Category Archives: Live Action Movie Reviews

The Suicide Squad Review

Posted on by
Reply

This review is of the TV-14 edited version of the film. All thoughts below should be addressed as such as a review of the unedited version would be more negative

The Suicide Squad is back once again. They are 0-2 with the original film being terrible and Birds of Prey was only a small step forward. Well, this one is another tiny step forward but we’re still not all that close to getting into the positive territory yet. The film still suffers from the same problems as the first two titles and doesn’t seem all that much closer to fixing them. It’s really an uphill battle for any film dealing with a group of villains as the main characters. This is absolutely possible so long as you make them likable enough but the more you remind us how evil they are….well then that gets even tougher.

The movie starts with Waller creating two more sets of Suicide Squads. One of them is thoroughly crushed while we get to our main squad who are able to infiltrate the island to start the plan to destroy project Starfish. This won’t be an easy mission though as they are essentially surrounded by enemies on the entire island. They also don’t exactly get along all the time since nearly all of these people are complete. Can they put aside their differences at gunpoint to save the day or are they all going to be in complete trouble?

I did think it was pretty clever to put Harley Quinn on the doomed team since it really made you surprised that the whole thing was a fake-out. She’s certainly not one of my favorite characters but she added a level of legitimacy to the whole thing. As always she is super crazy the whole film and basically used for fanservice so this movie didn’t do anything to raise her character for me. Fortunately we do have an interesting character in Rick Flagg.

That guy is essentially like Duke from GI Joe. He may not have special powers and things like that but he still gets the job done with his grit and tenacity. Rick is an easy character to appreciate. Now it’s not like he’s a total hero, he’s working for Waller after all. Rick does believe he is doing his best to defend the country though so I can respect that.

Of course for every character like Rick, you have 5 like Savant who are just here to add some edge. The film started off on a really sour note by having this guy murder a bird within the opening minutes. Yeah, we get it these guys are evil. Don’t think that scene actually added to any of the film’s messages if you ask me. King Shark is okay but his main gimmick is ripping people apart and eating his enemies. You immediately realize there isn’t much more to him than that.

The Polka Dot Man is just too weak and unhelpful for most of the film. He has his big moments of course but I think you just can’t really save the power. I did like Bloodsport though. They basically reuse the backstory from Deadshot but this guy still holds his own. He does well in the fights and shows that just having a gun can be a good asset on the field. He gets some banter and easily feels like the most fleshed out character in the film.

Of course Peacemaker ended up getting really popular here to the point where he got his own tv show. He works pretty well another psychotic villain to add to the mix. His jokes tend to fall flat but he works well in combat with his rivalry to Bloodsport. Ratcatcher gets a little less to do but I liked her more than some of the others by default. She has some charisma and at least has a likable personality.

Now like I mentioned, the humor can work well sometimes. There is a dark humor scene where the squad accidentally murders the whole resistance thinking that they were more villains. It’s definitely rough for the resistance to get wiped out in an ironic way like that but it’s a scene that definitely worked. They could have probably toned down the violence on some of the kills along the way though.

That’s ultimately what the film boils down to though. It has a lot of interesting ideas but always seems to push the envelope just a little farther than it needs to be. The squad is always just a little extra crass, just a little extra violent, and a little extra edgy. It tends to contaminate each part of the film. So you have some really cool fights here like Rick vs Peacemaker but then a lot of general action scenes that constitute the squad murdering everyone in their way unopposed.

The film is generally light when it comes to the tone but at the same time it’s not like this is a very fun film. We do get the big CGI climax though with Starro showing up. I’m not as big a fan of him as most though. Interesting design but mainly he is fun when he has powerful heroes to mind control like Superman. Otherwise he’s essentially a giant sea creature that won’t be doing much in the way of fighting. As a result the climax with Starro isn’t quite as good as the fights going on around it.

Amanda Waller does seem a little less bloodthirsty here than in other films though. Usually she’s portrayed as being an ice cold killer who almost enjoys being as extreme as possible. This film seems to be trying to make her look a little more human, to the point where she spares the lives of her colleagues who actively commit insubordination. It’s a tough balancing act but you probably do need to keep her ruthless because she ends up losing credibility by not finishing off two workers in particular. Yes there is a punishment later but that’s not really enough.

Overall, The Suicide Squad is not a film I would watch again. It still suffers from too many issues associated with having a bunch of unlikable characters trying to team up. It will land some jokes or have a cool scene, only to undermine it right away after that. At this point we’ve had enough films where I think I can confidently say that the Suicide Squad is not going to translate into a solid live action film. Maybe 4th time’s the charm though. (If you really count Birds of Prey)

Overall 3/10

Jurassic World Rebirth Review

Posted on by
Reply


The Jurassic World films keep on coming. At the end of the day, the public is always ready for some dinosaurs I suppose. That said, the films rarely end up being all that good. Having a lot of dinosaurs running around is generally going to result in a lot of animal violence and that’s just hard to escape from. Rebirth certainly isn’t the worst at it but it is also going for a more serious survival tone than the previous popcorn fun titles in the World genre.

This movie begins by explaining that the dinosaurs broke containment once again and now rule over several islands. Humanity has gotten used to this so you generally just avoid those areas and the government keeps them blocked off. When dinosaurs appear in the world at large, they aren’t really acclimated to the environment and don’t last very long. Well one company needs samples from a rare dinosaur in order to make the next jump in heart related medicine. This is super illegal so the company reaches out to Zora, who will do just about anything for a good check. She agrees after hustling the company for a ton of extra money and brings along a few hand picked professionals for this kind of mission Can they complete the objective and escape with their lives intact?

