brionesb Reviews

Atlas (2024)

Run of the mill sci-fi/action movie from Netflix

[5/10 · 26 May 2024]

When I originally saw the teaser trailer while browsing through content to binge on Netflix, I came across this and thought it looked alright. The visual effects and Jennnifer Lopez were enough to catch my attention at the very least, and so I figured this couldn't be any worse than the other stuff Netflix puts out on their service...

The basic story is your usual megalomaniacal villain(Simu Liu) is an AI cyborg that intends to wipe out humanity because it has deemed us to be the ultimate problem. Take every trope from Robocop/Terminator/sci-fi action film, throw in a dash of A. I.(the Spielberg movie) and you've got Atlas! This is such a paint by numbers movie that it's not even funny.... Opening with a cool showdown with a big burly mid-boss type of character? Check. Show cool high tech visuals of the city and some tech that really don't play any role in the plot? Check. Introduce genius intellect character who is a rebel who knows more than everyone and somehow saves the day despite going contrary to everything they are told that would normally result in most characters dying? Check. Big action climax where the hero somehow wins because they were saved by another throwaway character at the last minute? Check.

My main issues with this movie center around Jennifer Lopez and the way her character is written.... Talk about an abrasive & annoyingly written character! I swear that she literally goes against all advice and common sense and yet somehow manages to survive situations that would kill most characters and end the story. Sure, I get it, being the rebellious "antihero" type of character, she has to go against everything & find her way in order to finally overcome everything and defeat the bad guy but this is just over the top. I nearly turned off the movie because of how incredibly irritatingly stupid her character was. The rest of the characters are very throwaway and just there to provide enough dialog and actions to move the plot forward.

All in all, this movie just goes to show how Netflix and streaming has absolutely replaced the low quality crap that used to get put out on DVD/VHS and land in video rental shelves. The only difference here is that the visual effects are a bit better and you don't have to go to your local Blockbuster or video rental store to find something to watch that may or may not be disappointing. I will say that towards the end, I found the bond that finally developed between Smith AI & JLo to be decent but it took a lot of time and crappy story to get there but at least it's there! If you're bored or need something on in the background while you play a video game or do something at home, this will do. Otherwise, stay away unless you enjoy this type of sci-fi/action movie...

Monkey Man (2024)

Solid but flawed action thriller from Dev Patel

[6/10 · 5 April 2024]

I really wish I was coming here to say that Monkey Man lived up to the hype presented in the trailer. What I originally saw being presented was a movie about a fighter in a monkey mask that fights in both an illegal underground fight circuit & a bunch of very bad people that wronged him somehow. The trailer mostly had a lot of great and crazy action shots and had me thinking I'd be in for a rollercoaster thrill ride of nonstop action! This was not the case for me...

The basic premise of the story is that Dev Patel plays a guy named Kid who seems to be getting by in life fighting in an illegal underground fight tournament where he is paid to take tons of brutal punishment and make the "real" fighters look good. As the story goes on, we find out through flashbacks about how Kid was very attached to his mother who would tell him stories about Hanuman, a great & legendary warrior who was half human and half monkey.

We eventually find out that Kid's mother was murdered by Rana Singh, the chief of police, who is the top lieutenant to Baba Shakti, while they were invading the homeland area that Kid and his mother lived. Because this occurred when Kid was very young, it has stuck with him until now and has made him quite numb, or so it is implied.

Ok, not that bad of a premise right? Unfortunately what I just mentioned as being the hook of the story isn't revealed until a little over halfway through the movie. Prior to this bit of story being unveiled, it was unclear why Kid was allowing himself to take beat downs in the underground fight circuit or why he was trying to get a job working for a lady named Queenie. Up through this point, it isn't at all clear why Kid is doing what he is doing which left me frustrated because there was no rhyme or reason to what was happening.

The action & fight scenes when they happen are very kinetic, energetic and brutal.... When the camera isn't shaking like crazy as other reviewers have mentioned. This was very irritating to me because as I mentioned earlier, when they actually show the fights clearly, the choreography is quite amazing and bone shattering. The other problem presented is that the action elements aren't spaced out well throughout the story. After the initial fight at the underground fighting circuit, nothing happens again until Kid has his first encounter with Rana at the club. And then after that action sequence it slows down again before picking back up just as the 2nd act winds down and the 3rd act begins. Honestly, I have no real issues with actions scenes being spaced out through a movie like this but the good ones have a good ebb & flow where things steadily build up until the climax.

The overall story, once I was able to put all the pieces together is decent. I think however Kid's motivations needed to be made a little clearer from the start, with more and more information being given as things progress. As it was presented, it was frustrating because it is unclear why Kid is doing what he is doing and everything seems random.

All that being said, Monkey Man is a solid but flawed film. The bones for a good story and movie are there and the action choreography when it can be clearly seen is also solid, it just wasn't executed well. With this being the case, the movie is still good and a nice and fresh take on a well worn story of revenge. Definitely not the worst movie I've seen but certainly a very frustrating one to watch given the promise of the trailer.

Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire (2024)

Meh - Been there, done that...

[5/10 · 29 March 2024]

Initially when I saw the trailers for Godzilla x Kong, I was a bit excited for the new entry. A team up of the 2 most well known modern day monsters with all out action? Normally this should be a slam dunk but I think the problem with this movie is that there is literally nowhere to go with the story that we haven't been.

In a nutshell, the scientists working at Monarch detect signal anomalies that are coming from Hollow Earth but can't figure out its origin and who is sending them. They trek on downward, discover the signal's origin & discover that there is a villainous gorilla like Kong who is trying to escape and reign terror on those living up top. Godzilla & Kong team-up, hence the title of the film, many punches and kicks are thrown along with a few wrestling-esque moves and the villain is defeated.

Doesn't really sound too bad for a plot. In fact, in this movie, they finally put more emphasis on the monster's story over the human story and let this drive the chaos and spectacle. The bad part is, there really isn't anything new that we haven't seen in the past 3 Godzilla movies & Kong: Skull Island. I'm sorry but there are only so many times I care to watch Godzilla & Kong fight other giant kaiju monsters threatening humanity/Earth before it simply becomes boring. Is the action fun? For the most part it is entertaining and the pure visual spectacle in the IMAX version which opens up from standard letterbox aspect ratio which the previous movies didn't makes for a fun & entertaining ride. But again, we've seen both Godzilla & Kong fight monsters and destroy cities to last us a lifetime.

Add to the fact that the cgi visual effects that show us Hollow Earth looks really artificial and weak and you have what amounts to a middling film. Don't get me wrong, there are definitely places where the vfx blends well or looks appropriate but there are definitely clear spots where you can tell it's not photorealistic at all and that is disappointing considering the money spent on this compared to last year's Godzilla: Minus One which was far superior visually.

Is there anywhere left to go with this franchise? Not really, unless you just want more monster chaos & action. I think if they put out any more movies in this series, they need to be 90 minutes or less. Any longer and it will just become more and more boring and lead to fatigue.

Go see this if you're a kaiju/Godzilla/Kong fan, it will deliver. Wait for it on streaming if you're hoping for something more along the lines of Godzilla: Minus One.

Some Other Woman (2023)

What did I just watch?

[4/10 · 10 January 2024]

I don't mind thrillers that do build up and make you think(aka psychological thrillers) but this was bad. There basically 2 parallel stories in this movie told from the perspective of 2 women with the same exact friends and married to the same guy but something just seems off.

