Underrated Films - The Raid

 

Well, this is a first. I'm reviewing a movie that wasn't made in America. Which was actually fun to do.

The Raid (or as it's called in here the U.S., The Raid: Redemption) is an Indonesian action thriller movie. It was produced by PT Merantau Films, XYZ Films, and Celluloid Nightmares and distributed by PT Merantau Films. The Raid was written and directed by Gareth Evans.

The story is, an elite Indonesian police squad have been deployed to an apartment block in the slums of Jakarta to bring in a dangerous crime lord. But when the crime lord is aware of this, he offers sanctuary to anyone who can bring in the team's heads. Now, the elite squad must fight their way to not only capture their target, but also survive.

Why It's Underrated

While the film does have a cult following, and was even named as an inspiration for the Cut Man fight scene in the Netflix's Daredevil series, it shares a common trait with other films I reviewed for this segment, and that's it's not brought up enough, which in return means not many people know about it.

My Thoughts

Now, I might get some flak for this but, there are two slight issues. One is Gareth Evans' directing. Now he is tremendously talented. He crafted a very dirty and grungy (and I mean that positive way) film. But there were a couple of scenes where the camera shook, but yet the scene itself was in-frame. It was a very odd stylistic choice.

Then there's character. While some characters do get somewhat of depth, it just didn't feel all that strong.

Alright, now this is part where I praise how much I loved this movie. Like I said previously, the film has a very dirty look. Now it makes because the film takes place in a slum, but it just looks very well crafted without giving away that this some sort of movie set.

Another praise I'll give is the score. Joseph Trapanese and Mike Shinoda, and if that name sounds familiar to you, it's because he's the vocalist for Linkin Park. They crafted an awesome score. While it's sleek and has some electro-rock beats to it, it matches perfectly with the overall tone of the movie.

Now for the big one, the biggest praise The Raid has ever received. That being the action. Oh boy, the action. While we do get some shootouts and an explosion, it's the hand-to-hand combat that seals the deal. It was just balls to the walls insane! It's intense bloody and bone breaking. Words fail to do the fight scenes justice, and I literally mean that. Even if I was to fully describe them in perfect detail, it's not enough. You have to see them.

While The Raid has its issues that doesn't change the fact that this movie is a thrill ride. If you're looking for some sort of pulp action flick, I think The Raid just might be for you.

My final rating is, Great.

Man I had a blast with this one! Anyways, that's going to do it for me. Come back on Saturday, Feb 3rd, for my review of Argylle. Until then, enjoy the rest of your day.

Looking Back at the Films of 2023 Part One - Plane

 

Okay, here we go. The first part of reviewing the 2023 films I missed out on. Let's get to it.

Why I Didn't I See Plane?

Now I was made aware of this movie because of X/Twitter, however, I didn't see because the trailers just did do anything for me. The movie looked very generic. To my surprised I heard this got generally positive reviews. So maybe I missed out on something fun?

What is Plane?

Plane is an action thriller movie, that was produced by MadRiver Pictures, Olive Hill Media, Di Bonaventura Pictures, and G-Base and distributed by Lionsgate. Plane was written by Charles Cumming and J.P. Davis and directed by Jean-François Richet.

The story is, Commercial pilot Brodie Torrance thinks he'll be having a peaceful flight along with his passengers. But things take a turn when he's plane is struck down by lighting and he has to make an emergency landing on a dirt strip. Brodie soon learns that the crash isn't the most dire threat.

My Thoughts

The Good: One bit positive praise goes to Gerard Butler. The guy is a tremendous actor and really feels suited for action movies. The next bit of approval and this seems to be the most frequent is this movie does feel like a throwback to action movies you would've seen back in the 90's. It's just pure, unapologetic escapism. Which I don't mind at all. The last thing I'll touch on is the action. It's just as fun as it is bloody. And it also has some very effective suspense too. That first and second crash landing was really well done, and I actually found myself being pretty nervous.

The Bad: The bad guys here just suck. There's nothing memorable about them. There not characters you'll love to hate, there not over the top, or have aura of menace to them. They're just generic.

The Okay: The only mixed feelings I had with Plane was Jean-François Richet's directing. For the most part it's pretty good and there's some good looking shots. But there are times when he shakes the camera or will have the camera far too close.

Final Verdict: Good.

