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The Great Race

The Great Race released in 1965 is fantastical comedy which could be described simply as a live action cartoon style antics mixed with the witty fast paced back and forth dialog of a screwball comedy of the 30s and 40s. The concept of The Great Race centers around a perfectly groomed hero, stuntman, extraordinaire The Great Leslie looking to break yet another world record in the early 1900s. He proposes a "Great Race" around the world from New York to Paris which he is then challenged by the ill fated Professor Fate and his side kick Max while the entirety of the race is covered by the feminist reporter Ms. Dubois.

The Great Leslie is played by Tony Curtis which he plays the character well; handsome and charismatic. Ms. Dubois has a strong comedic performance by Natalie Wood enhancing her feminist character trate and making her character lovable and frustrating at the same time without ever going too far one side or the other. The true star of the movie and the actor/character who steals the show, fittingly so, is Professor Fate played by Jack Lemmon. Lemmon brings the over the top cartoonish comedy to the movie portraying the ultimate villain wearing black, twisted mustache, and of course a top hat. Lemmon's looks that he gives towards the camera and his loud and unique accent creates comedic gold.

Although the runtime of The Great Race is fairly long for a comedy (2 hours 32 minutes) the first hour and the last 45 minutes run smoothly and with rhythm. However, there is a moment midway where the movie seems to slow where not much happens to extend the story. But this leads me to something that is enjoyable about even the slow moments of the movie and that is the aesthetic surrounding the movie. This is a movie made in the 60s portraying the early 1900's, so the fashion, the sets, and the vehicles all look very stylish. With this being a 60s movie, the effects include a lot of rear projection, models, and matte paintings to expand the backgrounds. With the use of models near the beginning of the movie you can see a lot of the villains wacky inventions that look very cartoonish adding to the theme of the movie. The director Blake Edwards, probably most known for the Pink Panther series, shows a lot of homage to the period as well with the opening credits having a lot of humorous gags such as the credits slides being placed upside down by the camera operator like what would happen in early cinema.

Final thoughts on The Great Race, this is a great comedy that represents its time. It is entertaining and fun for the most part. Like I said before Jack Lemmon steals the show as the villain constantly falling short. I guess one of the unique thing s about this movie that is enjoyable is this kind of movie is a one of a kind. At no time in our day and age will there be a comedy that has a 2 1/2 hour runtime with this large of a budget. The main criticism I have would only be that of pacing. It just comes to slow chore to watch at times which is a shame because some of the best jokes come from the details within the scenes. I give The Great Race 3.8 out of 5 stars. A very watchable comedy for the whole family that is easy to follow.

P.S. This movie was the inspiration for the Hanna Barbara cartoon Wacky Races

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Venture Bros. Season 2

Continuing on the theme left from season 1, Venture Brothers season 2 continues with the Venture family and the recently incarcerated Monarch adjusting to life and new adventures. With the season concluding in an over the top climax which ties up loose ends while opening several opportunities for expansion for the show.

Everything about season 2 expands on Venture Brothers season 1; villains, lore, grandiose adventures. Keeping this simple and fairly short, season 2 is everything great about Venture Bros. Bringing obscure pop culture references to light, changing story telling styles, and keeping every episode unique, fresh, and best of all funny. With a larger budget there is of course more action, movement, and better looking animation all together. All of the characters seem to have found their voice metaphorically speaking while adding new side characters to add to the series without crowding any particular episode.

If I were to criticise season 2 it would be that some of the obscure references are so obscure that only a very small percent of people would understand the references. Although it is enjoyable looking up some of these references and laughing at how off the wall and random it is which adds well to the re-watchability of the show. The other criticism would be that some story details are explained in dialog which is sometimes easy to miss.

Overall season 2 is not the peak of the Venture Bros. series but truly one of the best/iconic seasons with some of the best jokes and moments and if you enjoyed season 1 then season 2 expands and exceeds what season 1 began. I give The Venture Brothers Season 2 a 4.3 out of 5 stars. I truly laugh every time I rewatch this season.

P.S. There is only 1 episode blemish on season 2 which is episode 9 titled "Guess Who's Coming to State Dinner". It is just very bland and out of character for the series and a rare look at an incomplete Venture Bros. episode.