Sounds like a decent enough premise right? You could go anywhere here and pull the rug out from under the audience and dun dun dun, one of them is the "real" woman and the other is an imposter who is deluded into thinking the fantasy in her head is the truth. Right there, that already sounds miles better than what happened here!

Instead they show the 2 women's perspectives, drop subtle red herrings, a cat fight ensues and an ambiguous ending closes it out. We don't know if both women were somehow living out their fantasies with the same guy as their husband and the same friends and the desire to have a child of their own but this just wasn't executed well at all. Fine, neither is the real Slim Shady so to speak, but give us more to the ending...

What seems like happened is that someone or multiple people wrote 2 different stories halfway and mashed them up into this mess and tacked on an ending that they can say is thought provoking. Nope, not this time. All we got here is 2 incomplete stories that were half told that turned into a movie that looks like it ran out of ideas and money.

If this wasn't a thriller, I would've walked out halfway but I wanted to see how it all played out. This was a very limp thriller that wanted to be clever but just didn't execute properly. Save your time and money.

Guy Ritchie's the Covenant (I) (2023)

A movie about perspective

[8/10 · 1 May 2023]

Long story short, this movie should remind all Americans who watch it about how good we have it here in the United States. Despite a lot of the problems our country has, one thing we don't have to deal with is a terrorist group like the Taliban going around & imposing their will on the general populace by going door to door and hunting dissidents or anyone that opposes their beliefs.

The story is your typical military story about a soldier who is deployed to Afghanistan as part of a unit whose responsibility is to seek out IED factories and wipe them out. As part of this job, they hire a few of the locals who aren't sympathetic to the Taliban and are willing to provide translation service as well as guidance.

One such guy, Ahmed, does exactly this and then some. At first John doesn't trust him and dislikes the fact that Ahmed doesn't strictly follow his orders. But Ahmed isn't disobeying because he's trying to undermine John so much as he is trying to help him by doing the little things such as offering up money to someone who we knows will talk or even questioning a supposedly safe alternate route that will in actuality lead into an ambush. Ahmed is the kind of guy who doesn't just literally do his job but goes a little above and beyond the call.

This aspect of duty is very important as Ahmed sticks with John despite an incident that occurs where they are ambushed at an IED factory and the entire team except for the two of them go down. When the Taliban finally catches up to them and subdues John, Ahmed doesn't just turn the other way and starts to run, instead he pulls John's ass literally out dangerous territory despite the incredible odds of making it out alive!

That's right, at any point, Ahmed could have most certainly abandoned John for certain death and saved his own skin but instead he does the "right" thing and brings him back to an American military base where he is medically treated and returned to the US.

Upon recovering in a hospital back in California, John slowly comes to realize how he was saved from a deadly situation despite remembering nothing about it. His every waking hour is shortly haunted by the realization that Ahmed saved him from certain death by literally dragging him across several miles of desert & mountain terrain with the Taliban chasing after them. John feels a lot of guilt over this because he finds out Ahmed is still in Afghanistan, albeit on the run with his family since the Taliban have put a bounty on his head for helping to save John and defying them.

Shortly after this, John tries to do everything he can from California to ensure Ahmed & his family's safety but is turned away at every step due to bureaucracy. In the end he mounts a rescue mission against all odds to extract Ahmed & bring him to the US where he will be safe from the Talibans who are hunting him.

As I said earlier, this gives you a lot of perspective. Ahmed didn't have to save John & risk his own life, especially in enemy territory where the two of them were vastly outnumbered. The fact that he did so at the risk of both of them dying is truly admirable. It also goes to show the contrast between life in Afghanistan with the constant threat of the Taliban compared to a fairly safe and mundane life back home in California.

The takeaway that many should have, especially those that live in a country like the US, is that for the most part their daily lives are safe. There may be some crime and other atrocious things that happen in our society but it's nothing like what a person living in some place like Afghanistan would face. We generally don't have to worry about our government or any other militia group trying to force us to believe what they do or follow their ways. Unless we choose to put ourselves in harm's way, our lives for the most part are safe.

All this to say that I don't think life in America isn't without its faults or issues. But at the end of the day, our lives are fairly safe and mostly banal which is really a good thing. This movie is a good reminder of how the majority of us who live in a first world nation are mostly lucky enough to live in relative safety and not have to look over our shoulder or fear that we'll be hunted for holding beliefs that oppose what another group thinks. At least not yet anyway, and as long as we appreciate this safety and freedom we have, we need to fight to hold onto this way of life.

Again, this is definitely a good movie to show someone who is ungrateful for living in relative safety & security. The next time you find yourself complaining about the "long" wait at the drive through or in a store, always remember that things could mostly certainly be a lot worse!

You're Killing Me (2023)

Meh

[5/10 · 27 April 2023]

The movie overall is a very basic paint-by-the-numbers thriller with mostly entertaining action and fun. What made this a bit lame however is that the main character, Eden, wants so badly to have a congressman to write a letter of recommendation for her so she can get into a particular college, that she keeps pestering his son at school despite being turned down. Nothing really wrong with that right? Eden isn't from a well to do family or filthy rich and wants a small favor, however even after being turned down the first time she keeps pleading & pleading...

She even invites herself to the son's party which is themed devils & angels and even gets her best friend to distract the congressman's son's best friend so she can pester him even more. Sorry, but what an irritating thing to keep doing. Persistence can be a good thing but when you can't take no for an answer, it's a little hard to feel much sympathy for the character once the inevitable chaos ensues.

What winds up happening is that Eden's best friend winds up getting hammered & the congressman's son's best friend finds her passed out in a room and starts taking selfies with her on a phone which has video evidence of a crime they committed and tried to cover up. On top of all that, the idiot friend even accidentally leaves the phone behind which of course leads to the incriminating video to be partially seen.

See what I mean? There are so many little things about the plot & writing that are just so hard to not roll your eyes at. This is the most basic of plots and with a lead character that is hard to root for because she just becomes an annoying pest.

At least the movie is only 90 minute's & doesn't spend too much time patting itself on the back and dragging things out. Overall, when the action happens it is entertaining but the plot just feels a bit contrived. Perhaps if I didn't find Eden to be so annoyingly persistent about getting her letter of recommendation after being told no so many times and going through extreme lengths to get her way, I'd have liked this a lot more. As it stands the movie is ok, but not something I'd recommend unless you are really bored and having nothing better to watch or do.

Cocaine Bear (2023)

Quite an uproarious & crazy good time!

[8/10 · 24 February 2023]

Remember that movie with Nicolas Cage about Nicolas Cage being Nicolas Cage that was released a year ago? Remember how that movie was supposed to indulge us in the zanier side of his personality and sold us on a movie that seemed to be balls to wall insanity like Deadpool was a few years ago? Well, Cocaine Bear IS the movie that Nicolas Cage movie should've beeen AND more!

Just by the title alone, you're already thinking about flat out outrageous the whole concept is going to be and you'd be right! Yes, this is actually BASED on an actual event that happened where some drug runners discarded several pounds of cocaine out of a small prop plane as it was crashing and a bear did find the cocaine and got high as a kite.... But that seems to be about where the similarities end, at least I believe that to be the case!

