Much different from the theatrical cut of Suicide Squad, and a lot better. James Gunn's direction is fittingly similar to his GOTG films, though this time without the PG-13 restriction and he went all out with it with the swearing, gore and nudity. New characters are highly entertaining, but I think the action is samey as how it is handled in the current era.
A very unsubtle Spike Lee film satirizing black media in a very uncomfortable way if you can't stand the racial depictions. And I do mean it. It is very unsubtle and doesn't hold back on the racist stuff. If you're watching it, please have a very open mind.
It got great acting and a lot of interesting camera work used during meeting sessions, but the blackface stuff and minstrel shows depicted are... well, let me just say it was all awkward but since this is a satire film it kind of made less awkward for how far they go with it.
Censor:Started out as an interesting subject only to switch something more vague and confusing far removed from how it started. Story is about Enid, a film censor whose job is to watch horror films and slash the excessive parts out to receive the proper ratings, only for these films to awaken her obsession in uncovering the mystery of her sister's disappearance.The film had an interesting subject as I said, and that is film censorship. But instead of painting the censors as evil erasing art, this was about the censors being careless and passed a very violent sequence in a film blamed for increase of crimes and violence. And if that wasn't enough, the knowledge of Enid being responsible for that made her a public target of endless harassment and was treated as a bigger criminal than the real criminals just because she didn't censor enough in films thought to inspire crimes. This was in my opinion the strongest part of the film and would've made it an interesting commentary on video nasties and a different look at censorship than the tired evil censorship and the scariest for how real it was, but what comes afterwards is where it lost its steam.Following an unfulfilled commentary, the film switches to a mystery solving of Enid trying to connect the dots solving the disappearance of her sister who she believes still alive somewhere, and a series of horror films she was watching gave her clues of that.Not gonna say a lot about it, but honestly this was a big step down. The mystery did not interest me, and depending on how you'd look at it, it was very vague in execution and took us away from the more interesting subject that was completely set aside.7/10
Monster Hunter:Not the worst of PWSA. Story is still mediocre, Milla Jojovich is still her self-insert character, but the monsters and action sequences were great and certainly beat Mike Dougherty's King of the Monster with its visuals and actually allowed us to see the monsters.6.5/10
The Mighty Kong:The worst Kong film ever made, or at least the worst Kong remake and it's no wonder nobody talks about it. The writing is mind-insulting, unlikable characters (Jack is the worst), the animation's quality is inconsistent, the musical numbers, the sluggish pacing of the first and final acts with the very rushed middle act, and the mind-numbing ending. Even though it's 1h 13 minutes but it felt way longer to sit through than Peter Jackson's version.2/10
Cruella:There's a lot to snark about and plenty of silly stuff, but I'd be lying if I didn't say I enjoyed it. It's biggest fault honestly is tying it with 101 Dalmatians but if you took that out and you get a rather decent story.7.5/10
Demon Slayer: Mugen's TrainDoesn't need me to say to watch it if you're a fan of the series. It was highly emotional and some of the best action animation I've seen. The cinema's surround system made it even cooler.8.5/10
Mortal Kombat (2021):I gave up on the idea of having a faithful adaptation of the first tournament. I mean why I should I when even the games can't pick its own continuity and the events of MK11 sure doesn't help with that, so I'll pretend this is yet another timeline as shown in MK11.It's a mediocre adaptation that doesn't have the same charm as the 90s film. The casting here was okay with the highlight being Kano, the rest felt so bored out of their minds. It got fatality special effects... okay... it got gore and violence... at least it's not overused or gratuitous as Scorpion's Revenge. I liked it was the most faithful version to depict the rivalry between Scorpion and Sub-Zero. They were not Shang Tsung's slaves, Bi-Han wasn't a disguised Quan Chi, and they both had a real fight between them instead of having random Kombatants kill each of them before they get a fight. The only downside here was making Sub-Zero Shang Tsung's soldier instead of being neutral. 5/10
Ape vs Monster:An Asylum film that is presented as a Godzilla vs Kong ripoff, though it is closer to being a Rampage ripoff. Scientist is a friend of an ape who got mutated after getting exposed to alien matter with a reptile mutated by consuming the same matter, and then stuff happens minus a mutated wolf. It's an Asylum picture so it got the whole Asylum checklist done: Terrible special effects, laughable script and terrible acting. But... the humans were actually more engaging and more entertaining than the human cast of Godzilla King of the Monster and Godzilla vs Kong combined, which says a lot. 3/10
Godzilla vs Kong:It gives what it promises: Godzilla vs Kong. The battles are some of the best among the 4 films, some characters were okay, other were awful. Despite going for 2 hours it goes by too quickly and it's over before you know it.8/10
Zack Snyder's Justice League:The Snyder Cut is a vast, vast, VAST improvement over the Whedon cut it's almost a crime this was not the version we had originally. It's more coherent, no forced humor, it knows its tone and it sticks to it, and Cyborg's story is a huge plus. Like, Cyborg's plotline is the best part of the entire cut. Is it unnecessarily too long? I'd say a little. The epilogue did not have to be 30 minutes long, not every effect hit right, Wonder Woman's chant music was annoyingly overused, and I'm not sure what's the reason behind the aspect ratio.It's unfortunate we will never get a follow up to this. But for all its ups and downs, I'll pick this cut over Whedon's. Zack Snyder should be proud for accomplishing his dream project thanks to all the support and backing he received 8.5/10
See, you saying it knows its tone is what bothers me. I don't want a grim dark super hero movie, I want a super hero movie that fits with the source material in tone.
