Coco (2017)

Coco is the latest film in long line of (mostly) quality movies from Pixar. While recently there have been a few Pixar films that missed the mark for me, I was still excited to check this one out.

The film starts out with a young Mexican boy named Miguel who is passionate about music but belongs to a family that has forbidden him from becoming a musician. He learns pretty early on that his great-grandfather was a famous musician and of course he takes this a sign that he should pursue his dreams. Although this is a pretty basic setup and the first 20mins are nothing special, the film picks up and gets really good after that. Miguel travels to the 'Land of the Dead' in search of his famous musical relative and there are a couple fun, though predictable, little twists along the way. As with most movies from Pixar. the characters are fun and, visually, it's a beautiful film.

Overall, Coco a solid film. It's probably not going to be a lot of people's all-time favorite Pixar movie, but it is one of the better ones and did exceed my expectations. The story is strong, heartwarming, and I'm sure will leave more than a few viewers with a tear in their eye by the end. 

I give it a 4 out of 5.

Ranking the DC Extended Universe Films

 With six films under their belts, it seemed like it was finally time to start ranking these DC films that all exist within the same movie universe. This is also something I've done with the Marvel Cinematic Universe films and you can check that out by clicking here. Much like that Marvel list, this ranking will only consist of this specific lineup of films. So, animated films, the Tim Burton Batman movies, the Christopher Reeve Superman, etc. won't be included. Also, like the Marvel list, I'll update this after each new installment.

#6 Batman v. Superman: Dawn of Justice (2016)

 This film feels like four movies were smashed into one... and none of those four were any good. The first viewing will hold your interest while you wait for it to get good (it never does). However, repeat viewings offer little more than a challenge to see if you can stay awake for the 2 1/2 hour (which feels like 5hrs) runtime.

#5 Suicide Squad (2016)

 This movie is a mess. It's fun at times, but it's a mess. It throws vibrant colors, comedy, and musical cues at you like it's trying to capture a 'Guardians of the Galaxy" vibe while simultaneously telling you that the filmmakers have no idea how to make that work in a film. Additionally, it's poorly written and edited which is a shame because there are a few good actors sprinkled among the cast that could've shined with a better script.

 #4 Justice League (2017)

 Honestly, #3 and #4 are basically interchangeable and they suffer from a lot of the same problems. The edge here goes to 'Justice League' mainly because Batman, Wonder Woman, Aquaman, Superman, Flash, and Cyborg  are just more interesting than Harley Quinn, Deadshot, Killer Croc, Katana, Captain Boomerang, and El Diablo. 

#3 Man of Steel (2013)

Yes, this version of Superman is about as interesting as block of wood, but at least this feels like a real film. It's competently made, and has a fairly well structured, coherent story. It's pretty joyless most of the time and a bit dull to look at, but it doesn't feel like you're just watching a bunch of movie trailer money-shots.

 

#2 Wonder Woman (2017)

I'm hopeful that there are going to be some really amazing DCEU films in the coming years but, as of right now, it's slim pickings. Wonder Woman is far from a perfect film and if you're looking for plot holes and a few sub-par special effects you'll find them. However, the movie is fun, it feels like care was taken with the main character, it actually leaves you wanting to see the next Wonder Woman film, and it's one of only two films on this list that I actually recommend. 


#1 Aquaman (2018)

Of these films this is the one I had the most fun watching the acting is pretty solid, the effects are good, and I was totally invested in the story. Unlike the folks at Marvel, WB/DC doesn't seem to have a set, long-term game plan for their comic book properties but I hope they make an Aquaman sequel because I really enjoyed this one.

I'm a fan of many of these comic book characters, so hopefully this list will become more populated with good movies in the years to come.

 

The Good, the Bad and the 'Justice League'

Quick Review: Is it good? No.

However, if you disagree and think that it is good, my only advice is that you start watching better movies. You've set the bar too low.

Now, for those of you that want a little more indepth review, keep reading.

With so many well known comic book characters in this film, I figured I'd approach this review with a breakdown of each one in the film, in addition to some overall thoughts.

Batman: If you liked Ben Affleck's version of Bruce Wayne/Batman in 'Batman v. Superman: Dawn of Justice' then you'll probably like him in this one. He's a little more lighthearted, but at times he feels a bit out of place.

The Flash: The costume is horrendous and the acting matches. If you get a good laugh out of twitchy, socially awkward humor then maybe you'll like it. I found it annoying.

Wonder Woman: Gal Gadot is Wonder Woman. She steals just about every scene she's in, and is the real bright spot of this DC movie universe.

Cyborg: Honestly, they could've cut him out of this movie entirely and it wouldn't have mattered. He serves no real purpose other than to ramble off exposition.

Aquaman: It works... mostly. Jason Momoa was a good choice for the character and, after seeing him in this, I'm hopeful that the solo Aquaman film is good.

Superman: Henry Cavill is ok, he's not in it all that much but this interpretation of Superman never seems to quite hit the mark for me so that's probably a plus.

The Villain: Wow. The Justice League finally has a big budget live-action movie, and they dropped the ball when it came time to come up with a villain. Steppenwolf is yet another dull, grey, CGI, foe. He's no more impressive than 'Aries' in Wonder Woman or 'Doomsday' in Batman v. Superman. Disappointing.

