Coyote vs. Acme Review

 

Alright, much like the Snyder Cut fans the fans of this movie fought hard to get this released. Fingers crossed their efforts were worth it.

Coyote vs. Acme is an animated and live-action comedy movie based on the 1990 The New Yorker magazine article Coyote v. Acme by Ian Frazier. Warner Animation Group, Troll Court Entertainment, and Keylight Productions worked on the production while Ketcup Entertainment was the distributor. The writers are Samy Burch, Jeremy Slater, and James Gunn while the director is Dave Green.

The story is, Coyote has been using Acme products to hunt down the Road Runner for years and he's finally had enough of their constantly failing goods. So Coyote is suing Acme Corporation for selling him faulty products. But Acme has other plans in mind to make sure they win no matter what they've gotta do.

Initial Reaction

Originally when I read the news that Warner Bros. shelved this I thought that was the end. Then I saw people fight to get this released and I did root for them, whether they succeed was gonna be a different story. Then to me shock the fans won yet again. Like I said this story was very similar to the Snyder Cut movement. Both fans saw a film being shelved, both thought that wasn't right, both fought with hashtags & protest, and in the end the fans won. So now I was excited and wanted to show support both to the people who made the movie and the fans who helped get it released.

Cons

I've got nothing.

Middle Ground

The mix bag is the human characters. The whole two people are gonna care about is Kevin Avery (played by Will Forte) and Buddy Crane (played by John Cena). Kevin actually has a really good story arc. He's a lawyer who settles with settlements because he's afraid to go after the big risky trails in fear of losing and being labeled a loser. So when Wile E. Coyote a guy who does nothing but lose but keeps pushing enter his life, he's fear is challenged. As for Buddy Crane, I didn't find him the most compelling villain but I did find him entertaining due to John Cena bringing a comedic energy to the role. So even if Buddy isn't the most interesting villain at least he was entertaining. As for the rest of the human characters I didn't really care. They were just...meh.

Pros

One praise I'll give is the humor. I had a really good laugh with this movie. Some jokes might not have worked, but for the most part I really enjoyed some of the jokes, gags, and what I imagine was unintentional satire of a big corporation trying to keep a little guy down. Then their hybrid of live-action and animation. The effects whether both practical or digital were greatly done. The Tunes are very convincing whether they're sitting in chairs, light bounces off of them, shadows fall on them, or they collide with actual sets and props. It also added some fun world building because not only can Tunes interact with real stuff, but humans can also interact with Tunes logical. Kind of like Who Framed Roger Rabbit. The last thing I'll credit is Will Forte, John Cena, and Eric Bauza. Forte really made Kevin Avery a sympathetic character by highlighting how beaten down the character acts and as I said before Cena brings a lot of fun comedic energy for his characters. As for Bauza, man was this guy doing a lot of heavy lifting for the Looney Tunes characters. He was playing Bugs Bunny, Daffy Duck, Foghorn Leghorn, Porky Pig, Pepé Le Pew (who I'm surprised Warner Bros. allowed to be here despite some bullshit of not having him in Space Jam 2), Marvin the Martin and many others. And he did a really good job with all of them and I hope he gets more credit for his work as the movie hopefully gets more attention.

Guys, Coyote vs. Acme was worth the wait. I say you should go see it either by yourself, with your significant other, or with your family. It's a fun time.

My final rating is, Great.

That's gonna do it for me. Come back on Monday, Aug 31st, for my review of both Ridley Scott's newest film The Dog Stars & the new horror movie Buddy. That's right I'm gonna challenge myself and review two recently released movies back-to-back. Until then, enjoy the rest of your day and please go see Coyote vs. Acme. Like I said a lot of people fought to get this released so show them some support.

Looking Back at the Films of 2025 Part 8 - Weapons & Caught Stealing

 

Alright we got another edition. So let's not waste any time and get to reviewing.

Why Didn't I See Weapons?

The reason being is my theater didn't have a showing. By the time they did the movie was already out for like, I don't know, three weeks? So it was too little too late to give a review that's far more recent.

What is Weapons?

Weapons is a supernatural mystery horror movie that was produced by New Line Cinema, Subconscious, Vertigo Entertainment, and BoulderLight Pictures with Warner Bros. Pictures being the distributor. Zach Cregger both wrote and directed.

