Change Your Image
samhandymusic
Reviews
Monster Hunter (2020)
Why?
Who sat down, watched this film, and said 'this will succeed'. I am a huge Monster Hunter fan! I'll give movies like Godzilla a 10/10 because I LOVE monster films, but this... this was truly awful. It was not a film for monster movie fans, and it was definitely not a film for monster hunter fans. Who was this a film for? Seriously. So, so bad. I didn't have high expectations, but damn.
Zack Snyder's Justice League (2021)
Definitely better, but not great
It was a fan service, period. Good on Snyder for doing it too, I can imagine what man had to go through these last few years. I enjoyed a lot of the extra back story, I treated the film like a short series, which I thought was the original idea. A lot of the original content was mildly interesting, but it felt like Amazing Spider-man 2, where there's a lot of story to tell, but it's never told. There's a lot of fans comparing this to the likes of Lord of the Rings, but even the extended filler content for middle-earth had character development and plot direction. You just don't get that in this film. There's A LOT of filler, for no reason. A lot of going somewhere, looking someplace, finding someone and action sequences that just made me yawn, or were totally cringe, and are great examples as to why certain scenes should be left on the cutting-room floor. As I mention, this film was a fan service, it was a 'take it as you will' movie that was almost finished, and still isn't. Which is why I give it the benefit of the doubt, it's not meant to be a theatrical release in the least, it's a 'what if' and for some that's satisfying, to others it can be a bit of a snooze fest. But, bravo regardless!
Turner & Hooch (1989)
I thought this film was encased in nostalgia
But it is as good as I remember, in fact it is better.
The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring (2001)
Who are the new critics?
Wannabe critics reviewing this film 20 years on! It's a classic. It's a masterpiece. All 3 films are. Watch them, read the books, if you don't love them, well then a part of your humanity is missing, so leave it at that.
Extraction (2020)
John Wick Action
Sam Hargave went above and beyond to produce an action epic. I wasn't expecting much in regards to story, but since the dawn of time, when has action meant character development? A lot of amazing one-shot takes, choreography and stunts. Seeing as the director is a stuntman himself, he managed to pioneer some amazing action scenes, POVs and perspectives. I got a big John Wick feel from this film and enjoyed it throughout.
The Lion King (2019)
A few enhancements, but at a cost of some defining moments
The Lion King was the film for me as a kid back in the 90s. It inspired me to be a musician and songwriter, to get through the bullying I received at school, and to move on from the death of a loved one on my father's side of the family. It had it all for me as a kid, and I'd watch it every week.
There were many new scenes that enhanced the flow of the story that I thought "this would've been great in the original" but some started to feel like 'deleted scenes' and for a reason.
The music felt hollow, some of the sound track did stand out, but there were parts of the score that felt missing, or forced. You can hear it straight away during the opening scene. You also have Beyoncé going WAY over the top in one song, and that ruined it for me. Glover's voice acting was cringe-worthy most of the time, and James Earl Jones sounded like he was in a rush to get out of the studio.
You had a few scenes removed, or completely messed with. I'm being biased here, but Simba's conversation with Rafiki is the most important part of the film. Everything from "Asante Sana Squash Banana..." to hitting Simba with the stick. And giving one of the greatest lines in cinema history "...the past can hurt". All of this is cut.
Let's not forget Beyoncé yelling "Lions, attack!" ...jeez Favreu, really? They also cut Ed the Hyena, and replaced him with this unimportant 2-dimensional flap of a secondary antagonist, why?
Overall I enjoyed it, but I wouldn't go back to watch it again. If I need a Lion King boost, it'll be the original for sure.
The Grey (2011)
It's not about the realism
There's something about this movie that really moves me, and chills me every time. It's not about the realism, because this isn't meant to be real. From the first scene in the aftermath of the plane crash, Liam Neeson's character is separated from the rest of them. This is surely evidence enough, so do I need to go on about the improbabilities and impossibilities in this film?
It's a film about sin. 7 being the number. The wolves are an analogy for the punishment they're meant to face. Each of them with a secret, and a past they regret. The wolves are handled so well. The psychological fear is developed with the viewer so effectively and so unpredictably!