TRASH IN MY EYE Reviews: Action

Showing posts with label Action. Show all posts

Saturday, December 21, 2024

Review: "SONIC THE HEDGEHOG 3" Finds Jim Carrey Going Super-Sonic

TRASH IN MY EYE No. 59 of 2024 (No. 2003) by Leroy Douresseaux

Sonic the Hedgehog 3 (2024)

Running time: 109 minutes (1 hour, 49 minutes)

MPA – PG for action, some violence, rude humor, thematic elements and mild language.

DIRECTOR: Jeff Fowler

WRITERS: Pat Casey & Josh Miller and John Whittington; based on a story by Pat Casey & Josh Miller (based on the Sega video game)

PRODUCERS: Toby Ascher, Neal H. Moritz, Toru Nakahara, and Hitoshi Okuno

CINEMATOGRAPHER: Brandon Trost (D.o.P.)

EDITOR: Al LeVine

COMPOSER: Tom Holkenborg (Junkie XL)

FANTASY/FAMILY and ACTION/ADVENTURE/COMEDY

Starring: Jim Carrey, James Marsden, Tika Sumpter, Lee Majdoub, Natasha Rothwell, Shemar Moore, Adam Pally, Krysten Ritter, Alyla Browne, and Tom Butler; (voices) Ben Schwartz, Colleen O'Shaughnessey, Idris Elba, and Keanu Reeves

SUMMARY OF THE REVIEW:

Jim Carrey makes “Sonic and the Hedgehog 3” the best film of the series by making it his personal showcase. He gives this film dramatic and comedic depth that I was not expecting; he gifts it the best of him.

This is still a Sonic the Hedgehog film, and once again voice actor Ben Schwartz brings Sonic to life in a way that makes him feel like a real-life character instead of being nothing more than one more special effect.

Sonic the Hedgehog 3 is dynamic and engaging in a way that makes it a family film which can impress adults as much as it entertains the kids.

Sonic the Hedgehog 3 is a 2024 action-adventure, fantasy and comedy film from director Jeff Fowler. The film is based on the Sega Corporation's video game series and media franchise which began with the 1991 “Sega Genesis” game, Sonic the Hedgehog. The film is also the third entry in Sonic the Hedgehog film series. Sonic the Hedgehog 3 finds Sonic and his family taking on two powerful new adversaries, including one with a shocking connection to an old enemy.

Sonic the Hedgehog 3 finds Sonic the Hedgehog (voice of Ben Schwartz) celebrating the anniversary of his arrival on Earth with his adopted parents, Tom (James Marsden) and Maddie Wachowski (Tika Sumpter). Also celebrating are the two newest members of the family, Knuckles the Echidna (voice of Idris Elba) and Miles “Tails” Prower (voice of Colleen O'Shaughnessey). Together, Sonic, Knuckles, and Tails form “Team Sonic.”

However, while Sonic and family are celebrating, they don't know that trouble is brewing. In Tokyo Bay is a secret prison run by the “Guardian Units of Nations” (G.U.N.), the military of Earth's government. For decades, they have been holding an alien prisoner. He is Shadow the Hedgehog (voice of Keanu Reeves), an anthropomorphic hedgehog like Sonic.

Now, Shadow has joined forces with the man who freed him, a mysterious scientist who has been stealing tech from Dr. Ivo Robotnik (Jim Carrey), Sonic's enemy. That forces Robotnik to unite with “Team Sonic” in order to stop Shadow and his mysterious benefactor's mission of revenge against the Earth and mankind. But can Sonic and his family really trust Robotnik?

Back in 2022, I saw Sonic the Hedgehog 2 because my niece asked to me to take her to the theater to see it. A few days ago, I saw the first film, Sonic the Hedgehog (2020), for the first time (via Prime Video). It got me in the mood for the new film, Sonic the Hedgehog 3, because, once again, my niece wanted me to take her to the theater to see it.

Sonic the Hedgehog 3 is the best of the series mainly because Jim Carrey, in a dual role, gives one of his best performances in recent years. In the first two films, Carrey relied on his familiar over-the-top shtick and shenanigans. In this new film, Carrey unleashes the breath and length of his talent as a performer and actor. In Sonic the Hedgehog 3, Carrey is peak 1990s Carrey, and if this were not a Sonic the Hedgehog movie, he would be getting movie awards season notice for his performance in this film. And this film is all the better for what Carrey does.

Once again, voice performer Colleen O'Shaughnessey makes Tails seem like both an innocent kid and a veteran tech expert. In the second film, Idris Elba used his voice acting skills to make Knuckles a tough guy, but here, he gets a chance to brings some gravitas to the character. As usual, Ben Schwartz brings Sonic to life as a fully developed film character and makes Sonic's doubts and dilemmas seem genuine. Schwartz delivers exuberance and drama in his voice performance as Sonic.

Director Jeff Fowler shows that he can play in the big leagues of giant, event action films after directing the bouncy and pleasant first two films. Fowler and his cohorts take the Sonic film franchise from a special effects fun fest to an action-adventure movie with more on the line than eye-popping visual effects (VFX), although there is plenty of that.

So after saying all that, it is obvious that I like Sonic the Hedgehog 3. It is not perfect, and this film is obviously not for certain audiences. It's not really for me, but still, Sonic the Hedgehog 3 manages to surprise and entertain me. And my niece was crazy about it.

7 of 10

B+

★★★½ out of 4 stars

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Friday, December 20, 2024

Review: Humor Makes First "SONIC THE HEDGEHOG" Film Pleasingly Pleasant

TRASH IN MY EYE No. 58 of 2024 (No. 2002) by Leroy Douresseaux

Sonic the Hedgehog (2020)

Running time: 99 minutes (1 hour, 39 minutes)

MPA – PG for action, some violence, rude humor and brief mild language

DIRECTOR: Jeff Fowler

WRITERS: Pat Casey & Josh Miller (based on the Sega video game)

PRODUCERS: Toby Ascher, Neal H. Moritz, Toru Nakahara, and Takeshi Ito

CINEMATOGRAPHER: Stephen F. Windon (D.o.P.)

EDITORS: Debra Neil-Fisher and Stacy Schroeder

COMPOSER: Tom Holkenborg (Junkie XL)

FANTASY/FAMILY and ACTION/ADVENTURE/COMEDY

Starring: James Marsden, Tika Sumpter, Natasha Rothwell, Adam Pally, Lee Majdoub, Neal McDonough, Tom Butler, Frank C. Turner, Melody Niemann, and Jim Carrey; and (voices) Ben Schwartz and Donna Jay Fulks

Sonic the Hedgehog is a 2020 action-adventure, fantasy and comedy film directed by Jeff Fowler. The film is based on the Sega Corporation video game series and media franchise that began with the 1991 Sega Genesis game, Sonic the Hedgehog. In Sonic the Hedgehog the movie, Sonic takes refuge on Earth, but when his speed accidentally knocks out power in part of the United States, he draws the attention of a mad scientist.

Sonic the Hedgehog introduces Sonic (voice of Ben Schwartz). He is an anthropomorphic (which means he is an animal that can walk and talk like a human), blue hedgehog who has the ability to move at superhuman speed. Ten years earlier, Sonic fled to Earth to escape his enemies with the aid of a golden ring that opened a portal to Earth. He carried a bag of more such rings with him to Earth.

Currently, Sonic lives an enjoyable secret life in a cavern under the rural town of Green Hills, Montana. He zooms around the area, and has become something of a local legend, “the blue devil.” He longs to make friends and spies on local sheriff, Thomas Michael “Tom” Wachowski (James Marsden), whom Sonic calls the “Donut Lord,” and Tom's wife, Maddie (Tika Sumpter), whom Sonic calls “Pretzel Lady.” What Sonic does not know is that Tom and Maddie are planning to relocate to San Francisco.

It is Sonic's loneliness which leads him to initiating an accident that causes a massive power outage across the Pacific Northwest. Determined to discover the origin of this power outage, the U.S. Joint Chiefs of Staff reluctantly enlists the services of eccentric roboticist and scientific genius, Dr. Robotnik (Jim Carrey). Now, Sonic is forced to seek help from Tom Wachowski, but can this thrown-together duo escape the clutches of Robotnik and his drone army?