@Creativity By Design What I meant is Zack Snyder chose to make its tone consistent from start to finish; serious with humor that fits the mood unlike Wheadon's cut where the tone severely clashing between taking itself seriously and forcing as much humor as possible when it doesn't fit.
Batman V Superman Ultimate Edition:To prepare myself for the upcoming Snyder Cut I went to see this version considering I only saw the theatrical version once. Now compared to the theatrical version, it does feel better. Despite running longer, the pacing feels better. Nothing felt too rushed or too padded, some subplots were expanded and made more relevant to overall narrative, but it still doesn't fix the issues I had with the original version: Wasting Superman's hearing in the capital, the setup of the fight, DoomZod, Lex Jr., and grandma's peach tea. 6/10
To put it politely, it wasn't great. It was pretty obvious Tom & Jerry weren't going to be the main focus, lot of cringe jokes and cringe music, most of the slapstick were copied from the old shorts and you will recognize them from them. The cartoon animation was actually better looking in the low quality leaks since it looked like cel animation. The cel-shaded animation is not bad but you can tell it's CGI as opposed to the animation from Roger Rabbit to put as an example.
The Little Things - The Little Things is a new crime thriller starring Denzel Washington and Rami Malek who are a former detective and current detective trying to solve a series of murders of young women with Jared Leto playing their prime suspect. The movie is extremely well done with a ton of suspense and tension to keep you on the edge or your seat nearly throughout its entire run time, especially thanks to its incredible musical score. In fact, it gave me a very Se7en feel with how the movie played out despite not being a Neo Noir. All of the actors do an incredible job with their characters and the film dives into directions that keep you pondering how the series of events are going to play out. The only negative I really have towards it is it feels a tad incomplete in the long run, though I can't say what due to spoilers. It is definitely worth checking out and kicks the 2021 movie run off to a great start! Overall, I give it a solid 8/10.
It wasn't as bad as some may have put it, but it was a little too long. There's certainly some padding going. But overall, it was okay. From a WWI setting to stopping an evil businessman can be seen as a downgrade. Barbara was another tired "nerdy friend turned evil for attention" that we've seen so many times already. It wasn't awful, just okay.
I've watched a ton of movies since I lost posted, but haven't had the motivation to come here. Home Alone 2, It's A Wonderful Life (first time ever), Krampus, A Christmas Story, A Muppet's Christmas Carol, 2009's A Christmas Carol, When A Stranger Calls, April Fool's Day, and Motel Hell.
Glad to see you enjoyed Ready or Not. It was one of 2019's surprises for me.
If I had to choose between Will Smith in action flicks or drama, I think he is better as a drama actor. When he's acting as an action star, there are times he gets a little corny. As a drama actor, that's where he bring the best of his talents.
Gave Mothra a rewatch. Other than the blue-screen effects during Mothra's rampage and some fake looking tank models, it still holds up thematically. Though I do question how was Nelson not arrested way sooner seeing he basically kidnapped citizens of another country.
Wasn't that good. The monster barely got a presence or acknowledged by the characters and instead it focuses on an unlikable protagonist with an evil cult side-plot. The effects weren't that great either.
