Looking Back at the Films of 2022 Part 1 - Moonfall & Studio 666

 

Alright folks, a new Looking Back at the Films series. Although this time around you should expect less for the 2022 series. The reason being is last year I pretty much saw almost every film I wanted to see. But none the less, let's get started.

Why Didn't I See Moonfall?

The reason why I didn't see Moonfall was because much almost every other reason, there wasn't a showing. Then by the time it was released, it was far too late for me to write a review.

What is Moonfall?

Moonfall is a sci-fi disaster movie. It was produced by Summit Entertainment, UK Moonfall LLP, Huayi Brothers International, Huayi Tencent, Centropolis Entertainment, and Street Entertainment and AGC Studios and distributed by Lionsgate. Moonfall was written by Roland Emmerich, Harald Kloser, and Spenser Cohen and directed by Roland Emmerich.

The story is in 2011, astronaut Brain Harper along with the rest of his crew, were fixing a satellite when they were suddenly attacked by a swarm of alien technology. Ten years later, Brain has been fired, disgraced, and everyone thinks he's crazy. Until leaked information states that the moon's orbit is getting closer to Earth. Now everyone, including Brian, must find out what's the connection between the moon and the swarm, or all is doomed.

My Thoughts

The Good: One of two truly good aspects of Moonfall is the special effects. They had a lot of great detail put into them, and whenever it came to the more destructive scenes, the CG really shined. Then we have the disasters themselves. Whether you like Roland Emmerich's movies or not, one thing I believe we can all agree on is, when it comes to disaster scenes, he doesn't disappoint in that department. Those are definitely the most fun scenes out of the entire movie.

The Bad: My only real issue with the movie was it definitely felt long. Some of it really could've been shorten.

The Okay: One mix bag was the dialogue. Sometimes it's just fine. Nothing too bad, other times it's very questionable. Then there's the humor. There were times when it was actually funny. Where it fails is obviously the parts that didn't work. Those are the parts that could've been cut, and nothing would've been lost. Now there's our characters. The writers do make a decent attempt at giving them some sort of depth. Maybe they could've been elevated a tad, had some of the disaster scenes been cut down.

Final Verdict: Okay.

Why Didn't I See Studio 666?

I didn't know this was a thing until I saw a review for from Brad Jones aka the Cinema Snob, and by the time I saw that review, much like Moonfall it was too late for me to make up my own review.

What is Studio 666?

Studio 666 is a horror comedy flick. It was produced by Roswell Films and Therapy Studios and distributed by Open Road Films. Studio 666 was written by Jeff Buhler and Rebecca Hughes and directed by BJ McDonnell.

The story is the Foo Fighters' are told to work on their tenth album. Not wanting to record in a more traditional place, they soon settle for a creepy mansion. Soon one of the band members are possessed, then they soon discover the mansion's dark secrets. Now the Foo Fighters must find a way to survive.

My Thoughts

The Good: One positive were the special effects. We've got a lot of really, really good practical gore effects. And even if CGI was used, it didn't look too bad, even anything they also looked pretty good. Then there's the humor. While not every joke worked, I found myself laughing at lot throughout the entire movie. It mostly stems from the darker comedy bits, but hey, that's okay with me. The biggest praise I can give is how the movie is with a doubt, a very charming, chessy B-Movie. I mean it. I could see this being one of those cult classic horror flicks from like the 80's, and being shown on TV at midnight. So because of that aspect, this makes for a pretty entertaining experience, despite two issues I have.

The Bad: One issue with Studio 666 is the length. The movie kinda felt longer than it should've been. Maybe if a scene or two was cut down, then I guess the pacing would come very close to perfect. Now the movie has a twist to it, and since it's in this section then you already know that I don't like it. It just didn't feel all that necessary to me. Especially since it featured two characters who I don't think really had that big of an impact on the entire story. Maybe it's just me, but it almost felt like it was just slapped on here for the sake of a shocking moment.

