Dr. Mario 64 Review

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My Nintendo marathon continues with the classic Dr Mario title! This one definitely goes way back to the point where I can’t say that I really knew anything about it. Well, I’m proud to say that the game surpassed my expectations all the way through as it had a real story to help enhance the overall gameplay. It’s definitely a tough game so get ready to have to react very quickly. The blocks definitely don’t wait around and you need to get rid of all the viruses ASAP!

Basically the story involves an evil scientist deciding to spread a disease to everyone and he has an army of monsters protecting him. You get to choose at the start of the game who you want to play as, Wario or Dr. Mario. Naturally I went with the Doctor and from there on your adventure continues. Can you stop the scientist in his mad quest for power or is it all over for humanity? One thing’s for sure, without Bowser here this should be a little easier for the heroes compared to usual.

The gameplay is your classic Dr. Mario style but if you’re not familiar with it, I’ll explain. Basically blocks fall down from the sky and you have to carefully organize them so that they land on the virus of the same color. Once you have 3 blocks connected to the virus for a total of 4, all of them will be destroyed. You win the level when all of the viruses are destroyed but if the opponent does this first then you lose. Another thing to watch out for here is that when your opponent makes matches of his own, it causes extra blocks to fall on your side. That can mess up your strategy so be ready to adapt on the fly. Ultimately it doesn’t change your objective but if there’s a lot of debris on the top you may have to clear out some normal blocks from the bottom to shift things around.

Speed is absolutely your best asset here so move as fast as you can and you should be good. Always try to be a few steps ahead of your opponent and you’ll be fine. Obviously this is easier said than done though which is why I say that the game is very difficult. The more levels you go through, the faster the blocks start falling down and by the end it’s seriously hard to focus. Without access points you will probably have to replay the levels a whole lot of times. The worst part is when you make an error because that can sabotage a whole run. The game is very unforgiving in that area and of course there is still some RNG in the mix too as it all rides on how quickly your opponent moves. Underestimate him at your own peril.

The graphics are definitely pretty solid here. I won’t say they’re at the highest grade or anything like that but you always know what’s going on and the character models are on point. The soundtrack is a little more on the forgettable side but they work well enough to keep you calm while moving the blocks around. Would I prefer rock music? Yes, most definitely but it’s okay. I wouldn’t say the soundtrack is bad or anything like that.

The game’s overall length is fairly quick. It won’t take you long to beat the game and I couldn’t tell if there was any real replay value to be found here. I guess maybe in increasing your score and multiplayer but I do think the game could stand to have more content. With how easy the gameplay is from a development point of view, they really could have made dozens of levels here. I don’t get why more games don’t just make a super long story mode. Maybe they’re worried it would drag on? I figure having more content is almost always a good thing though.

Overall, Dr. Mario 64 is definitely a fun game. It’s one that is absolutely enhanced by the fact that it has a real story mode which is why more games should do that. It just makes the whole experience more memorable and it will stand out against other games in the same genre. The fact that it has more dialogue than the average Mario game is just an extra bonus. This is a game that really got forgotten by most so I recommend checking it out and seeing this little gem in Mario’s history. You just don’t want to miss it and I loved the Dr. Mario mobile game so this shows that the franchise still has a ton of untapped potential. Lets see Nintendo bring this one back into the spotlight already!

Overall 7/10

Pokemon Snap Review

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Pokemon Snap is one of those games I was heavily aware of but never really got to try playing back in the day. It looked like fun but at the same time I wasn’t about to shell out the big bucks back in the day just to take pictures of Pokemon. Well now with the Switch Online I can finally give it a shot and it is a lot of fun. It’s a little on the short side but it did take me two batches to complete it so maybe 4-5 hours total. There are 7 worlds where you get to go around and catch a bunch of Pokemon although the final world only has one as a final boss fight so maybe I should really say that there are 6 worlds.

Basically Todd is hired by Professor Oak to take a lot of pictures of each Pokemon to fill up the dex and this is really a top priority mission. When taking a picture you want to get the maximum amount of points and so there are a few criteria for this. First is the size of the Pokemon, the larger it is in your picture, the more points you get. Then you get points if you got the Pokemon in a cool pose. If the Pokemon is in the center of your photo then you get a X2 bonus. Finally if you got more than one of the same Pokemon in your shot then you get even more points.

Points are extremely important here because that’s how you unlock new powers and new worlds. The other factor is how many species you have taken a picture of so even if you don’t have a great shot, make sure you snap a picture of every Pokemon. You will keep on replaying the levels in order to get better shots until you’ve unlocked the next area and even then you can go back. In fact it’s not even that you can go back but that you must. See, there will always be some Pokemon you can’t get initially until you have their power up. For example you will unlock the apples to lure Pokemon to you, the Pester Ball to wake them up, and the whistle to make them dance and use their special abilities.

