jerrydog

[jerrydog]

The first Avatar movie was pretty self-contained. It had a definite ending. A sequel didn’t seem necessary. But since that movie made loads of money, of course a sequel would be greenlit.  Like other movies with definite endings, any sequel would seem contrived--- albeit with varying degrees depending on how well the sequel is written. And herein lies the problem. James Cameron and co. are not very good writers.

The visuals were spectacular, no doubt. But that’s pretty much all this movie has going for it. The plot is basically a rehash of the first one. The evil humans are back, so we have to protect the planet again. The major plot point also is pretty stupid once you think about it. So, to prevent their tribe from being a target, they chose to move to another tribe, effectively making this new tribe the new target instead. And why choose to run away when they could still fight? That’s pretty much what happened in the end, just with a different tribe. This proves they could have stayed and fought. They could have defended their own tribe.

Basically, this plot point was just there to justify the change in scenery. 

Like I said. Horrible writing. Total lack of creativity. Which resulted to a clunky storyline.

But this still could have worked. I mean look at the first movie. The simple plot was very derivative, yet it was still entertaining. Even when I catch it on TV every now and then, I’d still end up watching it. Call the first movie dumb, derivative, or whatever, but to me it was never boring. A huge chunk of this sequel is.

There are glaring pacing issues. The exposition shows a lot in couple of minutes. Then they chose to fast forward one year later--- a lot of things could have happened in this one year. Maybe try fleshing out these characters more? A couple of exciting sequences for 20-30 minutes or so, then the film suddenly slows down to a snail’s pace. For about 2 loooooooong hours, it was like watching fish in an aquarium. Or watching some undersea footage in a documentary. Sure, what you’re seeing is beautiful, but eventually you’d get bored at seeing pretty pictures when nothing much was happening. It’s not until the last 30 minutes or so during the expected confrontation when it actually picks up again. There’s just too much fluff in this movie. The movie runs for more than three hours, when this story could have easily been told in less than two. Cutting a lot scenes would have made this movie so much better. And they plan on making three more of these movies when the first sequel is basically a rehash of the first? If they’d insist on taking audiences back to Pandora several more times, the first thing James Cameron should do is to hire better writers. Then he could focus solely on the visuals. That seems to be what he cares for the most, anyway.

...

My rating: 2/5

[jerrydog]

I admit. I’ve grown tired of Marvel movies. For anyone who isn’t a die hard fan, the MCU has been showing a lot of cracks. These have grown more evident after Avengers: Endgame. After re-watching a couple of their older movies, I began to wonder what made me think these movies were so amazing to begin with. They’re not horrible. The main problem is they keep sticking to the same old formula, that any new film that comes out seems awfully generic. Apart from changing characters, these movies look and feel exactly the same.

The three movies released last year were glaring examples. Black Widow was the first movie I saw in theaters since the start of the pandemic. After seeing it, I wonder why I even bothered when this movie would be available on Disney+ in a couple of months. It wasn’t bad. It’s just your typical Marvel movie. It was a shame because this character had a dark backstory. This movie could have been unique if they chose to explore that. Instead, they decided to stick to the same old, candy colored Marvel formula.

Shang Chi was something new? Really? How exactly was it something new? Replace the Asian cast with white folks, and you’ll see it’s the same tired formula. That final battle in particular was one big CGI mess. Only the opening scene felt fresh and authentic. If they stuck with that, this movie would have been a refreshing change. A Marvel film with Asian sensibilities. But no, they decided to play safe. I watched this on Disney+ on streaming, and even in the comfort of my own home I struggled to finish it.

Eternals? The aesthetic felt fresh, I’d give it that. And I didn’t think it was as bad as the critics made it out to be. For me, the main problem was how pointless it was. Creating a shared cinematic universe is one hell of an accomplishment. But later on, introducing new characters would be problematic. This movie failed to justify their existence. They didn’t intervene because they were told not to? Why weren’t they told to intervene when what Thanos was about to do would disrupt the birth of a celestial? Plot holes like this one bogged this movie down. And the fact that the actions of the antagonists made more sense in the grand scheme of things made things worse. If only they made more effort in creating a more sensible plot instead of pushing liberal agendas that do not enrich the movie at all, this movie could have been better.

After three consecutive misses, Spiderman: No Way Home was a pleasant surprise. I loved that movie. I loved it so much, I watched it thrice. But on the third viewing, I began to wonder. Am I loving this movie because it was really good, or am I loving it just because of nostalgia? I figured it was the latter. Marvel has not redeemed themselves yet. They haven’t proved that they can still make great superhero movies.

