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Reviews
Avengers: Endgame (2019)
Not overstated hat tip salutations
I'll try to avoid many in the way of spoilers here. The movie stands well enough on its own two feet. It is a long movie, but about half of it tells its own story in and of itself, picking up where Avengers Infinity War (2018) cliff hanger left off, the other half saluting the franchise in a hat tip that I think is about as fitting a farewell as any you will find in cinema these days. Social engineering agendas aside, I will credit the makers this much: classy!
If you have not followed the franchise for any length of time, never mind from the opening Incredible Hulk and Iron Man installments, there are a plethora of hat tips, teasers you might say, to whet your appetite. Even the most recent addition to the MCU, Captain Marvel, had its share of hat tip teasers, including its post-credits scene. Those moments will probably mean more to you, however, if you have followed the franchise.
There are a handful of story arcs they could probably develop more, Spider-Man, for instance, perhaps even Capt. Mar-vel. But as franchises go, this was a strong ending to a fairly well stitched together set of interwoven story lines. You will not find any post-credits scenes here. I find it a little bittersweet, but like I said, those hat tips, in-credits acknowledgements, are the post-credits scenes, I think. More salutations for the folks who helped make it such a great franchise.
Now if only much of the work generated by the franchise went to U.S. citizenry, but we will not go there for purposes of this review.
Whiskey Cavalier (2019)
At first I was like this dude seems familiar
Oh yeah, Scott Foley (aka Will Chase, The Unit, 2006-2009). So it seems that many of the original TWD cast have walked away from the show, Lauren Cohan among them. Cohan was already doing other projects at the same time, i.e. Mile 22. To brass tacks; I cannot imagine a show like this, whose entire premise is a one of forced contrivances, forced coalition between otherwise competing agencies, the F.B. don't I and the Clowns In America, and their suspect turned serf, I mean, contractor, would last that long. A similar series, that I did not follow that closely, met a similarly timely demise, in Taxi Brooklyn, with a forced contrivance of a dynamic between a floundering cop and a perp turned serf. Sure it makes for zany one liners, and even the occasional zinger, but really, I cannot see it lasting that long; Brooklyn, for instance, was canceled after just one season and can now be found on Hulu, Netflix, etc, I think. Hope it was worth it, Cohan; jumped ship from TWD, albeit in its dying stages, I believe, with barely scratching by production value. It really shows, referring to TWD. However, as far as Cavalier is concerned, I do not see it lasting that long, either.
The Launch: Better (2019)
Sort of a micro-The-Voice or The X Factor
Not overly thrilled about their choice at the Better performing artist. I mean, Cassiøpeia all but conceded victory during her confessional leading up to the live performance. Meanwhile you have Vi there contending to the bitter end of the show. A bit rough around the edges, but a contender to the end. I don't know about you, but I want to be aligned with a winning mentality. Sure we can't win them all, but I want someone who gets it and perseveres through the thick of it "better" for it.
Overlord (2018)
Cult is probably the best description confused may be another
As a WW2 movie, sort of, kind of good. As a monster movie, it never really gained its sea legs, I thought. It tried to be one, kinda sorta turned a corner into the other, barely. I don't know, there's not much else to say about this one. It would have been better had they not had to spend so much time building up to the monster bits.
A Private War (2018)
Do not be easily deceived
If you watched this Prima Facie and did no background research into the "conflict" in Lybia, Syria... No mention whatsoever of the US and HRC's involvement in Gaddafi's assassination, "we came, we saw, he died" were her very words during one interview, and not with anything even remotely resembling sobriety. You also need to understand the "topple seven nations in five years" the US agreed to. Lybia, Syria, Iran, etc. Or how the US and NATO forces back ISIS, shelled Assad's people. Some 500,000+ killed by the US weapons, etc. Not anything I want to be associated with, but that was my tax dollars, and yours if you are a tax paying citizen of the US. Taking nothing away from Marie Colvin's work as a journalist, but let's be clear. Assuming the film is accurate, she received awards from her company alone; it's not like they were industry awards, recognition, etc. No, I think this was more propagandist than factual.
Aquaman (2018)
I do not ever want to hear another dig on the GL movie
Really. I mean it. GL was arguable better than this one, I think. This one had a number of name actors from various tracks, from earlier Spider-Man franchise, from the Watchmen franchise, and so on. The childhood trips down memory lane felt forced and, in large part, I think, entirely unnecessary. There was a pseudo arch-villain mini-origin inside this sort-of-origin-sort-of-JL-sequel: namely, that of Black Manta. Which was, I think, kind of a funny sub-plot, dig on the old Super Friends franchise. But all we got from BM was a minor skirmish and a rather ignominious demise; we do get a teaser in the post-credits, though. If you know the reference, you know what I am talking about. But he was really just a tool in the movie, used by the political coup over tones. So many plots and subplots in this one, the film really didn't know what it wanted to be: an origin, or a sequel. It would have been interesting to see a couple of cameos of JL heroes, but with the depth of the cast, I can see why that would be difficult. Last but not least, really, this one was pretty bad, IMO, and gives the GL movie a run for its money for its stench. Just one man's opinion, FWIW.
