Monday, February 10, 2020

Looking Back at the Films of 2019 Part 1 - Cold Pursuit & Alita: Battle Angel




Hey guys, welcome to my brand new segment Looking Back at the Films of 2019. A segment where I look at some films that I missed out on whether it be I couldn't see a showing, busy doing something else, or I wasn't interested and I missed out. So let's begin.








Why Didn't I See Cold Pursuit?



So one of the main reasons I didn't go see Cold Pursuit was because whenever I saw a trailer and TV spot it just looked another generic action flick. I mean the marketing just wasn't doing it for me. Then later on I would hear that it got generally positive reviews from critics and audience, so I finally decide to watch & review it.





What is Cold Pursuit?



Cold Pursuit is an action-thriller film produced by Summit Entertainment and StudioCanal and distributed by Summit Entertainment. Cold Pursuit was written by Frank Baldwin and directed by Hans Petter Moland. The movie tells the story of Nels Coxman, who had a simple life until his son dies under mysterious circumstances. Soon he goes on a quest for vengeance against drug lord Viking and his henchmen, however by doing this he sets off a chain of events.





My Thoughts



The Good: One thing that made Cold Pursuit a fun watch was it's not as generic as the marketing made it out to be. There's a lot of stuff going on in the movie, that helps separate it from other action movies. The other aspect I enjoyed from the movie is the cinematography. There was quite a few shots in the film that are REALLY good, wasn't expecting shot a beautifully shot flick. Another thing you'll like about the movie is the action. There isn't much but with what we got those scenes were awesome, especially that shoot out scene at the end of the movie. That was pretty cool. The final positive about Cold Pursuit and probably it's strongest asset is it's dark humor. I was not expecting to laugh as much as I did, if anything when the movie was being marketed they really should have used THAT as their main hook not just "Here's Liam Neeson seeking revenge!"




The Bad: The only issue I had with the movie was there was these two cop characters and I don't think they were utilized right. First there introduced because their working a case, then pushed aside, and then they just become the clean up crew by the end. If you're gone write characters like that, then you might as well just cut them out of the movie completely.




The Okay: The only real grey area with the film is there does become a slight pacing issue. Now I understand why that is, they wanted to develop these two gangs that are going to war with each other so of course that means things will slow down for awhile but at the same time I was wondering when will we get to the next scene.






Final Verdict: GOOD









Why Didn't I See Alita: Battle Angel?



The primary reason why I didn't see Alita: Battle Angel is simple really, I'm not a fan of the manga or anything related to mangas and/or animes. So I just decided to skip it. Even when I kept hearing good things about the film I was disinterested in it. Then my bud Brian texted me and asked if I wanted to see it and I didn't want to be rude and tell him no, so we went to see it and WOW, I almost missed out on something that's awesome. And the reason I didn't give you a review is because around that time the movie was weeks old and I want to send a review as soon as possible not when the film was released a long time ago.





What is Alita: Battle Angel?



Alita: Battle Angel is a cyberpunk action film based on Yukito Kishiro's Gunnm. The movie was produced by 20th Century Fox, Lightstorm Entertainment, Troublemaker Studios, and TSG Entertainment and disturbed by 20th Century Fox. Alita: Battle Angel was written by James Cameron and Laeta Kalogridis and directed by Robert Rodriguez.





My Thoughts



The Good: One of the best things about the movie is the action. I mean...damn! Those sequences are just jaw dropping and astounding, so much so it's hard for me to pick which one I loved the most. That's how great they were. The other thing that made Alita: Battle Angel a good movie was the effects. They were perfect, there's really nothing to complain about regrading the effects there just really good. Another aspect of the movie I liked was the futuristic environment surrounding the movie. Robert Rodriguez really showed everything about this world. He showed the good side, he showed the bad side, and really the world's uglier side. It was nicely done world building. The final positive about the film is Rosa Salazar's performance. She just knocked it out of the park with her acting, what really made it work was she made the character both likable and badass.




The Bad: The only thing I truly hated about the movie was the romance between Alita and Hugo. The main problem was it's riddled with clichés. I mean there's literally a scene where they kissed in the rain. So yeah, the romance just didn't work for this movie.




The Okay: The one aspect of Alita: Battle Angel that could have used more work was the bad guys. There fine for what their worth but the really needed more development.






Final Verdict: GOOD








So that's gonna do it for me. I hoped you enjoyed this new segment, I have many more in the works. Come back next time on Thursday, Feb 13th for a special thank you message. Until then enjoy the rest of your day and maybe check out these movies whenever you get the chance.

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