#including the horrendous cgi

[quercus-queer]

“First Kill is bad” to YOU. It was actually made for ME personally though so shut up. Sorry you can’t appreciate a pining lesbian vampire with a gay best friend that’s ride or die, a lesbian monster hunter with a neon aesthetic and a relationship with her ex, milfs, a complete lack of homophobia, monster hunting, shitty cgi, and cliche romantic tropes queer people never get to enjoy, but me? Well I can because I have TASTE

#first kill #first kill netflix #I’m sorry I genuinely don’t understand why ppl are criticizing it the way they are #1.) extremely low budget series 2.) extremely gay and fun 3.) interesting characters and plot #people also said heartstopper was cringy so… maybe you just suck #if it was mlm… would you be giving up on it so fast and shitting on it? #probably not and I’ll stand by that #also when I say it’s made for me I mean this quite literally everything I’ve ever wanted #including the horrendous cgi #it’s okay when it’s a low budget queer romance #when it’s marvel and shit… die

[thebuzztrack]

A Review of 'The Flash' (2023)

Toward the beginning, Barry tells a maternity nurse to speak with a mental health professional because the Justice League is not good at such a thing. This made me sad, given the context of the real-life issues with Ezra Miller in recent years and the toxic workplace environment described by Ray Fisher after the Justice League movie was released. On its own, the story of The Flash is a fun twist on an origin story by utilizing the Flashpoint Paradox concept as a premise. We are introduced to Bary’s origin story, the introduction to the DC multiverse, and the appearance of Reverse Flash. For the downsides, I believe the CGI babies in the opening sequence and CGI Speedforce for the rest of the movie are horrendously rendered. It’s like a rough draft animatic instead of a final rendering for a multi-million dollar movie project. I am giving it a mid rating for being a mixed bag of results. A review point is given for bringing back Michael Keaton as Batman. Another review point is given for containing all the cameo appearances, even though some are extremely bad CGI reconstructions. And a final review point is given for the story arc being emotionally engaging but avoiding the usual tropes that would be easy bait to include in this type of story. My last words would be to admit shamefully I like Emo Kara. When will she start an emo band and name it All Kryptonian Rejects?

The Flash (2023) is a superhero film that adapts the popular DC comic book storyline Flashpoint, in which Barry Allen, aka The Flash, uses his super speed to travel back in time and save his mother from being murdered. However, his actions have unforeseen consequences, as he creates a new timeline where General Zod has conquered Earth where no other superheroes exist. To restore his original reality, Barry must team up with an older Bruce Wayne, who has retired from being Batman, and a young Kara Zor-El, the last survivor of Krypton.

The film is directed by Andy Muschietti, best known for his horror films It (Part One and Two) and Mama. The screenplay is written by Christina Hodson, who also penned Birds of Prey (2020) and Bumblebee (2018). The film stars Ezra Miller as Barry Allen, Michael Keaton as Bruce Wayne, Sasha Calle as Kara Zor-El, Michael Shannon as General Zod, Ron Livingston as Henry Allen, Maribel Verdú as Nora Allen, Kiersey Clemons as Iris West, Antje Traue as Faora-Ul, and Jeremy Irons as Alfred Pennyworth.

The intention of this movie is expected to be a game-changer for the DCEU, as it formally introduces the concept of the multiverse into the DC movies universe, which allows for different versions of the same characters to coexist in multiple realities. The film also marks the return of Michael Keaton as Batman, who previously played the character in Tim Burton’s Batman (1989) and Batman Returns (1992). Keaton’s Batman is said to be a mentor figure for Barry and Kara.

The movie had been in studio production development with Warner Bros for over a decade, with various writers and directors attached and departed over the years. The original plan for a release date was supposed to be in 2018 but got delayed multiple times due to creative differences, production issues, the COVID-19 pandemic, post-production setbacks, and controversies surrounding Ezra Miller. The film finally began filming in April 2021 in London and wrapped up in October 2021. The film’s first trailer was released at DC FanDome in October 2021, generating positive buzz among fans and critics.

#movies #ray fisher #ezra miller #andy muschietti #warner bros #review #comics #the flash #batman #michael keaton #supergirl #sasha calle #Youtube

[bearpillowmonster]

Sixteen 2023 Movies Ranked

I didn't say top, because I only saw 16 movies that actually released this year. There are some really good ones that technically released at the end of last year (like Puss in Boots) that I didn't see until this year but I guess I won't count those. But I will include Suzume because it released in the US this year.

16. The Boogeyman - This one wasn't even my choice, it was my dad's and I told him it was going to be stupid and it was yet it has great reviews. I just can't get into horror movies though, it's very rare there will be one that spikes my interest.

15. Rebel Moon - Ugh, yuck, regurgitated Star Wars.

14. Shazam - It wasn't as horrible as some people make it out to be and I wasn't that big of a fan of the first one but it just didn't make the villains all that interesting, except Anthea, felt like it did some things right and other things wrong, never really "improving".

13. Ladybug and Chat Noir - It's really just how you like your burger done, because it does a lot of what the series already did and then recontextualizes it, adds cruddy music, and a few new scenes and ending. It's an origin but also an ending, it's a franchise all in one movie. Really weird how it's set up, the animation is good but really best suited for the Youtube clips.

12. Transformers: Rise of the Beasts - Mindless, doesn't really accomplish anything, becomes really cheesy.

11. The Marvels - Wow, this is weird putting this so high but once again, not as bad as they say, the villain is pretty bad though despite a cool set-up. It has the gimmick too but doesn't make as much fun with it as I would've liked. Ms. Marvel is the highlight, the ending sucks and really I'm just reiterating popular opinion.

10. No Hard Feelings - Another one I'm surprised is this high. The premise could've been better as well as the twist but I can't say it wasn't memorable or a fun time.

9. Five Nights at Freddy's - Not a horror movie, more a kids movie. Some changes I liked, most I didn't. Cool to see all this on screen though.

8. The Flash - The CGI is horrendous but it has Supergirl, it has Flash, I don't care much for Michael Keaton's Batman, I just really like the fast scenes and the ending.

7. Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 - Yeah, it wasn't the end all be all like everyone was saying for me. I look back at the others and think how great they are, even during the film I questioned myself. Rocket's story is really the only thing I liked about it, cut away way too much from what you actually want to see and replaced it with goofy stuff you don't care for. Even the music was weak for the most part.

6. Suzume - I was invested with the chair and the doors and cats were cool but it switched to a different movie for the second half and tried focusing on her relationship with her aunt where it didn't seem earned, needed more conflict in that area where not everyone is the good guy.

5. Super Mario Bros. - Mario and Luigi and a Donkey Kong too, A thousand troops of Koopas couldn't keep me from you- I just really wanted this movie. It was fun but for one, Chris Pratt did a really good voice in the beginning then it just became Chris Pratt. The whole dad thing was shoehorned and was unneeded, they could've had some characters be actual characters when they were stock NPCs and very generic music choice, would've been better to just keep it all score.

4. Barbie - Already? Wow, this was one of the highlights too. Great music. Great style and personality, smart dialogue and plot.

3. TMNT Mutant Mayhem - I saw this in theaters and I just couldn't stop laughing because of how it's a kid's movie and all Superfly ever says is "What the hell?" It got my sister to be a fan of the franchise, the animation was excellent, we have some of the best versions of these characters (I said some). Really fun.

2. Mission Impossible: Dead Reckoning - I'm a fan of Ghost Protocol but the rest are just action flicks to me, I just really like the setpieces of some of them is all but this one actually gave me a run because it kept my attention steady and on the edge of my seat despite the strange plot. This is where I actually felt it could be matched up against the likes of any other spy thriller like James Bond.

Across the Spider-Verse - As if it could've been anything else but in all seriousness one of my favorites of all time and really stepped up the game. I haven't stopped thinking about it and it was summer when I went to go see it in theaters. I didn't think I would experience something like that again and here's to hoping its sequel is just as good or dare I say that it's even possible to be better.

#2023 ranking #movies #2023 movies #films #cinema #ranked

[darkheartedraven]

The School for Good and Evil

Warning, there will be spoilers.

I watched this on Saturday. It was not good.

I wasn't expecting it to be good. I was expecting camp pointless nonsense and I was there for that. When it started it felt like it might deliver. The villain was chewing the scenery, the CGI was passable, the premise silly but likeable, the main character could half-act (not so much the other one, but hey).

Then it got to the school and it immediately lost me when it implied that only the beautiful can be truly good and that evil is physically ugly.

Now, I get it, that was a twist of the show and it was to imply that the villain made good superficial so that it would lose, yada yada yada. Which is fine, except that then it explicitly went and made that the reality anyway. When the "heroes" became "villains" they were corrupted and made evil... their appearance changed to become "ugly"... how you say? Scars and looking old. Scars are ugly and having scars makes you evil. I was surprised that this sort of ableist bullshit was allowed to be made in this modern day. People have HUGE self-confidence issues over their scars, it's a core part of the trauma my protagonist in my novel deals with, and people fall into massive despair as they start to appear older, with people going to horrendous lengths to try and change that including surgery to make themselves look barely human anymore. These are all the result of ableist nonsense like this. That having scars, that growing old, make you intrinsically bad, make you unwanted, make you lesser. There were plenty of other issues as well. The only vaguest hint of any possible queer rep was on the villains side and that could easily be waved away as good friends. The "heroes" were all psychotic bastards with no redemption but they're still treated like the good guys despite very clearly not being. The only genuinely good character, who was just an innocent in this whole affair, is monstrously transformed and then murdered and the person who murdered him not only gets zero comeuppance, but is STILL treated as as heroic character and indeed ends up getting the girl.

