Looking Back at the Films of 2021 Part 9 - Tick, Tick...Boom!, House of Gucci, and Resident Evil: Welcome to Raccoon City

 

I'm back again with this segment, and today's films are Tick, Tick...Boom!, House of Gucci, and Resident Evil: Welcome to Raccoon City. Let's get to it.

Why Didn't I See Tick, Tick...Boom!?

Now I truly did want to see this movie, mainly to support Andrew Garfield. Not only because he's a fantastic actor, but also because around this time there was all of these leaks and speculations regrading Spider-Man: No Way Home, made me want to see this film even more. So...what happened? Simple, I sadly forgot all about it.

What is Tick, Tick...Boom!?

Tick, Tick...Boom! is a biographical musical comedy drama film. It was produced by Imagine Entertainment and 5000 Broadway Productions and distributed by Netflix. Tick, Tick...Boom! was written by Steven Levenson and directed by Lin-Manuel Miranda. The story is Jonathan Larson wants to be a successful composter before he turns 30. With his birthday just over a week away, Jonathan must fight through this pressure in order to achieve his dream, all while handling other problems that come with being an aspiring artist.

My Thoughts

The Good: Now Andrew Garfield got nothing but praise for his role in this, and after watching, I saw why. He's truly putting his heart into this performance. He's acting is truly amazing, and is the film's greatest strength. Now I'm really a musical guy, typically I'll only watch them if a director or actor I know is part of them. But I gotta say, I enjoyed the songs in this. So much do I even have not one, not two, not there, but four favorites. Those being 30/90, Johnny Can't Decide (really liked that one), Why, and Louder Than Words. The last thing I'll praise is the story. Whether you're a theatre guy like Jonathan Larson was, or not, I think a lot of people can relate to his story. Whether it's theatre, art, movies, books, comics, something. You can relate to working on something so hard, that it took up years of your life, and all you're asking for is that one big break, just one. Then this movie is something you'll get behind.

The Bad: I've got nothing here folks.

The Okay: Now cinematography wise, it's okay. It's by no means bad, it's not even close to being bad. What I mean is it was clearly handled nicely, but I never really thought it looked like the most amazing thing put on screen. But still, it's good for what it was.

Final Verdict: Great.

Why Didn't I See House of Gucci?

I actually was hoping to see this one, mainly because of Ridley Scott. He's one of my many favorite directors, so when I heard he was coming out with this movie, I thought I'd give it a shot. But sadly that wasn't gonna happen anytime soon, because my theater didn't have a showing.

What is House of Gucci?

House of Gucci is a biographical crime drama flick, based on the 2001 book titled The House of Gucci: A Sensational Story of Murder, Madness, Glamour, and Greed. The film was produced by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, Bron Creative, and Scott Free Productions and distributed by United Artists Releasing. House of Gucci was written by Becky Johnston and Roberto Bentivegna and directed by Rildey Scott. The story is Maurizio Gucci meets Patrizia Reggiani at a party, and they soon become a couple. Despite knowing he'll be disinherited from the famous Gucci name if he marries her, he goes threw with anyways. This decision will soon lead everyone down a path of betrayal, revenge, and ultimately murder.

My Thoughts

The Good: Now even if you're disappointed with the film, whether you saw when it first came out, or just watched it not too long ago, I think we can all agree that the performances are spectacular. While you still know who's who, you definitely feel like everyone from Lady Gaga to Al Pacino and etc. just disappear into their roles. Even actors who aren't in the movie that long, which is the case for Jeremy Irons, do a fantastic job with their role. Another thing that helped despite some issues, was Ridley Scott's directing. I don't know if there's anything I can say about his directing, that hasn't already been said. He does a fantastic job showing off how glamorous the products are, while at the same time showing off the dark side of the Gucci family/empire.

The Bad: I've got nothing. Just move on to the next part.

The Okay: One slight issue I had was with the pacing. Sure, there are a lot of parts where it's really good. Other times it drags. Almost to the point where I wouldn't be surprised to hear people clocking out of this film, despite it being from Ridley Scott. Another gray area is the story. Everything with Patrizia is actually really good. It's definitely the story that most people were interested in. But then you've got subplots a lot of which I don't believe needed to be there. Some could've stayed, but then there were others that we definitely could've been better off without.