Right away you can tell that this is going to be a film without very many heroes. I suppose the main scientist would be the only one to count. Zora is basically a bounty hunter, she completes her missions and serves her own interests. It was a bit of a low blow how she kept scamming Martin by making him pay more and more when he was already paying top dollar for this. Zora isn’t really meant to be likable though, she is a necessary evil that Martin has to use.

That said, the character type can usually still be fun. There just wasn’t anything charismatic about Zora. She just goes through the motions and ends up being a bit of a flat character. In general that’s my problem with the case. They all tend to feel throwaway and it’s what ends up hurting the film as a whole too since it ends up not being very interesting for large portions of time. I blame the setting to a degree as I much prefer a big city to the forestland like this. There just isn’t much interesting to look at visually.

Additionally, since the film is going for a more realistic vibe, it’s fairly rough goings. The whole area is rugged and certainly not sleek or shiny. The dinosaurs are also in a tough position because on one hand the film is trying to present them as fierce creatures that are always a big threat and are dangerous. On the other hand they are also basically like wildlife which are very fragile and can be destroyed by the pesky humans. It’s an impossible balance and for the most part I’d say they look weak.

One guy even has an anti dinosaur gun and manages to take out quite a large number of them. At no point do you think the main characters are really outmatched by the dinosaurs. In a way that’s probably why you needed the corporate villain. Martin is easily the best character here. He’s able to think on his feet and always has a plan at the ready. He even pulls out the gun near the end which was a smart idea considering how outnumbered he was. The guy believes that progress requires sacrifice, just not his own.

As a villain, Martin just really stands out and in a very good way. The film needed a main character who could really hold their own against him verbally. The main group also run into a family who were on the waters when they are attacked by a dinosaur. I know it’s meant to be a rare event so you don’t blame the family too much but in a world of dinosaurs…you may want to rethink certain activities. The most annoying character in this group is definitely the boyfriend. He locks in towards the climax but at first he is slacking off even when it is his shift and just doesn’t take things seriously. You know he’ll win over the father by the end but you’re rooting against him.

So we have certain scenes like that which inject a little humor into the film but on the whole it was definitely lacking in that area. In a way the film may have benefited from taking itself less seriously. At the same time it wouldn’t solve the main issue which is that dinosaurs still do get shot and blasted. There is a body count here and you have to blame the humans the whole time since they are the ones going into dinosaur territory and then claiming self defense while going for their goal.

While Henry is the voice of reason here as the timid scientist, he ultimately did still agree to go on this mission. The guy acts a bit shocked when corporate quickly begins to escalate their actions but he probably should have taken that into account. He’s a character who would have been a lot better if he was more confident. Confidence is ultimately still one of the best traits in a character. That’s why Duncan is a lot more likable even though he’s also a scammer like Zora. At least he is ready for the dinosaurs and letting himself be the bait when needed.

It’s already hard to root for humans when giant monsters are involved and this just makes it even tougher. I suppose that’s why the reason had to be really good like the heart medicine but even with that they are still the invaders here. There aren’t any big human against human fights in this one so the dinosaur action is mainly what you’re going to get. Ultimately for me this one was more of a miss but perhaps not much more than other titles in the franchise. As odd as it may sound, they should make a film like this that focuses on the government discussing the impacts that dinosaurs will have on society. I feel like that’s a film that I could get behind a lot more than a survival title in the forest like this.

Overall, Jurassic World Rebirth is a different take on the franchise at least compared to the recent ones. I tend to prefer the blockbuster approach as this one can almost get a bit dull as it goes on. If you really like dinosaurs then you should check it out, but otherwise I’d say you can skip this one with no regrets. It’s not going to become the next breakout hit for you and it may be time for the franchise to finally move onto robotic dinosaurs.

Overall 4/10

No Country for Old Men Review

Posted on by
Reply

This is a review of the TV-14 edited version. All thoughts below should be addressed as such as a review of the unedited version would be more negative

This is one of those films that tried getting a little too clever with itself. The whole film builds up to some pretty big confrontations and ultimately we don’t get to end any of them. It’s a bit of a downer and while this anti climax was clearly intentional, I’d say that it doesn’t make the end result any better. The film really should have gone with a traditional climax and it would have ended up being much better off for it.

The movie starts off by introducing us to the psycho hitman, Anton. This guy was captured by the cops early on but unfortunately the officer let his guard down so Anton escapes and continues his murder spree. He is then tasked with hunting down a man named Moss who escaped with a bunch of money after running into a total murder scene. Moss realizes immediately that this much money means a lot of trouble so he needs to stay on the run until he can defeat Anton. The problem is that Moss is married so that means his wife is automatically a target now. Meanwhile Sheriff Ed has now been assigned to this case and needs to arrest both parties. Finally, the bounty hunter Carson has been hired to take the money. With 4 parties involved, there should be a lot of chaos.

Well, there should have been at least….this is where things get a bit messy if you ask me. This should have absolutely been a good setup for a ton of awesome fights and while we do get a solid battle between Anton and Moss, the others never get any real fights. Carson is built up a whole lot as a top tier fighter. He has a lot of experience and isn’t scared of Anton despite his reputation. That implies a lot of things, the most important of which is that he can hold his own. Unfortunately instead he is dumpstered unceremoniously while making every mistake he warned against.

