Joker: Folie à Deux Review

 

Joker: Folie à Deux is a psychological thriller musical and the sequel to the 2019 hit film, Joker. It's produced by DC Studios, Warner Bros. Pictures, and Joint Effort and distributed by Warner Bros. Pictures. Joker: Folie à Deux is written by Todd Phillips and Scott Silver and directed by Todd Phillips.

The story is, it's been two years since the events of the last movie, and Arthur isn't the same guy he was before, he's not even telling any jokes. That all changes when he meets mental patient Harleen "Lee" Quinzel. Now with his trial coming up, Arthur once again decents into becoming the Joker.

Initial Reaction

When I first heard they were making a sequel, at first I was against it. But with Todd coming back it did give me some hope. Although having a musical in their did strike me as odd, but hey, sometimes experimentation is better than doing the same old same old.

Cons

I've got nothing.

Middle Ground

The only slight issue I had, but it's a big slight issue is the story. Now everything revolving around the trial, that was some really good stuff. I was very much engaged with that part of the story. I even liked the whole love story with Arthur and Harley. Cause there was this whole mystery of does she love Arthur or his Joker persona? Where the slight issue comes from is the musical bits. Now I understand why there here. The movie is always bringing up how Arthur dangerously lives in a fantasy world. So it'd make sense he'd see things through a brighter lense even if things around him are not very good. However, they really could've cut some out. Some songs didn't really need to be there.

Pros

Alright let's get into the good stuff. One being the pacing. The film clocks in at two hours and eighteen minutes. But it didn't feel like that. It just smoothly goes by. Then we have the music, and by that I mean the score. Once again Hildur Guðnadóttir knocks it out of the park with her music. It still keeps some of those disturbing vibes from the first movie, but it also seems she added bits of sadness here. Which makes sense giving the movie's tone. Now let's move onto the cinematography. The look of this was absolutely stunning. It's not as dirty looking as the first, but that's fine, because whether the setting is taken place in the real world and/or in Arthur's head, the cinematography is top notch no matter what. The last thing I'll praise is once again Joaquin Phoenix's performance. I don't care if you liked this or not, you gotta admit whether good, bad, or decent, Joaquin did a tremendous job.

Now if you didn't like this movie, then that's perfectly fine. There's no rules saying you can't form your own opinion on cinema. But for me, I'll admit there are some problems. However, I feel as though the hate for this is vastly overblown. I won't say it's perfect but at the same time you won't see me jump aboard the hate train.

My final rating is, Good.

That's all for now. Come back on Monday, Oct 7th, for my post of George A. Romero's original Dawn of the Dead vs. Zack Snyder's remake of the same name. Until then, enjoy the rest of your day.

Scream (1996) Review

 

Alright it's Halloween season! Which means it's time for some horror movie reviews! Let's do this! Oh by the way, I won't be reviewing the 2022 film of the same name and Scream VI since I already reviewed them. Anyways, let's do this!

Scream is a slasher movie that was produced by Woods Entertainment and distributed by Dimension Films. Scream was written by Kevin Williamson and directed by the late, great Wes Craven.

The story is, a masked killer is one the loose in Woodsboro. Now, Sidney and her friends must find out who the killer is and why he's targeting them, before they become his next victim.

• Negatives

I've got nothing.

• Mix

Got nothing here either.

• Positives

First off, let me just praise the pacing of this. I've seen this movie at least four times, and each time it's a breeze to get through. It clocks in at nearly two hours, but whenever I watch it it feels like only an hour went by.

Then there's the humor. This has tons of meta humor in it. Making fun of all the horror tropes that come with the horror genre, although more specifically slasher films. Now meta has been used a in recent years, for better or worse, however with Scream you don't have to worry about feeling like the characters are winking at you. All of the humor felt natural.

Speaking of characters, they're great. Surprisingly they're all so likable and you're actually rooting for a lot of them to survive. Hell I can't think of anybody that hates Dewey and let's be honest, a lot of us are a Randy.

