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AdmrlLocke
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Zack Snyder's Justice League (2021)
LONG But Better Than I Expected
My cable company is giving me a year of free HBO Max. Warner just released the Zack Snyder cut of Justice League. I never saw the theatrical version so I can't compare, but it wasn't half bad. I would, in fact, give it 4 of five (or perhaps 7.5 out of 10).
I have to warn you that it's FOUR HOURS long, so it took me several days to get through it, and that might actually be the best way to watch it. It contains many slower, character-development scenes, many of which surely got cut for time from the theatrical release, and which I suspect that ardent teenage and 20-something Snyder fans wouldn't like. Watched over three days they don't drag as I image they would watched four hours straight.
Coming in the same universe where Snyder initially weakened Kryptonians to almost human levels, Justice League really pays homage to the traditional superpowers of Superman. He can take on the entire rest of the league without breaking a sweat, and easily beat the stuffing out of an adversary who beat them repeatedly. For perhaps the first time in the DCEU, Superman really IS Superman!
Sia: Cheap Thrills (2016)
Inspired Maddie-Ness! :-D
I love the song and the video. I first heard a satire of the Jean Paul 1960s American Bandstand satire (yes, a satire of a satire) by Key of Awesome. I found the music catchy and ended up watching the version with Maddie first, then the Jean Paul version. I love them both.
While I'm very musically oriented, having played violin and sung tenor, and have no background in dance, I think it's the inspired madness of Maddie's dance performance that really cemented Cheap Thrills as a go-to video for when I want to take a break from grading. I often find myself wondering how much, especially of the facial expressions, she choreographed herself, and whether she would do the same dance and facial expressions today at age 18 that she did so expertly at age 14.
Star Wars: Episode VIII - The Last Jedi (2017)
Yoda Says, "Of A Great Movie Spoilers There Be!"
I just returned from finally seeing Star Wars: The Last Jedi, and I just loved the movie. I did as much as possible to avoid spoilers while waiting to see it, but I do know that many people complained about it-even as it set new revenue records. Having seen it myself, I have to say that I don't understand all the complaining.
Sure there was one weak story line in particular, the side-trip to the casino, which served as a sort of half-tribute, half-satire of Casino Royale, with a Free Willy kicker at the end. The side trip piles contrivance upon contrivance, wherein they don't find the code-breaker they're seeking (the Bond character), but conveniently end up in a cell with another code-breaker of epic proportions, who then ends up conveniently turning them over to the First Order. What would have turned the side-trip from irrelevant and contrived to outstanding would have been having the real code-breaker turn out to be notorious gambler, Lando Calrissian, played by Billy Dee Williams. Even if Billy Dee's health would have forced him to lean on the table, or sit at the table, his presence as Lando would have made the whole side-trip worthwhile, and even more so if he'd actually gotten them aboard the First Order ship undetected.
Other than the terrible side-trip (and the lack of Lando), however, the movie was just outstanding. I laughed through half the scenes where I didn't cry-or maybe I cried through half the scenes where I didn't laugh. The film's humor, pathos, and nostalgia reached epic proportions. I particularly loved the scene where Yoda's Force ghost showed up to scold "young Skywalker" for not having changed much since Yoda last scolded him some 35 years ago while first training him. I laughed and cried at the same time!
Daisy Ridley once again served as the standout member of the new cast, demonstrating her ability to play strength, vulnerability, humility and confidence all at the same time. I also found Kelly Marie Tran appealing at Rose, the Everywoman of the Rebellion. She didn't have Jedi powers or roguish luck, but she exemplified why the average member of the Rebellion joins-and remains. I don't understand all the hatred I'm seeing for her character online. I could marry Rose and live happily every after (if I weren't old enough to be her father, of course), and maybe that's exactly what Poe will do.
I also don't understand the people claiming that this is the last Star Wars movie. Star Wars Episode IX is already in preproduction, and while it's too soon to use CGI to feature Carrie Fisher's Leia the way Rogue One did with Peter Cushing's Tarkin, there's no reason that Luke can't return as a Force ghost to help Rey put the Rebellion back together and oppose his nephew Ben (or help turn him back from the Dark Side, as Luke did with his father). There's no reason that Poe, Finn and Rose can't return to carry on the fight against Kylo Ren's version of the First Order. Disney didn't pay $4 billion to buy Lucas Films only to let the Star Wars franchise die, and despite some overly dramatic criticisms of The Last Jedi, it has set new box office records. Not only is Disney making an Episode IX, but it announced a while back that it's planning an Episode X as well. So not only will Star Wars continue, but giving The Last Jedi 9.5 out of 10 Stars, I greatly look forward to it continuing.
Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 (2017)
The Least Little Spoilers for an Outstanding Movie!
Prior to seeing Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2, I said that it would have a hard time equaling the perfect blend of humor and action that the first Guardians achieved. After seeing Vol. 2, however, I have to say that it achieved a perfect balance of humor, action and even tear-jerking drama. Although I would hardly have believed it possible, I enjoyed Vol. 2 a bit more even than the first Guardians movie.