You will even be able to accelerate your car later on to bump into Pokemon and cause them to turn around. Note that you can’t control the car to move in any direction or anything like that but just speeding up is handy. Of course the car is already fast at some points which makes snapping the photos tricky so you want to keep that in mind. You need to have quick reaction times at all times in order to stay ahead or you will be putting yourself in a rather tricky predicament. Just try, try again until you’ve perfected your craft.

At the end of each level you choose one of each photo of a unique Pokemon that you’ve taken to give to Oak. If it’s your first time then there’s nothing to compare it to and it will be accepted right away but if you’ve already taken a photo before it will be compared and you can keep the better photo. Sometimes a photo that you think is better will end up having a lower score due to some of the criteria I mentioned earlier. It’s all very seamless though and I have to give the game massive credit for how clear the menus are. It never feels like a hassle to hand in the photos. All of the menus are very intuitive.

There are a ton of quality of life features within the game that make this feel like a AAA title. The levels are bite sized so they go over fast and the music is very calming. The soundtrack is really quiet solid all the way through and the graphics are nice too. This is definitely one of the higher end Nintendo 64 titles in those regards. Then the replay value is also considerable because there are so many ways you can try and tackle each level. Do you focus on apples or pester balls? Learning the reactions to each Pokemon will take time and then there’s RNG involved so sometimes a Pokemon will appear and other times it won’t. You have to memorize different chains of events for some while just waiting for others.

There’s just a whole lot of content here even if the main story isn’t very long. Also the decision to make the final photo with Mew an actual boss battle was brilliant. That was a lot of fun and just really stuck out next to the catches. It was a pretty fun way to end the game. Having a proper final boss is always a great idea after all and even once I beat the game there were plenty of secrets that I did not explore.

Overall, Pokemon Snap is a game that was developed very well. I had a lot of fun with this one. I still would have hesitated to buy this game at full price without a doubt but playing it now I can really appreciate the effort into it. I’ll definitely buy the new Pokemon Snap at some point although I would definitely like to wait for a true sale because again, as long as it’s around $50 or so it’s just not tempting enough to purchase. Granted, I’m sure the new one is longer with more Pokemon so maybe I should research just how long it is. In the meantime I recommend checking this one out.

Overall 7/10

Pokemon Stadium Review

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Pokemon Stadium was a huge game in my childhood. I played that game for so many hours back in the day! Well it’s good to have a proper revisit to the title and I have to say that it lives up to the hype. It’s also way more difficult than I remember though so I don’t know how I actually beat it so easily as a kid. Seriously these gym leaders and trainers are no joke and I died a considerable amount of times during this latest playthrough. Well what’s a game without a little challenge right?

There are a lot of different modes in this game as the content is truly impressive. You’ve got your classic battles of course but also quite a few minigames. The minigames are also quite a bit of fun, I definitely enjoyed playing through all of them real quick. The meat of the game is in the campaign mode though as you try to face off and defeat all of the gym leaders, their 3 trainers protecting them at every gym, and the elite four. You’re looking at close to 50 battles here and you have to win 4 battles in a row every time. If you lose at the third then you go all the way back. Without access points you would really be in a pickle I must say.

Part of what makes this tricky of course is that you have to select a team of 6 Pokemon and can’t switch after that until you beat the 4 opponents. So that’s 24 Pokemon to deal with and the trainers usually have different types than the Gym Leaders so you have to really try to bring a wide mix yourself. Type advantages are massive here as you will often oneshot your opponent if you’re super effective vs his Pokemon and the same is true of the reverse. Do you know what this means? It means you have to always strike first or it’s over. I beat all 3 Pokemon in one shot at times and my opponent did the same to me.

I would personally recommend picking 3 Pokemon who are super effective vs the gym leader and then 3 generally strong ones. Often that would mean Alakazam and two of the legendary birds on my team like Moltres and Articuno. At times I would have all 3 but it didn’t always work out. Another thing to really look at are movesets here. For example it can actually be better to pick Ivysaur than Venosaur based on the moves. It’s a little weird I know, took me some getting used to there. The downside of course is that they have lower stats so that can really be a problem as well. You definitely need to balance it a lot. Hey I still say whatever you do, make sure Alakazam is on your team, he hits like a tank!

The graphics are really good here. The character models are really high quality and it’s clear that a lot of time was put into them. The sound effects and ost are also extremely nostalgic. I remember them all so clearly after hearing them again and it’s awesome. If nothing else, play this game for the nostalgia because it’s amazing. Even if you’ve never played the game before you will be able to appreciate the heart in it.

Don’t be afraid of losing a lot as that will be natural. This game is super hard but also very satisfying to complete. There’s so much bonus content here as well and the replay value is extensive. If not for Pokemon Stadium 2 existing this is the kind of game you would basically keep on playing over and over again. It’s always impressive that Pokemon has so many great games although not surprising as it is one of the most successful franchises of all time. I should be back before too long with some Stadium 2 adventures so stay tuned!

