Looking Back at the Films of 2021 Part 4 - The Ice Road

 

Yep, I'm back at it again with this segment. This time it has something to do with Liam Neeson with lots of snow and ice...again.

Why Didn't I See The Ice Road?

Now I was actually planning on reviewing this movie as a replacement just in case I wasn't able to see F9. But then I saw that there was a showing for that movie, so I scrapped a review for this movie and decided to save it for this segment.

What is The Ice Road?

The Ice Road is an action thriller movie. It was produced by CODE Entertainment, ShivHans Pictures, The Solution Entertainment Group, Envision Media Arts, Aperture Media Partners, and Manitoba Film and Music and distributed by Netflix. The Ice Road was written and directed by Jonathan Hensleigh. The story is an explosive has gone off in a diamond mine and has trapped 26 miners. Now Mike McCann along with his brother and other truckers have been tasked with hauling a wellheads that could save the miners lives. It could be something easy, but in order to get those wellheads to them, Mike and his group must travel on dangerous frozen lakes along with the harsh winter roads and weather.

My Thoughts

The Good: The only part that really keep me watching was Liam Neeson. Not only is he just one cool guy, but even with this film's quality, he still gives us a really good performance.

The Bad: The really awful thing about The Ice Road is the CGI. It's just bad. Sure, it comes off as slightly better than your typical SyFy original movie, but that still doesn't change the fact that they're very video game-esque graphics.

The Okay: There are three decent aspects to the film one of those being the action. While I do like the more hand-to-hand combat, this is one of those movies where the threat level of the environment itself could've been focused on as well. We still do have the threat of the ice roads, just not as much as there should've been, at least to me. The other okay aspect is the suspense. I thought the filmmakers did a decent job at that. It's just sometimes I wasn't fully into as much as I wanted to be. Although I did like one scene where our characters have to cross a bridge with a certain weight limit on it. That was a good intense moment. The last thing I'll get into is the characters. Once again, this is just okay. Mike and his brother are fine, but I do agree there should've been more development for them, especially since they are our main stars.

Final Verdict: Okay.

That's all for me folks. Come back on Monday, Jul 4th for my Classic Film Night review of An American Tail. Until then, enjoy the rest of your day.

Classic Film Night - E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial

 

E.T. the Extra Terrestrial (or simply E.T.) is a 1982 science fiction film. It was produced by Amblin Entertainment and distributed by Universal Pictures. E.T. the Extra Terrestrial was written by Melissa Mathison and directed by Steven Spielberg.

The story is a gentle alien has been stranded on Earth. The alien later dubbed E.T. is soon discovered by a boy named Elliot and they soon become good friends. Because of these chain of events, this soon gets the attention of the government.

My Thoughts

One of the best aspects of the film is the special effects. They're absolutely gorgeous, and practical wise they're very well crafted. Not only does E.T. look very convincing, but they still hold up to this day.

What also made E.T. such a classic is the performances. Despite mainly being child actors, they did a fantastic job. Henry Thomas (the guy who plays Elliot), is tremendous whenever he's on-screen with E.T.. You really buy that he formed a friendship with E.T. even though it's just a puppet.

Now I'm not really sure what I can say about Steven Spielberg's directing for this film that hasn't already been said. We all agree that there are many iconic shots. The most iconic is Elliot and E.T. flying on the bike and they fly right in front of the moon. Everyone knows of that shot, even if they haven't seen the movie.

The last thing I'll praise and it's the reason why the film is so beloved, and it how emotional it is. Seeing this story of Elliot befriending E.T. was so charming and wholesome. Even when this take a sad turn, you're also feeling that sad emotion cause you've been on this journey with these characters.

E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial is not only a classic family movie, but it's a classic movie in general. It's got great special effects, spectacular performances, Spielberg's directing is amazing, and it strikes you emotionally.

My final rating is A Must Watch.

So that's going to do it for me. Come back on Thursday, Jun 30th for another edition of Looking Back at the Films of 2021. Until then, enjoy the rest of your day.

