Tron: Ares Review

After waiting so many years we finally have a new Tron movie, sadly it's not a direct sequel to Legacy but hopefully something good comes out it.

Tron: Ares is a sci-fi action movie and the sequel to Tron: Legacy thus making it the third film of the franchise, with production done by both Walt Disney Pictures and Sean Bailey Productions with Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures doing distribution. It's written by Jesse Wigutow and David DiGilio and directed by Joachim Rønning.

The story is, business rivals Julian Dillinger and Eve Kim are both after Kevin Lynn's permanence code. Julian has managed to bring digital constructs to the real world, but they only last for 29 minutes. Meanwhile Eve has successfully cracked the code. Now, Julian brings his program Ares to the real world and assigns him to find Eve and bring the code to him. But when Ares shows self-awareness and an interest in our world, this'll lead to an all put battle.

Initial Reaction

Now unlike a lot of online personalities, I was actually looking forward to this. So no I wasn't considering Jared Leto some sort of pariah nor am I gonna solely blame him for the reason for why this movie could possibly bomb. Doesn't really seem fair to blame Leto when Disney barely marketed the damn thing. But regardless, you should know that despite interest or excitement, I'll still be honest with my review.

Cons

I've got nothing.

Middle Ground

Alright speaking of that honest, let's dive into the stuff that was so close to being good but didn't quite get there. Starting off with the characters. Yeah some of these new characters just didn't work. I was attached to Ares because while his story is an A.I. getting self-aware and having an identity crisis, at least it was something. Ares' arc while familiar does tap into a Tron's question of what makes a being "real". But one character fumble comes from Eve. With her story it's very muddled. At one point it feels like she's doing it for a lost loved one, but you do forget about that because it felt tacked on and her story does feel more like her wanting to one up and stop Julian. Speaking of arcs, let's dive deeper into the story. Other than character arcs, the other slight issue stems from the movie does ask some pretty good questions. The biggest of which is weaponizing A.I. Now that's a very real and very up to date question giving how we have A.I. like Grok. But the story doesn't really go any deeper. It's mainly just surface level or not talked about again.

Pros

First let's get into the action. While I did like the chase scenes on the Light Cycles, I always preferred the disc battles. They were always to me the more fun parts of Tron. And Ares is no expectation. I really enjoyed the hand-to-hand combat. And the stuff where ships and drones were attacking was pretty cool too. Then we have the performances. Jared Leto did a really good job portraying Ares shift from machine to human was pretty good. And yes, Evan Peters can be a little cartoonish when it comes to Julian, but I found to be entertaining. Especially since there were times when Peters was much more subtle. But the biggest praise goes to Nine Inch Nails' score. I admit I was a little worried for them because Daft Punk did such a phenomenal job with Tron: Legacy. But NIN did a great job. While they're much more moodier than Daft Punk, Nine Inch Nails delivered a music with a hard synth beats and a great song played during a grid chase scene with I Know You Can Feel It. Yeah I know that song was released like two or three weeks before this came out, but I avoided listening to it so I'd be more surprised when I finally saw the movie. My point is, the music is the true MVP.

While I wasn't fully blown away by Tron: Ares, I also don't find it to be a massive disappointment. I just think by the end of the day it's an alright movie that with a few polishes probably could've been better.

My final rating is, Okay.

So there you have it, I'm all done for now. But due come back on Monday, Oct 13th, for my review of Final Destination 2. Until then, enjoy the rest of your day.

Final Destination Review

 

Even though it's been months since Final Destination: Bloodlines was released, I thought it'd be fun to review the previous movies for this year's Halloween season. Granted I could've done a review series for the I Know What You Did Last Summer series giving it also had a new movie that came out, but I'm much more nostalgic for Final Destination.

Final Destination is a supernatural horror movie and the first movie of the franchise. It was produced by Zide/Perry Productions and Hard Eight Pictures and distributed by New Line Cinema. James Wong (years before Dragonball: Evolution made him a punching bad to the Dragonball/anime fans) not only directed but wrote the story along with Glen Morgan and Jeffrey Reddick.