This movie takes off from that premise and just goes for the gusto and tells the most outlandish and craziest story you could tell, given that premise and boy am I glad that they did! It was very smart of the filmmakers to go all out and then some because that is really what anybody would expect with the words Cocaine & Bear in the title. Does that not make you imagine the craziest crap out there? When I found out that Lord & Miller of 21/22 Jump Street fame were producers, I knew this would be a good time. They know how to take an already crazy premise and dial it up 2-3 more notches but make it entertaining.

So basically the various story threads involve a couple of kids ditching school to hike up to a waterfall in a forest reserve, a drug dealer/runner in search of drugs he has promised to deliver, some idiot delinquents, law enforcement & a park ranger in desperate need of love.... Is that enough craziness for ya? If it sounds like a lot of story threads that is because it is, but they help move things along and give a reason for all of the events to occur.

The movie is definitely a dark comedy but with a light-ish tone to it, nothing gets too dark or deep and depressing which is good and prevents the movie from getting bogged down. There is quite a bit of gore and light horror elements to it but things lean more in the lighthearted direction more than anything else. The bear is obviously CGI but is done in a way that comes off believable and looks realistic enough without being too uncanny valley. And of course it's most likely due to the VFX masters: Weta FX!

Props must also go to Elizabeth Banks who turned things around after the disastrous Charlie's Angels reboot which she also dug her own grave when promoting it. It seems like she has learned to not toot her own horn too much & tell the audience how much they should appreciate what she is putting out there. There is no doubt that she has talent as witnessed here and a few of her other past efforts in directing but for sure this is a standout as many of the cast are not big names aside from the late Ray Liotta, Kerry Russell & O'shea Jackson Jr. Who is on the come up! It helps that the material sells itself but even then, I believe that it takes the right director to ensure that things don't go sideways as it can sometimes be easy to botch what should be a slam dunk.

All that being said, I HIGHLY RECOMMEND this movie if you want several good belly laughs and have a sense of humor that isn't easily offended. It's not the most offensive thing out there but it's definitely not for anyone that thinks things need to be a certain way or certain subjects should be avoided, so if you're easily offended or don't like tasteless humor this isn't for you. Lastly, there are a few mid credits stingers so don't forget to stay for those as they make for a fun way to wrap up the various storylines presented!

Winnie-the-Pooh: Blood and Honey (2023)

A Terrible Excuse of a Mess!

[1/10 · 17 February 2023]

I like films and movies in general and horror is one of my favorite genres. Lately I've been getting into the more low budget films where the filmmakers rely on creativity over showing off the budget on special effects and past their prime actors looking to still be in movies. A lot of the ones I've seen in fact have fallen into the "so bad it's good" or cheesy and over the top category that you can't help but have fun because everyone involved with the film clearly was while making it!

Unfortunately this is a train wreck that absolutely needed more time to be polished. The worst part about this is that you can see that there some solid foundations in some of the way the shots were setup & the premise is a decent one to build from. The problem is that this looks like it was executed by someone who is learning to make movies, which is fine, but it probably should've gotten more time in front of other filmmakers that could've pointed out the obvious flaws.

One big flaw that this movie has is that the narrative is difficult to follow. Scenes that should establish who the characters and help the audience follow what is happening with them as the story progresses is non-existent. Characters literally pop in & out of thin air and things happen to them but you don't see how the story takes them from point a to b. In additions to this, the movie is impossibly dark to the point where you literally can't see anything except random things meant to represent the characters and objects they're holding or moving around! Several scenes were just so dark that you couldn't tell where the characters are in relation each other or the scenery. Movies are a visual medium, you need to see what is happening or at least have an inkling of what is unfolding even if you're not supposed to see things clearly!

The plot about Winnie-the-Pooh and the other forest animals turning feral after Christopher Robin left them to be an adult was a good starting point but ultimately went nowhere. Why did Pooh & Piglet wind up torturing or killing people if they became ravenous from hunger instead of eating them? Why is Christopher Robin just barely in the movie, while the focus is on a bunch of other characters that we literally know nothing about?

Clearly you can see the inexperience of the director on display here as some scenes and shots are well done while others are absolute trash. I'm sure given enough time they will improve with more movies under their belt but they need someone to help guide & mentor them so that they can make a movie that is watchable. Sure, this was a micro budget effort but it's advertised like it has more money behind it than it really does. If this guy had a solid fundamentals I'd be complaining more about the story than how everything is presented! And the presentation doesn't require fancy cameras or special effects, you just need good clear shots and narrative flow which don't require a ton of money if given the time to do it right!

Lastly, I heard that there is already a sequel in the works? How in the hell did this piece of garbage manage to get a sequel greenlit and Zack Snyder had so much difficulty getting more movies made in the DC Universe?! That tells me that somehow there is someone with money that has more cash then sense and somehow got talked into making more of this...

I will definitely & absolutely NOT recommend this movie for anyone in any form! Not even if you're high or drunk, this is just a pure waste of time that you will never get back.

Violent Night (2022)

A fun & action packed Christmas movie for mature audiences!

[8/10 · 6 December 2022]

When I initially heard about Violent Night, I seriously let out a groan. Here we go with another one of those horrible spoofs of something known & beloved like a Christmas Santa movie but with a so-called edgy twist. Hell, I honestly thought this was going to be a really low budget knock-off movie but I was pleasantly surprised when I went to see it!

For a movie called Violent Night, you're obviously not expecting to see an Oscar worthy Schindler's List type of movie nor are you expecting anything that would take itself seriously either. I would say that Violent Night is a semi-low budget-ish Christmas movie with a sprinkling of Die Hard style action & adventure heroics and a dash of Home Alone style comedy and humor thrown in.

You can tell that the filmmakers conceived this movie as a Christmas movie first as that theme runs deep throughout the entire runtime. Just based on the initial trailers I saw, I was wrong in thinking that this is a cheesy low budget action movie using the Christmas theme as a cheap gimmick to add a little bit of style but thankfully that is not the case here. Like any good Christmas-themed movie, this one has a bit of heart which surprised me despite the overt vulgarities on display. Again, I thought the real gimmick here was going to be that this is a cheesy Christmas-themed action movie made for "adults". And it definitely is that, but as I mentioned it has just enough heart and earnestness to go along with the adult oriented humor and violence that you have to give this movie its due.

Because this movie is a Christmas movie first & a cheesy adult oriented action comedy second, you can see why everything worked out. Nothing about this movie scream cheap gimmick or cash-in. The story is a little hokey, being about a jaded "real life" Santa Claus who has been doing the Christmas spirit schtick a little too long and gets caught in the wrong place at the wrong time but this is what makes it fun. The vulgar & rough around the edges portrayal of Santa Claus by David Harbour goes a long way to selling the movie's theme because the character is played with just enough flaws but not so much that it becomes cartoony.

The villains of the movie, lead by head goon John Leguizamo are just menacing & mustache twirling enough that you root for them to be defeated and for their plans to fail but again it is done in a way that doesn't destroy the audience's ability to buy into the proceedings given the premise. There are equal amounts of menace to each of the villains that are attempting to rob the estate they are invading but there is also enough humor thrown in at the right times that it never feels like the movie takes itself too seriously or goes way over the top.

The heart and soul of this movie however is the young girl Trudy, who insists on believing that David Harbour's Santa Claus is real and not an urban legen or myth. The interaction between Trudy & Santa Claus has enough warmth to it that you can play along but not so melodramatic that you cringe. As I mentioned earlier the filmmakers and everyone on screen play things just right and with enough earnestness that you can't help but give the movie a chance. The concept of being on the nice vs naughty list and all the usual Christmas tropes come into play with the story and again, I can't stress this enough, isn't stretched to a point where you would scoff and laugh.