It made me very very angry.

I was very disappointed and I went in with some very very low expectations.

It had some interesting potentials in there. There were story angles that could have made something poignant and meaningful, a riff on the disney prince and princess nonsense. It hinted that it wanted to riff on them, but then ultimately just continued the same farce just with a magical "we're all friends now" that makes no sense. The heroes and villains outright MURDERED one another (the heroes started the attempted murder and again their comeuppance is a wardrobe change) and it was all fixed in the dumbest handwave possible. A better story would have focused on the "evil" school. The characters were more interesting there and Charlize Theron was enjoying herself far too much (one of the few redeeming features of the film, more of her please). It would have been better if Sophie WAS a good person in the wrong school, because a real good person would see that there's no such thing as intrinsic good and evil and could have won them round, got them to see their value and perhaps the "evil" group could have saved the day. A Sky High for fairy tales, would have been a significantly better film.

Instead we got that tripe.

All in all I do not recommend.

#the school for good and evil

[my-otp-list]

Me, re-surfacing with my bromance review business because I just learnt today that, after a longgg longgg time, this drama’s English subtitles are potentially coming to completion (or so I really hope).

This is a light-hearted, lesser-known drama starring Xiao Yu Liang (whom many of you likely know as Zhang Qiling / Men You Ping in Ultimate Note) with a certainly noteworthy storyline and applaudable acting. And definitely, loads of bromance.

So, time for a signal boost!  (๑✧◡✧๑)

Anti-Fraud League (C-Drama)

Genre: Suspense, Investigation, Mystery

Synopsis (taken & modified from MyDramaList):

A drama revolving around a team comprised of flippant (with a sketchy past) investigator Fang Yuan, aloof genius Mi Ruo, animated hacker Luo Xin and charismatic lady boss Niu Meng, who run an insurance investigation agency which tackles all sorts of insurance fraud cases. 

Length: Completed - 24 episodes, 40 minutes each

Personal review:

+ Specifically for this drama, the first thing that catches my attention is the beautiful cinematography, which consists of very diverse angles and eye-pleasing colour palettes. Of course, it also helps that Xiao Yu Liang is handsome and looks so pretty amidst the scenery xD 

+ Surely the combo of investigator + genius strategist + hacker is a familiar formula, and this drama proves to be a decent take on that. The team dynamic is adorable, and I actually like all 4 members. The cases likely won’t be the sorts that blow your mind or keep you awake at night, but I’m of the belief that they will satisfactorily retain your attention. Not to mention, the show doesn’t step on the mistake of outrageously illogical or slippery deductions (which is very important, at least to me. It’s difficult to sit through a show that is tagged as ‘Detective’ but brushes off logic or attempts to simplify things T_T). Better still, we are presented with an overarching plot and villain to connect the cases together. 

+ Now, on the acting, it’ll be unfair to not mention how great male lead Fang Yuan’s actor was. As for the other male lead Mi Ruo (by Xiao Yu Liang), in all honesty, there’s room for improvement, but he definitely didn’t do a bad job. In general, for a watcher who gets easily irked by C-dramas’ horrendous acting (yeah, let me just admit that I don’t watch C-dramas all that often, mainly because of the acting and the CGI), I find the show’s overall acting really acceptable. 

+ Moving onto, of course, the bromance - Ah, precious, precious bromance, and this show has lots of bromantic moments too, to the point that people are asking whether it’s a BL uh-oh (☉_☉). Personally though, this is one of those rare shows that I feel zero need to ship the male leads together LOL, or I should say, I view their relationship as #StrictlyBromance. Probably because Fang Yuan and Mi Ruo have quite a big age gap, it’s somehow easy for me to see them as brothers. With Fang Yuan’s cheeky yet big-brother-ish attitude, his dynamic with the taciturn Mi Ruo is a very amusing one to watch. They didn’t like each other a lot at first, but through the cases and a couple of near-death situations, they’ve grown to be each other’s trusted confidante.

That said, I’m compelled to mention that they quarrel a few times in the show, and whenever it happens, the BGM turns into a LOVE song hahahahahaha (I see what you’re trying to say here, editor  (｡•̀ᴗ-)✧). 

A notable bromantic scene in the show beside the famous embrace-in-a-freezer-truck scene *which I won’t include here, because no spoiler :P

And by the way, let me just give a heads-up that this show has no crappy romance that destroys the plot, at all (I know I know, you see 2 male leads - 2 female leads and are thinking whether they make 2 couples. Nah, they don’t).

- Like I said above, this show likely won’t blow your mind, so don’t set your expectation too high. I suppose they could’ve taken on a more serious direction and raised higher stakes. Treat this as a rather light-hearted show sprinkled with a pleasant team dynamic and some great bromance, then you’ll be in for an enjoyable ride.

- Surely another negative thing must be the open ending? Without any indication that there might ever be a second season T.T 

----------

Also a quick announcement that I’ll be combining this Tumblr with my Bromance Recommendation Tumblr since I have no time to manage 2 Tumblrs T.T To those who follow me because of a specific fandom, I’m sorry that my blog will be a hot pot of many things, although they should actually surround either theme: Daomu Biji or Bromance (and perhaps very occasionally, BL). So, if you’re in for random bits and pieces and reviews and recos on anything under the sun that has to do with the above themes, welcome welcome ^_^ 

#anti fraud league #bromance drama #fan pian tian xia #xiao yu liang #bromance recommendation #反骗天下 #c drama

[algernoninwonderland]

So, Optigami! It wasn't a very eventful one, or rather, a lot happened but since it was inconsequential for the most part, not much of anything actually happened at all. It was a bit frustrating, to be honest. Not horrendous, not by any means, but I wish this episode had done more.

The Good:

Nathalie! We hadn't seen her in quite a while! Optigami is indeed a pretty smart idea. You go, Nathalie.

DJWifi is nice and cute, pew pew!

Shadow Moth goes to the bathroom, fully transformed. It's ridiculous, absolutely ridiculous! Shadow Moth in any setting is ridiculous, but this in particular was really funny. I don't know if it was on purpose and I don't care.

It makes sense for Audrey to become Style Queen again. This is one of the times in which that repeat akuma makes sense considering the situation.

Kagami proves herself to be the best, once again. For about three seconds but these are three great seconds.

That Adriennette lift scene! It was cute and fun for the most part. Adrien is slowly becoming the awkward one and I quite like it. He's protective of his friends, and this includes Marinette.

Max is a good egg. I like Max. He understands what heroism is. It's good. He's good.

What are Luka and Wayhem doing in the air vent? It's stupid. But funny. And therefore great.

They're doing all sorts of funky things with the Eiffel Tower this season and I'm here for it.

Sentimonster Nino is a smart idea. The execution is another matter entirely, but the idea is neat.

Nice Miraculous unification there.

Gabriel knows that Alya is a person of interest… Now that could be interesting!

The Bad:

We're back to “Marinette fawning over her celebrity crush Adrien Agreste” and it's not entertaining, it's stale. That's season 1-3 stuff, I had hoped we'd move beyond that and it looks like we haven't.

I can't buy that this whole magazine thing has so few guests and half of them are Adrien's schoolmates.

Almost nothing is done with any of them, I appreciate that we get to see more of them but nothing is going on with them at all. Outside of Nino and Alya, they're all here for three seconds, barely get any lines…

They can't spell “Magazine” right. And Magazine is also spelled with a 'z' in French. They just don't care.

That Lorem Ipsum text again. We can clearly read it. The shot lasts for like a good five seconds. We can clearly tell that it's gibberish. It just breaks the immersion. Yes, I know it's to avoid different takes for each country but c'mon, at least do it in French! Very minimal effort has been put into this.

Some really horrendous rendering, these piles of gold look very much like these 2000s bowling alley CGI videos, which, for a show made in the late 2010s and early 2020s, is concerning.

Very little of this episode feels tense and suspenseful which, for a “locked room” plot, is a bit of a shame. If you want to remake Die Hard so badly, you should pay attention to the mood and tension of the scenes and also you shouldn't forget all the copaganda.

Chloé is terrible and uses her sister as a human shield. But this moment has no weight at all. Wayhem and Luka, I understand, they're not particularly close and it's just funny that Wayhem is a coward. But Zoé and Chloé? Their relationship is more meaningful than that, surely it should be treated with more levity. Right? Think again.

Oh, come on, Nathalie, you're supposed to be smart, and yet you just… Stop because Marinette isn't in your database? That's just cheap writing and the writers being unable to follow through with their own ideas.

Some cheap identity reveal fakeouts. I'm entirely desensitised to them and so are many other people, I'm sure.

The whole Sentimonster Nino thing and Alya feeling bad afterwards… That latter part doesn't really work.

Gabriel knows he should look into Alya some more, but it's a last minute thing and you immediately get mood whiplash when the end credits' upbeat song kicks in.

The Ugly:

Nothing. There's nothing outstandingly rubbish about this episode. But there aren't many good things about it either, is the problem.