Spiderhead Review

 

Spiderhead is a science fiction thriller movie based on George Saunders' short story "Escape from Spiderhead". The film is produced by Grand Electric and The New Yorker Studios and distributed by Netflix. Spiderhead is written by Rhett Reese and Paul Wernick and directed by Joseph Kosinski.

The story is Jeff along with other convinced criminals have agreed to be participants in an experimental drug that alters their minds. As this experiment goes on, Jeff is starting to suspect there's something else at play that him and everyone else aren't aware of.

Initial Reaction

There's two reasons why I wanted to see this movie. 1) the concept is very interesting. 2) The talent behind the camera. Joseph Kosinski has brought us some pretty good movies, and is absolutely killing it with Top Gun: Maverick. And you also have the writers those being Rhett Reese and Paul Wernick. They've also brought us good films such as both Zombieland movies, both Deadpool movies, and 6 Underground. So there's quite a lot going for this film.

Cons

Nothing for this section. Just move on.

Middle Ground

One thing that was pretty okay with Spiderhead is the uneasiness. It's still pretty good, but at the same time I wish there was just a little bit more. I'm not saying the film had to go full on let's say a horror flick, because it's very clear it's not that kind of movie. What I'm saying is there could've been more scenes, or maybe scenes rewritten, where there are a lot of times where you don't feel good about what's going on. Like I said before, some scenes are uneasy and intense. My other mix feelings come from the humor. Sometimes it works, but there are scenes where it didn't feel necessary. Like when Jeff and Lizzy are running away, there's a pantry joke and given the situation, it really didn't feel needed.

Pros

Now we're in the pros section, and one of those pros is the performances. Miles Teller and Jurnee Smollett were both very good in their own right, but it's Chris Hemsworth that really steals the show. Much like his previous films such as Bad Times at the El Royale and Extraction, this is one of those films where we really get to see his range as an actor. And I'm hoping after he's done with Thor, he goes for more rules like that that showcase his acting skills. I also actually liked the twist. Now I knew it had something to do with the drug that our characters were taking, but what exactly I didn't know. So I was very surprised to what it actually is. The last thing I'll say about the film is even though the script is okay, overall the movie is beautiful. Kosinski gave us great shots of the landscape. Kind of makes me want to take a trip there.

Spiderhead is definitely one of the better Netflix movies. It's got great performances, I thought there was a good twist, and the cinematography was really good. I think what could've been worked on more was a better feeling of uneasiness and some bits that could have removed some of the more humor bits.

My final rating is Okay.

That's all for me. Come back on Monday, Jun 27th for a brand new Classic Film Night. For that one I'll be reviewing E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial. Until then, enjoy the rest of your day.

A Look Back at The Umbrella Academy - Season 2

 

We're getting season three of The Umbrella Academy soon. So it's time to review the last season.

The Umbrella Academy is a comic book web show based on the Dark Horse Comics' series of the same name. The series is produced by Dark Horse Entertainment, Borderline Entertainment, and Universal Content Productions and distributed by Netflix. The show was developed by Steve Blackman and Jeremy Slater. This season consist of ten episodes.

The story is after the events of the first season, Five and the rest of his siblings find themselves scattered across Dallas in the 1960s. Five later learns from Hazel that a nuclear doomsday is coming and not only is it somehow linked to JFK not being assassinated, but that him and his siblings have only ten days to stop it.

• Negatives

I've got nothing, so just move onto the mix section of the review.

• Mix

Now there is quite a bit of good character development through this season. We get to see what some of the members of Umbrella Academy have been up to since they got to the 60s. The mix bag is some of the character's thinking is very questionable to me. For instance, Allison is not only married but, is also but of the civil rights movement. So what's the issue? The issue stems from it felt like she was putting those aspects of her life, other than stopping the apocalypse. She should know that none of that stuff is gonna matter if it's all wiped out by a nuclear doomsday. And not just her either, there are plenty of moments like that as well. So it really felt like instead of stopping the problem at hand, some of the doomsday stuff was put to the wayside for more dramatic moments.