The Okay: I've got nothing to say. Move on.

Final Verdict: Good.

So, that's all for today. This time around you should expect to see this segment a lot less. Mainly because last year I pretty much saw almost every movie I wanted to see. Anyhow, come back on Mar 2nd, Thursday, for part two of the Road to Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny, with my review of Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom. Until then, enjoy the rest of your day.

Cocaine Bear Review

 

Cocaine Bear is a black comedy horror film, inspired by the true Cocaine Bear named Pablo Eskobear. The film's produced by Lord Miller Productions, Brownstone Productions, and Jurassic Party Productions and distributed by Universal Pictures. Cocaine Bear is written by Jimmy Warden and directed by Elizabeth Banks.

The story is a duffel bag full of cocaine has landed in a small town Georgia forest. This duffel bag of coke is soon eaten by a massive black bear, and at first it seems like it just up and died...only to get back up and go on a coke-fueled rampage eating and tearing apart anything in it's path. Now both the locals and out of towners must join forces to survive, otherwise they're totally screwed.

Initial Reaction

People...look at the title...watch the trailer...tell me, tell me why, I shouldn't have had a good reason for wanting to see this?

Cons

I don't have anything negative to say, just move on.

Middle Ground

One of two gray areas with the movie is the CGI. Now overall it's not too bad. But there were a lot of times when the bear did look better in one, where in another it looked okay. Then we have the characters. None of them are bad. They do have motivates and own personalities, but in all honesty they're not fully developed. Although at the same time you're not gonna be sitting in your seat just begging for the bear to devour them. If anything these are very serviceable characters.

Pros

This was my first time seeing a film directed by Elizabeth Banks. And I think she did pretty good. Won't be setting the world on fire, but it's clear that the person behind the camera knew what they were doing, and despite a relatively low budget, the movie didn't look cheap. Now everyone, myself included, we're happy to know this was going to be a dark comedy. But how was the comedy? While somethings didn't work, nine times out of ten, I found myself laughing and having a great time with this. Whether the humor was dark or not, there was still plenty of laughs to be had. Then there's the thing we've all came to see, and that's the bear rampage. It's awesome folks. Nice rated R bloody mayhem, that both me and the small audience I saw it just couldn't get enough of. That bears massacre was the best part.

Overall, while not perfect, Cocaine Bear was still exactly what I thought and wanted it to be. I had a good time with this, and I'll most likely be getting this on Blu-Ray.

My final rating is, Good.

If they ever make a sequel to this I suggest different drug, different animal. Maybe, Meth Shark, or Heroin Wolf? Anyhow, that's going to do it for me. Come back on Monday, Feb 27th, for part one of Looking Back at the Films of 2022. Until then, enjoy the rest of your day.

Road to Transformers: Rise of the Beasts - Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen Review

 

Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen is a sci-fi action film based on the toyline Transformers. The movie serves as a sequel to the 2007 film, and is the second installment of the film series. The movie was produced by Paramount Pictures, DreamWorks Pictures, Hasbro Studios, and Di Bonaventura Pictures and distributed by Paramount Pictures. Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen was written by Ehren Kruger, Roberto Orci, and Alex Krutzman and directed by Michael Bay.

The story is it's been two years after the events of the first film, and Sam is heading off to college in the hopes of having a normal life. These plans are to change when Sam starts having visions of Cybertronian symbols. With this information, the Optimus Prime along with the rest of the Autobots must protect Sam from the Decepticons. However, both Megatron and the Decepticons have someone who can help give them an upper hand, The Fallen.

• Negatives

Even though there's nothing wrong with having a two hour long movie, this one on the other hand could've been shorter. Cause it truly did feel like it was two hours long.

• Mix

If there was one thing I had mix feelings on it was those moments of humor. I felt with the first movie, for the most part, did a pretty good job. This one on the other hand, while there were a couple of good bits in it, there was also a lot of times when it just plain sucked.