All of that being said, if you're looking a fun Christmas movie with a good dose of action & humor thrown in and made for an older crowd than this is one I recommend seeing! As long as you go into this movie knowing what it has to offer and you're not looking for an Oscar-seeking movie or something more in line with what you would typically associate with a Christmas movie, you will have a good time at the movies! It's definitely a fun escape and provides a nice respite from all the madness that comes with celebrating the season of joy and that is all that I think anyone can ask for from a movie like this!

Firestarter (2022)

Respectable horror/thriller from Blumhouse

[6/10 · 14 May 2022]

Just to be clear right off the bat, I never saw the original Firestarter that was released in the 80s nor did I read the original Stephen King book.... With that out of the way, I didn't mind this new film by low-budget horror/genre studio Blumhouse. Is it the most thrilling or exciting horror/thriller? No, but I do like that Blumhouse didn't go over the top and make an ultra schlocky & gory movie and kept things low key.

The movie opens with us seeing Charlie as a baby and accidentally invoking her powers of setting things ablaze and nearly burning down the house. During the opening credits we see a montage of both her parents played by Zac Efron & Sydney Lemmon talking on video about their experiences going through a clinical trial when they were both in college with music by horror master John Carpenter and his son Cody.

If you've watched the original 80s film with Heather Locklear & a very young Drew Barrymore as the titular firestarter, you know where this is going. Basically the family is trying to live life on the down low and staying out of sight lest they attract the attention of DSI, the company that experimented on them and gave them their powers. In comes Gloria Reuben as the new CEO of DSI who wants to get her hands on Charlie for experimentation and all the usual villainous things and you've got a complete story.

Zac Efron turns in a surprisingly decent performance as the dad trying to protect his daughter from those who would exploit her and teaches her to keep from going off the deep end. Ryan Kiera Armstrong does an alright job in portraying a young kid who isn't quite aware of her gift/curse and how there are people out in the world that would exploit her and push her to the limit.

Now, I've seen quite a few videos and reviews talking about how this movie is very bland and the story is overly simplistic but I disagree. I'm actually glad that Blumhouse and the crew didn't try to overly complicate the original story which is so typical of modern cinema. Don't get me wrong, I don't mind creative liberties in remakes but sometimes the filmmakers are better off keeping things simple and straightforward.

As I mentioned earlier, I also didn't mind that this was low key overall and didn't feature big set piece spectacles which would've been out of place on a story focused on a young girl coming to grips with possessing powers she doesn't understand and on the run from an evil corporation that would sooner weaponize her for their own ends. That being said, I think this could've worked as an over the top horror/thriller where they just go for it and go all crazy with the horror, gore and scares but this is fine. There is no need to turn this story into a comic book-style movie when the original wasn't.

Should you go see this in the theater? If you got Regal Unlimited or AMC A-List this is definitely one worth spending money to see at the cinema if you have time and have seen the other big wide releases. If you're more of a homebody you can catch this on Peacock too. If you're looking for a silly over the top horror/thriller that is meant to be a crowd pleaser than I'd say skip this as this is not that movie at all.

Ambulance (2022)

Michael Bay at his worst

[1/10 · 8 April 2022]

I had a really hard time convincing myself to stay and finish this movie when I saw it. The story & plot itself is silly, which I expected based on the trailers and how paper thin the setup is but visually this was headache inducing.

The basic plot of this movie is that Jake Gyllenhall & Yahya Abdul-Mateen II are brothers who go on a bank heist that goes wrong. The crew they rob the bank with gets picked off one by one by the LAPD until something goes sideways as the brothers try to make their escape. Due to an unfortunate mishap, both brothers are forced to commandeer an ambulance and make a run for it. One long car chase ensues with lots of crashes, screeching tires, bullets flying and explosions.

Again, this is fine because I expected it from the trailers. Also it's a Michael Bay directed film, so I expected it to be mostly style over substance and spectacle.

Unfortunately the movie is visually shot with non-stop shaky cam & drone-like aerial and swirling shots. And I mean NON-STOP. It's like Michael Bay & his cinematographer shot gunned a 6-pack of Red Bull, snorted a Ziploc full of cocaine, busted out a smartphone and turned off all visual stabilization and started shooting while running.

There are almost no shots where the camera isn't swooping up or down or rotating around people or things and shaking like crazy. It made it difficult to follow the action. Even in an early scene where Jake & Yahya's characters are talking, the camera is constantly revolving around them!

Perhaps if Michael Bay controlled himself & shot this movie in a way where it was easier to follow the action and the camera wasn't constantly moving, I'd like this a lot more. Nothing could be more mind numbing or boring than watching a camera shake or move all over the place for nearly 90 minutes! I get that some of things being done visually are the director's trademarks but it's dialed up to 11 and just non-stop.

I wouldn't recommend paying to watch this unless you absolutely have nothing better to do. The story is too silly and visually this movie is too much of a mess to be entertaining in my humble opinion. Go watch Sonic the Hedgehog 2 or Morbius instead...

Candyman (2021)

Wish I could say this sequel/reboot is better than it turned out being...

[5/10 · 27 August 2021]

Unfortunately & somewhat (un)surprisingly, I was a bit disappointed in this quasi-sequel/reboot. The new movie is quite faithful & even builds on the original 1992 film, but at the end of the day it feels like a woke-ish retelling of it too.

Why I think the original works so much better IMHO is that the director, Bernard Rose, leaned into the urban legend aspects of the original short story by Clive Barker. I think the decision to focus on having the main character, Helen, learn of & explore the legend of Candyman did a lot to engage the audience as well as play into our skepticism of whether or not we believe he is real or a bogeyman. The plot of the original does toy with what we're seeing through Helen's and makes us question of what we're seeing with her is real or her getting drawn too far down the rabbit hole.

In this new movie, our new protagonist, Anthony, literally goes through the motions of learning about & being drawn into the myth of the Candyman but it doesn't feel quite right. Instead, it feels more like the character is literally going through the motions & only being further drawn in because the plot says that is what is supposed to happen.

Perhaps in spite of what I think is arguably a major issue with the new film, maybe those who were never exposed to the original film will find it to be decent. Overall, the movie does a mostly good job of avoiding the usual modern horror movie tropes of jump scares galore & gore everywhere but this unfortunately a very low bar if we're using that as a measurement of how great it is. If you've seen the original film, I think you will be mostly disappointed as there is really nothing new being added here & you'd be much better off watching that movie than this.

Don't Breathe 2 (2021)

Surprisingly good sequel, that I wasn't expecting...

[7/10 · 14 August 2021]

Seeing the trailers for this movie for the first time, my first thought was "why would they make this? What is there left to do that would make this thrilling?". Given my surprise at seeing the trailer, my first reaction really was that the studio was beating a dead horse & really reaching for a story that reached its natural conclusion in the first and only entry. Thankfully, I am happy to say that I was pleasantly surprised & entertained by this movie when the end credits rolled.

The reason that I say that this sequel didn't really have any new stories or ideas to present is because the first movie highly relied upon the novelty of a blind man turning the tables on a group of home invaders. All of what made the original movie such a treat was that we didn't expect the blind guy to be a twisted bad ass. If the studio and filmmakers gave us a slight variation of that same story again for a second time, I guarantee that it would fail miserably because the novelty of the situation and the twists involved would be re-treading the same exact familiar ground. Instead, I'm glad that the blind man was put in the position of the home invading thieves of the first film and was basically the protagonist of this film along with the very young & talented Madelyn Grace as his daughter.