Overall, I wasn't expecting this to be great, but I was hoping it wouldn't be bad.

Surprisingly, for a movie with so many iconic characters, I'm probably going to forget about it in a few days. Although the film does have a few bright spots, the bad far outweighed the good. The plot was a bit of a mess, some of the special effects look awful, it's all over the place tonally, the runtime is actually a little too short so there are some pacing issues, and most of the comedy fell flat. Additionally, the choppy editing and the strange obsession with slow motion often times make the film feel less like a flowing narrative and more like a scattershot of comicbook imagery.

This film is a big deal because it's the first 'Justice League' movie, so a ton of people are going to go see it and it'll probably make an insane amount of money.

However, I personally don't recommend it

I give it a 2 out of 5.

A Brief Review of Thor Ragnarok

The third film in the 'Thor' franchise and Marvel's 17th entry in its cinematic universe, Thor Ragnarok shows a continued effort by the studio to keep the stories and characters fresh. The movie has a lot of solid comedy, good acting, some entertaining action set pieces and, for most Marvel fans this will probably end up being their favorite Thor film. Now, that doesn't mean its perfect. There are some minor flaws, particularly with pacing, but since this is a new release I'll save some of that for a more in depth review later on so I don't spoil anything.

Overall, I enjoyed this one and, while its not my favorite MCU film, it's probably pretty high on the list. The comedy was laid on a bit too thick in a few places which took away from any real tension developing, but when the jokes work they really work. It's a fun movie. An all-time great movie? No, but fun.

4.5 out of 5

A Look Back at 'The Trouble with Harry'

Alfred Hitchcock was, without a doubt, one of history's all-time great filmmakers. 'Vertigo', 'North by Northwest', 'Psycho', 'Rear Window', 'The Man Who Knew Too Much', 'The Birds', and 'Strangers on a Train' are all classics. However, there are some really great Hitchcock films that have been largely forgotten. This is the case with the 1955, dark-comedy, 'The Trouble with Harry'.\

Harry is found dead at the onset of the film, just outside of a small Vermont town. While multiple people think they may have caused his death, no one is really all that concerned. One man thinks he accidentally shot Harry while rabbit hunting, one woman thinks he died after she hit him with her shoe, and even Harry's wife thinks it may have happened after she knocked him over the head with a milk bottle. Throughout the film the only real concern is what to do with the body and making sure the local deputy doesn't find out, and this leads to a lot of funny moments. The whole cast, from Edmund Gwenn, to John Forsythe, to Shirley MacLaine, and Mildred Natwick are all terrific and, for me, all of the comedy hits the mark.

Even though it's a comedy, it still has the great cinematography, the interesting characters, the solid Bernard Herrmann score and everything else you'd expect if you're a fan of Hitchcock's many of other films, particularly from the 50's and 60's.

Overall it's never going to rise to top of any 'Greatest Hitchcock Films' list, but it's one I enjoy and recommend checking out.
I give it a 5 out of 5.


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Movie Review: American Made (2017)

Those who frequent this blog may remember that I wrote a piece a few months back titled "10 Tom Cruise Movies Everyone Should See" (you can check that out by clicking here). Obviously 'American Made' wasn't out at the time I wrote that but if I ever decided to update or redo that list of films, this one would be hard to leave off.

Without giving too much away here's a sort overview:

Tom Cruise plays Barry Seal, an airline pilot, who is recruited by the CIA to gather reconnaissance information regarding a communist threat in Central America. It isn't long before Barry finds himself not only in charge of a massive covert CIA operation, but also flying drugs into the U.S. from a South American cartel. Tensions ramp up with Barry caught between the CIA, the DEA, and the cartel. It's a wild ride.

 The film is well directed and Cruise turns in a really solid performance. The movie is fun, exciting and even the little moments of comedy sprinkled throughout all hit the mark. It was definitely nice to go to the theater and watch a film that felt like something fresh among the vast landscape of prequels, sequels, reboots, and re-imaginings.

Overall, this is one I definitely recommend seeing.

 I give it a 4.5 out of 5


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Movie Review: Dead Awake

Well, I haven't reviewed a horror movie in a while...

While scrolling through Netflix suggestions at 1am, in the mood for a so-bad-it's-good horror flick, I came across this I came across this 2016 psychological horror movie. 

The film is about a woman named Kate who decides to investigate her twin sister's mysterious death and the sleep paralysis that her sister suffered from. Well, while connecting the dots between people who die in their sleep and the sleep paralysis condition, Kate ends up stuck with an entity that takes the form of an old creepy hag and kills people in their sleep.  But here's the kicker: the 'hag' only targets those that believe in it, and a person can rid themselves of the entity by getting a adrenaline shot while they're experiencing sleep paralysis.

It sounds dumb, but the movie almost works. The concept is interesting, the plot moves along at a decent pace and, even though some of the characters are blandly written, the acting isn't terrible.

 The real problem is a failed execution ideas: It deals with something attacking while your helplessly asleep but it doesn't really delve into what that can really do to you psychologically other than a throw away line or two and one brief scene with a guy who found a way to never sleep. Also, it fails to deliver any memorable scares. There are no over-the-top deaths, or gore, or even variety. The hag is a pretty basic design and all she does is choke people while they sleep.

 

It's not a terrible movie, but it's one you can skip.

I give it a 1.5 out of 5