Overall, Pokemon Stadium is definitely a game you should check out. It’s really a lot of fun and captures the Pokemon experience way better than most games. To date I wish they would make more titles in this series because it was so much fun. Yeah Battle Revolution doesn’t count because the gameplay mechanics were so bad there. I like the idea of every Pokemon level here being equalized and it’s all about the strategy of figuring out which Pokemon team to choose. Admittedly this means that RNG will always have a pretty strong hold over the matches to an extent but at least you are actually picking your own team. Bonus points for actually having minigames too as bonus content. You get a ton of bang for your buck on this one.

Overall 8/10

F-Zero X Review

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It’s time to jump back into the world of F-Zero thanks to the Switch Online expanded pack! I’ll be having quite a few reviews coming up soon so get ready for that folks. This one’s fairly basic but you can see how it would eventually lead to the ultimate F-Zero title for the Gamecube. I also have to give it some serious props for the soundtrack which was already really solid by this point. Definitely well ahead of its time.

There isn’t really a story mode here so you just jump straight into the races. There are 3 cups with 6 races left. Each race is a little under 2 minutes so long story short, you won’t be here very long. The stages are over as soon as you blink but the designs and level maps are good. You are having fun while you play these stages because of how fast you are moving. It can feel a little tough to control as you get used to the speed but once you do then you are set. The gameplay is very smooth after all and it’s high quality so you won’t be feeling any issues here. That is why F-Zero cannot be stopped.

There is a decent character roster here as well and the boosting after level 1 is a fun mechanic. It’s something that the series has always stuck with and that was a smart move. Basically when you boost, it eats up your health so you have to choose between going too fast and conserving health for the turns. If you die during the race after all then you will finish in last so you don’t want to do that. You have to focus up and just get ready but of course the more you master the stages, the more you can afford to be reckless.

The graphics are definitely pretty good, they are well ahead of their time. The colors are striking and the backgrounds are really good. You always know what is happening. I already spoke about the soundtrack of course which is really high tier. The fast paced music matches with how fast the cars are going. I can see it having a ton of replay value in the multiplayer setup even if that isn’t true for the single player experience. 18 levels can only go so far after all no matter how fun the game is.

Of course you’re playing it for free if you have the membership so I’d still recommend giving it a play. Paying full price back in the day would have been a little trickier. I think that is in part why it would ultimately die out as a series next to the other racers. It has enough unique features to make it stand out from the pack but aside from that you also need a good amount of content which is an area where it will end up lacking in the end. It’s the classic tale of a really fun game that is just over as soon as it has begun.

Another fun feature here is how you can choose between having super good acceleration or high max speed. I usually kept my meter in the middle but going all the way in one direction or the other is an interesting way to go. I can’t see any argument for using the lowest speed but having the highest speed could make sense if you’re an expert player who masters all the turns. After all, otherwise if you bump then with low acceleration you will be completely stuck so that would not be a good deal for you to make. You would really be sabotaging yourself.

So when starting out I would recommend doing what I did and just keeping the meter in the middle. Also take a look at which racer you want to use since they all have different stats. Captain Falcon is one of the weakest in overall stats so ironically you want to stick away from him to have a better chance of winning. You’d think he would be a good character with high stats for beginners…but that is not the case this time.

Overall, F-Zero X is a pretty fun game. I have to dock some points for how quickly it ends but you’ll have a good time which is ultimately the most important part. I really wish Nintendo would give this series another chance in the current day. If they handled it right with a good amount of content I bet it would sell incredibly well. Every series makes a comeback eventually so I suppose we just have to wait…but hopefully we don’t have to wait much longer. I need my futuristic racing content and I need it stat!

Overall 6/10

Call Me Mrs. Miracle Review

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It’s time for another Christmas adventure! You always know that things will be getting intense when Mrs. Miracle is involved and she’s here to save Christmas once again. We’ve got a pretty solid title here and I would even put it above the first film. It has the drama, hope, and fun that you would expect from a film like this with nothing really holding it back. At most I guess you could say there wasn’t really any baking here and that always makes for a really fun moment. Still there’s enough story for everyone.

The film introduces us to Molly who is a really good marketer but unfortunately she works for a rather lousy boss. Her boss really believes that she is superior to everyone else around her and so she is always insulting everyone. This makes it hard to try and sell more clothes but Molly gets the blame for this. She also has to take care of her nephew while her brother is away at the army so she has to always be happy. It’s a lot of responsibility but she is managing all right. That’s when she ends up meeting Mrs. Miracle over at Finley’s toy store and even meets the son of the owner, Jake. They hit it off immediately but can she really afford to be dating while looking after a kid like this? Meanwhile Jake is struggling to run the business as he takes big gambles that may not pay off. If he can’t sell all of the toys by Christmas then it’s it for him.

In this film Miracle works at the toy store because this allows her to cross paths with more people at once. She is trying to set up a romance for Jake’s boss, set one up for Jake, and of course in the meantime she is increasing the profit margins for Finley’s by making them a more wholesome toy store. She’s very effective so I have to give her full points here. She is able to effectively gaslight the owner for the majority of the movie and for everyone else she makes sure to be in the right spot at the right time. I would even say she is more effective here than in film 1 due to the scope of how many people she is helping.