Then came Multiverse of Madness. I wasn’t expecting much. The initial mixed reviews from critics didn’t help. That action sequence in Manhattan that they released online didn’t help either--- that looked like your typical, generic Marvel action sequence. Before its release I was even dissing it a little. Now I’d gladly eat my own words. I’d say this movie is even more enjoyable than Spiderman. 

After that generic action sequence in New York (just brush off thoughts about where the other heroes are since a LOT of them are in New York), things started to feel fresh. This is largely due to Sam Raimi’s horror sensibilities which are either subtly or explicitly felt on every frame. The visuals were excellent. The soundtrack perfectly sets the mood. There is palpable tension. And my God, there’s actually a little gore--- in a Marvel Movie?  Once again, I started caring about what’s going to happen with characters in a Marvel Movie. They did introduce a new character, but her existence is justified. No one’s gonna ask what she was doing when Thanos attacked Earth. There are a couple of twists, but the plot is straightforward enough. I didn’t get to finish WandaVision yet I had no trouble following the plot. These critics who are saying that the plot is a convoluted mess and that it’s hard to follow? I have no idea what they’ve been smoking. 

The last Marvel Movie that I’ve liked this much was Infinity War. After the generic movies that they’ve released since then, I’m glad that this studio has managed to produce something that felt fresh. This proves that they’re still capable of doing so, and it makes me less pessimistic about their future releases.

...

My rating: 5/5

[jerrydog]

I wonder Halong it would take to visit all these islands. 🤔⁣ ⁣ #halongbay #vietnam #southeastasia #travel #traveling #cruise #travelgram #travelingram #instatravel #travelphotography #travelblogger #traveldiaries #wanderlust #lonelyplanet #backpacking #instapassport #traveltheworld (at Halong Bay, Vietnam) https://www.instagram.com/p/B7TMIBqhwMn/?igshid=18w43lq1o1jd2

[jerrydog]

I had absolutely no intention of watching The Rise of Skywalker. In fact, I’ve never even bothered watching a single trailer for this movie. The only way I’d watch this is if someone dragged me into it, which is exactly what happened. Thanks to The Last Jedi, I started viewing Star Wars movies in a different light— more objectively, so to speak. It made that cloak of nostalgia that was hindering my vision vanish completely. Because that’s all there was to it. I realized that I only liked Star Wars because of nostalgia. Because of its great significance in pop culture for the past few decades. Take that away, and I realized that most of these movies were average at best.

I was old enough to watch the prequels in cinemas. Maybe I was too young then, but I loved The Phantom Menace. This made me look forward to Attack of the Clones, which I didn’t really like at first. But everyone else seemed to like it. Everyone else was so hyped up over it, because duh— it’s Star Wars. So I somehow convinced myself that I should like it as well. Call it peer pressure or whatever. Revenge of the Sith had its issues, but overall I found it entertaining. At least entertaining enough to make me seek out episodes IV-VI on home video. Maybe it was the influence of nostalgia again, especially since my parents were huge fans. After watching all episodes from I to VI, I was already somewhat of a Star Wars fan.


I was one of those who were so excited to see The Force Awakens. After such a long time, we were gonna see a new Star Wars movie on the big screen! And it had a lot of the original cast returning! That was surely a case of pandering to nostalgia, but heck everyone including myself lapped it all up. Sure it was mostly a rehash, it doesn’t hold up that well on repeat viewings, but it sure was fun to watch for the very first time. Especially once you see all those beloved characters back on the big screen. And with that cliffhanger ending showing our first glimpse of Luke Skywalker after all these years? Man, everyone sure as hell were hyped up for the sequel.

Which was the aforementioned The Last Jedi— definitely the most divisive Star Wars movie ever made. I can’t understand how some people loved it, because I think it’s downright horrible. Apparently I didn’t think it was so bad the first time I saw it— I gave it a 3/5 on my review here. That time though one of my friends fell asleep while watching. another one was so bored he wanted to walk out. These were HUGE Star Wars fans by the way. The fact that two huge fans couldn’t finish viewing a Star Wars movie was quite telling. I saw it again with my cousin after two months because she had not seen it yet. It’s a struggle to get through such a pointless plot on second viewing. I was shocked to find out that Rose Tico didn’t die. lol. Apparently I was no longer paying much attention towards the end on my first viewing. After this second viewing I’d give it a 2/5. I managed to see it alone at home for the third time, when I did a Star Wars marathon of sorts. It was the only movie that I was struggling to finish. Since I was watching it alone in the comfort of my own room, I could rate it the most objectively. After the third viewing, I’d give it a 1/5.