Final Verdict: Okay.

Why Didn't I See Resident Evil: Welcome to Raccoon City?

If any of you saw my most anticipated list from 2021, then you probably saw that this movie was on the list. And guess what? Much like with House of Gucci, my theater didn't have a showing. So thus, no review, until it comes to this segment.

What is Resident Evil: Welcome to Raccoon City?

Resident Evil: Welcome to Raccoon City is an action horror film based on the Capcom games Resident Evil. It serves as a reboot of the Resident Evil film series, as well as the seventh live-action film in the franchise. The movie's produced by Screen Gems, Constantin Film, Davis Raccoon Films, The Fyzz Facility, and The Tea Shop and Film Company and distributed by Sony Pictures Releasing. Resident Evil: Welcome to Raccoon City was written and directed by Johannes Roberts. The story is a deadly virus called the T-virus has broke out and are infecting people, turning them into cannibalistic monsters. Now a group of officers are given a few hours to uncover the truth of the virus, while at the same time find a way out of a zombie-infected town. 

My Thoughts

The Good: The movie does a pretty good job with the story. You can tell the filmmakers actually did research for the story this time around. I understand some people did take issue with the writer [Johannes Roberts] combing the stories from the first Resident Evil game, and Resident Evil 2, and even throwing in stuff from the remakes of those games in here. But consider this, you had the first Resident Evil movie, which was fine and could actually fit within that universe. But then came Apocalypse all the way through The Final Chapter, which barely or didn't at all give you stuff from the games. I say if you had to choose, you'd definitely go with Welcome to Raccoon City.

The Bad: The only thing I found truly bad about this film, was the characters. It's bad enough people took issue with the cast not looking like the characters, but the personalities, oh boy. That's another story. Jill Valentine is now gun happy, something I never got from her character in the games. Wesker is also pretty bad. So much so that he even apologizes for doing something wrong, something which he'd never do. But the worst came from Leon S. Kennedy. The only things they got right about him, was that he's a rookie cop and his name. Other than that there's nothing else that would've indicated that this is the same guy from the games. So to all of you Leon fans out there, you have my sympathies.

The Okay: The slightly good stuff comes from the action and the special effects. The action is fairly standard, but handled well. Now the practical effects are actually quite good, I liked them. CGI is a different story. There might have been maybe one or two times it didn't look too bad. But from CGI zombie dogs to a train, yeah it's not very good.

Final Verdict: Okay.

So, that's going to do it for me. Come back on Saturday, Dec 3rd, for my review of Violent Night. Been waiting for that one. Until then, enjoy the rest of your day.

Classic Film Night - Heat

 

Heat is a crime drama movie. It was produced by Warner Bros., Regency Enterprises and Forward Press and distributed by Warner Bros. Heat was written and directed by Michael Mann.

The story is master criminal Neil McCauley is planning one last heist before he retires, while at the same time maintain his code. As this is happening Lieutenant Hanna is attempting to capture McCauley, while also trying to deal with his struggling marriage and the health of his daughter. Eventually these two men will have a respect for each other, but at the same time they know one thing. This will only end with one or the other dead.

My Thoughts

One thing I absolutely love about Heat is Michael Mann's directing. He crafted a beautifully directed movie, there's so many gorgeous shots through the film. But what was also great about his directing was, not only did it look very realistic, but Michael didn't let that stop him by having some very stylized shots.

What also makes Heat such an amazing film, was the performances from our two main stars, Al Pacino and Robert De Niro. These two are truly one of the three biggest highlights of the film. They not only deliver their lines perfectly, and also have great chemistry once they're both on screen together. But there are scenes where they can say so much with saying so little, or without saying anything at all.

Now there is action in this, but it's very limited. I'm not saying that as a bad thing, cause it's clear that's not what the movie was meant to be. I'll get into that later. What I am saying is, while the action is limited, it's still really great. What's so great about was not only was well done, but it's very intense. While I liked them, I felt like I wasn't meant to have fun with those scenes. Which makes sense given the type of gritty realism this film is clearly shooting for.

