#bill & ted face the music review

[ratleyland]

I was a massive fan of the first two movies when I was younger, so I thought I'd watched the third one.

Either my taste in movies changed as I got older... or I didn't get this movie 🤷🏾‍♂️

[azazel-dreams]

Bill and Ted Face the Music

Rating: ❤️❤️❤️❤❤

[journalsouppe]

APOLLO JUSTICE!!!!! AHHHHHH!!!! What i would literally give to have a true AA4 sequel. I wholeheartedly believe if Yamazaki's team could ignore aa4 canon to make 5 & 6 then Shu Takumi should absolutely be allowed to ignore any 5&6 canon to make an aa4 sequel. I'm dying out here pleaseeeeee

The Phoenix sticker is from Peachcott. The Klavier sticker is from Ayabit from the Turnabout Cinema zine. The Apollo and Trucy stickers are from astarsor.

Writing typed below!

rating: 9.8 played: Fa 2023 port: 3DS favorite? Y replayable: Y recommend? Y series: Ace Attorney

Comments

THE JUDGE PAINTING

apollo's such a dork <3

ooo i like the perceive function

i love the music

DONT SAY THAT TRUCY T_T

there's so much going on in this investigation

wow i love how uneasy i feel even after the trial ended

LMAO I FORGOT ABOUT THE PHOENIX SEX PHOTO

i dont think y'all want your panties back...

klav's a bill and ted fan i see lol

LOVE mr eldoon's design 10/10

klapollo meet cute moment LMAO

oops ^^; i accidentally wrote a 600 word essay about the first case

i like how apollo cried over trucy

IT'S JUSTICE TIME??? T^T

i like klavier's hands a normal amount

alita must have some dirty fucking feet

the animations are so smooth

apollo being jealous of klavier at the concert and thinking he's cool LMAO

apollo is WHIPPED

trucy is KILLING it in court, she really is nick's daughter

klavier's shoe print *skull emoji*

out of pocket shiny forehead comment LMAO

lamiroir has similar vocal tones as malon!

THE PENIS FIRE AND KLAV PUTTING IT OUT IN THE BKGD

the smile and hair twirl klavier LMAO

why am i doing this music recording thing T^T

i dont like looking at daryan T_T

letouse kazuma moment lmao

capcom loves the face down death with writing on the ground huh LMAO

wtf is the judge talking about

i love all these scientific tests with ema! :)

i love the snackoos SFX

klav does not miss an opportunity to take a short at apollo's big forehead LMAO

APOLLO YOU DUMBASS

faking blindness is crazy

I KNEW IT WOULD BE DARYAN'S VOICE

klav's office is so much more normal than edgeworth's

WAIT IS IT GRAMARYE AND NOT GRAYMAYRE??

THE ANIMALS??

i love apollo and lamiroir goofing on klav

similar tech opening to brc

WTF WAS THAT KRISTOPH JUMPSCARE T-T

LORD DADDY???

oh he's insufferable

HOLY SHIT THAT'S WHY VERA IS STARING AT KLAV??

"rip off" phoenix is so real for that

are they injecting magnifi with piss??

im curious why kristoph would do this to phoenix

he just left his daughter???

tf is going on

T^T THE KRISTOPH ZOOM IN

why does klav have that egg from dragon tales

apollo understands me with mascots

this is so gay omfg

daryan not liking trucy means he goes even more into the shit book than before

apollo the journaling king

the x-ray function is a really fun addition

BABY TRUCY

omg phoenix with out the ugly hd redraw

GUMSHOE

he said it!!! he said 'ace attorney' lmao

i love and hate that i have to present the journal page

why does the screen shake when mr misham speaks T_T

THAT SCAR IS FREAKY

siblings omgggg

Summary:

I love this game so much. I love it so much that I am heartbroken knowing that AA 5 & 6 butchers the story it setup and I'm considering not even playing them unless AA7 is announced. I love all the main characters so much, the whole story was so well built and I can def see the influence the story had on DGS. Apollo is such a good protagonist, he's relatable but also so unique. I love seeing his character progression in the game: a new attorney who is easily manipulated to a confident and determined attorney who trusts in his own judgement. I LOVED Klavier oh my god. I love how much he respects Apollo and although he doesn't hesitate to tease him, he doesn't bully or abuse Apollo in any way. They both have a mutual admiration and rivalry where they try to play as fairly as possible. Klav doesn't maliciously withhold or change evidence, but he does spend hours reviewing his arsenal and thinks of all the counter arguments the defense could bring up. I really like Apollo's ability, it continues the mystery and mysticism from the original trilogy but with new mechanics. I adore Trucy so much. She honestly might be my favorite AA character. She's determined, strong willed, and above all -- extremely silly. I couldn't of asked for a better character to be Phoenix's daughter. I also LOVE the sibling reveal at the end but gdi if only they actually figure it out T^T T^T. I think Apollo and Trucy's dynamic is probably my favorite Defense and assistant dynamic. This who game was so fun, I know 4-3 is not everyone's favorite and it is a little all over the place but I also enjoyed it and loved the premise. There's so much to say, I haven't even talked about Nick and Kris - what an incredible feud, what a genius development for Nick. I cannot recommend this game enough, I am so obsessed with it and cannot wait to make art <3 <3.

