dunnypop Reviews

Bill & Ted Face the Music (2020)

Most excellent

[8/10 · 14 September 2020]

I found it amusing that they made a sequel to a dead franchise, especially with Keanu's resurgence. I'll be honest, I'm not the biggest Bill & Ted's fan. I liked the first movie, can't really remember the 2nd one, watched some of the cartoon growing up and I rewatched Excellent Adventure recently, and it's ok.

Since 2020 is pretty much a bust for films, I purchased this and I'm surprised. I thought the movie really felt like the 80's. Since both Bill & Ted are older, they can't act like their bodacious selves, so they have daughters that do and for me they were hilarious. The film gets to hit multiple versions of Bill & Ted which I also found hilarious.

Charlie's Angels (2019)

Too woke... and not sure who the audience is for

[6/10 · 18 February 2020]

I got to see Charlie's Angels (on a plane) and wanted to see what all the fuss (why people hated it) was about. Personally, I'm not a fan of the other movies but I did watch them, and I'm not a fan of Kristen Stewart either (and my wife isn't either so she didn't bother watching it).

First off, I found Kristen Stewart to be very likable and enjoyed watching her. Actually found that the team chemistry was way better than the previous older films. And the opening action sequences were fantastic, but then it goes straight into this weird girls / women empowerment montage. And then into multiple sexual harassment / women can't do anything settings that it started becoming preachy. Perhaps not as preachy as the Ghostbusters remake.

The movie's first half is pretty excellent and it feels like a genuine female team James Bond meets Oceans 11 (or I guess 8). And then it starts to slip and the finale just didn't work as well as I would have liked. Overall it's decent and hopefully they make a sequel.

Rambo: Last Blood (2019)

Love Rambo.... but not this

[5/10 · 12 December 2019]

Besides First Blood, John Rambo really made me appreciate the franchise and looked forward to Last Blood. I didn't expect a terrible retelling if Taken.

Is this even Rambo? Where was any of Rambo's military training? Who walks and gets surrounded by a group of thugs?

Would have just been a better movie if the cartel or something passed his property or dealt with people in his area where he basically was forced to fight.

Hellboy (2019)

My 13 year old self would have loved this

[5/10 · 11 November 2019]

Not sure who the demographic is for the film as my 13 year old self would have loved this new Hellboy. I'm way older now and loved the original versions by Del Toro. What I realized about this version of Hellboy is that there is no character development as there are just too many storylines going on.

X-Men: Dark Phoenix (2019)

Not great but not the worst

[6/10 · 8 June 2019]

So I went into Dark Phoenix expecting an incoherent mess as the Rottentomatoes ratings were around 20%. I came out surprised on how decent it was. I've been an X-men fan since a kid and remember when the first one came out in theaters (yes I'm pretty damn old).

This version of Dark Phoenix isn't an incoherent mess as the Last Stand, so that's a plus. There is just one storyline of Jean Grey turning into the Phoenix (which was extremely fast), and a quick backstory on Jean Grey.

The main issue with this film is the pacing. The director can direct action sequences well but in terms of dramatic pacing and dialogue completely misses the mark. The director uses extreme close up camera angles to emphasize "drama" which happens multiple times in the film. It was a strange choice.

The film didn't feel complete. There is something really missing in this movie. There wasn't an overall sense of danger of the Dark Phoenix. There wasn't really an overall sense of dread either and the villains didn't seem all that threatening. The ending (no spoilers) just didn't feel complete.

The other issue with the film is there were no surprises. Fox screwed fans with their first trailer, and when someone dies in the film, there was only one person in the audience who "gasped".

It's better than Last Stand and Apocalypse and of course Wolverine Origins, but I don't think that says much. What a complete waste of a budget and a series.

Brendan Schaub: You'd Be Surprised (2019 TV Special)

Pretty good first attempt at standup

[7/10 · 29 May 2019]

There's a bit on this special where Schaub talks about his first time taking an edible and it is pretty hilarious. Thought the special was pretty good especially since this was the first special from a fighter who's been doing stand-up for less than 3 years. It's unheard of. The main issue with the stand up is that Schaub's jokes are geared towards his core audience, so if you don't know who Joey Diaz, Callen, Eddie Bravo are or even who Ronda Rousey is dating, you'll most likely be clueless to a lot of the jokes.

Us (II) (2019)

US is the reason why I love Horror movies

[10/10 · 25 March 2019]

A true horror movie is one that grasps concepts and ideas like the recent Hereditary or Babadook and provoke thought well after the film like Get Out or even Martyrs (the original).

