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Fantastic Four (2015)
There is Risk, There is Sacrifice, and There are Consequences...
It's just not very good. Nothing really happens in the movie. They made the cardinal mistake of using the ENTIRE film as an origin story. Their worst fumbling of the ball was how they handled Doctor Doom. They don't bring him into the mix until there is only half an hour left in the movie. That forced them to manufacture a world ending scenario in about thirty seconds. His character design is horrible too. I didn't hate the casting all that much, though I am partial to the 2005 cast. They at least seemed to be having fun. This cast focused too heavily on being dark and brooding and so you never really care if they team up. It also seemed like they knew it wouldn't really work because they didn't leave anything open for a sequel. They killed off one of Marvel's greatest villains with relative ease and didn't even really leave any room for him to return...not even an end of credits blurb. Also, the dialogue about them choosing a name at the end of the movie is God awful! I'm not surprised this tanked so badly with fans of the comic and I'm super skeptical given the current state of the MCU that Feige will be able to redeem them. Do yourself a favor and check out the 2005 film. The sequel isn't that great but the first movie is so much more fun.
Legally Blonde (2001)
First Impressions Are Not Always Correct...
I'm a huge Reese Witherspoon fan! Her performance in Walk the Line is one of the best ever put on film in my opinion. I've never really watched Legally Blonde the movie before now. I've seen the musical and didn't care much for it. Like most musicals that have been adapted from films, the movie is always better and that is very much true of Legally Blonde. This could have easily been a puff piece, but with Witherspoon in the lead, Elle Woods is loveable and you spend the entirety of the movie rooting for her success in every endeavor. It has an excellent supporting cast that all do exactly what they should to support the story and keep it from turning into bubblegum pop. If I have a complaint about the story it is how quickly Elle gets thrust into the trial as a lawyer. In a film that is mostly centered in truth, this plot point is completely out in left field. The movie is short enough that they could have afforded to build up to that a bit more. That minor faux pas aside, Legally Blonde is a good movie that makes the most out of its outstanding star.
Kingpin (1996)
She Said Handsome, Not Handless...
Who would have predicted that Randy Quaid would be at his most tame in a Farrelly Brothers movie? As a slapstick comedy, Kingpin is definitely one of their weaker efforts. It fares much better as a heartfelt buddy movie. There are still some belly laugh moments, but nothing anywhere near on the level of Dumb and Dumber or There's Something About Mary. The film feels like it is in a tug-of-war with its own nature. It was like they couldn't give over to making it a warm movie about a developing friendship without throwing in some lame over the top gags. They tried to force it and were unable to find a common middle ground. It's not a terrible movie by any stretch of the imagination, it just isn't funny enough to compete with their other comedies and isn't warm enough to separate itself into new ground. Definitely not a movie that most will want to watch more than once.
Men at Work (1990)
Somebody Threw Away a Perfectly Good White Boy...
Another example of a movie that I really loved when I was younger but doesn't really hold up now that I'm older. I am a huge fan of Young Guns, so when I saw that Emilio Estevez and Charlie Sheen were in a different type of movie I couldn't wait. It's a perfect example of an early 90s comedy but that isn't necessarily saying much. Looking at it critically, there are a few funny moments but they are mainly early on when the guys are doing garbage runs. With two good comedic actors in the movie, it is ironic that Keith David ends up being the funniest part of the film. His particular blend of crazy is perfect for the type of story Estevez was telling. The movie did bring back some childhood nostalgia, but I wouldn't call it good.
True Detective (2014)
The Detective and His Criminal Wear Versions of the Same Mask...
Anthology series' can be some of the greatest television you will ever watch. There aren't many in existence, but what a fantastic idea when they are executed with excellence. Fargo is the best of the best, and I believe True Detective belongs next on the list. Nic Pizzolatto created a prolific series that has a knack for attracting the perfect actors for the particular projects and writing fantastic material for them. These are not "whodunit" mysteries, and in fact most of the time, we don't even meet the killer until well into the season, so if you are looking for a Doyle or Christie type of mystery, this isn't for you. What you will be treated to are exceptional performances, dark and brooding scripts and a touch of the supernatural.