[watching-pictures-move]

Movie Review | I Saw The TV Glow (Schoenbrun, 2024)

There are things about this that I liked a lot. I think Jane Schoenbrun’s direction has a really strong sense of aesthetic control. In particular, the glimpses of the TV show we see feel authentic to the the aesthetics of actual ‘90s television, but in a malleable enough way that the dips into the surreal and outright nightmare fuel don’t break the illusion. There’s a good IndieWire interview with Schoenbrun and cinematographer Eric Yue where they go into the different stylistic choices that’s well worth a read. I understand Schoenbrun’s earlier movies are overtly influenced by creepypasta (I still need to see We’re All Going To The World’s Fair, which sounds entirely up my alley), and despite this being centred around a TV shows it definitely captures that same void-like feeling in how it presents those glimpses of the show.

I also really liked Bridget Lundy-Paine’s performance. They have an urgency and conviction to their performance that I think gives a certain electricity to the overarching mood of any scene they enter. And one of the signs of a great actor is that they make their co-stars better, and I think Lundy-Paine helps the tics that Justice Smith deploys come off as a lot more naturalistic in their scenes together. I’d previously seen them do an uncanny Keanu Reeves impression in Bill & Ted Face the Music, and I think I’ll have to keep an eye out for more of their work.

All that being said, I concede that this is speaking very directly to experiences outside my own, and that the ending is uncathartic by definition, but by the end of this I did find myself at a distance to the emotional core of the movie.

[fearsmagazine]

DESTROY ALL NEIGHBORS - Review

DISTRIBUTOR: Shudder

SYNOPSIS: William Brown is a neurotic, self-absorbed musician determined to finish his prog-rock magnum opus while working as an engineer at a recording studio. He currently faces a creative roadblock, a noisy and grotesque neighbor named Vlad. Finally working up the nerve to confront Vlad to keep it down, William inadvertently decapitates him. But, while attempting to cover up one murder, William’s accidental reign of terror causes victims to pile up and become undead corpses who torment and create more bloody detours on his road to prog-rock Valhalla. In addition, it is causing havoc on his relationship with his girlfriend.

REVIEW: Filmmaker Josh Forbes takes his skills as a director of music videos to serve up an old school horror film with one of the legendary special effects makeup designers, Gabe Bartalos (Basket Case 2/Frankenhooker/Leprechaun). DESTROY ALL NEIGHBORS is a wicked goopy comedy overflowing with practical effects and buckets of blood.

The plot is your basic tale of a stress filled and frustrated aspiring musician who is on his last nerve. A series of events culminates with his new bizarre neighbor moving in and pushing him over the edge. Confronting his neighbor Vlad is the first in a series of unfortunate events that is filled with death and mayhem. There is a quality to the narrative that feels reminiscent of 1985’s “Return of the Living Dead.” The story nicely focuses on William and his spiral out of control. To some degree it feels like a journey to an insane Oz.

The narrative is magically brought to life by a fantastic cast. Jonah Ray Rodrigues’ William is a blend of Joel from “Mystery Science Theater 3000” as he channels a bit of Bruce Campbell. He brings a lot of energy to the performance and seamlessly switches between mental states that showcases a classic mastery of slapstick. Adding his dynamic energy to the film is actor Alex Winter as Vlad. Best known for his role in “The Lost Boys” and the “Bill & Ted” film franchise, the great prosthetic makeup design permits him to create a unique performance. The rest of the cast is an amalgamation of talented actors that deliver unique performances that add to the horror and comedy.