It’s an incredibly embarrassing scene and he should have went out with more dignity. It’s a bit of a western staple for the victim to just stand around while he is shot to death but you’d like to see someone try to land a counter shot at least once. This time wasn’t that time though. Then we have the sheriff Ed who is late to every confrontation. He misses every fight and basically just has to comment on the situation every time. He has some weird dreams but ultimately doesn’t advance the plot much at all. I would argue that there isn’t much of a point to him being here. He should have had some kind of action scene.

Then for Moss, well I’d say he generally did the best that he could throughout the movie. The only time he fumbles is at the very end by staying at a motel and getting distracted when he needed to stay on mission. He had lasted a long while up to that point but that’s what makes it all the more tragic. I was glad that he was finally someone who could stand up to Anton though. Everyone else was getting absolutely crushed but he would stand his ground. Again, the ending to Moss’ character was just underwhelming though and undercuts the movie quite a bit.

As for Anton, well he’s definitely as crazy as you would expect. We get a long scene where he stares down a gas station owner and continually threatens him for a while before leaving. It was good that the owner didn’t have to die there since it would have been tragic. The whole scene is there to show you how messed up Anton is. Hopefully we get to see one of the heroes take him out right? Yeah….but even with that I think he’s a decent villain. Only problem is he has a ton of plot armor because he’s still just a dude with a gun. He shouldn’t have broken out of custody so easily in the first scene and the cops just look too ineffective the whole film.

The film takes place just old enough where there wasn’t as much tech so I don’t envy the cops’ position though. It absolutely couldn’t have been easy to live in those times. This movie does a good job of showing how scary the wild west environment can be when it spills into the cities. It can be really violent and you don’t always have much in the way of backup or other people who can help you in general.

I enjoyed the main gunfight between Anton and Moss which is why I wish we could have gotten more of that. The back and forth is intense with how high the stakes are. They each have to use the environment to help as an assist like with the nearby car. Any pedestrians along the way are definitely in for a tough time though. There is quite a lot of collateral damage going on here.

While the film is pretty violent, for the most part it isn’t being too excessive about the whole thing. The deaths tend to be pretty quick and to the point. The bounty hunter’s is more of an exception but it still isn’t overly violent, it’s just longer as Anton wants to really rub his victory in.

Overall, No Country for Old Men is a film that takes a lot of time to really build up the atmosphere. It tries to really develop the situation and set up all of the big players. So things are looking up but then it pulls the ole fake out and ruins all the setup. There isn’t really much reason to watch the film as a result. With no proper ending, it means that all the build up ends up just feeling mean spirited as we see how dark the world is without a hero at the end to save the day. It removes any possible replay value here and the film just becomes really empty. You can do better within the western genre.

Overall 4/10

Hellboy II: The Golden Army Review

Posted on by
Reply


It’s time to finally look at the Hellboy sequel. While I don’t think it is quite able to beat the original, it’s pretty close and definitely makes for a strong film in its own right. We also get quite a lot of action here although Hellboy always feels completely out of his league. The heroes will need a considerable amount of plot armor if they want to succeed in this fight.

The film starts off with Hellboy and the team foiling another giant monster’s attempt to cause destruction upon the human world. Hellboy is starting to get real sick and tired of staying incognito though and intentionally causes the BPRD to be found out. Now he can operate publicly as a superhero of sorts. Well, that was the plan at least. Unfortunately this got his boss Tom in trouble so Johann is called in to get this squad back into professional shape. He came at a good time though as Prince Nuada shows up to try and jump start the end of the world.

He is assembling a golden crown and his sister Nuala was able to escape with one piece. The BPRD vow to protect her but Nuada easily defeats Hellboy in their first encounter. How can Hellboy possibly get strong enough to defeat an opponent like this? It’s not like he has any strong teammates to rely on after all.

Although this is why it’s good to have Johann around because this guy can actually fight rather well. He is essentially able to turn into smoke which makes him difficult to hit and he can spread his soul into different objects at once. The power does seem to have some limitations but on the whole he can do some real damage. He also gets a sad backstory so you’ll actually feel bad for him at different points. It’s also always tough to be the new guy suddenly having to be in charge of a bunch of rebels. The other characters already know each other after all so you are the odd man out.

Abe gets a fair amount of screentime here but as always he spends most of his time getting absolutely rocked. He is no match for Nuada’s right hand man and isn’t able to contribute much to the big battles. He may have found out that Liz was pregnant right away with his abilities but it’s not like that’s going to be super helpful overall. I don’t mind the guy but I wish he could be a whole lot more helpful when the going gets tough.

As for Liz, well she is busy with the drama between her and Hellboy for a lot of the film. She thinks that he is too much of a slob and the two of them fight about everything. Since she is pregnant, it’s not like she’s getting quite as much action here. Although since she is a long range fighter, I’d have liked her to have done a bit more here. I feel like she gives up on her fire being useful a little too quickly and could have done more in the climax. I still enjoy her character but the romance drama was a bit forced.

