A Different Man review

While flying to San Diego, I watched “A Simple Man”, and here are my thoughts…

I would describe the movie as an artsy slice-of-life film. We follow this actor, Edward, who has a form of gigantism of the face, who is in a slump, until an experimental procedure is done that turns him into a pretty boy, and his life turns around, or so he thinks…

The most impressive thing about this movie is the acting: Sebastian Stan does some real capital A Acting. He can be sympathetic, neurotic, funny, someone to root for, full of destructive self-pity, and even dislikable; he really makes Edward feel like a real three-dimensional person. Between this and The Apprentice, he’s having a great acting career.

The guy who plays Oswald (Adam Pearson), has truckloads of charisma, likability, and talent.

There is a neighbor character named Ingrid (played by Renate Reinsve) who starts off the story one way, but we find out there is more to her as things progress. It’s a really subtle and layered performance that the actress does a fantastic job with. I hope to see more of her and Adam Pearson in the future.

The movie is littered with many little quirky characters who pop up randomly, mostly for one or two scenes, but they make the most of it. So it’s nice to see these actors who get a chance to shine.

The dialogue is interesting; one or two lines can feel a bit forced, but for the most part it’s very casual, funny, and realistic, and I like how a lot of the lines can have double meanings or play with our expectations.

Now this is an unconventional movie. It isn’t always realistic; side characters do weird and unexplained things for no real reason (mostly for this awkward humor, which it does a good job at), and the story goes to some meta and strange places.

The movie wears its influences on its sleeve; it is reminiscent of an artsy European director trying to make a Woody Allen movie mixed with the dark and strange humor of David Lynch.

Now this is a double-edged sword, because on the one hand it keeps me engaged because I don’t know where things are headed, and the film goes to some interesting places, and overall I appreciate the creativity. But artsy character pieces like this are hard to read; like I assume the movie is trying to say something about how people interact with each other and how we see ourselves, but it’s very much a “different people have different readings” type of film, which can be fun for discussions, but not always the most satisfying.

I guess my biggest critique is how they treat Edward. I don’t want to spoil anything, but he was a character I really rooted for, and I’m not fully sure what the filmmakers are saying about him.

A lot happens in the third act, one thing after another in a very fast succession, a little too much, and I wish the very end was stronger; it just sort of stops.

I give a high three stars ⭐️⭐️⭐️ it is unique, and you can tell how passionate everyone making it is.

Sonic the Hedgehog 3 Review

 

I saw Sonic the Hedgehog 3, and here is my thoughts…

 

The movie is kind of a mixed bag, but overall surprisingly fun… definitely my favorite of the Sonic movies.

 

The best part is Jim Carrey, he plays both Ivo Robotnik and his grandfather Gerald Robotnik, and he’s very convincing in both parts and plays off himself well. After a while, you really start believing that this one actor is two different people. Plus, Jim Carrey leans into his rubber face antics and silliness, and I’ve always had a soft spot for that, so it was just a lot of fun to watch for me. 

 

But boy oh boy, some of the jokes and dialogue can be… And I don’t like using this word because it’s so overused, but it fits perfectly here… cringy and flat at times, like your grandpa trying to do a TikTok about pancakes and not understand how it works.

 

Which is strange because they actually have a pretty entertaining & interesting story with themes of choice, revenge, family, and friendship that, in parts, are explored and come together well… but I’m assuming because there are Sonic fans of all ages, they try to appeal to everyone, and that can just come off a bit messy. Like one minute you’re in this heartfelt Spielberg movie, then the next second feels like a Minions flick.

 

The cast really helps bring a lot of heart to the story. Ben Schwartz is great as always as Sonic, Colleen O'Shaughnessey is adorable as Tails, and Idris Elba is a funny lunkhead as Knuckles; they all have a cute and nice relationship.

 

James Marsden and Tika Sumpter are cute and have good comedic chemistry together. Also, Agent Stone is likable in his sweetness and loyalty to Dr. Robotnik.

 

A lot of fans are going to love Keanu Reeves in the movie; his stoic persona fits the character of Shadow perfectly, plus he has an interesting and complex backstory that reminds me of Mewtwo from the first Pokémon movie.

 

It’s been interesting to watch these movies evolve, from this low-key kind of real-world road trip movie to literally an anime, like the third act of this movie is the best live-action Dragon Ball Z movie of all time… like Goku could for copyright infringement

 

But honestly, I think that’s what makes the film so entertaining; it really embraces its crazy lore and video game/anime feel, like these crazy situations and supervillain plans are treated as seriously as a heart attack, and it makes watching the film feel like this fun roller coaster ride.

 

The effects all look really good, and given some of the crazy scenarios this movie comes up with, that’s really impressive.

There’s a good bit of continuity from the last movie that they bring in which I appreciated.

