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Reviews
The Last Train (1999)
Blast from the Past
Good show, I remember seeing bits of this as a kid when it first aired.
The premise in captivating and the abandoned world that the characters find themselves in is enthralling.
Although the journey they take seems somewhat convenient in terms of their navigation and accuracy, we have to remember that it is a TV show after all. This show does a good job at hiding some of the things which we would normally wonder about in such a situation, such as food availability etc.
The last episode was full of so much too, it seemed like everything escalated so suddenly! Although I wish some questions were answered with regards to the Children of Ark, and why it was implied they couldn't have children of their own. I wish we had more time to learn about their story and survival.
Then turning from enemies into the hope of humanity in the last 15 mins could have been done better. And what was the point of Jonathan? He just seemed to be the magnetic north to which the compass was set. Maybe I've answered my own question...
All in all, I watched this 24 years after it first aired, it was at the back of my mind this whole time and I'm happy I finally saw it as an adult.
Good piece of TV!
Spider-Man: No Way Home (2021)
Ambitious, Exhilarating - Lives up to the Hype!
Having the previous Spider-Man characters in the film was a guaranteed recipe for success. Andrew Garfield and Toby Maguire entered the fray perfectly. Garfield stole the show in my opinion, but seeing the chemistry between him and Toby and then both of them with Holland was a childhood dream come true. Despite rumours floating around beforehand of their appearances in the movie, it was still an incredibly surprising moment when they actually appeared on screen. Audible gasps were heard in the cinema and despite knowing with some surety that it would happen, it was still a pleasant surprise.
The amount of screen time Maguire and Garfield got felt just right. They were present enough to make an impact and provide us with the smiles, laughter and nostalgic familiarity that we wanted so much, but not so much as to overshadow Holland and to make us forget the fact that this in fact is a film where he is the main character.
It was brilliant how the film was able to poke fun at itself by way of the three different Peter Parkers. They joked about how Maguire was the only one who didn't need a contraption to shoot webs and this semi-breaking of the fourth wall made the audience feel respected in that everyone was aware of the contradictions in the different visions of Spider-Man throughout the decades and how these differences were all together in the same room, united. Maguire, Garfield and Holland worked excellently together, and despite Maguire looking visibly older he was able to bring a presence of experience alongside his traditional goofiness to the table. Any scene with more than one Spider-Man was a pleasure to watch.
Another aspect of the film that I was happy about was the notable step away from relying on the MCU. While the connection to the MCU can be a huge benefit to a superhero film, it can also act as somewhat of a crutch for weaker characters who cant stand on their own. In No Way Home, while the link to the wider MCU is both established and used via the help of Dr Strange (in fact he is an integral part), he feels like only a section of the movie and not part of its main storyline. At each step he is kept realistically occupied so that the problems throughout the film can be addressed without him and the wider MCU. This finally addressed what I found problematic in the earlier Tom Holland films and allowed the Spider-Man franchise to stand on its own eight feet for once.
Although Toby Maguire and Andrew Garfield were more or less supporting characters in this film, its clear that the script writers gave them enough respect and us enough fan-service to ensure that their characters developed beyond their original stories all these years later. For Garfield's Spider-Man this comes at a heart-stopping moment when during the final battle MJ falls off the scaffolding towards an untimely end. Tom Holland's Spider-Man makes a dash for her in an eerie echo to how Garfield's Spider-Man dove right after Gwen Stacey in his film. Sadly for Garfield's Spider-Man however, he was too late and he was unable to save Gwen as she hit the ground and died and it seems for a moment that this fate will again play out as Holland's Spider-Man is obstructed from saving MJ by the Green Goblin's glider. It is at this very moment that Garfield's Spider-Man swoops in with fire in his eyes to save MJ and do what he never did in his own universe. Prevent Spider-Man's love interest from death. We see his emotion flare up and with tears in his eyes we see him realise what he has accomplished. No doubt this provides his character with some much needed healing, and us with some much needed closure.