I know we all have different tastes. If you liked The Last Jedi, if you enjoyed watching it, I’d respect that. But please do not refer to it as excellent, as perfect, or the best Star Wars Movie ever because it isn’t any of those. I wouldn’t call a movie with such a useless plot perfect. That main plot could have been told in 15 minutes or less. The entire movie just wasted 2 ½ hours over nothing. The side quest was just as pointless. Plot holes were numerous. Beloved characters were quickly set aside. Beloved characters start to behave in a way that’s completely out of character. A bunch of new main characters pop out of nowhere, with no other purpose than to serve an agenda. Many things did not make sense even on a science fiction movie. Characters show new skills, even though such skills were never foreshadowed in what’s supposed to be a saga. It also diverged from any logical path following The Force Awakens. In fact after viewing all Star Wars movies in succession from episodes I to XI, The Last Jedi stands out because it doesn’t conform with the universe set in the other episodes. In doesn’t fit the overarching narrative at all. They might as well have called it The Last Jedi: A Star Wars Story.

Look, I get it. Innovation and non conformity should be praised, but only when it’s done in a proper setting. If you’re going to make a movie that’s part of a trilogy or part of an entire saga, you have to be a team player. You have to stick to a certain theme. You can’t push boundaries too far, else your movie won’t feel part of a whole even though it’s supposed to be. Rian Johnson knew The Last Jedi was gonna be part of a Trilogy. You can’t verge too far when you’re making an episode in a trilogy— especially not when it’s the second installment you’re making. So yeah, I’m glad JJ Abrams did a retcon and basically ignored Episode VIII. It wouldn’t take much to ignore it anyway, considering the fact that close to nothing of significance happened in that episode. Oh yeah, Luke died/ vanished. Also Snoke, in what was the only awesome scene in the entire movie IMO. Anything else that happened were basically non events.


Now critics are complaining that The Rise of Skywalker ignores the narrative threads that were set by Rian Johnson. Oh you mean the same way he ignored the narrative threads set by JJ Abrams? I didn’t hear any critics complaining then. All I heard were praises because the movie was so inclusive, it was so empowering, it was refreshing because it didn’t feel like a Star Wars movie. How can “not feeling like a Star Wars movie” be a good thing about a movie that’s supposed to be part of the Star Wars Saga? Look, general audiences couldn’t care less about the race or gender of characters they see onscreen as long as a good story is being told. Majority of people who hated The Last Jedi aren’t single white men who are still living in their parent’s basements, so SJWs should quit that tired narrative. A lot of people who hated The Last Jedi are ordinary moviegoers who just wanted to have fun watching a movie set in the universe they’re familiar with. A lot of people hated The Last Jedi because even that was taken away from them.


Critics are also complaining about several plot points. Like how Emperor Palpatine is still alive (not a spoiler: it’s on the movie’s official synopsis, and it’s stated right at the very beginning.) I know, that totally came out of left field. Palpatine clearly died on episode VI. There were no hints or foreshadowing that he was still alive on episodes VII and VIII, even on repeat viewings. Thus is comes off as a cheap and desperate attempt. Whose fault was this though? Who decided to kill off this new trilogy’s big bad on the second episode? Rian Johnson didn’t leave much for JJ Abrams to work with here, he was basically pushed against a wall and working with his hands tied. Creating an entirely new villain would be anticlimactic, but since it’s a part of a 9 movie saga, the next best thing would be to revive a villain from the past. Another common complaint is that this new movie feels rushed, that so many things were being packed in a little over 2 hours. Again whose fault is that? If Rian Johnson didn’t waste 2 ½ on the previous movie and told a story with significant events that would feed naturally onto the next episode, an episode that would serve as a bridge between two episodes instead of looking like some disjointed amalgamation, this wouldn’t have happened would it? JJ Abrams had that unenviable task of trying to tie up so many loose ends. It would have helped if Rian Johnson tried to be a team player by tying up some loose ends from The Force Awakens and then tying up some of his. But no, he preferred to do things his own way. He preferred to be different, he preferred to leave his indelible mark. Instead of effectively bridging two episodes, he left the Skywalker Saga with no clear direction. 


I agree. This movie seemed rushed. It seemed forced. It could use a lot more time to tell the story. But considering the difficult task that JJ Abrams was given, those faults are easily forgivable. Yes a lot of it is fan service and obvious pandering. But isn’t that only fitting for what’s supposed to be the final chapter in the Skywalker Saga that started way back in 1977? Anyone who grew up with these movies would enjoy this finale. it contains a lot of the things that people have loved about Star Wars. This series has been around for more than 4 decades, fans belong to different generations. Episode XI is not a perfect movie, but it’s a perfect thank you to everyone who has been a fan. I had no intention of watching this movie, but I’m glad I was forced to give gave it a chance. It’s not the best Star Wars movie, but it’s good enough to restore my faith in all things Star Wars. 
… 
My rating: 4/5

[jerrydog]

Man that was crazy good.