Chris Pratt does such a brilliant job of conveying dry, understated humor that it's easy to take for his performance for granted, but when I, and the rest of the theater, laughed over and over, it served as a good reminder just what great comedic talent he brings to what are genuinely serious superhero movies. Not to be outdone, Kurt Russell—a talented actor of whom I just haven't seen enough in recent years—did a brilliant job of making Star Lord's father completely believable, even relatable, at the same time he turns totally creepy on us.
I have to give a shout out to Zoe Saldana, who some of you might know as Uhura in the Kelvin timeline Star Trek movies. It's hard for anyone to reprise the role brought so lovingly to life by Nichelle Nichols in original Star Trek, and I didn't even recognize Zoe under all that green makeup in the first Guardians movie. Knowing who she was in Vol. 2, however, I was impressed by her range as an actress, as she made Gamora completely and unrecognizably different than her Uhura.
Another talented actress I didn't recognize under all her makeup (or prosthetics) was Karen Gillian, who some of you might know as the red-haired beauty who played Amy Pond in 36 episodes of Doctor Who. Once again, her range as an actress made her character, Nebula, completely and utterly different from her Amy.
Sean Gunn, perhaps a less-familiar actor, unless you, like me, happen to enjoy both superhero movies and "chick" shows, brought the same sort of lovably bumbling humor to the character of Kraglin in the movie that he brought so enjoyably most weeks on the Gilmore Girls TV series. Gunn's performance contributed greatly to the movie's ability to make the entire audience laugh even when Chris Pratt wasn't on the screen.
Once you've seen Vol. 2—and definitely not before—take a gander in the Internet Movie Database at the movie's cast, and you may be surprised to see several other talented actors playing roles either openly (but not advertised beforehand) or hidden behind makeup or CGI. Some of them you'll have already happily recognized during the movie, but the list of others that you probably didn't recognize might well delight you as did me. Let me warn you again though: if you haven't seen the movie yet, do NOT look at IMDb.
I would be remiss if I didn't mention the movie's absolutely outstanding use of 1970s music. Someone on the production crew grew up at the same time I did, and I have to give him or her credit for choosing some great songs from our youth that fit the events of the movie perfectly. The first movie had good period music too, but I have to say that when it comes to the appropriate use of 1970s music, the filmmakers might accurately have titled the Vol. 2 movie Guardians Beyond.
If you do go see Guardians Vol. 2—and I've tried my best to gush about the movie without giving away a single darned spoiler—make sure you sit through the closing credits to the very, absolutely final, last second. Don't just wait patiently, either, for during-credits or after-credits scenes, but really, really, really try to pay attention to both the words and the images in the credits themselves, and you will be richly rewarded with even more humor.
Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 represents another unqualified cinematic triumph for the Marvel Cinematic Universe, and sets the stage for what could well end up being at least two more. As a major DC Comics fan for more than half a century, I have to say that I wish the DC Expanded Universe movies had even a quarter as much talent putting together live-action DC superhero movies. Is there any chance that Warner Brothers might borrow some of the leading creative lights of Disney's Marvel Studios for at least one superhero movie?!
Doctor Strange (2016)
Doctor Strange a Cinematic Triumph
I just returned from seeing Doctor Strange, staring Benedict Cumberbatch as a third- tier Marvel superhero who specializes in magical power. I have to say that these Marvel superhero movies seem to keep getting better and better. Who would have thought that someone could take a character virtually unknown beyond comic book fans and turn him into a cinematic triumph?
Casting Cumberbatch to play the gifted but initially arrogant Strange was a masterstroke. Cumberbatch brought the same brilliance (but not the same personality) to the character of Doctor Strange that he's brought to Sherlock Holmes. With the help of his outstanding performance, the movie managed to achieve just the right balance of humor, action and personal drama—and yet, not the same balance as in, say, Avengers, Thor, Deadpool, or Guardians of the Galaxy. I both laughed and exclaimed in excitement repeatedly, and even got choked up once or twice.
The movie made the best use of Industrial Light and Magic's (and other companies') special effects, giving us a heady and trippy brew of CGI and practical effects. I don't usually comment on movie special effects, except for, as in Iron Man 3, when the producers seem to forget that movies aren't about special effects, but the special effects in Doctor Strange really conveyed a perfect sense of the otherworldliness—or other dimensionality—of Doctor Strange's magical world that really enhanced to the movie, setting it apart from the other Avengers-related movies, despite occupying the same physical world.
I have give kudos too to composer Michael Giacchino, who also wrote the scores for the three recent Star Trek films, Jurassic World, Mission: Impossible—Ghost Protocol, Fringe, and the upcoming Star Wars: Rogue One. Giacchino gave us what I think might possibly be the single best score for a Kevin Feige Marvel movie to date.
I'd be remiss if I didn't mention the great performances by Chiwetel Ejiofor as Mordo, Strange's mentor, and Tilda Swinton as the enigmatic Ancient One. Despite limited time, Rachel McAdams put in a sympathetic, appealing performance as Strange's one-time romantic partner and fellow surgeon, Christine Palmer. Benedict Wong contributed a nuanced if brief performance as, well, Wong, the stoic librarian of the library of magic. Benjamin Bratt, who's done wonderful and varied performances on TV in Private Practice, 24, and Modern Family, and as the voice of an alternate Superman in Justice League: Gods and Monsters, did yeoman's service as Jonathan Pangborn, a character with almost no screen time who the filmmakers added secretly at the last minute and who plays an important role to the future of the film franchise.