The story is, Wednesday night at 2:17am seventeen children ran out of their houses and vanished into the night. Everyone is trying to figure what happened to the children and what could've caused them to do this. But as pieces of the mystery start getting solved, we'll see a community that's far more fractured then one would realize.

My Thoughts

The Good: This is my first time watching a Zach Cregger film and I gotta say, for a new director he's really good. He really knows how to build suspense through long tracking shots, tight framing, and some subjective POV shots. Now for the scare factor of the movie. Honestly after watching the movie I feel as though it was mislabeled. Because while it does have some violent moments it's not so much of a horror movie as it is a thriller. Which isn't a bad thing. Because since it's more of a thriller movie you get a great story on the mystery of the children's whereabouts, paranoia, and grief. Not to mention but there were a lot of moments that were scary not because something violent but because you got this uneasy feeling and much like the characters you're scared because you don't know what's going on until you put the pieces together. The last thing I'll praise is the performances of Julia Garner, Josh Brolin, and Amy Madigan. Julia really brought out Justine's sense of isolation and because of her acting you can't help but feel bad for her. Josh Brolin brought a great amount of raw intensity as the increasingly worried and exhausted Archer and Madigan as Gladys was phenomenal. At one point she's charismatic and campy, then she's menacing. I heard prior she was a standout in this movie and I can finally understand why.

The Bad: I've got nothing.

The Okay: It's the pacing. The story is told in a non-linear style so the characters who play a part in the mystery. Now this is a clever way to tell the story, it keeps you guessing and makes it fun to connect the dots. However some characters' chapters are uneven. Justine and Archer's chapters have plenty of room to breathe, but some of the other characters' stories are much quicker. So the rhythm of the movie isn't always consistent because for the first half is slower than the rest.

Final Verdict: Great.

Why Didn't I See Caught Stealing?

The reason is there wasn't a showing at my theater at all. It didn't come out days later or weeks later, there wasn't a single showing at my theater. Which sucks because going by the trailers it looked and felt very different from the usual Darren Aronofsky film.

What is Caught Stealing?

Caught Stealing is a black comedy crime thriller movie based on Charlie Huston's 2004 novel of the same name. It was produced by Columbia Pictures and Protozoa Pictures and distributed by Sony Pictures Releasing. Darren Aronofsky directed while the very same Charlie Huston wrote the screenplay.

The story is, Henry aka Hank is a former baseball player turned bartender who's been put in charged to pet sit his neighbor's cat while Russ (the neighbor) returns to London to see his ailing dad. What was at first seen a simple task turns into something else when mobsters are demanding to know where Russ is. Now Hank must find out what's going while at the same time try to survive.

My Thoughts

The Good: One aspect to praise is the dark comedy. There were a lot of funny moments throughout the movie. One favorite moments is apparently everyone just hates the neighbor Dwayne in one way or another. I also like to give credit to the pacing. The movie actually goes by at a nice brisk pace. Nothing was too fast or slow. You get a story at just the right time. The last thing I'll give credit to is Austin Butler's performance. Not to sound like I'm discrediting anybody else in the cast but Butler carries the entire movie. He shows Hank's easy going charisma while at the same time showing the character's vulnerability as well. Because of these aspects you're actually rooting for Hank to win even when it seems like the odds are continuing to stack against him.

The Bad: I yet again got nothing.

The Okay: The story is the biggest decent part of the movie. It's a very basic pulp escalating structure movie. Which isn't bad, not bad at all. It's just the story really isn't doing anything revolutionary here. However, I wasn't bored. Even when I knew the story wasn't breaking new ground I still had a really fun time with this. Getting from point A to point B was a joyride instead of a chore.

Final Verdict: Good.

While that's gonna wrap things up. Come back on Saturday, Aug 29th, for my review of the newest Looney Tunes movie, Coyote vs. Acme. Until then, enjoy the rest of your day.

Batman: Knightfall - Part 1: Knightfall Review

 

It's been two years since we got a movie from the DC Universe Animated Original Movies, but a new one has finally arrived.

Batman: Knightfall - Part 1: Knightfall is animated direct-to-video comic book movie and is based around the first part of the Knightfall trilogy. It's produced by DC Entertainment and Warner Bros. Animation with Warner Bros. Home Entertainment acting as distributor. The screenplay is written by Jeremy Adams and directed by Jeff Wamester.