US is a masterclass of cinema. It's very well shot, well acted, well written and it's thought provoking. The idea of dopplegangers didn't really appeal to me but after the initial meeting of the characters, it really worked well. The audience was fully engaged and the movie worked on an entertainment level. It was pretty fun.

After watching the film, I spent the next hour with friends discussing "what was Us" really about as it isn't as obvious as Get Out. Is it about xenophobia, America, identity, government conspiracies etc....?

Not a mainstream horror film, which I can see why there are low ratings as the majority want to see something a bit more obvious in terms of the underlining message. Definitely a masterclass in cinema.

The Night Comes for Us (2018)

Basically a violent version of the Raid

[9/10 · 25 October 2018]

I remember when I first watched the Raid 1&2 and Hostel and Saw and wondered what would happen if these movies had significant amounts of violence... the Night Comes for Us is that movie.

Well orchestrated action sequences mixed in with some violence. By violence I mean something like using a dull blade to hack like 20 thugs so you're left with stabbing and hacking someone 20 times each. Or by violence when you're only left with pool cue balls to smash someone's head into mush while fighting 15 other people.

This movie is wild. The action is intense. The storyline is generally as complex as the Raid 2 along with specialty killers. This could be easily called the Raid 3.

The First Purge (2018)

Pretty much the same as the other Purge films

[5/10 · 30 July 2018]

I'm a fan of the Purge films or perhaps the concept of the films. The first Purge film was a home invasion movie, Purge Anarchy was more like Mad Max/Action, and Purge Election Year was more of the same. Each Purge film brings in some interesting subtext on some extreme views of how America has become a festering breeding ground for violence. Each film starts off roughly the same. There's an interesting backstory, then the purge begins and then all subtext / ideas / ideology disappears and is surrounded by violence and action.

I still like these films as they're entertaining but there is a lot to be desired. The First Purge takes you into the countries current divide and how an uprising of a new governmental party has rose from the countries divide of the Republicans / Democrats (this was literally told in a montage in the first minute). From there, there was a participatory government experiment on having the purge. The film felt more like the disenfranchised black experience of the purge and explored what Purge Anarchy discussed.

The movie is entertaining but a bit ridiculous towards the end. There's a Purge TV show which seems like the right direction for the franchise.

John Wick: Chapter 2 (2017)

Gun-jitsu

[8/10 · 10 March 2017]

John Wick 1 is one of those action movies where it's very difficult to top. John Wick 2 understands there are limits to gun play action, so they added more stunts / action sequences. The car chase sequence / battle is incredible. The hand to hand knife fighting is very intense. The new addition of other paid for hire killers. Another glimpse of the secret society of criminals / killers is pretty interesting. It's a great little film that also uses a lot of jiu jitsu... or gun jitsu which I've never seen before.

Dirty Grandpa (2016)

Mediocre Rated R raunchy comedy with Robert Deniro

[6/10 · 22 February 2017]

There has been a rise of adult / rated R comedies which some gems like 21&22 Jump Street, Neighbors 1&2. Dirty Grandpa falls under the less inspired of the raunchy Rated R comedies. The only saving grace (or at least the question you ask yourself throughout the film) is how and why is Robert Deniro in this film? Deniro has been in everything including the Focker movies and Machete so I guess this kind of made sense... have a drug induced, overly sex, non-PC movie. The story itself is pretty much uptight lawyer who's getting married (played by Zach Effron) needs to take his grieving grandpa home and almost immediately his grandpa wants to "bang" everything in sight. This leads drugs, sex, and super awkward situations and mixed in with a lot of crude jokes and very crude jokes that hits almost everything from mild racism, homophobia, and plenty of dick jokes.

I found the movie amusing enough to finish, it's definitely a forgettable comedy.

The Hurt Business (2016)

A quick glimpse of MMA

[7/10 · 9 February 2017]

The Hurt Business is a strange documentary as it starts off with very small glimpse into many many MMA fighters lives. Perhaps too many fighters lives. Right off the bat you get a glimpse into Jon Jones, Sara McMann, Rachid Evans and a few other fighters lives. Throughout the movie, there are some interview clips from current and retired fighters including Ronda Rousey, Angela Lee, Michelle Waterson, Chuck Liddell, Tito Ortiz, Ken Shamrock, etc....

From there, they give you a quick glimpse on the history of MMA and how it started. Then they discuss amateur illegal fighter circuit and the bigger stage. It gives you a glimpse on what happens after you fight including trying to make ends meat and dealing with depression and CTE. They give a second into weight cutting. They briefly talk about the Jones vs. Cormier thing. They talk about Jones eye pokes. Why it was illegal in New York, etc...