Which now brings me to number two of the three biggest highlights of the film, and that's the dialogue. There's many quotable lines throughout the film. That dinner scene between McCauley and Hana is filled with great quotes. When rewatching this film I felt as though there are three filmmakers who aspiring filmmakers should study when it comes to wanting good dialogue in their films. In no particular order it goes the Coen Brothers, Quentin Tarantino, and Michael Mann.

Now to tell the third biggest highlight of the film, and it's really what makes the film truly amazing, and that's how there's a strong focus on character. This film is a character study. Sure you get heist and action, but at the movie's core it's all about the characters. We get to know so much about them. What they stand for, why they do what they do, how their actions effect the people around them. Even the minor characters get some focus here and there. There's such a strong emphasis on character, I'm willing to bet someone out there probably analyzed this film and very likely talked about the same thing I did. So earlier when I said it was clear Michael Mann wasn't focused on making an action film, this is what I was writing about. Mann clearly wanted to make a character-driven drama, as supposed to another action flick. And he truly succeeded at that.

Heat is an incredible movie, and one that I love. It's got wonderful directing, great performances, limited but intense action, fantastic dialogue, and a strong focus on the characters.

My final rating is A Must Watch.

So that's going to do it for me. Due come back on Thursday, Nov 24th, for part nine of Looking Back at the Films of 2021. Until then, enjoy the rest of your day.

Disenchanted Review

 

Disenchanted is a musical fantasy comedy film and the sequel to 2007's Enchanted. The movie's produced by Walt Disney Pictures, Josephson Entertainment, and Right Coast Productions and distributed by Disney+. Disenchanted is written by Brigitte Hales and directed by Adam Shankman.

The story is it's been years since the events of the last movie, and Giselle, Robert, Morgan, and baby Sophia have moved from Manhattan to a new house in the suburbs of Monroeville. However things aren't going well for them. So Giselle makes a wish for everything to be a fairytale. This turns out to be a horrible idea because not only is Giselle turning wicked, but if things aren't changed back by midnight, Monroeville will be a fairytale forever.

Initial Reaction

The sole reason why I wanted to watch/review this was because I really loved Enchanted. So when I heard a sequel was coming out, I was interested. Although I was also a bit concerned, because the original writer and director didn't return for this. So I was thinking this could end badly, but was still hopeful we'd get something good.

Cons

Nothing here folks. So move on.

Middle Ground

One slight issue that I did have much like the first film is the CGI. Still good in some areas, while others could've used more work. The ultimate gray are though comes from the story. Now overall, in the grand scheme of things, this isn't by any stretch a bad story. It's pretty good. Where it slightly drops is it really didn't capture the charm of the first film. Don't get me wrong, there are quite a few charming moments here and there, but when comparing it to the first, there's no doubt that Enchanted wins.

Pros

One thing that was pretty good was the humor. Again, not as good as the first, but at least I had a lot instead of only a few. What I also liked was we yet again got that 2D animation. I was really glad that also carried over from the prequel. Just like the first time around, it captures the old school look of previous Disney flicks. The last thing I'll give credit to, or this case to who is Amy Adams. While it's obvious we're only dealing with a decent film, Amy Adams' performance is worth watching the whole movie. She does a fantastic job having to play both a good Giselle and bad Giselle, or having to play both at the same time. So hats off to Amy.

While I wasn't by any means disappointed by Disenchanted, I do admit you don't really have to immediately watch this. We've got good jokes, nicely 2D animation, and of Amy Adams. Where the film needed more work was not only with the CGI, but the story. Again, it's not a bad one by any means, but maybe a rewrite here and there could've made it just a bit better.

My final rating is Okay.

That's going to do it for me. Come back on Monday, Nov 21st, for my Classic Film Night review of Heat. Until then, enjoy the rest of your day.

A Look Back at Enchanted (2007)

 

With Disenchanted arriving very soon, it's time to look back at the film that started it all.

