Reviews

The Fabelmans Review

Posted on by Eric Reitz

Spielberg captures the magic of movies as only he can.

Score: 4/5

Walking out of the theater after watching The Fabelmans it took me a while to process everything I had seen. The story is inspired by Director Steven Spielberg’s own childhood, and it explores many different subjects. The struggles of mixed support about a passion, a dysfunctional family life, and antisemitism, but at its core, it speaks to how powerful art (in this case, movies) can be to help any one of us in navigating through the trials of life. It’s about dreams, and how we shouldn’t push them aside no matter how hard it can be to accept what that may cost.

Like many of Spielberg’s movies, he finds the right balance in the emotional story while peppering in drama, comedy, and joy that all of his coming-of-age movies nail. Also, per the Spielberg norm, he has an eye for exceptional young acting talents in his main lead Gabriel LaBelle. In a movie with Paul Dano, Michelle Williams, Seth Rogen, and Judd Hirsch it would be easy to get lost in their shadow but LaBelle shines as Sammy Fabelman. You feel for his struggles of having one parent who sees his passion as a mere hobby, and the other struggling to accept that they don’t love their partner. This is all on top of having no escape outside of the home with antisemitism at school.

It may seem I am painting the picture that this is a sad movie, but it’s anything but. Throughout we see the wonder of someone falling in love with their creative expression. We see how this affects his connection to his family, be it his mom, his dad, or his sisters. We even find time for some action set pieces that at once seem insane yet completely in line with the movie’s dance between whimsical and dramatic. It may seem par the course for Spielberg, but it feels different in this story. I also appreciated his peppering in of his Jewish culture exposing me to aspects of childhood that I have never experienced myself.

This is a movie that through all the dramatic and fun moments, comes back to the same idea, Sammy can’t escape, or ignore what he loves. It’s making movies and it’s that theme weaving in and out of all those moments that hit me hardest. As someone who continues to battle with the idea of following your dreams versus what the world at large tells you to do instead, this movie kept me entranced. While I may have known where things would end, I cheered for him to keep on pushing for his dreams, because what else is more magical than that? The Fabelmans isn’t just a love letter to film or a story about his childhood. It’s a charming and powerful reminder that no matter what, you must listen to your heart.

To all you artists out there, watch this movie, and feel that extra hit of inspiration. Spielberg’s got our backs.

0
Reviews

M3GAN Review

Posted on by Eric Reitz

DON’T F WITH AI

SCORE: 3 / 5

Another first weekend of January, another horror movie to get the movie theater year going! This year Universal brings us the andriod-mixed-with-horror-doll movie M3GAN. I had a fun time watching this movie, it has a good mix of humor, and unsettling horror as an AI four-foot doll is tasked with protecting a young girl processing the death of her parents and as you’d expect it goes entirely off the rails.

Let’s get the not-fun stuff out of the way first. This movie falls back on a tried-and-true plot of many science fiction stories, don’t make a super advanced computer without putting in some aggressive guardrails. Otherwise, you get a Model 3 Generation Andriod (aka M3GAN) that very quickly decides the solution to most problems is murder. Along with that is the human part of the story to give a reason as to why M3GAN comes to be. M3GAN’s creator, Gemma, works for a company that makes somehow more annoying versions of Furbies. Remember those ugly-looking things? Anyways, the movie opens with her sister’s family on a car ride getting hit by a snowplow leaving just her niece, Cady alive. As a way to cope for Cady, and as an escape from being a parent Gemma finishes a prototype for a ridiculous idea for a future children’s toy, M3GAN, and introduces it to Cady. The movie glosses over the ideas of processing trauma and parenting just enough to justify the plot that follows, but it’s definitely the least interesting part of the movie. A standout moment of this is showing the level of withdrawals Cady will express when not with M3GAN. It’s a bit much.