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Local Hero

Local Hero is a movie centered around the growth of character. We the audience follow our main character (Mac) as he represents a large oil company focused on buying a small town in Scotland to transition it to a new oil refinery. Mac is seen as a fairly unlikable character at first, shown to have few in person people skills and preferably doing all business over a phone. He is reluctantly forced to go to this town in Scotland to take care of the transition in person which immediately throws him from his element. Through the movie we see how his character changes and grows as well as a look at how all the other characters around him represent the many aspects of character development. Local Hero at its core is a dry humorous study of the growth of character and a look into the simplicities of life outside of the comfort of what is though to be known. To put it simply, Local Hero dives into what we as people think we need or want out of life. Mac's main counterpart in the movie is the town accountant who is doing his best to string him along negotiations for the town and get as much money as possible. A lot of moments of dry humor with the constant "fish out of water" scenario as well as the corporate CEO Mr. Happer trying to find his true calling. Happer as a character seems very insignificant at first but the more you observe his disinterest in being the leader of a company that he simply inherited, the sooner you realize that he and Mac both show how we as characters discover and find new parts of ourselves to different ways of life. There are multiple characters that show this change and growth in different lights and fascets but it's better for me to let you watch and observe rather than to go into intricate detail on every one.

The acting is fair, it goes well with the dry humor and dead pan comedy the film is going for. Only a few scenes here and there shy from this but it is nothing to observe. The shots in the movie are good, they have a fair amount of establishing shots on location in the small town in Scotland. In fact very little of the movie was shot on sets and the detail of shooting in real locations is nice and noticeable.

Local Hero finds itself at home with a small town feel focusing on common humor surrounding simple observations and understandings. This is where the characters change, develope, and grow. It is very entertaining to observe the different ways the characters make their own observations around them to look back into themselves. Local hero shows itself to be a movie for people looking for a casual watch to get away from regular life. Local Hero is a great watch with some idle moments which break up the pace of the movie occasionally, but the humor and characters lift it above the common crowd. I give Local Hero a 3.9 out of 5 stars

P.S. mark Knopfler helped do the score for Local Hero which has a very pleasant mix of celtic, rock, and jazz music which leaves the ending on a very good note leading into the credits.

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The Phantom

For those who came in late, our feature presentation awaits. The Phantom 1996 is a movie that hearkens back to the action serials from the 1920's and 30's very much so in the same vein as Indiana Jones. The Phantom however also doubles as a super hero movie fighting his way through the 1930's in a purple suit. The Phantom is based on an actual action serial from the 1930's as well as a comic strip that dates even further back, some even claiming The Phantom comic strip as the first modern super hero.

Now with some of the history out of the way how is the movie? It is great for young kids getting into action movies for the first time but a little bland for what it was striving to be. The Phantom has some very good moments of action and set pieces with a flare of adventure but it seems to just fall short in other areas that could have been written slightly better or taken in alternate directions. The Phantom, a mysterious protecter of the fictional country of Bangalla, must fend off a New York gang leader who intends on hunting down 3 magical skulls when put together create an immense power to control the world. The Phantom must work with the daughter of the New York newspaper who has tasked her with finding out what our antagonist is searching for. Action and adventure follows our heroes as they uncover the mystery of the skulls and stop evil from taking over the world.

The Phantom is played perfectly by Billy Zane whom got into shape for the role and plays the action hero believably. He truly steals the show, as he should as the protagonist. The main villain portrayed by Treat Williams takes on more of the over the top villain who is equally laughable at times as he is daunting with some of his control over parts of New York City. The overall performances are suitable for what each scen calls for; quips, one liners, and serial type of dialog.

The main issues arrive not from the performances but some of the lines that probably should have had a few more reviews and touched up a bit more. The overall story is good but probably could have been tightened up some areas and expanded in others to explore some of the mythos of The Phantom and his enemies with a story moving around a new villain to keep everything moving, and to be clear that looks like what they were trying to do with this movie but it just didn't fit together perfectly but this doesn't destroy the movie.

Most of the effects and action set pieces work well, they break up the story well and keep the audience interested and vary well enough that it doesn't seem like you are watching the same fights over and over again. They seem well staged with thought put into them. Some of the editing was a little sluggish but nothing that would take the audience out of the moment. Most of the sets are well detailed but sometimes it feels as if you're on a ride at Disney World which may be hearkening back to serials of the 30's. I would say the most fun to be had in the movie is during these action scenes where the score picks up to elevate the situations and really bring the audience in. There is only one CGI scene near the end which breaks reality in the movie but luckily it is short and forgettable. The last thing I will mention is the costuming which the main focus, The Phantom, the purple suit is very detailed with different tones of purple to create a unique design which is distinctive.

The Phantom is a good movie overall, even with its faults. The Phantom falls into a category of movies that I call "Good movies that could have been Great". There is a lot of fun to be had with this movie, especially with children who enjoy fun action movies. This is an excellent watch if you enjoy Indiana Jones and just need more of that serial type of movie. Honestly the soundtrack alone is worth the watch at least once which as said before really elevates the action scenes.

The Phantom is a fun movie with good acting and action to keep the uptempo pace when needed. The lore created is interesting and not cut and paste hero movie which is nice. But the faults with some of the story elements and some poor dialog choices do bring it down a bit. Never the less it is a fun watch and I give The Phantom a 3.6 out of 5 stars.

