and that is pretty constant from beginning to end. However, I think the truer message for the comic book character Joker is that Arthur Fleck does not care about the political revolution he started. He just wants to be heard. He wants the attention. He only cares about himself. And in that final scene where he dances on the car, I finally understood that this was a movie about experiencing what it means to be utterly alone, through the eyes of a villain that is an ordinary human.
Erased
(2016)
One of the Greats
28 January 2020
Erased is undoubtedly one of the greatest anime stories given to us in the past 10 years. As Miyazaki eases slowly into his retirement, there are few who could lift such a heavy mantle. ERASED is one of the few tales who can fill the void that is growing in his absence, and deserves to be mentioned alongside him, as well as Makoto Shinkai's YOUR NAME.
Erased's first moments show us that this will be a supernatural tale, and that delighted the everliving hell out of me, given I haven't had a new anime that dealt with the supernatural in years. The main character, Satoru, has this mysterious ability even he does not understand which will teleport him back a few minutes in time and whose only warning is a delicately floating butterfly. The ability, which seems to have a plan of its own, aims to have our Satoru change something before it happens in those few minutes. This time, however, it sends Satoru back decades. To childhood. I was hooked from the first minute of this series.
The struggle to understand how the ability works, and what Satoru is supposed to change, is a continuous force driving the story. And even when he gets it right, things can go horribly awry. The series harkens back to the time-old theme of "you can't change the past," but definitely deviates and puts its own spin on it, creating something wholly new.
I really will gush forever about this thing. Fans of Miyazaki's magical charm and Makoto Shinkai's heartrending realism should put this at the top of their list.
Erased's first moments show us that this will be a supernatural tale, and that delighted the everliving hell out of me, given I haven't had a new anime that dealt with the supernatural in years. The main character, Satoru, has this mysterious ability even he does not understand which will teleport him back a few minutes in time and whose only warning is a delicately floating butterfly. The ability, which seems to have a plan of its own, aims to have our Satoru change something before it happens in those few minutes. This time, however, it sends Satoru back decades. To childhood. I was hooked from the first minute of this series.
The struggle to understand how the ability works, and what Satoru is supposed to change, is a continuous force driving the story. And even when he gets it right, things can go horribly awry. The series harkens back to the time-old theme of "you can't change the past," but definitely deviates and puts its own spin on it, creating something wholly new.
I really will gush forever about this thing. Fans of Miyazaki's magical charm and Makoto Shinkai's heartrending realism should put this at the top of their list.
Your Name.
(2016)
Incredible
6 January 2020
It's the most emotionally affecting movie I've ever experienced.
The first time I watched it, I cried at the end because it was so beautiful.
The second time I watched it, I cried for last half of the movie. I knew the heartrending finale was coming, and that made every action that preceded it more significant emotionally. I had try to my best to hide my tears from my gf so that she wasn't all, "why you crying? is something about to happen?" I didn't want to ruin it for her.
I'll probably watch it again in two or three years, when time has allowed my memory to forget some of the twists, and I'll cry all over again.
The first time I watched it, I cried at the end because it was so beautiful.
The second time I watched it, I cried for last half of the movie. I knew the heartrending finale was coming, and that made every action that preceded it more significant emotionally. I had try to my best to hide my tears from my gf so that she wasn't all, "why you crying? is something about to happen?" I didn't want to ruin it for her.
I'll probably watch it again in two or three years, when time has allowed my memory to forget some of the twists, and I'll cry all over again.
Dark Waters
(2019)
Shaking with rage
2 January 2020
Warning: Spoilers
In terms of storytelling, Dark Waters' most close associate that I've seen is The Big Short. Tonally, these two are polar opposites, but they both illustrate their convoluted and complicated stories of corporate corruption well. Well enough for any non-chemist, non-lawyer, non-doctor to understand the injustice that corporate overlords have exacted upon the public.