I had no intention of watching Sonic the Hedgehog from the first time I heard about the movie's production back in the 20-teens. I also had no plans on seeing its 2022 sequel, Sonic the Hedgehog 2, but when it was first released, my niece asked to me to take her to the theater to see it, as she did not want to wait for it to stream on Paramount+. Because she rarely asks me to take her to the movies and because she usually turns down my offers to accompany me when I'm going, I (reluctantly) agreed to see Sonic the Hedgehog 2 with her.

Well, the third film, Sonic the Hedgehog 3, has been released, and my niece wants me to take her to see that one, too. I found Sonic the Hedgehog 2 to be much better than I thought it would be, and I was able to follow it without having seen the first film. However, I decided that it was past time to see the original, and I was able to because it is available via my Amazon Prime Video subscription.

I must say that I found the first film pleasingly pleasant. Sonic the Hedgehog's visual effects (VFX) and humor drive the film's narrative and makes even the most raucous action and chases scenes sometimes breathtaking, sometimes funny, and sometimes both. I think the film's director, Jeff Fowler, and his film editors get the most humor and energy that they can out of a lightweight script. The result is an lighthearted and entertaining family film.

Voice actor Ben Schwartz brings Sonic to life as a fully developed film character. Schwartz makes Sonic's doubts and dilemmas seem genuine, and his exuberant voice performances makes Sonic one of the most lovable CGI movie characters in recent memory.

The second standout performance comes from Jim Carrey. With Carrey, audiences get the good, the bad, and ugly of the actor and former stand-up comedian's constant over-the-top mode. However, in Sonic the Hedgehog, he gives a delightful comic performance. His Robotnik is not so much over-the-top as he is the wackiest of wacky mad scientist; then, Carrey bumps that up a notch. Carrey would actually steal this movie if Ben Schwartz was not pitch perfect as Sonic.

So it turns out that I like Sonic the Hedgehog as much as I liked Sonic the Hedgehog 2. I highly recommend Sonic the Hedgehog for those looking for something that would be quite a treat for family movie night.

6 of 10

★★★ out of 4 stars

Friday, December 20, 2024

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Sunday, December 15, 2024

Review: "KRAVEN THE HUNTER" Has a Beast in Aaron Taylor-Johnson

TRASH IN MY EYE No. 57 of 2024 (No. 2001) by Leroy Douresseaux

Kraven the Hunter (2024)

Running time: 127 minutes (2 hours, 7 minutes)

MPA – R for strong bloody violence, and language

DIRECTOR: J.C. Chandor

WRITERS: Richard Wenk, Art Marcum, and Matt Holloway; from a story by Richard Wenk (based on the Marvel Comics)

PRODUCERS: Avi Arad, David B. Householter, and Matt Tolmach

CINEMATOGRAPHER: Ben Davis (D.o.P.)

EDITORS: Chris Lebenzon and Craig Wood

COMPOSERS: Evgueni Galperine, Sacha Galperine, and Benjamin Wallfisch

SUPERHERO/FANTASY/ACTION

Starring: Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Ariana DeBose, Fred Hechinger, Alessandro Nivola, Christopher Abbott, Levi Miller, Billy Barratt, Tom Reed, Diaana Babnicova, Yuri Kolokolnikov, Damola Adelaja, and Russell Crowe

SUMMARY OF THE REVIEW:

“Kraven the Hunter” has already established itself as having the lowest opening weekend debut of any film carry the Marvel brand, but it is a lot better than many of the other comic book films that came before it

Star Aaron Taylor-Johnson is indeed a star as he carries this film to victory, and he maximizes several intense scenes with co-star, Oscar-winner Russell Crowe

You don't have to be a fan of comic book movies to enjoy “Kraven the Hunter” because its intensity and its extreme and extremely violent action scenes and sequences are exceptionally entertaining

Kraven the Hunter is a 2024 action movie and superhero film from director J.C. Chandor. The movie is based on the Marvel Comics character, Sergei Kravinoff/Kraven the Hunter, that was created by writer Stan Lee and artist Steve Ditko and first appeared in The Amazing Spider-Man #15 (cover dated: August 1964). This is also the sixth film in “Sony's Spider-Man Universe” (SSU) series. The film focuses on a hunter of men and his complex relationship with his father, a ruthless Russian crime lord, which starts him down the path to becoming the greatest hunter of men in the world.

Kraven the Hunter opens in Northern Russia at a prison. Of particular interest is Prisoner #0864, but soon, prison security and imprisoned Russian gangster, Semyon Chorney (Yuri Kolokolnikov), will learn that this prisoner is really a legendary assassin known as “The Hunter.” Who is “The Hunter?”

He is really Sergei Kravinoff (Aaron Taylor-Johnson), the elder son of brutal Russian crime lord, Nikolai Kravinoff (Russell Crowe). Sixteen years before The Hunter killed Chorney, Nikolai took Sergei and his younger son, Dmitri, on a hunting expedition in Northern Ghana. A terrible accident leaves Sergei near death until a local young woman intervenes in a manner that changes Sergei in ways he never imagined.

In the present day, Sergei goes by the name “Kraven.” His activities as “The Hunter” have earned him the ire of many criminals. Kraven has a kill-list, and once someone is on it, they don't get off until he kills them. Kraven reunites with Calypso (Ariana DeBose), the young woman who saved him sixteen years earlier. Now, an adult, Calypso is an attorney, and Kraven asks her to assist him in his activities as “The Hunter” by finding information on his targets.

However, Kraven himself is now being hunted. Wannabe Russian crime boss, Aleksei Sytsevich (Alessandro Nivola), and his ally, “The Foreigner” (Christopher Abbott), have targeted Kraven's brother, Dmitri (Fred Hechinger), now an adult, as a way to trap their prey. Kraven will have to prove to his enemies that he is indeed the world's greatest hunter and also its most dangerous apex predator.

Kraven the Hunter is sixth film in “Sony's Spider-Man Universe” line of films. It follows Venom (2018), Venom: Let There Be Carnage (2021), Morbius (2022), Madame Web (2024), and the recently release, Venom: The Last Dance (2024). This film series stars characters and properties commonly associated with Marvel Comics' character, Spider-Man. Sadly, media reports indicate that Kraven the Hunter will be the last entry in Sony's Spider-Man Universe, and that's a shame because Kraven the Hunter deserves a sequel.

Most movie actors could not have saved Kraven the Hunter, if it did indeed need saving, as industry and fan gossip indicated. If we accept those arguments, dear readers, that Kraven the Hunter needed saving, then Aaron Taylor-Johnson is indeed this film's savior. Taylor-Johnson is a talented young actor, and he can certainly portray the tough-guy hero or antihero in a way that seems genuine, if not outright real.

Without Taylor-Johnson, I think Kraven the Hunter would still be a really entertaining film. The screenplay, regardless of whatever number of writers contributed to it, intrigued me. Director J.C. Chandor deftly weaves the film's story across continents and through shifts in plot that keeps things so interesting and involved that I didn't have time to search for plot holes and inconsistencies. Also, Russell Crowe as Nikolai Kravinoff makes his scenes with Taylor-Johnson's Kraven feel ultra edgy and especially dangerous.

With Taylor-Johnson, however, Kraven the Hunter, is not only a really entertaining film, but it is also an exceptional superhero spin-off comic book film. As comic book and superhero movies go, Kraven the Hunter is kind of like a B-movie or, at least, a B-list film, but you, dear readers, don't have to be a comic book fan to enjoy the film or its star. As Kraven, Taylor-Johnson has such animal magnetism; I wanted to see him be in action-mode and be violent. Taylor-Johnson has true movie star qualities, such as charisma and presence, and girl, the camera absolutely loves him. Seriously, Taylor-Johnson carries Kraven the Hunter past what most other actors would have done – all the way to whatever kind of cinematic glory a Spider-Man-adjacent film can have.

Marvel Comics fans will likely enjoy the fact that several Spider-Man-related characters appear in the film, some of them surprisingly so. Still, this film is about Kraven the Hunter, and Aaron Taylor-Johnson makes every subplot, setting, and the other character bow down to his “king of the jungle” performance. Kraven the Hunter is good, surprisingly and shockingly good, because its leading man knows how to be a beast.