The story is, Alex and his classmates along with their teacher were boarding a plane to go a trip to Paris. But things take a dark turn when the plane blows and kills everybody, but there's a twist. The plane hasn't blown up yet, and Alex and everyone else is alive. Days after getting kicked off the flight, Alex realizes what he saw was a premonition and that Death itself is coming after the survivors who cheated their deaths.

• Negatives

I've got nothing.

• Mix

Final Destination's slight issue stems from it's characters. Alex is handled very well. We root for his struggle in trying to stop Death's plan of coming after all of the people who survived alongside him. And you do get a good supporting character in Clear Rivers, she's seems very down but for the most he history is keep a secret so you're kind of curious about who she is before she reveals her backstory. But then you have the other characters. Carter is a d-bag for the most part and doesn't get that much development. Then you have Billy Hitchcock, where I only remember two things about him. 1) He's was the comedic relief and 2) He's played by Seann William Scott. Other than those things he's pretty forgettable. And he's not the only who has this problem either, the forgettable tag can also be given to Terry. Who's only character trait is she's Carter's girlfriend. There was also the teacher Valerie Lewton. They do give her somewhat of a story with her suffering from survivor's guilt but often times that fades into the background.

• Positives

Let's start off with the concept. Now the concept of Death itself coming after survivors after its plan to kill them in a get disaster, is something today's audiences are aware of. But flashback to 2000. You see the trailer for this Final Destination and after watching you're expecting some sort of supernatural force maybe a ghost but then you see the movie and holy shit it's Death itself. For us 2000s kids that was shocking.

The other aspect I'd liked was the pacing. There is a slightly slow beginning but I can forgive that because it's meant to set up some characters, the plane, and Alex's premonition. But afterwards this is a breeze to get through. I think this had a greatly balanced pace. There's nothing slow to make this feel like slog and nothing goes too fast to the point where you miss something.

Then there's the tone. Now the newer movies (although no credit given to the fourth one) do have some more darkly comedic takes. But this one is far more serious which in return does make the more suspenseful moments better, not that I don't think the sequels did bad (expect the fourth movie), I just think nobody can really expect to slightly laugh afterwards.

The last thing I'll touch on is the deaths. Now some of you are probably well aware of the deaths, but don't worry for any of you that don't know I'll keep them quiet. But what I will say it's no surprise why this film and the entire series in general traumatized my generation. This movie made people believe everyday things can kill. If you go on a plane it might explode, your kitchen is a death trap, oh you think you're safe in a bathroom guess again it's also a death trap. Just a lot of stuff that made people afraid to take so much as one step. 😆

Guys even though not all of the characters were the best written, I still love Final Destination. It's a super fun horror flick and it's something you should at least give a try.

My final rating is, Good.

So that's all for today. Come back on Saturday, Oct 11th, for my review of the newest edition to the Tron franchise, Tron: Ares. Yeah sadly I'm doing yet another non-horror movie despite this being Halloween season. But don't worry after that it's all horror flicks. But do check out that Tron review though. Anyways until then, enjoy the rest of your day and remember, death doesn't like to be cheated.

Good Boy Review

 

Alright, I'm finally reviewing a horror movie for the Halloween season. Let's get to it.

Good Boy is a supernatural horror movie that's produced by What's Wrong with Your Dog? with distribution by Independent Film Company (aka IFC) and Shudder. Ben Leonberg directed and wrote the story with Alex Cannon.

The story is, a loyal dog named Indy has moved into a house in the woods with his owner Todd. At first living in the house is peacefully, but as the days go on Indy starts seeing a dark entity covered in mud and quickly realizes this dark spirit is trying to go after Todd. Now Indy must find a way to save his best friend.

Initial Reaction

Originally I didn't know this movie existed until one of my followers on my now suspended X account (still trying to get that back up and running again), reposted a trailer for it. And I peaked my interest. Cause I've never seen a horror movie from the dog's perspective, although in a comedic manner people have said that's the same premise as Courage the Cowardly Dog 😆. But regardless of that I was interested.