Season One: There's no question this is the best of the four seasons. The story was original and fresh at the time it came out, and it moved Matthew McConaughey into a whole new category of acting in the public's perception. He and Woody Harrelson have fantastic chemistry and Pizzolatto's writing was firing on all cylinders.
Season Two: Personally, I think this season is underrated. Sure it is the weakest of the four and it takes a little time to build up steam, but there is real meat there if you give it a chance. I think most people just expected something similar to the first season when it came out and it is an entirely different animal. If it suffers from anything, I think it was probably rushed forward by the network because of season one's popularity and Pizzolatto probably wasn't ready for it. Nevertheless, it is still better than the average trash they churn out these days.
Season Three: The defining factor of this season is Mahershala Ali. The story isn't particularly exciting but that didn't matter much as this was clearly an acting vehicle for Ali and we all enjoyed the benefits of it. The writing takes a step up from season two, and that was no doubt due to Ali helping inspire Pizzolatto into reigniting his fire.
Season Four: It's really good, but it does suffer from Nic Pizzolatto's absence. This was his brainchild and it feels like someone just traced over it by copying the formula. It mostly works with an amazing star, a chilling location and a provocative storyline. There was just something about it that didn't click the same with me and that can only be summed up by the absence of the creator. No wonder they tried hard to make the show its own thing by carrying a subtitle for the first time. It's still a lot of fun, but it doesn't feel like it is in the same universe.
42 (2013)
How Can You Not Be Romantic About Baseball?
"He's changing the world, and refusing to let it change him." There's nothing I can write about Jackie Robinson that hasn't already been said thousands of times. It is extraordinary that his is the only number to be retired in all of baseball with the exception of one day a year in April when all MLB clubs wear it on Jackie Robinson Day. 42 is really well written and has a great cast. A lot of the reviews I've read spoke about it being forgettable, and while it isn't the best baseball movie I've ever seen, I love the game, and as Brad Pitt's character proclaims in Moneyball, it's hard not to be romantic about the sport that produced Jackie Robinson. The late Chadwick Boseman was excellent as usual, and I believe this was Harrison Ford living in his element. He got to growl and be as grumpy as he wanted to be. I doubt this film will stand out as being one of the best ever, but there's no question the man it was based on was and will be remembered forever.
Spotlight (2015)
This is Not Just Physical Abuse, It's Spiritual Abuse Too...
This is an excellent film! At the time of its victory, Spotlight was the first Best Picture winner to only win one other Academy Award since 1952. That may seem outrageous, but when you watch the movie, it becomes more obvious why. This is an ensemble effort in every way imaginable. It very quietly and unassumingly goes about its business of telling an amazing story with a star studded cast who weren't interested in personal glory, but rather in being a part of fine art. Sure McAdams and Ruffalo were nominated too, but I feel like that was simply because they are Academy darlings. Any number of cast members could have received recognition for their contribution to this excellent movie. For the Boston Globe to have been working on this Pulitzer Prize material in the wake of 9/11 makes it that much more intriguing. The subject matter has been speculated in every kind of medium my entire life, and to have a major news organization blow it wide open was the sweetest justice imaginable. Arguably the most disturbing part of the movie was the end when they ran a list of all the different places where this behavior had been uncovered. Well crafted, well written and well performed. Pop over to Prime and check it out!
Superman II (1980)
So This is Planet Houston...
The second Superman film is definitely an improvement on the first. The original Superman movie was good, but the sequel excels at getting right to the action and benefits from a more svelte run time. It also doubles up on the villains by having two outstanding bad guys running around at the same time with Gene Hackman's Lex Luthor and Terrance Stamp's General Zod. Luthor's role is significantly reduced to allow for Zod and his acolytes to rule the day, though he still received top billing and they gave him enough screen time to keep us invested. Obviously the visual effects are dated, but it is hard to wish it had been made today because they likely would have sacrificed good storytelling in favor of CGI. The franchise goes into a steep decline from here, but the first and second movies are always fun to watch!