Then we have the pacing. It wasn't too bad, but there were a lot of times that episodes had moments that felt slower than others were the pacing was pretty good.

• Positives

Let's get into some of the positives, one of those being the action. This time around we're giving a lot of fun action sequences. Hell, the first episode opens up with a crazy action scene involving Russian soldiers and it was sweet. I also think this time around they turn violence up, which made those scenes even more brutal.

Another thing I liked is much like the first season, we're giving great bits of humor. There was a great moment where Diego and Luther didn't quite understand a foreign language, and I do believe one innocent old lady got the scare of her life. That was a great bit that got a big laugh out of me.

Even though I had issues with the writing when it came to the characters, I still gotta give the cast credit. They still do a fantastic job, I love seeing how the handle what the characters are going through, and they once again continue that great chemistry that had during the first season.

Speaking of the first season. Much like that one, we're left that a huge cliffhanger. Where the Umbrella Academy see that things aren't quite the same, and definitely make me excited for season three.

This season wasn't too bad. We've got some fun action, good humor, the cast once again being fantastic, and a very interesting cliffhanger. Although this time around I felt some of the characters properties weren't exactly on straight and the pacing could feel off sometimes. But it wasn't that big of a deal.

My final rating is Good.

Okay, that's going to do it for me. But I'm not done with Netflix just yet, cause on Thursday, Jun 23rd I'll be reviewing their newest movie, Spiderhead. Until then, enjoy the rest of your day.

Lightyear Review

 

Lightyear is a 3-D animated science fiction action adventure film and a spin-off of the Toy Story film series. The movie's produced by Pixar Animation Studios and Walt Disney Pictures and distributed by Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures. Lightyear is written by Angus MacLane and Jason Headley and directed by Angus MacLane.

The story is Buzz Lightyear and his crew have stuck on a hostile planet that's 4.2 million light-years from Earth. He's only hope is to solve this problem along with a group of ambitious crew and their robot cat companion. But matters get even more complicated with the arrival of Zurg and his ruthless army of robots.

Initial Reaction

The reasons for wanting to see Lightyear are simple. 1) Buzz is my favorite Toy Story character. So much so that not only did I watch the movie Buzz Lightyear of Star Command: The Adventure Begins and the series, but I also got the toys and played with them a lot. And 2) I really dug the marketing. It really looked like this could be an exciting sci-fi movie.

Cons

The only thing I hated was the post-credit scene. All it was was a joke about how a robot was going over instructions, then turns around and finds out that everyone is gone. When are studios gonna knock it off with these pointless joke credits. For real, they serve no real purpose, and it makes a lot people (myself included) feel like they just wasted their time.

Middle Ground

One of the two biggest mix bags with the movie is the humor. I thought from the human characters it was fine. Honestly I felt like the best came from Sox. I thought he was pretty funny. The other mix bag was Buzz, he's crew, and Zurg. I'll get into the Buzz part later, anyhow really even though I didn't have a problem with them, at the same time I will admit that I won't be surprised if nobody remembers them and only remember Buzz and Zurg. Which is a perfect time to discuss those two. Once again, they fine. Buzz is just a decent sci-fi hero at best. Which kinda makes it odd considering this was the character that got a toyline in the Toy Story universe. Then there's Zurg. Again, he's an alright character, but I can see the big twist with really dividing people. I myself really don't know how I feel about it.

Pros

Now I'll keep this brief, yes the animation is amazing. Pixar can do no wrong when it comes to animation. Another pro to the film is Chris Evans. Yes, it does take awhile to get use to his voice when you're so use to Tim Allen, but by the end of the movie, I thought he did a pretty good job. The last thing I'll give credit where it's due is the overlook of the movie. Even though the story is just okay, the art style and cinematography are great. Unlike Pixar's last film [Turning Red], this had a great cinematic flare to it.