Hellboy always gets his witty dialogue and has nonstop confidence but it doesn’t always feel 100% earned with how many losses he takes. He wins the opening fight but it got dangerous for a little bit there. Then he is getting rocked in all of the matches with the swordsman. The problem is that the sword can pierce Hellboy and the main character usually relies on his strong durability being able to counter any attack. Once you breach his defenses, well Hellboy doesn’t have a whole lot more left at that point. I do like that his shotgun is still a whole meme with how it never actually works against the strong villains.

Tom’s role is greatly reduced here, but he’s still fun. He has some nice banter with Hellboy although he is always on the losing side of it. It would be nice if Hellboy could be a little more considerate of Tom’s position but that’s never the case here. Tom’s effectively on his own which is rough. As for the princess Nuala, she’s okay but it would be nice if she could fight more. She certainly has a stronger moral compass than Nuad but all she can do is run away. It would be nice if she had enough fighting abilities to go up against him one on one instead of relying on Hellboy and friends.

Nuada is a really solid villain though. He has a solid honor code and is fighting for a cause that he believes in. The guy does get angry when Hellboy murders his friend and also had his resolve tested early on when even his father did not believe in the mission. Nuada ends up being a really memorable figure and someone that helps to elevate the film.

I’d say what gives the first film the edge is the overall mysterious atmosphere. It felt like a 90s type of film even though it was newer because of how dark everything was. It felt like the film was always having things go on at night and it just worked really well. This one is definitely going for more world building and yet that removes some of the intrigue here. For example we have the alien market here where a lot of weird monsters are running around.

It’s like something out of a Star Wars film. It’s definitely strange and quirky yet I wouldn’t call it interesting. I can appreciate that it probably was a lot of work on the effects to pull it off but it’s not the kind of lore that gets to me. I was more eager to get to the fight scenes or back to the headquarters. Give me more screentime on the mystery of the golden crowns or Hellboy’s backstory but the general world building could be a bit weak.

Overall, Hellboy II was a solid film. It had a memorable final fight with how the characters had to constantly be on the move. The action in general was really good and the main cast is still likable. So there are a lot of things going for this film. I would recommend checking it out, especially if you enjoyed the first one. It continues where the story left off and while the newbie may not be here, the rest of the cast is around. It’s too bad they could never finish the trilogy here.

Overall 7/10

The Best Christmas Pageant Ever Review

Posted on by
Reply


It’s time for a film about how a group of kids end up terrorizing a whole town. They may be young but the adults weren’t prepared for such an onslaught. At times the film goes a bit too hard on being really cheesy but aside from that it is a good title. Ultimately it’s got a solid message about Christmas and giving everyone a second chance so you can’t really go wrong there.

The main heroine here is Beth and she has grown up in a school that is terrorized by the Herdmans. They are bullies who go around stealing food and hitting the other students. The adults all know about this but make no moves to stop them. So Beth and the other kids are on their own. The only place where they can get a break from the bullies is at school. Unfortunately that doesn’t last as her brother goads them into joining the church for free snacks. Now the Herdmans have announced that they are going to take over the Christmas Pageant. Beth’s mother is going to be the head person this year and she has decided to make the best of it. Will this ruin the show though?

Beth is probably the most sympathetic character here because of the fact that she has no good support network. The fact that the bullies physically attack her and the others can be scary. Apparently they’ve gone quite far with the bullying as they sent one kid to the doctor. It’s why Beth’s friend is forced to step down from her role as Mary since she knows that the threats are real. It’s good that the Herdmans eventually realize the error of their ways but at the same time you don’t really want to reward this kind of behavior. It puts you in an awfully tough spot.

Beth is also the one pressured to try and help them out as her own feelings are basically ignored here. The most entertaining and yet frustrating character would be her father. He makes it clear from the start that he doesn’t take the bullying seriously. He makes quick quips about it in a way where you know that he’s not going to do anything. He even looks nervous when delivering food to the kids. The poor guy was even struggling to open a frozen tv dinner. He’s clearly not the best representative to send out if you need a body guard.

I like how he doesn’t take anything seriously in an ironic way but you would hope that he would be protecting his kids more. Meanwhile Beth’s Mom is too busy putting on the Pageant here to worry about any of that stuff. She is going a bit too far in this quest to prove herself as she needed to really let the Herdmans know how these things were going to play out. There are times to move forward but there also have to be times for accoutability.

That’s probably where the film is roughest. The Herdmans just get away with way too much and the adults are always too afraid to confront them. The film shows us that the Herdmans absolutely have it rough and nobody would envy their situation. At the same time, in life you always have choices on whether you do the right thing or the wrong thing. The Herdmans continually chose to do the wrong thing and so at that point there are consequences.

I was glad that the film kept the center of Christmas about Jesus Christ. The Pageant remained Christian based the whole time which is a good thing and so that was a good touch on the film’s part. When you’re watching a film about Christmas, you never know if you’re going to get the true meaning of it here or something about Santa Claus instead. The Pageant may not have been their best one with all the drama but the film would try to have you believe otherwise.

The film goes by fairly quick since there is a lot going on. Ultimately it makes for a fun film so that’s the important thing. Even if I had my reservations, there isn’t really anything here that would dramatically hurt the movie. If they ever did a sequel, I could see that winning though as I think Beth would do a better job of keeping everyone in check.