Superman (1978)
Clark Kent is Superman's Critique on the Whole Human Race...
I've said in previous reviews of super hero movies that the sequels tend to be better than the first. My rationale behind this is that they always have to spend a large portion of the first film on the origin story. The OG Superman is no different. There's a reason that most people consider Superman II to be the better movie. We've gotten the Kal-El backstory out of the way and we can jump right into the action with General Zod and his acolytes. I also find it interesting that they set out to film the first two back to back and got 75% of number two done before abandoning it for a while. That makes the opening scene with Zod make a lot more sense. There's no denying the first two Superman movies are classics but there are a few problems I had with the first. The pace plods along for over an hour before we actually get into any of the Superman action. Then for some reason, after existing in the city for a period of time Superman decides to start patrolling after saving Lois from a helicopter catastrophe. I suppose the thought process was that now he had revealed himself to the world, so why not get to his purpose? A lot of random crime and craziness did seem to happen on that one night though...including Air Force One nearly crashing apparently. Christopher Reeve will always be most people's favorite Superman and while I agree he is wonderful, I do think Henry Cavill was better. He just suffered from the wrong director telling his story. On the other end of the spectrum, no one will ever be able to match Gene Hackman's Lex Luthor. There was a period of speculation prior to Snyder's Man of Steel that suggested Brian Cranston was up for the role and I could have gotten behind that a helluva lot easier than Jesse Eisenberg. But since that is what we ended up with, Hackman won't be dethroned anytime soon. It was fun to revisit this for the first time in a long time, but I'm really looking forward to moving on to the sequel next.
Journey to the Center of the Earth (2008)
Deep Schist...
I like Brendan Fraser so I probably gave this a better rating than it deserves. It was made near the end of his heyday, and it was the ideal star vehicle for him considering his usual fare. It wasn't a bad hour and a half, but the film didn't really bring anything new or exciting to the table that we haven't seen in a dozen other films. As usual Fraser's charisma was well up to the task of carrying the audience through an iffy story and randomly, the kid from The Hunger Games was there too. Definitely a forgettable film but if you like Brendan Fraser then I imagine you will enjoy it for what it is.
Leaving Las Vegas (1995)
Excuse Me While I Disappear...
I've watched this film twice in my life and it was equally difficult both times. I'm not sure it exactly qualifies as entertainment. The performances are good, and I understand why Nicolas Cage and Elisabeth Shue received accolades for the movie. This script was designed for awards, not for entertainment and in that regard it was successful. I suppose the movie also works as a life lesson, cautioning against the dangers of alcoholism as well as the loneliness and vulnerability that accompanies the life of an escort. What it primarily fails at is the necessity for entertainment to help us forget about our problems and be immersed for two hours. While art should challenge us, we don't necessarily need to learn life lessons as much as we need to enjoy what we are spending our hard earned money on and Leaving Las Vegas only serves to leave you more depressed than when it started. I've said it many times in my life and I will say it again: movies shouldn't be made for the sole purpose of winning awards. Just make a good (entertaining) movie and the awards will come organically.
American Sniper (2014)
I Am Legend...
