Looking Back at the Films of 2022 Part 3 - DC League of Super-Pets

 

Here we go again, it's time to look back at what 2022 brought us, film wise that is.

Why Didn't I See DC League of Super-Pets?

Now there was I time when I wanted to see this movie, because you all probably know I'm a DC fan. But when I saw more and more footage from marketing and such, I just lost interest. So with that interest lost, I decided to save it for this segment.

What is DC League of Super-Pets?

DC League of Super-Pets (or just simply League of Super-Pets) is a comic book comedy movie based on the DC Comics team, Legion of Super-Pets. It was produced by Warner Animation Group, DC Entertainment, and Seven Bucks Productions and distributed by Warner Bros. Pictures. DC League of Super-Pets was written by Jared Stern and John Whittington and directed by Jared Stern.

The story is ever since they were little, Krypto and Superman have been best pals, and continued being such all the way to adulthood. But when Superman is getting closer to Lois Lane, Krypto feels as though he'll be left out. Things get more complicated when a super-powered, villainous guinea pig named Lulu appears, captures the entire Justice League, and plans for world domination. Now, Krypto must team up with other powerful animals, put a stop to Lulu, and figure out if he's ready to let someone else be in Superman's life.

My Thoughts

The Good: One of the two good aspects of League of Super-Pets is the voice performances. Dwayne 'The Rock' Johnson was very entertaining and hilarious, and I actually liked how Kevin Hart was given more serious material to work, while at the same time still being very funny. Another thing that was handled nicely was the comedy. Now yes, there were times when a joke just didn't work but, I found myself laughing more than being silent.

The Bad: I've got nothing.

The Okay: One mix bag was the art style. I completely understand they were going for more cartoony style than a realistic take, but some of the designs just weren't good. Both Superman and Batman looked good, Wonder Woman also looked nice, though they could've toned it down with the gold. Then you have Green Lantern (Jessica Cruz) who has that stupid, overused half shaved hairstyle. Flash's suit looks like he's wearing footie pajamas, and so on and so forth. Now there's no denying the story has some predictable moments, however, I think you can probably forgive that because the movie still has lot of good entertainment in it.

Final Verdict: Good.

Well, that's going to do it for today. Come back on Saturday, Aug 3rd, for my review of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem. Until then, enjoy the rest of your day.

Sympathy for the Devil Review

 

Sympathy for the Devil is a psychological thriller movie. It's produced by Capstone Global and Hammerstone Studios and distributed by RLJE Films. Sympathy for the Devil is written by Luke Paradise and directed by Yuval Adler.

The story is a man was on his way to hospital to see his wife give birth to their child. Things take an unexpected turn a stranger with a gun casually gets his car demanding him to drive. Soon, the driver finds himself in twisted game with his dark passenger, and he slowly discovers that everything is not what it appears to be.

Initial Reaction

The reason why I wanted to see this one was because of the trailer and the synopsis. They both offered what seems like a very interesting premise. And then of course you got Nicolas Cage...do I even need to say anything else after that?

Cons

I've got nothing. Just scroll to the next part.

Middle Ground

The biggest mix bag with Sympathy for the Devil is the story. Now, it does have a lot of good things about it, it can be a very entertaining story. The problems stems from as the story keeps going the mystery becomes pretty obvious. Then there's the problem of telling as supposed to showing. I get maybe the writer was going more of a dialogue heavy story, but that doesn't mean he had to keep it at nothing but dialogue.

Pros

One thing the movie's got going for it is the performances. Joel Kinnaman plays an excellent scared character, who may or may not have been involved with Cage's character in the past. Speaking of Nicolas Cage, if any of love it when he goes over the top, then you'll love what he does here. The last thing I'll write about is the cinematography. There was such an excellent use of color, and couldn't keep my eyes away from it.

While Sympathy for the Devil has some entertaining factors in it, I definitely don't see it being not only a memorable Nicolas Cage movie, but I just don't see it being a memorable movie in general.

My final rating is, Okay.

That's all for now. Come back on Monday, Jul 31st, for part three of Looking Back at the Films of 2022. Until then, enjoy the rest of your day.

Justice League: Warworld Review

 

NOTE!: THERE WILL BE SPOILERS!

Justice League: Warworld is a comic book movie and the seventh installment of the Tomorrowverse. It's produced by DC Entertainment and Warner Bros. Animation and distributed by Warner Bros. Home Entertainment. Justice League: Warworld is written by Jeremy Adams, Ernie Altbacker, and Josie Campbell and directed by Jeff Wamester.