That's all for now. Come back on Monday, Jan 29th, for my Underrated Films review of, The Raid. Until then, enjoy the rest of your day.

Is It True? - J. Jonah Jameson Has Always Known Peter Parker is Spider-Man

 

Welcome back to a brand new Is It True? Where I breakdown fan theories and see if they hold any weight.

Who is J. Jonah Jameson

J. Jonah Jameson is a Marvel Comics' character who primarily appears in Spider-Man comic books. His first appearance was in The Amazing Spider-Man #1, with a cover date of March 1963. In the comics he's often running a smear campaign against Spider-Man. Afterwards he found out about Peter being Spider-Man twice. Once in Marvel's big crossover event, Civil War. Which was later undone by the critical panned Spider-Man storyline, One More Day. Then again years later, which resulted in him stopping his smear campaign and becoming Spidey's ally.

The Theory

The theory goes J. Jonah is figured Peter was Spider-Man through his photos, because said photos are always taken at impossible angels. With Jameson being in the newspaper business for 20 years, he would know a lair when he sees one. Because of this, his smear campaign is actually a challenge because Jonah is well aware of how dedicated Peter is, so the "menace" headlines are really motivating Peter not to get complacent. This also gives Spidey a villain to fight even if it's himself. But why doesn't he write about the villains being the true criminals? Well, the theory also states that J. Jonah is aware that bad stories make good headlines. So by making Spider-Man seem like the villain, he's not only gets a headline, gives Spider-Man a challenge, but he's also not glorify bad guys such as Green Goblin, Carnage, and etc.

Is The Theory Believable?

No. The theory doesn't work. Cause if this whole thing was about motivating Spider-Man/Peter, then J. Jonah Jameson is the absolute worst motivator that's ever lived.

During the classic Spider-Man storyline, Spider-Man No More!, Jameson's attacks worked so well that it was one of the many factors that caused Peter to quit being Spider-Man. Kinda the opposite of making sure Spidey doesn't get complacent. Then there's the fact that J. Jonah has also funded projects to take on Spider-Man. One of those fundings going to robots called "The Spider-Slayers". Take a wild guess who those are supposed to kill.

And even if we ignore that VERY damning evidence, as I mentioned previously Peter revealed he was Spider-Man to Jameson twice. During Civil War, when Spider-Man makes his real identity public, Jameson faints in absolute shock. But why? Why would JJJ faint over something he already knew? Then when that was undone, Peter then privately reveals he's Spider-Man to Jameson, and yet again he's shocked. Let me repeat, if he already knew, then there's no reason for him to have this reaction.

Well, that's all for now. Come back on Thursday, Jan 25th, for the first part of Looking Back at the Films of 2023. Until then, enjoy the rest of your day.

Road to Kung Fu Panda 4 - Kung Fu Panda Review

 

With Kung Fu Panda 4 releasing this year, it's time to do an old tradition around here, and review the previous films that came before. Let's get to it.

Kung Fu Panda is an animated marital arts comedy movie, and the first entry in the Kung Fu Panda franchise. It was produced by DreamWorks Animation and distributed by Paramount Pictures. Kung Fu Panda was written by Jonathan Aibel and Glenn Berger and directed by Mark Osborne and John Stevenson.

The story is, a giant bumbling panda named Po dreams of being a kung fu master and fighting along side a group named the Furious Five. He unexpectedly gets his wish when he's chosen to be the legendary Dragon Warrior. He needs to complete his training fast, because the deadly Tai Lung is after a scroll that everybody believes grants you unlimited power.

• Negatives

I've got nothing.

• Mix

Nope. Got nothing for this section either.

• Positives

One pro is the voice acting. The cast is a great ensemble of talent. They did a great job with their characters. Jack Black is naturally charming and entertaining, which made him a perfect fit for Po. While Ian McShane as Tai Lung is one of the more underrated villainous performances. He was really able to balance both menacing and comedic. And come on, who doesn't like hearing James Hung? He's always fun.

Then there's the humor. While you do get some more physically bits of comedy, which are actually pretty good. But I found that the best moments of humor was from the dialogue. Lots of hilarious and quotable jokes.

Now onto the animation. Prior to rewatching this for the sake of the review, I did remember the animation looking nice, and oh boy, did my memory not serve me well. The animation isn't just nice looking, it's down right beautiful. You just can't take your eyes off it. It doesn't matter if it's an action or not, the animation is fantastic.