 

The pacing is amazing; everything moves at such a nice, steady pace, not rushing but letting you enjoy your time and no fat to chew; that was nice.

 

They tease a sequel pretty hard, and honestly, it looks like it could be just as fun… I have no real idea about the Sonic, just a couple of things here and there, but I think any Sonic fan will be happy with what is coming.

 

Overall, I think the fun of this film really outweighs any issues I had, and while they’re definitely there, the storytelling really does its best to entertain the audience and satisfy fans, which is very commendable. I give it a high three stars ⭐️⭐️⭐️ definitely looking forward to that fourth one.

The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim Review

 

 

Recently I saw The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim, and here are my thoughts…

 

I enjoyed the film. I liked how low-key it was for a Lord of the Rings movie. No high fantasy concepts like elves, dwarfs, or wizards running around for the most part, just focused on regular humans and their interpersonal shenanigans. 

 

The movie is gritty and straightforward but has a good focus on characters and retains the folksy hopefulness this series is popular for.

 

The animation was fine; some shots of people were a bit plain and stiff at times, but a lot of the background work was really astonishing at points.

 

Brian Cox was my favorite character; dude played a strong king who knew how to kick ass, so he’s definitely up there with some of my other favorite characters from the franchise.

 

The main character, this tomboy princess, could’ve very easily fallen into a lot of “I’m not like the other girls” clichés but manages to avoid a lot of those character trappings and comes across more down to earth and like this world’s version of Joan of Arc in a sort of way.

 

The main villain's motivations were, for the most part, understandable; nothing really new, but fit the themes of previous movies, like with the characters of Gollum & Thorin, but in a fresh way, so it felt on brand. 

 

The rest of the supporting cast are all good, a bit one-note at times, but all likable.

 

The battles were exciting and well choreographed for animation, a little choppy in regard to where things were taking place in relation to one another at times, but the fighting itself was clear and kinetic.

 

Most of the focus is on the battles and characters trying to survive being under siege, which, like the characters weapons, can be a double-edged sword, lol. There’s a relatability and simplicity to the story that people will enjoy, but it’s so straightforward at times it can feel too much like other similar stories you’ve seen and have trouble standing out from that crowd. However, that is a mileage may vary situation. 

 

Personally, I think the series is so enjoyed by so many people for its escapism and likable characters persevering belief in hope, which War of the Rohirrim has. So if you’re into this sort of thing, I think this will be right up your alley, but just be aware that the story isn’t going to reinvent the wheel or anything.

 

The pacing was a little bit off; I was never bored and was engaged throughout, but you can definitely tell where some places are tighter than others, and some are a bit looser in the story flow.

 

There are a few spots here and there where they have to crowbar in references to the other films. Like, “Remember this,” or, “Oh, they’re talking about somebody; could it be who we think it is?” Like, yeah, obviously that’s what it’s gonna be. It isn’t too much, but some of the references can be as heavy-handed as lead in a catcher mitt lol.

 

The soundtrack is solid; it definitely sounds like something that would fit Middle-earth.

 

So to sum up, this is a fun, straightforward action fantasy movie with enjoyable characters in a world of people you are fond of. If any of that sounds appealing to you, you’ll definitely get fun out of this motion picture… I give it a low four stars ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️, definitely a good effort at an original story in the Lord of the Rings universe. 

Kraven the Hunter review

I saw Kraven the Hunter, here are my thoughts…

For the 10 millionth time, I don’t know why we have another solo movie about a Spider-Man villain being turned into an antihero. I want to see these guys fight Spider-Man, not become John Wick for animals. But I try to be fair and give anything a chance…

 

Now this movie is getting thrashed by the critics and fans, and honestly, I don’t think it’s as bad as people are making it out to be… It definitely has serious problems, but it’s not a train wreck.

 

Let me get the negative out of the way: This movie feels like a generic action movie starring Jason Statham, Dolph Lundgren, or Scott Atkins that you would rent on demand on a lazy Saturday with your uncle and be like… That wasn’t too bad. Which is fine if this was a $5-$10 million movie, not an over $100 million blockbuster hopeful.

 

The movie starts out with this long scene of Kraven going into prison to do something badass and then trying to escape just to show how much of a cool hombre he is. And it’s fine; it’s just nothing you haven’t seen any other action star do before.

 

Then we get a flashback to explain Kraven’s animal powers… which honestly would’ve made a much better Manimal movie than a Kraven flick.

 

The writing in the flashbacks is pretty rough like we meet the character Calypso and her grandma, and that lady only speaks in clunky exposition… like dropping a washing machine down some stairs clunky. So many characters just have these flat, generic lines that just come out rigid and do not sound right. 