It's not a bad episode, but it's not good either, it's somewhere in the middle and I found myself wanting more, but not in a good way.

#miraculous #ml #ml season 4 #ml season 4 spoilers #optigami #optigami spoilers #marinette dupain-cheng #adrien agreste #nathalie sancoeur #gabriel agreste #kagami tsurugi #luka couffaine #chloé bourgeois #zoé lee #ml criticism #ml critical

[dangerouscommiesubversive]

Hello Commie, I’m wondering what you think about Hibiki (the show)? My friends can’t get through it and we’re curious

Hoo, boy. What do I think about Hibiki. That’s a big question, you got a few minutes?

On a basic level, my answer is, I think Hibiki’s kind of a bad show, and I can’t blame your friends for not being able to get through it.

On a more detailed level, I think it’s a show with some serious problems, a few of which are technical but most of which have to do with the writing and tone.

The technical issues are mainly the insistence in the first 29 episodes of the show on filming the majority of the fight scenes out in the woods in natural light. Personally I thought it made the action kind of hard to follow, and it often flattened out the gorgeous saturated metallic colors on the suits. There’s also the heavy overuse of giant CGI monsters. Like, I dig that they wanted Hibiki to fight a huge crab or whatever, but it looks very bad, just let him fight a guy in a suit.

My issues with the writing are a lot more extensive and serious. I think it’s a show with horrendous pacing issues, for example--on more than one occasion while watching I found myself actively bored. Sometimes it was because I wanted more action, sure, but just as frequently it was because the character arcs were moving at a crawl. Things pick up tempo when the show switches writers at episode 30, but with the sacrifice of the story becoming less coherent. Whatever the fuck is going on with the villains is never made clear by either Tsuyoshi (the first main writer) or Inoue (the second main writer), and I think that hampers a Kamen Rider show in particular kind of a lot, since the main Rider’s relationship to the villains is one of the core concepts in the whole franchise.

Kamen Rider Hibiki is also a show obsessed with masculinity in a way that I frankly found alienating and off-putting. It’s all about Men, and Boys Becoming Men, and Relationships Between Men. Like, Asumu’s immediate fixation on Hibiki, especially in the early show, is I feel often contrasted with his relationship with his mother, to his mother’s detriment--she’s super cool and working her ass off at a thankless job, but it’s still totally reasonable for Asumu to obsess over this man he’s just met because A Boy Needs A Father Male Role Models. Ibuki has a fatherly, or at least big-brotherly, relationship to Akira, Todoroki idolizes Zanki--it’s all about these Very Masculine Men as role models.

(Yes, Kamen Rider as a whole franchise is obsessed with men to the detriment of everyone else. But it’s not always obsessed with Manliness.)

(I have never forgiven the show for its treatment of Asumu’s mother. Whenever I start feeling kindly towards it, I just get a flash of her sitting sadly at a dinner table full of her son’s favorite foods while he runs off and gets lost in the woods looking for a man he just met.)

Anyway, switching to Inoue as head writer doesn’t fix this, it just makes the show a little bouncier.

I--look, I could go on, but this answer is already really long. Hibiki is not a well-written show and I do not like it. It is filled with wonderful characters, though--pretty much every individual character in the show is someone I love and cherish. (Yes, this includes Kyosuke, he’s precious to me.) The suits are also very very good, and the music theming is super cool.

However. Regardless of my feelings about the show, Kamen Rider Hibiki and the Seven War Oni is an incredibly good movie and you really don’t have to watch the show to enjoy it. Please watch the movie. It’s excellent. And it includes Kabuki, the best movie-exclusive Rider ever created.

#anonamouse #hibiki negativity tag

[coffeebeannate]

Not to go on ancient tangents again, but you know. I’ve been thinking.

I checked The Old Guard’s IMDb page again this week and it’s still sitting at 6.6/10 which while not horrendous, isn’t great either. And yet..elsewhere viewer and critic reception has been good, and strong. And positive.

Not accounting for the types of people who may be reviewing on IMDb, I keep thinking about the reasons people are giving it negative reception. Or what I personally consider possible legitimate reasons.

(Nixing any reviews that just called it ‘woke’, ‘liberal garbage’, ‘politically correct pandering’. ‘feminist shit’, ‘gay guys and women empowerment, who needs that??’ and ‘wokeflix’ aside because, IMO those automatically negate a review from possible critique and straight into bullshit territory). I have to think about some other comments I saw.

Some of which seemed to be:

(Under a cut because this gets long)

Low Budget

Badly Acted

Poorly Shot

Poorly Designed

Weak Storytelling

Weak Villains

Anti-Climatic

Generic

Cheap Overall

Within this realm, was some critique towards Gina’s directing (that i don’t agree with at all), poor storytelling (another I don’t agree with) and perhaps one that I REALLY don’t agree with ‘terrible acting’.

Now, I don’t know NEARLY enough about film making to comment on the technical elements, I can say with some assurance that I can at least recognize good acting the same way any casual viewer can? As well as decent, good or strong storytelling.

Because to me, the acting is NOT terrible. To me, the acting is phenomenal? And that is shown pretty strongly! Even breaking down every single character and the like, (yes including the villains), there are a TON of strong points from EVERYONE. And I do mean everyone. From Andy to Celeste, there ISN’T a weak point in any of the acting that I am aware of.

And believe me. I’ve watched enough times to notice.

When I think of the acting in this movie, lets say outside action sequences, I think about how pained Andy looks sitting in the Charlie Safehouse, looking at her hand and asking herself questions we can’t hear. Thoughts we can’t see but understand are happening. I think about Nile in Afghanistan after she becomes immortal, trying to take it all in and just vanishing with her ipod to have one moment to herself. Or how Joe’s brow creases and his hitched ‘I must get this out or else’ breathing when he gives the van speech. Or Nicky’s snarl on the kill floor. Booker talking about his sons. Quiet clarity from Celeste.

I think about Merrick giving his little inane speeches with utter determination and belief. Copley talking about his wife, Keane doing whatever he has to do. Kozak and her detached coldness.

Or how these interactions are always laced with feeling, depth and emotion. A movie with bad acting where you ‘don’t give a shit about these cookie cutter people’ *as some commenters have claimed*, would not make you feel this much. If the characters were poorly acted, why would the audience at large be overcome by feeling for them?

Even Quynh and Lykon, we GET A LOT with them. Even the smallest, most blink and you’ll miss it lines leave an impact.

How come my breath is still held during the van speech, even with my I don’t know how many rewatches? How come Andy’s pained shrieks in the medieval England sequence and Quynh’s terrified cries still hurt enough that I sometimes feel tempted to mute it? Or when Andy screams after Booker shoots her? Broken, betrayed and horrified?

Nile giving her description of her nightmare about Quynh, getting more and more passionate with the rawness of the dream she feels? Feeling Quynh’s pain and rage as her own because it’s just THAT real to her? Quynh panicking when Lykon won’t heal? Asking Andy ‘what’s happening’ with true terror in her voice?

You think you can have something like the Malta scene and think ‘yeah, these actors are moving like zombies through this project’. Why? How? I am not trying to be critical, I legitimately don’t understand.

And on a meta level, KNOWING how much work the actors put forth into their characters, all the little touches added in by themselves. I just question things. I suppose.

What make as good movie? I suppose the answer is always up to the audience at large, and no one person is going to have the same experience. And I’m not saying The Old Guard HAS to be a movie everyone enjoys. Of course it doesn’t. And I would never expect it to be as such. It’s either going to be your cup of tea, or it won’t be.

But I think it’s kind of unfair to completely lash out at it and blast it with comments like ‘bad acting’, ‘bad storytelling’, ‘terrible plot’, ‘boring characters’ just because it’s not running on a Marvel budget and full of CGI and a large cast quickly recognizable to mainstream audiences. Or Idk. the next Taken movie.

Does a movie have to be massive to be good? I don’t think the Old Guard at all qualifies as an indie movie, and it had a decent budget and delivered, in my opinion. Or maybe I do still have those rose-tinted glasses for it. But I think my brain is functional enough to be able to openly critique something, whether I’m obsessed with it or not.

And I gotta say..some of these critiques seem very illegitimate to me, but that is a whole other post.

I guess, end of the day, I want to see it succeed (though I think it has) and I want to see it getting the type of recognition it deserves. And feel salty about the 6.6 rating.

#the old guard #nate rambles #meta #i guess? #or is a rant #an essay? #i don't even know i'm just feeling things tonight #basically tl'dr I love this movie and it does not deserve the hate the outside gives it #and basically i saw those van speech gifs again and got lost in marwan's expressions and needed to wax poetic on a larger scale

[wonderfulworldofmichaelford]

Is It Really THAT Bad?

Cats has been a divisive show ever since it opened in 1981. Some people hate it for being a plotless spectacle that focuses more on the visuals than on music and story, while others love it for those same reasons, as well as for being utterly campy and fun. I’m firmly in the latter category, to the point I can’t  really comprehend the opposition to the film. Stuff like the jab at this film in The Critic or the mockery of it in Hey Arnold just seem weird to me; what is it about this fun, silly musical about cats that makes people’s blood boil so much?

Perhaps all these people saw into the future where the film was released.