The film is constantly tearing down the spirit of Mark Ruffalo, followed by brief, hopeful moments that Dupont will be held accountable for poisoning tens of thousands of people. These hopeful and demoralizing notes begin small. The idea that the EPA will help Wilbur Tenant, the farmer who had his cattle herd die from poisoned drinking water, is followed by Ruffalo realizing that report was written in part by Dupont scientists who will, of course, be corrupt. And that demoralizing note is followed by bestowing the hope that Wilbur Tenant will finally get his long sought chance for a $ settlement, and that's followed by the soul crushing scene of his entire family drinking water out of the tap, still poisoning themselves with no other means to change their fate.
That was the scene that made me cry with rage. That nothing could be done to escape their death. What could they do without water? They're thirsty, and stressed, and their kids just want to come home from school and live normal lives. All I could do was cry tears of rage. Wilbur was not being served justice.
The notes continue swooping from high to low. Ruffalo is served mountains of paperwork during the lawsuit against Dupont. Like, a laughable amount that no one could ever finish reviewing. But he sets to work anyway and finds the smoking gun: Dupont has known about the poison for decades. The film makes the audience believe we have Dupont dead to rights, but they wiggle out of it with legal maneuvering. When it has been years after the public blood testing, and no answers are given as to whether Dupont is at fault, the public gets angry at Ruffalo. All this pressure builds into him having a mental breakdown/siezure, and we all feared he would quit. Then, after he recovers, the call finally comes from the science panel that he was right. Dupont absolutely poisoned these people and must pay for their health damage. This movie is like an emotionally abusive boyfriend.
Finally, we won, right? No. Dupont rips up the mediation contract (one would think this illegal) and now says anyone who has health problems cannot take part in a class action lawsuit, but can do so individually.
And that's when we finally leave on the highest of high notes that makes you curse with joy and unleash primal, guttural screams of victory: Mark Ruffalo starts representing each of those West Virginians individually, wins tens of millions of dollars in the first 3 cases, and DUPONT GIVES UP. THEY PAYOUT THE BETTER PART OF A BILLION DOLLARS. WHOOOOOOOOOOOOO YEAAAH SUCK IT.
The film is constantly tearing down the spirit of Mark Ruffalo, followed by brief, hopeful moments that Dupont will be held accountable for poisoning tens of thousands of people. These hopeful and demoralizing notes begin small. The idea that the EPA will help Wilbur Tenant, the farmer who had his cattle herd die from poisoned drinking water, is followed by Ruffalo realizing that report was written in part by Dupont scientists who will, of course, be corrupt. And that demoralizing note is followed by bestowing the hope that Wilbur Tenant will finally get his long sought chance for a $ settlement, and that's followed by the soul crushing scene of his entire family drinking water out of the tap, still poisoning themselves with no other means to change their fate.
That was the scene that made me cry with rage. That nothing could be done to escape their death. What could they do without water? They're thirsty, and stressed, and their kids just want to come home from school and live normal lives. All I could do was cry tears of rage. Wilbur was not being served justice.
The notes continue swooping from high to low. Ruffalo is served mountains of paperwork during the lawsuit against Dupont. Like, a laughable amount that no one could ever finish reviewing. But he sets to work anyway and finds the smoking gun: Dupont has known about the poison for decades. The film makes the audience believe we have Dupont dead to rights, but they wiggle out of it with legal maneuvering. When it has been years after the public blood testing, and no answers are given as to whether Dupont is at fault, the public gets angry at Ruffalo. All this pressure builds into him having a mental breakdown/siezure, and we all feared he would quit. Then, after he recovers, the call finally comes from the science panel that he was right. Dupont absolutely poisoned these people and must pay for their health damage. This movie is like an emotionally abusive boyfriend.
Finally, we won, right? No. Dupont rips up the mediation contract (one would think this illegal) and now says anyone who has health problems cannot take part in a class action lawsuit, but can do so individually.
And that's when we finally leave on the highest of high notes that makes you curse with joy and unleash primal, guttural screams of victory: Mark Ruffalo starts representing each of those West Virginians individually, wins tens of millions of dollars in the first 3 cases, and DUPONT GIVES UP. THEY PAYOUT THE BETTER PART OF A BILLION DOLLARS. WHOOOOOOOOOOOOO YEAAAH SUCK IT.
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