• Positives

Much like the first film, this one has incredible special effects. And just like the first, it's amazing how this is over ten years old, and yet the CGI is flawless.

Now while I did like the action in the first Transformers movie, I did have a slight issue with them. In this, the action has improved and that's because Michael Bay didn't have the camera so close this time around. So because of that, the action can be enjoyed even more so than before.

The last bit of credit I'll give is the lore that was added. I was surprised by how much I really liked hearing the story of the past Primes, the Fallen's origin, and whether or not Transformers were on Earth long before.

Now while I don't hate this movie, I clearly didn't lie and think it's spectacular. Hell, as far as sequels go, I've seen much worse. Much, much, much worse.

My final rating is, Okay.

That's going to do it for me. Due come back on Saturday, Feb 25th, where I'll give my review to not only the most anticipated movie of the year, but the most long awaited. I am, of course, talking about...Cocaine Bear (😆). Until then, enjoy the rest of your day.

A Look Back at The Mandalorian - Season 2

 

With season three on the way, it's time for me to review season two, and see if it holds up or not.

The Mandalorian (aka Star Wars: The Mandalorian) is a space western series, that's part of the Star Wars franchise. The show's produced by Lucasfilm Ltd., Fairview Entertainment, and Golem Creations and distributed by Disney Media Distribution. The Mandalorian is created by Jon Favreau. This season has a total of eight episodes.

The story is the Mandalorian has been tasked with returning the Child to his people, the Jedi. This task won't be an easy one, as they're be hunted by Imperial commander Moff Gideon, who plans to use the Child's connection to the Force to strengthen his army.

• Negatives

The biggest problem with this season was it was one big side quest extravaganza. Almost every time when Mando would go somewhere, he'd meet someone, then a task would appear, he would need to help, then he would get the answers he needed, and then off to the next adventure. So while there was a story, most of it fell into a formula that can get very tiresome. It's okay for a show to have a formula but, every once in awhile ya gotta change things up, that way not only are things kept fresh, but it'll also prevent viewers from watching something else.

• Mix

I've got nothing to say here. So just move.

• Positives

Now let's get into the positives, one of those being the directing. Every single director made each and every episode have a gorgeous look to them. In the episode "The Jedi", there's this beautiful shot of Grogu (aka Baby Yoda) and Ahsoka in front of the moon, and it was one of those shots that I instantly loved.

This one I'll keep short and sweet, because there's only so many ways I can praise the effects without repeating myself. But yes, the special effects, whether practical or CGI, looked good.

Then there's the action. Even if the story it's quite up to par, the action helps quite a lot. Plenty of blasting shooting fights, chase scenes, and a few bits of lightsaber fights, that'll provide you with plenty of fun action.

The last thing I'll give credit where it's due, is with Mando's character. Where learn a little bit of his clan and why they seem different from the Mandalorians from say The Clone Wars. But what really helps his character grow was his ever growing bond with Grogu. Just seeing these two interact made for an entertaining experience, whether the scenes between them ranged from comedic to something far more serious.

While there's still plenty to like about the show, the writers really should've looked over the story. That way nobody would've taken an issue with all of the side quest.

My final rating is, Okay.

That's going to do it for me. Due come back on Thursday, Feb 23rd, where we'll return to Bayhem, with my review of Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen. Until then, enjoy the rest of your day.

Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania Review

 

Ant-Man and the Wasp is a comic book film, the third Ant-Man film, and the 31st film in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. The movie's produced by Marvel Studios and distributed by Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures. Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania is written by Jeff Loveness and directed by Peyton Reed.

The story is Scott's daughter Cassie made a device that sends a signal down to the Quantum Realm. This quickly goes wrong and Scott, Cassie, Hope, Janet and Hank are all sucked into the device and end up in a universe just beneath their own. Their presence catches the attention of Kang the Conqueror.

Initial Reaction

The reason for seeing this was because until I hit my limit with this franchise, I was curious where this new saga of the MCU would be going.