For Maguire it came in the form of matured, heartfelt mentoring. Despite the closeness between Tony Stark and Peter Parker in this universe, the only one who could really understand how Holland's Peter Parker felt after the tragic death of his Aunt May was another Spider-Man who had also felt loss. Although Garfield's Spider-Man had felt this loss too, Maguire was able to provide a matured, healed and calming presence to Holland's Peter Parker to help him navigate his grief. Boy did he need it. Holland's Spider-Man was on a rampage during the final fight with the Green Goblin and for the first time we saw a brutal side of him that enjoyed causing pain to his enemies. It was unexpected but a reminder that without the guidance of those older and wiser than us, we are susceptible to fall into mistakes that can ruin us. Maguire was able to guide Holland away from such a path and towards one of compassion and mercy, emphasised by the theme of "cure, not kill", which meant that villains would be pacified and returned to their original, pre-supervillain state instead of killed. This guidance was profound and enabled Holland's Peter Parker to overcome his anger and transcend it, allowing him to become the hero his suit deserved. Maguire really shined here and we understood the effect that time, loss and sacrifice can have on a man.
Ultimately, Tom Holland's Spider-Man was mentored at the time he needed it most, by the very people (essentially matured versions of himself) who were best suited to do so. He was able to realise that there were other who knew how he felt and who could show him a better path.
I found it interesting to note that a criticism of Tom Holland's Peter Parker initially was that we didn't get to see him "become" Spider-Man. From the first time we saw him, he already was the friendly neighbourhood hero we are familiar with. We didn't even see him experience loss with the traditional death of his Uncle Ben sparking a quest of grief and self-discovery leading to his maturity into the Spider-Man we know. In 'No Way Home' however, we see this moment of loss occur when we least expect it. Holland's Peter Parker loses his Aunt May after the apartment they are in is attacked by the Green Goblin. Before she passes she is able to convey the famous words of wisdom which are destined to ring in the ears of every webbed superhero until the end of time, "With great power comes great responsibility". Seeing Holland's Peter Parker experience this loss in the 3rd film instead of the first was a twist I didn't see coming, but it showed that the script writers didn't forget about the original formula. While they didn't follow it to a tee, they still incorporated it into their vision. I can respect that. It also felt as though even though it happened in his third film, it may be a hint towards a new beginning for his character, one where he is self confident and sure in his identity and intentions.
In order to save the world he knows from collapsing in on itself, Holland's Peter Parker has to make an agonising choice. The only way to fix things properly is to erase everyone's memory about him, to the extent that no one would know that he is Spider-Man anymore. His best friend and love interest, MJ would be living their lives as if they never knew who he was. Seeing that this is the only way forward, Holland's Spider-Man take the leap of faith and asks Dr Strange to make it happen. Its heart-breaking results are seen towards the end of the film when Holland goes to meet an MJ with no memories of Peter Parker as Spider-Man and tell her everything so they can get back together again. Noticing some minor injuries MJ sustained during the final battle previously, Parker pauses for introspection before deciding not to open up to her. By making such a painful decision, MJ is saved from entering a world where she is inherently at danger due to associating with Spider-Man at all. In previous films, Maguire and Garfield's Spider-Man have been able to make this decision consensually with their respective love interests, but this time it is only Peter Parker who knows. As he sees MJ and his former best friend Ned enjoy their time together as friends, he realises that he does better service to them by keeping them safe even if it means he loses their love and companionship. This is the ultimate sacrifice he makes for them, choosing to bear this pain alone as he allows them to live blissfully unaware of their previous life.
Holland's Peter Parker was able to embody perfectly the meaning of the words echoing in his mind and the mind of all Spider-Men in all universes, "With great power comes great responsibility".