I don't think this documentary makes an argument for or against MMA. It's not as compelling as other documentaries like Fighting for a Generation which talks about the history of the UFC. It also isn't as detailed or as compelling as the UFC Countdowns and feels like the UFC Embedded in terms of details of the fighters but all mashed up together.

Fight Mom (2016)

Quick story about Michelle Waterson

[8/10 · 7 January 2017]

Michelle Waterson aka the Karate Hottie is a MMA fighter / karate fighter. She's also a mother. This documentary gives you a glimpse of what an MMA does and the sacrifices they make, especially if they have family (Waterson has a daughter).

The documentary follows 3 fights and important parts of her MMA journey. The first defending her title and the second moving into the UFC. You get a glimpse of her marriage, her relationship with her daughter, her relationship with her coach, and you go see the highest of the highs and the lowest lows which were captured. The documentary is shot well, but it assumes the viewer knows Michelle and the sport of MMA already.

There are other things that are missing in the documentary. I wished this documentary discussed her past and how she got her nickname and how she moved from karate into MMA and didn't pursue a her modeling career. I wish they interviewed Michelle's mom (or her parents). I wish they had a few more interviews and how much of a sacrifice fighting / training is and how she handles/deals with all of it. Also they didn't show any of the weight cutting either which is an important aspect of the fight game.

Ghostbusters: Answer the Call (2016)

If it wasn't Ghostbusters

[7/10 · 6 October 2016]

There's something strange ... in the world... and it's Ghostbusters. I'm surprised on how many mouth foaming fans of the original there are that a female remake would gather so much hatred. On that note, I grew up watching Ghostbusters and thought Ghostbusters 2 was one of the worst sequels out there. Taking away from all the women-hating, the 2016 Ghostbusters falls in between the original and sequel.

If this film was purely a movie on it's own, it wasn't bad. There are some very strong performances by all actresses in the film. The film itself is very tongue and cheek in the fact that it is a Ghostbusters movie - giving nudges to the viewer throughout the film.

The premise wasn't too bad - but the film is geared towards women. My girlfriend LOVED this film - and she's not really tied to the Ghostbusters franchise or any franchise.

31 (2016)

The Running Man meets an uninspiring Manhunt

[6/10 · 21 September 2016]

I'm quite amazed by the negative reviews as I'm not sure what people were expecting from Rob Zombie. Is this Rob Zombie's best work? No. Is it awful? No - it's better than your average generic horror tribute to the 70's style exploitation film. If you're going to judge 31 compared to Zombie's other films, I would classify it a bit on the lower side of his films.

I will honestly say I'm always interested in watching a Rob Zombie film - no matter how disappointing the film turns out. With all of Rob Zombie's film especially Lords of Salem, 31 has a lot of potential but fails to get past the premise / first half of the film. Also with everything Rob Zombie, there are generic survivors (the heroes) and a more focused approach on the villains. The main villain Doom-head is very interesting and just psychotic. The other villains / killer clowns were OK but some what amusing. I guess the interesting aspect are why is Doom-head better than the rest of the clowns? Is he that much better than killing people? Is he stronger? Faster? Who knows.

The plot is pretty much the Running Man (game show where hunters kill off contestants) meets the tone of Manhunt (a violent sadistic video game - but you could also say it's the tone of all R. Zombie films) with psychotic killer clowns. It's strange and surreal and the movie runs 30 mins too long with this very thin concept where nothing really develops in terms of characters or plot or reasoning on why they hold this annual event (even at least in Raze - a forced to the death woman on woman blood sport - they tried to explain why they hold these tournaments).

List of Praises: - Casting some older actors and actresses. It's always good to see some people on the screen that you might know of who were stars in the 70's and 80's. - Cast of villains... some were cartoonish and others resembled comic book characters. - Visual style. Zombie's visual style in his movies get better and better... Lords of Salem was up there, but this was not too bad.

List of Issues: - Sheri Moon... she is still pretty good to look at, but when it comes to intense acting there are issues with her. She can't cry or show distress, it's just a little too campy. - Lack of character dialogue. Didn't understand what the victims/survivors jobs were and where they were traveling to... actually thought they were in a band. - Loses steam. With all Zombie films, the first half is pretty good and then it just starts to lose steam towards the final act. Zombie also couldn't figure out an interesting way to finish the film.

If you're a Rob Zombie fan, you're going to see it... if you liked Lords of Salem or 1000 Corpses, you should also see it... just expect to not have too much plot but interesting visuals.