Cons

I've got nothing.

Middle Ground

Now you guys know I want to be honest with you when it comes to my reviews. Granted I have screwed up a couple of times, despite it being close to eight years now I'm still ashamed of my review for the theatrical cut of Justice League. Having said I do admit I was fully scared of this movie. Yes there were a couple of moments that kind of creeped me. Like the ending that was a little scary, but for the most part I wasn't scared. But I will say as a dog owner I was concerned for the dog's safety. Yeah it's weird if the movie doesn't scare you you still wind up hoping the dog's gonna be okay. That's always the funny thing when it comes to horror movies and animals. All of the human characters can get brutally murdered but the moment a dog, a cat, or any other pet gets killed all of sudden people are sad or scared. We humans are very weird.

Pros

First I want to touch upon Ben Leonberg's directing. Cause when I did further research for this movie I found out this was his first time directing and I didn't get that vibe. He's filming from the dog's p.o.v. was great. Good low angle shots, subtle distortions to mimic what a dog would more than likely be sensing, and for a majority of the movie we really don't see much of Todd's face. It's either we see his body but not his face, his face is blurry, or it's blocked by something. It was really good stuff. I also want to praise the handling of the budget in this. I tried my best to find what the rough estimate of this movie's budget was but I sadly couldn't find anything. But I imagine this was pretty low, but everything looks great. Even when CGI is used, which I imagine was mainly for the ending, it looks great. Then there's the dog actor himself Indy, yes the dog's real name is also Indy. I never in a million years would've caused I'd be praising a dog's acting but here I am. Indy was really good. We see his eyes being expressive, shows a great sense of devotion to an actor who isn't his real owner, and reactions that felt very natural. So yeah, what a go Indy. You're first movie and you knocked it out of the park. The last thing I'll praise is the story. I know I kind took shots at it not being scary, but what really drives the story is Todd and Indy's bond. It brought a sense of heart to an otherwise very depressing story. Even when things got rocky between them, we still see the love that a man and his dog can have. But what I also loved is what we can interpret from this story. Sadly if I go deep I'll be giving spoilers, but what I will say is I loved that after walking out I really enjoyed trying to figure out and piece things together. So well done Mr. Leonberg and Mr. Cannon, ya did great.

While Good Boy didn't really scary me, I still had I really good time with this. I loved seeing Indy try everything he can to protect Todd, and I love seeing Todd and Indy's friendship try to fight whatever it haunting them.

My final rating is, Great.

So that's all for now. Come back on Thursday, Oct 9th for my review of the very first Final Destination movie. Until then, enjoy the rest of your day.

The Smashing Machine Review

 

Alright Dwayne The Rock Johnson will finally be doing an acting role that isn't him being a slightly different version of himself. Hopefully he pulled it off.

The Smashing Machine is a biographical sports drama movie based on the 2002 documentary The Smashing Machine: The Life and Times of Extreme Fighter Mark Kerr. A24 not only distributed by also produced with Out for the Count, Seven Bucks Productions, and Magnetic Fields Entertainment. The movie is directed and written by Benny Safdie.

The story is, Mark Kerr is a gifted MMA fighter and he's quickly rising to fame and fortune. But this path isn't painted in gold. Along the way he faces relationship strains and addiction. He'll soon learn personal struggles are way more challenging than fight in the octagon.

Initial Reaction

Now I didn't have this movie listed on my Most Anticipated list, primarily cause I didn't hear about until the like a month or two ago. But when I finally did hear about it I was curious. Cause even though I wasn't one of those people who'd complain about The Rock basically playing himself, I was curious about him playing a very different role. Something I don't think he's done since, and I could be wrong, but I don't think he's done that since Pain & Gain back in 2013.

Cons

I've got nothing.