My last praise goes to the killer himself, Ghostface. Not only do I like his creepy voice, but what always made Ghostface so terrifying and it's what makes the whole Scream franchise terrifying, Ghostface is all too human. It's not like Freddy Krueger or Jason Voorhees where there's a supernatural element (by the way, that's no insult to them, I like those characters). The character isn't nearly invincible or anything like it. Anybody could be Ghostface. You can imagine a real scenarios like this happening. Maybe not exactly, but creepily close, and sadly some of those did happen, but I don't blame the movie for that. That's why I hold Ghostface to such a high regard. Because the character's premise is very realistic.

Scream is not only a fantastic horror movie, but a fantastic movie in general. I strongly recommend you watch it whether you're a horror fan or not.

My final rating is, A Must Watch!

What a great way to kick off the Halloween season. Come back on Saturday, Oct 5th, for my review of, Joker: Folie à Deux. Until then, enjoy the rest of your day.

Road to Captain America: Brave New World - Captain America: The First Avenger Review

 

With a new solo Captain America movie (albeit no Steve Rogers) coming soon, I'd figured now is the best time to review the previous movies. Keep in my mind I'm only reviewing the solo movies, so don't expect any Avengers reviews anytime soon.

Captain America: The First Avenger is a comic book movie based on the Marvel Comics' Captain America. The movie serves as the fifth installment of the Marvel Cinematic Universe. It was produced by Marvel Studios and distributed by Paramount Pictures. Captain America: The First Avenger was written by Christopher Markus and Stephen McFeely and directed by Joe Johnston.

The story is, it's the time of World War II and all Steve Rogers wants to do is join the army and serve his country, but he's rejected due to his small stature and multiple health issues. But before he can give up on his dreams, Steve is given his opportunity as he has been chosen for the super soldier program. Now, going by Captain America, Steve must combat a super threat to everyone, the Nazi-backed organization known as HYDRA.

• Negatives

I've got nothing.

• Mix

There are some slow moments. Typically that'd be a good thing because of two things, 1) give us a breather from all of the action and build up story and/or character. 2) To build tension. Now both of those instances did happen, however there were some moments that didn't really need to be slow.

• Positives

Let's start off with the special effects. While there were a very few instances where you could see green screen, but those moments didn't ruin anything for me. Especially when the rest of the effects are really good.

My next credit goes to the action. It's very exciting and you'll have a fun time with it. Hell, I've seen this movie like three times and Captain America's rescue mission still, STILL gets me all giddy and excited.

I also liked this movie's tone. 99% of the time everything is played straight. Yes there's still humor (and I'll get into that later), but this movie takes its World War II setting and the superhero aspect very seriously. There's not one moment where I felt the tone was leaning one way or the other. It was nicely balanced.

Since I brought it up previously, let's get into the humor. This, this is how humor in a lot of modern comic book movies should be done. Unless you're doing something far more serious like the original Crow movie but I digress. Anyhow, the humor in this is perfect. Yes, it's funny, but unlike a lot of the MCU's current movies, it's not in your face. The humor in this was used subtlety and appropriately.

The last thing I'll credit is Joe Johnston's directing. I think this guy just might be a very underrated talent. He's great behind the camera, he makes his films look gorgeous, the whole nine yards. A matter of fact he kinda took the tone and among other stuff he did with another movie about a superhero fighting in WW2 [The Rocketeer] and applied it here. Hey I'm not complaining, it all worked out in the end.

Captain America: The First Avenger is a great comic book movie. As far as Phase One MCU movies go, this is on the top of the list.

My final rating is, Good.

Alright I'm all done here. Come back on Thursday, Oct 3rd, for my review of 1996's Scream. That'll kick off the Halloween season of reviews, but until then, enjoy the rest of your day.

The Wild Robot Review

 

The Wild Robot is an animated sci-fi survival movie based on Peter Brown's book series with the same name. It's produced by DreamWorks Animation and distributed by Universal Pictures. The Wild Robot is written and directed by Chris Sanders.

The story is, a robot named Roz finds herself shipwrecked on an uninhibited island. She was going to leave what with believing she has no true assignment, that soon changes when she must not only raise an orphaned gosling but also build relationships with other wildlife and adapt to her surroundings.

Initial Reaction

Now I was already interested in this film by that very first and very well done trailer. Then when I found out Chris Sanders made it I git even more excited. That guy pretty much made childhoods great with his previous films, those being Lilo & Stitch and How to Train Your Dragon.

Cons

I don't have a single negative thing to say.