The movie opens shortly after the events of the first film, although this time we see a younger version of Madelyn Grace's character Phoenix laying face down in the middle of the street. We then flash forward several years and we see Phoenix on the run in the wilderness, being chased by someone & the dog from the first film. She finally comes up on an open car with a gun laying out on the seat and grabs it, only to be grabbed from behind by the blind man.... But he has no intentions of hurting her nor does his dog, because he is actually Phoenix's guardian and is attempting to teach her survival techniques.

We then see Phoenix and the blind man at home, with her cutting his hair and asking about her past. Phoenix is told that she was found laying in the street & passed out in front of a house that was burning down. He took her in under his wing and cared for her since then and has basically adopted Phoenix as his daughter. Of course the young girl is hungry & curious for more details about her unknown past and also yearns to be released from the lonely confines of the house they both live in and wants to be around other kids her own age. Later in the day, a friend of the blind man stops by to pick up some plants that he is selling and has a conversation with him about how Phoenix is doing and finds out that she has been asking to go into town. The friend convinces the blind man to let Phoenix come into town and so he lets her accompany the friend and she winds up meeting and briefly having fun with a few other kids at a park. Just before she heads back home, she encounters a strange man while using the restroom & from there the meat and potatoes of the story begins...

It turns out that the man in the restroom wants Phoenix for some reason & tails her back to the home. Without spoiling things or giving away more, the story turns into a story about the blind man's efforts to protect Phoenix from being kidnapped by the group of men who followed her home.

If you've watched the first movie, you will be surprised to see that the blind man is now in the role of the protagonist and thus the "hero" of our story. It is a bit of an interesting twist to have him play this role in the story rather than being the antagonist because it does wind up setting up some thrilling situations and set pieces which don't disappoint. If you've seen the original Don't Breathe, it won't come as any surprise that the blind man can outwit the numerous guys out to get him but it is fun and entertaining to see how it all unfolds. Because the blind man and Phoenix are put into the position of being the victims, we do see a relatively fresh spin on things from the first movie where the blind man was the one doing all the stalking.

At first glance, the story does seem a bit hokey and contradictory to the first movie but mostly because it takes a bit of a left turn in making the blind man the sympathetic character this time around. If you just discard the fact that the blind man was the villain in the first film, everything else as a whole with the story and events of this film mostly works and is solid. Again, I don't think this movie would've been half as entertaining or fun if it just re-did & re-enacted the same story beats and sequences from the original film. It would fall very strongly into the been there done that category and not very well.

With all of that said, is this a great sequel? No, but it does the job just fine in providing more of the same thrills as the original movie without feeling like it is an exact carbon copy with everything amped up as is par for a sequel. If you enjoyed the tense cat-and-mouse games that were being played in the first movie, you will equally enjoy this movie as they find inventive ways to play the same game again with the roles reversed. Do I recommend watching this in the theater? Yes, it comes as a strong recommendation if you enjoyed the original. In my opinion, this is one of the more solidly produced movies put out this summer and something that won't disappoint if you want a decent fun & thrilling night(or day) out at the movies!

The Boy Behind the Door (2020)

Mediocre but entertaining thriller

[5/10 · 8 August 2021]

As a whole, I like horror/thriller movies that take place in a single location such as a creepy house like this film.

The movie starts out with 2 young boys who are hanging out before a baseball game they are supposed to play in. While killing time & playing a game of catch, one of the boys, Bobby, tosses the ball a bit out of reach from Kevin who goes chasing after it. Subsequently both boys get kidnapped and are brought to a desolate house in the middle of nowhere and they are both forced to fight to get free.

Overall, the thriller elements are mostly solid. The tension throughout the movie is pretty thick and fairly constant, not knowing which corner the kidnappers will be hiding behind. However, then we come to the very obvious down falls of the story which for me let some of the air out of the movie.... Time and time again, we see Bobby manage to get the upper hand on one of the kidnappers but he just makes the most horrendous situations which makes things hard on himself.

For example, there is a scene where we see Bobby hiding under the bed and sees one of the kidnappers open a safe in the wall and deposit money. The kidnapper subsequently goes to take a shower in the adjoining bathroom and Bobby quickly comes out of hiding and goes to the safe where he eventually finds an envelope filled with pictures of Kevin that he starts looking through.... I'm sorry, why would Bobby bother staying in the room looking at the contents of an envelope with his back exposed to the kidnapper who is showering in the adjoining bathroom?? Most people, including a kid in a situation like this would most likely book it and find a new hiding place rather than leaving themselves exposed to attack.

In another situation, we see Bobby take a baton from the cop that was killed by the kidnapper and runs away and hides in the basement. The kidnapper goes searching for Bobby and picks up the gun from the dead cop and eventually winds up in the basement where she is ambushed and handcuffed to a water line. Ok, fine.... Except that Bobby immediately runs away with the kidnapper's keys and gets shot in the leg! What makes this scene so cringey is Bobby did have a pretty decent amount of time to pick up or kick the gun away while the kidnapper was distracted by suddenly being handcuffed, but nope!

Bad decisions such as these are peppered throughout the movie, that it just pulls you out of the moment. Sure, Bobby is a young-ish kid & probably has no bloodlust or desire to intentionally hurt people, but you can't tell me that he wouldn't have taken opportunities to disarm his attacker or ensure that he's not leaving himself in harm's way. Sure, I get that some of the decisions by the writers was meant to add tension but I think the movie would've been stronger if the obviously smart, calm & fairly collected Bobby made better choices to ensure his survival and chances of escaping. I would have preferred to see things fall apart for Bobby despite working so hard and making smart choices as that would make for more believable tension.

Despite some of these issues however, I found the movie to be decently entertaining. I would recommend this for anyone looking for a mildly entertaining thriller and doesn't mind turning off their minds and overlooking a few obvious IMHO flaws.

Jungle Cruise (2021)

A surprisingly solid family friendly action/adventure!

[7/10 · 1 August 2021]

I'll be honest, when I heard Disney was making yet another movie based off of their Disneyland rides, I wasn't looking forward to it. Except for Pirates of the Caribbean, every other film based off of a ride they have made felt like it was forced and lacked any charm as well as great storytelling. I'm happy to report that I was wrong this time!

The Jungle Cruise opens up with us listening to MacGregor attempting to make a pitch so that they can get access to an arrowhead being held by the Royal Society of explorers. MacGregor has been enlisted by his sister Lily, played by Emily Blunt, so that they can get ahold of this artifact so that they can find a mystical tree with magical healing petals which are supposed to cure all kinds of ailments which she intends to use to do research for cures of all kinds of disease.

We eventually discover that Lily does indeed get ahold of the arrowhead & has started off on a journey to South America in search of Nilo, a person that she believes can help her find the mystical tree. It is at this point that we are introduced to jungle cruise tour guide, Frank, played by Dwayne Johnson, who is currently ferrying a group of tourists through the riverside. Lily reluctantly decides to trust Frank who is in serious need of money & off they both go in search of the mystical tree and its magical healing petals!