That said, this movie knows what people paid for. A bonkers evil doll doing terrible things. Watching what is the size of a child incorporate a dance she learned from Cady as she prepares to murder someone is always entertaining. Instead of the supernatural twist of powers beyond her physical body, M3GAN is an AI and the movie leans into this several times to show that if there is technology to hack into, she will use it. Anytime M3GAN is on screen there is always either a moment of horror or comedy which is good news with this being the main draw of the movie. It’s simple and it works, focus on the killer robot doll and the movie shines.

All to say, M3GAN is still the typical horror movie with the same beats you have probably seen twenty times, but it’s the unique flavor of mixing AI, a terminator, and a toy doll that makes for a fun time at the theater.

0
Best Of

My Top Ten Movies of 2022

Posted on by Eric Reitz

Welcome back movie fans, it’s been another wild year where I completely fell off keeping up with movie reviews, but unlike 2020, I did watch quite a bit this year. I am toying with going back and writing reviews for many of the films I have seen, but at the very least I wanted to compile a list of ten favorite movies of the year. I’m even going one step further and will actually rank them. Let’s get started then, my personal top ten movies of 2022!

10. Turning Red

The biggest shame of Turning Red is that this movie didn’t get to play in theaters. This Pixar movie is everything you’d expect from the studio, heartful, funny, and charming. It wallops adults and their children with powerful messages in playing that difficult balancing act of speaking to everyone. This won’t be the only movie on this list that deals with mother-and-daughter relationships, but this movie does a great job of highlighting how important it is to build that trust and evolve the bond you have with your child or your parents. Also, for anyone who grew up in the late-90’s-early-00’s, this movie has a nostalgia that will have you grinning throughout.

9. Emily the Criminal

This isn’t the first movie that Aubrey Plaza has dominated the screen, but this is one of her best. This indie crime thriller with a sprinkle of 2011’s Drive noir feel is a tense-watching experience that leaves you conflicted by the end of the film. The motivation of getting pushed into a dangerous lifestyle because of student debt is sadly not that far-fetched and for those of us who still have that burden on our shoulders, it adds an extra element of playing out that what if through Emily’s eyes. This is an excellent small film that not enough people watched. Check it out if you can.

8. Vengeance

There are so many layers to this thriller mystery comedy movie, that even as I write this I am thinking, should this be higher on my list? It has social commentary coming from both sides of arguments, a mystery of a young woman’s death, and a very fun cast to tie all together. For those who listen to podcasts, this movie is very similar to the podcast S-Town, where the story you are sold ends up going in a completely different direction by the finale. It’s funny in both its commentary on how little different parts of society understand one another, and yet are so alike when it comes to the basics of being a human. This is another movie that barely anyone saw and it’s a shame because this is one of the good ones.

7. The Black Phone

With the way Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness turned out I’m glad that director Scott Derrickson stepped away to instead get back to the horror genre and give us this excellent horror film. The movie’s concept is simple, a young boy Finney gets kidnapped, but is helped by the ghosts of his kidnapper’s victim. It’s tense, terrifying at points, but also builds in the way a boxing movie like Rocky or Creed does whereby the end you are ready to see if Finney can fight back against The Grabber. For those that like a good children fighting back against evil story, you will love this movie as much as I did.

6. Barbarian

The one thing I heard the most about this movie from those who saw it in early screenings, don’t watch any trailers, don’t read up on this movie, just go see it. I’m glad I did. This is probably my favorite pure horror movie in a good long while. It goes places I did not expect and kept me glued to the screen the entire run time. If you like a good horror mystery movie this is one of the best you can see in recent memory. Even those that aren’t typical fans of the genre, this one is that good that you should make the exception.

5. The Northman

The biggest movie director Robert Eggers has crafted yet, the Northman could have just been a typical revenge movie with a Viking coat of paint. But it’s his unique direction and writing that adds the spiritual trippy spice to make this movie something truly special. Add an excellent cast led by Alexander Skarsgård and Anya Taylor-Joy (more from her in the next entry) and you have an epic that was a pure joy to see on a big screen. Like several movies on this list, it was not seen by anywhere near enough people. If you like a good epic, rectify this, and check out The Northman.