Cats had a long, troubled history getting from stage to screen. In the 90s, Amblimation was set to make an animated version of the movie, set during the Blitz of WWII. Unfortunately, the inability of writers to find a way to turn this episodic showcase of random singing cats into a cohesive narrative combined with the failure of Amblimations films caused the project to dissolve, leaving behind nothing but some really cool concept art. 

But see, this perfectly demonstrates the problem with adapting Cats: the musical is a spectacle, a showcase, it’s all about the dancing, costumes, and the songs. It doesn’t have a story to speak of, instead contenting itself with showing us a bunch of different cats and having them sing about themselves for a bit before moving on to the next cat. Sure, there’s a bit of continuity and whatnot, but this really isn’t the sort of show that’s trying to deliver a deep narrative. It just wants you to have a good time, nothing more, nothing less.

No one told any of this to Tom Hooper, apparently. This director of the grounded, gritty, realistic adaptation of Les Mis was tapped to utilize this same style in a musical about magical singing cats, all while not even knowing what catnip is or how animation works. Hooper was apparently constantly butting heads with the VFX team due to his lack of understanding of how animating works. He tried to get the team to watch videos of cats performaing the stuff he wanted and forced them to give 90 hour work weeks, cementing Tom Hooprt as one of the biggest douchebags imaginable. On top of all this, the guy tried to weave this plotless showcase of felines into a cohesive narrative, and tapped a bunch of talent of various degrees of questionability to play parts. And what was the result?

An absolute disaster. The film was savaged by critics, with most positives being that the film was so bad it’s good. The film (of course) won a bunch of Razzies, and was the subject of mockery and memes before, after, and during its run in theaters. Hell, as soon as the trailer dropped, the film was mocked to death. Not helping was the rushed VFX which, again, was due to the team being under pressure from a draconian idiot who had no idea what he was doing. The film received an unprecedented bug fix, so to speak, in the form of an updated version with slightly better VFX that was shipped to theaters after the initial negative reaction. This obviously did nothing to help the movie’s reputation, of course. Hell, even in my initial review, I wasn’t super keen on the film. Most damning of all, though, was Andrew Lloyd Webber himself calling the film ridiculous, and even said "The problem with the film was that Tom Hooper decided that he didn’t want anybody involved in it who was involved in the original show."

But after ruminating on it, and after watching the film once more, I’ve decided to ask the usual question: Is it really that bad? It’s weird to ask this about a film that’s so new; I usually wait for hindsight to kick in, and look at older films considered bad. But even now, Cats is building up a reputation as a campy cult classic, with such figures as Martin “LittleKuriboh” Billamy watching the film with alarming frequency. And after reading the nightmarish behind the scenes and considering everything… yeah, I think this film deserves a re-evaluation.

This is going to be a little different, though: I’m sort of going to go through the film part by part, since this film has an interesting issue where, generally speaking, the first half is where the worst problems are, and the second half is where things start to pick up. So let’s get the bad out of the way first, then move onto the good.

THE BAD

So, I’m actually not going to pick on the VFX too much, and not just because of the horrible treatment of the VFX artists. In all honesty, the weird human/cat people, while not even remotely as cool as the insane costumes of the stage show, eventually stop being super distracting and kind of just become something you accept. Like, I’m not gonna pretend like this work is amazing, but I dunno, I think it gets harped on too much. There is some stuff that stands out as noticeably bad, though, and we’ll get to that.

A consistent problem with the film that I can’t even try to defend is the problem with the scaling. It’s seriously hard to tell how big these cats are supposed to be in relation to anything else. They honestly seem to change size from scene to scene. It’s seriously weird and baffling and there’s never any way to get a good sense of scale. Even when the cats are alongside mice and roaches, it just boggles the mind what size anything is actually supposed to be.

Mr. Mistoffelees, one of the most flamboyant and enjoyable characters of the stage show, is one of the biggest character issues with the film. Gone is the tricky, confident magician who prances and dances, and here is a meek, sniveling twerp who can barely do anything without tripping over himself. This is because the actor who plays him had a terrible audition that left him miserable due to a lack of singing and dance background. So, rather than find someone who could, you know, sing and dance, they decided to rewrite Mr. Mistoffelees into comic relief, which is just an insulting slap in the face. The cherry on top of course is how they straightwash the character and excise his homoerotic tension with Rum Tum Tugger, instead making him completely and totally straight and giving him a thing for Victoria. Out of everyone in the entire film, they did Mr. Mistoffelees the dirtiest.

Now, let’s get onto the actual “plot.” The film actually starts out fairly well, with some cool shots, good dancing, and some setup for Macavity, whose intro has a neat little nod to the fact he’s based on Moriarty. The issues don’t really start showing up until we reach the first of the Jellicle choices… Jennyanydots.

Jennyanydots is portrayed by Rebel Wilson, which is the first issue. Rebel Wilson is probably one of the worst actresses ever. She is just a horrendously, relentlessly unfunny human being, and she brings that exact quality to her role here. For her song, the vocal talent is secondary to the cringeworthy comedy Wilson puts on display. And yet, somehow, Wilson isn’t the worst part of the scene. No, that would be the horrendous CGI human-faced mice and roaches, which look like they came out of a PS3 game.

This horrendous spectacle is followed up with the appearance of Rum Tum Tugger, portrayed by Jason Derulo. I’m of two minds about this. On the one hand, I do think Derulo has the necessary egotistical celebrity swagger to play Rum Tum Tugger (especially when you consider he responded to negative criticisms of the film by calling the movie  “one of the greatest pieces of art ever made”) and his design is actually one of the better ones in the film, but on the other hand, his singing and the musical choice for his song are not very impressive and really just doesn’t work all too well. It’s at least something of a step up from Rebel Wilson and her CGI abominations, but that’s not really saying much, is it?

Next up we have Bustopher Jones, played by James Corden and, if I’m being totally honest… he’s not quite as awful as he could be. Corden is basically the male equivalent to Rebel Wilson, but at least while he’s singing he manages to be somewhat amusing, whimsical, and enjoyable even. The problem comes when he throws in jokes, including one where he claims to be self-conscious about his weight… a joke that occurs in the middle of his song where he is bragging about how fat he is. Talk about sending mixed messages. I wish I didn’t have to be so harsh on Bustopher, but sadly he is bogged down by really bad shtick.

Bustopher Jones also highlights a problem with the cats in this first half. These minor roles – Jennyanydots, Rum Tum Tugger, and Bustopher Jones – are all being played by relatively big celebrities, and as such they’re going to want a lot of time to sing. As a result, songs that were ensemble numbers on stage become more one-man songs here, with Bustopher Jones being the most egregious example, turning this positive fat character into a walking James Corden fat joke as he sings his own praises rather than having his praises sung.

Following him up we have Mungojerrie and Rumpleteazer, who are usually fun characters with a fun little pseudo-villain song, but alas, they manage to screw that up by using a slow, jazzy version of the song originally used in earlier London productions rather than the more up-tempo version from later productions, making the song sound awkward and forgettable. Topping it all off is the bargain bin Mr. M popping in at the end for some wacky shenanigans, but at this point, the movie takes a turn towards…

THE GOOD

So as soon as Dame Judi Dench shows up as Old Deuteronomy, the film gets a sort of inverse of what happened at the start. Where the film starts somewhat awkward and promising, it slowly gets stupider and stupider when Rebel Wilson, Jason Derulo, and James Corden botch their scenes in the ways described above. Here, things start a bit shaky and unsure, but Dench is a sign things are about to pick up. What makes her so enjoyable is how, despite how utterly silly things are, she treats her role with the dignity and gravitas of something out of Shakespeare. The only thing as good as an actor in a silly movie like this going full-on ham and cheese is an actor treating their role dead serious and injecting it with such class and dignity you can’t help but enjoy it. Thankfully, Dench isn’t the only person to take her role seriously.

Jennifer Hudson as Grizabella technically appears briefly in the earlier portions of the film, but here we get to hear her belt out “Memory,” and by god does she do a fantastic job. The raw emotion and passion she injects into Grizabella is phenomenal, and it’s even more powerful when it comes back for its reprise in the finale. Victoria gets a sort of response song to “Memory,” called “Beautiful Ghosts,” and it’s a decent song in its own right, but you can tell it was a more modern composition and it just doesn’t gel super well with the rest of the songs. Still, all this is good stuff, and the “Memory”/”Beautiful Ghosts” scene is a nice, refreshing bit of emotion after the incredibly weird and silly extended dance number that is the Jellicle Ball.

The movie doesn’t stop pulling punches; shortly after Grizabella we are given Gus the theater cat, an elderly actor whose number is all about reminiscing of the old days of theater and his many stellar roles from days gone by. Naturally, the only actor who could possibly perform this role properly is Sir Ian McKellan. I am completely unironic when I say this: This is to McKellan what Patrick Stewart’s performance of Xavier in Logan is. This sounds ridiculous, but think of it: Gus is an aging thespian, clearly a bit senile and desiring to be reborn because he has reached the end of the line, and McKellan fills him with this genuine, incredibly honest performance that really makes you feel emotional. It’s powerful. It feels so personal and resonant, like McKellan has inserted some of his own feelings into his performance, which may very well be the case. Oh, and after his song Macavity kidnaps him with a big autograph book and apparates away while saying his name, which gets me every time.

And now, my friends, the lord and savior arrives: Skimbleshanks.