Which brings me to the action. It's awesome. It's both exciting and creative. And while there are instances where it's clear the marital arts are over exaggerated for the sake of entertainment, there are many instances where there's actual, real marital arts put into them. Three excellent action scenes come from Tai Lung's prison escape, the bridge fight scene, and the final fight between Po and Tai Lung. Those three scenes are something you got to see for yourself. Cause there's no way my words are doing them justice.

The last thing I'll praise is Po and Tai Lung. They both have great stories but in two different ways. With Po, he has to overcome his imposter syndrome. For any of you who don't know, imposter syndrome is despite showing you're very highly skilled, you can't help but feel like that deep down you're a fraud. Which causes you to doubt your skills. Which is exactly what we get with Po. He's not only training to fight Tai Lung, but also to fight away his doubts. It made him not only a sympathetic hero, but really added a great layer to his hero's journey. With Tai Lung, what made him a great villain was not only is he a very skilled fighter, but there's also his backstory. He really has this whole weight of expectations. He was not only told he'll achieve great things, but that it's also destiny. But all this talk did was lead to his downfall because he wind up with a massive ego. An ego so big he couldn't accept rejection in a healthy way. So much like Po has an extra layer to his story despite being very standard, so does Tai Lung.

Long ago I really didn't appreciate this movie when it first came out. Sure as a kid I liked it, but I never thought too highly of it. Now as an adult, and taking a step back and think about it, I realize Kung Fu Panda is a great film.

My final rating is, A Must Watch.

That's one movie down, two more to go before Kung Fu Panda 4. That's all for now, come back on Monday, Jan 22nd, for a brand new Is It True? For that one I'll tackle a theory about Spider-Man. Until then, enjoy the rest of your day.

The Beekeeper Review

 

The Beekeeper is an action thriller movie, that's produced by Miramax, Cedar Park Studios, and Punch Palace Productions and distributed by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer. The Beekeeper is written by Kurt Wimmer and directed by David Ayer.

The story is, Adam Clay was a operative working for an organization called "Beekeepers". Tragedy enters his life when his friend/neighbor kills herself after falling for a phishing scam. Now, Adam is on the warpath to get revenge on those who are responsible.

Initial Reaction

The reason why I wanted to see this was because of David Ayer. Sure Jason Statham was also a good selling point, but I like a lot of David Ayer's films. And I also figured it'd be a good way to support Ayer since he still has no idea if his cut of Suicide Squad is ever gonna get released.

Cons

I've got nothing.

Middle Ground

Now let's get this out of the way. Yes, the story is standard. We've seen the story of someone getting revenge because someone close to them was either hurt or killed. We've seen that with Death Wish, Death Sentence, Kill Bill, The Northman, The Revenant, The Equalizer, Upgrade, etc. But, I think, if you can at least make an entertaining movie, then you still succeed, and The Beekeeper is a fun ride. With that aside the other mix bag is the whole concept of the Beekeepers. Now, I do love the whole using bees as a juxtaposition. However, I would love to see just how big this organization is. How deep does it go, and just how many people are aware of them?

Pros

One great aspect of The Beekeeper is Jason Statham himself. The guy's really in his element here. He's really get at playing characters who are all business. The other thing the movie's got going for it is the humor. Don't worry it's not something eye rolling. The humor works perfectly with this because it's both dark and dry. The last thing I'll touch upon is the action. There's no doubt David Ayer can direct action scenes, and he did a really good job with here. I got excited whenever Statham was just going around and kicking someone's ass.

The Beekeeper isn't perfect, but I had a lot of fun with this one. I even had a smile on my face when it was all over.

My final rating is, Good.

First Justice League: Crisis on Infinite Earths - Part One, now this. Two good movies in a row. Hopefully we keep this train going. But for now, that'll be all. Come back on Monday, Jan 15th, where I'll begin the Road to Kung Fu Panda 4, with my review of Kung Fu Panda. Until then, enjoy the rest of your day.