Both Dwayne Johnson & Emily Blunt as the primary leads of the show are both very likable and make for an entertaining show. Dwayne Johnson does a great job as usual and uses his great charisma & charm in playing the somewhat cynical con artist with a heart of gold. I liked that he was able to pull off the Disneyland ride's famous corny dad jokes and silly sense of humor without being cringey, while also playing the big buff action hero with a heart! This movie role plays to his strengths very well. Emily Blunt also does a great job playing the tough as nails, ball busting female role very well and perfectly plays off Dwayne Johnson's goofy character.

Jesse Plemons as the German aristocrat, also in pursuit of the same mystical tree with the magical petals is also played very well too. He does a great job playing the villain as both an over the top mustache twirling bad guy, with just enough silliness that the character doesn't come off overly serious given the kind of film this is trying to be. Jack Whitehall as Lily's brother MacGregor also does a great job of being the diva-ish sidekick but also fits in well with the tone of the film.

Overall, I thought the story being told in this film was very strong without being overly complicated for a family friendly summer blockbuster. Far too often lately, I've found that a lot of supposedly fun summer blockbuster movies try too hard to be clever with a convoluted story that the audience really doesn't care for. The filmmakers did a great job in delivering a light-hearted and fun adventure that tells just enough story to make us care but without going overboard. Although this movie is rated PG-13, I think most families will be able to enjoy it overall due to the action sequences not being overly intense as would normally be expected nowadays.

I highly recommend this film for anyone that wants to go see a fun, silly, action packed adventure with lots of charm. If you are at all familiar with Disneyland ride you will also get a lot of enjoyment out of the callbacks to the corny dad jokes that are told by the ride operators and the overall silly tongue in cheek moments too. Bravo to Disney for going back to the basics and telling a solid story that perfectly matches with the beloved Disneyland ride that everyone knows and loves!

Escape Room: Tournament of Champions (2021)

Entertaining, but predictable sequel-bait movie

[6/10 · 16 July 2021]

After the end of the original movie, it was pretty obvious that there was going to be a sequel that continues the story. This is the sequel to that movie.

Right off the bat when the movie starts, the first movie and its events are re-capped which I thought was nice. And then this movie starts to basically pick up from there and starts getting into the story with Zoey, one of the survivors from the first movie, talking to a therapist. Ever since Zoey survived, she has been constantly looking at everything around her with paranoia as if she's still mentally stuck in an escape room. She mentions to the therapist that she has been thinking about taking a break & getting away, which she is encouraged to do and does so with the other survivor from the first film.

From this point on, things happen & we eventually see both Zoey & Ben wind up in what turns out to be the first of many escape rooms and we meet other survivors from other escape rooms run by the company Minos. We then watch as the group attempts to work together as a team to solve the puzzles littered throughout each room they encounter, with a few of them meeting their end along the way as expected.

As an overall movie, I thought this was a decent entry, if not a bit predictable. Right from the start, I guessed that it was highly likely that Zoey & Ben would survive so that there could be a third film and of course that turned out to be the case. I also predicted that the movie would drop lots of numerous, not so subtle hints that all of the events are leading into a third film. Most people seeing this will most likely quickly realize the Escape Room series was intended to be a trilogy. I don't really mind this, but I do wish that it felt less like they were using this movie to setup the next one and told a more complete and self contained story.

Thankfully the overall acting was decent & most of the characters were likable enough. I also thought that most of the puzzles they encountered in each room were interesting, although I really disliked the one that took place in an underground bank. I thought this was the weakest and left the least amount of time for us the audience to puzzle our way through the clues they encountered. Otherwise, the rest of the movie seemed good enough.

When the third movie finally comes, I do sincerely hope that it tells a satisfying story and wraps everything up rather than setting up the next one. I also hope they don't run this franchise into the ground by endlessly releasing sequel after sequel after sequel as this will quickly get old. Go see this if you were a fan of the original, I think you will be mostly satisfied given all of this movie's flaws.

Accident (I) (2017)

Total nonsense!

[1/10 · 24 July 2020]

From beginning to end, this movie was complete & utter garbage. The story overall is like the rest of those others that feature friends going on a trip and then having everything unravel... The difference here is that it all unfolds in the most ridiculously implausible ways that you wonder what the writer/director of this movie was thinking!

The movie starts out with 2 young girls being dropped off at a bus station that are on their way to a music festival. We shortly find out that one of the girls lied to the mother that dropped them off & that they never had any tickets for the bus ride to the festival they were going to. The plan was to actually hitch a ride with a few other friends who are going to the same festival, but of course this doesn't go as planned as the 2 girls are now stranded with no bus ticket or a way to get to their destination. In fact, the bus that was there when they arrived just left.

So now the plan turns into hitching ANY ride to their destination and of course the 2 girls wind up jumping into a BMW with a driver that nearly ran them over... Supposedly the BMW belongs to the parents of the driver & one of the guys steps out to apologize and make up for almost running the girls down by offering them a ride.

From here the story quickly goes downhill, with the girls eventually finding out that the car is actually stolen and they wind up in a horrible accident which flips the car over. Now the 4 of them must come together to find safety and escape from the shadowy owners of the car who are now looking for it.

Ok, so that didn't sound all that bad right? Unfortunately as great as it all sounds on paper, the execution is horrendous. The 2 girls which are supposed to the protagonists are portrayed as very vapid & immature. The 2 guys that picked them up in the car are basically portrayed as douchebags. The scene featuring the actual car crash that really sets the story in motion is the most horrendous & unnecessary and overly drawn out CGI sequence which just makes things drag on THAT much longer. Even the subplot about all the little events that lead up to this moment are facepalmingly bad!

The worst thing that the writer/director did with this movie is draw out every little detail & added to much melodrama to every little thing that happens. For a good portion of the movie, we are forced to hear the characters unnecessarily whine & drone on about whose fault it is that they are in this terrible situation that you just want them all to die since they are so insufferable!

Avoid this movie at all costs! It's a total waste of time and trust me when I say you will regret being subjected to everything that happens.

Fantasy Island (2020)

Lame & a waste of time.

[1/10 · 15 February 2020]

I rarely feel very compelled to rate bad movies unless they are so bad that I need to tell people to avoid it. This movie is a waste of time & money!

If there is anything redeeming I can say about this movie is that it has an interesting concept but it's poorly written and executed. The idea that your deepest fantasies and desires can have dark consequences is something the original TV show explored but with less of a focus on the horror aspect.

The problem this movie has it that the overall story doesn't make sense. The way this was put together makes me wonder if the filmmakers were drunk & high and when they wrote and directed this mess. The story starts out well enough but quickly devolves into literal nonsense. The movie tells both the guests of the island and we the audience that only one fantasy can be had and it needs to be played out to its end no matter good or bad. However, because the filmmakers felt the need to be clever, this is quickly discarded for a nonsensically cheap twist that even a five year old would scratch their head at.

What's even worse is that they don't even begin to start trying to setup the ending twist(s) until a little over halfway through. Add to this, when the twist occurs, several characters have to mansplain it to everyone because it literally makes no sense whatsoever.

Whether or not you saw the original TV series or its remake with Malcom McDowell, DON'T SEE THIS MOVIE! You literally could write your own version of how this story plays out and it would probably wind up being better than this turkey that never should've made it past the pitch to the studio to convince them to release it.

The Banana Splits Movie (2019)

A flat lifeless movie!

[4/10 · 30 August 2019]

Considering the source material & the concept they had, this movie could've been a fun and campy time but instead it's just flat and lifeless. It's as if everyone involved bought into the concept & premise initially but suddenly lost their enthusiasm the way this turned out.