As for Molly, she’s a very solid main character. She is doing her best in a rather tough situation and does tend to have it under control. She only makes one main mistake in choosing a date over helping her nephew pick out a present. That should have been her priority without a doubt. She does try hard though and the nephew should have been more understanding since he has certainly made his share of mistakes during the film and she was always handling it all well. He wasn’t being very grateful the whole time as it is.

Meanwhile Jake is doing his best to manage the toys but honestly I wouldn’t say that he’s a great manager. For starters his idea to not stock the new toy on the shelves for personal reasons was pretty awful. You can’t do that when you’re representing a company. You need to be cold and calculating in your approach. If he was worried that the toy was dangerous that would be one thing but he just doesn’t like the toy. He thinks that they’re all really cheap and kids should play with old fashioned ones. Fortunately for him the toys end up working as portable explosives so it’s good that his store didn’t have any but that was just luck.

He was right due to circumstances beyond his control. You know what we call that over here? Undeserved hype! Yes that was not truly his victory and I would have liked him to reflect on that a little more. For the most part he does mean well though and he is nice to the staff so you can tell that he’s a good guy. Maybe with more experience under his belt he will become a better and better manager as time goes on.

The romance is naturally a bit on the rushed side here as both characters get caught up in the Christmas spirit but at least all of the characters are likable here. There is a little drama towards the end but it’s not nearly as massive as in the first film so it is a lot more realistic when the characters manage to solve this so quickly. I thought it was executed so much better than the first time so it made for a good way to end things.

The pacing is good in the film and the writing is on point. This is the definition of a feel good film all the way through. It’s the kind of solid wish fulfillment that will have you looking over your shoulder once in a while so that you don’t miss your special moment. Ultimately it may blend in a bit with some of the other Hallmark titles but it can go pound for pound with most of them. Mrs. Miracle adds that little magic touch as well and so the film’s got a good balance of realism with some supernatural elements here.

Overall, The second Mrs. Miracle film is pretty fun. At times you may feel like she takes her plans a bit far like planning a whole big party without even letting the owners know but when you’ve got her level of ability I suppose there isn’t much to worry about. She will always be one step ahead of the competition and what’s the worst they can do, fire her? She’ll be gone after Christmas anyway. If you’re looking for a light hearted romance with a little drama and romance then this should be the ticket for you. It’s just well balanced through and through without making any real mistakes. It’s perhaps a bit more basic than some of the others due to this but basic never has to be a bad thing.

Overall 7/10

Mrs. Miracle Review

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It’s time for our next big Hallmark adventure. The films have always been consistently solid and this is another good entry to check out. It’s a bit weaker than the average title I will say in part because two kids play a big part in the story and naturally they can’t quite keep up with the other characters. The strong writing keeps this flowing together smoothly either way.

The movie starts off by introducing us to Seth and his two kids. The kids have always been a handful and this has been getting worse and worse over the years. Every single babysitter ran out as fast as they could rather than deal with the kids. Seth’s wife died a long time ago and at this point it seems like he may have to be forever alone. That’s when Mrs. Miracle shows up. It’s hard to say who she is exactly as the lady is shrouded in mystery but possesses teleportation, telekinesis, and is more intelligent than the average person. She has decided to pretend to be the new babysitter to help the kids mature while also introducing Seth to the next love of his life. Can Seth stay true to the memory of his wife or is he ready to jump into the next relationship?

So first up the kids are definitely annoying. Let me throw that out there right away, these kids are not really helping Seth out at all. They seem rather apologetic after making a mess of things but that doesn’t stop them from doing the same thing over and over and over again. Seriously they never seem to learn their lesson and yeah they’re young but all of their scenes do tend to be annoying so the film has to work on succeeding in spite of them.

Seth meanwhile is doing his best to raise the kids while working a full time job. It’s not easy but he makes it work and always has a good attitude about it. So I definitely have to give him some proper credit there. He doesn’t seem thrilled about the kids being in the big show but ultimately he still does his best to encourage them. The guy doesn’t even seem all that lonely or sad despite everyone trying to get him back into the market. He’s just living his best life and having a good time.

Then you have Reba who is a successful entrepreneur who owns her own business. She’s doing quite well for herself and has really succeeded by every metric but when the school teacher for the play goes down, Reba is asked to take over. She very reasonably points out that she has a business to run but the other characters don’t care and so she’s guilt tripped into this. I dunno, I think I’m on Reba’s team here but hey that’s how it goes I suppose. She does her best and due to some magical shenanigans she bumps into Seth and they hit it off. It’s all going well except that each of them has one problem.