Enchanted is a musical fantasy comedy film that both parodies and pays tribute to Disney's animated features. The movie was produced by Walt Disney Pictures, Josephson Entertainment, Andalasia Productions, and Right Coast Productions and distributed by Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures. Enchanted was written by Billy Kelly and directed by Kevin Lima.

The story is Prince Edward has found his true love with Giselle. Knowing this will dethrone her, the evil queen Narissa comes up with a plan. She tricks Giselle and pushes her down a well. This in return sends Giselle to the real world in New York. Now she wants to find her way back home, so she can go and marry the love of her life.

• Negatives

I've got nothing, so just keep scrolling.

• Mix

If there's one thing that bothered me just a little bit, but nothing I'm gonna lose sleep over, it would be the CGI. There's many times when it's pretty good, other times it could've used just a bit more polishing. Mainly with the final fight with the dragon.

• Positives

One thing that made the film an entertaining experience was the 2D animation. It perfectly captured the look and feel of Disney's older animated films.

What also really worked was the humor. I was having a great laugh through and through when I re-watched this. The best bits came from Giselle and Prince Edward. Those two were hilarious when you put them together.

Now we have Amy Adams. It's no wonder this was the film that made her a leading lady. She's phenomenal in this. She really captured not only Giselle's childlike wonder, but also perfectly captures when there's a change in her personality.

The other fantastic aspect of Enchanted was how yes, it's a parody, but it also still serves as a homage. Both of these perfectly balanced. The homage side will definitely have you reminiscing about the classic Disney films. While the parody is making fun of the Disney tropes and clichés, there still felt like there was love there. So if anything it's a kind hearted spoof on Disney.

The last thing I'll praise, and it was something I never realized when I watched it the first time, but realize it now having re-watched it. What I'm referring to is the character development. Mainly from Giselle and Robert. Giselle is more of an optimistic dreamer, where as Robert definitely acts more of a realist. And the more time they spend with each other, Giselle while still being the most joyful of the two, she would later on realize there's still times when you got to be realistic. With Robert he really went through a transformation, where he's not so uptight and nihilistic. He can still be serious, but not having to sacrifice being joyful in his own right. So when these two eventually have their own love story, it feels natural, as suppose to being forced.

Enchanted is a wonderful film. It's got great 2D animation before transitioning into live-action, hilarious humor, a fantastic performance from Amy Adams, a perfect balance between tribute and spoof, and surprising amount of character development. While the CGI is by no means awful, there were times when it could've used more work.

My final rating is Great.

That's all for now. Come back on Saturday, Nov 19th, for my review of Disenchanted. Until then, enjoy the rest of your day.

Black Panther: Wakanda Forever Review

 

Black Panther: Wakanda Forever is a comic book movie, it's based on the Marvel Comics' character Black Panther. Black Panther: Wakanda Forever is not only the 30th film in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, but it also serves as a sequel to 2018's Black Panther. The movie's produced by Marvel Studios and distributed by Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures. Black Panther: Wakanda Forever is written by Ryan Coogler and Joe Robert Cole and directed by Ryan Coogler.

The story is T'Challa has sadly died. After this tragic event, things just haven't been the same. But soon everyone will have to but these heartbroken feelings aside, because a man going by the name of Namor has invaded Wakanda. Now the people must fight to protect their homeland, or surrender to Namor.

Initial Reaction

In all honest, I just didn't have much faith in this movie. Not because I don't think the people in front or behind the camera aren't talented, but the fact that Marvel had this weird stubbornness to recast T'Challa, even though Chadwick Boseman himself would've wanted a recast. The reason why this was a big issue was not only was this Chadwick's request, but because 1) Marvel's recast actors before, and are still doing now, what with Harrison Ford being new the Thaddeus Ross after William Hurt's tragic passing. 2) Because of this decision not too recast, everyone including myself, now have to worry about finding some convoluted way to explain T'Challa's death and why there's a new Black Panther. But I'm more than willing to give a movie a chance.