Justice League: Crisis on Infinite Earths - Part One Review

 

Justice League: Crisis on Infinite Earths - Part One is an animated comic book movie, adapted from the DC Comics' 1985 classic, Crisis on Infinite Earths. The movie also serves as the eighth installment of the Tomorrowverse. It's produced by DC Entertainment and Warner Bros. Animation and distributed by Warner Bros. Home Entertainment. Justice League: Crisis on Infinite Earths - Part One is written by James Krieg and directed by Jeff Wamester.

The story is, a mysterious and destructive energy wave is wiping Earths from across the multiverse. A being know as the Monitor as taken action is stop simply watching from afar and recruited heroes to help him to put an end to this crisis.

Initial Reaction

After the being letdown with Justice League: Warworld, I was not having the highest of hopes with this one. But then I heard it was gonna be released as a trilogy, and my hopes were slightly restored. I say slightly, cause there was still a part of me that was still skeptical, cause like I said previously, Warworld was just a letdown.

Cons

I've got nothing.

Middle Ground

If there's any mix feelings I had, it was the fact that they definitely leaned in on the fact the movie's a part one of a bigger story. Cause throughout the movie, there's bits and pieces that leave questions behind, to leave hyped up for parts two and three. Now some of you are probably wondering why didn't I put this in the "Cons" section? Because it didn't bother me too much. Cause 1) we all knew this was a part one going into this. And 2) At least, for the most part anyways, a complete story was still told.

Pros

One thing I liked about the movie was it pretty stood on its own. While there are easter eggs to previous movies, there's not so much of them to point where you feel like you're missing a chunk of information. You can literally just jump right into this with no prior knowledge of the other Tomorrowverse flicks. While I do give credit to the other cast members, I especially got to give props to Matt Bomer for his performance with Barry Allen/The Flash. He was spectacular in this, he brought out the heart of Barry Allen, and I dare say he outshined himself from his work on Justice Society: World War II. The last thing I'll credit Crisis on Infinite Earths for, is there's a nice balance between focusing on character and the crisis at hand. While we still do get our superhero action, the heroes focusing on the threat, there's still plenty of scenes where we slow down and focus on the characters. Whether it be them talking about the energy wave, or talking about something that adds to their character. Sometimes the action scenes also add character development.

While Crisis on Infinite Earths - Part One has flaws, it's a major improvement from the last movie, and after watching this, I gotta say, I'm looking forward to Part Two.

My final rating is, Good.

Alright, one first movie review of 2024 and it's a good start. Hopefully we get a good streak going. That's all for now. Come back on Saturday, Jan 13th, for my review of David Ayer's newest film, The Beekeeper. Until then, enjoy the rest of your day.

My Most Anticipated Movies of 2024

 

Alright! New year, new movies! Let's get to it!

First on the list is The Beekeeper. I enjoy many of David Ayer's movies, so I'm definitely looking forward to this one. Especially since he hasn't made a new since The Tax Collector and that was four years ago.

Next up is Argylle. Matthew Vaughn is a very talented filmmaker, what with movies such as Kick-Ass, X-Men: First Class, and Kingsman. So I'm expecting great things with this movie, I'm also interested cause he's working on something original as suppose to another comic book movie.

Then we have Orion and the Dark. After watching the trailer two days ago, I've come to think that this is gonna be a very fun movie, and I like the concept.

The next film is Drive-Away Dolls. Back in 2022 I saw what Joel Coen did on his own with The Tragedy of Macbeth, now I'm curious what Ethan Coen is gonna be bring to the table.

This one was suppose to come out last year, but sadly had to be pushed back, either way, I'm excited for Dune: Part Two. The first movie was absolutely spectacular and I gotta feeling the sequel will be too. Hopefully I'm right.

Then there's Kung Fu Panda 4. To my surprise all of the Kung Fu Panda films have been great, not one bad movie. So let's hope movie number 4 can continue that winning streak.

Now we move onto to Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire. After seeing Afterlife right after having to review the 2016 reboot, I've been feeling great about the next installment in the Ghostbusters franchise. And after seeing the trailer, I'm fully hyped for Frozen Empire.

Next up is Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire, that's now two empires we're gonna see in 2024. I had an absolute blast with Godzilla vs. Kong, the trailer for this one was awesome, so it's only natural that I want to see this movie.

There's also Rebel Moon - Part Two: The Scargiver. I thought the first movie was really good, and with that, I'm very curious where Zack Snyder is gonna take the story next.