Middle Ground

The only gray area was the story. First let's get into all of the good stuff. Now I've heard a lot of people be disappointed over the fact there wasn't a lot of fights and it was more about Mark's relationship struggles. Now for me that wasn't a huge disappointment because I've seen those kinds of movies before. And what I'm referring to is Darren Aronofsky's 2008 film The Wrestler and Martin Scorsese's 1980 film Raging Bull. Those were more about relationships than matches so when I saw this this was more or less familiar territory for me. So I was actually intrepid in seeing Mark Kerr's struggle with him facing his very first, his partying, his addictions, and his very toxic relationship with his girlfriend. However, some of these story pieces feel more clumped together then the pieces fitting perfectly. Those scenes did need just one more thread that would've made those moments feel more put together.

Pros

Alright let's get into the truly good stuff. Like the cinematography. Maceo Bishop did a tremendous job. He blended grainy VHS, 16mm, and 65mm so perfectly, it almost had a documentary feel to it. Which makes sense given the movie was inspired by the documentary. But even when we don't have that going on, his cinematography doesn't have that nice polish that most sports film have, his style is more gritty and the aesthetic is much more raw. Especially since Bishop relied more on natural and practical lighting. Then there's Benny Safdie's directing. He only focuses on the more personal stuff. So throughout the movie we're experiencing a more compassionate lens much than a more triumphant journey. So much like I've praised Afronosky showing Randy The Ram preferring the wrestling ring then real life and Scorsese showing Jake LaMotta's fall, I also want to praise Safdie showing Mark Kerr's struggles even if I was slightly critical on the story. Okay, now for the big one. The one thing everybody and their grandmother has been curious about. Dwayne The Rock Johnson's performance. I gotta say I was having faith in the guy and he did a phenomenal job. He stripped away his more blockbuster charisma for a far more vulnerable and anger man. I don't think Johnson is gonna get any Oscars despite how cool that'd be, but I do see people praising him for stepping out of his usual wheelhouse and branch out to something else. Now next year he'll be going back to a more charisma blockbuster personality next year with the live-action remake of Moana (a remake to this day I don't understand why Disney is doing, but yet again I don't understand a lot of that companies decisions), but hopefully when that's said and done Dwayne will continue to branch out more.

So yeah, while the story might have some issues, The Smashing Machine is definitely worth checking out.

My final rating is, Great.

So that's all for now. Due come back on Monday, Oct 6th, for my review of the newest horror movie, Good Boy. Until then, enjoy the rest of your day.

Play Dirty Review

 

Not how I wanted to start off the Halloween season but oh well.

Play Dirty is an action thriller flick based on Donald E. Westlake's Parker book series. Team Downey along with Big Red Films and Toberoff Productions worked on production, with Amazon MGM Studios distributing via Prime Video. Shane Black not only directed but he also wrote the screenplay alongside Charles Mondry and Anthony Bagarozzi.

The story is, Parker along with his crew of other professional thieves sights on a big score. But by the end of it it goes wrong after a betrayal from their getaway driver results in many deaths. Parker has revenge on his mind, but soon he learns of a heist that could be the biggest score of them all. He agrees to work with the traitor but questionable trust is gonna be the least of Parker's problems.

Initial Reaction

Now I was looking forward to this because I'm a fan of Shane Black's work, well some of it, I don't find his films Iron Man 3 or The Predator to be bad just okay. But regardless of those two, Black has made a lot of good stuff. He killed with Lethal Weapon, and his other films like Kiss Kiss Bang Bang and The Monster Squad are very underrated.

Cons

I've got nothing.

Middle Ground

The one gray area comes from the story. It does seem like a simple revenge then turned into a heist movie. There were some plot points in there and sometimes most of them are forgettable. One example being the De La Paz heist will not only make Parker and others rich, but it'll also help overthrow a dictator. Then there's also some twists and turns that can often time be hard to follow. Then there's also Alan Silvestri's score. I'll remember quite a bit of his work. There's the score for Back to the Future, Predator, Who Framed Roger Rabbit, Forrest Gump, Lilo & Stitch, etc. So the guy is talented, but for this one, yeah the score here is very forgettable. Then there's Mark Wahlberg's performance. Again, another talented guy who has been part of a lot of good stuff. Now his character [Parker] is supposed to be stoic, which Mark isn't bad at, but he's not gonna set the world on fire here. Again, he's not bad it's just a serviceable performance.