To illustrate my point about the awkward dialogue; one character says “My grandmother died, and I never saw her again” like saying you didn’t see someone again because they died is redundant. That’s like saying “After I eat a full meal, I wasn’t hungry anymore” like that doesn’t sound right lol

 

Now, if you get a good enough actor, they can rise above the material… Enter Russell Crowe, who, despite a “Boris and Natasha” level accent, can take some of these rougher lines and bring some sort of weight and menace to them. He plays Kraven’s monster father, and his role in the movie is to basically snarl and be a brute, but Russell Crowe is a professional, and he does it well.

 

The kids, on the other hand... Well, they’re not Russell Crowe. I’m not going to dunk on the actors who played the young Kraven and Dimitri (Kraven’s brother); they’re young and are working with what they have, so while not the best, they’re doing their best… However, there is one line reading that made me want to find the editor and go, “You know better than to leave that take in; why’d you do that boy like that?” Lol.

 

The way Kraven gets his powers is ridiculous. I mean, I know this is the world where a kid from Queens dresses up like a spider to fight flying goblins and octopuses with PhDs, but this was trying to go for a more grizzled crime tone, and they literally go into some like Power Ranger's explanation.

 

Aaron Taylor-Johnson as Kraven the Hunter is a mixed bag; when he’s with his brother or dad or hunting people, he’s got a certain subtle tough charisma for him, but other times he’s trying to be as serious as a heart attack going “yeah, I’m a loner badass with a code,” and it’s like "no dude, you look like you’re lost like you’re trying to find a road or too stubborn to ask for directions." He’s a very talented and great actor, but he falls victim to the wooden dialogue as well; in certain scenes, it feels like he just took Novocain before the camera started rolling.

Also, despite having slight Russian accents as young teens, when they grow up, they sound British and American… Like Dimitri’s whole thing is doing impersonations, so I can kind of let that slide, but Kraven has been in the woods of Siberia, so how the heck did he get all ppi ppi cheerio?

 

The character Callisto is in the movie, who normally in the comics is his love interest, and they do subtle hints that they might have a connection, but honestly, she’s just there to get him information and be like, “You’re Krazy Kraven, you got a Darkside in you.”.

 

So the first half of this movie is the cinematic equivalent of trying to eat stale bread, like you’re doing it and it’s not the worst, but you’re not getting much protein out of it… but then the movie picked up.

 

Alessandro Nivola is easily the best part of the movie as The Rhino; he’s definitely chewing as much scenery as possible, but he knows how to make it entertaining, like a mobster version of a 60s Batman villain. Although I can’t figure out his accents, at some point, he sounds Russian; at some point, he sounds Irish; maybe American at times, like a watermelon hitting the ground… It’s all over the place, lol.

 

The movie then takes on a villain versus villain with Kraven in the middle type story, which actually was fun and had potential… It didn’t always meet those heights and had pacing problems, but it was entertaining in a cheesy action way.

 

The guy who plays Kraven's brother, The Chameleon, is also good… Although I will say whoever cast the young versions did too good a job because those guys almost look like twins, and then when they grow up, they look like cousins whose moms are sisters.

 

The character, The Foreigner, shows up, and the reason he has that name doesn’t make much sense, and he has some power they don’t really explain.

 

They do make a hint to another character, which really made me want to see a movie following what was going on with him, but it was a cool reference I hope to see more of in the future.

 

The action is pretty decent, nothing special or anything, but competent, and again for you big action fans, I think you’ll get enjoyment out of it.

 

This movie also suffers from something that takes a lot of points off any film… Too much ADR, like there are quite a few scenes where you’ll hear someone talking off camera or their head turned, and you’ll be like… They were in a booth saying that.

 

The CGI for the most part is very good; some scenes definitely have a rubbery look, but there’s one scene with a lion that looked super realistic.

 

They tried to set up a sequel for the next one with something to make fans go, “Oh, they’re doing the thing,” but there was not a lot of setup for it. There were some, but they go from 0 to 60 like that.

 

Also, they try and work in his signature look WAY too late. They put him in his full regalia all over that poster, and it’s hardly in the movie… False advertisement lol.

 

So to sum up, despite some flat dialogue and unnatural performances (mostly do to obvious studio Interference and over producing to fit a formula), the movie can work as a mindless action movie for those who like it, but overall the project suffers from not being anything special or too unique… I give it a high two stars ⭐️⭐️ It’s no Madame Webb 2, but that’s not saying much.

Wicked Review

 

So I saw Wicked with my great friend Ami, and here are my thoughts…

 

I like how the movie starts; it begins right after the original Wizard of Oz, which is an interesting place since this was a prequel reimagining story. I didn’t realize it would tie into what we know so much. I’m most familiar with the ‘39 film, so this is a good way to re-introduce me to the world and establish things. So everyone is… and spoilers for an 85-year-old movie… celebrating the witch's demise.