Cons

Oh boy, where do I even begin with the amount of problems with this flick? I'll start with the pacing. This movie's total runtime is 2 hrs. and 41 minutes, and it felt like that. At no point did it ever feel like I was in a full speed action extravaganza. It was just so slow I almost felt bored watching this. The issue comes from not one, but two characters. Those sadly being Shuri herself, and Riri. In the first film, Shuri's very likable, even I liked her. But they butchered her character in this one. After an intense first battle with Namor, she wanted revenge. Okay, sure, we've seen superheroes go for revenge before, but it's really messed up here. She was willing to go to war, and basically scarifice everyone on both sides...just to get to one specific guy. That's not a hero, that's a villain. And I get what they're trying to do. They're trying to do the whole revenge is consuming her, just like it almost consumed T'Challa in Captain America: Civil War. The difference is T'Challa wanted to do it alone, not bring in people to help him despite the fact he knows there's a high percentage that they'll die. Then there's Riri. Many people found her annoying...and yeah, she is. But when she's not being annoying, she's just being boring. Which begs the question of why Marvel's doing a series on her when she's two of the worst things a character could be. The other major problem was the writers are desperately trying to make you think our heroes/the Wakandans are in grave danger, when really we have no reason to feel that way. Let's do a quick recap of all of the things the Wakandans fought or been though prior to this film.

In Black Panther, Killmonger dethrones T'Challa, takes over Wakanda, and nearly used their technology to destroy the world. But thankfully he was stopped.

In Avengers: Infinity War, both Black Panther and the Wakandans fought Thanos' army along with other members of the Avengers, all in effort to protect Vision. They failed, Thanos snaps away half of the universe's population, and a lot of Wakandans died, T'Challa included.

In Avengers: Endgame, they go five whole years without King T'Challa. Then when he's resurrected he leads them to fight alongside other army of heroes to combat against Thanos and his entire fleet. Which in the end they won.

So while yes they should be treating Namor like a threat, there's no reason why they should be treating him like he's going to bring about the end of days. And no, him and his army also having vibranium doesn't count, because Killmonger basically had access to the same stuff.

What was also another major problem with the film was T'Challa's death wasn't a proper ending for the character. Not only did they kill him off-screen, but they had him die from an unknown disease. I'll get into the issue with the disease thing later. So not only do we get a lame send-off, but it's not even a heroic one at that. If Marvel Studios truly wanted to give tribute to Chadwick, then have T'Challa go out heroically, more importantly have him die fighting to protect the home he loves, or what they should've done is just recast the character. Like I said before, Chadwick was okay with the character he played being recasted. But because neither Marvel Studios or the rest of the filmmakers didn't do that, the film just feels empty without T'Challa there, and no amount of giving the mantle to Shuri is gonna change that. The last thing I'll rip the film apart for, and it's something it rightfully deserves to be criticized for, and that's the milking of Chadwick's death. I mean it folks, this movie just couldn't stop with exploiting Chadwick's death. For instance, I mentioned earlier how T'Challa died from a diease...and what did Chadwick die for? Cancer, which is a disease. And when their not using something that really happened to Chadwick, the rest of it just "Black Panther's dead, just like Chadwick", "Oh there's no Black Panther to save us, because T'Challa's dead!" or something disturbingly similar to those. So this whole movie was using Chadwick's death, as a way to manipulate you into feeling sorry for the entire film, and hope you'll be nice to it. That's disgusting, and the director, writers, producers, and studio should be ashamed of themselves for using such a cheap and gross tactic. If they truly were honoring Chadwick like they said they were prior to this film being released, then they would've killed his character in a heroic/honorable way, or the better option, respected Chadwick's wish, and recast that way another black male actor could have a chance on the big screen.

Middle Ground

The only two decent things for the movie is Namor and the action. While Namor is a very decent bad guy, I felt like he could've been a lot better had they fleshed him out more. And while the action is pretty good, it's hard too really enjoy it, because of that slow pace, and the fact that sometimes the special effects just didn't look right.

Pros

Really the only positive I feel comfortable giving this film is the acting. While the story was nothing to really brag about, at least the actors and actresses did a good job trying to make this less of a painful experience.

