Tuefer_Benz Reviews

The Empty Man (2020)

An Amalgamation That Aims High

[7/10 · 7 August 2021]

The Empty Man is a kitchen sink of horror genres: wilderness survival, slasher, urban legend, cult, cosmic, rubber reality / mindf@ck. It achieves more of an amalgamation than a true synthesis, but the attempt is admirable and superior to the vast majority of 'Lovecraftian' movies. It deserves its second life on home video, but it's only quite good rather than great - which is still far better than almost anyone expected it to be.

The Suicide Squad (2021)

Flawed by overindulgence

[7/10 · 6 August 2021]

A slapstick comedy in which brain splattering takes the place of pratfalls, it makes the Deadpool movies seem restrained in comparison. Not necessarily a good thing. Turns into a mean-spirited horror-comedy, a big budget Troma. Sadly, most of the best moments are in the trailer, except for a handful like the Ratcatcher flashback.

Overreliance on 'Long setup... Sudden reversal!' Examples: the Deadpool 2 / MacGruber-esque false beginning, Flag was a guest rather than a prisoner, Harley Quinn whirlwind romance with the general, the depressive, self-effacing Polka Dot Man "I'm a superhero!"

Nazi research facility and US space program seem shoehorned together. Kind of an indirect Operation Paperclip reference? Why does Waller tolerate deadpool (not the character) betting between the very people who have a conflict of interest between keeping operatives alive and letting them die? Waller kills a roomful of innocent people just for knowing too much in the first one but doesn't disappear employees who let her get knocked out and contradicted her orders? Also, wouldn't Starro, which can keep multiplying extensions of itself, constitute a global threat as grave as Enchantress and Incubus? So pretty dumb of Waller to be okay with that. Was Blackguard's name always pronounced that way? If I had been more into it, these questions probably wouldn't have occurred to me. A lesser DCEU and a lesser Gunn.

The Green Knight (2021)

Arthouse Fantasy Should Be Better

[5/10 · 31 July 2021]

There are many problems of what will likely be the most overrated movie of 2021, but most of them can be characterized as literalization and/or superficial referencing. St Winifred is a non-Arthurian cameo little different from Rick & Morty in Space Jam. Shoehorning her because beheading is ham-handed. The sash is soiled with semen because it represents blah blah blah. Symbols are less, not more, effective if you literalize them. The meanings of green and red dialog is cringey and obvious stoned dorm room chatter. Shouldn't the movie's theses of the meaning of the green in Green Knight be present in the imagery of the story? It is a movie, after all, not a blog post. Sure, why not rip off the last act of The Last Temptation of Christ, since like Christ Gawain is self-sacrificing? This is middlebrow One Perfect Shot moviemaking that thinks it's Cocteau, Pasolini, or Jarman. It isn't.

Blood Red Sky (2021)

Excellent premise and beginning terribly botched

[3/10 · 24 July 2021]

Great premise, promising beginning but overlong, overstuffed, too many bad cliches. Cliches: 1) the antagonist who keeps conveniently finding clues that happen to thwart the protagonist and move the plot forward, 2) the scenery-chewing psycho who rattles the other crooks, an extremely annoying character who almost singlehandedly ruins the film, 3) way complicated hijacking plot complete with DB Cooper parachuting, 4) all terrorism is false flag - see The Long Kiss Goodnight - if not Islamic terrorists at least make them white supremacists or Russian mobsters, something plausible!, 5) the authorities blame/suspect wrong people, 6) too much table-turning: hijackers got the plane - tables turned! Then turned again etc.

The premise is so good it almost writes itself. At least keep it fast moving and simple. Instead, it got botched, drowned in irritating movie tropes.

Raya and the Last Dragon (2021)

Otherwise Excellent Movie With A Serious Flaw

[7/10 · 11 June 2021]

The final act of the movie is effectively an abuser enabler manifesto. The message of the movie seems to be that if a betrayer repeatedly lies and manipulates in order to hurt you and others (the whole world in this case) you need to redouble your trust - the very trust they rewarded with treachery - in order to set an example for them. That you should be so trusting and serene that even when they have a weapon aimed at your friend with their twitchy finger on the trigger you should do nothing, and if you act and your friend dies it is equally your fault - that is, it is not entirely their fault for causing the situation. Even after killing Sisu, Namaari did not accept full responsibility for her actions. Namaari did not even do what she should have done all along until Raya was dead (turned to stone) and presumably the whole world, including her mother, was dead and so she had nothing to lose. And she and her despicable mother paid no price, no loss of status, no recompense for any of their actions, they are just instantly forgiven, redeemed, and reconciled with everyone else with zero consequences.