Also she may be more likely to talk tough to the town. While her mother didn’t back down, she could still be a bit evasive and too polite when talking to the cabal of teachers. She needed to take a more aggressive approach if you ask me and that would have worked out well. A small town like this is always going to have a decent amount of gossip and it’ll stop if you shut it down decisively. Beth may be timid as a kid but she was quickly growing up as the film went on. These circumstances basically require that this will happen in time. Ideally the other adults will have softened up after this success though so maybe Beth won’t even have any opposition.

Overall, This was a pretty good movie. It can definitely be a little cheesy so you’ll probably cringe at some of the Herdman moments but for the most part it’s like a time capsule. This will remind you of a tv special from the 90s or something like that. The film’s messaging is good and ultimately the Herdmans get the redemption arc. The town doesn’t have to worry about bullies anymore so things can go smoothly. It’s a fine Christmas title to check out for the new year.

Overall 6/10

Gattaca Review

Posted on by
Reply


It’s time for a sci-fi film that really uses the high tech developments to show how it would be difficult to impersonate somebody. The movie has a good premise but the main character takes quite a number of unreasonable risks that makes things a lot closer than it should have been. It’s an interesting movie but one that is really lacking in good characters.

The movie starts with showing how eugenics has become a big thing through dna technology. You can use science to make sure your kid is born perfectly and you can even customize the dna for the traits that you want. If you pay a lot of money you can basically be guaranteed with a perfect kid. Vincent’s parents want to go with a natural birth but when Vincent comes out with a weak body, they decide to do the dna perfection with his younger brother Anton. They are rivals but Vincent finally beats him in a swimming race one day and then heads off to start a life of his own.

The difficult thing is that this dna purity has created a new kind of discrimination. Most jobs will only hire you if your stats are good enough and as a natural birth with a weak heart, Vincent is ineligible for almost all jobs. One day he comes into a rare opportunity when a famous swimmer named Jerome shows up and explains that he needs Vincent to be his double. Jerome was in a terrible accident and can no longer walk. Vincent is unsure at first, but then decides to go along with it to also prove that he can handle the job. Can he stay undetected?

The film goes to great lengths to show how hard it is to be undetected in this world. Vincent needs to constantly carry a lot of Jerome’s dna with him for spontaneous drug checks, blood shots, eye scans, etc. It’s all an incredible amount of defenses that the company has at the ready and yet with perfect timing Vincent is able to handle them all. His one weakness is that he begins to like a girl named Irene but getting into a relationship now is a terrible idea with how dna spreads.

A huge focus of the film is that dna can be obtained from the smallest thing. Vincent has to scrub his fingernails every morning and use a vacuum on is desk just to make sure there are no particles. So rolling around with a girl is naturally not a good part of the plan and it’s Vincent’s biggest problem here. He absolutely has to know better. For the most part he is very careful and doesn’t make big mistakes but this was a huge one.

He also tends to get emotional like when he wants to quit the program at the last second. When you have a mission like this then you gotta see it through. So I didn’t end up becoming the biggest fan of Vincent. He needed to keep his eye more on the mission at all times instead of wavering and not being ready when the task was at hand. It’s really only thanks to plot armor that he gets as far as he does.

Then you have Jerome who also tends to be really annoying. This guy likes to get drunk which is of course a huge liability since it messes with the samples and also means he might say something that will spill the beans. At one point he decides to go catch a show outside and starts yelling at one of the guards. He draws a whole lot of attention to himself considering that a single slip up would mean the end of him. Ultimately the way he goes out is also pretty rough.

He needed a better end goal instead of just trying to fool Vincent into thinking that he had one. He also took advantage of a moment with Irene in order to fool the detectives which was a terrible look since he definitely did not need to go that far. The film does introduce him as a jerk so it’s not like that’s surprising but still disappointing to see.

As the main heroine, Irene isn’t bad. To her this is a normal romance and I would say she handles herself decently during it. She always stays very professional. Now the romance could have stood to have been more of a slowburn but otherwise I didn’t really have any problems with her character. She even gets some character development by the end where she cares less about the dna side of things.

Finally we have Anton and it was fun to get the big confrontation at the end of the film. A true rematch and the guy still has a solid ego. When he’s not around Vincent, I have no doubt that Anton is really good at his job and handles things well. He just loses perspective when things get personal but still made for a good rival. That helped as a final big action scene.

In the end the film’s sci-fi setting was pretty interesting and it was definitely more fleshed out than most. That being said, I would have liked to have focused more on that than the romance drama or even the drama with Jerome constantly making the wrong decisions. Give me more focus on the space mission itself which was really interesting. There was a whole lot you could do with the chief executive there who was consumed with making sure that the mission would work.

Overall, The biggest boost to this film would have been if the main characters were more likable. In a general sense I suppose you’re rooting for Vincent to expose the system and succeed but he doesn’t really seem like the kind of guy you’d be friends with. The same is true twofold for Jerome. You’re basically starting to root for the investigators early on because they have way more charisma. These guys are slowly piecing together the puzzle and the mystery aspect there is fun. I also think the ending could have been a whole lot better. So long story short, we’ve got a really interesting premise here but I didn’t think the execution was nearly as good as it could have been.

Overall 5/10

Write Before Christmas Review

Posted on by
Reply


It’s time for a rare ensemble cast Hallmark film. This one has a whole lot going on with the different plots which naturally means there will be some plots that are stronger than others. I do think it ends up being weaker than the average Hallmark title but is naturally still a really good film filled with solid writing and good character work as you would expect.