This is, hands down, the best scene in the entire film. Everything comes together here: the music is absolutely fantastic, the dancing is choreographed extremely well, and it’s clear that everyone involved is having a blast. This is a concentrated essence of what Cats should be, and it’s really a shame Hooper didn’t understand that this is the energy needed for the entire production. The most crucial element, of course, is Steven McRae, who not only has a lovely singing voice and looks dapper as all hell in his red suspenders, but is a tap dancing maniac. This man has feet of fire, and his tapping adds a whole new layer of fun to the song. Overall, this is a perfect scene, and probably one of my favorite scenes in any film ever. For a brief four minutes, everything about this film works. I literally have no idea why this cat wants to be reincarnated, he is straight balling in this life.

But the hits don’t stop! Right after this song, Taylor Swift descends from the ceiling, and we get “Macavity.” In the stage productions, this is a song sung by Bombalurina to describe how nasty Macavity is, since she’s traditionally a good cat; here, she’s reimagined as a villain, and so this song is basically her acting as Macavity’s hype man, singing his dastardly praises, and best of all, Macavity joins in at the end! I’m certainly not a Taylor Swift fan, but she really kills it here, and definitely makes this one of the best songs in the movie with her hilariously forced accent and insane energy. It’s just a shame that from here on out Macavity ditches his villainous pimp coat and is now a nude Idris Elba, but I suppose this is equivalent exchange for Skimbleshanks being so amazing.

While not as incredible as the previous two songs and not quite as good as the stage version due to the removal of the latent homoeroticism, Mr. Mistoffelees’s song is actually okay. It’s nice that he gets to sing his own praises here, but it’s just nothing compared to the stage version, even if it has a fun little finale and it actually is genuinely heartwarming when Old Deuteronomy returns and sings along. It’s a sweet moment that almost makes up for how much Mr. M has sucked the whole movie. Oh, also, all of the Jellicle choices Macavity kidnapped fight back against their captor Growltiger, with Skimbleshanks aggressively tapdancing at him and Gus using his acting skills to make him fall into the Thames. This is so goofy that it wraps back around to being awesome.

The movie winds down in the goofiest way possible after the gorgeous reprise of “Memory,” with Macavity being caught on a big sculpture and apparently running out of magic, leaving him stranded like a regular cat. Then we get one final fourth-wall breaking song where Judi Dench directly addresses the camera that has the music swell up to the point where it seems like the song is ending numerous times without actually ending, and each time is funnier than the last. Really, what better way could you end such a silly film than with this?

Now, a general thing that’s great about the film is the choreography. The dancing in the movie is spectacular. I don’t really have a bad thing to say about it. And, in a broad sense, the music is good too, even if the singers aren’t always perfect, the backing tracks are great, and there’s a lot of fun in the tracks in the latter half of the movie. McRae and Taylor Swift’s contributions in particular are great, and Hudson’s version of “Memory” is incredibly powerful, as is McKellan’s take on Gus’ song.

Is It Really THAT Bad?

No.

Look, it’s hard to be like “Wow this is a fantastic masterpiece of film” or anything like that, because the movie has blatant and evident problems. But this is literally the reason I made this review series; I’m asking if the movie is really as bad as people say, and in this case, no, there’s too much genuinely enjoyable in the film for me to say it’s deserving of several Razzies and a spot on the Bottom 100 of IMDB that places it above Master of Disguise and The Emoji Movie. Like, seriously? This is worse than the 90 minute commercial starring the abusive dick who called a bomb threat on his girlfriend? Hell, this movie is rated worse than Artemis Fowl, which is definitely a contender for the worst film ever made (and amusingly enough also features Judi Dench in it). Artemis Fowl has next to no redeeming qualities in it, and it certainly doesn’t have Skimbleshanks, whereas Cats has several fun scenes and also has Skimbleshanks.

I definitely think there’s more of an argument for this film being so bad it’s good or camp at best, but it’s definitely more enjoyable than you’d think it would be. If you can learn to live with the weird CGI, it’s a fun, goofy romp that you might find yourself feeling for at times. After my second watch, I have to say… I’ve started to unironically enjoy this movie. It might even be one of my favorites of all time. I can’t even deny that it has a lot of stuff I don’t like, and it falls flat in a lot of ways the 1998 film soars, and it screwed up some of my favorite characters… but there are so many moments where the fun and heart of Cats shines through brighter than it has any right to, and all the failures of Hooper and Universal seem distant for a just a few minutes.

So yeah, is this movie good all around? No way. But is it fun, does it have value, and is there more redeeming qualities than the critics let on? Oh yes there is.

#Is it really that bad #IIRTB #review #movie review #Cats #Cats 2019 #Andrew Lloyd Webber #musical #so bad it's good #Tom Hooper #Judi Dench #Rebel Wilson #James Corden #Jason Derulo #Taylor Swift #Idris Elba #Sir Ian McKellan #Steven McRae

[that-shamrock-vibe]

Movie Review: Sonic the Hedgehog (Spoilers)

Spoiler Warning: I am posting this review the day the movie is first released in the U.K, so if you haven’t yet seen the movie do not read on until you have.

General Reaction:

It's difficult with today's movie going audience to predict how movies like Sonic are going to perform and be received. Especially when the ad campaign did absolutely no favours for this movie other than convince Paramount that Sonic needed a more truthful redesign than what they originally put out.

Here's the thing. Sonic the Hedgehog to me is trying to be 2020's Detective Pikachu capitalising on that nostalgia of a beloved classic franchise.

However, I do feel that the haters and internet trolls out there are not going to be able to get past the comparisons this movie draws to 2011's Hop, which was a live-action/CGI-hybrid movie starring James Marsden who becomes the companion of a somewhat overbearing CG creature.

But, I encourage all movie goers, including the haters, to go into this with an open mind...particularly if you have any history with Sonic because you will get some enjoyment and walk away afterwards feeling happy overall.

My personal history with Sonic is slightly less-so than I would like. I played the original 2 SEGA games countless times and did watch some episodes of the earlier animated shows.

Having said that, my main Sonic fandom actually comes from the mid-noughties series Sonic X, which I feel this movie could have adapted but alas. Also I played the Shadow the Hedgehog spinoff game and more recently Smash Bros where I actually won as Sonic recently.

Now this movie reminds me of those shows and games practically in no way. I mean there is that opening sequence where you see Sonic running around and looping like he does in the SEGA games, I do also feel like James Marsden's character could easily be an older version of Chris, the boy from Sonic X, but aside from that, the gold rings and Robotnik...there's not a lot for the Sonic fans to spot.

I can't say this is a perfect movie, because it really is not. There are a lot of super speed gags and some of them do stick but some just fall flat and at times feel repetitive.

The worst crime this movie commits in my opinion is stealing Quicksilver's gimmick of speed scenes. By which I mean there are not one but two occasions when time is slowed down to almost a halt and we see Sonic running around still. They even have songs specific for these scenes.

Also, because I'm not fully aware of every Sonic incarnation, I did not understand why Sonic is effectively The Flash with being able to generate lightning. I mean I understand the laws of physics of generating enough friction can create static but I have never known Sonic to have any electric attacks.

I did like how the static electricity was preserved in his quills when they fell off though. In animation and the games you don’t think about Sonic’s realistic hedgehog qualities such as having quills so it was a nice touch.

I am also aware that Sonic has turned Super Saigen before with the help of the Chaos Emeralds I believe, so the fact we see a similar transformation here is quite good to see for that reason.

In terms of story I do think this is a simple plot that has been done numerous times, Hop is definitely one example that comes to mind, but I feel it’s also a very accessible story for non-Sonic fans.

I don’t know if Longclaw the Owl is an original character or one from Sonic mythology but I did not really vest much interest in her. Baby Sonic I thought was cute, but I refuse to accept anyone saying he is cuter than Baby Yoda as no one is cuter than Baby Yoda.

On the subject of age, it was good to see them acknowledging Sonic’s age for a change as opposed to just presuming because up until now I did always think he was some sort of teenager but this confirms it. If Baby Sonic is around 5-9 years old then Sonic in present day is late teens which makes sense with his temperament.

The gold rings being used as teleportation devices, I don’t know if they’re meant to be in the games but loved their use here.

I enjoyed the use of technology in this movie and particularly Robotnik’s commentary on how technology is more reliable than people which ties into his ultimate fate of being stranded alone without another soul on the planet he is sent to which forces him further into insanity.

The fact Sonic’s story is about fitting into society while James Marsden’s character is about figuring out what’s right in front of him are great parallels and do balance each other out rather well.

Also where he ends up with effectively being part of a family as well as a town hero was a nice way to wrap things up.

However, that mid-credits scene showing the arrival of Sonic’s faithful protege Tails to the real world looking for his friend screams for a sequel, especially if this means that more of Sonic’s companions could be introduced in the future like Knuckles, Shadow or even Rouge the Bat.

Characters:

Dr. Robotnik:

I don’t want to say he is the best character because I feel all four of the main cast members do a great job, but my favourite definitely is Jim Carrey as Robotnik. This is Carrey back on form and there were so many great shades of back when he was at the top of his game in the 90s with work such as Ace Ventura, The Mask and The Grinch.

From his first scene he stole every scene he was in. You could tell that he was taking the role seriously while also having the time of his life with it and this is why, back in the day, he was on such high form.

He may not have been the overweight bald megalomaniac, at least with the latter two not until the end of the movie, but he was the evil genius and mad scientist and almost every line he delivered he nailed.