4. The Menu

The Menu was a surprise for me, a movie that I didn’t know a thing about until one trailer a month before the movie came out. This dark comedy, thriller, horror nailed it in every regard. The film has a stellar cast lead by Anya Taylor-Joy and Ralph Fiennes. The plot involves Anya’s Margot joining a very exclusive dining experience set on an island. Very quickly the uptight almost cult like Michelin star dining experience turns into a deadly game of survival. It goes back and forth between horror and comedy to keep things from going too dark. For fans of the genre, it’s a boatload of fun.

3. Top Gun: Maverick

The first time I watched the original Top Gun? The day before I saw Top Gun: Maverick. I have no nostalgia for the first movie. I loved this sequel. It’s what a blockbuster should be, and it’s a movie’s movie if that makes sense. It’s big, it’s bold, the action keeps you glued to the screen, and it feels like being on a roller coaster. Love him or hate him, Tom Cruise knows what it means to make something you MUST see on a big screen. There is a reason this is one of the highest grossing movies of the year, it’s meant for you to watch again and again.

2. The Batman

What will likely be the most controversial movie I have on my list. I loved The Batman. The dirty, gritty take on the dark knight was everything I have been looking for in a Batman movie. It’s a detective movie, it has a super fleshed out world, villains all over, a terrifying is-this-guy-crazy Batman and shockingly a buddy cop element thrown into the mix. This may not be everyone’s Batman, but this is the Batman I have been waiting for since playing the excellent Arkham video games. I was glad it delivered and can’t wait to see what is to come with the Penguin spin-off show and the sequel.

1. Everything Everywhere All At Once

Everything Everywhere All at Once is so many things. It’s a movie about the concept of a multiverse, an action movie, a comedy, a family drama, and exploration of what makes a good parent, a good partner, what it means to be strong, and how to embrace the positive against the backdrop of a chaotic world. It’s exactly what the title says it is. I could gush about this movie for hours at a time. In a year where the powerhouse of Marvel with hundreds of millions of dollars to tell stories about a multiverse it was an indie movie about an immigrant couple’s family struggles that nailed the concept and dove headfirst into what is possible when anything is possible. This isn’t just my favorite movie of 2022, it’s one of my favorite movies period. I can’t wait to watch it many times for years to come.

Wow! This was a challenging list to make, this year had some great movies! Here are a couple of honorable mentions I still thought were a great time.

Bodies Bodies Bodies
Bullet Train

Here’s to 2022 and hoping that 2023 can delight and surprise with more great times at the movies!

0
Reviews

Three Thousand Years of Longing Review

Posted on by Eric Reitz

Stories, and the discussion of them is important, this movie not so much.

Score: 2 / 5

I knew going into this movie that this wasn’t going to be another Mad Max: Fury Road, George Miller’s previous masterpiece from 2015. Yet maybe it the trailer mixed with just the general storytelling approach from Fury Road that I had an expectation going into this movie. A wacky romance of sorts but with that same stellar show not tell wizardry that Miller employed with Fury Road. That is not what I got from Three Thousand Years of Longing. While it is a romance, the film both felt stretched too thin and too packed at the same time.

To explain, the movie’s plot structure felt like at times this was two different movies, or one story that needed a wrapper to feel complete for some audiences. One a story about stories themselves told through the fantastical journey of Idris Ebla’s Djinn. A Djinn by the way is like a genie with more depth. It’s the whole three wishes after being released from a bottle concept. Which that as the crux of the story would have worked! Yet then the romance piece of the story really takes hold and feels super disjointed. This story feels like a blanket around the concept that makes this movie interesting and not just another romance movie. This follows Tilda Swinton’s Alithea, who is a very introverted yet passionate woman the through the story falls for The Djinn. This story also could have been interesting! It just wasn’t the focus until it was. Again, it was this two movies in one feeling that just didn’t feel like it built off one another enough. To compound on this issue, the movie feels like it could have ended several times, and when it reaches the final ending, I felt exhausted. Not rewarded, exhausted.