Cons

The only thing I truly hated about this movie was MODOK. Just...what was this character? Every scene he was in made me cringe. In the comics he's supposed to one of the smartest characters in the Marvel universe, but in this, he's just an idiot. He's basically this movie's version of Jar Jar Binks.

Middle Ground

One gray area was the CGI. Now in some areas it was pretty good, it could even look awesome. Some areas not so much. Although I guess I shouldn't be surprised considering Marvel Studios overworks the poor VFX artists. Then there's the humor. Not gonna lie, there where plenty of times where I laughed. I especially loved one scene where one of Kang's soldiers said he'd die before he told them the code for a bridge, and it didn't go as he hoped. That was actually a good moment. But then there were scenes that just weren't funny, and I'm not just talking about the MODOK scenes. Another mix bag was the performances. Now Paul Rudd, Michelle Pfeiffer and Jonathan Majors, they were awesome. They really helped carry the movie. As for Evangeline Lilly and Michael Douglas, They were good enough. I just think maybe they weren't given enough direction, probably because their characters sometimes don't do that much. The last thing I'll write about for this section will be about the tone. I don't know if it's just me, but I really feel like this was suppose to be more serious than what it was supposed to be. But Kevin Fiege was like "No no no. You can't do that. Rewrite this so it'll have more humor in it! This is a MCU movie damn it!" Seriously, the tonal switches in this can be very annoying.

Pros

Let me tell you about the good things now, one of those was the action. It was pretty good. I actually liked that whole rebellion against Kang in the final act, and I even got a kick out of Kang vs. Ant-Man. A nice good old fashioned hand-to-hand fight. I dug it. Speaking of Kang, wow. He was really one of the best things in this. The best part was the character was 100% played straight. I was honestly quite refreshing to have a villain who was not only taken seriously, but also not badly written. The last good thing about this was the mid and post-credit scenes. Yes it typically Marvel fashion, they set up for the next movie and/or movies but, they weren't setting up a completely pointless & stupid joke! Not only were they serious, but they actually served a purpose for the overall story! Marvel Studios, please do more of that!! 🙏

Overall while I didn't hate Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania, this is still one of those movies you can just wait for it to come to streaming and/or on DVD or Blu-Ray.

My final rating is, Okay.

That's going to do it for me. Come back on Monday, Feb 20th, for my review of season two of The Mandalorian. Until then, enjoy the rest of your day.

Winnie-the-Pooh: Blood and Honey Review

 

Well folks, a day after my review for the 1990 version of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, I found out what I was going to review on Thursday. And you clearly see it isn't Animaniacs.

Winnie-the-Pooh: Blood and Honey is a independent slasher film, and serves as a horror re-telling of the classic A.A. Milne and E.H. Shepard character, Winnie-the-Pooh. It's produced by Jagged Edge Productions and ITN Studios and distributed by Altitude Film Distribution. Winnie-the-Pooh: Blood and Honey is written and directed by Rhys Frake-Waterfield.

The story is many years ago Christopher Robin met a group of anthropomorphic animals named Winnie-the-Pooh, Piglet, Eeyore, Rabbit, and Owl. As Christopher grew older he soon leaves for college and leaves his friends behind. Due to a lack of food and a harsh winter storm, the creatures went into an extreme starvation and had to eat Eeyore. This traumatized them to the point where they made a pact to not also remain silent, but to abandon their humanity and go back their feral instincts. Now Christopher has returned and there's also a group of college girls, and they both need to find a why to survive these savage killers.

Initial Reaction

If any of you read my most anticipated list then you already know why I was looking forward to this. But for any of you that haven't, let me explain. The reason why I wanted to see this was because I found the premise to be hilariously ridiculous, in a good way. Also, if I reviewed previous children's media being turned into horror flicks, such as The Banana Splits Movie and The Mean One, why not continue that tradition with Winnie-the-Pooh: Blood and Honey?