The movie’s main character is Jessica who decides to write some cards to different people who have helped her in life. This includes a big time singer, a lady who taught her music, her aunt, and her brother. These letters end up helping everyone out and they all begin moving forward with their own character arcs. Meanwhile Jessica was going to be in for a rough Christmas with her getting dumped by the boyfriend but now she has met a new guy who may end up being her prince charming.

So lets get the obvious issue out of the way, the romance here is a pure rebound. Jessica has only just broken up with this guy for about a day or so before she is already getting with the next one. The relationship falling apart came as a shock to her so she shouldn’t be completely over it just yet. There was clearly a little hesitation here with how she didn’t immediately say yes to the proposal but it doesn’t really change things. She still shouldn’t be moving on this quickly and she barely even knows the guy.

Getting carried away with the Christmas spirit has its limits after all. I did enjoy her as a character though. She is really invested in Christmas and is the type of person who will always be having a lot of fun. Jessica also has a supportive friend at the music shop where she works and it always helps to have someone to vent to. From all the characters in the film, Jessca had the most fleshed out plot which makes sense.

When we get to the inevitable misunderstanding, I would also say that her situation was slightly more understandable. Her guy should have stood his ground and not been taking photos of the girl that was assigned to him as a blind date a while back. Sure he was doing his job but this girl was already shown to be crazy like when she humiliated him in the diner so he needed to cut off contact at that point. Meanwhile he walked in when she was joking with her ex boyfriend about getting the ex discount. Yeah…not the best conversation to be having.

Well things worked out but the romance wasn’t very strong anyway. Both characters could stand to be a little more mature about they handle these things. If something looks sus, you need to just walk over and start asking questions. If your worst fears are realized, well then it’s better to know now rather than finding out later right? Just walking off is the worst possible action you could make because now you will never know one way or the other what was really going on. You can suspect stuff, but won’t have that confirmation.

Meanwhile in the first subplot with the brother, he falls for another army worker over there. He does his best to flirt with her and while the attempts are mainly shaky, it ends up working out. It’s a harmless enough plot but just doesn’t have a whole lot of connection to the main story outside of the letter. Additionally it’s just too fast for much development.

Another plot is Jessica’s aunt meeting the guy who walks a dog next door. She just lost her husband two years ago and he lost his wife 3 years ago so they start flirting and it looks like things are gonna be happening. I don’t have to go into detail on why this is a crazy rebound right? I thought the dog was nice though so it was good to have a wholesome animal having fun here.

Then you have the music guy who was in a slump for a while. Jessica’s letter allows him to regain his confidence and go back to making new songs. He actually doesn’t get a romance plot but I guess there was no room for one. It was nice that he even got to play his next concert nearby where Jessica could hear him. I actually thought he was going to be the one to play matchmaker but that’s not how it went down.

So this was an ambitious one with so much going on. Generally I think the film would have needed to have been longer to have really given all of these plots the screentime that they would have needed. Still, it did well enough with what was going on and the writing was good as always. While the stories may have been rushed, they will still keep your attention.

The film still succeeds at the most important factor for any movie which is that it was fun. Watching this title is enjoyable and you feel the festive vibes. If you can block out the rebound nature for a minute, it’s also just nice to see everybody having a good time. If you ever enter into a relationship, you want it to be filled with fun and whimsy like this. I would like to see Hallmark tackle more non rebound romances as well but for now this will have to do.

Overall, Write Before Christmas has a great title. The pun was particularly inspired and the film’s plot device of the letters being sent around was a good one. I generally prefer solo stories unless there is a big climax where all of the characters meet up though. Something like that would have been really cool here and I think it would have worked even if it may have seemed rushed. The film was already rushed so what’s one more scene right? While I prefer the average Hallmark film, this is still a good movie that I would recommend.

Overall 6/10

The Christmas Card Review

Posted on by
Reply


It’s time for a very classic Hallmark film. This is the kind of film you picture when talking about the channel because it hits all of the classic notes. Now this does include a rebound romance so as always you’re going to want to steer away from that part of it but all the rest is on point. This is the kind of film that will leave you feeling jolly all the way forward.

The movie starts by introducing us to Cody who is serving in the army. His tour has gone mostly well but unfortunately one of his squadmates was murdered in the line of duty. Cody is forced to go on a leave of absence for a while and decides to pay a visit to a lady named Faith who sent him a card. See, there’s a program where you can send cards to people out in the army and Faith always participates. Cody may not know her personally but he wants to thank her for the gesture. Thing is, he didn’t realize how beautiful she was. Cody has fallen in love but the problem is that Faith already has a longterm boyfriend. Can Cody make his move before she gets married?

So this is where things get iffy. Some would say that as long as she doesn’t have a ring yet (Isn’t married) that it’s all fair game and you can still try to steal her away. This is only advice for the desperate though and personally you should leave someone alone if they’re already in a relationship. Even if you are able to win her over, now you know that someone else can do the same thing to you if she is so easily persuaded.

Additionally, it is going to make Faith look bad here. Now as the film goes on her boyfriend looks worse and worse. He’s rather stuffy, drinks a lot, and doesn’t know how to do manual labor. He also ignores her feelings in place of his and values work above all. So yeah he’s not great but they have been in a relationship for a very long time. She didn’t even expect to see him for the holidays since he was so busy. You need to keep this in mind because these were the expectations for their relationship.