Seth refuses to pay music anymore since he wants to keep that sacred between him and his wife. Playing the piano is the one thing he can’t do anymore so he asks that this be respected. Meanwhile Reba refuses to talk to her sister anymore after that person stole her fiancé and basically destroyed any ties between them. So she wants Seth to respect that. So what happens? Reba tells Seth he should play the piano again and Seth tells her to go and make amends with the sister. Yeah…the one thing that both characters don’t want to do. This is where the film loses me a little bit.

They’re lucky that the other character didn’t go for the break up right away. It’s hard to just get over something so huge and especially when you’re being told to do it by someone that you’ve only just met. It’s just not going to go over well. I think it’s very reasonable for Seth to want something that remains private between him and his wife. Not wanting to play the piano isn’t some kind of grand crime or anything like that. It’s just a personal decision.

Then on the other side, Reba is also pretty justified in not forgiving her sister. Having her steal the fiancé like that is absolutely something that cannot be taken back. What’s worse is the guy broke up with her and we already know that she only grabbed him to get one up on Reba. So she stole the guy and then the win was obtained so everything after that didn’t matter. Yeah if I’m Reba I’m probably never talking to her again either. The ending forces both characters to come to terms with this and forgive/forget but that was more than a little cheesy. I know the ending has to be perfect but they should have made the challenges a little more mild since then it would be easier to get past them.

As for Mrs. Miracle, well she does tend to interfere with the characters a lot but she sees it as her duty. She’s like Mary Poppins in a sense but hides her abilities a little more. She’s nice enough, ultimately she is just trying to help everyone out even if her viewpoint can possibly be a little skewed at some points. If she thinks that she is in the right then she will plunge ahead no matter what the other characters say. It’s her world and we’re just living in it after all.

The writing for the film is pretty solid as you would expect. The characters are all fairly pleasant after all. They can get real emotional real fast but in the end things tend to work out. The characters can always apologize and start over. They may say things they will regret later on but it never goes too far out of bounds to where it wouldn’t make sense for them to stay together. They even compromise a whole lot to make this work even if that’s where I think they can go a bit far.

Overall, This is a pretty fun film for Christmas. It’s got a fun vibe all the way through and just makes for an enjoyable movie. It goes by really quickly and the fast is also quite small so that lets you really get to analyze each character. If you’ve seen the Hallmark formula before then you probably know how the film is going to end before it actually does and yet it’s fine because the execution is on point. You have no problem seeing the beats coming since you are enjoying them as they appear. I’ll have a review up for the next film in this series pretty quickly.

Overall 6/10

Three Godfathers Review

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This film’s pretty interesting in how it feels like it turns into a completely different film as soon as the main characters leave town. At first it seemed like more of a personal drama with a bunch of hooligans messing things up and having to be thrown out soon. Instead we get more of a survival film. I do have to admit that the first part seemed a little more interesting but it also could have backfired pretty badly with the romance so maybe this was the right move. It can drag a little but I wouldn’t call it a bad film.

The movie starts off with two strangers wandering into town. One is a nice old guy named Doc and the other is someone who likes music named Gus but keeps on changing his backstory. Still they’re harmless enough and this town is a very friendly one where everyone is invited to enjoy the festivities. It’s all going well until a third guy walks into the room, Bob. Bob was kicked out of the town years ago for generally being a big delinquent and nobody is happy to see him. He doesn’t seem happy to be here either but mainly returned to get some drinks and hook up with different people. One of the girls he liked is getting married though so he lost out.

He tries to play some mind games on her but ultimately it doesn’t work. So he robs the place with Doc and Gus as they run out of there. These hardened criminals won’t stop for anything…except a baby that they come across. His mother dies from being stuck in the desert for so long so now these three have to help the baby. Can they do it though? Bob is heavily against this and figures they should leave the baby to die while Doc in particular wants to help him. This could end up sealing his fate but ultimately he risks it all to make the right decision. Will they survive?

It’s always tricky when you have a film focusing around a bunch of villains because you have to be careful not to write them to be too evil or it’ll just be annoying for the viewers to see them the whole time. Alternately you don’t want to be halfhearted about the whole thing or then there was no point to the plot in general. Doc and Gus mostly hit that proper medium but Bob is mean enough where the redemption arc doesn’t work as well for him. There were several times he was going to leave the baby to fend for himself and certainly didn’t help much in trying to preserve everyones’ lives. He’s the kind of guy who is in it for himself all the way through.

Even back at home his poor reputation was well deserved. He’s clearly the kind of guy who has commitment issues and lies as he breathes. The guy really does everything possible to be a super antagonist the whole time. The characters should have definitely kicked him out again. Sure they were definitely scared but they had the numbers advantage there. The guy was also threatening the fiancé of one guy who just didn’t do much about it. It is a shame that the film pretty much confirms that the girl did still like Bob and basically settled with the nice guy for marriage. That always seems like one of the most tragic things where the guy is super happy because the girl finally said yes to marrying him and yet she only did it because there were no better options. That’s enough to traumatize someone.