This is the kind of movie Hollywood rarely makes these days. You know, that classic David vs. Goliath style that many audiences find inspirational. It’s wrapped up in a different package, but at its heart it’s still one of those underdog feel good movies that general audiences tend to love. The exceptional acting talent sure does help elevate it above similar tales... as well as the brisk directing style that made those 2 1/2 hours seem to zip by. I also appreciate the fact that the story itself takes center stage--- there are no in your face politically correct narratives and social justice agendas that only serve to muddle up a perfectly good story. I wasn’t aware of the events that transpired during the Le Mans race in 1966, and I think going in blindly made the movie more compelling to me. Even people who don’t know anything about cars would appreciate this movie. It’s a massive crowd-pleaser, and in our movie theater everyone was understandably cheering near the end. 

...

My rating: 4.5/5

[jerrydog]

Talk about a polarizing movie.

Reviews have either been praising this movie to high heavens or calling it trash. There doesn’t seem to be any in between. Either you’d love it or you’d hate it, so I came in with an open mind.

It wasn’t easy to do, mind you. I’m a huge Batman fan, and I’ve been reading a lot of Batman comics since I was a kid. I grew up knowing the Joker, and some of the liberties this film did with the Batman mythos didn’t feel quite right from a fan’s perspective. It’s one thing to make some liberties when you’re filling in some blanks. It’s another thing to completely rewrite certain aspects that are considered canon. So I just started to think of this movie as some “elseworlds” movie. Problem solved. That was easy enough. That’s why I’m wondering why it’s so hard for certain professional critics to do the same. It’s not hard to be completely objective and avoid tainting reviews with personal agendas. The fact that they are so called professionals makes this so laughable. 

There’s one glaring problem with some of these negative reviews from critics. I’m not talking about personal preferences. We all have different tastes in movies, and these would show in any movie review. A very violent movie will not sit well with a lot of people no matter how finely crafted it is.But that’s not the problem. I’m talking about how a lot of these reviews have been trashing the movie because of how it might influence people. That’s right. So called professional critics have been giving negative reviews because of things that may or may not happen as a result of this movie. I get it. There is that very real possibility of a threat. The amount of violence isn’t the problem. In fact there isn’t much, and I’ve seen more gruesome violence in a lot of other movies. Certain scenes that seem to glorify murder and anarchy is the problem. And the sad reality is, the paranoia that these critics are feeling is valid. That’s just the way it is in today’s America. But to completely ignore all this film’s merits because of paranoia is just wrong.  

From a technical standpoint, one would be hard pressed to find any fault. The cinematography is atmospheric and nothing short of astounding. The editing is sharp. The music is hauntingly surreal. The acting is superb. You can love or hate the movie, but there’s no denying that Joaquin Phoenix deserves all the accolades he’s getting. He truly became the Joker.

Some would say the movie is pretentious with the way it tries to bring sociopolitical issues to the surface. Some say the way it delivers this message feels contrived because of how derivative it is of some of Martin Scorsese’s best movies. I dunno, maybe it’s because I haven’t seen any of those movies so I am able to judge this movie for what it is. I think it’s an excellent character study. I believe the subject matter is relevant, especially in today’s social climate. And I think it’s brilliant to dress up such a film as a comic book movie to gain more interest from the masses. It may be derivative, but this glossy new package is still able to get the same message across.

...

my rating: 4/5

[jerrydog]

I love science fiction. I love movies set in space. And I love movies with somber, existential themes. From the moment I saw the first trailer for Ad Astra, I knew I had to watch it. And just as I expected, I loved every minute of it.

This movie clearly isn’t for everyone. The slow pace would turn many audiences away. To me though, that’s one of its strengths. It’s best to explore existential themes slowly to avoid the impression of being pretentious. The movie explores such themes intricately and deliberately. The amazing visuals and the highly appropriate musical score certainly helped matters. I caught myself several times staring in awe at the big screen. Brad Pitt’s performance was perfect. Strong, yet somewhat subdued.

It’s a pity how word of mouth is limiting the reach of this movie. I don’t understand where all the hate is coming from. It’s not a case of false advertising or duping audiences--- it’s clear from the trailers that this is not an action adventure film set in space. I’d hate to sound haughty, but I feel I have to say it. People with short attention spans and people with low comprehension should avoid watching movies like this. A movie such as this is clearly not for them, and they bring a perfectly good movie down simply because it’s not something they’d enjoy watching. For those looking for something profound, ignore the word of mouth and check this movie out. I guarantee you won’t regret seeing this movie on the big screen.