DESTROY ALL NEIGHBORS has a classic look and feel, largely due to the practical effects and special effects makeup. The cinematography, framing, editing and lighting all harken back to the best of the 80’s franchise genre films.There were numerous moments where I found myself nodding my head and uttering “nice” at sequences and gags. Clearly they went through buckets of blood on this shoot. Ryan Kattner & Brett Morris’ score and music for the film nicely adds atmosphere, accentuates the mayhem and gore, and adds this fun take on Wliiam’s musical dreams. FYI, the official motion picture soundtrack will be available digitally worldwide on all digital platforms January 12th, including Spotify, Apple, Amazon, Bandcamp and SubPop.com.

Start 2024 the fright way with an instant genre classic, DESTROY ALL NEIGHBORS. It's a dandy of a gorefest thanks to esteemed special effects artist Gabe Bartalos. Jonah Ray Rodrigues and Alex Winter are among the noteworthy cast members, along with a monstrous score that make this an exceptional viewing experience. The film also makes for a wicked introduction to the bloody era of horror for younger viewers. An excellent reason to subscribe to Shudder this month, among many other reasons.

CAST: Jonah Ray Rodrigues, Alex Winter, Kiran Deol, Christian Calloway, Randee Heller, DeMorge Brown, Jon Daly, Phil Hendrie, Ryan Kattner, and Thomas Lennon. CREW: Director - Josh Forbes; Screenplay - Charles Pieper & Jared Logan; Producers - Russell Sanzgiri, Alex Winter, & Jonah Ray Rodrigues; Cinematographer - Will Stone; Score - Ryan Kattner & Brett Morris; Editor - Hank Friedmann; Production Designer - Kati Simon; Wardrobe Supervisor - Aoife Baker; Special Effects Supervisor - Ben Gojer; Special Effects - Atlantic West Effects; Special Make-Up Effects & Sculpture - Gabe Bartalos; Visual Effects Supervisor - Casey Price. OFFICIAL: www.watchdestroy.com FACEBOOK: N.A. TWITTER: N.A. TRAILER: https://youtu.be/ru1OuYNQDtY?si=yvtiKEj4sz3aMAiM RELEASE DATE: Streaming on Shudder January 12th, 2024

**Until we can all head back into the theaters our “COVID Reel Value” will be similar to how you rate a film on digital platforms - 👍 (Like), 👌 (It’s just okay), or 👎 (Dislike)

Reviewed by Joseph B Mauceri

[ear-worthy]

Blue Sky Podcast: When Optimism Leads To Inspiration

At the beginning of every Blue Sky podcast, host Bill Burke reminds listeners, "There is always a blue sky above. Sometimes, you just have to get your head above the clouds to see it."

Despite the opening bouncy, happy music and the buoyancy of that quote, this podcast does not pretend to offer listeners a rose-colored, overly optimistic, and utopian view of our world. It is certainly not an exercise in toxic positivity, which is a dysfunctional way of managing emotions that involves denying or invalidating negative emotions, especially anger and sadness.

Instead, Blue Sky uncovers and underscores inspirational stories in the midst of political division and global uncertainty.

I reviewed this podcast in March and found that it offered many energizing episodes where host Bill Burke talks with people who have a "get-it-done" mentality instead of a "what's the use" mindset.

I am reviewing it again because Blue Sky has released a special three-episode miniseries, in which Burke highlights how optimism isn’t just a feel-good attitude—it’s a powerful tool for tackling today’s most pressing issues, from race and identity to national unity. And as the country approaches one of the most heated presidential elections in its history, Blue Sky offers a much-needed dose of hope and solutions for the future.

“Optimism is more than just a state of mind, it’s a creative force that leads to action and positive outcomes, even in the most challenging of times,” Bill Burke says. “On Blue Sky, we feature guests who embody this spirit and inspire these same qualities in our listeners.”

In this miniseries, Blue Sky features guests whose stories aren’t just inspiring, but also incredibly timely. I listened to the three episodes and found that my ears were captivated, and my brain fully engaged.

The miniseries includes: ● Lee Woodruff: Shares her journey with husband Bob Woodruff, the ABC journalist who survived a near-fatal injury in Iraq, and how they turned personal hardship into advocacy for injured veterans. Listen to the part where Lee Woodruff finds out that her husband has been injured in Iraq and has suffered a traumatic brain injury. ● Theodore Johnson: Washington Post opinion columnist and former Obama administration speechwriter discusses his book If We Are Brave, which explores the intersection of race and democracy in America and how we can move forward, even in challenging times.

In this episode, I marveled at how Johnson lived two lives as a child. At school, enrolled in an all-white school, but also attending an all-Black church several times a week. That unique experience provides Johnson with the intellectual and emotional altitude to discuss racism in the U.S.