Again, the film really shifts gears when the main characters leave the town though so these plots don’t actually get followed up nor do the characters appear much from this point. It’s glossed over a bit though in how Bob does shoot someone before leaving. You’d think he would have been shot on sight or taken down as soon as the baby was secure. He’s not exactly just a guy who’s down on his luck, he’s a hardened killer.

Meanwhile Doc and Gus share some guilt by association. They are stealing money from a town that absolutely could have used it and they are doing this for their own selfish ideals. Gus and Doc may be nicer people in general and have some kind of moral compass but it doesn’t take away from the fact that they are villains and it’s important to keep that in mind the whole time. Because if you forget it then that does a disservice to their victims.

It’s great that they wanted to help out the baby, it just doesn’t take away from the rest of their actions. On the topic of the baby though, that’s where the film starts to drag on a bit. It turns out that the rest of the film is all about escorting the baby through the desert. That means there is not much variety in the backgrounds and the heroes have to move very slowly since they are basically dying of hunter and thirst by the end. It’s not the most engaging watch as a result because you want things to move a whole lot quicker.

The writing is solid enough with a lot of good dialogue but the film just doesn’t make much progress at all. It feels like you could easily cut out 20-30 minutes from the film and you would be set. Viewers who really like the desert or appreciate a slow burn will probably enjoy it but it’s all a bit overdone for me. Even considering that the film’s length isn’t even all that long on its own. No this was definitely that could have been changed a bit. There’s just not much to find interesting about some people carrying a baby through the desert without some kind of sub plot or the event being that enormous that it warrants such a long detailed amount of screentime.

Overall, This is a film where almost all of it is about walking through the desert. It’s played fairly serious so there’s not a whole lot of banter or anything like that to take your mind off of things. It’s a solidly written movie but the only main negative is that it can be a little boring and that’s a big blow for any film. You always want to be exciting or at least super entertaining throughout your whole run. If not then it feels like something really went wrong. Having this take place in the city or something would have been better or maybe just more fight scenes. This was definitely way more adventure than action after all. Or just have the heroes make it to a town where they have to fight off the locals to get the bay some medical attention, now there would be a climax and you’d have all 3 make it there, but two would die during the fight so there’s just one man left standing.

Overall 5/10

Naked Alibi Review

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Time for one of those noir films where you have to stay focused and make sure you don’t miss anything! The film really covers a lot of ground which is pretty good as half of the film is about the first part of the suspect’s double life and then we go to the other. So it’s like the film is actually following the guy’s career path which makes a lot of sense. The villain gets away with quite a bit as the film goes on and the ending isn’t the most satisfying which is what holds this one back a little.

The movie starts with some police officers interrogating Willis. Willis was really drunk and the cops have reason to think he may know something about recent robberies. Willis gets quite upset and even starts a fight but ultimately the cops are forced to let him go. Officer Conroy overhears Willis swear revenge and then shortly afterwards a cop is murdered. Conroy is convinced that Willis is behind this but there is no proof. Then another pair of officers are murdered and Conroy really wants to take Willis down but getting the evidence is the tricky part. Willis also has public opinion on his side so Conroy ends up getting fired from his job for going at this a little too strongly. Well, he will crack this case even if he has to do it as a civilian and follows Willis across the border. Can he really make it out of this alive?

You could say that the opening city is Conroy’s home base since even after being let go from the police force he knows everybody and can tail Willis rather easily. When we switch to Willis’ home base then it’s a lot tougher as Conroy doesn’t know the local gangs or how things work here. In fact he is quickly taken down by a bunch of thugs and only barely survives thanks to Marianna and a kid who spotted Conroy in time. Conroy was a bit sloppy there even if it was because he was just desperate at this point. You still can’t follow just anybody, particularly in a seedy environment like this. It’s just not going to work.

I applaud Conroy’s dedication the whole time though. He never relents in the search or doubts himself at all even when everyone tries to talk him out of it. Conroy knows that he has got his man. Working on your own like that is definitely tough and he doesn’t fall for Marianna’s distractions either. He is completely locked in and ultimately does good. He has to be one of the standout characters in the film although I also give his partner a lot of credit for risking his own career in helping Conroy out the whole time.

Meanwhile Marianna is in a really rocky spot the whole film. She is with Willis but the guy is obviously abusive and isn’t exactly the ideal guy. She has put up with this for a long time and is basically resigned to being with him but this gets more and more unbearable as she learns about him. The relationship was toxic from the start so it’s partially on her as even from the opening greeting he’s putting hands on her and she seems okay with it. It’s once she finds out that there’s another woman involved that it gets more personal. Mix that in with Willis getting more and more paranoid and it’s a recipe for trouble.

It’s clear from her rather rough living expenses that Marianna doesn’t have many options available to her though. Willis basically owns the area and she has no way of getting out. So the whole plot point is a rather tragic one an you wish things could have gone better for her. She definitely tried to help out as best she could even if this wasn’t always a good idea. Following Willis into the Church for example was definitely ill advised. She did not appear to be prepared at all.