I just can't in good conscience give Black Panther: Wakanda Forever a good rating. Not only from the perspective of the lackluster pacing, the poor writing for Shuri and Riri, desperate attempts at stakes, which not only didn't make much sense, but also in retrospect kinda made the Wakandans look like cowards, and everything else I've complained about, but also from the fact Chadwick's death was used as a cheap way to us feel something emotional for the movie. Sure, a decent villain and action and some really good acting helped a little, but remember, this movie was being marketed as a beautiful and respectable tribute to the late Chadwick Boseman. The finished product is anything but that.

My final rating is Awful!

So yeah, please don't see this movie folks. Anyhow, that's all for me, due come back on Thursday, Nov 17th, for my review of 2007's Enchanted. Until then, enjoy the rest of your day.

Aqua Teen Forever: Plantasm Review

 

Aqua Teen Forever: Plantasm is a direct-to-video adult animated black comedy film, based on the Adult Swim show Aqua Teen Hunger Force. The movie also serves as a stand-alone sequel to Aqua Teen Hunger Force Colon Movie Film for Theaters. It's produced by Williams Street and Adult Swim and distributed by Warner Bros. Home Entertainment. Aqua Teen Forever: Plantasm is once again written and directed by Matt Maiellaro and Dave Willis.

The story is the Aqua Teen Hunger Force had a falling out, and have split up. While each of them were doing their own thing, they soon learn of Neil and his mega corporation Amazin. They soon discover he's business is lie. Now they must reunite, and put a stop to him or the world will be conquered.

Initial Reaction

The reason why I was looking forward to this was because I'm a fan of the Aqua Teens. I remember being a little kid, waiting for my parents to go to sleep, just so I could watch the show. Yeah, I might have been very very very young when the show aired, but that's besides the point. I loved show, so I was excited to know we'd be getting a brand new movie.

Cons

I've got nothing. Just move along.

Middle Ground

The only gray area I can think of comes from the pacing. It's not too bad, but there were quite a few times when things felt a tad bit slow in some scenes.

Pros

One pro comes from the animation. This is by far the best quality animation for Aqua Teen you'll ever see. Sure, I have heard some people have a slight issue with that, cause they kinda wanted something closer to the show's animation. I can understand that, but at the same time, when you make a movie for a show that has a big fan base such as this one, you might as well give it some really good animation. What I also liked was the story. Yes it's entertaining, but it's a story with a true ending. Cause even though I enjoyed the 2007 film and it's story, my slight issue came from one storyline didn't get a definitive ending. Thankfully that wasn't the case with this one. Another thing the movie's got going for it, is the humor. While they're were a few jokes that didn't work, for the most I had a pretty good laugh. I actually feel as though the better jokes will outweigh the bad ones. The last thing I'll give the film credit for is the voice work. Not in the case the actors did a good job voicing the characters, but with their chemistry. The show ended in 2015, and yet, after all these years the actors still have the same exact chemistry just like they did when the show was on the air.

While the pacing could've used some work, Aqua Teen Forever: Plantasm is still pretty good. It's got good animation, the story's better this time around, the humor (for the most part) works, and the voice acting is great.

My final rating is Good.

That's all for me. Come back on Saturday, Nov 10th, for my review of Black Panther: Wakanda Forever. Until then, enjoy the rest of your day.

A Look Back at Aqua Teen Hunger Force Colon Movie Film for Theaters (2007)

 

At first I was gonna do a review of the entire series, but sadly I ran out of time. Luckily this movie exist. So anyways, with Aqua Teen Forever: Plantasm coming out soon, it's time to look back at the first movie.

Aqua Teen Hunger Force Colon Movie Film for Theaters or the more simple name of Aqua Teen Hunger Force: Movie Film for Theaters is an adult animated black comedy film, based on the hit Adult Swim show, Aqua Teen Hunger Force. The film was produced by Williams Street and distributed by First Look Studios. Aqua Teen Hunger Force Colon Movie Film for Theaters was written and directed by Matt Maiellaro and Dave Willis.