Batman: The Animated Series (1992–1995)

The Greatest Animated Superhero Series

[9/10 · 17 April 2021]

Why BTAS (not The New Adventures, which is its own thing) is as great as they say:

• beautiful, atmospheric backgrounds and character designs, combined with the score
• excellent voice work of course
• timeless in both 20th C anachronistic setting and animation style (as opposed to very 90s TNA), looks more like a companion series to Fleischer's Superman than to Superman: The Animated Series
• Batman/Bruce Wayne is neither campy nor a brutal fighting machine; he can be gruff but has a sense of humor and human sentiment; he does actual detective work including undercover in disguises; he can lose fights or be surprised rather than being superhuman
• real pathos and memorable backstories with several of the villains
• has a balance of elements and faithfulness to pre-Dark Knight Returns era Batman that has never been replicated in live action
• established a great foundation for the DCAU and future DC adaptations but also stands on its own as a unique creation.

Wonder Woman: Bloodlines (2019)

Second best Wonder Woman movie

[8/10 · 27 March 2021]

One of the very best of the often-middling DCAMU and the second best Wonder Women movie, exceeding even the already classic 2009 movie. Bloodlines is about relationships: mothers and daughters, friends and mentors, and how these can lead to betrayal or at least perception of betrayal. And sometimes, reconciliation. Also, like the 2017 movie there's a likable Etta Candy and a far from useless Steve Trevor. Also, without spoiling anything, violence-wise it goes there!

Alien Worlds (2020)

Garbage compared with Extraterrestrial and Alien Planet

[4/10 · 20 February 2021]

Extraterrestrial and Alien Planet, both from 2005, were each a bit over an hour and a half. This is about three hours. It is very padded with extraneous and uninteresting footage about handling birds of prey and the like and scientists yammering on without providing much information. It's similar to the difference between dinosaur documentaries of 20 years ago or so like the magnificent Walking With Dinosaurs and those today. Designing programs for binging has ruined documentary series.

The War of the Worlds (2019)

Painfully Mediocre

[5/10 · 22 January 2021]

It starts off well. But like the event horizon of a black hole, the closer you get to the end the more time slows down. It should have been an hour shorter. A 1:40 movie, not a mini-series.

Another problem is that while sexism, imperialism, and religious fanaticism are surely bad, and could be touched on in this (Wells even had imperialism in mind) this does so in the most heavy-handed, artless, un-cinematic way possible: by having characters argue about them.

Third, it's more soap opera than alien invasion. A guy is trying to leave an unhappy marriage, is living unmarried with a woman (scandalous at the time), and estranged from his brother. Who cares. I was rooting for the Martians.

Overall, it was so tedious that despite the period setting, special effects, and serviceable creature and war machine designs it's not as entertaining as even the Asylum version, much less Spielberg's and the best, George Pal's.

Happy Halloween, Scooby-Doo! (2020 Video)

Scooby Franchise Deserves Better

[3/10 · 7 October 2020]

Absolutely pales in comparison to other autumn/Halloween-themed movies Witch's Ghost and Goblin King. "Mind palace" from Sherlock, seriously? Avocado toast? "Mary Sue"? Worst of all, a boring, insipid story that's like a half hour episode stretched out beyond the breaking point? And as Halloween episodes, Spooky Scarecrow and Be Cool's 'Halloween' were far better. Scoob!, all is forgiven.

So Velma is now not only the leader like Fred (who is now a moron) was but also an action badass like early 00s Daphne was?

Finally, the question of whether Scooby is better if monsters are real or are fake (with an equally outlandish explanation) has been answered by the 'monsters are real' Mook movies, the live action theatrical movies, and Ghoul School, among the best that the franchise has produced.

Focus less on guest stars and more on writing good stories. Mystery Incorporated and Be Cool accomplished that within the last decade, so the movies can do that as well.