Neighbors 2: Sorority Rising (2016)

Pretty hilarious

[8/10 · 18 August 2016]

If you're a fan of Neighbors, it's a pretty hilarious sequel. The film is almost identical to the original, however they did do a bit more gross out humor. There is a bit more on feminism / date rape campus culture too, but it really adds to the plot.

Plot is virtually identical, Mac and Kelly are selling their house and they are in escrow and a sorority moves in next door. They need to get rid of the sorority to sell off their house. Exactly story line, however Teddy is back and hilarity happens.

There are some big laughs and a few of them were in the trailer, but it was still very funny. The ending was weak, but everything else is almost as good as the original.

The Purge: Election Year (2016)

The Purge Franchise - Fun

[8/10 · 27 July 2016]

The concept of the Purge is something that I thought was very interesting... the first movie played off like a traditional home invasion film, the 2nd explored outside of the realm of the purge, and Purge Election Year examined the politics behind the film.

This film is very similar to Purge Anarchy, however there are only 2 main story lines that intersect. The first story line is the politician who wants to end the purge, and the second story line deals with a store owner who just wants to keep his store from being looted / destroyed.

There's a lot of interesting ideas that would be impossible to cover in a 100 min movie. You see the insight of why the purge happened, some of the low brow politics, the big business of the purge, and how people deal with the purge. This is all similar to Anarchy but they explore the concepts more.

The film also plays out like a horror movie at some points with a Spring Breakers style montage with girls with chainsaws and some unnecessary kill montages, though the film might be the least gory of the series.

The final sequence was a little anti-climatic, but leading up to the point was pretty fun and there were some good sequences that weren't formulaic enough that I enjoyed the ride.

X-Men: Apocalypse (2016)

A comic book movie from the 90's?

[5/10 · 20 July 2016]

X-men has always had a huge place in my heart in terms of the franchise and the comic book. When the first X-men movie came out, I gushed on how good it was and how perfect the film was. I was upset when Singer left the franchise and we had the Last Stand... but now we have a new Last Stand. X-men Apocalypse.

Right off the bat, the first 10 minutes, you get the tone of the film... this is a pure comic book movie from the 90's. You have an ancient setting with pyramids and a bunch of poorly done CGI shots and mounds of fake people cheering their mutant god. It's campy... it looks awful... and then the sequence is just so awful where it ends with a scene of the floor collapsing and a never ending drop sequence where a battle ensues. It reminded me of the 90's cartoons which would have been fine if we didn't have the previous X-men movies that set a more dramatic tone for the franchise.

The rest of the tone throughout the movie is dramatic and rushed. You should know all of the mutants that you see like Nightcrawler, Cyclops, Jean Grey, Jubilee, Angel, Psylocke, etc... oh you don't know who those guys are? Well you're out of luck from any back story, they are here and you should have done your research.

The action sequences are dreadful. There was a scene in a prison where I just couldn't believe how bad the fight sequence was. Sure there was blood, but it was so anti-climatic that I just couldn't believe it.

I'm so disappointed in the film and I guess they should have just left the franchise with Days of Futures Past which was a great closure to the franchise.

Keanu (2016)

Disappointed

[6/10 · 3 June 2016]

First off, I love Key & Peele... I was devastated when I realized that the last episode was their series finale. The movie plays as a weird surreal action movie... I guess it's like Ride Along but played with less slap stick. After watching the trailer multiple times, I figured Keanu was going to have a lot more... but the trailer had all the best parts and the best punchlines.

The plot is a bit shallow as the premise is a runaway kitten and then being found and then going to get the kitten back from captures. I guess you can compare this with Pineapple Express which basically is a simple story of stoners running away... but Pineapple Express has a ton of interesting characters and weirdo situations. Keanu had a couple of weird situations and no real interesting characters except one cameo. Watch the trailer and you're good - it pretty much sums up the entire film and all it's jokes.

London Has Fallen (2016)

Escape from London

[6/10 · 1 June 2016]

I'm not sure how Olympus has Fallen warranted a sequel... but London has Fallen is crazy. The storyline is simple... a powerful world leader/terrorist is being hunted and during a wedding his family and everyone gets drone striked. Years later they pull off an elaborate scheme to kill off all the world leaders during a funeral in London.

This movie might be the most ridiculous film I've seen in a while. It's plot is similar to Escape from New York or the Purge 2 except it doesn't take place in an apocalyptic future but it does deal in an apocalyptic London. It's hard to grasp the concept of if it's suppose to be serious or just full out insane as some scenes where people die, the viewer is like "Oh wow that's deep" and some scenes make us really question who the real villain is.

The dialogue is also questionable as there are some (questionably) "witty" one-liners and one-liners that are way too patriotic. Overall the film is if you mix all of the die hards, some 007, toss in some escape from new york, purge and loosely tie it with Olympus has Fallen are you get London has Fallen.