...

my rating: 4.5/5

[jerrydog]

It: Chapter One was a well made film. though apart from the initial shock of seeing a graphic death of a child onscreen, I didn’t find the rest of the movie scary at all. What made it great were the other aspects. When viewed as a coming of age story with some horror and fantasy elements thrown in, it really excelled. For the most part, this is because of the excellent casting, and the characters the children were playing were fully fleshed out.

Chapter 2 sees these same characters as adults, and that’s partly why it doesn’t work as well. With kids, you’d excuse funny looking CGI because it’s easy to view the film as more of a fantasy than an all out horror film. With an adult cast, the funny looking CGI were jarring. Take that scene from the teaser trailer for instance. That scene was chilling in the trailer, but in the actual movie where they actually showed what the old lady monster looked like, several people in the audience laughed. I can’t blame them because that monster was really funny looking and not remotely scary at all. For a horror movie, it’s often best to leave certain things to the imagination. Another glaring example is Pennywise himself. When he’s normal sized he does look scary, but when he becomes some giant CGI monster he just looks silly. I honestly don’t know why a lot of these horror movies resort to CGI instead of practical effects. Not only are practical effects cheaper in cases like this, these are also usually scarier.

The length of the movie is also a problem. I don’t have a problem with long movies. I actually prefer horror movies that take their time to create fully fleshed out characters. But most audiences aren’t too forgiving especially when watching horror films. They want to get scared immediately. I can name a lot of scenes that they could have shortened or downright omitted. A number of scenes weren’t really necessary. 

Still it’s a good movie overall. Mostly because of the flashbacks. In Chapter one, the coming of age aspect lifted it above the ordinary. This same aspects lifts Chapter 2 above the mediocre. If not for certain creative decisions, this chapter would have been a whole lot better. Many people are expecting horror and they’d be disappointed. Those who loved the first film though will find many to like here.

...

my rating: 3.5/5

[jerrydog]

The Lion King was one of my favorite movies when I was a kid. There’s no way I could count the number of times I’ve seen it. When I first saw the trailer for the “live action” remake, I was totally psyched. After watching the finished product though, I wondered what was the point.

Yup. This is another blatant cash grab by Disney, targeting those who grew up watching this movie as well as today’s children. I couldn’t help but wonder if I would have appreciated it more if I wasn’t too familiar with the story--- because from a technological standpoint, this movie’s visuals can only be considered a wonder of modern cinema. In every aspect, it’s really well made. But since I’ve seen the original so many times, I know everything about it by heart. I was basically watching the same movie all over again. I’m not dissing the movie because honestly I liked it. That opening scene still gives me chills. And every time one of those musical numbers would start I couldn’t help but sing along. But during those scenes in between, I was given enough time to think. Sure it’s fun to watch, but I’d most probably feel the same way if I watched the original once again. If they are making these remakes in such a way that it’s basically the same movie, one has to wonder what really is the point when one can easily watch the same movie over and over again on home video.

...

my rating: 3/5

[jerrydog]

This is one movie that I found hard to rate objectively. This is the problem when you create an interconnected universe. Audiences are fully aware of the events that have transpired before. Avengers: Infinity War and Avengers: Endgame were the culmination of a grand story line that was gradually unfolded for more than 10 years, and they really concluded that story arc with a bang. Anything that would come after would seem anticlimactic. And trying to tell a story set in a smaller scale could be quite underwhelming. Marvel was surely aware of this, that’s why they had to create a story line wherein a movie without the presence of the other Avengers would make sense. Still there are a number of awkward scenes, which basically proves how difficult this task is. 

The cast is great, and they carry the movie through all the awkward and problematic plot points. They make it easy for audiences to ignore these problems, thus it’s easy to view this as a teenage road trip movie of sorts. Taken within that context, it’s really fun to watch. The special effects are what you’d expect in Marvel Movies. All the visuals are great. Certain web slinging scenes look noticeably fake, but the special effects were mostly phenomenal. 

The best way to watch this movie is to try and ignore the events that have transpired before--- not an easy task considering this iteration of Spiderman is completely intertwined with the Marvel Universe. And I think that’s quite unfair. As I’ve mentioned, this MCU Spiderman boasts of a great cast, they deserve a series that they can completely call their own. I didn’t really mind that fact when I watched the first movie--- in fact it was quite fun seeing Ironman featured so prominently. But it’s hard to ignore the second time around. Spiderman: Homecoming was basically also an Ironman movie. Aside from Civil War, when the other Marvel Superheroes are featured in their own movies, they are the focus. Their movies have plots that can be independent from the story being told in the shared universe. Not so with the MCU Spiderman movies, which are basically an extension of the Ironman films. I hope they can make the next one an independent Spiderman movie. The reason why the Sam Raimi movies were so much fun to watch is because they were free to tell their own tales without being shackled in a shared universe. Sometimes I wonder if it would be better for these movies if they ditched this shared universe altogether. It certainly would make creating story lines easier.