8 of 10

★★★★ out of 4 stars

Sunday, December 15, 2024

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Wednesday, December 4, 2024

Review: Netflix's "ATLAS" Has Too Many Ideas, Not Enough Booty

TRASH IN MY EYE No. 54 of 2024 (No. 1998) by Leroy Douresseaux

Atlas (2024)

Running time: 118 minutes (1 hour, 58 minutes)

MPA – PG-13 for strong sci-fi violence, action, bloody images and strong language

DIRECTOR: Brad Peyton

WRITERS: Leo Sardarian and Aron Eli Coleite

PRODUCERS: Greg Berlanti, Jeff Fierson, Elaine Goldsmith-Thomas, Joby Harold, Brad Peyton, Sarah Schechter, Tory Tunnell, Benny Medina, and Jennifer Lopez

CINEMATOGRAPHER: John Schwartzman (D.o.P.)

EDITOR: Bob Ducsay

COMPOSER: Andrew Lockington

SCI-FI/ACTION/THRILLER

Starring: Jennifer Lopez, Simu Liu, Sterling K. Brown, Abraham Popoola, Lana Parrilla, Mark Strong, Briella Guiza, Adia Smith-Eriksson, and Gregory James Cohan (voice)

SUMMARY OF THE REVIEW:

--Atlas is a Jennifer Lopez movie, but science fiction does not fit her

--The movie is average and filled with ridiculous ideas, but the action-violence of the last act is good enough to somewhat justify the time you spent watching this, dear readers

Atlas is a 2024 American action-thriller and science fiction film from director Brad Peyton. Atlas is a “Netflix Original” and debuted on the Netflix streaming service May 24, 2024. Atlas pits a counter-terrorism analyst against a rogue artificial intelligence (“A.I.” or “AI”) which believes that the only way to save the Earth and humanity is to destroy most of humanity.

Atlas opens on October 2, 2043. AI humanoid robots are at war with humanity, and they are led by the AI terrorist, Harlan (Simu Liu). By the end of the conflict, three million people are dead. This leads human military forces to create the International Coalition of Nations (ICN). After a string of ICN victories, Harlan and his AI robots are forced to flee into outer space.

Twenty-eight years later, renewed AI-led terrorist attacks force the ICN to begin searching for Harlan's whereabouts. The ICN has created a fleet of mecha known as “ARCs.” These are giant robotic suits of armor worn by humans who “sync” with the AI that operate the ARCs. The ICN seeks help from Atlas Maru Shepherd (Jennifer Lopez), a woman whose mother, Val Shepherd (Lana Parrilla), designed Harlan. Atlas has a deep distrust of all artificial intelligence. In a confrontation with Casca Vix (Andrew Popoola), one of Harlan's lieutenants, Atlas learns that Harlan has a base on GR-39, a planet in the Andromeda Galaxy.

The ICN sends a battalion of ARCs, the Fourth Rangers Battalion, which is led by the taciturn Colonel Elias Banks (Sterling K. Brown), on a mission to GR-39, aboard the space ship “ the Dhiib.” Atlas insists on accompanying the mission because she says no one knows Harlan better than her. The mission is to capture Harlan and to bring him back to Earth. However, what neither Atlas nor the ICN knows is just exactly what Harlan knows about the mission and about Atlas. Now, to save humanity, Atlas must rely on the thing that she hates most, an AI, one named “Smith” (Gregory James Cohan).

Leo Sardarian and Aron Eli Coleite's screenplay for Atlas is a hodge-podge of ideas that are similar to what audiences will find in such films as The Terminator (1984), A.I. Artificial Intelligence (2001), I, Robot (2004), and Pacific Rim (2013). If properly developed, these ideas could have made a fine film instead of the mediocre film, which Atlas is.

The problem with Atlas is Jennifer Lopez. Atlas is a science fiction film, and it is also a Jennifer Lopez vehicle, although she is woefully miscast here. Science fiction is not her genre, and she really doesn't seem to have an understanding of what a character like Atlas Maru Shepherd could be. That may be the fault of director Brad Peyton, who specializes in mediocre to average sci-fi/fantasy genre films like 2018's Rampage. Lopez plays Atlas as petulant and as way too narrow minded to be some kind of expert on science and technological matters. Truthfully, Atlas would be grieving and guilt-ridden, which I think would make her introspective. Lopez plays Atlas as a brat who really needs the guidance of others, even the AI she hates so much.

Atlas is saved by the action-violence of its last act, and by the appearance of Harlan, played by actor Simu Liu. Best known for playing the title character in Disney/Marvel's Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings, here, Liu is deliciously cold-blooded and ruthless as Harlan, and I wish there were more of him in this film. But, alas, we get what we get. Atlas is average entertainment, and you, dear readers, can be entertained if you ignore its improbable scenario. If you are patient enough, Jennifer Lopez's fine, round posterior even makes a cameo, perfectly bound in a pair of tights. If Atlas has a “cherry on top,” it's that fine bee-hind.

5 of 10

C+

★★½ out of 4 stars

Wednesday, December 4, 2024

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Tuesday, November 12, 2024

Review: "DUNE: PART TWO: Rocks the Heavens

TRASH IN MY EYE No. 48 of 2024 (No. 1992) by Leroy Douresseaux

Dune: Part Two (2024)

Running time: 166 minutes (2 hours, 46 minutes)

MPA – PG-13 for sequences of strong violence, some suggestive material and brief strong language

DIRECTOR: Denis Villeneuve

WRITERS: Denis Villeneuve and Jon Spaihts (based on the novel by Frank Herbert)

PRODUCERS: Denis Villeneuve, Cale Boyter, Mary Parent, Patrick McCormick, and Tanya Lapointe

CINEMATOGRAPHER: Greg Fraser (D.o.P.)

EDITOR: Joe Walker

COMPOSER: Hans Zimmer

SCI-FI/DRAMA and ACTION/WAR/THRILLER

Starring: Timothée Chalamet, Zendaya, Rebecca Ferguson, Javier Bardem, Stellan Skarsgard, Josh Brolin, Austin Butler, Florence Pugh, Dave Bautista, Christopher Walken, Lea Seydoux, Charlotte Rampling, Babs Olusanmokun, and Alison Halstead

Dune: Part Two is a 2024 epic science fiction and drama film directed by Denis Villeneuve. It is the second part of the two-part adaptation of the 1965 novel, Dune, written by author Frank Herbert. The first part is entitled Dune (or Dune: Part One) and was released in 2021. Dune: Part Two focuses on a vengeful young nobleman who unites the desert people of the planet Arrakis behind his war against the noble house that betrayed and murdered his father.

Dune: Part Two opens in the wake of Baron Vladimir Harkonnen (Stellan Skarsgard) and House Harkonnen's destruction of Duke Leto Atreides and the House Atreides. Now, the Baron's nephew, Lord Rabban (Dave Bautista), has control over the desert planet, Arrakis, and over the production of the most valuable substance in the universe, which is known as “Spice.” A highly-addictive drug, Spice extends human vitality and life and is absolutely necessary for space travel. Spice is only found on Arrakis.

Meanwhile, Paul Atreides (Timothée Chalamet), the son of Leto, and his mother, Lady Jessica (Rebecca Ferguson), who is pregnant, have joined the “Sietch Tabr,” a band of Fremen, the natives of Arrakis. While some of the Fremen consider Paul and Jessica to be spies, the Sietch Tabr leader, Stilgar (Javier Bardem), believes that they are the prophesied mother and son from the “Outer World” who will bring prosperity to Arrakis.

Jessica belongs to the Bene Gesserit, a powerful sisterhood who wield advance mental and physical abilities. The Bene Gesserit have a prophecy concerning a “superbeing,” called the “Kwisatz Haderach,” and Paul may be this superbeing because of the machinations of his mother. Stilgar believes that Paul is the prophesied Fremen messiah, the “Lisan al-Gaig.” This belief spread once Paul takes the name Paul Muad'dib Usul.

However, Chani (Zendaya), a young and rebellious Fremen warrior (“Fedaykin”), believes that the messianic prophecies are nothing more than a fabrication meant to manipulate the Fremen. However, as “the Battle for Arrakis” begins, Chani finds herself having strong feelings for Paul and follows him into battle against the Harkonnen, for better or worse.

Dune and Dune: Part Two combine to form the third screen adaptation of Frank Herbert's novel. The others were writer-director David Lynch's 1984 film, Dune, and writer-director John Harrison's 2000 television miniseries, also entitled “Dune.” Also, there is a French/U.S. documentary film, entitled Jodorowskys Dune, that chronicles director Alejandro Jodorowsky's doomed attempt to adapt the novel into film in the 1970s.