Middle Ground

Nope, got nothing here either.

Pros

Okay, now I've got a lot to say here. Starting with the humor. The humor is just great. We get funny bits of dialogue and perfect slapstick. But there's also some good dark comedy too. I don't know exactly how many times death was the punchline, but I do know I laughed every time. Then there's the performance. Lupita Nyong'o voice work is spectacular. She puts so much emotion into Roz, you can hear what emotion she's using. Whether it'd be curiosity, happiness, or sadness, Nyong'o nails each and every one. But I was also surprised with the other cast as well. One of the surprises being Pedro Pascal as the fox character named Fink. Seriously, the voice he uses doesn't sound a thing like him and it's great. Now onto the animation. I gotta say I couldn't get enough. This is a beautiful looking movie. Movements are fluid and have a great speed to them, and the colors, oh my god. This film has a fantastic use of color. They're so gorgeous and vibrant. The last praise goes to the story. The story is incredible. It's got a great "what's family" theme to it, along with a coming of age tale perfectly balanced in it as well. But there's also a story of parenting. How a parent has to learn to raise a kid, teaching them what they need to know, and the feeling of your child leaving the nest, which in this movie's case it's both a figurative and literally thing. All in all it's a very human story. Ironic given there's no human characters in this.

The Wild Robot is a phenomenal movie, and one both kids and adults can enjoy. I strongly, STRONGLY, recommend you make plans to see this. Although be warned, you will get hit in the feels.

My final rating is, A MUST WATCH!

That's all for now. Come back on Monday, Sept 30th, for the very first part of the Road to Captain America: Brave New World, with my review of Captain America: The First Avenger. Until then, enjoy the rest of your day and go see this film.

Looking Back at the Films of 2023 Part Eight - The Retirement Plan, Outlaw Johnny Black, and The Creator

 

Man, only three of these left and I'll be finished with 2023.

Why Didn't I See The Retirement Plan?

I didn't know about this movie until at least a month after it came out. So it was best to leave a review of it for this segment.

What is The Retirement Plan?

The Retirement Plan is comedy crime thriller movie, that was produced by Darius Films and Productivity Media and distributed by Joker Films. It was written and directed by Tim Brown.

The story is, a woman named Ashley and her husband have stolen an incriminating hard drive from a crime boss. Soon, Ashley along her daughter meet her estranged father and ask for his help. Now, retired agent Matt must protect his family with every single part of his deadly skills.

My Thoughts

The Good: One credit goes to the humor. While some jokes didn't work for the most part I was laughing or had a smile on my face. Then there's Nicolas Cage's performance. Whether his being subtle or just going for blown over the top, Cage manages to bring it.

The Bad: Now even though I don't have any ill will towards this, I gotta admit I don't see it being remembered. Nicolas Cage movie or not. It just doesn't do much to stand out from other action flicks.

The Okay: I read quite a few reviewers mention how the tone didn't know what it wanted to be, I don't really agree with. There's plenty of times when action-comedy movies have bits of drama to them. The slight issue here is the tone needed to be more balanced. Cause there was a habit of being an action-comedy with bits of drama to all of a sudden being a drama with bits of action and/or comedy.

Final Verdict: Okay.

Why Didn't I See Outlaw Johnny Black?

Just like The Retirement Plan, didn't know about this movie until much later. Which sucks cause I really like Michael Jai White.

What is Outlaw Johnny Black?

Outlaw Johnny Black is a western comedy movie, that was produced by Jaigantic Studios and distributed by Samuel Goldwyn Films. This was written by Michael Jai White and Byron Keith Minns and directed by Michael Jai White.

The story is, during his quest for revenge wanted man Johnny Black not only is posing as a preacher in a small town, but soon finds he must figure out why a notorious land baron is hell bent on owning a very specific piece of land and then protect it. During this adventure, he also questions if he still wants vengeance.

My Thoughts

The Good: One of three things I liked was the humor. A lot of the jokes really worked whether it was from dialogue, sight gags, facial expressions or the more psychical stuff like slapping someone. Then there's the performances. Even if you're not the biggest fan (regrading if we've seen this), I think you can the cast was really good. Especially if you're a fan of Michael Jai White. My last credit will go to Johnny Black's story. There's a good amount of focus on whether he wants revenge or justice because it's clear the town folks and rediscovering his faith is having a change to him. It might not be absolutely mind blowing, but it was handled very well.