None of this is to say that I didn’t enjoy some of the back and forth of Alithea and the Djinn, but I’ll be honest that I didn’t really feel the chemistry. You ever hear in a song or TV show where a character says, “you don’t love me, you love the idea of being in love?” That’s the best way I can describe how their love was coming across to me.

Something else that got under my skin were a lot of the transition and structure decisions. At a certain point it’s decided that this movie will use title cards to break up beats of the movie. That’s fine, but why wasn’t this there from the start? This issue also popped up in my head when we get to the more romance chunk of the movie. The amount of fade to black transitions just felt distracting, and sloppy. That’s the best way to describe the movie to me, it feels distracted and sloppy. Which makes it harder when Fury Road felt so damn laser focused and thought out.

Before I close, I will say, there is a bit of this movie that made it interesting for me. That would be the beginning through the several stories of the Djinn. They carried moments of terror, wonder, and spectacle. They felt special and I wished that these feelings continued through to the conclusion arc of the movie. They don’t though. They devolve or disappear entirely. Fantasy becomes heartless science. An interesting exploration and discussion of story falls into predictable love story mode on fast-forward. It falls flat in all ways for me, which yeah, after Fury Road it’s a big bummer.

Three Thousand Years of Longing has some interesting ideas, but through a disjointed approach to the story and sloppy pacing, it falls flat into a very skippable movie.

0
Reviews

Thor: Love and Thunder Review

Posted on by Eric Reitz

It’s fine, Thor’s fine, Marvel’s fine. Right?

Score: 3/5

As Marvel Studios continues down the road of what the heck to do after Avengers: Endgame it has felt more and more like Marvel doesn’t know either. Maybe it’s a strategy to come back with a more robust vision in time, or an admission that what came before will not be possible to sustain going forward. All that is to say Thor: Love and Thunder is another fine, okay, it’s alright kind of movie. One or two every so often in this never-ending journey of Marvel characters is one thing but it’s getting a tad exhausting.

Getting that out of the way time to really talk about Thor: Love and Thunder. It’s solid, and pretty funny at points if you are into the child-like humor that director Taika Waititi is known for. My two personal favorites are a pair of ridiculous goats and a love triangle you may or may not see coming between Thor and two other “characters.” Chris Hemsworth’s more comedic Thor still works so much better for me than serious over-the-top drama pre-Ragnarök Thor ever did. Natalie Portman’s Jane Foster / Mighty Thor feels like the first time that she has been given a fun role in a big blockbuster. It’s clear from the get-go that she got to enjoy herself and not feel trapped under the weight of a weak script for her character. Then there is Christian Bale’s Gorr. He is creepy, he is interesting, he is fun to watch on screen, and just like 85% of Marvel villains he gets very little time for the audience to enjoy him.

While the movie is funny and has plenty of action beats, I felt that as I watched the movie felt hollow. It ran at a quick pace like it wanted to be over as quickly as possible. Very few beats had moments to breathe or be challenged. Gorr, as I mentioned before, was severely lacking in some of that department. While on the topic of Gorr and Marvel villains again. I have reached a breaking point of seeing random monster henchmen designs. They don’t make for interesting action scenes after you have seen it done a bajillion times in the MCU. One last nitpick, for me, voice-overs are the hardest thing to pull off in a movie without feeling lazy or too over the top to get the point across and this movie has moments like that. It didn’t work for me in the slightest.

I still can’t quite put my finger on what has been going on recently with the Marvel releases but Love and Thunder continues the trend of being adequate. It isn’t wowing you with anything so amazing on screen that you can be distracted from other shortcomings, but it also isn’t so offensively terrible that you won’t have at least a good time at the moment. Thor: Love and Thunder is the second best-ish Thor movie, which after Ragnarök the bar is admittedly low. It’s fun at times, dumb at others. It’s very empty of a movie but moves fast enough that you may forgive it. It’s okay, which hey take that as you will when deciding if it’s worth seeing in theaters or waiting eight weeks for Disney+.