Because HBO is preparing to release its Dune television series, “Dune: Prophecy,” I decided to finally see Dune: Part Two. A horrible illness forced me to miss the film's theatrical release earlier this year. Having finally seen it, I wish I had watched it in a movie theater, although IMAX is not an option for me. Dune: Part Two should be seen on a screen in a movie theater. It is one of the most epic science fiction films that I have ever experienced. The production values, cinematography, film editing, production design, art direction and sets, hair and make-up, and costumes are separately some of the best seen in science fiction cinema thus far in the twenty-first century. Director Denis Villeneuve is more than well-served by these collaborators.

He is also well-served by his co-writers, as the screenplay captures the religious and spiritual dogma and messianic madness that drives much of Dune's narrative. As impressive as this film is from a storytelling point of view, the Fremen's faith is freaking scary and dominates the film. That's why I think Hans Zimmer's film score sounds like it belongs in a horror movie. Quite a bit of Zimmer's musical score is like the spiritual cousin of composer Henry Manfredini's “ch ch ch ah ah ah” sound effect for the 1980 film, Friday the 13th.

There are a number of great performances here. Austin Butler, who surprised in Baz Luhrmann's Elvis (2022), does killer work in Dune: Part Two as Baron Harkonnen's psychotic nephew, na-Baron Fedy-Rautha. Dune's make-up artists serve him well as Butler fashions a character that is as impish and devilish as he is relentlessly homicidal.

But the stars are really Timothée Chalamet and Zendaya. As Paul, Chalamet depicts both the manipulation and machinations of a rise to power and also the evolution and revelation of a religious cult leader. As Chani, Zendaya is the spiritual heart of this film. She is the center of calm and reason in the super-storm of madness that envelopes Arrakis. It is not hard to see why both actors are some of the most popular young stars in world cinema. For all Denis Villeneuve cinematic skills and tricks, a movie this grand needs that traditional tower of power, the movie star. Dune: Part Two has two shooting stars.

10 of 10

Tuesday, November 12, 2024

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Sunday, September 22, 2024

Review: Netflix's "UGLIES" is Ernest, Lightweight Entertainment

TRASH IN MY EYE No. 43 of 2024 (No. 1987) by Leroy Douresseaux

Uglies (2024)

Running time: 100 minutes (1 hour, 40 minutes)

MPA – PG-13 for some violence and action, and brief strong language

DIRECTOR: McG

WRITERS: Jacob Forman, Vanessa Taylor, and Whit Anderson (based on the novel by Scott Westerfeld)

PRODUCERS: John David, Jordan Davis, McG, Robyn Meisinger, Dan Spilo, and Mary Viola

CINEMATOGRAPHER: Xiaolong Liu

EDITORS: Martin Bernfeld and Brad Besser

COMPOSER: Edward Shearmur

SCI-FI/DRAMA/ACTION

Starring: Joey King, Brianne Tju, Keith Powers, Chase Stokes, Laverne Cox, Charmin Lee, Jay DeVon Johnson, Jan Luis Castellanos, Zamani Wilder, Joseph Echavarria, Gabriella Garcia, Ash Maeda, Jordan Sherley, Sarah Vattano, and Ashton Essex Bright

SUMMARY OF THE REVIEW:

Uglies is an entertaining and good, but not great science fiction film, but unlike The Hunger Games films, Uglies leans more towards teen viewers than it does towards a general adult audience

The film has high production values, which really show in the scenes that take place in “The City”

Although it leans towards younger viewers, Uglies makes points about conformity and individuality as fiercely as grown-up science fiction films

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Uglies is a 2024 American science fiction-drama film from director McG. The film is based on the 2005 novel, Uglies, by Scott Westerfeld. Uglies is a Netflix Original and debuted on the Netflix streaming service September 13, 2024. Uglies the movie is set in a futuristic society in which everyone is considered “ugly” until the receive the compulsory operation that makes them “pretty,” and it focuses on a teen girl who begins to have doubts about the surgery.

Uglies opens in a world that once saw civilization fall apart. In the future, humanity exhausts the planet of all its natural resources. The result is chaos, war, and destruction. Eventually, science creates a new energy source and also develops a surgery that makes everyone “pretty.” This new society believes that if everyone is perfect and thinks alike, then, there won't be any conflict. Everyone gets the surgery which transforms them into one of the “Pretties” at the age of 16.

When the story begins, Tally Youngblood (Joey King) is three months away from her 16th birthday and her surgery. She lives in a dorm with all the other kids who have not had the surgery and who are known as “Uglies.” However, her friend, Peris (Chase Stokes), is about to have the surgery that will make him pretty. Tally and Peris promise to keep in touch after he moves to “the City” where all the “Pretties” live, but things don't work out as they planned.

Tally befriends fellow “ugly,” Shay (Brianne Tju), and Shay has a secret. There is a place outside the City called “The Smoke.” It is a land of freedom and nature, and the people there have not had the surgery. The community is lead by the mysterious David (Keith Powers). Tally is intrigued, but she is caught in the middle. One part of her wants to be independent and different, but another part of her wants to have the surgery, become pretty, and look like everyone else. The decision Tally makes will change the lives of people both in the City and in the Smoke.

I have not read the novel, Uglies, or its sequels. However, I became familiar with the series through a pair of paperback original graphic novels based on the books, Uglies: Shay's Story and Uglies: Cutters, both released in 2012.

I don't see Uglies the movie as being similar to other films based on young adult (YA) dystopian science fiction novels, such as The Hunger Games (2012) and Divergent (2014). Uglies has me thinking about another dystopian science fiction film adapted from a novel. That would be the 1976 film, Logan's Run, based on the 1967 novel, Logan's Run, which was written by William F. Nolan and George Clayton Johnson. I recently watch Logan's Run on the Turner Classic Movies (TCM) cable network, and I thought of it as I watched Uglies. Both stories deal with characters forced to decide whether it is better to live in a safe, clean, and conformist, though macabre dystopian society or in the great wide and wild open.

Beyond similarities to the aforementioned films, Uglies deals with themes of change, both emotional and physical. Yes, Uglies can seem superficial at times. The film's special visual effects turn the City into a shining and gleaming Oz of non-stop parties under a sky lit up pyrotechnic fireworks. Behind the prettiness, however, is Joey King as Tally doing her best to convey the internal struggles inside the girl. King delivers a strong performance that sells the world of Uglies the film because it would crumble without a strong dramatic lead, which King is here. King makes Tally's conflicts seem genuine, and I often found myself confused by her motivations and actions because they felt like the result of an internal struggle. As slight as the film feels, King makes Tally feel like a real young woman struggling with a decision that will change her in ways she may not like, but a change she believes she has to accept.

The Uglies novel is the first in a series, so Uglies the movie could have a sequel. While it is good, but not great, Uglies is still a dystopian sci-fi film that the family can enjoy together.

6 of 10

★★★ out of 4 stars

Sunday, September 22, 2024

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Thursday, September 5, 2024

Review "TERMINATOR: JUDGMENT DAY" is Still Landmark and Bloated

TRASH IN MY EYE No. 41 of 2024 (No. 1985) by Leroy Douresseaux

Terminator 2: Judgment Day (1991)

Running time: 137 minutes (2 hours, 17 minutes)

MPAA – R

DIRECTOR: James Cameron

WRITERS: James Cameron and William Wisher

PRODUCER: James Cameron

CINEMATOGRAPHER: Adam Greenberg (D.o.P.)

EDITORS: Mark Goldblatt, Conrad Buff, and Richard A. Harris

COMPOSER: Brad Fiedel

Academy Award winner

SCI-FI/FANTASY/ACTION/THRILLER

Starring: Arnold Schwarzenegger, Linda Hamilton, Edward Furlong, Robert Patrick, Earl Boen, Joe Morton, S. Epatha Merkerson, Castulo Guerra, Danny Cooksey, Jenette Goldstein, Xander Berkeley, De Vaughn Nixon, and Michael Edwards

Terminator 2: Judgment Day is a 1991 American science fiction film and action-drama from director James Cameron. Also known as “T2” and “T2: Judgment Day,”, it is a direct sequel to the film, The Terminator (1984), and is also the second entry in the Terminator film franchise. Judgment Day focuses on a cyborg that travels from the twenty-first century to protect a boy from a more advanced and powerful cyborg.