The basic premise of the movie is that a young boy who is really into the Banana Splits show gets tickets to see a live taping for his birthday. Just before the taping of the show begins, the Vice President of programming tells the producer that today's show will be the last one because it's being canceled in order to be replaced by other content. The guy in charge of maintaining the animatronic robot puppets gets wind of this and decides to re-program some of them with murderous intentions. The live show taping goes off without a hitch and everything seems fine until one of the robots seemingly accidentally knocks over one of the human cast members. Oh, I forgot to mention that some of the audience members are told that if their ticket has stars on the back of it, they will get to meet and greet the cast members after the show.

During the meet & greet, some of the audience members who had agendas start trying to capitalize on the situation. For instance, there is a father who brought his daughter with the intention of introducing her to the show's producers to help jump start her acting career. When he initially finds that nobody at the meet and greet is of any real significance, he sneaks off to try and find a producer or show executive that he can showcase his daughter's talents to so that he can convince them to put her in the show. There is also a plot line featuring a young adult couple, with one of them being fans of the show since childhood who also decides to sneak off and go exploring around the studio. It is from around here that the robot puppets slowly start to go haywire and kill some of the people that attended the show and whatnot.

Ok, sound good so far? Yeah, I thought that sounded like it would be good too until I actually watched the movie itself. The intro of the movie starts out as the original show does but much flatter and with less life. The supposedly robotic puppets who you can tell are obviously being played by people in costumes are overly stiff and seem like they just don't want to be there. Considering that the original show was more lively and the actors in the suits were more animated this was a sign of how bad the rest of the movie would be. For God's sake, couldn't they have played this up a little more and just went for it in a very tongue in cheek manner??

Even the initial scenes with the family are dull and lifeless too. It's almost as if nobody realizes they are being filmed and that what they are doing is going to be in the final movie shown on screen. The pacing was also really slow and lifeless too. It was as if the real producer still of this movie had no idea to with this and lost their enthusiasm. The kills and gore were ok but also very horribly done, again, like nobody really cared to make it seem like they cared about making a good movie.

So what would I have done better? As I mentioned earlier, I would've played this up as a goofy-ish satire. I would lampoon the fact that the original show was obviously meant for young kids and made it lively and went over the top for the majority of the film. It felt like if they had gone for more goofy campiness, this would've worked out far better. Think of Piranha 3DD which was very over the top and goofy and everyone seemed like they were having a blast being silly. This is how this should've been played.

My recommendation: if you must see this, rent it. Everyone but the most hardcore horror & Banana Splits fans will be disappointed. It's not the worst movie I've ever seen, there were some moments that made me chuckle but not enough. Again, if they had went for that angle and made it silly, I would've enjoyed it a lot more. The overall production values are nice, it looks like a movie that was done with a decent budget and looks like something made for theaters but that's really the only other good thing I can say. What a shame that they had an interesting twist of a concept but just didn't execute it well!

The Wolverine (2013)

A Much Better Wolverine Story Than The Original!

[8/10 · 28 July 2013]

Like me, if you saw the original Wolverine movie, you probably came away very disappointed with how they unraveled a little bit about his past as well as his origins. In every possible way, the original movie was underwhelming and felt much like an exercise in futility. The story was bland, the plot gave you a little bit to care about while at the same time leaving you wondering if there was really a point to everything and it all just felt nobody was interested in giving the fans the Wolverine movie/story they wanted.

Enter the 2nd movie, The Wolverine, and many of the problems have been rectified. This time around we catch up to Logan(aka Wolverine) hiding out in the mountains and just trying to pass the time away in what's become a very meaningless and empty life. Logan's days are filled with futility and recurring nightmares of the death of Jean Grey which slowly cause him to question his own existence. Because the poor guy is basically immortal & has an incredible healing factor, the loss of his love in Jean Grey haunts him and leaves him pining for the cold embrace of death.

This is where the story's gravity comes from, which is truly wonderful considering that the character cannot die easily if at all. If you are even a little bit familiar with the Wolverine character, you'll know that he's literally lived & survived through a great many events that would have finished any other man thousands of times over. Here however, this facet is used to drive a very heartwarming & gripping story of love and loss and how one man comes to terms with it.

It all starts out in WWII with the Japanese soldiers in Hiroshima standing guard. As we all know, at this period of time Japan was at war with the US and was about to be decimated for the attack that occurred at Pearl Harbor. We enter this movie, shortly before the bombs are dropped and with Logan saving one Japanese soldier who eternally becomes grateful for this sacrificial act of bravery. The movie then continues on and shows us Logan living back in the US and laying low while experiencing recurring nightmares which drive him to the edge of insanity until one day he is tracked to a bar by a Japanese woman who has been sent to find him and bring him back to Japan.

Once back in Japan, Logan discovers that the Japanese soldier whose life he saved in WWII is still alive but barely. It is here that we find out that the old man wanted Logan because of his healing abilities and supposed immortality, which is why he was brought to Japan in the first place. To make this review as spoiler-free as possible, it then continues on with Logan finding out the truth behind all of the circumstances that brought him to Japan and he ultimately finds meaning in his life once again and comes to appreciate the mutant gift that he has been born with.

As was mentioned earlier, this movie elegantly handles the story of Logan/Wolverine coming to grips with his immortality and ability to outlive practically everyone in his life. The story unfolds very well and at a pace that seems appropriate, not being too slow or too quick at any point. Although the movie is just over 2 hours in length, it feels like the pace is just right and enough time is spent giving us an opportunity to relate & emote with Logan/Wolverine. The action isn't as spectacular as Marvel's other summer 2013 blockbuster, Iron Man 3, however it's still pretty intense and punctuates the story very well.

All in all, this is definitively the best Wolverine/X-Men story that has been told to date aside from X-Men: First Class. It also does a good job of quasi-rebooting the X-Men franchise which builds up to the 2014 X-Men sequel - Days Of Future Past. I'm glad that they got this movie & story right with this, otherwise I would've said it's time to put the franchises on hiatus and focus on other Marvel franchises instead. This movie however proves that like Wolverine, the character and the X-Men franchise has a lot of life left in it!

Dead Sushi (2012)

An awesome foreign film for fans of campy comedy-horror!

[9/10 · 15 October 2012]

I just had the pleasure of seeing this great Japanese comedy-horror film at the Fall 2012 HIFF film showcase tonight and I'm glad that I got tickets for it and went to see it! First off, I want to tip my hat to the director & his film crew for making a great film that will appeal to genre & foreign film fans. Also, I'd like to tip my hat off to the main actress, Rina Takeda who showed up for both screenings of this film at HIFF over the weekend. I always enjoy seeing any of the people involved with any film big or small show up at festival screenings and really show off and share their labor of love with the audience as well as interact and answer questions too.

If you don't know the director, Noboru Iguchi, go and look up some of his previous work such as 2008's Machine Girl and also check out his entry in the horror film anthology The ABCs of Death which is circulating around the film festival circuit. Not one to make your typical comedy OR horror film that the Japanese can be known for, Dead Sushi is no different from his previous work. What is really enjoyable about this particular film is how campy it is but also how it really seems like everyone involved had a good time making the film which is always a plus!