The story is, a behemoth of a man simply named Bane has to Gotham City and sees it as a place where the weak have taken over, and he wants to punish Bruce Wayne aka Batman for allowing this. First he blows up Arkham Asylum to let the inmates lose and cause havoc across Gotham to weaken the Bat. Then he plans to break the Dark Knight.

Initial Reaction

I was looking forward to this for a three reasons.

1) No connection to a cinematic universe just like I was hoping for at the end of Justice League: Crisis on Infinite Earths - Part Three.

2) It's based on a classic Batman story, but more importantly one of my top favorites of Batman villains, Bane, is giving the spotlight.

3) It looked really good. That art style is really helping the movie.

So with all those in mind I couldn't be anymore excited. Although I do wish they called it Part 1: Broken Bat since that's the name of the storyline, and it would've helped me from repeatedly typing Knightfall over and over again. But that's more of a nitpick than an actual criticism.

Cons

I've got nothing.

Middle Ground

Now the story is good expect for the one thing. Before I get into let me write about the good. One we've got a great villain in Bane. Now I liked what we got in The Dark Knight Rises, but it felt so good to get a Bane who's truly ruthless. The guy's got a kill count in this that would've made his DCAU and DKR versions scared to go to sleep. But they also showed his intelligence. He very smartly had Batman get worn down. Speaking of which, we see a Batman who works nonstop and suffer the consequences. He refuses to sleep (which in this movie he hasn't done in two days), hasn't eaten, and the more villains he fights the more beaten up he gets. It kinda makes it hard to root for him cause you desperately want him to take a break. So where's the slight issue? Well as I said this part one of a trilogy and it definitely feels like it. Because it ends on an obvious cliffhanger and a character by the name of Jean Paul and his story wasn't finished. It wasn't even at the half away point yet.

Pros

First let me praise the art style of this movie. Now unlike a lot of DC fans, the art styles used in both the DC Animated Movie Universe and the Tomorrowverse didn't bother me too much BUT, I do agree there needs to be variety in art styles. Something that'll capture even a casual viewer's attention. And Knightfall - Part 1 does exactly that. Just look at this still.

Tell me that doesn't grab your attention. That looks awesome. Seems like they took inspiration from Kelley Jones art style. Which is this.

You can especially see it in the exaggerated muscles and very long ears. So I'm very thankful the crew went with this very similar style because it looks awesome.

I also want to praise the pacing. I was kinda worried this movie would drag because there's nineteen issues in just part one alone. But thankfully that wasn't the case. Primarily because the filmmakers give you what you really want with what I briefly mentioned in the story. So because of that decision the movie flows nicely.

The last thing I'll credit is the voice acting. The cast does a great job, but I really want to give the most credit to Michael Mando as Bane. He sounded so menacing and I loved it. And I can't wait to hear him again in the next part.

So even despite that middle ground with the story, I had a blast with this movie. It felt like a return to form with DC direct-to-video movies. So hopefully after this trilogy is wrapped up we get more movies like this.

My final rating is, Good.

That's all for now. Come back on Thursday, Aug 27th, for part eight of Looking Back at the Films of 2025. Until then, enjoy the rest of your day.

Road to Ice Age: Boiling Point - Ice Age Review

So next year we're gonna be getting a new Ice Age movie with Ice Age: Boiling Point. And you know me, if there's a chance to make a Road to I'm gonna take it.

Ice Age is an animated adventure comedy movie that was produced by 20th Century Fox Animation and Blue Sky Studios (in what was their film debut) with 20th Century Fox distributing. Chris Wedge directed while Michael J. Wilson, Michael Berg, and Peter Ackerman wrote the screenplay.

The story is, three unlikely mammals named Manny (a woolly mammoth), Diego (a sabertooth tiger), and Sid (a ground sloth) find a human baby after his tribe was attacked. The three set out to return the child to the remaining tribe survivors, but along the way the trio will encounter many dangerous challenges on their journey.

• Negatives

I've got nothing.

• Mix

It's the story. Now the great things about it is it touches on themes such as found family and loyalty across differences. Not to mention it dives into some great character work. I've forgotten just how well developed the characters are. Manny letting his guard down more, Sid finding a herd, and Diego struggling where his loyalties are. It great stuff you don't see in the later sequels. There's also the fact that there's quite a few darker edges I didn't notice as a kid that click with me now as an adult. Where the slight issue stems from is there are a lot of familiar beats that you've probably seen in other road trip/buddy comedy flicks. But I don't think those elements drag the story down too much.