Terminator 2: Judgment Day opens in the year 2029. Earth has been ravaged by the war between the artificial intelligence, Skynet, and the human resistance. This war started on August 29, 1997, also known as “Judgment Day,” when Skynet launched the United States' entire nuclear arsenal, which started a global war. Afterwards, humanity emerged to find a devastated world, one filled with the machines – called “Terminators” – that were programmed to kill humans. Resistance leader, John Connor (Michael Edwards), has lead humanity to the brink of defeating Skynet and its human-killing machines.

Using time machine technology, Skynet sends an advanced prototype Terminator – a T-1000 – back in time to the year 1997 in order to kill 12-year-old John Connor (Edward Furlong). The T-1000 (Robert Patrick) is made of a “mimetic poly-alloy,” a liquid metal that allows the Terminator to shape-shift. To protect his younger self, the 2029 John Connor reprograms a model 101 Terminator and sends it back to 1997 to protect young John. The 101 looks just like the T-800 that traveled from the future to kill John's mother, Sarah Connor (Linda Hamilton), back in the year 1984.

Can Sarah, John, and the model 101 Terminator come together to stop the T-1000, especially after they become fugitives from the law? Or is this new Terminator simply to advanced and wily to be stopped?

As I write this review, it is Tuesday, September 3, 2024. In Terminator mythopoeia (not “mythology” and not “lore”), August 29th is “Judgment Day” and fans of the franchise make note of it. This year, “Judgment Day” carries a little more relevance because of the arrival of the new Netflix animated series, “Terminator Zero.” I am planning on watching Episode 1 soon, but I felt that I needed to watch T2 again. It is the only Terminator film that I have not previously reviewed, and I had not watched it in its entirety in about thirty years, if my memory serves me well.

The Terminator, T2, and the 2003 film, Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines, form a trilogy of sorts. In many ways, each film seems like its own thing, with the second and third films officially being sequels. However, these sequels feel like a hybrid of sequel, remake, and re-imagining. They contradict the original in some ways and both try to grapple with or correct the franchise's time-traveling shenanigans.

T2 is now acknowledged as being among the greatest science fiction, action, and sequel films in movie history. It is certainly a landmark film in terms of special visual effects and in the use of CGI (computer-generated imagery). The transformation and metamorphosis of actor Robert Patrick into the liquid metal, shape-shifting Terminator still wows, impresses, scares, and stuns me over thirty-three years after originally seeing the film. Some of T2's action scenes and sequences, especially the 18-wheeler tractor unit plunge off the overpass and the motorcycle crash into the helicopter still stop my breath. The film's director, James Cameron, made one of the most awesome (if not the most awesome) action films of the 1980s in The Terminator with what amounts to a micro-budget for an action and science fiction movie. With a one-hundred million dollars at his disposal of T2, Cameron and his crew and creative cohorts unleashed the most spectacular action scenes that had been seen in American film to that point.

On the other hand, back when I first saw T2 in 1991, I found it to be bloated. It is easily twenty minutes too long. As a character drama trio, Arnold Schwarzenegger as the Terminator, Linda Hamilton as Sarah Connor, and Edward Furlong as John Connor seem more melodramatic than genuinely dramatic. Much of the family unit feels contrived. Schwarzenegger and Furlong have moments that seem poignant, but there are other moments that are made weaker but Furlong's acting inexperience. That Hamilton had reshaped the soft body she had in the original film into a sinewy, muscular, warrior woman for T2 was and still is impressive. Her performance in this film, however, is loud, even when it should be quieter and more subtle.

I once said that T2 was a two-and-half out of four stars film. I don't know if it is nostalgia, but I like the film more now. Some of it is still landmark and superb, and much of it is very well executed. Still, I think Terminator 2: Judgment Day needed to be tamed, both in terms of it runtime and in the scope of the story. In 1991, it was a hugely discussed and anticipated film. Terminator 2: Judgment Day holds a special place in the filmography of its director, James Cameron. If it were a better film, it would be at the top, where Avatar is now.

6 of 10

★★★ out of 4 stars

Thursday, September 5, 2024

NOTES:

1992 Academy Awards, USA: 4 wins: “Best Sound” (Tom Johnson,Gary Rydstrom, Gary Summers, and Lee Orloff), “Best Effects, Sound Effects Editing” (Gary Rydstrom and Gloria S. Borders), “Best Effects, Visual Effects” (Dennis Muren, Stan Winston, Gene Warren Jr., and Robert Skotak), and “Best Makeup” (Stan Winston and Jeff Dawn); 2 nominations: “Best Cinematography” (Adam Greenberg) and “Best Film Editing” (Conrad Buff IV, Mark Goldblatt, and Richard A. Harris)

1992 BAFTA Awards; 2 wins: “Best Sound” (Lee Orloff, Tom Johnson. Gary Rydstrom, and Gary Summers) and “Best Special Visual Effects” (Stan Winston, Dennis Muren, Gene Warren Jr., and Robert Skotak); 1 nomination: “Best Production Design” (Joseph C. Nemec III)

2023 National Film Preservation Board, USA: “National Film Registry”

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Sunday, September 1, 2024

Review: Netflix's "THE UNION" is Weak Spy Thriller Tea

TRASH IN MY EYE No. 40 of 2024 (No. 1984) by Leroy Douresseaux

The Union (2024)

Running time: 107 minutes (1 hour, 47 minutes)

MPA – PG-13 for sequences of strong violence, suggestive material and some strong language

DIRECTOR: Julian Farino

WRITERS: Joe Barton and David Guggenheim; from a story by David Guggenheim

PRODUCERS: Stephen Levinson, Mark Wahlberg, and Jeff G. Waxman

CINEMATOGRAPHER: Alan Stewart (D.o.P.)

EDITOR: Pia Di Ciaula

COMPOSER: Rupert Gregson-Williams

ACTION/COMEDY/ROMANCE and SPY/THRILLER

Starring: Mark Wahlberg, Halle Berry, J.K. Simmons, Mike Colter, Alice Lee, Jessica De Gouw, Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje, Jackie Earle Haley, Lucy Cork, Stephen Campbell Moore

SUMMARY OF THE REVIEW:

If you are a fan of Mark Wahlberg and/or Halle Berry, you may want to watch this film

Although it does have some good moments and some good production values, “The Union,” comes across as a big-budget made-for-television spy movie or maybe even a straight-to-DVD spy movie

As a romantic comedy, Wahlberg and Berry have good screen chemistry, but the violence in “The Union” makes it hard to be a romantic-comedy

The film ultimately comes across as an average hodge-podge of genres that is only worth your time when you have time to waste

The Union is a 2024 American spy-thriller and action-romantic-comedy from director Julian Farino. Starring Mark Wahlberg and Halle Berry, the film is a “Netflix Original,” and began streaming on Netflix August 16, 2024. The Union focuses on a down-to earth construction worker who is thrust into the world of spies and secret agents by his high school sweetheart, who is a secret agent.

The Union introduces, “the Union,” a covert agency whose agents work behind the scenes as everyday blue collar workers such as road crews, construction workers, garbage collectors, and water and wastewater treatment operators, to name a few. The film opens in the Grand Hotel Castelletto in Trieste, Italy, where the Union prepares to bring in CIA turncoat, Derek Mitchell. However, the mission is botched, and only veteran agent, Roxanne Hall (Halle Berry), survives, but she has a plan.

Roxanne returns to her hometown of Paterson, New Jersey, where she recruits her high school sweetheart, Michael “Mike” McKenna (Mark Wahlberg), a construction worker, into the Union. Despite the protestations of her boss, Tom Brennan (J.K. Simmons), Roxanne convinces Mike to join the Union. Before long, Roxanne and Mike are on a mission, but once again, things go awry. Now, the former lovers have to straighten out this mess and recover some sensitive government intelligence that, if sold on the black market, will endanger the lives of every American spy and secret agent.

Comic book writer, artist, and publisher, Jimmy Palmiotti (DC Comics' Harley Quinn and Radical Publisher's Time Bomb), suggested via Twitter that the 2010 Tom Cruise-Cameron Diaz film, Knight and Day, offers something similar to The Union, but is much better at it. I've been putting off seeing Knight and Day for 14 years, and after trudging through The Union, I think it's time I did the damn thing and saw it.