Even though Lightyear wasn't as great as I was hoping, it's not too bad. We got some great animation, a good look to the film, and Chris's voice for Buzz was pretty good. The more decent aspects are the humor and characters. Not bad, just decent. The only stupid thing was the post-credit scene. Seriously, Disney, Marvel, or any other studio, STOP WITH THESE POINTLESS JOKE CREDIT SCENES! Everyone is feed up with them!

My final rating is Okay.

So that's going to do it for me. Come back on Monday, Jun 20th for my review of season two of The Umbrella Academy. Until then, enjoy the rest of your day.

Terror on the Prairie Review

 

Terror on the Prairie is a western film. The movie is produced by The Daily Wire and Bonfire Legend and distributed by The Daily Wire. Terror on the Prairie is written by Josiah Nelson and directed by Michael Polish.

The story is Hattie McAllister is a frontier woman living out on the Montana plains. Then, all of the quietness comes to an end. Now she must protect herself from ruthless gang of outlaws. Will she survive or is she doomed?

Initial Reaction

After seeing their previous films, those being Run Hide Fight, Shut In, and The Hyperions, I was curious if this film would be just as good as the previous ones. Cause regardless of how you feel about The Daily Wire, I think we can kind of agree they have been bringing some pretty good movies.

Cons

I've got nothing to say, so just move on.

Middle Ground

The one and only thing I'm gonna put in this section is the cinematography. Now, the overall look of the movie is by no means bad, far from it actually. I just found it to be okay. Nothing horrible, and certainly nothing spectacular. Just an overall serviceable design.

Pros

One thing I'll give credit is the dark tone. This tone fits perfectly with the movie, and it really made me laugh that people were complaining about because they wanted something "family friendly" or "fun". Never mind the fact we've always had dark western films such as The Dollars Trilogy (aka The Man with No Name Trilogy), High Noon, Unforgiven, and many others that came before this one. Also, this woman and her family are isolated and trying to survive from a group of killers....yeah, with a small summary like that I don't think we were in for a big laugh riot. So I don't get what some people are complaining about, because the tone works. What I also enjoyed from the movie was the acting. No, it's not something award winning, however it's still really good. It was especially great to see Gina Carano again after she was wrongfully fried from The Mandalorian. What I also enjoyed from Terror on the Prairie was surprisingly the lack of music, or as I should say no music. For some that was an issue and I can see where they're coming from, but for me not really. I actually thought it fit well with how isolated Hattie and her family is, and it made the action scenes feel more intense. Also if a movie like No Country for Old Men can have a lack of a score, why can't other films challenge themselves and give that method a try? The last thing I'll give props to is the action. While it is fun to see the shoot outs, what really made them work was how intense they were. I actually had a couple of moments where I tensed up during those scenes. And I think that's why those scenes worked so well, it wasn't about the next person getting shot. It was about how stressful and terrifying a situation like that is.

The Daily Wire provide yet another pretty good flick. We're giving a perfectly executed dark tone, good acting, the lack of music felt more like a plus than a negative, and the action is intense. Although while the overlook of the movie isn't that impressive, at least it was decent enough.

My final rating is Good.

Alright, that's going to do it for me. Come back on Saturday, Jun 18th for my review of Pixar's newest film, Lightyear. Until then, enjoy the rest of your day.

Hustle Review

 

Hustle is a sports drama film. It's produced by Happy Madison Productions, SpringHill Company, and Roth/Kirschebaum Films and distributed by Netflix. Hustle is written by Will Fetters and Taylor Materne and directed by Jeremiah Zagar.

The story is former basketball scout Stanley Sugarman is very much down and his luck and his seen better days. After witnessing an incredible set of skills by a man named Bo Cruz, Stanley decides to take him overseas and have in play in the NBA.