...

my rating: 4/5

[jerrydog]

Another week another sequel nobody asked for. This is turning out to be this summer’s recurring theme.

Most of Pixar’s original movies have self contained stories. Thus most of the sequels they’ve produced often feel contrived and unnecessary. An exception was Incredibles 2, because the first movie was structured in such a way that a serial format would make sense. Another exception was Toy Story. Sure the first movie basically had a self contained story, but sequels would make sense because each succeeding movie could follow Andy as he was growing up. And this was what they did, and they ended it perfectly with Toy Story 3. 

No doubt about it, Toy Story 4 is an obvious cash grab. I was actually wondering if Pixar could justify its existence. If they create more movies in this franchise how would they go about it? Would the succeeding movies follow the format of the first three, wherein audiences will follow this new kid as she’s growing up? And then what? Would the series still continue as the toys are passed onto another child, making it one endless repetitive cycle? 

I have to say they actually pulled it off. This is one sequel that doesn’t feel forced unlike their other efforts. It’s actually really good. I didn’t have much faith after seeing the trailers, but after seeing the movie I have to say that they’ve managed to move the story forward in a way that made sense. And that’s the most important thing. If you’re gonna milk a franchise dry, create movies with plots that move the story forward in a way that makes sense. Ensure that such cash grabs are of high quality. Each sequel should be well thought out instead of being rushed. If this is really the last movie in this franchise, I’d say they found the right way to end it. I wouldn’t call it the perfect ending. They’ve already done that with Toy Story 3. Anything that comes after would feel anticlimactic, no matter how good it is. But these characters are so beloved, most audiences wouldn’t mind seeing more of them--- at least for now.

...

my rating: 4/5

[jerrydog]

Another week, another sequel nobody asked for.

It’s perplexing how the producers thought it was a good idea to make another Men in Black movie. This is a franchise that was already going downhill after the first movie. Only the first movie felt really fresh. The sequel was a complete letdown, and although the third movie was better, nobody was clamoring for a third one. Much less a fourth one. Yet here we are.

It wouldn’t make sense to continue where the third one left off, so doing some sort of quasi reboot made sense. There wasn’t much room for anymore growth in the characters that Will Smith and Tommy Lee Jones were playing. And let’s face it. Will Smith is no longer the box office draw he once was. Looking at things objectively, making another  Men in Black movie isn’t a completely bad idea.  After all there are certain aspects of this universe that can be explored further. The problem is, they didn’t do any of that. Strictly speaking there’s nothing wrong with this movie. The casting is good. The visuals are great. The editing is tight. There really isn’t any dull moment. It’s well made. In fact I’d go as far as saying it’s as fun to watch as the first one. And therein lies the problem. It’s too similar to the previous movies. If you’re gonna reboot a franchise so soon, especially a franchise that’s already downhill, you have to go all out. You have to make it really different from the previous movies that audiences have already grown tired of. You have to come up with something fresh to entice moviegoers. 

The casting was a brilliant move. This shows that the producers were heading in the right direction. Chris Hemsworth and Tessa Thompson are incredibly charismatic leads. And they have such good chemistry it was fun watching them interact on the big screen. But having charismatic leads can only get you so far when everything else seems overly familiar. I’m guessing Sony went with both leads after seeing their chemistry in Thor: Ragnarok. They should have hired Taika Waititi to direct this movie as well. He transformed what was once Marvel’s dullest franchise into something fresh. He could have breathed new life in a tired franchise like Men in Black. 

...

My rating: 3.5/5

[jerrydog]

Dark Phoenix is the worst reviewed movie in the X-men franchise. Thus, I came in with incredibly low expectations. Was it really that bad?

This franchise has seen its share of ups and down. The first X-men movie didn’t age well, but when it was released it was pretty much ahead of its time. And seeing all those beloved characters onscreen for the very first time was really awesome. The sequel was way better. To this day, X2 is still considered one of the best comic book movies.They faltered with the third movie, the first misstep of this franchise. It was followed by a couple of Wolverine movies. These were average at best, but they were still entertaining enough to be considered full missteps. They corrected the course with First Class. I’ve watched it several times after it was released in theaters and it keeps getting better and better with each viewing. Arguably that was the highest point of this franchise. With this quasi reboot the future seemed bright. But then the studio got greedy. They heard of a great idea and rushed it immediately. Days of Future Past wasn’t bad--- far from it. I consider it a great movie. But it would have been the perfect ending to this franchise. There were several years missing in between movies wherein more stories could have been told before ending it. Thus i consider it a misstep. Anything that would come after would be anticlimactic. The next movie was trash. Before I thought nothing could be worse than X3, then along came Apocalypse. What made it worse was the fact that it came after a movie that supposedly tied up all loose ends, only to unravel them again. Add the boneheaded decision to jump another decade, with the main characters not looking much older. And yes they decided to jump another decade with Dark Phoenix which is now set in the 90s.