The story is Master Shake, Frylock, and Meatwad aka the Aqua Teen Hunger Force, have discovered an immortal piece of exercise equipment. They soon learn this object will threaten galactic peace. Just when they think things could've get any worse, they now have to deal with the team-up of the Plutonians and the Cybernetic Ghost of Christmas Past, who both want to seize control of the device. Will our heroes win, or are we doomed?

• Negatives

I've got nothing for this section, so just move on.

• Mix

Now for the most part the story is pretty good. Where it slightly dropped was the Insanoflex story didn't have a proper ending. I know that's sort of typically for comedies like this, where one problem might not get a proper conclusion for the sake of a joke and/or continuity is already loose to begin with so nobody should really care. But the thing is that can work for a TV series. When you've got a movie, you absolutely need to give a story or stories a clean cut ending.

• Positives

One good thing about the film is it's very fateful to the show. Everything you love about the Aqua Teen show is right here in the film. That does seem like a really ridiculous thing to praise, especially considering that the writers [Matt Maiellaro and Dave Willis] are the creators of the show, but it's still important to praise that, because think about easily Matt and Dave could've just abandon what made the show good, and do something that was much safer, because they got their movie deal. But they stuck to what they know the fans liked about the show, and just dragged it into the film.

My next point of praise goes to the animation. Yes, it is just the same animated style you'd see from the show but, there were quite a few times when the filmmakers did do something different. For instance, there's this transformation sequence with the Insanoflex that I wasn't expecting. I thought it was going to be something 2-D, but it wasn't, it was a pretty good CG scene.

The last thing I'll praise is the humor. Once again, if you like the humor from the show, then you'll have a blast with this one. I had a great time with this one. I was laughing from beginning to middle to end. It's a truly funny film.

Aqua Teen Hunger Force Colon Movie Film for Theaters is a very entertaining flick. It remained faithful to the show, good animation, and it'll provide you with great laughs. What could've used more work was a proper conclusion to the Insanoflex, before we got into the origin story.

My final rating is Good.

That's all for me. Due come back on Thursday, Nov 10th, for my review of Aqua Teen Forever: Plantasm. I'm really looking forward to that one. Until then, enjoy the rest of your day.

Weird: The Al Yankovic Story Review

 

Weird: The Al Yankovic Story is a biographical parody film, which is not only a satire of biopics, but is also loosely based on Yankovic's life and career. The film is produced by Funny or Die and Tango and distributed by The Roku Channel. Weird: The Al Yankovic Story is written by Eric Appel and Weird Al Yankovic and directed by Eric Appel.

The story is Al has your typical upbringing, expect while he wants to play the accordion, he was raised to believe playing such an instrument was a sin. Soon he rebels against such a claim which then sends him to musical stardom. He soon becomes an instant classic and a sex symbol as well. However, Al will soon learn that if he doesn't shape up soon, this new lifestyle may destroy him.

Initial Reaction

The reason for wanting to see it was simple. I like Weird Al. I may not be the biggest fan around, but have heard quite a bit of his music, and had a good laugh every time. So when I heard there was a movie about him coming out, I just had to give it a look.

Cons

I've got nothing, just move on.

Middle Ground

Now for a majority of the movie the pacing is almost perfect. I say almost cause I did feel as though there were a couple of moments that did feel slow. But no too much to the point where I really dragged down the film for me.

Pros

Now since this movie is a parody of biopics, more specifically ones about musicians, does it do a good job at being a parody of that genre, and yes, it does. It does a fantastic job at parodying those biopics. You got the checkered past, the big argument with the parent (or parents) who just doesn't understand, the one song plays and what feels like only a day the musician is a huge hit, and so and so forth. All of that stuff is parodied perfectly. Now speaking of the humor as far as jokes go for a parody film, this film gave us spectacular jokes. I was laughing throughout this whole thing. I mean it, for what feels like an eternity, we just haven't gotten any good spoof films as of late. So watching this was a breath of fresh air. I can only imagine how much fun Weird Al and Eric Appel were having when they were writing this. As I'm writing this, I actually have this feeling of rewatching it all over again. Which is another welcomed surprise. Sure, there have been a lot of films that came out and I feel like watching those, but this one, I wanna rewatch it right now. I wasn't expecting a movie like this to have any rewatchability, but it truly does. The last thing I'll praise is Daniel Radcliffe's performance. Now I knew he had range, I have watched something with him that didn't have anything related to Harry Potter. But I do admit I didn't really have faith with him playing Weird Al. So I was happy to know I was proving wrong. Not only did he give a great performance, but a hilarious one. Way to go Daniel. You were awesome.