The story is Superman, Batman, and Wonder Woman have found themselves trapped on the brutal and gladiatorial planet known as Warworld. Now, the trio must find a way to form a resistance and lead an entire planet to freedom.

Initial Reaction

To put it simply, after the post-credit scene to Legion of Super-Heroes, I fully pumped for this one. Warworld can be a very entertaining story, even if it's just a simple gladiator thing it has going on.

Cons

The movie's biggest problem, and I do mean biggest problem is, the story. No hyperbole it is a mess. There are three major issues with it.

1) There's Barely Any Warworld

Most of the movie is centered around Superman, Batman, and Wonder Woman all being trapped in different illusions. We spend I wanna say, an hour of these three trying to figure if what there seeing is real or not. Like I said, that part of the story is an hour long. And considering the runtime is an hour and twenty-nine minutes, that's not good. Then we finally do get to Warworld, it's just Mongul's throne room/main control room. Not the big epic gladiator coliseum. Talk about a let down.

2) Lots of Questions

We barely get to know anything about anything. Such as it's never explained why Mongul decided to go the illusions route. There's also one scene that left me confused. Basically when Wonder Woman sees Clark in his Superman suit, she says how he's a baby compared to the Superman she knows. Wait what?! Does that mean this is the same Wonder Woman we saw in Justice Society: World War II, or is this a Wonder Woman from another alternate dimension? I don't know, cause the movie never told us.

3) Rush to The Next Movie

By the time we're finished with the illusion storyline and we get to Warworld, afterwards, it's a total rush. And you both feel and see that rushed job. One moment it's all about Mongul's motivation, then it's all about fighting for the control for Warworld, then it's all about destroying Warworld, and then it's all about getting off Warworld because the Trinity [Superman, Batman, and Wonder Woman] are needed for the impending crisis. I'll touch on that last one later, anyhow, all of this happened in the spam of the last I think fifteen minutes, maybe less than that. It's like the writers were like "Oh sh*t! We were having so much fun with the what if stories, we almost forgot about Warworld! Quick! Write something down!" Now I used the big word 'crisis', and yes, it has been officially confirmed that there will be an animated Crisis on Infinite Earths movie. So basically instead of this mainly focusing on Warworld then the plug, everything is just about Crisis on Infinite Earths. Which kinda makes this movie feel like filler and can just be skipped.

Middle Ground

Now the action in the movie was pretty good. I just wish there was a better story to go along with it.

Pros

Really the only good thing about this movie is the cast. Despite how terrible the story is, they still did a good job given the stuff they had to work with.

Sadly Justice League: Warworld is a total letdown. Sure, there's a slightly redeeming and a very redeeming quality, but those two things just aren't enough to save this movie. If any of want a good Warworld story, go watch the tenth and eleventh episode of the animated series simply titled Justice League and/or read the recent Action Comics storyline with issues #1030-1046 and the one-shot Warworld Apocalypse. Hopefully those two are good enough if you were left disappointed like I was.

My final rating is, Bad.

So, that's all for now. After watching this I'm kind of scared how they'll handle Crisis on Infinite Earths, fingers crossed it'll be good. Anyways, Come back on Saturday, Jul 29th, for my review of Nicolas Cage's newest movie, Sympathy for the Devil. And if I don't have a review for that because of one reason or the other, then come back on Monday, Jul 31st, for part three of Looking Back at the Films of 2022. Until then, enjoy the rest of your day.

Road to Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem - Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Out of the Shadows Review

 

Well folks, it's finally here. The last part of the road to Mutant Mayhem.

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Out of the Shadows is a comic book movie and the sequel to the 2014 movie. It was produced by Paramount Pictures, Nickelodeon Movies, Platinum Dunes, Gama Entertainment, Mednick Productions, and Smithrowe Entertainment and distributed by Paramount Pictures. Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Out of the Shadows was written by Josh Appelbaum and Andre Nemec and directed by Dave Green.

The story is it's been one year after the events of the last movie, and the Turtles believe the Shredder is going to prison. However, that wasn't the case. The convoy that was taken Shredder was attacked and he broke out, but soon meets a new ally by the name of Krang, and both agree to work together. Now, the Turtles must gear up and put a stop to whatever the Shredder and Krang are planning.

• Negatives

I've got nothing.

• Mix

There are two gray areas here, and one of those is the humor. Yes, the first movie's wasn't anything spectacular, but at least for the most part I had a good time. Here, there are some pretty good moments, but for some bits I was dead silent.