I like Mark Wahlberg, and Halle Berry is one of my favorite Hollywood people of all time. I really wanted to watch The Union because of them, and I found their screen chemistry sometimes sweet and charming. However, I found The Union to be a slog that took me over a week to watch, as I mostly viewed it in bits and pieces. Sometimes, I had to do something, and other times, I stopped simply because I was bored.

However, the film is not a total loss. It is at times, pleasingly pleasant, although had I watched it in an actual movie theater, I would have not found it pleasant at all. Still, there is about a third of a good action movie here. The Union is for serious fans of Mark Wahlberg and Halle Berry. That's all I can say. That's all I should say, lest I say worse, and this review comes back to haunt me.

5 of 10

C+

★★½ out of 4 stars

Sunday, September 1, 2024

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Thursday, August 22, 2024

Review: Brandon Lee Gives "THE CROW" Staying Power

TRASH IN MY EYE No. 38 of 2024 (No. 1982) by Leroy Douresseaux

The Crow (1994)

Running time: 102 minutes (1 hour, 42 minutes)

MPAA – R for a great amount of strong violence and language, and for drug use and some sexuality

DIRECTOR: Alex Proyas

WRITERS: David J. Schow and John Shirley (based on the comic book series and comics strip created by James O'Barr)

PRODUCERS: Jeff Most and Edward R. Pressman

CINEMATOGRAPHER: Dariusz Wolski (D.o.P.)

EDITORS: Dov Hoenig and M. Scott Smith

COMPOSER: Graeme Revell

SUPERHERO/FANTASY/ACTION/CRIME

Starring: Brandon Lee, Michael Wincott, Ernie Hudson, Rochelle Davis, Bai Ling, Sofia Shinas, Anna Thomson, David Patrick Kelly, Angel David, Laurence Mason, Michael Massee, Tony Todd, Jon Polito, Bill Raymond, Marco Rodriguez, and Kim Sykes

The Crow is a 1994 American superhero and dark fantasy film from director Alex Proyas. The movie is based on The Crow comic book series and on the character that first appeared in the comic book, Caliber Presents #1 (cover dated: January 1989), all created by James O'Barr. The Crow the movie focuses on a musician who returns from the dead a year after he and his girlfriend were brutally murdered to seek vengeance against their murderers.

The Crow is infamous for the death of its lead actor, Brandon Lee (1965-1993), the son of film icon, Bruce Lee. On March 31, 1993, Lee was fatally wounded by a discharge from a prop gun. At that point, Lee had completed almost all his scenes for the film. Through the use of special effects, digital face replacement, stunt doubles, and rewrites, Proyas was able to finish the film, and it was released in May 1994.

The Crow is set in a crime-ravaged and decrepit city that is like Detroit, Michigan, and the story opens on October 30th, Devil's Night (an infamous celebration in Detroit). It introduces rock musician, Eric Draven (Brandon Lee), and his fiancée, Shelly Webster (Sofia Shinas). They are going to be married on Halloween. Instead, Eric is beaten and murdered. Shelly is brutally beaten and raped and later dies of her injuries.

One year later, Eric Draven rises from the grave as an avenging spirit, The Crow (Brandon Lee). He has returned to killed the men who murdered him and Shelly: T-Bird (David Patrick Kelly), Funboy (Michael Massee), Tin Tin (Laurence Mason), and Skank (Angel David). Sarah (Rochelle Davis), a young girl who was Eric and Shelly's friend, and Albrecht (Ernie Hudson), and an outcast police officer, become personally involved in Eric's return as The Crow. Waiting in the background, however, is Top Dollar (Michael Wincott), the crime lord who is connected to what happened to Eric and Shelley and who sees The Crow's rampage as a threat to his criminal empire.

Despite the notoriety it gained because of the onset tragedy, The Crow should also be known as a really good film. It was Alex Proyas first major directorial effort, and that shows in the occasional clumsiness in the flow of the narrative. However, Proyas unleashes a film that is highly-stylized and drenched in darkness that has a painterly quality. In other films, this darkness would merely be a case of a poor lighting and mediocre cinematography. Here, the film's production values and contributions from the cinematographer, production design/art direction team, hair and make-up crew, and film editors contribute to the creation of dark and gloomy cinematic art.

Proyas finds the film's substance in Eric Draven/The Crow's quest for revenge. In this film, retribution has depth, weight, feel soul; in that, The Crow is like its comic book source material. Proyas finds power and vulnerability in his lead character the way he finds power and juice in the violence that must happen before Draven can return to his grave.

Proyas, who would go on to direct Will Smith in I, Robot (2004), gets fine performances from a number of supporting actors, especially Ernie Hudson, Michael Wincott, and Rochelle Davis. He gets the most out of his star, Brandon Lee, who was likely on the verge of blowing up. In this film, Lee has his own charisma and presence, different from that of his father, Bruce Lee, who made his most charismatic turn in Enter the Dragon (1973). Was The Crow going to be Brandon's Enter the Dragon? I don't know, but Brandon makes The Crow feel solid in its slightest moments and grander in its biggest and most violent moments.

The Crow is a flawed jewel, but not a heavily flawed jewel. Also, I imagine that it is a lot more influential than movie buffs realize. I can see bits and pieces of it in later films like Blade (1998), The Matrix (1999), and The Dark Knight (2008). The on-set death of its star cast a melancholy mood over The Crow, but the determination of the filmmakers, cast, and crew eventually brought it out to the public. The Crow is not a morbid curiosity. It is more like a rose that survived a deluge of misfortune.

8 of 10

★★★★ out of 4 stars

Thursday, August 22, 2024

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Friday, August 16, 2024

Review: "ALIEN: ROMULUS" is Proud to Be an "Alien" Film

TRASH IN MY EYE No. 37 of 2024 (No. 1981) by Leroy Douresseaux

Alien: Romulus (2024)

Running time: 119 minutes (1 hour, 59 minutes)

MPA – R for bloody violent content and language

DIRECTOR: Fede Alvarez

WRITERS: Fede Alvarez and Rodo Sayagues (based on characters created by by Dan O'Bannon and Ronald Shusett)

PRODUCERS: Walter Hill, Ridley Scott, and Michael Pruss

CINEMATOGRAPHER: Galo Olivares (D.o.P.)

EDITOR: Jake Roberts

COMPOSER: Benjamin Wallfisch

SCI-FI/HORROR/THRILLER/ACTION

Starring: Cailee Spaeny, David Jonsson, Archie Reaux, Isabela Merced, Spike Fearn, Aileen Wu, and Robert Bobrocyzki

SUMMARY OF THE REVIEW:

Alien: Romulus is a solid science fiction movie that wholeheartedly embraces the horror movie roots of the Alien film franchise

Director Fede Alvarez and his creative cohorts deliberately make Romulus look and feel like a film from the early days of the Alien franchise, as the film is set between Alien (1979) and Aliens (1986)

Alien: Romulus is a bit over the top, especially at the end, but David Jonsson's performance as “Andy” keeps everything on point in this film that is for longtime fans and will certainly create new Alien fans

Alien: Romulus is a 2024 American science fiction, horror, and action film from director Fede Alvarez. It is the seventh entry in the Alien film series (and the ninth overall when including the Alien vs. Predator films). Alien: Romulus focuses on a group of young space colonists who come face to face with a terrifying life form while scavenging aboard a derelict space station.

Alien: Romulus introduces Rain Carradine (Cailee Spaeny), an orphaned young woman. She lives and works on the mining colony of “Jackson's Star.” She lives with a surrogate brother, Andy (David Jonsson), a malfunctioning android or “synthetic human” who was reprogrammed by Rain's late father to be her companion. After her work contract is unexpectedly extended, she realizes that her employers, the mega-corporation, Weyland-Yutani, realizes that she will be trapped on Jackson's Star at least another five years.

However, her ex-boyfriend, Tyler (Archie Reaux), has a plan. He has discovered that a derelict space station has drifted into orbit around Jackson's Star. Tyler believes that the station has cryonic stasis chambers (for suspended animation), which they could salvage. The cryogenic units would allow them to make the nine-year journey to the next nearest human colony, a remote planet named “Yvaga.”