Clint Eastwood knows how to make good movies. It's that simple. I can't remember him ever missing the mark on a film that he has directed. I'm sure there are many embellishments to the story surrounding American Sniper. Considering everything I've read about Chris Kyle's penchant for stretching the truth in his book, there's no way that some dramatic license wasn't taken. This is as it should be with a film adaptation because lest we forget, it is meant to be entertaining. It certainly was that. Kyle's story comes with all of the standard fare surrounding a soldier that has seen a lot of battle. The struggle to keep his family together, dealing with PTSD and the realization that there came a time when he had to decide to put the soldier aside. This was arguably the hardest decision for him because from everything I've heard, after serving in a war, it is hard to make yourself believe that you are wired for anything else. Unless you have served your country in such a heroic fashion, there is no way for you to understand what these patriots deal with on a day to day basis. Overall, the movie is written well, Clint Eastwood did an excellent job of crafting a great story and this is probably Bradley Cooper's best work. He fares much better when he is subtle. I didn't expect much out of this movie going in, but I enjoyed it immensely.
X (2022)
Ain't None of These Girls Nice...
This was so fun! X is an outrageously crafted slasher film that follows a simple formula and executes it very well. I was very impressed by Ti West's filming style. He did a better job than anyone in recent memory of making me think I was watching an actual movie from the 70s. Like all horror movies, the acting isn't all that great but I never expect it to be. That isn't their number one function in this type of project. I will say that early on I thought Mia Goth was pretty bad, but then I realized she was double cast and that changed my perception entirely. With a huge assist from the makeup department, she crafts two very different characters, and West does a good job of keeping the makeup mostly in the dark so that it isn't always obvious that it is all prosthetics. Overall, the production team understood the assignment. Plenty of tension, some jump scares and the right amount of blood and guts. Also, the porn plot point made it possible for them to squeeze in the usual sex that a horror movie requires without it seeming gratuitous like the average slasher film. I had a lot of fun watching this movie and I'm looking forward to the prequel and upcoming sequel.
Full Circle (2023)
I Don't Know What's Happening...
Full Circle tries really hard to emulate the movie Crash. It introduces a ton of characters early, and I figured it would begin weaving them all together into a big climax. It did accomplish that, albeit in a more sluggish fashion, though I do think it suffered from having too many characters to keep track of. We weren't really able to invest in them and they muddied the story to the point where we never really knew what was happening or why we should care. They just kept throwing plot darts in the hope that one of them would stick. I considered abandoning ship mid-way through the first episode but decided to stick it out to see if it got any better. Thanks to Steven Soderbergh, Claire Danes and Timothy Olyphant, who is one of my favorites, it did get marginally better but never quite reached the tension heights and brilliant storytelling that Crash achieved. It was mildly entertaining but I spent long periods of time checking out during each episode.
Good Will Hunting (1997)
Do You Like Apples?
This holds up well. It has quite a few dramatic film clichés but they are only recognizable because of the countless copycat dramas that came after it. Matt Damon is quite good and Ben Affleck wasn't as terrible as I remember him being, though he wouldn't really hit his acting stride until about twenty years later. Robin Williams is brilliant and well deserving of the accolades he received for his performance. There's no question he was one of the funniest people alive during his time on Earth, but his dramatic choices were immaculate across the board. Every time he waded into those waters the audience received a treat. It only reaffirms what I've always known about comedians. They make the best dramatic actors across the board. Comedy is incredibly hard to master, so if you are a comedic genius then drama is easy. Damon and Affleck's script is good and the fact that they got Gus Van Sant to direct helped take it to the next level. I hadn't seen this in a long time and I really didn't expect much revisiting it. Recently I've been watching a lot of films that I hadn't seen in forever and most of them have been disappointing, so it was a pleasant surprise that this movie held up so well nearly thirty years later.
Cujo (1983)
Who Let the Dogs Out...
Stephen King is my absolute favorite author. I've read the vast majority of his catalogue several times. Unfortunately, the adaptations of his novels have been spotty at best. Most of them have been overtly terrible. On paper, Cujo seems like it would be one of his simpler works to adapt, and it is mostly successful considering it was made in 1983. I thought it was a much wiser decision to deal entirely with the dog having rabies rather than imply it was possessed by an evil man as well as being infected. The suspense is good but, the special effects just hadn't developed well enough at that time to make the dog attacks sufficiently frightening. I think for the most part Stephen King's stories just don't work as movies. Most of them are too epic to be translated on the big screen without more than one film and even then they are mostly driven by psychology and that has a much better effect on the imagination than actually seeing it play out on the big screen ever could. The only one I can think of that came anywhere close was Misery. The Stand mini-series with Gary Sinise in the 90s was also close but suffered from the same lack of technology that I mentioned with Cujo. If you have no relationship with the novel, I think it is entirely possible that you will be able to appreciate this suspenseful film for what it is and not what a Stephen King fan hoped it would be.