The other stems from character. There's actually a pretty good story regarding the Turtles and how they feel about who they are, and when something comes along to help them, this big decision does make them argue amongst themselves. However I do feel as though that story did get wrapped up rather quickly. Then there's our villains, Shredder and such were decent enough. But I felt as though Krang didn't get enough attention. He shows up during the first act, and doesn't reappear until the movie's reaching the end. I understand the writers probably didn't want to put too much in, but maybe they could've sprinkle him around every now and then. Ya know, like he pops up wanting updates.

• Positives

One pro that Out of the Shadows has is the action. Those were some really good scenes, and were very fun. The best one being how we go from a fight on a plane, to later fighting in a Brazilian river. I absolutely loved that part.

The last thing I'll give credit to is Dave Green's directing. While I didn't hate Jonathan Liebesman's directing, I thought he did a decent job but, I couldn't argue against the common criticism of how he was trying to copy Michael Bay, who was a producer for both of these movies. Here, it's very clear Green isn't trying to copy Bay. Sure, I don't feel as though his style is gonna set the world on fire, but I would much rather something standard, then someone trying to emulate someone else.

Overall, much like the previous movie, I thought this was pretty decent. I truly do believe the reboot duology doesn't deserve as much hate as it gets. I mean come on folks, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles III...I don't think I need to say anything else.

My final rating is, Okay.

Alright, that's all for now. Come back on Thursday, Jul 27th, for my review of the newest DC animated movie, Justice League: Warworld. Until then, enjoy the rest of your day.

Oppenheimer Review

 

Oppenheimer is a biographical thriller movie based on the 2005 book, American Prometheus. It's produced by Syncopy Inc. and Atlas Entertainment and distributed by Universal Pictures. Oppenheimer is written and directed by Christopher Nolan.

The story is it's the days of World War II, and the American government needs something that'll give them an edge. They soon give the job to J. Robert Oppenheimer. He begins making the atomic bomb, but while building such a powerful weapon, he soon questions the very thing he created.

Initial Reaction

I think there's a very simple reason for why I wanted to see this. It's a Christopher Nolan film. Nolan has yet to make a bad movie, so when I found out about this, I was fully on board and had high hopes.

Cons

I've got nothing.

Middle Ground

Still nothing, just keep moving on.

Pros

One thing to praise is Ludwing Göransson's score. He composed music that can be both beautiful and haunting. Then we have the visuals. Now Christopher Nolan has said he didn't use an ounce of CGI, me personally, I wouldn't have cared if did or didn't. The visuals throughout are just amazing. You just can't take your eyes off of them, even when it's something horrifying such as an atomic bomb going off. Now let me tell you about the performances. Whether someone has a supporting role like Robert Downey Jr. or a small role like Emily Blunt, their performances are amazing. But of course the one who deserves the most credit is our main star, Cillian Murphy. He's performances is award winning, and I mean that too. If he doesn't at least get a nomination, then award shows such as the Oscars have no idea what they're doing. Another fantastic aspect is Christopher Nolan's directing. Sure, it's probably common knowledge that he's a great director, but it just feels like those things you should praise. One scene that showcased his talent was the bomb exploding scene. During that scene, we're given great tense and buildup. And what really made that scene wasn't the explosion, but the reactions. That's what I paid attention to the most, the reactions. Before, during, and after the explosion, we really saw the fear on everyone's face. And Nolan executed that scene so well, that even me and the audience felt scared. Yes, we felt scared when thought that event happened 78 years ago. That's how much of a great job Nolan did. The last thing I'll praise is how character driven this is. We really dive into who Oppenheimer was. Throughout the runtime we get to know what he going through in his personal and professional life. We know what he was going through emotionally and mentally. And my favorite thing is, we see how scared he was with the legacy he left behind. Which in retrospect, is very scary. Sure, you did make a big, grand discovery, but at the same time, it was a discovery that's very dangerous.

I strongly recommend you go see Oppenheimer. Whether you're a Christopher Nolan fan, film fan, or both. You definitely need to see this movie.

My final rating is, A Must Watch.

Alright, that's all for me. Come back on Monday, Jul 24th, where I'll review a movie that's completely different from Nolan's. No, I'm not referring to f**king Barbie. I'm referring to Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Out of the Shadows. Until then, enjoy the rest of your day, and go see Oppenheimer.

It's Break Time Again

 

Hey everybody, so as you most likely figured out, I'm going on break again.