Instead he shows up early and notices Cody around so a little rivalry begins here. Naturally as the film goes on Faith begins to waver and eventually joins team Cody. This drama takes up most of the film though as Faith even accepts her boyfriend’s proposal initially and still has an affair with Cody on the side. It’s a really bad look for all parties involved even once the boyfriend surrenders and gets out of there.

What you have to consider here is that for 99% of relationships there will always be someone hotter, smarter, funnier, cuter, etc. If you are always willing to “trade up” from your current partner to someone else, then that is a recipe for disaster. It’s the whole principle of why I’m against rebounds. You have to stick to your pick barring crazy stuff like abuse and such. So Faith shouldn’t have been wavering at all here and it’s why the romance just doesn’t work.

With a romance this bad you may figure that the film is doomed right? Well, that’s not how Hallmark rolls. It delivers a very complete product that can get past the romance. You’ve got great writing after all and a fun atmosphere. It’s the kind of film that reminds you of just how much fun Christmas can be. There is a lot of cheer going on and you get to see some baking and decorating the Christmas tree. It’s a lot of fun and the pacing is always good. Watching this makes you want to go outside and do something fun too.

The true cheat code to life is that you don’t have to wait until Christmas to have a fun time like this. You can make any day really fun if you put your mind to it. As a result this film would hold up whenever you watch it. While Faith’s father Luke was meddling a little too much, you can appreciate his devotion to his daughter. It can be hard to stay silent when you see your kid making a mistake. Especially when you “know” that it’s a mistake.

There was a good amount of banter here and the movie knows how to have a lot of fun with itself. So even if the romance misses, you still have the comedy. Now I think the film could have tried to be even lighter by not having the death at the beginning but I suppose it wanted to start with a somber tone. If the film really wanted to be perfect, it could have dodged the romance entirely and just focused on the good banter the whole time. Now that would have been a good idea, just have them be good friends.

Then the subplot would have been Cody showing Faith’s boyfriend the error of his ways and to cherish Faith now because you never know what the future will bring. Have him tie in the death from the beginning. Low key I think there’s a ton of potential there and then for the longtime Hallmark fans you would still have a solid romance going with the boyfriend becoming a better person.

Overall, The Christmas Letter is a pretty good film. It’s a very focused film that knows where the plot is going and there are no distractions. The atmosphere is nice and cozy the whole time and the pacing is on point. It’s a very easy film to watch and just makes for an enjoyable backdrop. If you have not seen this film yet then you will definitely want to change that. It’s also a reminder that even a quick act like writing a letter can really have a massive impact to someone else.

Overall 7/10

Little Women (1994) Review

Posted on by
Reply


It’s time for another Little Women adaption. It’s not exactly one of my favorite stories but it’s certainly an iconic one. I believe this is the third version that I’ve seen. How much you enjoy it will all come down to how much you enjoy the antics of the main characters. Can you identify with their situation or will you just find it a little dull? Personally I don’t find any of the characters to be super likable so that does really hold things back. The romance doesn’t help.

The 4 sisters are the main characters here. Meg, Jo, Beth, and Amy. They live in a rather tough situation with finances not being very good. Their father is always out working and their mother does her best to keep things together. There are only so many ways to entertain themselves in such days but at least they have each other. Well, one day after the usual neighborhood party/dance they meet a rich guy named Theodore. He seems to have taken a liking to Jo but she’s not really in the market for a boyfriend at the moment. Will he win her over or is she going to get away?

So I can’t fault Jo for deciding that she didn’t want to mess around with romance. It’s not for everyone after all and she still wanted to enjoy her usual fun times with the gang. If she were to get a boyfriend then naturally that would end. Well, things get a bit more complicated than that as everyone else continues to move on with their lives. Theodore even decides to rebound with one of Jo’s sisters. Now Jo will have to find a man but who is left?

Ultimately Jo leaves home and by expanding her horizons she meets someone but the romance is pretty fast and not all that developed. It just never worked for me and I also think her sister Amy shouldn’t have gotten together with Theodore. Yeah, he claims that he is over Jo but that’s a bit hard to buy and even then it’s like you were the second choice. That’s how I’ve always felt about the romances in this movie and that hasn’t really changed over time.

This film also takes place in the very olden days and as a result there are all kinds of customs and such that feel dated. The girls can never make the first move, they must be prim and proper at all times, etc. Not to say that it’s all bad but a lot of these things just make them look way too passive as characters. I would have liked more direct action here, maybe in terms of trying to earn money or perhaps jumpstarting the romance on their own.

Jo is the only one who acts rather impulsively in general like selling her hair for money. So she gets more credit there. The writing is good as the old time script holds up but it doesn’t really solve the problem of the main characters not being super interesting. I don’t really know what you would do in order to change that though. Not without changing the story as a whole.

I’ve said this before but I like a good slice of life story, it just needs a touch of comedy. That is what’s missing in this one. The story is all fairly serious which is fine, but where are the scenes that will help me break a smile? There aren’t really any laugh out loud scenes here. Dreary would be the wrong word to describe the film but it just takes itself so seriously.

I guess I’d say the film is like watching a bunch of people who don’t have many hobbies hanging out with each other. It can be fairly wholesome but doesn’t really do much for you. The film also ends up being on the loner side and the pacing can be really slow. A lot of things are all going against the film here and as least one character gets a rather sad ending.