This will probably be a cult classic as the pure destruction of London is one to see.

Raze (2013)

Grindhouse film

[5/10 · 5 February 2016]

The concept of the film kind of appealed to me... women forced to fight... the film starts off as an abduction film and it just kicks off with a brutal fist fight.... to the death. Raze... this reminds me of a 70's exploitation film, without that 70's look or feel. The fight sequences aren't bad, and the directors do enough to make it interesting enough with the simple plot and premise. This eccentric couple holds a to the death fight of 50 women once a year over 3 days 1 will win. It's a mix of Blood Sport and perhaps Hostel (maybe less grotesque, but there are scenes where girls faces are pummeled to dust).

What I didn't like about the film is that this isn't Predators (where the premise is hardcore killers are being hunted), but this is a pure abduction (any woman can get abducted) film, where they are forced to fight and if they lose their families will be murdered (49 will lose so that's also a lot of murdering).

Overall it was OK, but after the first 30 minutes it really felt a little too much. The ending also left a bad taste in my mouth.

Dawg Fight (2015)

Sad, depressing and yet powerful

[8/10 · 6 June 2015]

From the director of Cocaine Cowboys, comes a documentary about backyard "dawg" fights. Basically in the poor areas of Miami, where most people can't find work, gang violence surrounds the areas, and for one day (a week or month), there are these bare knuckle fights. Some fights are straight boxing while others are MMA style.

The documentary follows Da-da who use to roll with Kimbo Slice (who if you don't know is the most famous bareknuckle back yard brawler who made it from underground videos to the UFC, Strikeforce, Bellator etc...), and his quest to get to the main street stage. He pays the fighters that win between $25 - $100 for a fight (which is more money that most of the fighters would see in a month's work - as some of them were ex-cons etc...) where someone will get knocked out, lose a tooth, or even break some bones. It's brutal and raw... it's also a sad reality that most people won't face.

It's a harsh film, where there isn't really an answer. It's just a depiction of what happens when you don't have any hope left. This is in contrast to the darker elements of cockfighting and dog fighting where people have a choice to fight or not.

Mad Max: Fury Road (2015)

Crazy, Fun, Inventive, Beautiful...

[10/10 · 17 May 2015]

Crazy, Fun, Inventive Beautiful and most of all CRAZY!?!!

I've been a Mad Max fan growing up, I must have seen Road Warrior countless times and when I heard they were doing a remake/sequel without Mel Gibson I was skeptical. Then again it was George Miller, so perhaps there would be potential. The Mad Max series has progressed more and more with ideas and visions of how an apocalyptic society would be, and Fury Road had a far larger budget than the previous films.

Visually the film is stunning and the car stunts are something I haven't seen. I'd compare the car stunts to the Raid 1 & 2, they are creative, over the top, and some scenes are very extreme. The acting is top notch as Fury Road has Charlize Theron and Tom Hardy. There's a sense of sadness through those characters. Also the other characters you get a small glimpse of the chaotic nature of this not so distant apocalyptic future.

Daredevil (2015–2018)

Comic book fatigue...

[10/10 · 30 April 2015]

I'm having comic book fatigue... loved X-men, loved Avengers, Thor, Iron Man, Capt America... etc... That's a lot of Marvel comic book films... Do I want to invest myself in a 13 episode series on Netflix?

My initial answer is "NO!"... I liked the Ben Affleck film enough, but I'm a tad bit comic booked out... and then my friend told me to watch it. And then critics say "Watch it"... so I said fine. One episode.

Daredevil is legit. It has enough of everything to keep you satisfied. Some of the episodes feel like a Jason Borne film. Some episodes feel like Law & Order. The acting is phenomenal... Some characters are comic book'ish, but the fight sequences are fairly realistic. Overall it's a fun, dark, good, gritty show.

Fresh Off the Boat (2015–2020)

Skeptical

[10/10 · 19 February 2015]

I was skeptical about Fresh off the boat... I read the memoirs and watched the Vice series and watched a preview commercial... but there's the stigma, an all Asian cast comedy show isn't going to succeed... it's going to be offensive... and most of all not-funny.

Boy was I wrong. The first episode of the show goes through actual issues of growing up as an Asian in North America (I grew up in Canada in the 80's / 90's). The situations were pretty spot on and Eddie's parents are exactly like my parents growing up in a different culture / place. And the racism/stereotypes are also things that they address with a good perspective on both sides of the spectrum.

This show is kind of groundbreaking as Asians in America have become a huge market... There's billions of us.