Because there's the usual tiredness and in my opinion there just doesn't seem to be anything interesting coming out. Not until Oppenheimer and the following releases after that.

So expect me by Saturday, July 22nd, for my review of Oppenheimer. And if I don't have that review for whatever reason (most likely cause there's not a showing), then come back on Monday, July 24th, for the final part of my Road to Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem, with my review of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Out of the Shadows. Until then, enjoy the rest of your day, while I enjoy my break.

The Real Cause of Comic Book Movie Fatigue

 

Hey guys. So as you can see I'm doing something quite different. Today, I'll giving you my opinion of what's causing this "fatigue", for comic book movies.

What is Fatigue?

First off, for any of you that knows what this word means, then just skip this section. But for any of that don't, basically what fatigue means is an extreme tiredness. You're more tired than you usually are.

What A Lot of People Think Are Causing the Fatigue

Now for the longest time we've been giving a lot of comic book movies. This big boom basically started with Phase One of the Marvel Cinematic Universe back in 2008.

Since then, we've been given tons of comic book movies. I think we get combining both Marvel and DC, we could possibly get five to six movies, maybe even more than that. But because of that huge number, that's why people think we're in the fatigue state. That we've just been getting too many, and people are just tired of it.

I'll admit, that's definitely a factor. But I don't think it's the real cause.

What The Real Cause Is

So, do you want to know what I think is causing this "fatigue"? Do you want to know why people are getting tired of comic book movies? It's all of the freakin' comedy!

Now before you start throwing a hissy fit, let me explain. There's nothing wrong with having a bit of humor in a comic book movie. The problem stems from having an overabundance of it. Which is the problem with the genre right now.

Because studios want to copy what looks like a winning formula, we wind up getting what feels like the same thing over and over again. There's a quote that Joe Russo said when he and his brother [Anthony] were promoting Captain America: Civil War back in 2016.

He said and I quote, "Our pitch to [Marvel] was: 'People will tell you they love chocolate ice cream - until you give it to them five days a week. It's time to give them some rainbow sherbet.'"

Which is the problem we have now folks. Comic book movies now have become the exact same flavor. There's no vanilla, strawberry, cookies and cream, or sherbet. It's all just chocolate ice cream, and everybody is tired of chocolate.

How to Solve This Problem

Before we get to the comedy problem, there was another issue I briefly brought up. Yes, there are too many coming out. Like I said, that is definitely a factor. So yes, cut down on the number of releases. DC seems to fine, cause last time I checked they only release two maybe three movies of a year. So they're fine. Marvel on the other hand has just too much. Because we're getting films from both Marvel Studios and Sony, there's just too many Marvel flicks. What they need to do, mainly on the Marvel Studios, is cut back. We don't need four or more MCU movies in one year alone. We can only have three or less than that. So if all sides (meaning DC, Marvel, and Sony's Marvel) do cut back, then we'll get only a few number of comic book flicks, that's easier to digest, and people won't feel like there's too many.

Now to the biggest problem being the overabundance of comedy. Like I said, there's nothing wrong with having comedy in your comic book film. The problem is too many of it. Especially when it brings the quality of the movie down. Think of how many times a comic book movie has a big dramatic moment in it, then either in the same exact scene or the next one afterwards we're all of sudden being comedic. That type of scene has happened so many times, I'm surprised it doesn't have its own Wikipedia article.

So how do we solve this problem? Well there's three ways.

1) Tone it down

If you're going to have comedy, only put in scenes where it's necessary. Don't have in the exact same scene where something serious happens. Space it all out. Look at both Deadpool or Deadpool 2, sure they're both rated-R comedies, but that didn't stop those movies from having serious moments in them. Hell, the first movie has a very serious romantic subplot to it, with dashes of humor thrown in there.

2) Be Comedic If It Fits the Character

Now let's say you're making a comic book movie, but the character truly is meant to be a total goof. Well...then that's fine. Like if you're making a Plastic Man movie, then yes. Yes being a full comedy movie works, because that character is more on the lighthearted side of things.

But if you're doing a character like Batman, no. Having too much comedy for a character like that, is how we wind up getting movies like Batman & Robin.

3) Get! Serious!!!

For the longest time it seemed like we were going to get stuck with comic book movies that felt like action comedies. My hopes along with many others felt that was going to change when movies like Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice and then a year later Logan arrived. But then the former was deemed a "failure", studios panicked and then felt almost every comic book flick needed to be a comedy instead. Which I thought was ridiculous.