I'm gonna come out and say it, David Leitch has become a new favorite of mine when it comes to directors. Which is why I'm looking forward to his next movie, The Fall Guy. I know Leitch is gonna deliver great action scenes, so I think we're gonna be in for a very fun ride with The Fall Guy.

This one is more curiosity then it is excitement. Because how is Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes gonna top what Matt Reeves and co. did with War for the Planet of the Apes? Those are some pretty big shoes to fill.

Another movie that I'm more curious then excited about is Ballerina. This'll be a spin-off to John Wick, so I'm interested how the filmmakers are gonna pull this off, because all four of the John Wick films were amazing, so let's hope this movie could pull off something amazing.

Now we move onto Inside Out 2. I was very much surprised by how much I loved the first movie, so when I heard a sequel was coming out this year, I got excited just like I did with the first one.

Next up is A Quiet Place: Day One. Although I'm a little bummed we're not gonna see John Krasinski and Emily Blunt's characters return to this movie, at the same time, it's gonna be very interesting to a different point-of-view, especially during the very early days of the apocalypse in the Quiet Place world.

The next movie is, probably not surprising, Deadpool 3. I'll admit, I was not initial pumped for this, mainly because Hugh Jackman was coming back as Wolverine. That bummed me out, because Logan was such a perfect way to end that character, but then I took a step back. This is Ryan Reynolds making a Deadpool movie, I know for a fact he's gonna go into this project with nothing but passion for this character just like he did with the previous films. Especially since he'll finally be living his wish of making it a team-up flick with Wolverine.

Our next movie is Borderlands. Now I'm not a fan of the games, so why am I seeing this? Well, I want to thank Eli Roth yet again, for bringing us Thanksgiving. 😆

By the way, don't worry. I'll do my research on the games before seeing the movie.

After waiting so many years, we'll finally have a new Alien film with Alien: Romulus. Like it I said before it's about time, we haven't gotten one of these movies since Covenant and that was back in 2017. The director and screenwriter behind this, also did 2013's Evil Dead, so I feel we're in safe hands here.

Also coming in 2024 is Beetlejuice 2. Much Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes and Ballerina, I'm curious than anything else. Especially since the first movie is just so good. But I think with Tim Burton heavily involved, there's a chance the sequel might do well.

Next on the list is Jon Watts' Wolfs. The main reasons why I'm looking forward to this is because 1) I'm curious what Watts has been up to since his Spider-Man trilogy, and 2) from what I've read, this is gonna more in line with his previous films, Clown and Cop Car, then Spidey. Probably more Cop Car cause this is a thriller.

Our next comic book movie is Joker: Folie à Deux. At first, I wasn't looking forward to it. Because Joker is such a good movie, that it really didn't need a sequel. But I started to turn around, when I heard that Tom Phillips and Scott Silver will be returning, so that definitely helped build back excitement. And apparently they're gonna be experimental by making it a musical...that's an...interesting choice.

Leigh Whannell is expecting to bring us a reboot of The Wolf Man. I absolutely loved Upgrade and Whannell did a fantastic job with the reboot to The Invisible Man, so let's see if he hits out of the park yet again.

Yes, this is an actual production photo from Venom 3. 😆

Alright, we're down to the final four, and one of those is Venom 3. Now I'm well aware these movies aren't perfect, but I've enjoyed both Venom films, and fingers crossed we get another fun one.

Then there's Gladiator 2. Once again more curious than excited. I mean, how are they gonna pull this off? Gladiator is not only one of the top films of 2000, but one of the many greats when it comes to films. I have faith that Ridley Scott is gonna take tremendous care for this sequel, but just in case, let's all pray it's great.

Our next movie is Sonic the Hedgehog 3. To everybody's surprise, we didn't get one really good Sonic flick, but two! So because of the filmmakers are taking such good care of this movie series, it makes me very excited for the third film.

The last movie on this list is, Robert Eggers' remake of Nosferatu. Robert Eggers is a director who just hasn't missed. The VVitch is spectacular, The Lighthouse is an insane psychological thriller, and The Northman is a brutal masterpiece. So I'm really looking forward to what Eggers brings to this movie.

Alright, those are my most anticipated movies of this year. Come back on Thursday, Jan 11th, for my review of the newest DC animated movie, Justice League: Crisis on Infinite Earths - Part One. Until then, enjoy the rest of your day.