Weird: The Al Yanokvic Story is something I recommend you should check out. It's a perfect parody of musician biopics, it's got a great sense of humor, it's very much rewatchable, and Radcliffe gave a very funny performance. Was slow in some bits, but that can be forgiven.

My final rating is Great.

So that's going to do it for me. Come back on Monday, Nov 7th, my A Look Back at review of Aqua Teen Hunger Force Colon Movie Film for Theaters. Until then, enjoy the rest of your day, and do watch Weird: The Al Yankovic Story.

A Look Back at Titans - Season 3

 

With a brand new season of Titans coming out today, it's time to look back at season three and see if it's an improvement from the last season.

Titans is a streaming tv series created by Akiva Goldsman, Geoff Johns, and Greg Berlanti, for this season and the next, it was now made for HBO Max. The show is still produced by Weed Road Pictures, Berlanti Productions, DC Entertainment, and Warner Bros. Television and distributed by Warner Bros. Television Distribution. This season consist of thirteen episodes.

The story is former Titans member Jason Todd has sadly been killed by the Joker. Because of this tragic event, Batman has left Gotham and puts the responsibility of protecting the city to Nightwing and his teammates. Soon a new bad guy going by Red Hood arrives. The Titans not only have to deal with him being the once deceased Jason, but also need to find out what he's planning.

• Negatives

I've got nothing. So let's move on.

• Mix

One slight issue comes from the hand-to-hand combat. The crew really needs to get new fight choreographers. I don't find it bad, it's just pretty standard. When Red Hood and Nightwing fight it should be jaw dropping/one of the most anticipated moments ever. But I never truly got that feeling. I just got a "that was okay" feeling.

Another thing that wasn't bad, but could've used improvement was Red Hood. Being a fan of this character, I was really enjoying what he was doing. I thought he was so cool. But as the season keep going, he got turned into someone's henchmen. The reason why the Under the Hood story arc (a Batman storyline that clearly influenced this season), worked so well, wasn't because Jason Todd was working with a fellow villain, a matter of fact that never happened in that story, but I digress, the reason the story worked was because Red Hood was a lone wolf badass. So while I wasn't too disappointed, I do wish we got more of that storyline, then just a small bit of it.

• Positives

One pro to this season was the effects. Now there not gonna blow you away, but there still pretty good in a lot of areas compared to the last two seasons where I felt like they were just decent.

Another good thing was the focus on character. Much like season two, while Dick Grayson/Nightwing does get the spotlight here and there, that doesn't mean other characters get excluded. Hell, this time around Starfire has a whole storyline with her sister Blackfire, and we get to learn about both their back stories. Which is something I wasn't expecting, but it was a welcomed surprise.

What also worked for this season was Scarecrow got a spotlight. Scarecrow is one of my top bad guys when it comes to Batman villains. While he does get some love in the comics, when it comes to other media he's sometimes just not used as much. He hasn't gotten any major attention since what? Batman Begins? So to see him play a major role and it be successful, was awesome.

The last thing I'll positively tell you about is the season finale. We finally have a good one! I mean it's not like a prime A example of how you do a season finale, but let's look back at the previous ones. The first one was cliffhanger, even though it had no rhyme or reason to be. Season two's was just awful. I still can't help but laugh about that poor excuse of killing off a character. But here, I felt like it worked. This did feel like a good attempt at a season finale.

Season three of Titans isn't perfect, but it works. We've got pretty good special effects, nice focus on character, a great Scarecrow spotlight, and a long awaited good season finale. What could've been improved on is the hand-to-hand fights and Red Hood.

My final rating is Good.

So that's going to do it for me. Please come back on Saturday, Nov 5th, for my review of Weird: The Al Yankovic Story. Until then, enjoy the rest of your day.