Especially since a lot of the comics I've read, are mostly serious. I mean it, if you read the comics, they go to some dark places, when compared to their movie counterparts. And lot of those writers who wrote those stories, weren't named Frank Miller or Alan Moore. That's why unlike a lot of people, I don't get bent out of shape, whenever a more dark, gritty, or serious comic book flick comes out. Cause I know what the comics are actually like.

So this is what movie studios need start doing. Give us more serious comic flicks. It'll feel like a breath of fresh air, something different compared to the stuff we've been given over the past couple of years. Give me a Marvel movie that's more in line with the Marvel Knights or MAX imprint, and DC shouldn't be afraid to look towards their Vertigo or Black Label imprint. Having a gritty comic book movie along side a lighthearted one isn't gonna cause harm to the audience. It's gonna give them options, something different from norm. Remember the old saying? Variety is the spice of life. That's what this genre needs now more than ever. Variety!

So, that's going to do it for now. Come back on Thursday, Jul 6th, for an important announcement. Until then, for any of my fellow Americans, enjoy your 4th of July tomorrow. As for the rest of you, enjoy the rest of your day.

Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny Review

NOTE!: THERE WILL BE SPOILERS IN THIS REVIEW! IF YOU DON'T WANT TO BE SPOILED! LEAVE NOW!

Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny is an action adventure movie and the fifth and final installment of the film series. It's produced by Walt Disney Pictures and Lucasfilms Ltd. and distributed by Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures. Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny is written by David Koepp, James Mangold, Jez Butterworth, and John-Henry Butterworth and directed by James Mangold.

The story is Indiana Jones meets with his godchild Helena Shaw, and they have talk about Archimedes' Dial and the supposed power it holds. This conversation soon leads to a race to see who can put the dial back together and use its fabled power.

Initial Reaction

When I first heard about a fifth Indiana Jones movie, I was pretty excited. Then I heard and read leaks, and was so hoping a lot of it wasn't true. But despite my worries, I was still excited.

Cons

One negative is the pacing. This movie is two hours and felt like two hours. You can just feel the runtime. I spent more time wondering when things would speed up, than actually having a good time. Then there's our villains. Not only were they not interesting, but, and maybe this is just from my point of view, but they just didn't feel all that threatening. Not only that, but they're Nazis. Which means we've done the Nazi thing three times. Do you know why Spielberg and Lucas made the voodoo tribe the villains for Temple of Doom and the KGB the villains for Kingdom of the Crystal Skull? It was so the franchise had some fresh bad guys. So not only are our villains not interesting, but they also have a recycled gimmick. What a winning combination. Then there's the time traveling aspect. Yes, that leak along with many others was true. Now I know defended sci-fi elements in Kingdom of the Crystal Skull, but I just can't here. The reason is, while showing the aliens and their ship is a little unnecessary, at least Steven Spielberg and George Lucas didn't have Indy meet the aliens, then have him and the gang find a way off their ship, all while being shot at with laser beams. Here, not only did they time travel but, they interact with the people from that time period and even fight for a bit. The filmmakers basically took the sci-fi aspect and cranked it up to eleven. Making what Spielberg and Lucas did in Crystal Skull subtle in comparison. Then we come to the worst aspect of Dial of Destiny, Helena Shaw. This character is insufferable. Not only does this lady have a smug attitude like she's better than everyone else, there's just nothing to like about her. She's not charming, she's not charismatic, and she's not funny. Then there's the fact it seemed like the writers had no idea what she is. One moment she's a caring person, next she's a quirky con artist, and then she's a backstabber who's more than willing to let other people die in order to achieve her goals, even if it's her own godfather Indy. Just a poorly written character all around.

Middle Ground

One gray area is the CGI. While some of it can be noticeable, overall it's not too bad. The VFX artist did a pretty decent job. Then there's the action. The first twenty minutes was the absolute best, it felt like a true Indiana Jones movie. Afterwards it just fine. Other than those twenty minutes, the action is well shot, but it definitely needed more energy and excitement to them.

Pros

If there's anything to like about the movie it's John Williams' score and Harrison Ford's performance. While the overall movie isn't good, these were the two things that helped just a little bit.

Overall folks, you all owe Kingdom of the Crystal Skull an apology. This is the movie you should be hating on, today, tomorrow, and forever. Sure there's a slight quality that's pretty decent, but overall this movie just not good.

My final rating is, Bad.

Well that's all for now. Come back on Monday, Jul 3rd, where I'll write a problem plaguing comic book movies. Until then, enjoy the rest of your day.