• Positives

One praise to give is the voice acting from Ray Ramano, Denis Leary, and John Leguizamo. Ramano's dry delivery perfectly captures Manny's personality, Leary gives Diego an edge and captures the character's gradual warmth nicely, and Leguizamo combined with a lisp made Sid lovable and very funny. And when put together the three of them have some very entertaining chemistry whether it's comedic or something far more serious.

Speak of serious or comedic, I love the tone of this movie. It perfectly balances both comedy and more mature moments. Mature moments such as Manny looking at the cave paintings and going back to his past were done beautifully. And of course the comedy is a great mix of slapstick, gags, and dialogue.

Then we have the animation. This was as I stated before Blue Sky's film debut. So they had a lot riding on their animation, and it was a good start. The frozen landscapes look great, characters move in great fluidity, they also have great facial expressions whether they're showing happiness, sadness, or it's just a goofy expression. And they're action set pieces are amazing. Those pieces have an energy to them. My absolute favorite is the ice slide race. That scene was awesome and still gets laughs out of me.

Ice Age is a very enjoyable movie. While it's comedic it still has plenty of serious material that families can enjoy.

My final rating is, Good.

So I'm done here. Come back on Wednesday, yes Wednesday, Aug 26th for my review of the newest DC animated movie, Batman: Knightfall - Part 1: Knightfall. Until then, enjoy the rest of your day.

Road to Avengers: Doomsday - Fantastic Four: Unthinkable Review

 

We're almost at the end of this road folks. So, what does this story have in store for Doctor Doom this time?

Fantastic Four: Unthinkable is a 2003 storyline published by Marvel Comics and can be found in issues #67-70 and #500. Mark Waid wrote the story with Mike Wieringo providing the art for all five issues.

The story is, Doctor Doom is sacrificed the last thing he holds dear so he can gain dark magical and he has his sights set on his old enemies, the Fantastic Four. Now the Four must face a Victor Doom who's not holding back. Can they survive this encounter or will they finally fall?

• Negatives

I've got nothing.

• Mix

It comes down to some story beats. Firstly the good stuff, starting with Doctor Doom. Holy sweet mother of God! I've reviewed seven Doctor Doom centered stories before and he's never been as vicious in either of those stories as much as he is here. This time around Doom wasn't holding back. He not only targeted the usual members of the Fantastic Four but also Richard & Sue's kids Franklin and Valeria. Yeah, this time around the kid gloves were off with Doom. But the other good aspect of the story is Reed Richards. Reed is a science guy through and through, but with Unthinkable he has to confront magic and nothing but magic. So Reed's not only dealing with a conflict with a much more vicious Doctor Doom, but also has to confront and find a way to use magic himself. Which isn't easy because he has to surrender control. Not with all that out of the way there is one slight problem. The story is very Doom vs. Reed heavy. Makes sense considering their rivals, but I really think Waid missed an opportunity to have Sue get more involved. Sure she had her moments, but seeing her be just as if not more so going head to head with Doom could've been cool. After all Franklin and Valeria are her kids too.

• Positives

I'll start off with the pacing. Despite being five issues this was a praise to get through. I started reading this early in the morning and by the time I was done it was still breakfast time.

My last praise will go to Mike Wieringo's art. First let me give an awesome panel from his artwork.

It may not Doom's most iconic panel but it's still pretty good. Anyways, Wieringo was such an underrated artists. He had great dynamic and expressive style that had an energy to it. Not to mention but while he's action scenes were great, Wieringo was very capable of showing more quieter moments. Because of this great skill it makes it all the more sadder he's no longer with us.

Despite some flaws, I still loved this story. Especially for a much more vicious Doctor Doom and the art by Wieringo.

My final rating is, Great.

That's all for me. Come back on Monday, Aug 24th, where I'll begin the Road to Ice Age: Boiling Point. Until then, enjoy the rest of your day.

Underrated Films - The Brave Little Toaster

 

Alright I've got another new Underrated Films review, and this time it's for an animated movie. Which I haven't done in two years. So yeah, long overdue and it's time to fix that.

The Brave Little Toaster is an independent animated musical adventure film based on Thomas M. Disch's 1980 novella of the same name. Production was done by The Kushner-Locke Company and Hyperion Pictures the latter of which was also the distributor. Jerry Rees directed and wrote the story with Joe Ranft and Brian McEntee.