0
Reviews

Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness

Posted on by Eric Reitz

The Multiverse of Madness delivers the horror, goofy, and MCU-ness but not quite on an impactful journey level.

Score: 3 / 5

After nearly 6 years Doctor Strange finally has a sequel to what I thought was an entertaining and interesting first movie. Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness feels like the culmination of all the MCU projects that have come after Spider-Man: Far From Home uttered the words multiverse. It goes farther than even the Disney+ show Loki did in giving you a taste of what Marvel’s multiverse is. There are so many realities and trippy moments, and it notches up the horror and violence to a level that I don’t think we have seen so far from Marvel. The movie has so many “wow!” moments and fun cameos you’d expect from a multiverse story. Yet with all of that, I felt a bit underwhelmed.

It’s taken me a good bit of time to unravel the feelings I have had about this move and where I stand. Which is to say I feel like the big thing missing from this movie that makes the overall package feel lackluster is the journey of the two leads of the film. Benedict Cumberbatch’s Doctor Strange and Elizabeth Olsen’s Wanda/Scarlet Witch.  While the story of events happening was not difficult for me to follow or didn’t make sense, it just felt hollow. I know, I know, Marvel movies having depth? I’d argue many of them do. I’d even say the first Doctor Strange had more going on for the growth of Stephen Strange than anything that happens in this movie. It’s even more difficult for me to follow because of how nearly one-note Wanda becomes throughout this movie. I get the motivations but it sure would have helped to have more scenes to explore maybe some level of conflict inside her.

Moving aside from this aspect of the movie, it delivers some really interesting new things to the MCU. Director Sam Raimi injects some dark moments along with some of his signature goofiness. There is one sequence towards the middle of the film that really drew me in as it was genuinely horrifying to watch. I honestly am shocked they went that far at points. There are also some fun and mind-bending multiverse moments that fit right at home with the trippy scenes from the first Doctor Strange. The finale also gives us something that is uniquely Strange, and I loved it. There are some other things I’d love to dig into but I’m keeping this review spoiler-free.

Overall, I had a great time with Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, it has a great mix of horror, goofy, and the typical MCU-ness moments you want out of these movies, but some hollow depth for the lead character’s journeys of the movie left me feeling just alright instead of ready to go right back for another showing.

0
Reviews

Everything Everywhere All at Once Review

Posted on by Eric Reitz

Everything Everywhere All at Once really does feel like everything, everywhere, all at once. It’s a masterpiece.

Score 5/5

Directors/Writers Dan Kwan and Daniel Scheinert’s Everything Everywhere All at Once is something special. It made me laugh, it made my cry, it made me reflect upon myself, and I can’t stop thinking about it after watching it. It’s one of the best films I have seen this year, and one of the best films I have seen period.

Everything Everywhere All at Once follows Michelle Yeoh’s Evelyn Wang, a Chinese immigrant mother trying her damnedest to keep her family and her family’s business from falling apart. In the start of the film her marriage is crumbling, her relationship with her daughter is strained, her relationship with her father is strained, and her family business is on thin ice with the IRS. It’s a lot for anyone person and just when it seems things can’t get worse, Evelyn learns an insane truth, she alone can save the universe from an impending doom by connecting with other versions of her life throughout the infinite alternate universes.

That last bit threw you for a loop, right? Well, it’s not even close for how wacky this movie gets, and while the film goes to absurd places it never loses that drama. It amplifies it, it dives in headfirst to speak about everything that Evelyn is going through. I don’t want to spoil how off the wall it gets, but it’s a film that oozes in confidence taking you on a ride that will make you feel many feelings and revel in the entertaining action that you have probably never seen before. Did I say action? Yeah, this is just as much of an action movie as it is an adventure, a drama, a comedy. I desperately want to say more about what you are in for, but I don’t want to spoil it. If you are even remotely interested, go in with as little information as possible. You’ll thank me later for that recommendation.