Maybe the next remake can focus a little bit more on Jo’s journey as an author. Focus on the last part of the film with her being abroad and make that a much larger part. You could also use that time to try and develop the romance with the professor but I dare say that might be a waste of time so perhaps you just focus on the writing bits. Or maybe show us what her father was doing at work and add some kind of trial there. Show why the job is so hard. Both of these plots would be immensely more interesting than just staying at the home for longer periods of time.

Overall, Little Women would have benefited from adding a few light scenes with gags and fun jokes. Something to just make the film itself a little more fun and it would also add to the replay value. Throw that all in to the mix and things would improve. Right now this is essentially a film that is lacking a hook. Of course at the end of the day that just means this film wasn’t really for me. I would say to only check it out if you want to see what life would have been like if you had grown up poor in a small town. Otherwise, you’re better off with one of the old sit coms instead.

Overall 4/10

A Very Brady Christmas Review

Posted on by
Reply


It’s time for the return of the Brady Bunch. I saw the show a lot when I was growing up and it was pretty fun. I wouldn’t say it could compete with the older old time shows like Twilight Zone or the Odd Couple but it was good wholesome fun. The film brings them all back to give you more of the same but I have to say that a lot of the characters really don’t look good. As a result you will have a hard time rooting for some of them in their sub plots.

The film starts with Mr and Mrs Brady enjoying their retired life. At this point the house belongs to just the two of them as their families have fully grown up. It’s peaceful this way and they each plan a big Christmas trip but ultimately decide to invite all the kids over for one last adventure. The kids get ready to arrive but what the parents don’t know is that they are all dealing with some issues. Looks like the parents are going to have to play the role of the guardian one last time here.

Like I said, the problem here is that a lot of the kids don’t look particularly good. Lets look through their problems for a minute here. The first guy is feeling embarrassed because his girlfriend makes more money than him and is actually his boss at the job. This is one of those issues that I will never be able to sympathize with. If your girlfriend makes more money than you, that’s great. You two can put that in a nice 401K and in the meantime can live a much more luxurious life than before. It takes a real sensitive ego to be upset about that. So as a result he decided not to propose to er for a very long time until she was finally forced to consider doing it herself. Definitely the most petty out of all the issues.

The next kid’s problem is that her husband got fired right before the holidays. So he’s still feeling rather sore about that and has a hard time containing this. He grumbles about the situation rather loudly even when he’s already at the Christmas party with his wife and daughter. It’s the most serious problem since losing your job is a big deal but I just wish he would have taken it a little better. Maybe not make such a big scene and all that. Ultimately his ego is a problem like the first kid’s and so Mr. Brady has to effectively trick him into getting a new job. She probably could have chosen a guy with a little more courage.

I’ll say now that Mr and Mrs. Brady were definitely the standout characters here since they were having to clean up all these messes while still having a fun party. It may make them reconsider doing this next year though. Their housekeeper also had some drama of her own as her boyfriend left her for a younger woman. This subplot was handled rather poorly as she quickly accepts him upon his return. He likely got dumped by the younger girl he was after, why would you just let him return so easily? Definitely a bad look.

Back to the kids, the one’s problem was that he dropped out of school a while back to become a race car driver. This was a super reckless move and so he doesn’t want to tell his parents until he is already winning races. Well, I think it’s a bad decision but it’s his life and he’s not grumbling about it so I much preferred him to the other two. This guy understood the consequences of his actions.

The next kid’s problem is that she was in the middle of a failing marriage. They are quickly falling apart because she feels like she does a lot of things without any appreciation and he is rather oblivious. The fact that it got this far was pretty rough. Yes, the party has them squash their differences but I don’t think it can ever be the same after their relationship was strained that hard. The husband in particular looked bad here since he left things get to this point and somehow didn’t notice all the extra work he was causing her. That’s a bit baffling.

Then we have one kid where his wife chose to visit her family instead of his for Christmas so that takes some of the fun out of it. What fun can you really have at a party without your wife? Technically it might be the smallest problem after all but you can still feel a little bad for him. In a way at least they had the healthiest dynamic here which is nice to see.

The final kid’s problem is more that she is still treated as the youngest. She is seated with the kids at the party instead of the grownups and doesn’t know how to say no. She shows up at the party when she already had plans with the other teens at the dorm. Meeting with your family is probably a better idea anyway but it would be nice to have presented this as her actively making a decision as opposed to just not knowing what to do.

You can see the problem here which is that there are so many problems that a lot of the kids just don’t look good by the end of this. There’s quite a lot of drama and not enough laughs to really take it over the edge. It’s a decent gathering and the build up to the reunion is fun but I do think it could have been more explosive. It’s still a good film but one without much replay value. I actually think it might have been better without all the kids. Make it just about Mr. and Mrs. Brady as they prepare their Christmas gifts and crazy shenanigans ensue. That is a winning formula.

Overall, A Very Brady Christmas will deliver an extra punch for folks who grew up watching the original show. It’ll definitely end up being nostalgic but that’s mostly what the film has going for it. Remove the Brady names and it’s a film about a lot of problem solving that doesn’t get quite as emotional as it could have been. I will say that the climax at least did its best to increase the stakes right at the end. We got to see a true hero in action and that is the kind of explosive plot that I’m talking about. If we got that for more of the movie then this would be an even higher one. Still, I would recommend it to anyone looking for a Christmas title to set up the season.

Overall 6/10