The basic plot of the movie is that Rina Takeda plays Keiko, a girl who is the daughter of a sushi chef in Japan. Keiko's father attempts to pass on the fine culinary art of sushi making to her but is disappointed that she has great difficulty in mastering the skill which eventually causes her to leave home and find another job elsewhere as well as her true calling. Short while later, we see that Keiko is working at a hotel-inn that is renowned as a popular getaway spot as well as supposedly for its sushi. Unfortunately, Keiko is pretty burnt out from working at such a soul sucking place where serving the customer is a high priority but she also gets picked on by her fellow workers(2 other hostesses). Just as the other 2 hostesses have finished playing a little prank on her by giving her the 2 trays of food they are each carrying, a big corporate client comes in with his entourage of businessmen looking for a nice inn to stay at and be served. Poor hapless Keiko, wanting to be as best a servant as possible, quickly but sloppily cleans herself off and comes out to join the other hostesses in greeting the visiting client(s) but winds up embarrassing the owners of the inn & herself by showing up rather disheveled with remnants of food hanging from her hair and yukata. Because of this embarrassment, the owner of the inn & his wife take her aside and chastise her for making a mockery of their business and tell her that she needs to take her job more seriously which causes Keiko great frustration. Shortly after this dressing down by the owners, she is approached by the groundskeeper Sawada who tells her not to give up and to keep trying her best.

Up until this point, the film is fairly straightforward and normal which isn't what you would expect from a Noboru Iguchi film but I promise you that things slowly but surely pick up from this point forward. The next scene features a young Japanese couple that have just landed in the area and have walked 20 minutes and found the hotel inn. The couple get into a brief little argument and start making out a little bit before they are interrupted by what seems to be a homeless man that is nearby and watching them make out while eating sushi. The young man that was making out with his girlfriend at this point decides to pick a fight with the homeless man and this basically results in death by squid(you have to watch to see the hilarity of this play out). It is from this exact point that the movie starts to move into the realm of the bizarre with the various seafood & sushi coming to life and attacking the hapless businessmen and the owners of the inn which all culminates in a ridiculous fight featuring:

-a battleship size sushi

-a million little baby sushi that are the result of 2 pieces of sushi mating

-a huge walking "Maguro(tuna) Man"fish

-sushi-zombies

If this all sounds wildly crazy, that's because it is! But if you've seen Noboru's previous work such as Machine Girl, you'll know that this is par for the course. Now you're probably wondering why I'm rating such a movie that is as ridiculous as this so well... Yes, this movie goes into the realm of the bizarre with "monster" sushi and other weird things including a talking egg sushi but it's all done very cleverly. As I mentioned earlier, you can clearly see that the actors are having fun with this film and enjoying themselves acting out ridiculous scenarios. The special effects are also really cheesy and obviously very low budget but again, that's not what you're here to see. In contrast to Machine Girl however, this film is a little more down to earth which is a little odd to say in the same sentence with "monster sushi", but trust me on this. By and large, what we have is a relatively mundane & normal situation taken to its extreme opposite but it never feels like the filmmakers and actors are going overboard and asking the audience to take things very seriously.

If you want to spend a fun night or would like to turn your mind off for a few hours and get a little cultural education about sushi and Japanese culture, this is a great film to do it with.

The ABCs of Death (2012)

A brave & courageous piece of filmmaking and storytelling!

[8/10 · 13 October 2012]

There are some that will be curious about this film, check it out and be amazed and amused. Others will check it out and be absolutely repulsed by the stories and imagery they will see. One thing is true, you will NOT walk away from this indifferent! The ABCs of Death is a high concept, independently produced & distributed horror film anthology which dares to break new ground and presents 26 short stories/films created by 26 different directors based on a particular letter of the alphabet they were assigned. Each director was given $5000 to create their film, and allowed approximately 6 minutes with which they would need to present their story and narrative. Taken as a whole, this has turned to be a great idea as there were a few great gems from the various directors. One thing that was cool is that the films span the different storytelling mediums ranging to live action with minimal special effects to hand-drawn animation and even stop-motion animation done with clay. The directors are also of a very diverse group ranging from Hispanic to Japanese to German to American, all presenting their stories in their native language.

What I really found to be enjoyable about each of the short films is that every director was given immense freedom to present their story based off of the letter of the alphabet they were given. Because of this incredible freedom that they were afforded, the results are truly spectacular and none of the stories feel like they are overly repetitive or clones of each other. A really nice touch is that each director, especially the foreign ones, imbued their stories with elements from their native culture which added further depth and sincerity to each tale. Another great thing that I liked was that each director wasn't restricted to making a "typical" horror film with tense scares or creepiness which I felt attributed to the great diversity of every story. Be warned that because of this, many of the films are very tongue-in-cheek in nature but that doesn't detract from the quality of each film and actually makes the anthology very refreshing and candid.

If you are into film anthologies and can appreciate the fine art of storytelling & film making, this is a movie to watch. If you want to see horror stories of death that take the beaten path as opposed to the well-worn road, this is also the film for you. Come in with an open mind and willingness to be amused and you won't be disappointed by this film!

Resident Evil: Retribution (2012)

Disappointing sequel

[5/10 · 15 September 2012]

Paul W.S. Anderson knows how to make action movies, unfortunately that seems to be the extent of what he is good at as a director and even at that he has room to improve.

The latest Resident Evil movie installment, RE: Retribution unfortunately is a bit of a disappointment coming off the heels of RE: Afterlife. Beneath all of the action & mediocrity, there is certainly potential for a much better movie than we were presented in Retribution. Case in point, almost the entire story is explained to us within the first few minutes of meeting Ada Wong while Albert Wesker "presents" Alice and the audience with her "mission" for this installment. Didn't anyone mention to Paul W.S. Anderson that a good storyteller shows us rather than tells us about things within the story? Unfortunately I think an opportunity to give weight & gravity to the story in RE: Retribution was wasted by Ada Wong telling us/Alice all about her escapades which lead up to them meeting and ultimately working together to bring down Umbrella.

Story aside, the action is decent & very plentiful from beginning to end along with special effects galore. From the very moment that the movie starts to the very end, there is hardly a moment where something or someone isn't being shot at, blown up or taking a hit. This is both a good and bad thing since it means the movie constantly moves along but it also means that the action lacks any real intensity and becomes a little numbing after a while. In fact, by the time the final battle is reached, it all just feels excessive and anticlimactic due to the constant barrage of bullets, explosions and martial arts hits we are presented with. The 3D effect here are excellent considering that we are looking at real live actors on sound stages as opposed to computer generated images layered on a computer generated background. The depth of field is strong and the 3D effect lends a strong feeling that you are there where the action is and observing it all firsthand. There are some cheesy 3D effects where objects fly out at the screen which is par for the course but they seemed to be blended in well and didn't seem overly gratuitous. Thanks to the use of the same 3D cameras used to film Avatar and the RE: Afterlife, the effect is strong and suits the action fine.

All in all, as mentioned earlier, I'm disappointed with this sequel. Paul W.S. Anderson missed out on an opportunity to tell a good story and build upon the solid foundation that was in RE: Afterlife. A little more exposition from the characters rather than the "cliff notes" explanation from Ada Wong would've gone a long way toward fixing that problem as well as pacing the action better would've done wonders to making this an infinitely more watchable film. If you're into movies with 3D, nicely done CGI effects and wall-to-wall action with a sprinkling of story, this will satisfy you just fine. Otherwise, wait for the release on Bluray 3D and save your money and time for the other action films coming out later this month!