This movie started off as the previous films did. It had a tint of childishness to it which meant I couldn't really take it seriously compared to previous entries in the franchise. But I realise now that 'No Way Home' served as a coming of age moment for Holland's Peter Parker. He has been able to shed his previous life and relationships through grief, loss and sacrifice while learning and being mentored by some of the greatest mentors any Peter Parker could have. I truly feel like his Spider-Man has matured through to the point that he is ready to stand on his own and give us the Peter Parker we have always expected. He delivered in this film and we saw him grow and mature to where his identity is set in stone. Although people may have historically taken issue with Holland's Spider-Man in that there was no origin story like the previous Spider-Man heroes had, in hindsight it feels like the entire trilogy of Holland films have led up to this moment and I am able to fully appreciate that now.
The events of the film also signal a break away from the main MCU characters, as everyone would have lost their memory of Peter Parker and potentially have no idea how to contact a web-slinging superhero in New York. I don't expect his inclusion in wider, high profile MCU films for a while, and considering the direction this film has taken, I am OK with that. Tied in to the fact that his Aunt May has died and Parker has now finished High School and now going to College, separating from his old friends and life seems like a logical step forward.
I look forward to his further adventures.
Gukjesijang (2014)
Breath-taking
I did not expect this movie to hit as hard as it did.
It is a fantastic tribute to the sacrifices our Fathers make and it gives you a glimpse into the fact that we may never fully know how they suffer or why they make the decisions they do due to the sacrifices they have made and the things they have seen.
This is one of those films which can rightfully be classified as a work of art which teaches you more about life.
The Tomorrow War (2021)
Incredible
If you can suspend your disbelief a few times, this is an incredibly entertaining film that feels like multiple films in one.
The CGI is top notch and it feels eerily real.
Absolutely was not expecting to enjoy this as much as I did.
Motherless Brooklyn (2019)
Decent, but too quick
Decent film with a very vivid interpretation of the 50's, but the film was definitely longer than it needed to be.
Although the plot was somewhat interesting, it just moved too quickly and didn't offer the viewer any chance to comprehend what was going on until the very end. Quite disappointing in this aspect as the viewer only really knows about 75% of what is going on at any given time.
The Art of Self-Defense (2019)
Some truth to the rumors?
Films like this make me believe that Hollywood is also a front for money laundering. What a ridiculous film.
El Camino (2019)
The Closure for Jesse We Didn't Know We Needed
Although many years late, I feel that this provides a much needed finale for Jesse.
It might have felt a bit misleading seeing as we didn't miraculously see Walt back again, but in all honestly, that one is on us.
Appreciate it for what it is, closure.
Captain Marvel (2019)
Spectacularly Disappointing
You're watching this to get an idea of the Captain Marvel character before she swoops in in The Avengers: Endgame. She must be pretty awesome if she's a last resort against Thanos right? Wrong. This film was bland, boring and the character unconvincing. I have never walked out on a film in my life but for the first time I understood what it felt like to want to do so.
The plot is uninteresting and won't make detailed sense except to the fans who have read much into the lore of the Marvel Universe. There is no clear explanation of what Captain Marvel's powers actually are, her origin story is boring and uninspired, and at times the soundtrack placement is just plain wrong. This film completely kills the flow set in motion by the MCU over the past year.
If this wasn't a Marvel film, people would be a lot less forgiving.
Give it a miss, but only watch it if you want to be somewhat more clued in (but not much) before Avengers: Endgame.
Doragon Bôru Sûpâ Burorî (2018)
Masterpiece Remake of the Original
Let me be right to the point, this is an incredible new leap for DragonBall.
They took an old character, a villain with no personality and made him lovable, enjoyable, deep and even stronger. The animation in this film was astounding, you can feel the thuds with every blow, and the backstory (while aspects were retconned) provided the all important context without making you feel like you want to skip to the DragonBall we all know and love.
This film has masterfully muscled its way to the top of many charts, and rightfully so. I will remember watching this live in cinema for many years to come.
If you are even the slightest of a DragonBall fan, you owe it to yourself to watch this!