Cons

My biggest gripe with the movie was the ending, or lack thereof. It didn't feel like a true ending to me. It felt more like it all came to an abrupt stop.

Middle Ground

One of the three mix bags are the characters. Now yes, you really shouldn't expect much regarding character in a slasher, especially one like this, but the movie tries and not everyone benefits. Christopher Robin isn't in the movie that much, so we really don't get much with him. Then there's the four university students [Maria, Jess, Alice, Zoe, and Lara]. Maria has a full blown story with her, so she's definitely the most developed. Alice and Zoe are in a relationship, but it's barely touched upon. As for the rest, I couldn't tell you anything. Every other character was just here to slaughtered. The gray area was the special effects. Now practical wise, they're pretty good. Where it slightly drops is with the CGI blood. It's only in small instances, but it's noticeable. Then there's the humor. The main joke is much like The Mean One, where nobody is questioning this and the characters are taken this 100% seriously. Hell, the movie itself can be viewed as a satire of the gimmicky slasher flicks. However, while I wouldn't want them to go overboard with both this and the upcoming sequel, I still feel like there could've been more obvious attempts at humor.

Pros

One thing that's for sure about Blood and Honey was how gruesome it was. Lots of brutal kills throughout the movie that I believe horror fans will love. Another pro is the look. Now the style isn't anything that's gonna set the world on fire, but for a movie made with less than $100,000 dollars, the cinematography and such is actually pretty good. The last positive thing I'll say is this wasn't boring. Sure I still had issues but, the movie is still entertaining one way or another.

Now while Winnie-the-Pooh: Blood and Honey isn't what I personally wanted it to be, it's by no means a terrible horror flick. Trust me, there's a lot worse out there than this. But overall it wasn't too bad.

My final rating is, Okay.

Alright, I'm all done here. Come back on Saturday, Feb 18th, for my review of Ant-Man and The Wasp: Quantumania. Until then, enjoy the rest of your day.

Road to Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem - Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (1990) Review

 

That's right, you've got a third Road to. Didn't think that'd happen but hey, I get to review some of my favorite franchises so I can't complain. And with Mutant Mayhem coming out this year, it's time for me to review one of my favorite childhood heroes. Also, before you mention it, yes I'm also aware the film Turtles Forever, and I already reviewed Batman vs. Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. Now with Turtles Forever (or really both films), I'm taking an approach where I'm only reviewing all of the theatrical released films. So if you were looking forward to a review for that...well, sorry I broke your hearts?

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles is a comic book movie based on the comic book series by Kevin Eastman and Peter Laird, and the first film adaptation of the Ninja Turtles. It was produced by Golden Harvest, Limelight Productions, and 888 Productions and distributed by New Line Cinema. Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles was written by Todd W. Langen and Bobby Herbeck and directed by Steve Barron.

The story is young New York reporter April O'Neil has uncovered a story about an underground crime empire. After she's attacked by ninjas she meets up with a group called the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, along with their master, Splinter. This doesn't go unnoticed, and soon the leader of this organization, the Shredder, plans to put a permanent end to the Turtles.

• Negatives

I've got nothing negative to say about this movie folks. Just keep scrolling down.

• Mix

Now, some of you will most likely disagree with me on this, and that's fine. But for me, Shredder and the Foot seemed just okay to me. I didn't by any means hate them, but it felt like there could've been just a little bit more. Although that might have been a conscious decision to focus more on the theme of the movie. Which you'll read about soon.

• Positives

What really worked for this movie is pacing. This film just flies by. Even when I put it on pause to either refill my drink, put more popcorn in my bowl, or have a bathroom break (either for myself or my dogs), the movie still just goes by real quick.

Now because we're dealing with ninjas both human and turtle, we get a perfect amount of action. The marital arts and acrobatics in this are executed perfectly. Which is pretty amazing considering those Turtle suits weren't the easiest thing to move around in. Whether the fight is serious, goofy, or a mixture of both, the action is awesome.