● Lee Ellis: Vietnam War veteran and former POW reflects on his five years of captivity with John McCain, explaining how optimism became his anchor during the darkest moments.

Blue Sky is hosted by former media exec (President of TBS, CEO of Weather Channels) and founder of The Optimism Institute, Bill Burke. The show is all about showing how optimism isn’t just about feeling good—it’s a real, practical tool for facing today's issues, from issues of race and identity to national unity, with hope and kindness for the future.

Not only has Burke served as president of TBS and CEO of the Weather Channel Companies, but he also co-authored media mogul Ted Turner’s autobiography Call Me Ted.

Burke is an eloquent podcast host and an acutely effective interviewer.

I liked the use of segments in these interviews, where Burke summarizes the previous section of the interview before proceeding to the next section. The use of segments is underused by podcasters. Joe Casabona of Podcast Overflows has been an advocate of such a narrative device, and I agree.

Through Blue Sky, Burke brings his mission to life, inspiring meaningful conversations and encouraging listeners to adopt a hopeful, proactive outlook—even when the world feels heavy.

An American study of 2,564 men and women who were 65 and older also found that optimism is good for blood pressure. Researchers used a four-item positive-emotion summary scale to evaluate each participant during a home visit. They also measured blood pressure, height, and weight and collected information about age, marital status, alcohol use, diabetes, and medication. Even after taking these other factors into account, people with positive emotions had lower blood pressure than those with a negative outlook. On average, the people with the most positive emotions had the lowest blood pressure.

The results of this research show that compared to optimists, pessimists nurtured little hope for the future and were more at risk for depressive and anxiety disorders, with subsequent impairment of social functioning and quality of life.

One of my favorite episodes is with Kathryn Goetzke in August 2023. Following a challenging childhood and the tragic death of her father, Goetzke decided that the best way to tackle depression and despair is to create reasons for hope. After studying the issue deeply with experts in psychology, she determined that hope was both teachable and measurable, and has made it her life’s work to spread this message.

In 2022, she published The Biggest Little Book About Hope and continues to be a global mental health ambassador. She was appointed to represent the World Federation for Mental Health at the United Nations, and in that Blue Sky episode, she described how she became so passionate about this work and why she remains so committed to spreading the good news about the powerful effects of maintaining a hopeful attitude.

Check out this recent three-part miniseries on Blue Sky.

I will remind people of what the Dalai Lama once said: “Optimism doesn’t mean that you are blind to the reality of the situation. It means you remain motivated to seek a solution to whatever problems arise.”

[bufordtannen]

That poll made me remember I wrote a review of Bill and Ted: Face the Music so here's my plug for it lol

[mokkung]

（短評）映画『ビルとテッドの時空旅行 音楽で世界を救え!』

（引用元）

『ビルとテッドの時空旅行 音楽で世界を救え!』（2020年、米）

人気時空冒険コメディ映画、29年ぶりの続編💨

小学生向け漫画のようなおバカな展開が続くので、笑えるけど今これはキツイなぁと思ったりもしたんですが、過去作は大好きだし、最後ら完全に心持ってかれました😭

やっぱビルとテッド好きです🌟

このシリーズが伝えようとしてるメッセー��は全面肯定です🌟こういう気のいい人間でありたいものです😌

ほぼ悲壮感はないのですが、夫婦間のギクシャクを描いていたり、彼らも人生で苦しいこともいろいろ経験してる感じを匂わせていて、バカなんだけど実は意外と繊細なとこに触れているのも良い😲

ギャグ映画なのでこんなもんかとは思いますが、とはいえ中盤のドタバタの繰り返しはちょっと中弛み感あったし飽きそうでした💦

音楽の素晴らしさ、音楽を楽しむことで人々が繋がることを描くのは素敵ですが、別にジミヘンとモーツァルトがバンド組むと良い音楽が作られる訳ではない気がしますが😅

⇒予告編

⇒Amazon

[brittlebutch]

OK. are y’all ready to listen to me overanalyze wyld stallyns music? Wyld Stallyns music from Bill and Ted?? PLEASE say you are

I’ve been listening to ‘That Which Binds Us Through Time’ and ‘Face the Music’ a lot lately because i’m obsessive, but I’ve been thinking about how much the two songs are able to tell about Bill and Ted’s struggle with their music over the years. Even outside of the entire plot and action of the movie, these two songs say nearly everything you need to know about the journey lmao

‘That Which Binds Us Through Time...’ is a song that utilizes a lot of instruments and a lot of looping; several sections of the song are just repeated chunks of melodies and rhythm played by separate instruments. There are several little arcs of the music, but everything returns back to the same loops. You can hear guitar playing as well, but it’s never the Primary focus of the song - it’s used as an undercurrent beneath some of the primary looping instruments, like the Theremin. When Bill and Ted play the song at the wedding, their guitars don’t even make it to center stage (they also don’t get a chance to play them at all, which I’ll come back to). 