Pros

Let's start off with the action. There's plenty of fun to be had with the action. You got bloody shootouts, chaotic car chases, and even a train derailment. So when it comes to action there's plenty to enjoy. The last thing I'll give credit to is Shane Black's directing. He's action is great, he keeps the ensemble cast cohesive, editing is sharp, and his Christmas backdrop adds irony to the chaos much like how he wrote that same juxtaposition in Lethal Weapon. Because of that this movie feels way more polished than your typical streaming flick.

While this won't blow people's minds, there's still some enjoyment to have. Although if you planned on seeing this because of Shane Black or Mark Wahlberg, then I recommend you save this for later.

My final rating is, Okay.

That's all. Come back on Saturday, Oct 4th, for my review of Dwayne The Rock Johnson's newest movie, The Smashing Machine. Until then, enjoy the rest of your day.

Looking Back at the Films of 2024 Part Four - The 4:30 Movie, Wolfs, & Saturday Night

 

And we're back with a brand new edition of Looking Back at the Films of 2024. Let's get down to business.

Why I Didn't I See The 4:30 Movie?

It's a tale as old as time. There was no showing at my local theater, so I saved a review for later.

What is The 4:30 Movie?

The 4:30 Movie is a semi-autographical coming-of-age comedy movie, with production being done by Destro Films and SMODCO and distribution done by Saban Films. Kevin Smith both directed and wrote the story.

The story is, Brian David has worked up the courage to ask his crush Melody Barnegat out on a date to the movies along with his friends Belly and Burny. Before Melody joins them for a movie that starts at 4:30, the trio plan on hopping all day. But things might not good as plan when they have to deal with other theater goers, a egotistical manager, and many other problems.

My Thoughts

The Good: Let's start off with my favorite aspect, that being it's actually very heartfelt. Because Kevin Smith was an 80's kid, you can feel the love from that era. Hanging outside with your, sneaking into R rated movies, all of the stuff I imagine your parents would brag about, or at least mine do 😆. What I also loved was this also felt like a love letter to cinema. We do get the typical film fandom stuff like debating future blockbusters, but there was one scene that stuck with me and I really loved. When Brian's at a low point he has a conversation with the Hot Usher (that's what the actress is credited as it's not my label) and they talk about their love for films and how she plans to be a director, and says Brian has that same dream. Brian rejects that saying he just loves movies, but the Hot Usher says that's the first step to becoming a filmmaker. I'm only telling an abridged version but the actual scene is much better. The point is, this love for cinema shines bright and it's one of two of the movie's biggest strengths.

The Bad: I've got nothing.

The Okay: One mix bag is the characters. Now I didn't mind Brian. I don't think by any means he's gonna be a breakout or cult character, but I thought he was already. Even if he's not the most deepest character I think people can relate to him in that shy geeky level. As for the other characters some of them are alright. Burny does have a predictable story arc but it was handled good enough. As for everyone else, well they don't developed but at least they got decent writing. Lastly there's the humor. I do admit there are quite a few good moments. Other times the jokes are predictable or feels like Kevin Smith wants to be as edgy as he was back in his Clerks/Mallrats days, but it's either he doesn't have it in him anymore or he's playing it safe with the edgier stuff.

Final Verdict: Okay.

Why Didn't I See Wolfs?

Simply put I had other plans. For starters I was just starting work for part eight Looking Back at the Films of 2023. So first I had to starting writing stuff, getting posters for an image, watch those movies for that segment and then before I knew it Transformers One was around the corner along side Wolfs. So then I had a decision to make. Transformers One or Wolfs? I went with the Autobots & Decepticons. Because of this already busy schedule I needed to save a review for Wolfs later down the road.

What is Wolfs?