I think “rockonnaissance” is going to be the new “joygasm” for him but it worked for The Riddler and it works for Robotnik.

I’m also happy he was nicknamed Eggman in the movie by Sonic because of the shape of his drones, I thought it was fitting. I can’t wait for Sonic to see the new bald version.

Sonic:

Yes Sonic is second but I said it before, there were times when he was overbearing.

Ben Schwartz by the way does a fantastic job voicing the character, I know he voices Dewey in the new Ducktales series and also for some reason voices BB-8 in the Star Wars sequel trilogy, but this is my favourite role of his voice is so realistic for a wide-eyed and somewhat innocent “alien” hedgehog.

I enjoyed how when he first came to Earth he was this urban legend around Green Hills who spent those 10 years people watching and either making up nicknames for the citizens while also longing to fit in with them but knowing not to.

Also the movie’s comedy was never as vulgar as Ryan Reynolds or immature as Russell Brand. I think they had one fart joke in the movie but the rest was generic comedy movie material which was hit and miss in comedy.

It was quite touching also that he was so protective of Green Hills and the status quo so much so that when Tom said he was planning on leaving to move to San Francisco, he was so offended and I thought it was going to be that trope of “Oh now they’re going to separate only to discover they need each other later” but instead it was a few digs and then they got over it.

I am so happy they did redesign the character because the movie’s original look for him was horrendous and did make Cats look reasonable whereas this is more like the Sonic everyone knows and I did not realise he didn’t have his traditional running shoes until Jojo, the niece of Tika Sumpter’s character, replaced them for him.

I will keep saying I want a sequel just because I am interested to see where Sonic’s story takes him next, especially with Tails now on Earth and the potentiality that others could join.

The Wachowskis

Again I thought James Marsden and Tika Sumpter did very pleasant jobs. This is my favourite James Marsden performance to date. Up until now his roles have been either corny or simply bland for me but here, yes there were a couple of dodgy jokes and moments but overall I thought Tom was a very likeable character and at the very least a driven character.

His wife Maddie, first of all props to the movie writers for having a mixed-race couple front and centre in the movie. But also, Maddie, who is also an accomplished career woman alongside her accomplished career husband, did not weigh Tom down or the story down as simply being “just the wife”.

I also enjoyed Maddie’s sister and niece, Jojo is quite cute and for the little screentime that she has does well with it for a child her age. While Natasha Rothwell continues to grow in my estimations after her fabulous turn in Love, Simon as the very sassy teacher.

Others:

As for the rest of the cast, this was a great who’s who for spotting the great jobbing actors as Lee Majdoub, Neal McDonough, Michael Hogan and Adam Pally all have minor supporting roles that do not go unnoticed.

Meanwhile Colleen Villard (née O'Shaughnessey), who voices Tails in the video games as well as voicing Wasp in The Avengers: Earth’s Mightiest Heroes series and Sora in the Digimon franchise, reprises her role as the anthropomorphic fox in an uncredited mid-credits scene. I am hoping she returns for the sequel because it is good to hear her acting again.

Recommendation:

I do see a future for this movie in terms of a franchise. I do not quite see it crossing over with Detective Pikachu as I know there were rumblings of some sort of Super Smash Bros. movie cinematic universe.

However, if the movie does warrant a sequel, and with a current Rotten Tomatoes score of 64%, considering this seems to be a deciding factor for some cinema goers, I don’t see why not. I am hoping the future of this franchise does see the introductions of Knuckles, Shadow, Rouge and even Amy.

Potentially also spinning off from this franchise, there could be Donkey Kong, Mega Man and maybe even Mario to create that Super Smash Bros. universe.

Overall I rate the movie 8/10, it’s a great movie and definitely has some rewatchability to it.

Having said that I can see where some cinema snobs or even haters may come from as they inevitably target the movie but I encourage everyone not to be taken in by other people’s opinions, not even mine, make up your own minds and see it for yourself.

So that’s my review of Sonic the Hedgehog, what did you guys think? Post your comments and check out more Movie Reviews as well as other posts.

#sonic #sonic the hedgehog #sonic the hedghog movie #sonic movie #sonic 2020 #sonic the hedgehog movie #sonic the hedgehog 2020 #sonic the movie #sonic the movie 2020 #sega #super smash bros #smash bros #tails the fox #james marsden #jim carrey #tika sumpter #neal mcdonough #michael hogan #shadow the hedgehog #rouge the bat #knuckles #knuckles the echidna #detective pikachu #hop #sonic x

[kylo-ren-jepsen]

I'm going through my whole movie collection in more or less alphabetical order. (More or less because some of the kids movies my daughter wants me to wait & watch with her and series will be watched chronologically.) Ima post a pic of my copy, where/why I got it, & a little review.

I just finished reading the book to my daughter so time to watch the movie...

I waited too long for this movie to be let down. I was a huge fan of the Dragonlance books since I was about 14 & talks of a movie adaptation were rumored since the 90s. In the early 2000s, an animated feature was confirmed & I frequented the website for updates, very optimistic after seeing initial designs & the voice cast. The movie was finally quietly released in 2008 & I only found out because we got a copy in stock at Toys R Us, which I bought immediately.

The animation is horrendous. The actual character designs are ok & follow descriptions in the book (and even pay homage to some chapter or cover illustrations) but the animation itself is choppy and poorly edited. They used CGI for the dragons & draconians that look like graphics from an early PS2 game & don't mesh well with the traditional animation. They cut and rush a lot to fit the whole novel into 90 minutes but that's to be expected. It could've been a lot worse. They get the important parts of the plot & most of the original dialogue. I miss the scene where Tas is in the big wicker dragon but at least they added this back-and- forth between Tasslehoff & Raistlin:

Tas: She cast that spell without saying those funny words. Why can't you do that, oh powerful mage?

Raist: she's channeling the power of a god, you dolt. I'm wresting arcane energies from the very fabric of the universe. It's completely different.

The voice acting ranges from meh to great. Keifer Sutherland almost saves the day as Raistlin. Allegedly Sutherland studied up on the character and put a lot of attention to detail in pronouncing the spells correctly. Other well-known names in the cast include Lucy Lawless, Michael Rosenbaum, Phil Lamarr, Jason Marsden, & Michelle Trachtenberg.

This would've been an ok adaptation if the animation were better. Not amazing but serviceable. But it's like despite the years in limbo they still rushed it at the last minute and slapped something together on a computer the night before it was due. If you're a Dragonlance fan it's worth seeing at least once out of morbid curiosity.

#great movie rewatch 2020 #dragonlance #dragons of autumn twilight #movie adaptation #fantasy #animation #dvd

[frasier-crane-style]

Hellboy 2019 is a movie

-I remember when this was coming out, there was talk that the reboot was so this could be closer to the source material, but it’s largely the same tone, themes, and plot points as GDT’s version, just without really any of the charm or heart (at some points, it’s all but a shot-for-shot remake of the first film). The movie hurdles so quickly from one plot point, special effect, and action sequence to the next that there’s no time to get to know the characters, care about them, or have any investment in the proceedings. It’s like they expected the audience to have watched the other movies and already have a working knowledge of the universe, even though this is supposed to be a new take altogether.

Really, it feels like the producers were trying to turn this movie into a Deadpool spin-off, with lots of bloody violence, ADRed smart-aleck remarks, and pop songs. Weird, considering how broody, thoughtful, and atmospheric the comics often are. 

For instance, the del Toro movies had this subplot of the monsters being benevolent, or harmless, or beautiful, or awe-inspiring, so you could kinda see their point when they complained about being oppressed by the humans, with the idea still being treated in a pretty nuanced, subdued way. Hellboy ‘19 does the same thing, but like--lobotomized. The monsters are all cannibals, baby kidnappers, or child eaters, so when they complain about being mistreated, it’s like--yeah, I should hope so, you fucking freaks! 

And yet, the ‘seductive’ (read: super-boring in design and performance) Nimue just has to say “what if humans aren’t shit?” to Hellboy for thirty seconds and he’s having a shouting match with his father about being forced to kill ‘his brothers’. And with the infamous detail of Hellboy being unable to have sex with human women making one of his primary motivations being to get laid, the whole thing approaches self-parody.

-In fact, between the copious, plasticy CGI and, well, Milla Jovovich, this movie comes off as distinctly low-rent compared to GDT’s work. When they do their version of Hellboy’s origin, it feels like a porn parody next to del Toro doing the real thing. And man, it’s 2019, read the room. Did they really think nerds wanted all the practical effects del Toro lovingly used replaced with lackluster CGI?

-I’m irrationally angered by the scene where bad guys are electrocuting Hellboy. He stumbles into a river. They walk into the river and keep electrocuting him. You’d think, by action movie rules, that they’d be electrocuted too, or this would be the set-up for Hellboy cleverly turning the tables on them, but they just... electrocute a guy who’s standing in the same water that they’re in and are totally unharmed.

-There was a shell game when this was being made, with an Asian character being cast with a white man and an Irish character being cast with a black woman, and that going back and forth, and I guess my main thought would be that, as long as they’re playing so fast and loose with the characters... why have Daniel Dae Kim do such a horrendous British accent? Why not just make the character American? It’d make about as much sense as everything else in this movie.