Finally you have Willis who is a fairly crazy villain all the way through. He wants pure chaos all the time and really sells the innocent routine. He managed to make a lot of friends at his day job which helps for the alibi. People just seem to like him and it’s a bit scary how well trusted he was despite having this double life. It just goes to show once again that you may not always know someone quite as well as you think you do. The side you see at work is just one part of them after all.

While I definitely don’t like Willis at all, he is probably one of the best fakers I’ve seen in a while. If this was your first Noir title you may actually believe him for the first half because the guy seems really genuine the whole time. I mean fighting a few officers is a massive red flag if I’ve ever seen one but if you get behind that then you’re all set. The film is definitely compelling as you wait for Conroy to take him down.

Ultimately like I said the main weak point here is the ending. It just feels a bit mean spirited even for a Noir title with everything going on. I also think the scenes with Marianna follow suit with her having to take a lot of punishment before Conroy can ultimately come in and put a stop to this. It’s really just a rough situation for everyone involved and shows why you don’t want to have to live in an area ruled by a gangster. It’s just never going to go over all that well and you’re going to really get blasted the longer you hang around there.

Overall, Naked Alibi is a film with a fairly intricate plot and it’s got a lot going for it. The story is engaging and Conroy is a great main character. It also shows how frustrating it can be when you know who the villain is but just don’t have the proof to put him away. It puts you in a really tough spot the whole time. I’d have appreciated getting to see Conroy having a full mano a mano fight with Willis and getting us a happier ending but at the end of the day this is still a film that will keep your attention. It can get rather dark and comes close to breaking through to being overdone but mainly keeps sticks to scratching the edge.

Overall 6/10

A Force of One Review

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A Force of One is a pretty good film that really follows all of the right steps. You’ve got some good martial art scenes (Even if it does overuse the slow mo a bit so they don’t keep up with the recent action films I’ve seen like Kickboxer) and the film even avoids throwing in the obligatory romance. All in all it’s a well balanced movie and while it may not end up becoming one of your all time favorites or anything like that, it’s consistently solid all the way through.

The movie starts with a pair of cops trying to crack down on some drug smuggling going on and so they tale one of the guys into a store. Unfortunately they are taken down by a mysterious kung fu fighter before they can even get any shots off. It’s a huge deal because both were murdered and so now the cops really have to try and stop this right away. They even go as far as to try and learn martial arts by asking the champion, Matt for help. Matt is reluctant but ultimately gets involved. He may even suspect who is behind this but will even he be a match for such a deadly fighter?

You can understand why Matt doesn’t really want to get involved here. He is a fighter to be sure but this is really police business and it’s a huge responsibility to jump in like that. He’s got a lot on his plate but this does end up getting personal later on in the film which really ends up forcing his hand. Once Matt is serious he definitely shows why he is one of the top fighters out there. I thought he would do a little better outside of the restaurant in his first main fight with the villain but I suppose he was taken by surprise so you have to consider that.

Once we get to the big fight Matt is dialed in and it’s clear that he is more powerful than his opponent. He really did end up being the strongest and it was nice to see him just be able to win straight up without needing a pep talk or anything like that. Those moments can work sometimes but other times you just want to be able to follow a lead who can just defeat the opponents with no real help.

His son Charlie gets a fairly big role here as well. He wants to be a really great fighter but does tend to get distracted a lot. He’s very young and still has a long way to go but he’s got a lot of heart and means well. He definitely could have handled the final situation a bit better but he still kept on trying all the way to the end so you have to give him some credit there.

Mandy is the main heroine here and she is really invested in stopping the cop killings. Her main task was getting Matt on board and she does a good job there. From there on out she does her best to keep things professional while trying to get more info but the film mainly sabotages any chance for them to get too close which is good. With a serial killer on the loose there really isn’t any time for side adventures right? At least that’s the way that I see it here so this really made a lot of sense. Later on when Mandy tells Matt to stay out of it and focus on the match is the only time I didn’t really agree with her. That just wasn’t possible by that stage.

Then you have the main villain and since the film is part mystery I won’t say who that is. He works well as the final boss since he is powerful and can hold his own for a bit. There just isn’t much time to really develop him as a character though. He barely gets any screen time which will also make it a bit hard to guess that he is the villain so props if you figured it out early on. The film probably could have done more with him but I get their wanting to not spoil the twist early by mistake.

As mentioned the fight scenes are good so you’ll be entertained there. The film is actually pretty good about never making the battles too violent or over the top either. It’s pretty clean martial arts action most of the way through and you can really enjoy the battles. The writing is also good which will keep you engaged and the characters are solid so it’s really a win all the way around.

The weakest aspect of the film is probably the cops trying to piece together what’s going on. Some of their deductions just take too long like not realizing until the end of the film how odd it is that one of the officers had clay in his fingers. That should have stuck out immediately and while it wouldn’t have broken the case wide open, it would have led them on the right track. It felt like that was held back for dramatic effect over the actual logic in universe. So the movie was definitely much stronger when it was just focusing on the battles. I did enjoy the light hearted banter and slice of life moments in the middle though. We had several fun dynamics which you could picture them building a show around. Matt helping out the cops on different cases and such. Yeah I think that would have had potential.