The Bad: My only true problem was with the pacing. This movie clocks in at two hours and fifteen minutes, and it felt like it was two hours.

The Okay: Now if you ever watch this movie you'll clearly see there's a budget. However, this is one of those instances where they used the money wisely and at least it looks competently made.

Final Verdict: Okay.

Why Didn't I See The Creator?

Now I did know about this movie, but my theater only showed it weeks after it came out.

What is The Creator?

The Creator is a sci-fi action movie that was produced by Regency Enterprises, Entertainment One, New Regency, and Bad Dreams and distributed by 20th Century Studios. The Creator was written Gareth Edwards and Chris Weitz and directed by Gareth Edwards.

The story is, after a devastating nuclear warhead was dropped on Los Angeles, humanity went to war with A.I. Fifteen years later, former special forces sergeant Joshua Taylor has told about that can change the entire war. He's been assigned to find this weapon and destroy it, but he soon finds out things aren't going to be so simple.

My Thoughts

The Good: One praise goes to the overall look of the movie. Everything looks absolutely gorgeous. From skies, to land, to the robots designs, etc. It all looks amazing. It's even more impressive considering the budget was like $80 million. All of the really big studios need to watch this and realize, you don't need to a $300 million dollar budget for your movie to look good! Just get someone who knows what to do with a budget! I also want to praise the world building. We're given all the information about this world without exposition. But not only that, but it feels fully lived in and also feels like you could see yourself in. The other spectacular aspect is the action. It's fun, gripping, and above all else very intense. If you loved what Gareth Edwards did with Rogue One, you'll get a kick out this. Then there's the performances, mainly from John David Washington and Madeleine Yuna Voyles. John's character is a very conflicted man and Washington does a great job showing that conflict both from dialogue and his facial expressions and Voyles really brought the perfect amount of childlike wonder and innocent. Which is pretty impressive for her very first role. No, seriously, this is the very first thing she's ever been in. No joke. The last thing I'll praise is how character driven this is. We get know so much about these. How they feel about the war, what burdens the conflict has brought them, their motivations, everything you wanted in character focus stories.

The Bad: I've got nothing.

The Okay: Even though I really dug this film, I do have one tiny issue. There are great themes going on, some come to a satisfying conclusion but sadly others don't get any endings. They're left up in the air and not in a good way.

Final Verdict: Great.

That's gonna do it. Come back on Saturday, Sept 28th, for my review of, The Wild Robot. Until then,enjoy the rest of your day.

Transformers One Review

 

Transformers One is an animated sci-fi action movie, based on the Hasbro toyline and it's also the franchise's second animated feature film after 1986's The Transformers: The Movie. This movie's produced by Paramount Animation, Hasbro Entertainment, BayHem Films, New Republic Pictures and Di Bonaventura Pictures and distributed by Paramount Pictures. Transformers One is written by Eric Pearson, Andrew Barrer, and Gabriel Ferrari and directed by Josh Cooley.

The story is, friends Orion Pax and D-16 were a couple of miners just getting by through life on their home planet. One day on the job they a chip with a message from a long-lost founder. Soon they along with others set out on this quest, but what Orion and D-16 don't realize, is this adventure will soon turn them into legendary enemies.

Initial Reaction

At first I was actually excited for this, but then my feelings changed when the first trailer debuted. Oh boy, I know the newest ones were an improvement, but man, that first trailer made me incredibly skeptical.

Cons

I've got nothing.

Middle Ground

My only mix feelings for the movie is the humor. It's not atrocious, it's just okay. I'll admit I did laugh at some bits, while others not so much.

Pros

First thing I'll credit is the cast. While some of the voices will take time to get use to, Keegan-Michael Key being Bumblebee being the biggest example, the cast still provided a great job. Then there's the action. At first I thought we'd be in for something very tamed when compared to the live-action films, but surprisingly we're not. The action is very thrilling, fun, but can also be really violent. Hell one guy's death is so brutal it rivals the live-action Transformers' deaths. Now for the animation. Other than Wonder Park, I haven't seen many Paramount Animation films. However, from what I've seen from this movie was really good. Smooth movements and such, but I think what I liked most was the use of colors. When Orion, D-16, and co. reach what's their planet's surface world, wow. The landscape looks absolutely beautiful, and something you'd want as a wallpaper for your computer. The last thing I'll credit is the story. Some aspects were a little rushed, but overall it's done very well. Sure the action plays a part, but the true and clear focus was on Orion Pax and D-16 and how they become the legendary rivals we know them as.