Initial Reaction

The reason why I wanted to see this because after watching Uncut Gems, I was very curious about Adam Sandler's more dramatic/serious roles. And after watching those movies I was interested in seeing Sandler do another more serious movie.

Cons

I've got nothing to say. Let's move on.

Middle Ground

Now I'm being honest when I say yes, this is a predictable movie. However, I'm almost willing to forgive it for that, because after it was over, I was very surprised of how well executed everything was.

Pros

One pro to this film is the humor. I wouldn't be surprised to hear that when they saw the Happy Madison logo they were afraid that the humor would be annoying/bad. But it's not. It's very contained and subtle. In matter of fact, the humor is primarily dialogue heavy. So if you were scared that it was gonna be over the top, but that worry aside, because that's by no means the case. Now this story isn't based on an actual basketball player, but the story felt so realistic. Bo actually has to go through a process of reaching the big time. I wouldn't be surprised if the filmmakers did a little bit of research, like asking real basketball players of how they got to where they are, or if it was just searching through the internet. Either way, it was nice too have some truth in an otherwise fictional story. What was also great aspect of Hustle was Stanley and Bo's journeys. Stanley is really not getting along with his boss, and he also still feels horrible about an incident that happened years ago, that really messed up his hand. So it almost feels like he wants to make up for that mistake by doing whatever he can to make basketball better anyway he can. Then we have Bo. Sure, he's very much a talented basketball player, but he really is just going through the motions. So throughout the film we're witnessing him having to break through that barrier. But, at the same time he also is kinda walking on eggshells, because he did something in the past, where if he screws up, he could lose this spectacular opportunity. So really you just want both to succeed with their goals. The last thing I'll praise and it's the best thing about this movie is Adam Sandler's performance. He once again gives a phenomenal performance. He killed it playing a man who is truly passionate about this sport. That speech he gave about how there's those that are obsessed with basketball, and then there are those that are talented was delivered perfectly. If Sandler ever decides to stop doing comedy films and do more serious stuff, I wouldn't be against that.

Hustle is actually a really good sports flick. It's got great humor, a realistic story despite being fictional, Stanley and Bo going through great journeys, and a spectacular performance from Adam Sandler. Sure, it's predictable, but because of the final product you can easily brush that off.

My final rating is Great.

Okay, I'm all done here. Come back on Thursday, Jun 16th for my review of The Daily Wire's newest film, Terror on the Prairie. Until then, enjoy the rest of your day.

Jurassic World: Dominion Review

 

Jurassic World: Dominion is a sci-fi action film, as well as the sequel to Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom, and the sixth installment of the Jurassic Park franchise. It's also the final film in the Jurassic World trilogy. The movie is produced by Amblin Entertainment and Perfect World Pictures and distributed by Universal Pictures. Jurassic World: Dominion is written by Colin Trevorrow, Emily Carmichael, and Derek Connolly and directed by Colin Trevorrow.

The story is it's been four years after the events of Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom, and dinosaurs are now living and hunting alongside humans all around the world. This has caused an usual balance between the two species. Now humans have to prove if they can be the dominate breed with history's most fearsome creatures.

Initial Reaction

Now having to actually really like the Jurassic World movies, naturally I would want to know how this series ends. Also the concept. Dinosaurs and humans having to live amongst themselves, that's a really great idea, that I don't think has been explored all that much.

Cons

I've got nothing to say. Let's move on.

Middle Ground

One of three mix bags with Jurassic World: Dominion is the pacing. While a lot if not all of the Jurassic films have a very fast pace, this one did feel slow in some pits. We're still in a somewhat fast pace, but very once in a while you did get a scene that does feel slightly slower than the others. Another gray area is the ending. It's not bad, it's just felt more like shrug. Like "Oh, that's the ending? Okay". While it's not the big grand ending some might have wanted, I understand why they went that routine. They could've gone with the other option, but I felt like that probably would've pissed more people off. Which leads me the last part of this segment, and that final slight issue is the storylines. One story we have Owen & Claire have go to rescue Maisie cause she got kidnapped along with Blue's child, and the other story is Alan, Ellie, and Ian finding out that there's something shady with a big corporation. The slight issue is while both stories aren't bad is just that the kidnapping story while is pretty decent, is definitely overshadowed by the Alan, Ellie, and Ian story. There really should've been a rewrite where both stories are just as equally good.

