Thursday, July 21, 2022

Looking Back at the Films of 2021 Part 5 - No Sudden Move, Pig, Snake Eyes, Old

 


Hey everybody! I'm back from my break. So, here we are again with this segment. Let's get to it.











Why Didn't I See No Sudden Move?

It's really simple, I was more focused on steps on the could help the comic book industry so I skipped out this movie. And by the time that was post was uploaded I then became more focused on The Tomorrow War. So because I was so busy with everything else, a No Sudden Move review just had to be cancelled.





What is No Sudden Move?

No Sudden Move is a period crime thriller movie. It was produced and distributed by Warner Bros. Pictures. No Sudden Move was written by Ed Solomon and directed by Steven Soderbergh. The story is it's 1954 Detroit and a group of small-time criminals have been hired to steal a document. Just when they thought the job is going well, things quickly turn sideways and everything goes horrible wrong. Now the criminals are trying to figure how everything got screwed up.





My Thoughts

The Good: The two things that are saving this movie from getting a lower rating from me are Soderbergh's directing and the performances. Steven clearly gave the movie a nice look to it. It's very well shot, and the cinematography is nice and captures the 1950s. And while the story isn't very good, every single actor and actress, still found a way to do a really good job.




The Bad: The movie's biggest issue is it's very much forgettable. I mean that. As I was writing this, I literally had a hard remembering anything that happened. I remember it started out pretty good, but as it kept going I was getting less invested in the plot, because there was nothing worth keeping your attention. I understand that they weren't going for a slugfest/gun fights at every turn, but they still could've done something eye catching. The other isse is the pacing. Again, it started out good, but as the movie kept going, it almost felt like it was getting slower. Even when everything was wrapping up, it still felt like it was going at a snail's pace.



The Okay: None.




Final Verdict: Bad.







Why Didn't I See Pig?

The reason why I didn't see Pig was because I read the synopsis and I thought it was stupid, so I decided to skip it. Then instead of the negative reviews I was expecting, I hear that it got some critical praise. So I guess I made the wrong decision.





What is Pig?

Pig is a drama film. The movie was produced by AI Film, Endeavor Content, Pulse Films, BlockBox Entertainment, Valparaiso Pictures, and Saturn Films and distributed by Neon. Pig was written by Michael Sarnoski and Vanessa Block and directed by Michael Sarnoski. The story is an Oregon truffle hunter named Robin "Rob" Feld is a former Portland-based chef living in a cabin deep into the Oregon forest with his prized pig. One day, a group of people break into his cabin and steal his pig. Now, Rob must return to Portland, and find out why someone stole his pig.





My Thoughts

The Good: One great thing about Pig is Nicolas Cage's performance. Now Cage has always managed to give us a great performance. And this is no different. There's this one scene where at a restaurant, where Nicolas' character tells the owner how nothing he has is real, and I'm not lying when I say THAT moment gave me chills. What was also quite phenomenal was Michael Sarnoski's directing. For a first time director, he filmed a gorgeous film. I especially love how beautiful his forest shots looked. They're shot in a such a great way, that I could look at them for a long time, and just dissect them, and tell you every great thing about them. The last thing I'll praise about Pig is how it focuses on character. If you were expecting an action flick, don't think like that. Because this film was truly a character driven story, and it does a fantastic job. We learn so much about our characters, and there were a lot of times were I felt an emotional connection within a scene.



The Bad: None.




The Okay: Now I want to say the first 20 minutes are pretty slow. But once you get pass those the movie goes by very quick.




Final Verdict: Great.







Why Didn't I See Snake Eyes: G.I. Joe Origins?

Another simple reason...there wasn't a showing at my theater. And by the time there was it was weeks after the film initial came out.




What is Snake Eyes: G.I. Joe Origins?

Snake Eyes: G.I. Joe Origins (or simply just Snake Eyes) is an action film based on the G.I. Joe character Snake Eyes. It also serves as a reboot to the G.I. Joe film series. The movie was produced by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, Skydance Media, Entertainment, and Di Bonaventura Pictures and distributed by Paramount Pictures. Snake Eyes: G.I. Joe Origins was written by Evan Spiliotopoulos and directed by Robert Schwentke. The story is a young boys father has been murder, and now the child swears vengeance. Twenty years later, the boy is fully grown and covers up his identity with the name Snake Eyes. Now that he has mastered his skills, he sets out to find the men who took his dad away from him.




My Thoughts

The Good: None.




The Bad: One major issue with Snake Eyes is our title character. This guy was Snake Eyes in name only. He acts nothing like the fan favorite character. He's a lair, a betrayer, and just a complete douche. Even by the end of the movie he's still all of those things, he just feels bad about it. In matter of fact, the one who is honorable, was Storm Shadow! How...how did they screw THAT up?! How did they somehow switch their personalities and not even realize it? Then we have the fact that "Snake Eyes" not only talks, but also doesn't wind up disfigured like he's known for. Another huge problem was the fact by the end, this didn't need to be a G.I. Joe movie. The only thing that connects this movie with the franchise was the Cobra logo, Scarlett, and Baroness. All of those could've been easily written out, and you still would've gotten the same film. So really the only reason this was a G.I. Joe flick, was because the studios knew they could get some nostalgia money out of this. Then we have the action. Not only was I not excited about any of it, but they also did way too much shaky cam. And maybe it's just me, but it also came off like they wanted to be more violent, but they realized they wanted 13 years olds with their folks to see this, that way they could get money, so they just added some slashing sound effects, and only showed two or three people getting stabbed.




The Okay: Now with the acting is very clear our cast is really trying. I give them credit for that. Cause they're really putting what they got with this very weak script, even if it means their performances just winded up being alright.




Final Verdict: Awful.








Why Didn't I See Old?

It's the same reason as Snake Eyes. There wasn't a showing. I didn't get to see the movie until a month later after a friend of mine, invited me to see it.




What is Old?

Old is a thriller movie that's based on the graphic novel Sandcastle. The film was produced by Perfect World Pictures and Blinding Eagle Pictures and distributed by Universal Pictures. Old was written and directed by M. Night Shyamalan. The story is groups of families are having a relaxing vacation. Soon the group finds a beautiful looking secluded beach spot. At first, it's very peaceful, but they soon find out something horrifying. They're all aging rapidly. Now they must find a way out of this, or years of their lives will become a single day.




My Thoughts

The Good: One thing I really liked about Old is from my perspective, is after the movie was over, it really made me more thankful for my life. Cause I've got years and years with my friends and family, where as these people had those years, only to tragically have all of that taken away from them, and have their time on this world be for only one day. Which brings me to way this is actually a pretty good scary movie. Cause like I said they literally only have one day to live, when they had years. But not only was it scary cause they have no control, but it was also the fact we have no idea, what's gonna happen to these characters. Some have health issues, so that either means their mental state could go haywire and they could wind up hurting themselves or others, or they could just die from old age within an instant. So the terror doesn't come from the violence per say, but from that lack of control I mentioned earlier. 



The Bad: None.




The Okay: Now even though I gave the movie a lot of props, there are some minor issues. Such as the dialogue. There are a lot of times when it's fine, nothing too bad. But then you do have those moments were it comes off as odd. The other slight grip I had was with Shyamalan's directing. Now he still has a lot better shots than most, but there were times when it was just...odd. Like there was one scene where the characters were cutting out a tumor, but there was one point where the camera was way too close to the cast.




Final Verdict: Okay.












So, that's going to do it for me. Come back on Friday, Jul 23rd for my review of the newest Russo Bros. film, The Gray Man. Until then, enjoy the rest of your day.

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