V for Vendetta (2005)
I Dare Do All That May Become a Man. Who Dares More is None...
When this first came out I didn't think much of it. I found it boring and hard to follow. I never read the graphic novel so I had very little context, but I like Hugo Weaving and Natalie Portman so I thought I would give it a shot. Even with the DC element I checked out of it relatively early. I recently watched it again for the first time since then and I did enjoy it more on the second viewing. The pacing was still slow and I wished they had flushed out the dystopian society a bit more rather than focusing on the minimal story between the two main characters. They would have done better to make the movie about the establishment of the dystopia. Nevertheless, it was relatively entertaining and I was able to appreciate it for what it was this time around.
The Wizard of Oz (1939)
There's No Place Like Home...
The Wizard of Oz is undoubtedly one of the greatest movies of all time. It's sort of astonishing that it ever made it to the screen considering the infamous stories that plagued production. Munchkin debauchery, toxic makeup and fire effects that nearly killed Buddy Ebsen & Margaret Hamilton respectively and insane demands on Judy Garland that broke her forever are some of the most well documented accounts of the uphill battle L. Frank Baum's classic story faced during its adaptation to the screen. Nevertheless it persisted and went on to become one of the most celebrated cinema masterpieces of all time. The explosion of color that happened the first time Dorothy stepped out of her house into Munchkinland was one of the biggest movie imprints of my childhood. The hope I felt for Dorothy as she encountered her three friends that wouldn't allow her to embark on her perilous quest alone and so many iconic lines stuck with me too. I was a child during the time when it would come on television once a year and there were no VCRs yet, so we had to make sure there were no plans that evening in anticipation of gathering around to catch it once again. It's funny to think about that and fast forward to now when I can watch it any time I want. Sadly, life often gets in the way of me doing the once a year thing anymore, but I recently watched it again for the first time in awhile and as usual it brought me so much joy!
Black Sheep (1996)
Tommy Boy 2.0...
Black Sheep looked to capitalize on Tommy Boy's success by recycling the plot but with less heart. Even Chris Farley's physical comedy schtick felt tired and played out in this film. It was pretty obvious that neither of the two stars were as into it as their previous outing, though they still had good chemistry because they were close friends. Watching Tommy Boy for the first time in years a few weeks ago was disappointing because it didn't hold up. Black Sheep by comparison was just a waste of an hour and a half. I really should stop revisiting the movies I loved from my childhood. I run the risk of being depressed every time.
Transformers (2007)
And So Began the War...
I remember not thinking much of this movie when I first saw it after it came out. That was the only time I ever watched it until recently, and I was surprised to find I enjoyed it a lot more on the second viewing seventeen years later. I'm well versed in Michael Bay. I know what he is about so I am able to go into his movies with an open mind. That being said, I found the fights hard to follow because the giant machines just mashed together making it hard to understand what was going on. This is certainly an issue they corrected in the sequels. The dialogue between the robots was pretty cheesy, but putting it into context, they did a solid job of recreating the same flair that made the cartoon fun. Who expects a film based on a toy line to have amazing lines and characterizations anyway? I never noticed until this time around that it was the "Lost," guys that wrote it, which made it a bit more interesting for me. I'll never like Shia Lebouf but he performed what was required of him adequately. Overall, I think I was able to enjoy it more as an older person, because I wasn't over analyzing it and just accepting it for what it was. A fun premise with great effects...just like all of Michael Bay's work.