The main cast of this movie are excellent in this story that jumps all over the place. Michelle Yeoh is brilliant, she carries this film with poise through every wacky moment and every heartfelt dramatic beat. Ke Huy Quan plays Evelyn’s husband Waymond Wang with such child-like charm and energy. His positivity radiates even in the darkest moments. Stephanie Hsu rounds out the main trio of the cast playing Evelyn and Waymond’s daughter Joy. She has just as a heavy load to carry in this film as Yeoh does and she nails it. Everyone in the cast buys in to the absurd, to the dramatic, to the journey of this film. Like I said the film is swimming in confidence and you can see it in cast.

This is all wrapped in a production that just goes for it. You see it in the costumes and set design. You hear it in the score and sound. Every element is giving is their A-game. How I want to say more specific things, give you hilarious examples, but I’m resisting. This is a movie that if you generally like movies you have to see this. So don’t wait, find a theater, find a showtime, experience this movie!

0
Feature

Top Remaining 2022 Movies I’m Excited About

Posted on by Eric Reitz

Movies in theaters! After a couple of years of pandemic wild on the movie industry, things appear to be returning to some level of the before times, where we get a lot of movies to watch on a big screen. For me, there is nothing more exciting than seeing a movie on the big screen. That said, I have started to appreciate the straight-to-streaming releases, so I plan on checking out more of those and reviewing some! I’m late to making this list for the start of the year so here’s a quick recap of movies I enjoyed so far this year: The Batman, and Turning Red. You were expecting more? Yeah me too… Let’s move on to the future! Below are the movies that I’m most excited to check out coming this year!

Everything Everywhere All at Once – April 8th

A24 always makes interesting movies and Everything Everywhere All At Once looks to be more than just interesting. A multiverse adventure with comedy and crazy kung-fu action? Yeah that is unique. In just the trailer alone, this movie has a sense of style that most other movies could only dream of. I can’t wait to experience what looks to be a very wacky ride.

The Northman – April 22nd

Robert Eggers, an A24 alum by the way, is a director that is quickly building up a very impressive resume. The Witch and The Lighthouse are both very bold films in their own right and The Northman looks to be carrying the torch in all its brutal Viking glory. The cast is stacked with big names like Alexander Skarsgard, Nicole Kidman, Anya Taylor-Joy, Ethan Hawke and Willem Dafoe. This epic can’t come soon enough.

Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness – May 6th

Eventually, Marvel will stop finding a way to top itself from the last massive spectacle to concur the box office. It’s not happening yet. Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness looks bonkers in all the epic ways. It has that MCU overload with the splash of Sam Raimi style and horror that just begs to be seen on the biggest screen possible. I’m ready for the Madness.

Men – May 20th

Alex Garland, like Robert Eggers, has created an impressive resume. Ex Machina, Annihilation, Devs, they are all excellent films (or miniseries in Devs case) that are all worth a watch. These previous efforts have all been in a more heady sci-fi trapping but Men looks to be a pure horror film which makes it all the more intriguing to see what the writer/director has cooked up this time around.

Jurassic World Dominion – June 10th

I’m a Jurassic Park fan. I have enjoyed all of the movies. Are they silly? Of course. Do they make sense? Not at all. Do any match the pure excellence of the original? Nope, and yet I have had a good time throughout them all. These are the dumb popcorn movies before Marvel came and took over churning them out three to four times a year. I’m beyond excited to see more Dinos running around all sorts of new locals in this grand finale of the Jurassic World trilogy.

Nope – July 22nd

Jordan Peele continues his domination of really excellent and unique horror films this summer. Nope looks like it may have an alien abduction angle? If we go by Get Out or Us, it’s probably not that simple but no matter what the mystery is, we are all in for a hell of a time when this one comes to theaters this July.