The film contains one more brief but brilliant performance, but I won't spoil it for you except to say that you should definitely stick around for all of the film's closing credits. Doctor Strange was so good, in fact, that I'd recommend sticking around for the all of the film's closing credits at least twice.
Star Trek Beyond (2016)
My Favorite of the Three Rebooted Star Trek Movies
I saw Star Trek Beyond last night, and it was definitely my favorite of the three rebooted Star Trek movies. The director really seemed to learn from the mistakes JJ Abrams made in the last two movies. The movie had no huge JJ plot holes, better character development (ironically, since that's what JJ does best), no annoying lens flares, and a great many callbacks to the original series (and a couple of excellent ones to Star Trek: Enterprise). I literally did both laugh and cry. I was struck even more than in the earlier movies by just how powerfully Karl Urban evokes the feeling of DeForest Kelly's original Doctor McCoy. I'd very much like to see it again. :-)
The Man from U.N.C.L.E. (2015)
Surprisingly Good
I watched The Man from U.N.C.L.E. movie in bits and pieces over the last few days, and was surprised at how good it was. Henry Cavill was even more wooden than in Man of Steel, but as Napoleon Solo the woodenness came across well as Solo being cool as a cucumber. Armie Hammer was so good as the Russian with anger issues that I forgot he once also played a too-campy Lone Ranger. Much to my surprise, Hugh Grant really managed to pull of the whole Chief Waverly vibe I recall from the original 1960s TV series. The film has earned $190 million in world-wide revenues on a budget of only $75, so I'd hope that the studio would make a sequel, although a quick web search didn't turn up any evidence of plans for a sequel. Even working 65 hours a week I found the 116 minutes of diversion well worth the time. :-)
Star Wars: Episode VII - The Force Awakens (2015)
Not As Good as the Original Three, But Still Good
I just returned from the opening midnight showing of Star Wars: The Force Awakens. I'd say first off that the movie seems pretty typical for a J.J. Abrams movie: strong on character development and action, but weak on plot. I'd say though that perhaps the plot had a little more strength than the typical Abrams movie, while the character development and especially the action didn't quite rise to Abrams' usual standards.
I found the most compelling character development to take place between Han and Leia. I also found that Abrams managed to imbue the movie with more than a sprinkling of the ironic humor that made the original three Star Wars movies so funny, easily surpassing what often seemed like forced humor in the three Star Wars prequels. The action, however, simply couldn't live up to the prequels, which featured what are still easily the two greatest live-action lightsaber duals in the Star Wars universe. I got the feeling that Abrams, who as I understand it grew up watching the original three, went out of his way to avoid his usual glaring plot holes and avoided going to the action extremes of the three prequels, to make The Force Awakens feel more like the original three.
Perhaps nothing successfully evoked the feel of the original Star Wars movies better than Abrams' use of John Williams' score, both the old and the new—providing at appropriate points a sense of sorry and longing, a sense for foreboding, or a sense of excitement. I literally laughed and cried. The very last scene of the movie left me with a tear that ran all the way down my left cheek.
The Force Awakens contained at least two major plot reveals, and set the stage for what I suspect might be an even more major plot reveal in Star Wars VIII: The Force Returns in 2017.
While my favorite parts involved the original Star Wars cast members, I found Daisy Ridley a fresh, young talent as the new heroine, and John Boyega wasn't bad as Finn either.
I'm not usually a big fan of 3D, but I thought Abrams made rare good use of it, like when a star destroyer suddenly appeared about to collide with my face.
I'm having trouble deciding whether I like The Force Awakens any better than the three prequel movies. While I hated Jar Jar Binks, I never otherwise disliked the prequels the way that many fans did. If I had to guess about other fans, I'd say that more of them will rank The Force Awakens below the original three but above the prequel than any other ranking among fans.
47 Ronin (2013)
Pleasantly Surprised
The ads for 47 Ronin presented it as something like an old 1970s martial-arts movie, only with expensive special effects and a well-known lead. I felt pleasantly surprised, therefore, to discover that 47 Ronin actually used martial arts only as a means of furthering the excellent story, which deals well with such concepts as deceit, honor, sacrifice, justice, and doomed but eternal love. (WARNING: THE FIRST CLAUSE OF THE NEXT SENTENCE PROVIDES VAGUE SPOILERS.) Based on a true story about ronin (masterless samurai) who took revenge for the unjust death of their daimyo (lord) in early eighteenth-century Japan, 47 Ronin adds a touch of magic and a new character, the love interest played ably by Keanu Reeves, to round out the film for today's audiences. The mostly Japanese cast gave a stellar, nuanced performance, and the Hungarian locations provided a breathtaking, dramatic backdrop. I went to 47 Ronin expecting a mildly diverting entertainment but left feeling well entertained and just a bit inspired. I give it 4 stars.