Andy is essential for the mention because he can communicate with the space station's computer systems. Rain and Andy join Tyler and his crew: his sister, Kay (Isabela Merced); their cousin, Bjorn (Spike Fearn); and a pilot, Navarro (Aileen Wu). After boarding “the Corbelan,” a mining hauler, they head for the space station. What none of them realize is that waiting aboard the space station is a decades-old secret conspiracy and the most terrifying life form in the universe.

After watching Alien: Romulus last night, I realize it is shamelessly proud to be an Alien film, and that it gleefully embraces the good, the bad, and the ugly that is the franchise's wacky narrative. Although it is a standalone film, Romulus is set between the events depicted in Alien (1979) and its sequel, Aliens (1986), and directly references story elements from both films. Romulus also references story and elements from the franchise's prequel film, Prometheus (2012), and at least one of the original Alien sequels, Alien: Resurrection (1997).

I did not like Romulus director's Fede Alvarez's Hollywood calling card, Evil Dead, a 2013 “re-imagining” of Sam Raimi's beloved cult classic, The Evil Dead (1981). Alvarez's Evil Dead had none of the imagination of the original, and it was as if Alvarez was using his film to purge the Evil Dead franchise of its flavor. Here, Alvarez and his co-writer, Rodo Sayagues, immerse this new Alien film in the trappings of the franchise, and the result is a very good science fiction film that celebrates the horror that science, the future, and technology can unleash upon mankind. And Romulus is a gory, bloody, body-ripping scary movie.

What keeps Alien: Romulus from being great is that Alvarez offers too much of everything – too much peril and too, too many cliffhangers. At times, Romulus feels like sound and fury signifying overload. As he did in Evil Dead, Alvarez offers a group of characters who are nothing more than intended victims, and that goes even for the “final girl,” Rain.

However, the script does invest nuance and character in Andy, brilliant played by David Jonsson, a British actor. Jonsson steals Romulus by dabbling in multiple layers, making Andy frightening, sympathetic, and mesmerizing. Jonsson's turn as Andy reminds me of British actor Chukwudi Iwuji's turn as the “High Evolutionary” in Disney/Marvel's Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 (2023). Jonsson vastly elevates the character drama in Romulus, as the other actors do their best work with him, especially Cailee Spaeny as the ostensible lead, Rain.

Alien: Romulus is a welcome return of the Alien franchise's roots, as it firmly sets itself in the tone, style, and aesthetic of the franchise's earlier films. I heartily recommend Alien: Romulus to fans of the franchise and also to those who want to be fans.

7 of 10

A-

★★★½ out of 4 stars

Friday, August 16, 2024

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Wednesday, July 24, 2024

Review: "DEADPOOL 2" is Funnier and Friendlier Than the Original

TRASH IN MY EYE No. 33 of 2024 (No. 1977) by Leroy Douresseaux

Deadpool 2 (2018)

Running time: 119 minutes (1 hour, 59 minutes)

MPAA – R for strong violence and language throughout, sexual references and brief drug material

DIRECTOR: David Leitch

WRITERS: Rhett Reese & Paul Wernick and Ryan Reynolds (based on Marvel Comics characters)

PRODUCERS: Ryan Reynolds, Simon Kinberg, and Lauren Shuler Donner

CINEMATOGRAPHER: Jonathan Sela (D.o.P.)

EDITORS: Craig Alpert, Elisabet Ronaldsdottir, and Dirk Westervelt

COMPOSER: Tyler Bates

SUPERHERO/COMEDY/ACTION

Starring: Ryan Reynolds, Josh Brolin, Julian Dennison, Morena Baccarin, Zazie Beetz, T.J. Miller, Karan Soni, Brianna Hildebrand, Leslie Uggams, Eddie Marsan, Shioli Kutsuna, Jack Kesy, Michasha Armstrong, and Stefan Kapicic (voice) with Rob Delaney, Lewis Tan, Bill Skarsgard, Terry Crews, Brad Pitt, Alan Tudyk, Matt Damon, Nicholas Hoult, James McAvoy, Evan Peters, Tye Sheridan, Alexandra Shipp, Kodi Smit-McPhee, and Robert Wellman

Deadpool 2 is a 2018 American superhero film and action-comedy from director David Leitch. It is a spin-off film in 20th Century Fox’s X-Men film series and is the eleventh film overall in the series. It is a direct sequel to Deadpool (2016) and is also the second entry in the Deadpool movie franchise. The film is based on the Marvel Comics character, Deadpool, that was created by artist Rob Liefeld and writer Fabian Nicieza, and first appeared in New Mutants #98 (cover dated: December 1990). Deadpool 2 finds the wisecracking Deadpool trying to protect a fiery young mutant from a time-traveling cyborg.

Deadpool 2 finds Wade Wilson/Deadpool (Ryan Reynolds), the smart-mouthed mutant mercenary, doing what he likes to do – brutally slaughter bad guys. However, his violent activities catch up with him at home, and tragedy befalls his beloved Vanessa Carlysle (Morena Baccarin). Deep in grief and depression, Deadpool tries to kill himself, but is rescued by Colossus (voice of Stefan Kapicic), the giant mutant who has a body of organic steel. Colossus still wants Deadpool to changes his ways and also wants him to join the X-Men – as a trainee.

On his first mission as a trainee, Deadpool and the X-Men, which includes Negasonic Teenage Warhead (Brianna Hildebrand) and her girlfriend, Yukio (Shioli Kutsuna), travel to the “Essex House for Mutant Rehabilitation.” There, they find one angry teenager, Russell Collins (Julian Dennison), in crisis. He is a young mutant with pyrokinetic power, and he has given himself the unfortunate code name of “Fire Fist.” Deadpool's attempt to save the young man has disastrous results, and now, Deadpool has to save Russell from Cable (Josh Brolin), a time-traveling cyborg who has arrived in the present determined to kill the teen. So Deadpool forms his own X-team, called “X-Force,” with tragically hilarious and hilariously tragic results.

We are nearing the release of the latest Disney/Marvel Studios blockbuster movie, Deadpool & Wolverine (2024). I decided to watch and review the previous X-Men films: Deadpool, Logan (2017), and Deadpool 2, that lead up to the new film.

Deadpool is humorous and silly, but it was primarily an action movie with drama and humor. It heavily leans into brutally strong violence, frequent profane language, and explicit sexual references. Deadpool 2 also has brutally strong violence, constant profane language, and some explicit sexual references. However, Deadpool is a comedy, and everything serves the comedy, including the drama, superhero action, and even much of the killing.

As he does for Deadpool, Ryan Reynolds makes Deadpool, a film that could not exist without his schtick. He is the spine of this film's comedy and is the reason so much of it works when it would be disastrous for other performers. The supporting cast is good, but not great. Josh Brolin has his moments as Cable, but the Cable is more of a prop than a persona. Zazie Beetz creates moments for Domino to shine which otherwise wouldn't be there. Julian Dennison is mostly convincing as the angry young mutant, Russell Collins, especially in the second half of the film.

I find Deadpool 2 a definite, delightful surprise. I never expected much of it because I really did not care for what I had previously seen. Now, a full and patient viewing makes me think that Deadpool 2 is an occasion when the sequel surpasses the original.

7 of 10

A-

★★★½ out of 4 stars

Wednesday, July 24, 2024

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Sunday, July 21, 2024

Review: "LOGAN" is Mournful, Violent, and Hopeful

TRASH IN MY EYE No. 32 of 2024 (No. 1976) by Leroy Douresseaux

Logan (2017)

Running time: 137 minutes (2 hours, 17 minutes)

MPAA – PG-13 for strong brutal violence and language throughout, and for brief nudity

DIRECTOR: James Mangold

WRITERS: James Mangold & Scott Frank and Michael Green; from a story by James Mangold (based on the characters and stories appearing in Marvel Comics)

PRODUCERS: Simon Kinberg, Hutch Parker, and Lauren Shuler Donner

CINEMATOGRAHER: John Mathieson (D.o.P.)