P.S. if you enjoy this movie a fun trick is to change your television to black and white to enhance the serial aspect and create a fun movie night.

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Independence Day

Buckle in because they're coming... Independence Day is the ultimate example of bringing an old story and developing it for the modern audience. The old story obviously being the classic 1950's era alien Invasion movie. Modern technology struggling to keep up with the advanced invading aliens weapons, modern people struggling to comprehend what is happening, and modern solutions for defeating the alien invaders. Independence Day keeps everything great about the classic invasion story while entertaining with quick dialog and action packed sequences.

Independence Day follows a series of characters across America from a rural crop duster all the way to the U.S. President as they all do their best to survive the incoming alien invasion and struggle to find a way to fight back. We follow a star cast including Bill Pullman, Will Smith, Jeff Goldblum, and Randy Quaid. All the acting goes above and beyond the script except for a few cheesy lines here or there which are typical for a large blockbuster of the era. There a lot of great comedic moments without making this a full out comedy and breaks up the movie for the audience between drama and action.

The special effects stand far out from the crowd and are so well executed most hold up to even today's standards. All the action flight sequences are crisp and clear to the audience and it never gives a lost feeling about what is happening. The aliens and their technology seem very unique and foreign adding to the believability of their attack. Every panel and side of ships and shape of their ships all seem unique with a hint of a stereo typical saucer from a 1950's science fiction movie. Bringing all the effects together is the sound. The explosions have punch and impact, and the alien blasters sound standout in battles with multiple layers happing on screen. The ultimate culmination of all of this is in the destruction scenes where the visual effects are on full display enhanced by the mysterious lead up dictated by the pacing of the story.

The story isn't entirely unique but it's not attempting to re-invent the wheel with this movie. But it uses a variety of characters to show the audience what is happening and showing society around the world trying to interpret why the aliens are here during the early parts of the movie. These characters expand through out their surroundings while moving the story along and pull towards one another as everything unfolds.

The score for Independence uplifts the audience and becomes daunting and ominous with other scenes. This goes well with the movies flow of breaking down moments of terror and then uplifting with moments of discovery or triumph. The only criticism of Independence Day would possibly be the story is a bit predictable but still suitable for what the creators were trying to achieve and some characters (mainly side characters) seem a bit like stereo types without enough depth but this is actuated toward individuals perception.

This movie is fantastic for any person or family that loves action, good story with pace, and uplifting type of movie. I give Independence Day a 4.6 out of 5 stars.

P.S. I recommend not viewing the extended version of the movie. The two main issues is it disturbs the pacing of the movie as well as disrupts the sound mixing between scenes.

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Venture Bros. Season 1

A comedic show created by nerds for nerds. This show deserves more acknowledgement simply for the references to pop culture, old shows, bands, and all kinds of science fiction. The best way to describe the concept of The Venture Brothers is if Johnny Quest grew up traumatized by his life of adventuring never exceeding beyond his father's success and if he had two sons who are just like the Hardy Boys except oblivious to all of their surroundings.

We follow Doctor Venture while he tries to put together any get rich quick schemes with his two sons Dean and Hank whome try to be boy adventurers just like their father before them. All three are protected by their body guard Brock who is a human killing machine. On the opposite side of Dr. Venture is his arch villain, a butterfly themed nemesis named the Monarch with his partner Dr. Girlfriend.

The main feel of the show is a comedy wrapped in the lore of super scientist adventures with pop adventures like from a comics and TV from the 50s and 60s. Then with antagonistic tendencies from comic super villainy. This set up allows for a plethora of references and gags and piled to the top creative potential. The comedy derives mainly from the characters themselves being placed in these scenarios to create some great moments while telling a compelling story. Each episode runs about about 20 or so minutes and each season varies between 8 to 15 episodes.

The first season has a lot of rough and stiff animation but that lends to some of the theme the creators were originally going for with some of the old Hanna Barbara looks to things. The stories are normally separate adventures in this season with some minor overlap between a few. This setup puts a lot of characters on display for the audience to give light to the theme of the show as well. The creators of the show made this comment and it rings true about the characters of Hank and Dean, their characters don't really come to full development until the second half of this first season and in the first half they seem more interchangeable. But this is mainly because of how detailed everything else around them are. My recommendation, if interested, is to watch the first season in full skipping the pilot episode. The pilot was more of a proof of concept and should only be viewed by fans of the show after viewing the seasons.

The first season is a fair introduction to the series. This show would highly appeal to fans of comic books, dark comedy, great back and forth dialog between characters, and fascinating stories. There are layers upon layers of references and detail rarely all caught on the first viewing creating great re-watchability. The soundtrack and music in general makes the Venture Brothers stand out from the crowd of animated series, its bombastic and striking and very reminiscent of classic James Bond movies. It enhances the moments very well and makes the opening to each episode very exciting.