The Suicide Squad:
Much different from the theatrical cut of Suicide Squad, and a lot better. James Gunn's direction is fittingly similar to his GOTG films, though this time without the PG-13 restriction and he went all out with it with the swearing, gore and nudity. New characters are highly entertaining, but I think the action is samey as how it is handled in the current era.
8.5/10
Bamboozled (2000):
A very unsubtle Spike Lee film satirizing black media in a very uncomfortable way if you can't stand the racial depictions. And I do mean it. It is very unsubtle and doesn't hold back on the racist stuff. If you're watching it, please have a very open mind.
It got great acting and a lot of interesting camera work used during meeting sessions, but the blackface stuff and minstrel shows depicted are... well, let me just say it was all awkward but since this is a satire film it kind of made less awkward for how far they go with it.
7.5/10
Censor: Started out as an interesting subject only to switch something more vague and confusing far removed from how it started. Story is about Enid, a film censor whose job is to watch horror films and slash the excessive parts out to receive the proper ratings, only for these films to awaken her obsession in uncovering the mystery of her sister's disappearance. The film had an interesting subject as I said, and that is film censorship. But instead of painting the censors as evil erasing art, this was about the censors being careless and passed a very violent sequence in a film blamed for increase of crimes and violence. And if that wasn't enough, the knowledge of Enid being responsible for that made her a public target of endless harassment and was treated as a bigger criminal than the real criminals just because she didn't censor enough in films thought to inspire crimes. This was in my opinion the strongest part of the film and would've made it an interesting commentary on video nasties and a different look at censorship than the tired evil censorship and the scariest for how real it was, but what comes afterwards is where it lost its steam. Following an unfulfilled commentary, the film switches to a mystery solving of Enid trying to connect the dots solving the disappearance of her sister who she believes still alive somewhere, and a series of horror films she was watching gave her clues of that. Not gonna say a lot about it, but honestly this was a big step down. The mystery did not interest me, and depending on how you'd look at it, it was very vague in execution and took us away from the more interesting subject that was completely set aside. 7/10
Monster Hunter: Not the worst of PWSA. Story is still mediocre, Milla Jojovich is still her self-insert character, but the monsters and action sequences were great and certainly beat Mike Dougherty's King of the Monster with its visuals and actually allowed us to see the monsters. 6.5/10
The Mighty Kong: The worst Kong film ever made, or at least the worst Kong remake and it's no wonder nobody talks about it. The writing is mind-insulting, unlikable characters (Jack is the worst), the animation's quality is inconsistent, the musical numbers, the sluggish pacing of the first and final acts with the very rushed middle act, and the mind-numbing ending. Even though it's 1h 13 minutes but it felt way longer to sit through than Peter Jackson's version. 2/10
Cruella: There's a lot to snark about and plenty of silly stuff, but I'd be lying if I didn't say I enjoyed it. It's biggest fault honestly is tying it with 101 Dalmatians but if you took that out and you get a rather decent story. 7.5/10
Demon Slayer: Mugen's Train Doesn't need me to say to watch it if you're a fan of the series. It was highly emotional and some of the best action animation I've seen. The cinema's surround system made it even cooler. 8.5/10
Mortal Kombat (2021): I gave up on the idea of having a faithful adaptation of the first tournament. I mean why I should I when even the games can't pick its own continuity and the events of MK11 sure doesn't help with that, so I'll pretend this is yet another timeline as shown in MK11. It's a mediocre adaptation that doesn't have the same charm as the 90s film. The casting here was okay with the highlight being Kano, the rest felt so bored out of their minds. It got fatality special effects... okay... it got gore and violence... at least it's not overused or gratuitous as Scorpion's Revenge. I liked it was the most faithful version to depict the rivalry between Scorpion and Sub-Zero. They were not Shang Tsung's slaves, Bi-Han wasn't a disguised Quan Chi, and they both had a real fight between them instead of having random Kombatants kill each of them before they get a fight. The only downside here was making Sub-Zero Shang Tsung's soldier instead of being neutral. 5/10