The story is, five anthropomorphic household appliances named Toaster, Blanky, Kirby, Radio, and Lampy are waiting for a boy named they call "The Master" to return to the cabin his family use to vacation at. But after waiting so many years they've had enough and set out to find "The Master" for one big reunion.

Why It's Underrated

It just doesn't get enough attention. Whenever I see best animated movies I rarely see this one on countdowns. I didn't know about it until 2002 when I was scrolling through the guide on the old TV we use to have and saw the title when I scrolled to Disney Channel.

My Thoughts

If there's one slight issue I have it's the songs. There's only a total a four songs but I only remember two of them. One being "It's a B-Movie" and the other is "Worthless". The other two I'm drawing a blank on.

One positive you gotta give is the creativity. I would've never thought of making a movie animated or otherwise about ordinary household appliances. Who would've? Who would've thought to themselves "How do we make a toaster go on an exciting adventure?" But the filmmakers pulled it off. There's a lot of times when I actually felt worried about one of them getting hurt or worse die.

Speaking of death I gotta give the movie credit for not being afraid to have more mature material. Hell they movie isn't even afraid to show some appliances die, truly die. But even when there's no death the movie also tackles themes of friendship, usefulness, and feeling forgotten. Pretty good stuff for a movie where the filmmakers could've easily have gone down the laziest and most clichéd direction.

I also want to praise the characters. They all have easy but pretty realistic personalities. Blanky's the innocent kid, Kirby is grouchy, Lampy isn't the brightest (gotta love the irony in that), Toaster is well the brave one, and Radio is the talkative one. But what was also great about them was their development. Because of their different personalities often times they get into fights with one another. That not only makes their friendship believable but it also makes us relieved when they're on the same page or truly care about each other.

The last thing I'll praise is the animation. While not as polished as many other 80's animated movies, the animation is still a joy to watch. The expressive movements and facial expressions gives everyone their own personality.

When I was a kid I couldn't believe how good this movie was, and now as a man I can't believe how good this movie is. It's one of my favorite animated movies that doesn't come from Disney or DreamWorks.

My final rating is, Great.

That's gonna do it for me. Come back on Thursday, Aug 20th, for yet another installment of the Road to Avengers: Doomsday. Until then, enjoy the rest of your day.

The End of Oak Street Review

 

Hey look at this, a dinosaur movie review that isn't Jurassic World.

The End of Oak Street is a sci-fi survival thriller film that's produced by Bad Robot Productions and Jackson Pictures with Warner Bros. Pictures acting as distributor. David Robert Mitchell both wrote and directed.

The story is, the Platt family maybe struggling with their own issues at home but it's something a lot of families go through. Then one morning while searching for their dog they quickly find out their entire neighborhood went from living in 1982 to the prehistoric times with dinosaurs roaming around ever turn. Now the family must find a way to survive.

Initial Reaction

I've been excited for this movie since I put it on my Most Anticipated list. The reason for why is because of the director/writer. He brought us the horror movie It Follows and that was amazing. So I was curious if he'll bring us another big hit.

Cons

I've got nothing.

Middle Ground

First we have the writing. Now I'll admit this is still a very fun movie. It provides everything you want. Dinosaurs, thrills, violence, and bits of humor. If you want to sit around and watch people survive dino attacks, this has you covered. Having said that there's much in the way of character. Don't get me wrong you're actually rooting for them to survive, but all of there issues about thinking of getting a divorce and financial struggles are pretty basic.

Pros

Now if there's one of many praises to give is the tone. This movie is pretty intense despite a PG-13. Much like the Platt family you almost don't get a moment to breath. Because you're always wondering "Okay where's the other dino. I know it's here, where is it." I also gotta give credit to the pacing. This was a breeze to watch. No scene is wasting time and by the end it's not gonna feel like the movie was overstaying its welcome. My last praise goes towards Ewan McGregor and Anne Hathaway's performances. Despite their characters being very simple, these two still provide some really good acting. They both in their own way anchor the film by bringing out a sense of humanity.

Overall I see The End of Oak Street as a really good popcorn movie. So if that's all you want to see for the summer then go see this movie.

My final rating is, Good.

That's all for now folks. Come back on Mon, Aug 17th, for another Underrated Films and this time I'm going animated. Until then, enjoy the rest of your day.