-It’s especially egregious considering that Daimo’s heritage is supposed to be super-important to his character, but as the movie plays it, he pretty much just happened to be bitten by a werejaguar, while Alice’s backstory is all tangled up in the Fae and Irish mythology, but fuck it, she’s a black chav now, as played by an African-American/Maori woman. Nice cultural appropriation there.

-The movie is so rushed and breathless that you get a lot of the characters saying they’re best friends, but not really coming off that way, compared to how del Toro made Hellboy and Abe such good pals, or Hellboy and Liz romantic partners. The stuff with HB and Alice is particularly bad. They insist they’re old, trusted friends, but the way the movie tells it, they met when she was a baby and there seems like no reason they would’ve been in contact at any point since. Hellboy and Manning had more repartee under GDT than the male and female lead have in this version.

-Also, at one point, the villain starts a super-plague devastating London, with a hundred thousand people expected to die within two hours, and people being told to stay inside and avoid any human contact. But later, the Apocalypse starts and there need to be a bunch of civilians going about their day for the demons to menace, so… a bunch of people just walk around in the middle of a pandemic. It’s just shockingly lazy. We need crowds of screaming people for the crowds of screaming people shot, so fuck it, crowds of screaming people!

-There’s a definite air of flop sweat to the movie including three stingers, all promising more crazy adventures and beloved characters to come (like Lobster Johnson! Kids love Lobster Johnson, right?). Uhh... yeah. Why’d they make this new version if they have to end it promising to bring back stuff from the old version?

-I can’t help but think that letting GDT end his trilogy, even if it didn’t make boffo box office, would’ve at least guaranteed some goodwill for the franchise. I can’t imagine the audience being up for the inevitable Netflix show or cartoon or whatever after this reboot kinda slapped them in the face. It’s ironic. They tried to make the Hellboy series more of a blockbuster by making it arguably less accessible--R-rated, more faithful to the comics--and ended up taking it from sleeper hit to outright flop, with neither the movie fans or comic fans being particularly impressed. Like kicking Bryan Singer off X-Men or Sam Raimi off Spider-Man, maybe there’s a lesson in there about killing the goose that lays the golden--or at least silver--eggs.

#hellboy

[curestardust]

if you want: bit of a darker and more serious take on isekai (but beware of the bad writing)

“Tate no Yuusha no Nariagari” or “The Rising of the Shield Hero” or “Some of The Worst Written Characters I’ve Ever Seen” is another isekai spawned out of Japan’s never ending supply and it’s, to the surprise of no one, bad.

I was planning on writing a more in-depth review but I’m so pissed that I can’t be bothered. The story is that 4 random dudes from 4 different versions of Japan (never explained) get summoned into this game world. They all get predetermined weapons: a sword, a bow, a spear and a shield. The shield hero, Naofumi, immediately gets fucked over as apparently this game exists in the other 3′s worlds but not his, so he has no fucking idea what’s going on. In the painful 45 minutes of the first episode, the only person who chose to be on his party sets up Naofumi and humiliates him in front of everyone. The motive as to why this girl and the King hate him is never explained either. Obviously as the 3 other heroes are in posession of about 2.5 braincells each, they don’t question any of this and shun him as well. Cool.

Immediately after this, Naofumi abandons all morals and goes with a slave dealer to buy himself a slave, no questions asked. This slave will be his very first party member, Raphtalia. Because Naofumi is a “completely defensive class” (retconned) he needs someone to fight for him. Anyway, later loli Raphtalia grows into a woman cause apparently demi-humans age according to their level or something (makes no sense, she never ages further ever again). Naofumi also picks up an egg at the slave trader which turns out to be a loli. Then he runs across another loli. Have I mentioned that Naofumi’s entire party is made out of lolis? (Except for Raphtalia I guess but-)

Anyway, enough of the story. The fucking characters, mainly the 3 other heroes. Everything. Every-thing happens because none of the characters have brains. Including Naofumi! I sat down to watch episodes of this with the same dread as I watched some of my favourite series but not because I was worried how the story was gonna break my heart next or which of my favourite characters were gonna be in danger. No, what I was thinking about was “What kind of bullshit excuse will this anime pull out of its ass to make Naofumi look even more of a tragic character?”. Even if the 3 heroes wouldn’t want to communicate with Naofumi after the rape accusation (oh yeah I forgot to mention, he was falsely accused of rape, how delightful) there were numerous times where it was obvious that he wasn’t actually guilty. Then they could’ve just sat down, discussed what the fuck was going on and just go “LOL kay” and start working together. Why didn’t that happen? Cause they’re all BADLY WRITTEN.

The author was trying to say something I guess, about the cliché isekai protagonists hero complex and their disregard for the world they’re in or something. Which is funny cause Naofumi is the exact same as them except BrOoDiNg. I haven’t even mentioned the fact that he is insanely overpowered. His shield apparently has offensive abilities even in its normal form and when he activates the Curse Shield (also never explained what the hell that is) he gains offensive abilities which come out of nowhere! Almost every big fight ends with Naofumi awakening some random ass powerful attack and one shotting the enemy! What!!

And the worst part? In episodes 23-25 we get introduced to, get this, actual interesting characters and plot. Too bad you won’t see them until season 2! :)

“The Rising of the Shield Hero” tried to be a different kind of isekai and it could’ve been kinda good if not for the nonsensical writing and 0.5 dimensional characters. But what we were left with was another self-insert isekai fantasy that comes off like it was written by a butthurt incel who was bullied in school and couldn’t get any girls so now he wrote himself into a power fantasy where he is a brooding and tragic character with a harem of lolis and insane powers. 

EDIT: A few things I actually liked but failed to mention cause I was too pissed while writing this:almost no fanservice, very nice character designs (shame they’re wasted), fluid animation and an attention to detail particularly with clothing (lots of minus points for the horrendous CGI mainly during fights), the OPs are banger and Naofumi acting like a dad towards his companions (and it would be perfect if they weren’t trying to get with him either). IF the next season will focus more on the characters introduced near the end of this one, I’ll watch it with slight interest. 

[4/10] (x)

Recommend: HELL Yeah! | Yes | Eh??? | Nope | This anime killed my parents

#dusty reviews #Tate no Yuusha no Nariagari #The Rising of the Shield Hero

[kayura-sanada]

What exactly is beastmaster? I never heard of it?

Oh, no, I’m going to be showing my age here.

Okay, so Beastmaster was, originally, a trilogy of movies that came out in 1982, 1991, and 1996 respectively.

The original got a cult following, I believe, and still has some diehard fans to this day. I didn’t see these movies until well after I fell in love with the TV show, so my bias leans toward the TV show - that’s what I love, and that’s the universe I’m writing in.

The TV show aired from 1999-2002. It was an adaptation of the old movies, but all in all, the storyline ended up differing greatly from the originals. (If you want to watch it, it is free for Amazon Prime users!)

I watched this show religiously growing up. Every Saturday, my butt was plunked in front of the TV waiting for this show to air. Even when there was nothing but reruns and I’d seen them a million times, I sat and I watched them. /laughs/ Ugh, I’m so old.

Okay! This show includes:

Bad CGI!!

Look at that! What is that?! Omg, it’s so bad! /laughs/

Useless damsels in distress! (Kira)

“Help me! I’m surrounded by purple crystals!” Every time the storyline includes this girl, the episode turns into trash. Outside of her, though, it’s far more interesting! I swear! XD

Animals!

Along with Ruh (the tiger), Dar is also friends with Sharak, an eagle, and Kodo and Podo, two mischievous ferrets who like to pick on Tao and eat lots of food.

A man who doesn’t understand clothing! (Dar)

Why the loincloth?!?! I mean, seriously! XD This is our main character. The angsty emo character he plays in episode 1 quickly becomes a fluffball badass later on. Just, you know. Give him some time away from the damsel in distress plotline, lol.

A nerd!! My boy!! My ray of perpetual sunshine!!! (Tao)

Sneak Skill Lvl 0. XD XD Tao is the scholar of the group; he and Dar are literally fated to meet!!! I can’t make this up!!! Two very good boys who are wonderful friends!! I was too young to really ship these two, but even as a child, I thought they were two people meant to be together! Because they literally are!!

A villain whose entire job is to enjoy being a villain! (Zad)

Literally, Zad’s entire job is to be a douchemobile. And he’s so good at it.

A badass lady who goes around magicking things for fun! (The Sorceress)

The Sorceress goes back and forth between being amazing and being… not amazing, so basically Written By Dudes, lol. But she’s far more interesting than Kira. And she’s perpetually known as The Sorceress because even she doesn’t know her name.

Okay. So I know this show is old, the first season is meh, the acting is so-so, and the CGI is horrendous. It is absolutely a show that doesn’t really stand the test of time, and it only has a very small, cult following. But I love it. I love Dar and Tao and Arina and even Zad, the little shit. I love the relationship between Dar and every single character, but especially Tao. I only started shipping the two together after a rewatch of the show years and years after the fact (in my twenties!!), but it happened so naturally I was stunned by it. The two just fit together. It’s amazing.

So even though it’s been twenty years since the show first aired, I am writing a fourth season for it. Even though no one follows the fandom anymore. It’s dead as can be. But still, I’m writing it, because I love the show and I want to ‘see’ more of it. /shrugs/

Don’t worry about getting into this show! I wouldn’t recommend doing so, since the fandom is absolutely the image of Homer in the theater with a bunch of skeletons. Super dead.