So yeah i get the hate. After Apocalypse I had no intention of watching another X-men movie. But if you ignore the fact that it messes up the timeline again and how it completely disregards the ending of Days of Future Past, it’s not bad at all. This is best viewed as a standalone movie. This movie boasts of a great cast, and the fact that they can make some cheesy scenes compelling and give heft to cheesy dialogue is admirable. It boasts of several good action sequences, I honestly don’t know what people are complaining about. The soundtrack, courtesy of Hans Zimmer is excellent. The special effects were great, they definitely did not scrimp on the budget. I have to admit some plot points are silly, but these are not enough to sink the entire movie. it’s definitely better than the previous adaptation of the Dark Phoenix Saga, and definitely better than the trash that was Apocalypse. I’ve taken note of critics who have said that this is the worst movie in the franchise. To me they’ve lost all credibility. Sure people have different tastes and we all have different opinions, but in this case there’s clearly some bias. 

What’s happening here is clear. Many people, critics included, have already decided to hate this movie even before they’ve seen a single minute of it. For some, it’s because it’s unnecessary. This story has already been told before. Sure it was a horrible adaptation, but 2003 is still fairly recent thus adapting the Dark Phoenix Saga so soon seemed really redundant and pointless. To some, it’s because the previous movie was so horrible, they’ve convinced themselves that this franchise can no longer be saved. For most people? There’s this misguided notion that they’d rather have Disney reboot this franchise sooner rather than later, as if all the Marvel movies released by Disney were good lol. Non biased individuals should give this movie a chance and decide for themselves whether they like it or not. It certainly doesn’t deserve all the hate it’s getting.

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My rating: 4/5

[jerrydog]

This is one live action remake I wasn’t clamoring for. I only watched the original animated movie once, which is odd because I used to watch Disney cartoons multiple times when I was a kid. The entire story line just didn’t do it for me.

So I basically watched this movie with a fresh start and an open mind--- I absolutely have no recollection of the animated movie’s plot. I only remember those scenes featuring familiar songs and nothing else. I absolutely had no idea if I’m seeing a live action version of an exact same scene from the cartoon. Hence even if this was a frame by frame remake, I can’t really complain. What I can say is I enjoyed watching this movie more than watching the animated movie as a kid. I dunno, maybe to me this story is better suited as a live action film. 

Ignore the haters. I bet they haven’t even seen the movie yet. Will Smith is great as the genie. He doesn’t look creepy at all, and he made the character his own. I don’t remember much about princess Jasmine, but I’m pretty sure she wasn’t this fleshed out in the animated version. It’s great that they gave her a voice. The new characters worked great as comedic relief. You’d even hear complaints about the casting of Jafar, which I really don’t understand. His acting was fine. Some are complaining that he didn’t look evil or menacing enough. Here’s a though. If he looked real evil, how can the Sultan and the princess trust him enough, effectively making him the second most powerful person in Agrabah? If there’s one weak link, it has to be Aladdin. There’s nothing wrong with him per se, but for the lead role they should have cast someone more charismatic. There’s nothing wrong with the direction either, some people just want to hate on Guy Ritchie. And the cinematography? A number of scenes were simply stunning.

Some people simply hate this movie because it’s another blatant cash grab. It’s another sign that Disney is running out of ideas. I completely agree. But hey, as long as they keep these remakes as polished as this one, I’m not complaining. 

Bring on The Lion King.

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My rating: 4/5

[jerrydog]

For someone like me who never got into the whole Pokemon craze, this movie was gonna be a hard sell. I chanced upon the second trailer though and I found it hilarious. This was primarily due to Ryan Reynold’s voicing of Pikachu. His brand of irreverent humor surprisingly suits the character so I thought I’d give it a try.

This is probably the best video game adaptation, though that’s not exactly saying much since the bar is set quite low. A lot of things work here. The visuals are outstanding, and a lot of the jokes are hilarious. The action sequence near the end was quite satisfactory. The first half of the movie was mostly boring though, it took some time to pick up. Not even Ryan Reynold’s spitfire humor could keep the attention of a lot of people in the audience. It was evident because quite a few people kept heading outside. Better and tighter editing would have improved this movie. It would have kept the attention of people who don’t really care about Pokemons. Overall it was quite a fun ride. There’s enough going on in the latter half to absolve its slow start.