Overall, A Force of One is a pretty good movie. The title is certainly appropriate as well considering how Matt really dominates the characters when it’s a straight fight. I think the worst thing you can say about the film is perhaps that it’s not going to be super memorable by the end. Sure it has the mystery angle going for it but for the most part the film isn’t actually trying to have you solve it. You’re just waiting for the villain to make their move and then the fights can resume. The movie is very by the numbers for the most part but this is another example of why execution is so important. It can all be a little generic as long as it’s still a lot of fun and this movie succeeds in that area.

Overall 7/10

The Letter Review

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It’s time for a movie that is entertaining but definitely riddled with suckers around every corner. These characters were all slacking, down bad, or just generally not very smart. Either way it makes for quite the ensemble and the whole time you’re wondering when they will wake up or if it’s just going to be game over for them. The movie’s fairly short so you don’t have to wait long for your answer.

The movie starts off with Leslie shooting the living daylights out of a guy who’s trying to scramble out of her house. He doesn’t make it though and she finishes him off with a few more shots. She summons her husband Robert and their friend Howard as she explains that the guy tried assaulting her and so she had to shoot him in self defense. Of course it is still a murder so she’s heading to trial now but should be found innocent very quickly. Howard has a lot of doubts about this case because of little odd notes that keep popping up that don’t line up with Leslie’s story. Still, he’s just ready to get this over with his bus receptionist Ong shows up and says that a letter exists which will destroy the whole case. Should Howard destroy his entire legal career to save his client when he knows that she is actually guilty or should he follow the law and do the right thing? It’s going to be a tough call.

After all on one hand you could follow the law and establish a fair case. Doing this would save his best friend $10,000, would ensure that he salvages the reputation of the deceased, would keep his career in order, and would get Leslie to actually pay for her crimes. On the flip side, he could save Leslie and ensure she gets away with pure murder, allow his best friend Robert to never realize that his wife was cheating on him, destroy the deceased’s reputation, and also spend $10,000. I’ve never seen an easier decision and yet in the film this is treated as a tough one.

It just makes absolutely no sense. The film maybe works if he actually thought that Leslie was innocent and the letter was fake. Maybe have him try to buy it only because he thinks that the jury would be fooled. That’s a much more interesting dilemma and actually makes a bit of sense. Otherwise the way it appears here is just no good. For a minute that I thought he was falling in love with Leslie which would have been awful for his character but then I would at least understand the logic. However that doesn’t even happen so you’re just questioning his judgment now. Howard’s a pretty awful character all around.

Then you have Robert who unfortunately fits into the trope of the nice guy. He’s just so nice and forgiving that both Leslie and Howard know that he will forgive her even after she was cheating on him. It’s really a bad look for this guy as he opens his heart up again just for her to break it one last time. Hey I’m all for second chances but when you’ve been cheated on then the trust is completely gone. You can never really get it back and the worst part is that Leslie isn’t even sorry about it. She’s sorry that she got caught but that’s about it. Robert really needed to stand up for himself more.

Of course Leslie’s a pretty bad character as well as she threw away a perfectly good life in search of thrills and adventure. There was no real reason to leave Robert like that and she knows it. She just let her base desires win and that was the end of that. Throughout the film she is portrayed as very manipulative and rather merciless so at no point do you actually stop and consider that maybe she’s the victim here. Because it’s obvious that she isn’t. The film does a good job of making her so unrepentant here to the point where when the ending shows up you were practically waiting for it. Leslie really handled the situation as poorly as possible given all of the hints though.

Then you have Ong who does a lot of planning the whole time. He really sets up the conspiracies and places the heroes in harm’s way time and time again. You have to give him credit for being really dedicated. Again I think it was too easy to blackmail the main characters since the ammo wasn’t that strong and the characters should not have gone for it at all but I guess that’s just how it goes.

So while I didn’t really like any of the characters, the film succeeds because the story is still good. It’s an engaging movie from start to finish and also has good writing throughout. The pacing is on point and at no moment will you get bored or anything like that. That’s why I would still say this is a good movie in spite of the characters. A lesser film would have absolutely crumbled without a solid cast but this one managed to really keep it together.

Overall, The Letter is a film that I would recommend checking out. It’s definitely a good cautionary tale to remind you how easy it can be to tell a convincing lie. If you just believe what you are told at face value then you will be putting yourself in a really tricky spot. It can be hard to know who to believe and when to believe something. Unfortunately there will never be a 100% foolproof way to determine that so just go with your gut but always remember that your gut can be wrong sometimes. The characters here definitely learned that the hard way. I would have preferred if the characters could have acted more rationally here so maybe the film could take a bit of a swerve on a remake if we ever get one.

Overall 6/10