It really is an excellent song, but there’s kind of a slogged sound to it. The repetition is part of that - I do really like the repeating loops and they sound great because Bill and Ted are good at playing the instruments but none of the instruments are allowed to shine because they have to balance so many - especially when performing it live. They don’t have a band behind them anymore it’s only them, and there’s only so much they can do on their own. They have to rely on loops to pad out the song - to extend it and make sure that it sounds like More than just two dudes with a couple instruments - because they can’t rely on any bandmates to help them perform Or help them write. 

It also, like I said, doesn’t really have a big climax to the song that helps burst the vague sense of anticipation that runs through the melody - there’s a lot of build up but no Release in the tension. This, I think, does an excellent job of underlining the place that Bill and Ted are in in regards to their music. They’ve been working so hard throughout their entire life to write the song that unites the world, but they haven’t been able to do it yet. All build up with no release - the tension can’t go anywhere because Bill and Ted still have to carry it. And like I said before, there’s no one around to bear that burden with them, so there’s nothing else contributed to the sound BUT the years of desperation that Bill and Ted have put into it. 

Now with ‘Face the Music’ I’m only focusing on Bill and Ted’s solo towards the end of the song since the overall composition is Billie and Thea, not theirs. But even JUST THAT part of the song is such a Climax for them, both the song and Bill and Ted themselves. It drives me insane, and I think the fact that they went back to guitar has a lot to do with it, because THE FIRST shot we see of Bill and Ted in Every Single Movie is them with their guitars (Not counting the reveal of Evil Robot Bill and Ted in Bogus Journey - Bill and Ted themselves are first seen in their Battle of the Bands audition), but they don’t get a chance to play it even once before MP46. Like I said, even though ‘That Which Binds Us’ has guitar sections included in it, they don’t get a chance to play in movie because they get interrupted due to the unconventional sound of the song.

I think, more than anything, Bill and Ted are guitarists. When they were still planning Wyld Stallyns in high school, they have a piano and a drumset, but they don’t play them. Even despite the fact that it takes them years to properly learn how to play the guitar, they still love to play and perform just because it’s Fun. They don’t even necessarily care what the sound is, just the act of playing delights them, which I’m obsessed with. But anyway, Bill and Ted - shown through ‘That Which Binds Us’ are really good at playing a bunch of different instruments, but they still love the guitar more than anything. 

So during ‘Face the Music’, Billie and Thea could have handed Bill and Ted any instrument, and I bet they’d be able to play it. After all, Jimmi Hendrix is there so they already have a guitar in the sound, and they give Jo and Liz a keytar and a violin, so they’re clearly adding other instruments. BUT they give Bill and Ted both guitars because they know their dads (ALSO worth noting that I’m similarly obsessed with the fact that Billie and Thea were the only ones who stopped to consider the fact that Bill and Ted have been alone in the band for years. When The Great Leader brings Bill and Ted to the future to write the song she talks about Preston/Logan And The Band and claims she gave them ‘everything they needed’, BUT the first thing Billie and Thea tell to Kellye is that ‘they’re all alone’ and they want to help support them because they don’t HAVE a band, they’ve only had each other. Anyway) 

They give Bill and Ted guitars and for the first time in GOD KNOWS how long, they get to play with other people. You can SEE how excited that makes them before they even start to play; how thrilled they are that Billie and Thea have built up this composition and that they get to play with other people again. Ted hops all over the stage to give high fives to his family because they’re all there with him for the first time in a long time!! i LOVE the little grins that Jimmi Hendrix and Bill are able to share - because there’s no WAY that only Billie and Thea were Hendrix fans, Bill and Ted almost certainly were too and to get that surprised little look and nod of approval from HENDRIX HIMSELF - no wonder Bill’s face scrunches up so excitedly dude!! 