Thankfully the first trailer was very wrong about what Transformers One is all about. The movie I saw, while not flawless, is way better than what I was worried about.

My final rating is, Good.

That's all for now. Come back on Thursday, Sept 26th for part eight of Looking Back at the Films of 2023. Until then, enjoy the rest of your day.

Road to Superman (2025) - Superman: Whatever Happened to the Man of Tomorrow? Review

 

Surprise! Bet you didn't expect this! But yes, for this Road to I'll also be reviewing what influenced James Gunn's upcoming Superman movie. Although not everything single one. Cause he listed a lot. So instead I'll be reviewing what I can. But enough of my rambling, let's get to the review.

Whatever Happened to the Man of Tomorrow? was a 1986 storyline that was published in the 1939 volume of Superman with issue #423 and ended in the 1938 volume of Action Comics with issue #583. Whatever Happened to the Man of Tomorrow? acts as the final tale to the Silver Age version of Superman and his long history, before the reboot following Crisis on Infinite Earths was fully set in motion. The story was written by Alan Moore and drawn by Curt Swan.

The story is, a Daily Planet reporter is interviewing Lois Lane about what happened to Superman following his disappearance ten years ago. She recalls how his enemies attacked him but in far more violent ways than before. Her, Superman, and their friends were all wondering the same thing during this dark period, how will this end for the Man of Tomorrow?

• Negatives

I've got nothing.

• Mix

Nope, nothing here either.

• Positives

Now I do got somethings to say for this section, starting with the pacing. You'll just breeze by this, without feeling like the story is dragging on. I myself was able to finish reading with only a few minutes, while getting a lot of story.

Then we have Curt Swan's art. I'm probably gonna lose comic geek points for this, but I'll acknowledge that Curt is a legendary Superman artist and deserved to be spoken about in the same vein as the other great artist and not just being a Superman artist. Having said he's not my favorite out of the more old school comic artist, but I think he did a phenomenal job here. He's got very clean lines, his action scenes were well done, and he greatly worked well with the tone of the story being told. It's also very fitting a guy mostly recognized as the top Silver Age artist was lucky enough to get the chance to draw this, especially since it's very fitting given what version of Superman this is. And fun fact, this was Curt's last major contribution to Superman comics, and what a way to go out.

Speaking of tone, I loved the tone of this. While Alan Moore is mostly known for dark stories such as V for Vendetta, Batman: The Killing Joke, and his most famous of all, Watchmen. While he still applies that darker tone here, after the big bads are defeated, during the latter half of Action Comics #583 there is a more hopeful tone. Especially for the ending.

The other fantastic aspect of Whatever Happened to the Man of Tomorrow? is how it manages to balance out the two different eras. What I mean is while the story's tone is more in line with the grittier take on comics like we've seen from the late 80's to now, the story still sticks with a lot of the more outlandish stuff of the Silver Age. Such as villains called the Kryptonite Man, Metallo's more goofier costume, and side characters such as Jimmy Olsen and Lana Lang getting more gimmicky powers. While being dirtied up a bit like the Modern Age, there's still some love given to the Silver Age.

The last praise I'll give is how this did give the Silver Age version of Superman a great ending. I won't give anything away just in case you want to read this, but what I will say is after so many years of this version of the Man of Steel fighting the good fight whether it'd be serious or just outright goofy, he deserved the ending he got.

While not being a huge fan of the Silver Age (another thing that'll probably make me lose some geek cred 😆), I absolutely love this story. If you're a fan of Superman or getting into the character, then I strongly recommend reading this.

My final rating is, A Must Read!

That's gonna do it for me. Sadly the next stop will be....Superman IV: The Quest for Peace 😫. Thankfully that won't be until Nov 25th, but still. Anyways, due come back on Saturday, Sept 21st for my review of Transformers One. Until then, enjoy the rest of your day.