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Kaz21
Reviews
Joy (2015)
From Mop to the Top
Sorry to hear some found "Joy" boring. Unfortunately, in real life, people don't wear iron suits and have super powers. They just have grit, determination and guts. If you don't have dreams that are bigger than yourself, this won't matter. I just finished a workshop for entrepreneurship. The audience of young entrepreneurs was hungry for information on what creating a start-up is really like. I could have used "Joy" as and out-of-class tutorial on entrepreneurship and women entrepreneurs. The movie accurately portrays the good, bad and the ugly of entrepreneurship and how some succeed in spite of all odds. But if you're not interested in success in business the movie will have little meaning for you. If you're not interested in empowering women in business, again, the movie will have little meaning for you. Personally, I liked it.
Ant-Man (2015)
A Chick Flick?
Ant-Man is a slow and confused movie. Too relational. Too much time spent on relationships. There's the divorced father and divorced wife; the divorced husband and his young daughter; older husband and his dead wife, older father and his adult daughter, his adult daughter and the divorced husband. All this relational stuff took up half the film. The bad guy was predictable and obvious. Couldn't we just get to the ass-kicking of the bad guys? On the other hand, it's hard to kick ass when you're less than an eight of an inch tall. Oh, but you can sting the bad guys into submission. I like super powers and ultra-advanced technologies. Give me Cap America, Iron man and Thor anytime. Introducing Sam Wilson, The Falcon, was a weak and ineffectual reach to connect Ant Man to the Avenger heroes. The best special effect in the film was making Michael Douglas look thirty years younger. How did they do that?
Red Tails (2012)
Comic Book
Comic book, maybe cheap video game at best ("Germans! Lets get 'em"). I've never seen fighter pilots so happy in the face to death. Laughing, joking in the middle of an air battle (could it be nervous laughter or poor writing and directing. Opening credits say "Inspired by True Events" which means Lucas and his team made up a bunch of stuff, and in the process, introduced a lot of errors and just plain factual sloppiness. Off duty, the film has black pilots shuckin and jivin almost in a Stepin-Fetchit style. Didn't someone tell the Lucasfilm people that this is an important historical event in the history of the US and ultimately led to the integration of the US military. The film was a disappointment and a disservice to the Tuskegee Airmen.
Kick-Ass (2010)
Napoleon Dynamite meets Watchmen?
I guess I am just a sucker for those movies where the underdog overcomes prejudice, ridicule and overwhelming odds to win respect, impose justice or just get the cute girl. Whether it's a 40-year old virgin, a high school geek or the unlikely employee of the month, I get vicarious joy from watching the small (or goofy) guy win. But with Kick Ass, Hollywood has a number of surprises for you. Who would of thought a prepubescent, 11-year old girl could embody all hopes and aspirations of us armchair superhero lovers. Who thinks this stuff up? The running jump shot to the head under strobe light has to be one of the finest cinemagraphic effects I've seen in years. The music is great and well chosen for each scene. I think you'll really enjoy this one. But moms, don't rent this one for your tweens. The language is very adult.
Drakmar: A Vassal's Journey (2006)
Not just geeks and freaks
Nerd, geek, or just plain weird, whatever you want to call them some people are delightfully different from the rest of us and for this reason, they are fascinating to watch. Drakmar: A Vassal's Journey is much more than a voyeuristic glimpse into the lives of Colin and Corwin Taylor, two fatherless brothers from San Diego. Colin, 14, seeks refuge from the pain of abandonment in the eccentric but noble world of D&D, knights, chivalry and ladies-in-waiting (do you know the difference between a "low" dragon and a "high" dragon?). Colin (Drakmar) is mesmerizing to watch and listen to because of his authenticity, intellect and absolute love for a bygone world. Colin is also a whirlpool of emotions about his life, his future and his father (he vows to kick the father he has never met "in the nuts" if he ever sees him). Co-directors, Cretton and Frank must be commended for having the courage to take this cute little documentary to a whole new level. Drakmar: A Vassal's Journey is not just a story about geeks and freaks but rather it is a tale of forgiveness, restoration and hope. In other words, it's a tale in the best Arthurian tradition.
Friday After Next (2002)
Honest, raw and funny
It won't be a classic like "Citizen Kane", nor does it have the gravitas of "Do the Right Thing" or "Bamboozled", but "Friday After Next" will be remembered as a hilarious insider's view of trials and tribulations of Craig and Day Day in South Central LA during Christmas. The language and jokes are funny but raw and definitely meant for adult audiences (this isn't a Christmas flick for the kids). However, the honest humor and authentic emotions make you feel like a fly on wall of Moley's donut shop. With all do respect to Raboy and Ice Cube, it seem like there's no script or director. This is meant strictly as a complement. Were these guy's making this stuff on the spot "strictly for municipal uses only" and "Do you hear me now? Do you hear me now? If you have an open mind and enjoy a good laugh, you'll love Friday After Next.