Not only that BUT because the sound isn’t resting wholly on Bill and Ted’s shoulders they get to have fun with the music. When they play ‘That Which Binds Us’ during the wedding, they don’t smile before Or during the performance because they’re so concentrated on getting everything done. It’s not something they have the freedom to relax during because the work is balanced so precariously between them. in ‘Face the Music’ however, it’s not just them! They have the space to bounce around stage, to play with each other (in a classic sense, not Just an instrument sense) and play their guitars with proper feel, because they don’t have to focus on playing each part so precisely. The song isn’t preplanned, it’s an Improvisational song they’re all playing by ear with each other. The music has personality because they finally have the breathing room to Give it to it, and the tension that hung over ‘That Which Binds Us’ is GONE because Bill and Ted are finally given the release that they’ve been working for all these years. Their solo IS the climax and the release of the ‘Face the Music’ song, they break the tension! They can play and have fun, work off of each other and the other people in the band, and it can be natural instead of a very carefully planned deliberate attempt and you can HEAR all of that in the solos themselves.

Tl;dr: Both are EXCELLENT songs because Bill and Ted are good at what they do, But “That Which Binds Us Through Time” is a tense and precariously balanced song with no release or relief because Bill and Ted have to handle it alone, while their solo in “Face the Music�� grants them the breathing room to play and have fun with feel in their playing because they’re finally able to work with a band again instead of just being on their own. AND I’m still fucking bonkers over these dudes. 

[everymovie2020]

Bill & Ted Face the Music (2020)

Date watched: 26 September 2020

I enjoyed this a lot. Bill & Ted’s Bogus Adventure is still my favourite of the three, but this was a nice addition to the trilogy.

10/10 would watch again

[leighlim]

It’s about what happens when Bills and Teds, and Billies and Theas, are nurtured as kids, encouraged to hurl themselves into their passions, and taught to be excellent to one another along the way. That’s the journey this time—finding your purpose in life and accepting that it might be more humble than the High Council had led you to believe. That your true purpose might be to serve someone else’s purpose...

Devin Gordon

[mandoreviews]

📽 Bill & Ted Face the Music (2020)

I hate this movie. The first two Bill and Ted movies were stupid but enjoyable, and I’ve watched them several times. Now, I love Keanu Reeves, but this movie was just horrible. It wasn’t funny, and it wasn’t good. Honestly, I think they were trying too hard. Some people are saying it was good closure for fans of the originals, but as a fan of the originals all I can say is that it was bad.

Sex/nudity: 1/10 (kissing)

Language: 1/10 (I don’t really remember any, but it could’ve been drowned out by the overwhelming sound of cringe)

Violence: 1/10 (punching, kicking, attempted murder but very mild)

Overall rating: 2/10

[agentnico]

Top 10 Best Movies of 2020

2020 - what a year, eh? What a jolly, cheerful and happy year it has been, with hardly any problems and a general peaceful and prosperous time for the ever progressive people of Earth! I’m kidding, let’s get real, what the hell was 2020 all about?! What a way to begin the decade! At least we got some movies, emphasis on ‘some’ as most of them got delayed due to cinema closures. In any case, there were still some little gems that gave us some form of limited escapism in these hardship times, and here they are, my favourite films of 2020...

Honourable mentions: An American Pickle, Emma, Phineas and Ferb The Movie: Candace Against the Universe

10) COLOR OUT OF SPACE - “Milk the Alpacas!” With call-backs to 80′s John Carpenter horror films, with an added flair of Nicolas Cage and alpacas (you heard me), we are slowly plunged into a hellish landscapes of madness, deformity and desolation. So, ya know, a typical Saturday night watch with the kids!

Full review: https://agentnico.tumblr.com/post/611042880586481664/colour-out-of-space-2020-review

9) UNHINGED - “I don’t think you really know what a bad day is. But you’re going to find out.” In any other year, this thing wouldn’t make the list. In 2020, a B-movie action film with a road-raging Russell Crowe is exactly the kind of entertainment I’m after! This by no means a great film, but with all the cheesy one liners and obvious foreshadowing, with Russell chewing up the scenery like it’s nobody’s business, you’re guaranteed to not be bored.

Full review: https://agentnico.tumblr.com/post/625701541861523456/unhinged-2020-review

8) MA RAINEY’S BLACK BOTTOM - “I’ve got my time coming to me.” When it comes to the year’s best performance, hands down its Chadwick Boseman as the trumpet player in this film, providing us with with a role with such heart and soul (appropriately for the jazz subject), who at first comes off as this self-obsessed selfish arrogant snob who only cares about achieving his own stardom, but then as his layers are unpacked, we discover that underneath this façade is a man filled with such sadness and rage, having endured much profound trauma in his past, and it’s all brought to life so powerfully by Boseman’s dedicated performance. This role alone proves what a truly talented actor we’ve lost this year. Wakanda forever!