I give the Venture Brothers season 1 a 3.9 out of 5. The only thing holding it back is really the first part of the season being very by the numbers before truly hitting its stride in the second half and shooting off as a very intriguing show.

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Mortal Kombat 2021

Blood, action, and kicking ass there is not much else to say when it comes to Mortal Kombat and that is the way it should be. There is lore for the fans to eat up and enough story for people not familiar with the franchise to follow most elements introduced throughout the movie. Those familiar with the movie of the same name from the mid 90's will recognize and follow some points but it is clear that this movie is different from that version of Mortal Kombat but they both have enjoyable moments in them respectively.

There are multiple characters calling back to the games and each has a bit of background to them normally limiting it to a sentence long explanation and their motivations. It is nice to see each character have their own fighting style which is particularly unique to themselves. Although the acting is a bit wooden the standout early in the movie is Kano who is crass and comedic relief which helps to keep the flow of the movie going.

The cinematography doesn't seem to be anything particularly extraordinary except for a couple of fight scenes but the audience never loses track of where people are andwhat is happening. The unfortunate part of the fights (although there are plenty) only a few fights seem to feel impactful while most seem as filler. Trying to keep this simple, Mortal Kombat goes up and down like a roller coaster. Parts are interesting with differences from the game and plot points and lore seem respected. But other points seem muted and very stereotypical.

In conclusion Mortal Kombat has its moments but falls short of being something above the rest. Entertainment can be found but it is recommended that the audience try not to look deep into the movie to maximize entertainment value. There was an attempt to gather to please fans of the game while introducing the story to newcomers but unfortunately most may seem underwhelmed. This movie is however a good casual watch with some good fighting moments to highlight. I would recommend as casual viewing for fans of martial arts movies or fans of the games. I give Mortal Kombat 2021 a 2.7 out of 5 stars

P.S. Some of the sound mixing is high music and sound effects and low sound on dialog which may irritate some viewers. The music however is above average but not as good as the original Mortal Kombat theme from the 90's movie.

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Blade Runner: The Final Cut

Blade Runner: The Final Cut is all about detail. Detail in the story, detail in the sets surrounding our characters, and of course detail between the interactions between characters. As the title of the movie depicts, this is the final cut of Blade Runner by director Ridley Scott which there are a multitude of reasons why there are multiple cuts of the movie but I will only focus on this version for this review. Blade Runner is a science fiction movie following a detective whose job it is to "retire" replicants in the future. These detectives are called Blade Runners. Replicants are described to be advanced robots which are so advanced they are deemed illegal on Earth and are encoded with a limited life span. They seem almost human with only a few key differences. Our lead character Deckard, played by Harrison Ford, is a Blade Runner tasked with finding replicants that have come to Earth to try and find a way to extend their life cycle and kill anyone who stands in their way. Through his investigation Deckard comes across another Replicant who has no recollection of not being human. Deckard must find a way to stop the rougue Replicants while also find a way to save the one didn't choose to be what she is.

All the actors do a fantastic job delivering this science fiction world to the audience. The dialog is a bit thick at times but their delivery just sells this world to the audience and emphasizes the details of why their characters act this way.

The settings invite the audience to observe its detail. The sets are incredibly detailed from the neon signs, the visual telephones, all the way to the spinners (flying vehicles). The movie has grit in every scene and brought to life by the special effects which are astounding.

It's difficult to find much to criticise with this final cut of Blade Runner simply because it has been refined and worked on for years to get Ridley Scott's vision across. However there is one thing that I see that I dont agree with. It is a personal preference but one that is story and tone related. Without spoiling anything, the best part of Blade Runner is the questions it raises towards the audience; what does it mean to be human, if you were never human would you be able to tell, if someone isn't human should they have the right to live? This is where it is strongest but I feel that this Final Cut tries to answer these questions. It is in my opinion these questions should be raised for the audience to discover and develop the answer instead of be pushed in one direction or the other. Blade Runner isn't straight forward with these answers but they push towards the answers and it pulls away from great idea to bring up the questions to begin with.

Conclusion: Blade Runner : The Final Cut is not only a great movie but also possibly one of the greatest science fiction movies of all time. The atmosphere derived from the sets and effects, to the story, to the acting all create a movie that intrigues the audience. This is not an action thriller, it is a mystery with a science fiction element that expands on common principles. This movie is slow at points but it is done with intent, if you enjoy true science fiction, mystery, and like questions posed to what is humanity and life than you will enjoy this movie. I give Blade Runner: The Final Cut a 4.8 out of 5 stars

P.S. Rutger Hauer's look and performance as the lead replicant is one of a kind and steals every scene his in. He is intimidating and yet relatable with his goal in the movie. Very unique and not often found.