Since I brought up goofy it's time for me to give my thoughts on the humor. It's pretty good. Does it work every time? No, but for the most part it works. The best part about it is that it didn't ruin any of the more serious moments, like a lot of comic book movies do. Looking at you Marvel Studios.

Then there's the practical effects, which are done at a top notch level. Probably isn't surprising considering they were made by Jim Henson's Creature Shop. But what really makes them work is they're timeless.

Now we move onto the tone. While there are hints of the 1987 cartoon thrown in this. It's still a pretty dark movie, and the reason being it's clear the filmmakers were primarily inspired by Kevin Eastman and Peter Laird's earlier comics during the Mirage Studios era. And it's kinda funny how the tone, along with the violence, was criticized by parents, cause they felt like it wasn't appropriate for kids. Which I find hilarious, cause had I been a kid back in 1990 and told the exact tone, I would've begged my parents to take me. Why? Because if a comic book movie's dark and gritty tone is well executed, it's an awesome experience.

The last thing I'll praise is the theme. What I've come to realize about the movie is, there's a strong theme of fathers and sons. Whether it's with the human character Danny and his dysfunctional relationship with his dad. Shredder's twisted version of being his henchmen's father, or Splinter with the Turtles. A matter of fact, even though the Foot Clan is involved, the Turtles don't really care. The primary story is them wanting to find their dad. It really added another layer to the movie, which I hope gets discussed more in the near future, if it hasn't been already.

While I did have a slight issue with the movie, overall it's pretty good. But despite its quality I'm surprised it doesn't get discussed more. Oh well, still an amazing film.

My final rating is, Great.

Well, that's going to do it for me. Come back on Feb 16th, for my review of...actually I'm not too sure. You'll either get a review of season two of the revival of the Animaniacs or Winnie-the-Pooh: Blood and Honey. It'll really depend on what hand I'm dealt with. Until then, enjoy the rest of your day.

My Review for Sharper is Canceled

 

Hey guys, so yes, despite what I said in my review for Legion of Super-Heroes said, I have no choice but to cancel my review for Sharper.

Why? Well for starters I got the dates mixed up. I thought it was going to be released on Feb 10th. Turns out that's the date for the movie's select theaters date. It's release date for Apple TV+ is Feb 17th. Second, at first I thought Feb 17th was no big deal...only to find out Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania comes out on that same exact day.

Sure, I could cancel other reviews and such, or move them to a different date. But quite a few of others I really want to do. So I've just decided to cancel the review for this film. I don't really know if any of you are bummed about this, and if you are, well I'm sorry.

Anyhow, that's all I wanted to tell you. Due come back on Monday, Feb 13th for my review of 1990's Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. Until then, enjoy the rest of your day.

Legion of Super-Heroes Review

 

Legion of Super-Heroes is an animated direct-to-video comic book film based on the DC Comics' team of the same name. It's also the sixth film in the Tomorrowverse series. It's produced by DC Entertainment and Warner Bros. Animation and distributed by Warner Bros. Home Entertainment. Legion of Super-Heroes is written by Josie Campbell and directed by Jeff Wamester.

The story is Superman's cousin Kara is still devastated by the loss of Krypton. He later takes her to the 31st century to meet the Legion of Super-Heroes. They later on to team-up when a group called the Dark Circle in searching for a powerful weapon. A weapon that's in the Legion's vault. Can the Legion pull through, or will the Dark Circle be victorious?

Initial Reaction

The reason for wanting to see this is because so far I've really been enjoying the Tomorrowverse films. Granted even though I didn't hate Green Lantern: Beware My Power, it certainly isn't one that I was gonna be rewatching from time to time. But that's besides the point, the point is I was looking forward to the newest installment of this series.

Cons

The only thing I truly hated about the movie was Mon-El. Boy, they did this character dirty. Not only did they put an unnecessary twist to his character, but he barely does anything. He got one fight scene, but during said fight he was mainly getting his ass kicked, and then he just defeated. They might as well just replaced him with a different character because this was not Mon-El, at all.