Full review: https://agentnico.tumblr.com/post/637939894686285824/ma-raineys-black-bottom-2020-review

7) THE DEVIL ALL THE TIME - "I ain’t gonna take the blame for no bastard child!” Robert Pattinson plays a high pitched voiced priest that is a pervert. Somehow I’m sold!

Full review: https://agentnico.tumblr.com/post/629773151704858624/the-devil-all-the-time-2020-review

6) BILL & TED FACE THE MUSIC - “Be excellent to one another, and party on dudes!!” Any other year, this film would have passed the public’s eye without much of an impression and would have vanished into oblivion. In 2020 though, where so much negativity has been imposed upon us all, the simplistic absurdist debauchery of Bill and Ted is exactly what was needed to lighten everyone’s mood. Excellent!!

Full review: https://agentnico.tumblr.com/post/627980138875912192/bill-ted-face-the-music-2020-review

5) DA 5 BLOODS - “We won't let nobody use our rage against us. We control our rage.” Director Spike Lee is in the house, this time lighting up another joint and taking us on an adventure to find some treasure, whilst also providing commentary on the hardships of the Vietnam war and the PTSD that it caused to its survivors. Great cast, powerful message and a Black Panther to seal the deal!

Full review: https://agentnico.tumblr.com/post/620819114989076480/da-5-bloods-2020-review

4) THE GENTLEMEN - “There’s only one rule in this jungle! When the lion is hungry, he eats.” This is such a cool film! Like, that’s the best way to put it: so cool!! Simply a bunch of cool geezers acting all cool and mighty spilling Guy Ritchie’s cool dialogue whilst appearing super cool. Did I mention this film is cool?! So cool!!

Full review: https://agentnico.tumblr.com/post/190289146259/the-gentlemen-2020-review

3) SOUL - “Your life is so sad and pathetic and you’re working hard to get back to it. I mean, why? This I gotta see!” Dang it, Pixar, you’ve done it again!! In this case, it’s the movie’s earnest and profound message of learning to enjoy the little things that makes it so touching to the, ahem, soul. It may not seem like it right now, but we shall all be okay. Everything will be okay. Stay safe everyone.

Full review: https://agentnico.tumblr.com/post/638668902755336192/soul-2020-review

2) THE TRIAL OF THE CHICAGO 7 - “We're not going to jail because of what we did. We're going to jail because of who we are!” This courtroom drama is an eye-opener of the reality of American dream and politics, and is a must-watch, even though it’s a bit late now to fix such a broken system. I’m sure many Americans may see this film as unpatriotic, but reality is actually not far from what this film is saying. It speaks the truth. The Aaron Sorkin truth! Then again, as heard many times before: “YOU CAN’T HANDLE THE TRUTH!!”

Full review: https://agentnico.tumblr.com/post/632238115847913473/the-trial-of-the-chicago-7-2020-review

1) EUROVISION SONG CONTEST: THE STORY OF FIRE SAGA - “Play Ja Ja Ding Dong!!” Look, I’m not even ashamed to say it, I absolutely loved this movie! It may not be the pinnacle of modern day filmmaking, but it brought so much zany fun and cheesiness that was a breath of fresh air this year. With a scene stealing performance from Dan Stevens as a campy Russian pop singer, and filled with cheesy original pop songs such as “Lion of Love”, “Double Trouble” and “Husavik”, this is THE feel-good movie of the year. I also have a special sentimental place in my heart for this flick since I told my girlfriend for the first time that I loved her after watching this movie. What can I say, I’m a hopeless romantic! I follow up a Will Ferrell with an “I love you”. This one’s for you, my lovely! 

Full review: https://agentnico.tumblr.com/post/622342894264664064/eurovision-song-contest-the-story-of-fire-saga

With that we close the book of 2020, and open up the cover of 2021. Oh boy, here we go again!...

[wits-writing]

Bill & Ted Face the Music (Movie Review)

How I have missed having new movies to talk about!

And this is a most excellent movie to use as a return to reviews! (Thanks to the non-heinous decision to release it for digital rental/purchase, rather than force people to go into movie theaters as a pandemic continues to rage on.)

Bill & Ted Face the Music, from director Dean Parisot with a screenplay from the returning duo of Chris Matheson and Ed Solomon, pays tribute to and enhances the legacy of the previous two movies. In the decades since the end of Bogus Journey, Bill S. Preston, Esq. (Alex Winters) and Ted Theodore Logan (Keanu Reeves), have done everything they can think of to produce the song they were told would unite all of reality back in 1989. They’ve consistently fallen short of their destiny with Wyld Stallyn’s big song from the concert at the end of the last movie only amounting to a one-hit wonder. All other attempts have only led them further into obscurity and increasingly esoteric musical experiments.