Pros

One thing I want to give credit to is the action. Like the previous Jurassic flicks, we're given some awesome scenes, that just give you a thrill. My favorite one was the chase scene involving Atrociraptors in Malta. That was a pretty fun one. But the best part of the entire movie was the cast. Whether it's the Jurassic World characters, or the Jurassic Park trio, or both of them together. They did a great job despite the script clearly needing just a little bit for work. I love seeing them interact with each other, and it's truly one of those once in a lifetime things, that I'm glad I got to witness.

Now we've probably heard that Jurassic World: Dominion is being called "the worst", and while the movie is by no means perfect it by no means deserves to be called "the worst" by any means. While the pacing, the ending, and one story is more interesting than the other, those aspects aren't terrible, they're just okay. And there been just a little more work, I think people would've been less harsh. But I think we can all agree, that the action and the performances we're absolutely good.

My final rating is Okay.

Sure, this movie just being decent might be a bummer considering this was capping off a big finale, but it could've been far worse. Anyhow, that's going to do it for me. Come back on Monday, Jun 13th for my review of the newest Adam Sandler/Netflix movie, Hustle. Until then, enjoy the rest of your day.

A Look Back at The Boys - Season 2

 

Well, The Boys season 3 will be arriving soon, which means it's time for me to review season two.

The Boys is a comic book web show based on the comic book series of the same name. The show is produced by Amazon Studios, Sony Pictures Television, Kripke Enterprise, Point Grey Pictures, Original Film, Kickstart Entertainment, and KFL Nightsky Productions and distributed by Amazon Studios. The Boys was developed by Eric Kripke, and this season consist of eight episodes.

The story is after the events of season one The Boys are wanted criminals. As they're trying to wipe the slate clean, the stumble upon a mystery regrading the Seven's newest member Stormfront. And just add on to their list of problems, Butcher's wife Becca is not only alive, but is being held captive.

• Negatives

Nothing to say here, so just move on.

• Mix

Now the humor, while great in the first season, here it could've used a little more work. It's still funny in a lot of cases, but the satire was a different story. While some of worked, there was too many instances where the stuff they were satirizing was a little on the nose to say the least, and when compared to the first season, season one was definitely more subtle.

• Positives

One thing to like about this season was much like season one, the violence doesn't hold back. It's just as brutal and shocking as it was before. The most jaw dropping violent scenes came from a court scene and what happened with Stormfront at the season finale.

What was also really good was the character development. We're giving a lot of backstory with our characters, and it's not just with Billy Butcher and Homelander (even though they most definitely have the best), but we also get more stories with characters such as Frenchie, and what kind of guilt he's been carrying around with him due to a past mistake.

Another aspect of this season was again we're giving great performances from the cast. Both Karl Urban and Antony Starr continue to nail with their characters, but the others also do great job as well. Whether they have to be funny, broken, overly dramatic, or in Karen Fukuhara's case having to use sign language or body language, the acting is incredible and continues to be the highlight of the show.

The last thing I'll write about is the ending. First off we're trying to figure out who's making people's heads explode, and the person doing is definitely someone we didn't see coming, but one of the members of The Boys also gets a job with an enemy they don't know about. It really makes you curious of where the story will go, as well as leave you shocked.

Overall season two was good. We've got brutal violence, great character development, stunning performances, and a great ending. But what slightly brought the season down was while it was still funny, a lot of the satire was a bit more heavy handed this time around.

My final rating is Good.

Okay, that's going to do it for me. I'm really looking forward to season three. Also, come back on Saturday, Jun 11th for my review of Jurassic World: Dominion. Until then, enjoy the rest of your day.