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my rating: 3.5/5

[jerrydog]

And here it is. The end of an era. It’s the perfect way to end this story arc that lasted for more than a decade. I expected nothing less from the Russo brothers. The Marvel movies that they have directed are a cut above the rest.

What makes this movie great? The way they ended each character’s story arc made sense considering their history. And speaking of history, every one who has followed these movies for the past decade would get a huge kick out of a lot of scenes that recalls certain scenes from previous movies. This is the best form of fan service--- not pandering, but endearing. There’s no better way to say thank you to all the fans. Also, Every scene blends perfectly into the next, the 3 hour run time didn’t feel like 3 hours at all.

It’s the perfect way to end this story arc, but it’s far from being a perfect movie though. I can’t quite put a finger on it, but something seemed lacking. Maybe it’s the way certain writing decisions didn’t make much sense. (spoiler alert) How they presented time travel was way different from what audiences are accustomed to and it could be quite jarring. Deciding to have a 5 year gap into the future instead of just one presents a number of problems too. 5 years is a long period of time. Definitely a lot of people have moved on. For instance, what happens to people who remarried when their spouses come back? And when everyone who disappeared during the snap came back, everyone else who didn’t perish were now 5 years older. I know it’s all make believe but I find it annoying when movies don’t adhere to basic common sense. I didn’t expect this in a movie directed by the Russo brothers. This would create narrative problems in future installments. But then again, maybe they’ll just ignore it judging from the trailers for the upcoming Spiderman: Far from Home. 

It’s great how they’ve managed to limit Captain Marvel’s number of scenes though, and that’s a very good thing. Now I’m not being sexist. They really made a mistake with how they presented this character. Never mind the fact that she’s annoyingly smug and overconfident. The biggest problem is they made this character too powerful that she could create narrative problems if they gave her a major role. If she was in the picture, I doubt Thanos would have been able to gather all Infinity Stones. One narrative problem is already evident in one scene. She was able to take down one gigantic space ship on her own, and they expected audiences to believe she’d struggle against an underpowered Thanos?! That other scene meant to showcase female empowerment also looked funny because they expected audiences to believe she would need help from all the other female superheroes. If they’re going to nerf her in future movies to create excitement and tension, it’s going to be preposterous knowing what she’s capable of doing.

I guess the main reason why I found it lacking is because I found Infinity War to be close to perfection. I’d say Infinity War was more intense, more action packed, more emotional--- I just found it to be a better movie overall. After watching that movie, I felt like i was punched in the gut and I found it hard to move. Endgame is a polished movie no doubt. As I’ve said, it’s the perfect way to end this era of Marvel movies. And yes, I’d definitely recommend it to anyone. It’s just unfortunate that it carries the burden of having to come out after a much better installment, hence the illusion of lower quality.

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My rating: 4.5/5

[jerrydog]

I saw the original film adaptation on cable TV many years ago, so I was curious about this movie--- I wanted to see how it would compare to the original which was pretty good in a campy sort of way, but was quite disappointing if you compare it to the book. The producers said this one was gonna be more faithful to the source material so I had high hopes. That trailer that they released a few days before opening night sealed the deal. That was ridiculously creepy.

It started well enough--- the first and second thirds of the film were very atmospheric. They really took their time to fully flesh out all the main characters, more than enough for audiences to sympathize with them. There were scenes pertaining to thoughts about death and the afterlife, and I was pleasantly surprised to see such scenes in a horror movie. Those scenes were quite profound, and the existential thoughts and questions that the source material evokes were translated quite well onscreen. Purists would hate two things about this movie though. As seen in the trailers,  Ellie dies instead of Gage. Personally, I liked this change. It gives audiences more insights on the changes that occurs  because a 9 year old girl can actually converse and let her thoughts and feelings be explicitly known. The next thing fans of the book may not approve of is the new ending. I do prefer the ending of the book and the ending on the original film adaptation, but the new ending is pretty good too (semi spoiler alert), with the way it gave off an “invasion of the body snatchers vibe”.

What I didn’t like about this movie was the third act. After that slow burn wherein the dread was palpable in every frame, it’s like they were in a hurry to wrap things up. All that character development was wasted, everything was thrown out the window. They even wasted the opportunity to give audiences more insight on the changes that occurs when one comes back from the dead. Why even change the character who dies, from a toddler to a kid who’s conversant when you’re gonna rush through everything anyway? With the way they handled this third act it wouldn’t have made any difference if they stuck with the plot of the book wherein Gage was the one who died. 

It’s one of those movies that start great but ends up being disappointing. They did so many things right, it’s a shame that the movie ended up as another missed opportunity.

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my rating: 3/5