Pets United (2019)

A Fun Movie With An Interesting Concept

[7/10 · 12 September 2020]

The Secret Life Of Pets meets... any of those sci-fi dystopias in which machines take over. It has distinct characters with good design, slapsticky action, some genuine humor, and a bit of heart. Yes, it's awkward, odd, has some off-putting elements but for an animated movie premiering in the US on Netflix it's pretty good.

Scoob! (2020)

A mixed bag that is charming overall

[7/10 · 23 August 2020]

I didn't mind the Hanna-Barbera universe-building since among my favorite episodes of Mystery Incorporated are the Hanna-Barbera crossovers. Yes, Will Forte is the most off-model Shaggy ever but he was at least trying to do the voice and he did supply the emotional bond with Scooby. Gina Rodriguez, while also fine at emoting, didn't even make an attempt to do Velma's voice - unlike every single voice and live action Velma in the history of the franchise.

Other complaints: Simon Cowell - really? What year is it, 2005? And why is 'Fred is a dumb jock who happens to drive the Mystery Machine' being resurrected? Mystery Incorporated and Be Cool, Scooby Doo had an intelligent, psychologically complex Fred, and Where Are You's Fred certainly wasn't a meathead. Still, despite those problems it had some fun visuals and nice character moments so I wouldn't mind a sequel.

Be Cool, Scooby-Doo! (2015–2018)

One of the high points of the entire franchise

[9/10 · 20 July 2020]

People tend to focus on the designs and overlook the excellent attention to character. The best Fred, hands down. Explores his obsession with solving mysteries (rather than traps like Mystery Incorporated and the recent movies) and makes him a person willing to become more self-aware. Daphne is drawn to adventure, not a crush on Fred. When she's not doing her zaniness of the week she shows that her hyper-privileged background has given her a certain savvy about how the world works. Wonderful voice acting by Welker and Griffin too. Why a person as brilliant as Velma would hang out with the gang is addressed. Micucci is a fine replacement for the terrific Cohn. Lillard's Shaggy is great as ever, and this Shaggy questions his role in the gang more than usual. Scooby is given his funniest lines ever.

Scooby-Doo and Guess Who? (2019–2021)

Fun but two-dimensional

[6/10 · 20 July 2020]

After the four Mook movies (starting with Zombie Island), Mystery Incorporated, and even Be Cool, Scooby Doo! fleshed out the characters with more complex motivations and layers of their personalities, this throwback makes them 2-dimensional again, almost caricatures who make their signature exclamations ("Jinkies!" etc.) at every opportunity. It appears to be written for a younger audience than other incarnations of Scooby-Doo of the past two decades. Even the Hex Girls seemed like simpler versions of themselves. Still, it's kind of fun with an appealing look.

The Old Guard (2020)

It's been done, and done better

[6/10 · 10 July 2020]

Regenerating warriors, secret human experimentation, ruthless CEOs. Casca, Deadpool (2016), Bloodshot, The Wolverine (2013) etc. it's been done before in whole or part. Even the non-superpowered 6 Underground is similar. The same grunts spewing merc-talk, the same heartless scientists, the same unwillingness of characters to explain anything to each other unless the plot demands exposition. And this is a particularly lackluster take, with sluggish pace, boring characters, muddled motivations. There's nothing to recommend this except for Charlize Theron, who like Jared Leto seems to be immortal in real life.

ThunderCats Roar (2020)

An Underated Fun Show

[9/10 · 24 March 2020]

Yes, the haters are right in that it looks like every other so-called Cal Arts show. Specifically, the look and tone is like Teen Titans Go meets Adventure Time. If that's not your thing, that's fine, but it doesn't make TCR inherently bad. It's a fun show with some clever bits of writing and cartoonily kinetic action. I'm a Gen Xer and while I was not a devoted fan of the original it was an entertaining watch with good character design. I never caught the '11 anime-style reboot, which seems closer to what Masters of the Universe '02 and She-Ra '18 did. But this isn't designed for fans of the original series; it's made to appeal to kids (and maybe young adults who miss Adventure Time). The series will stand or fall with them, not vindictive fans of the original.

Update: After watching more episodes I'm changing my rating to 9/10.