Wolfs is a action comedy movie that was produced by Apple Studios, Freshman Year, Smokehouse Pictures, and Plan B Entertainment with Apple TV+ distributing. Jon Watts directed as well as wrote the story.

The story is, two fixers, one hired by District Attorney Margaret and the other hired by the hired by the hotel owner Pam to dispose of the dead body of a young man and clean up any other messes. But things take a turn when the fixers not only find drugs in the hotel room but also discover the young man isn't actually dead. Now the two fixers must begrudgingly work together and found out how the drugs and the young man are connected.

My Thoughts

The Good: Firstly there's the humor. I had a lot of good laughs with this. The best parts come from the dialogue. One of the good lines is "My car. My guy. Fuck you." Then there's Jon Watts' directing. Where was this kind of directing with his Spider-Man films? Watts shot a gorgeous looking New York. Great looking sleek cityscapes, moody lighting, giving the film a very noir inspired style. So ask again, Disney and Marvel, why did you have Jon Watts tone it down for his Spidey flicks? Then there's the chemistry between George Clooney and Brad Pitt. Correct me if I'm wrong but I don't think we've seen these two share since Burn After Reading. But despite that long time away from each other their chemistry is fantastic. Their razor sharp banter and back and forth was fun throughout the whole movie.

The Bad: I've got nothing.

The Okay: Now I'll fully admit it, there's quite a few times when you can predict where the story is going. But I felt like I could forgive the movie for that simply because I had a really fun time with this.

Final Verdict: Good.

Why Didn't I See Saturday Night

Now I did want to see this movie because I really liked the premise, but much like The 4:30 Movie, there was no showing. Which made sense because around Sept 27th it only had a limited theatrical release. So finding a showing in Ohio was gonna be difficult to not find anything. Then when Oct 11th came around for the movie to have a wider release, I was more focused on the horror movie Mr. Crocket.

What is Saturday Night?

Saturday Night is a biographical comedy movie based the events of the very first episode of Saturday Night Live, more specifically about the behind the scenes. Production was done by Columbia Pictures and Reitman/Kenan Productions with Sony Pictures Releasing doing distribution. Jason Reitman directed and wrote the screenplay alongside Gil Kenan.

The story is, it's October 11th, 1975 and novice producer Lorne Michaels arrives at NBC Studios in New York to prepare to air the first episode of his comedy sketch show Saturday Night (now known as Saturday Night Live). But this isn't gonna be a peaceful first airing like everybody hoped it would. There's problems with the set, the sound system is messed up, the cast alternates between hostile and rebellious, and the crew is open to revolt. If Lorne doesn't solve all of these problems soon NBC will pull the plug.

My Thoughts

The Good: Firstly I'll give credit to the pacing. This is a breeze of a movie to get through. I didn't feel like a single minute was wasted. Then we have Jason Reitman's directing. He's got a good handle on controlled anarchy. With his whip pans and roving camera, you truly feel like you're in a chaotic environment. And I loved every moment. Now I want to praise Gabriel LaBelle as Lorne Michaels. He's clearly just trying to achieve his dream of making a show that nobody's seen before, and Gabriel captures that with his voice, you can hear the passion and drive. But I think his best moment came when he wasn't talking but walking away to just briefly take a break from all of the chaos. You can see in LaBelle's body language that he almost feels defeated and might be on the verge of giving up. It's a really great performance.

The Bad: I've yet again got nothing for this section.

The Okay: The only mix feelings I had was with the comedy. It a little ironic that a movie about a revolutionary comedy show has quite a bit of hit or miss jokes. I did laugh quite a bit, especially with a few bits of dialogue and heavy implications of poor Jim Henson's puppets being put in compromising positions as it was put in the movie. But you don't have moments that just didn't work. Maybe they'd be more funny if I had more knowledge of SNL back in the 70's?

Final Verdict: Good.

Okay that's a wrap. Come back on Thursday, Oct 2nd, for my review of the newest Amazon Prime movie, Play Dirty. Until then, enjoy the rest of your day.