EDITORS: Michael McCusker and Dirk Westervelt

COMPOSER: Marco Beltrami

Academy Award nominee

SUPERHERO/ACTION/DRAMA

Starring: Hugh Jackman, Patrick Stewart, Dafne Keen, Boyd Holbrook, Stephen Merchant, Elizabeth Rodriguez, Richard E. Grant, Eriq La Salle, Elise Neal, Quincy Fouse, Jason Genao, and Bryant Tardy

Logan is a 2017 American drama, action film and superhero movie from director James Mangold. Starring Hugh Jackman in the title role, it is the tenth film in 20th Century Fox's X-Men movie franchise and is also the third entry in the Wolverine film series. Logan is based on the Marvel Comics character, Logan/Wolverine, that was created by writer Len Wein and artists John Romita and Herb Trimpe and first fully appeared in the comic book, The Incredible Hulk #181 (cover dated: November 1974). Logan the movie focuses on a legendary mutant trying to save a mutant child from the evil people determined to capture her.

Logan opens in the year 2029. Mutants are nearly extinct, and no new mutants have been born in 24 years. The aging and ailing Logan (Hugh Jackman) works as a limousine driver in El Paso, Texas. Once upon a time, he was known as “Wolverine,” and he was a member of the legendary band of mutants, the “X-Men.” Now, he and the elderly founder of the X-Men, Charles Xavier (Patrick Stewart), live in hiding. Xavier suffers from a degenerative brain condition, and he sometimes has telepathic seizures that render anyone in the vicinity virtually helpless. A mutant known as “Caliban” (Stephen Merchant) helps Logan care for Charles.

Logan has plans for escape, but a complication arrives in the form of a small girl named Laura (Dafne Keen), also known as test subject “X23.” She is a mutant and her abilities are remarkably similar to those of Wolverine's. However, she is being hunted by Donald Pierce (Boyd Holbrook) and his band of killers, the “Reavers.” They are in service of the research institute, Alkali Transigen, and the scientists there want her back no matter what it costs in terms of lives. Will Logan become the hero Wolverine, again, and help Laura get to a place called “Eden?” Or will he run away from his fate, again?

Having seen the first two Wolverine films, X-Men Origins: Wolverine (2009) and The Wolverine (2013), I did not go to the theater to see Logan when it was originally released in 2017. [In my defense, I was knee deep in catastrophic family drama at the time.] With the impending release of the upcoming Marvel Studios film, Deadpool & Wolverine, I decided it was time.

My was I missing an excellent film. Logan is by far the best of the Wolverine films, and at the time of its release, it was the best X-Men since 2011's X-Men: First Class. Truthfully, Logan would end up being the last really good X-Men film produced by 20th Century Fox.

Logan, which was rated “R” by the MPAA, is one of the most violent superhero films that I've ever seen. Logan, Laura, and a surprise character called “X24” disembowel, dismember, behead, eviscerate, stab, and chop up what seems like a small town's worth of deserving men of various stripes. Although I can sometimes be a prude about what I see as gratuitous violence in cinema, I love the brutal violence of Logan. In fact, all the action scenes in Logan are brilliant, from the standoffs to the fights and car chases.

However, director James Mangold, a filmmaker with a hugely diverse filmography, makes Logan turn on dramatic storytelling and performances. It is obvious that Hugh Jackman as Logan and Patrick Stewart as Charles Xavier would give fine performances. Still, actor and comedian, Stephen Merchant, is simply wonderful in the important supporting role of Caliban, bringing pathos and depth to a role that could have ended up being an extraneous freak character.

Boyd Holbrook also brings range and a variety of moods to Donald Pierce, another character that could have been a generic mercenary type. Dafne Keen matches the rage and range of Jackman as Logan. Laura could have been lost in the hurricane that is Logan/Wolverine's story in this film, but Keen makes Laura a force of her own. Also, I would be remiss if I didn't mention that Eriq La Salle makes the most of his short time on screen as Will Munson.

Logan is a mournful film. It really is not a sequel to the earlier Wolverine films so much as it is the completion of Logan/Wolverine's tragic, but heroic story arc that buttressed the earlier films. Logan is both an ending and a beginning, and I wish that the care and effort put into this film had been put into some of the other X-Men films.

8 of 10

★★★★ out of 4 stars

Sunday, July 21, 2024

NOTES:

2018 Academy Awards, USA: 1 nomination: “Best Adapted Screenplay” (Scott Frank, James Mangold, and Michael Green)

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Wednesday, July 17, 2024

Review: "DEADPOOL" Goes in Through the Back Door on the Superhero Film

TRASH IN MY EYE No. 31 of 2024 (No. 1975) by Leroy Douresseaux

Deadpool (2016)

Running time: 108 minutes (1 hour, 48 minutes)

MPAA – R for strong violence and language throughout, sexual content and graphic nudity

DIRECTOR: Tim Miller

WRITERS: Rhett Reese and Paul Wernick (based on Marvel Comics characters)

PRODUCERS: Ryan Reynolds, Simon Kinberg, and Lauren Shuler Donner

CINEMATOGRAPHER: Ken Seng (D.o.P.)

EDITOR: Julian Clark

COMPOSER: Tom Holkenborg

SUPERHERO/ACTION/COMEDY

Starring: Ryan Reynolds, Morena Baccarin, T.J. Miller, Ed Skrein, Karan Soni, Brianna Hildebrand, Gina Carano, Leslie Uggams, Stan Lee, and Stefan Kapicic (voice)

Deadpool is a 2016 American superhero film and action-comedy from director Tim Miller. It is a spin-off film in 20th Century Fox’s X-Men film series and is the eighth film overall in the series. It is also the first entry in what would become the Deadpool movie franchise. The film is based on the Marvel Comics character, Deadpool, that was created by artist Rob Liefeld and writer Fabian Nicieza, and first appeared in New Mutants #98 (cover dated: December 1990). Deadpool the movie focuses on a wisecracking costumed antihero who seeks revenge against the man who left him hideously scarred after a series of experiments.

Deadpool introduces Wade Wilson (Ryan Reynolds), a smart-mouthed mercenary and former special forces operative (“the merc with a mouth”). Wade's life takes a dramatic turn when he meets and falls in love with Vanessa Carlysle (Morena Baccarin), a prostitute. However, after a whirlwind romance, Wade discovers that he has terminal cancer, but as he is preparing to accept death, he learns of a lab run by the mysterious Ajax (Ed Skrein). Ajax promises to not only cure Wade's cancer, but to also give him powers and make him a superhero. Unfortunately, Ajax is a lying monster.

Although the experiments leave his face and body hideously disfigured, Wade is rendered virtually immortal when his mutant power activates and gives him incredibly accelerated healing powers. Taking the name, “Deadpool,” Wade goes on a mission of revenge. On the other hand, Colossus, the mutant who has a giant organic steel body, wants Deadpool to join the X-Men and become a superhero. Will Deadpool become a good guy, or will he simply keep piling up dismembered and bullet-riddled bodies on the way to his reunion with Ajax?

We are nearing the release of the latest Disney/Marvel Studios blockbuster movie, Deadpool & Wolverine (2024). I had seen Deadpool and Deadpool 2, previously, but I had never reviewed them. I decided that now is the time to foist my opinions upon you, dear readers. I'm also going to watch and review, Logan (2017), the one X-Men movie I have been unable to finish.

Gleefully profane in language and sexual content, Deadpool was a surprise to movie audiences upon its February 2016 original theatrical release. It was an R-rated superhero movie, and it was proud of it. At the time, movie audiences had seen plenty of movies featuring superheroes, ordinary heroes, and anti-heroes, in which the lead character brutally kills his adversaries. None of those films had done it like Deadpool, although 2013's The Wolverine, had tried.

The foul language is in such abundance in Deadpool that there are moments when it all seems like too much, but even in those moments, I started laughing after being repulsed for a few seconds. I think a movie has to be doing something right when it has even Emmy and Tony-winning actress, Leslie Uggams (as Blind Al), dropping F-bombs.

For all the credit I give director Tim Miller and film editor, Julian Clark, for this film's fast action and eye-popping dances of violence, actor Ryan Reynolds makes Deadpool work. Yeah, the sex scenes are a bit too long and too over-the-top, but it never seems as if Wade Wilson/Deadpool is talking too much. Reynolds makes Deadpool different and unique; he makes it work. Eight years after its original theatrical release, Deadpool and its superhero cinema blasphemy still seem fresh.

7 of 10

B+

★★★½ out of 4 stars

Wednesday, July 17, 2024

NOTES:

2017 Golden Globes, USA: 2 nominations: “Best Motion Picture - Musical or Comedy” and “Best Performance by an Actor in a Motion Picture - Musical or Comedy” (Ryan Reynolds)

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