Bullet Train – July 29th

A stylized action movie with the charming Brad Pitt on a train? Yes, please. Directed by David Leitch, (John Wick, Deadpool 2) along with an absolute banger cast (Sandra Bullock, Zazie Beetz, Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Logan Lerman, Michael Shannon, Karen Fukuhara, and Brian Tyree Henry to name a few) this movie looks like a hilarious and explosive fun time.

Don’t Worry Darling – September 23rd

There’s no trailer as of this post, but Don’t Worry Darling has caught my interest. Directed by the awesome Olivia Wilde (please go watch Booksmart), this movie follows the talented Florence Pugh as Alice, a 1950’s housewife, living in a utopian experimental community whose husband works for a shady company. The premise is interesting, the cast excellent (Chris Pine, Gemma Chan, Nick Kroll, along with many others), and Olivia Wilde is another one of those directors that keep hitting home runs, trailer or not, this one has my eye for the fall.

Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse – Part One – October 7th

Spider-Man into the Spider-Verse was an amazing surprise with many calling it THE Spider-Man movie, and it’s hard to argue. The unique animation styles, the heart-filled story, and excellent comedy. The sequel looks to continue that story and fun twists of animation styles once more, and while I feel there is more to it than that, more of what was already such a special experience is more than enough to get me hyped for what else is in store.

Super Mario Movie – December 21st

Other than the hilariously off-the-wall casting announcement, not much is known about this Mario movie. I’m a huge fan of Nintendo so the kid in me is already on board, but the adult me is well aware of the typical video game movie trend. I’m super curious about what comes from this movie and the casting has only added to my curiosity of what the heck is this movie going to be like. Here’s hoping Illumination Entertainment and Nintendo can finally deliver a movie to break the curse of awful video game movie adaptations.

And there ya go! I had actually even more movies I was pretty intrigued or excited about but these are the top ten for now. It’s great to once again have a bunch of movies to be looking forward to after a rough couple of years. See you at the movies!

0
Reviews

The Adam Project Review

Posted on by Eric Reitz

The Adam Project passes the Netflix algorithm test.

Maybe Watch It?

It’s been a little while since I have watched a Netflix original movie. What I remembered from the last few I watched were they felt like they were created by an AI that just looks for the buzz words it can find from viewer patterns. I figured though, why not check out The Adam Project. Director Shawn Levy makes fun movies, and I enjoy the Ryan Reynolds humor. Well, this movie still feels like it was made by the Netflix AI checklist, but with the exact things I just described.

The Adam Project is a solid, unoffensive, pre-teen adventure movie. It has a simple sci-fi plot about time travel, which gives the excuse for some flashy special effects. It has very clear lines of good, Ryan Reynold’s Adam Reed, and bad, Catherine Keener’s Maya Sorian. It even gets MCU alums Mark Ruffalo, and Zoe Saldana in the mix to give it a little more star power. It’s simple, the plot moves quickly with little time to really think about what’s going on and isn’t really trying to do anything that will stick in your brain. Typical Netflix content.

I won’t waste time nitpicking the plot because the movie isn’t trying to blow your socks off in that department. It’s simple stuff, think of an even more bland version of simple MCU plots and you get the idea. The most interesting about this movie which happens to be the heart of the movie is the dynamic between Reynolds’ adult Adam Reed with Reed’s twelve-year-old self played by Walker Scobell. Reynolds has a very specific kind of humor and Scobell does a pretty great job nailing that style but in a young boy’s delivery. They have solid chemistry and honestly if it wasn’t for that this movie would be a slog to get through.

What you get is once more another by the numbers movie that you can put on with the family or have on in the background to pass the time. Do you NEED to watch this movie? Not at all, but if you enjoy simple action-adventure movies for families or family-friendly Ryan Reynolds you might want to give The Adam Project a watch.

0
Reviews

The Batman Review

Posted on by Eric Reitz

Vengeance has arrived. The Batman is the detective take on the caped crusader that we have always been missing.

SEE THIS MOVIE NOW!