Evil Dead Rise (2023)
Dead by Dawn...
I found the trailer for the film scarier than the actual film. It's a typical example of a modern day horror. A few jump scares and a whole lot of gore. I would have preferred that they embraced the camp of the original but they did a fine enough job of making it "scary." I love the horror film genre and I find that I do prefer suspenseful horror to over the top blood and guts. I enjoyed the new setting of an apartment in the city as opposed to a cabin in the middle of nowhere. The movie's greatest virtue is the short run time. They don't waste any time getting right to the action and do a great job of keeping it going right up until the end. Not a bad way to spend a few hours but I do wish it had been scarier.
Road House (1989)
Opinions Vary...
It's a classic! Sure it is actually a bad movie with crappy dialogue and substandard fight choreography. But it has a great concept, Patrick Swayze, Sam Elliott and some of the most iconic film moments the 80s had to offer. It has a campy villain, lots of fighting and sex, which makes it the perfect action film. Truly a product of its time! Even with all of the clichés swirling around, the movie takes itself seriously which makes it that much more glorious. There is no scenario where they should have remade this but Hollywood has been out of ideas for several years, so it's no surprise that the buzzards circled its carcass and started pecking.
Wayne's World 2 (1993)
Recycled Material with Cameo Sprinkles...
Not sure why this sequel got made. The first one was popular and they were looking for another payday, but it doesn't really bring anything new to the table...except Christopher Walken I guess? There's also a ton of big star cameos that accomplish little else than to have big star cameos, including a very young Bob Odenkirk. However, the only one that really did anything for me was the Charlton Heston moment. That was hilarious! Throw in a couple of pop culture references, wrap it up in the same approximate conflict as the first, and you have a recipe for wasting an hour and a half of your time.
Wayne's World (1992)
It Certainly Does Suck...
Like every SNL skit transformed into a feature film, this just doesn't work. I've grown to loathe Mike Myers. His SNL days were the only time I ever liked him. Likewise, Dana Carvey was only ever built for sketch comedy. Despite being the more diverse of the two, this was one of his lesser characters. Predictably, this movie just recycles gags that were punchlines from the sketch and not much else. This concept forces them to fill in the gaps with long sequences that don't do anything, like the Bohemian Rhapsody car ride. That scene is iconic but if you examine it closely, it doesn't further the plot or actually do anything for the movie. It really is a metaphor for the entire film. I also wonder if Rob Lowe was contractually obligated to play a villain in all of Lorne Michaels' productions. This movie is really just a lot of random gags wrapped around a thin plot with an excellent soundtrack, and I'd be willing to bet that the soundtrack sold more copies than the movie. Bottom line, I loved it when I was young but it doesn't stand the test of time.
Terminator 2: Judgment Day (1991)
Hasta la Vista, Baby...
One of the things that I believe makes T2 shine more brightly than the original is the Super Hero movie rule. The average super hero sequel is more interesting because the first has to spend so much time on building the origin story, whereas the sequel can launch right into the action. The same formula applies to T2. Because they established the end of the world scenario in the first, the audience already knows what is going on, so we can get straight to it. Seven years passed since the original Terminator and special effects had taken a huge leap forward which helps the sci-fi genre immensely. Arnold is more comfortable being in front of the camera at this point so his charisma is fully developed and he is a less stiff robot. I do find Linda Hamilton more obnoxious in the sequel, but it's difficult to tell whether or not that is good story telling or bad. We are introduced to Edward Furlong and I'm still not sure that is a good thing. He's always picked interesting projects but we sort of knew he was a troubled young person from the start, so it is difficult to watch him knowing the personal hell he is going through in real life. When the movie first came out, I remember all of the stories about how it was the most expensive movie ever made and the speculation about its success. Not only did it rage at the box office but it is surely as revered a classic as the original. The franchise definitely takes a turn toward the mundane from here, but the first two films are as good as the genre gets!