Middle Ground

Now I'll admit the movie is predictable in some areas. But the reason I'm not too bummed out about is because there's still a lot more to enjoy from this movie than there is to hate. So while I will be bringing the rating for this film down, it's not gonna be all that negative.

Pros

One pro is the animation. This time around I felt like they were playing more with the colors. Cause there's two really good shots in this. One with Batman hiding in the shadows, and another with Supergirl being surrounded with this gorgeous blue lights. Another thing I liked was the storylines with Supergirl and Brainiac 5. Supergirl has to learn to move on from the loss of Krypton, while Brainiac 5 needs to prove to everyone he's nothing like the previous villainous Brainiacs. Then there's the fact they both have to put up with each other. It was a nice bit of character building as suppose to some fun action scenes. The last thing to give credit to is the post-credit scene. While yes, there's not much of a "what's gonna happen next?" moment. What made it good was it had an actual build up. At first I thought it was gonna be a stupid/pointless comedic bit with Supergirl, Brainiac 5, and Superman, thankfully that wasn't the case. Sure it started out that way, but it slowly turned into a more mature scene, that'll get you hyped for the next movie, that being Justice League: Warworld.

Overall while there are still some issues with this film, it's not only a better installment than the last Tomorrowverse movie but, there's still a lot of things in here that you'll most likely enjoy.

My final rating is, Good.

That's going to do it for me. Come back on Saturday, Feb 11th, for my review of the newest Apple TV+ film, Sharper. Until then, enjoy the rest of your day.

Knock at the Cabin Review

 

Knock at the Cabin is a psychological thriller film based on Paul G. Tremblay's 2018 novel, The Cabin at the End of the World. It's produced by Blinding Edge Productions, FilmNation Entertainment, and Wishmore Entertainment and distributed by Universal Pictures. Knock at the Cabin is written by M. Night Shyamalan, Steve Desmond, and Michael Sherman and directed by M. Night Shyamalan.

The story is Eric and Andrew have brought their daughter, Wen, to a remote cabin for a relaxing family vacation. This is soon cut short when four strangers arrive, break in, and hold them hostage. They demand that they chose who will be sacrificed in their believe that it'll avert the apocalypse.

Initial Reaction

The reason for wanting to see was because it's Shyamalan's newest movie. I've said so before, but I'll say it again. Ever since The Visit, Shyamalan has been given us some pretty good films recently. Have they been perfect? But compared to what he was making before The Visit, it's definitely an improvement.

Cons

I had no real issues with the movie, so just move on.

Middle Ground

Now if there's anything I've been debating about with the movie, it's the ending. It's still good. It's more of a bittersweet ending, which I feels fits with the tone of the film. But I do wonder if it would've been better if they left everything more ambiguous. That way audiences really could've had even more to talk about.

Pros

One of many things that worked was how this flew by. I had a one o'clock pm showing, and by the time it was over it was almost closer to three o'clock. I was expecting something like four or four-thirity. Glad to know I was wrong. Then we have the tension. Right from the very beginning we're thrown into a very uncomfortable situation, and then it just go more intense from there. Now while this did contain some violent scenes, what really made all of this frightening, was seeing these guys and their kid being put in this hostage situation. It's scary in the way of how real it felt. You can perfectly imagine being in your home or maybe a cabin, then next thing you know some maniac or maniacs, break in and demand you do what they want. That can be way more horrifying than any near unstoppable slasher, supernatural force, or bloodthirsty creature. Then there's this big debate of if the intruders are telling the truth or not. Because Shyamalan and co. did a pretty good job how Leonard and his associates could be telling the truth, but yet something or someone would point out how that doesn't make sense, or there's a detail that throws a wrench in their theory. The last thing to praise is the performances. Both Jonathan Groff and Ben Aldridge do a fantastic job acting like their in constant fight or flight mode, and Kristen Cui was also very good. So good in fact that it's hard to believe this is her first ever acting job in a movie. Then there's Dave Bautista. I knew he had some range because of his work in Blade Runner 2049, Army of the Dead, and Dune. Here it really felt like he kicked it up a notch, because throughout the whole movie, he truly made it seem like he didn't want to have to do horrible things in order to achieve the goal. So nicely done Dave.