Director Matt Reeves and team have given me the Batman movie I have always wanted to see. It’s a detective story, one where we see Robert Pattinson’s Batman solving a mystery, specifically what Paul Dano’s The Riddler has in store for Gotham City. When I say it’s a detective story, it means we see a whole lot more of Batman observing, questioning, and trying to piece things together with some sluthing versus where previous Batman movies have the super Bat-Computer solving the mystery really quickly, and it’s more Batman has to do a Batman fight to solve the problem. This isn’t that movie, the focus isn’t about finding the next person for Batman to beat up, which he still does in the movie, but it doesn’t feel centered around it. Batman also teams up frequently with Jeffrey Wright’s Gordon, Zoe Kravitz’s Selina Kyle, and Andy Serkis’s Alfred to piece together what in the world The Riddler is trying to bring to the light.

With so many side characters it would be easy for them to get lost, but the three-hour length really gives the movie time to give you moments with everyone. Everyone also includes more interesting villains like Collin Farrell’s completely unrecognizable turn as Oswald Cobbelpot aka The Penguin and John Turturro’s Carmine Falcone. This movie has a lot going on, and a lot of characters to juggle but like a good Batman comic or the excellent Batman Arkham video games, The Batman intertwines them so well that it feels so much more interconnected. Everyone revolves around the central mystery of the dark past of Gotham and it makes for a fun watching experience as everything and everyone gets pieced together.

Storywise, this movie isn’t about how Bruce Wayne becomes The Batman. He already is. This movie is about Bruce understanding that there has to be more to The Batman than just fear and beating criminals up. While it’s not an origin story for Batman, it is for the several villians mentioned above, The Riddler, Catwoman, Penguin, they all grow into who they are meant to be throughout this movie.

As for characters as a whole, the cast nails it. Everyone is super compelling and fun to watch. At times Pattinson’s Bruce may be a little too mid-two thousands emo, but he is also someone who never properly processed his parents’ death and is a reclusive rich white man who fights crime at night so I can allow it. I have been far over the constant, rich playboy version of Bruce Wayne. Bring on more of the tortured young man who is working through severe trauma. As Batman though, this is my favorite version of the character by a mile. His more makeshift approach to things, the more listening, and slow menace approach is super welcomed. He makes other versions of the Batman look like a theme park entertainer in comparison. This is a Batman that would scare people. Which is the whole point right?

Other standouts are the trio of villains. Paul Dano is so damn creepy as The Riddler. When something doesn’t go perfect and he has his violent outbursts, ooof that is something to watch. Zoe Kravitz as Selina Kyle / Catwoman is a lot of fun. You can feel for her situation and wanting revenge, while she radiates a playfulness that is both attractive and funny depending on the moment. Also, the chemistry between Kravitz and Pattinson is excellent. I can’t remember the last time where Batman having some romantic feelings for another character didn’t feel super hollow and wooden. They both play tortured souls that have a connection very well and it shows. Finally, Collin Farrell as the slimy Penguin is just great. Beyond not being able to tell it’s Farrell, the guy is just that type of scum that you just want to punch in the face. He’s both pathetic and dangerous at the same time.

I would be remiss to not mention the visuals and audio end of things. Cinematographer Grieg Fraser masterfully captures the darkness and grime of this version of Gotham. The lighting, the shot composition, there are moments of this movie that would look excellent on a canvas. In the audio world, Michael Giacchino shows that it’s possible to make new themes on classic characters that have already had memorable scores in the past. All three of the big themes, Batman, Catwoman, and The Riddler perfectly complement their onscreen characters and elevate the scenes. But one bit of audio that I had to mention outside the score, is the thuds of when Batman is walking out of the shadows. It’s menacing and sets the mood that this guy is not someone to mess around with it. It’s great, and I couldn’t get enough of it.

All of this is to say I loved The Batman. There are far too many things I want to say about this movie and have every intention of seeing it several more times in the theaters. This is not just another Batman movie this is THE Batman, and if you are even a casual fan you need to check this one out as soon as you get a chance.

0