But, uh, thanks for giving me the opportunity to nerd about the show, anyway!! I had a lot of fun talking about it a little bit.  ❤

#anon #response #beastmaster #dar/tao #dar #tao #zad #the sorceress #every single picture i took was from episode 1 btw #omg i love this show so much #/cries/ #no one knows about it anymore #it's so sad #everyone knows x/ena and even h/ercules #but no one knows beastmaster #i'm so old #long post #loooooong post #beastmaster tv show #beastmaster tv #darxtao #dar x tao

[sandysreviews]

FOUR QUCK REVIEWS

This post includes; Hotel Mumbai, US, Pet Sematary, and Hellboy

Hotel Mumbai is based on the true story of the terrorist attack that occurred against the Taj Hotel in Mumbai. The movie follows the hotel staff as they risk their life to save as many guests as possible and escape the horror that has taken place in the hotel.

The storyline is wonderfully told through the 2 hour duration, and holds a cast of brilliant performances. I don’t remember how the real event shook the world, but how the movie uses real TV broadcasts to continue the storyline was a good addition to the emotional gut punch of the horror happening. I highly recommended checking out the movie if you are into movies based on true events. Definite highlight was the fantastic performance by Dev Patel.

US is the latest movie by Jordan Peele, after the success of Get Out I was extremely excited to see this movie because I loved Get Out so much but in pure honesty I was deeply disappointed in Us. Us is about a small family and their doppelgangers that begin to terrorise them. What came across as an interesting concept from the trailer, was unbelievably stupid throughout the movie – it explains nothing, the film is drawn out and repetitive through animalistic nature of performances – there is nothing memorial or unique about the characters, performances, and storyline. The twist at the ending was incredibly predictable and it just left an overall bad taste. Honestly not worth checking this one, regards if you are usually a fan of Peele’s work.

Pet Sematary (2019) is a remake based on the 1989 version by the same name – that is also based upon a novel by Stephen King. Pet Sematary follows a married couple with two children that relocate to a more secluded land that has a mysterious burial ground behind their new home. When a sad loss occurs to the family pet, the neighbour Jud takes Louis up to the Sematary to help… this soon backfires when a horrifying event occurs and Louis acts in desperation to bring his child back. Sometimes, dead is better.

The storyline is decent, if you’ve seen the original is basically the same thing just with slight changes in dialogue/special effects and the child that passes away. I think they made the better decision to have Ellie die in this one as she’s older and it’s more believable that she has the ability to harm others. Performances are decent but definitely not the best work any of them have done before. If you are a horror fan and like the original Pet Sematary I suggest checking it out.

Hellboy (2019) is a remake based on the Dark Horse Comic under the same name. It is no relation to the first two Hellboy movies, which I originally didn’t like but I definitely appreciate them way more now. This movie is absolute garbage. The CGI is horrendous, the acting is beyond shit – which I adore Ian McShane and Milla Jovovich but it was just obvious neither one of them wanted to appear in this movie. The storyline was like a naughty teenager getting a constant lecture from his father – remaking the story of Hellboy added nothing to the character, and nothing to the fan base. The best part of the film was way too short and was ruined by the trailer of the film anyway. If you haven’t seen the film – you have done yourself a favour, don’t watch it.

#Hotel Mumbai #US #pet sematary #Hellboy #2019 movies #2019 reviews #2019 #movies #reviews #sandysreviews #quick reviews #movie reviews #Jordan Peele #Dark Horse Comics #Stephen King

[thekaijudude]

Ultraman R/B Movie Review Part 1: Overall [SPOILERS]

I finally managed to finish this wow 

(It took such a long time cause I had to rewatch it thrice and then analyse certain scenes more closely to clear up some doubts I had. Because trust me, this show is so content HEAVY especially when it comes to Part 2)

So,

The R/B Movie had surprisingly had a semblance of a well-thought out plot comparatively to the other New Gen Movies (which isn’t really saying much, but hey, at least its over)

As in the transitions throughout the movie were mostly MUCH smoother and easier to follow as there is a very good focus on Katsumi as we follow him through his journey to find his goal in life.

But everything else? Errrrr….. 

1. Main theme of the Movie???

Ok we all know the main theme of the movie was supposed to be about kinship and whatnot but the bulk of the movie was about Katsumi’s struggles to find his goal and place in the world and having to struggle with his identity as Minato Katsumi or Ultraman Rosso, all whilst having to save a fellow friend of his from falling into darkness.

The last aspect was probably one of the stronger points of the movie as Yukio is essentially facing the same issue as Katsumi so it added a lot of rich dynamics between the two as Katsumi really had no idea how to help Yukio in moving forward from his setback since he himself isn’t really in a ‘higher ground’ to help or advise. Which resulted in the two becoming more and more disconnected with each other, especially when Yukio found out that Katsumi was Rosso.

Yeah that sounds neat and all, but where does the theme of ‘Kinship’ and ‘Bonds’ all fit into this?

a) The idea of kinship throughout the movie is very forcibly and awkwardly inserted throughout the movie, just like how Geed forced the word and idea of ‘fate’ down our throats even tho it actually sometimes dosent really concern the idea or just doesn’t make sense at all as to why it was the underlying theme of a certain scene or dialogue.

b) Pretty sure bringing Geed into this movie and involving him in the whole ‘family’ idea is the worst ultra to talk that topic about

I honestly thought he was gonna talk about his family actually being Moa and the gang even tho Belial is his biological dad to reinforce the idea that kinship goes beyond blood ties to mirror the relationship between Riku and the R/B siblings

But he literally just stopped at Belial. At this point, the dialogue between Asahi and Riku becomes soooo dry and awkward (Its literally almost as dry as the dialogues between Isami and Yuha in ep 5), especially Riku’s awkward smile and Asahi’s awkward reaction in the end, the atmosphere was so awkward that it really caused goosebumps to form on everyone when I watched it together with my friends for the first time, even during subsequent rewatches.

2. The manufactured, abrupt insertion of ‘Kinship & Family’

The flow of the movie shifted too abruptly midway through the movie as virtually 90% of the plot was previously centered around Katsumi finding his place in the world and making difficult choices but all the progress made thus far then suddenly shifted to the theme ‘Kinship & Family’, the drastic shift was especially apparent starting from when Trigger appeared out of the screen and talked to Blu about how kinship is so fragile and whatnot. But like, what sparked this monologue from Trigger? It was seemingly so random. 

Even after defeating Snake Darkness (SD), Gruebe turns around to the audience and says along the lines of 'You see? This the true power of family’, I can promise you, 5/5 of my friends I was watching with including me cringed at this moment, just thinking about it right now still makes me cringe

3. Horrendous CGI scenes

Remember I said in one of the R/B Movie Trailer reviews that the CGI model of Gruebe looks really weird when he was shot beside UF?

Yeah wow it gets worse than that.

All of CGI scenes in which only 1 party is CGI is simply just too horrendous to watch, especially when Gruebe grapples with SD, Gruebe’s movements were so stiff and awkward (And that one scene where Gruebe recovers from SD’s strike looks so cheap)

But otherwise, that Gruebe vs Trigger battle sequence where both models were CGI was done pretty ok-ish for the most part

And the gesticulations and voice acting for Trigger when he was in CGI was totally out of sync

And man at the last scene where UF and Gruebe interacted with each other at the end I literally breathed a sign of relief when we see the only scene where Gruebe’s actual suit is being used (And oh boy does it look MUCH BETTER)

4. Power Scaling

Gruebe went from literally being trashed by SD to suddenly being able to totally tank his strikes without any sort of stagger AND fling SD around within a span of 5 seconds

5. Others

- Gruebe’s main grunt is essentially the acoustic embodiment of ‘clusterfuck’, especially with that ridiculously high pitch. Coupled with the horrendous CGI, Im having EXTREME difficulty trying to enjoy fight scenes when Gruebe is present

- Also a couple of friends described Gruebe’s gesticulations as and I quote 'disturbingly flamboyant’, I personally just found it rather weird but I guess that’s Grigio’s influence on Gruebe so welp

- Asahi never fails to be cringey even as Grigio

- I get the symbolism behind Grigio’s transformation but other than that, it really dosent make any sense considering that Grigios are a separate species of kaiju, I initially though that Saki’s spirit was gonna become the Ultrawoman Grigio crystal or sth

- In addition to the previous point, isn’t Asahi the embodiment of the Makoto Crystal? But yet now she’s an independent Ultra???

WHAT???????

6. Conclusion

Overall, the R/B Movie actually falls under one of those rare New Gen Movie specimens that is of a somewhat similar quality as the series.

Ive even heard many people saying that both share a similar pattern, as they both start out very promising and engaging before quickly plummeting down to the ground.

But at least TsuPro got to try out some new ideas especially with the whole CGI aspects and could hopefully improve on it.

And this marks the end of the New Gen Era (aka the experimental era) to usher in the new Reiwa Era of Ultraman.

Other than that, noticed I haven’t said much about Trigger even tho I consistently said that hes the mvp for this movie? Well Part 2 is ALL about him, cause trust me, 

This character is SO RICH its not even funny

So stay tuned for Part 2 where ill get to the JUICY MEAT of this whole movie

#ultraman #ultraman rb #ultraman r/b