 

We’re introduced to Ariana Grande as Glinda, and she’s definitely the best part of this movie, not only in capturing the feel of the original character, but that girl has impeccable comedic timing, not to mention an incredible singing voice. She felt like a ditzy blonde mixed with a 1930s film starlet, which perfectly fits the Wizard of Oz feel. She better get an Oscar nomination; that’s all I’m saying.

 

But then we go back and see just why that Witch was so Wicked… We cut to Oz’s version of Hogwarts called Shiz… which honestly isn’t a great name because it sounds too much like Sh!t, but maybe that’s a reference I’m not getting.

 

Since this is a prequel, they do play around with the lore and people's expectations and knowledge of the story pretty well. Some of it can feel a bit blunt with the “So this is where this person got this thing, this is how that connects to this, and we know where that leads” stuff, but there are some clever uses woven into the movie that add an extra layer to a character, event, or the world that expands the story.

 

I got to tip my hat... not a witch's hat, lol, to Cynthia Erivo. When I was a kid, the Wicked Witch of the West always freaked me out, so I came in with a bias against the character. Everyone was cheering at the beginning. I’m like, “Yeah, that’s what she gets… I remember what you did at the scarecrow” lol. But Erivo brought a lot of empathy and confidence to the role, not to mention another incredible singing voice; the girl knows how to belt it out.

 

John W. Chu did a great job directing; the dude knows how to film giant set pieces with multiple characters and dancing going on, which is not an easy task to do, but that guy has some Martin Scorsese-type camera moves that were very impressive. Also, a small thing I enjoyed: he had a split-screen shot for one song, which the Brian DePalma fan in me really liked lol.

 

There’s a subplot that was very reminiscent of Animal Farm; that’s a cool wrinkle in the story I did not expect but very much enjoyed. Peter Dinklage did a great voice-acting performance as well.

 

There are a few “twists” I feel are going to be set up for the sequel that I already guessed… Pretty much when they first pop up.

 

There’s this prince character that shows up as a love interest for Elphaba and Glinda; the actor does a great job, but that dude looks 37. I mean, all the other “students” look like they’re in their late 20s, and I’m willing to go along with it for the most part, but still, it’s a little distracting when this “student” looks like he could be a teacher pulling a “hello fellow kids”, but the dudes acting and dance talent makes up for it.

 

I like the sets; they feel like Naboo from Star Wars if designed by Vineyard Vines… for normal people, Naboo is inspired by classic Roman and Italian architecture to help paint the picture

 

The heart of this movie is Elphaba and Glinda's friendship; it’s very reminiscent of Professor X and Magneto's friendship (this movie has a lot of parallels to X-Men: First Class, which is a compliment). I think the movie makes good use of the runtime showing their initial rivalry turning into friendship; the almost 3 hours moved by pretty quickly, which is pretty impressive. There are a few areas here and there I wish they had expanded upon concerning their friendship and what’s going on at the school, but it’s not the end of the world.

 

Glinda has two lackeys in the movie, who, for the most part, are fine; they’re mainly there to give reaction shots and be over the top… but it’s never annoying or too much.

 

The extras are all very good, but sometimes it can feel a bit stagy. By that I mean, in a play, actors have to emote very big because there are people in the back or far away, and it’s hard to see the stage, and those people paid good money to be there, so those actors are going to make sure those people can see what they are doing and read the emotions on stage. But this is a movie, so the camera can go wherever, and when it gets close to them and they’re acting big, it can feel a little intense or over the top. Now I understand they’re trying to re-create the feel of the stage show; that’s why audiences came, but sometimes it can be a bit much. Luckily that doesn’t happen too much and is mostly a non-issue.

 

I’m not a musical guy, so if you’re looking for a real nuanced opinion on the songs, this ain’t the place... but overall I liked the songs, and one or two are definitely earworms that I will think about in the future, so I can see why the musical was so successful.

 

I really enjoyed the themes of the movie; it explores social politics, identity, and destiny, but in a more nuanced way than you would think. It was rather interesting in a surprising way.

 

I like the Emerald City… Although it could’ve been greener, there were some like grays and golds and even some browns in there… Come on, guys, stay on brand, lol.

 

Jeff Goldblum is fun at playing this charismatic figure with tons of personality; you can see why everyone is enthralled by him.

 

I think the climax and character beats should’ve had more time to play out; like for a nearly three-hour movie, the big twist happens a bit too quickly and all at once. I wish it had a more natural flow to it.

 

Now the most enjoyable part of the movie was seeing it with my buddy Ami, and one of the big themes of the movie is friendship, so seeing it with a friend really added something special to the experience… She really liked it too, if anyone’s wondering, lol.

 

So while musicals are usually not my thing, Wicked does what all prequels should aspire to: it expands the world and adds more dimensions and depth to the established story and characters… I give it a high four stars ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️