I really did enjoy this and I hope you check it out as well, because it really was a very good experience. Even if I debating which direction the ending should've went, despite liking the one we got.

My final rating is Good.

That's going to do it for me. Come back on Thursday, Feb 9th, for my review of DC's newest animated movie, Legion of Super-Heroes. Until then, enjoy the rest of your day.

Road to Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny - Raiders of the Lost Ark Review

 

With Dial of Destiny coming out this summer, I now have the perfect opportunity to talk about Indiana Jones.

Raiders of the Ark (later marketed as Indiana Jones and the Raiders of the Lost Ark, and sometimes just called Raiders) is an action-adventure film, and the first film in the Indiana Jones film series. It was produced by Lucasfilm Ltd. and distributed by Paramount Pictures. Raiders of the Lost Ark was written by George Lucas, Philip Kaufman, and Lawrence Kasdan and directed by Steven Spielberg.

The story is it's 1936, and archaeologist Indiana Jones has been briefed by two Army Intelligene agents about Nazis excavating in Tanis, Egypt. They deduce that they are looking for the Ark of the Covenant because Hitler believes that it'll make his army invincible. The agents decide to recruit Indiana to recover first.

• Negatives

I've truly have nothing negative to about this movie. So just move on.

• Mix

Got nothing here. Just keep on scrolling.

• Positives

One thing that makes the film so beloved is Steven Spielberg's directing. We've got so many iconic shots from this, all because of his great eye for how the film should look. The moment where Indiana Jones is revealed, just that scene alone, let us know that we're getting get a wonderfully directed film.

Then there's John Williams' score. Much like with his score for Jaws, the music is beautiful. So much great music. You of course have Indiana's theme, but there's also great music that can be found with the chase where Indy winds up going under the truck. Then there's the music when the Ark is opened.

After finishing Raiders (for what might be the sixth time), I've really come to appreciate the special effects. Despite being made during the 80's, a lot of them still hold up to this day. That opened Ark scene, to me anyways, will always be timeless because of those incredible effects.

Now let me tell you about Indiana Jones' character. That being he's very well written. He not only comes off as a very real guy, but he is truly an archaeologist. He doesn't do it for personal and/or financial gain, he really does just want artifacts put in a museum because of how historic they are.

Which brings me to the guy who plays Indiana himself, Harrison Ford. Now while he did make a name for himself in the original Star Wars trilogy, and was very good in it, he ultimately did kinda have a supporting role, which I'm not saying as a bad thing. With Raiders of the Lost Ark, he's now in the main role, and he's awesome. Harrison Ford is and always be Indiana Jones. Even long after amongst him, myself, and everyone else is dead, and they decide to reboot this franchise, Harrison will always be this character, because his performance in this and the sequels is iconic.

The last thing that I'll praise is the action. It's fast, fun, intense, and every other positive word you can think. But after watching the film there's also another aspect to that I'm surprised I didn't realize it until much later, and that's the stuns. Not only do they look insane, but it also made me think about how we don't get too much of it anymore. So it was fun to not only watch the action scenes, but also think about how the filmmakers pulled them off, without anybody getting too hurt.

Guys, I absolutely love Raiders of the Lost Ark. It's a perfect action/adventure flick. It's got great performances, great music, action, etc. It's a film everyone should see whether they're a fans of Indiana Jones or not, or film buffs or not.

My final rating is A Must Watch.

Okay, that's going to do it for me, I had a lot of fun with this one. Come back on Saturday, Feb 4th, for my review of M. Night Shyamalan's newest film, Knock at the Cabin. Until then, enjoy the rest of your day.