When chasing this impossible destiny finally has their lives on the verge of falling apart completely and the pair are ready to quit, Kelly (Kristen Schaal), the daughter of Rufus, appears before them with a warning. Reality itself has started coming undone and will only right itself if the song is performed within a 77-minute time limit. Bill & Ted decide to take desperate measures and see if any of their own future selves succeeded where they’ve failed. Meanwhile, their own daughters, Thea Preston (Samara Weaving) and Billie Logan (Brigette Lundy-Paine), go on their own excellent adventure through the history of music to recruit the perfect band for the perfect song.

Face the Music is a multigenerational journey through that which binds us through time, a long-awaited reunion for the creative team and lead actors, and the final payoff of the destiny that kicked off the whole thing.

And against all odds… It works!

[Full Review Under the Cut]

To be honest, the initial trailer for this movie did not win me over to this series revival. Seeing the leaders of the idyllic 28th century roll their eyes as Bill & Ted repeated the iconic “Be excellent to each other! Party on dudes!” had me worried this would be mean-spirited in a way that goes against the core of the previous movies. There’s a sincerity in those movies about these two dudes’ optimism and perseverance being able to overcome anything, from passing history class to coming back from the dead. This movie being about what happens when that attitude finally gets worn down by the years of banging their heads against the wall to complete the single most important task in the universe. Ted especially feels the weight of the years catching up with them, being the one to suggest giving up before the strict time limit gets laid out in front of them.

Doing nothing but chasing the success they were promised in their youth begins to threaten their ability to see outside themselves. Hints of that show early on with them and their wives all in couples counseling together. Which becomes more apparent as they travel to increasingly dire futures for themselves. The older Bills and Teds we see have lost even more of their charming positivity, often happy to insult, trick, or threaten their past selves for their own benefits. It’s a humorous literalization of how people look back on their own mistakes or deal with their fears of the future and as a bonus gives us a chance to see Winters and Reeves play increasingly bizarre versions of their classic characters. Though Bill & Ted’s struggle against their inadequacies only account for half the story of this movie.

The other half comes from Billie and Thea’s adventure through time. The duo is introduced as the only people left in the world still believing in their dads’ abilities to make the prophesized song. Growing up around every sonic formulation Wyld Stallyns ever created gave them a passion for and encyclopedic knowledge of music that’s unmatched, even by their dads. Lundy-Paine and Weaving embody the Millennial versions of Winters and Reeves’ Gen X archetypes. They carry on the positive spirit their dads have lost with a gift for recognizing the finer details of music across all genres and figuring out how and why it fits together.

That passion takes them on a journey through history that also reflects a maturation of how this film series approaches history compared to Excellent Adventure with who the girls recruit along the way. I won’t give away when they go or who they recruit, but it speaks to a more complete understanding of history than the original movie had with its time travel story. Though I will say it includes an extended cameo by a time displaced Kid Cudi as himself, who ends up being one of the best comedic performers in the entire cast.

As much as I love this movie, it’s far from flawless. There are two subplots that feel clumsy in their execution. One involving Ted’s dad, Jonathan Logan (Hal Landon Jr.), not believing Bill & Ted ever went on any of their adventure through time, space, heaven, and hell, which simply resolves when circumstances force him to believe it. More frustrating is the involvement of Princesses Joanna and Elizabeth (Jayma Mays and Erinn Hayes, respectively), Bill & Ted’s wives, or rather the lack thereof. The best I can say is that they at least aren’t damseled like they were in Bogus Journey, but that doesn’t make up for them being almost aggressively sidelined by the plot of this one. In a movie that hinges on Bill & Ted’s connection to their families, these subplots being so thin is hard to ignore.

For every frustration those subplots caused, there was some amazing new or returning element from the series to prop things up again. When the time comes for Bill & Ted Face the Music to bring all of its threads together for the concert finale across time and space, I was left amazed how well it paid off what all three movies have told us about Bill & Ted’s destiny. The twist they manage to put on the payoff is simultaneously clever and touching, even if it’s a little easy to guess early on. It creates such a warm, comforting atmosphere within the movie that’s difficult not to give into as it plays out.

This is worth every cent of what the digital rental/purchase costs, especially if you’re a fan of the previous Bill & Ted movies.

Be excellent to yourselves, watch it, and party on dudes!

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