Ape vs Monster: An Asylum film that is presented as a Godzilla vs Kong ripoff, though it is closer to being a Rampage ripoff. Scientist is a friend of an ape who got mutated after getting exposed to alien matter with a reptile mutated by consuming the same matter, and then stuff happens minus a mutated wolf. It's an Asylum picture so it got the whole Asylum checklist done: Terrible special effects, laughable script and terrible acting. But... the humans were actually more engaging and more entertaining than the human cast of Godzilla King of the Monster and Godzilla vs Kong combined, which says a lot. 3/10
Godzilla vs Kong: It gives what it promises: Godzilla vs Kong. The battles are some of the best among the 4 films, some characters were okay, other were awful. Despite going for 2 hours it goes by too quickly and it's over before you know it. 8/10
Zack Snyder's Justice League: The Snyder Cut is a vast, vast, VAST improvement over the Whedon cut it's almost a crime this was not the version we had originally. It's more coherent, no forced humor, it knows its tone and it sticks to it, and Cyborg's story is a huge plus. Like, Cyborg's plotline is the best part of the entire cut. Is it unnecessarily too long? I'd say a little. The epilogue did not have to be 30 minutes long, not every effect hit right, Wonder Woman's chant music was annoyingly overused, and I'm not sure what's the reason behind the aspect ratio. It's unfortunate we will never get a follow up to this. But for all its ups and downs, I'll pick this cut over Whedon's. Zack Snyder should be proud for accomplishing his dream project thanks to all the support and backing he received 8.5/10
Batman V Superman Ultimate Edition: To prepare myself for the upcoming Snyder Cut I went to see this version considering I only saw the theatrical version once. Now compared to the theatrical version, it does feel better. Despite running longer, the pacing feels better. Nothing felt too rushed or too padded, some subplots were expanded and made more relevant to overall narrative, but it still doesn't fix the issues I had with the original version: Wasting Superman's hearing in the capital, the setup of the fight, DoomZod, Lex Jr., and grandma's peach tea. 6/10
Finally watched a film this year...
Tom & Jerry:
To put it politely, it wasn't great. It was pretty obvious Tom & Jerry weren't going to be the main focus, lot of cringe jokes and cringe music, most of the slapstick were copied from the old shorts and you will recognize them from them. The cartoon animation was actually better looking in the low quality leaks since it looked like cel animation. The cel-shaded animation is not bad but you can tell it's CGI as opposed to the animation from Roger Rabbit to put as an example.
5/10
The Little Things - The Little Things is a new crime thriller starring Denzel Washington and Rami Malek who are a former detective and current detective trying to solve a series of murders of young women with Jared Leto playing their prime suspect. The movie is extremely well done with a ton of suspense and tension to keep you on the edge or your seat nearly throughout its entire run time, especially thanks to its incredible musical score. In fact, it gave me a very Se7en feel with how the movie played out despite not being a Neo Noir. All of the actors do an incredible job with their characters and the film dives into directions that keep you pondering how the series of events are going to play out. The only negative I really have towards it is it feels a tad incomplete in the long run, though I can't say what due to spoilers. It is definitely worth checking out and kicks the 2021 movie run off to a great start! Overall, I give it a solid 8/10.
WW84 - 4/10
Soul - 10/10
Ninja Scroll - 9/10
Perfect Blue - 10/10
The Matrix - 10/10
American Werewolf in London - 9/10
The Re-Animator 8/10
Wonder Woman 84:
It wasn't as bad as some may have put it, but it was a little too long. There's certainly some padding going. But overall, it was okay. From a WWI setting to stopping an evil businessman can be seen as a downgrade. Barbara was another tired "nerdy friend turned evil for attention" that we've seen so many times already. It wasn't awful, just okay.
7/10
I've watched a ton of movies since I lost posted, but haven't had the motivation to come here. Home Alone 2, It's A Wonderful Life (first time ever), Krampus, A Christmas Story, A Muppet's Christmas Carol, 2009's A Christmas Carol, When A Stranger Calls, April Fool's Day, and Motel Hell.
Glad to see you enjoyed Ready or Not. It was one of 2019's surprises for me.
The Pursuit of Happyness:
If I had to choose between Will Smith in action flicks or drama, I think he is better as a drama actor. When he's acting as an action star, there are times he gets a little corny. As a drama actor, that's where he bring the best of his talents.
9/10
Gave Mothra a rewatch. Other than the blue-screen effects during Mothra's rampage and some fake looking tank models, it still holds up thematically. Though I do question how was Nelson not arrested way sooner seeing he basically kidnapped citizens of another country.
Q: The Winged Serpent:
Wasn't that good. The monster barely got a presence or acknowledged by the characters and instead it focuses on an unlikable protagonist with an evil cult side-plot. The effects weren't that great either.
4/10