Tigtone (2018)
Such a waste of my EM spectrum, EM pollution
Ranks right up there with Archer for being a waste of the EM spectrum. From Skeleton Ribs to King-Queen in the pilot episode, I was like Whiskey Tango Foxtrot? Just an utter waste of eleven minutes I will never see again...
Titans (2018)
Hit the mark sort of
The Raven character pretty much nailed it; although I'm not so sure about the mythos of her "family origins" as the season unwound. Dick Grayson / Robin... Again, pretty much nailed it I think. Even the Jason Todd character pretty much nailed it. Those two characters pretty much carried the whole series IMO.
The Garfield Logan (Tiger Lad, I mean, Beast Boy) character felt a bit forced. There's no real "dark side" to this character, origins aside, and the acting wasn't right I think. Koriand'r (Starfire) was all wrong IMO. They tried to play it like she had somehow forgotten, amnesiac, PTSD, or whatever, but it just did not work. The acting was forced, felt too wooden; she's too playful a character I think to come off that "dark".
Apparently S1E11 was declared the "finale" with S1E12 being bumped to S2. Not the first time I've seen that happen in the last couple of years, i.e. "The Orville". Consequently, the "finale" could have easily run over into a S1E12, but instead what you have is the individuals having "found" each other. But to call them the "Titans" yet would be a stretch.
I appreciate they wanted to develop the characters, story line, etc, but really, the team needed to have been the team after S1. Instead it's just the individuals, a "saved" Gar, PTSD "Kor", "cultified" Raven, and a "possessed" Dick. At least they've "found each other", more or less.
Fringe characters along the way, such as Hawk, Dove, Wonder Girl, etc, did not really know or expect them for the most part. From what I can gather, more or less in the ball park all things considered.
That being said, will be interesting to see what they do with "Subject 13", "Krypto", "Superman", ostensibly, opening S2.
The Predator (2018)
For the most part it is a Predator sequel
But only for the most part. Are you sitting down? Are you adequately braced? The story arc was clumsy at best, jumping from one encounter to the next. Given the band of protagonists were mostly composed of stark raving loons, I suppose it makes sense. The film did a bang up job of recounting the Predator timeline. But it also manages to mock just about every catch line that you might have otherwise enjoyed from the original film, courtesy of Arnold, including Get To The Choppa, as well as, You're One Ugly. There's even a gore scene that is somewhat reminiscent of stories of actual giants, Nephilim, roaming the Earth still to this day. If you're up on that stuff you know what I'm talking about. Once you get past that stuff, it's basically a Predator survival movie. Unleash the hounds!
Mile 22 (2018)
Propagandist collusion garbage
Meh. Not overly excited about this one. Basically it was 9/11 propaganda with a bit of chaser action thrown in. Oh, and mix in a little Obummer to boot and suggest that POTUS (including President Trump) are somehow bobble heads. As a movie genre, basically you have Bourne-lite (of the Bourne Identity franchies) meets Jack Reacher. Throw in a smattering of established and fairly well known up and comers. Ignoring the propagandist under current, agree with some of the other reviewers, story telling was a bit awkward. I could follow it, but the scene cuts were many and frequent. The twists and turns were interesting, notwithstanding the critique.
Fear the Walking Dead (2015)
Is it over yet?
I'm not sure whether to laugh or cry that S4.5 is finally done and over with. Basically S4 showed signs of suffering from low production value same as its root series TWD did in the last 2-3 seasons. We were left with the mid-season cliff-hanger and had to assume Madison did not really make it after all, but the splinters of her progeny carried on in what can only be framed as S4.5. Basically you have two completely different 8-episode seasons; which, when you think about it, is pretty much par for the course up, down, left, right, and sideways in Medialand these days. Hoping that maybe Madison had a rabbit's foot she could pull out, but that didn't look like it was in the cards after all. It was a fitting way for her to go, I suppose.
Lost in Space (2018)
Has promise but sort of departs from the original
It's about 75% true to the original, at least insofar as I recall from catching episodes in my early childhood. Assuming there is/was source material beyond the TV programming, I'm unfamiliar with it, to be fair. Overall, it just seems like a darker, edgier version from the original TV programming. I do not recall Judy's character being so prim and exacting, necessarily. I also do not recall Penny's character being so obnoxious, almost a "Dr. Smith junior" of sorts. The West character took his time getting introduced and felt somewhat forced, like what reason do these folks really have for aligning themselves? The plot lines around which just feel sort of manufactured. And then there's the penultimate Dr. Smith; not quite "evil" in his (or her) intentions, but definitely "chaotic neutral" if ever there was one. I do not recall many of Posey's characters along these lines, but the little that I do recall, it seems more of a reprisal of her characters from prior works. Then there's the "strong female lead", I'm having a hard time believing Molly Parker's character in Maureen. Some of that is my bias, I suppose, having observed her performance in the U.S. version of House of Cards, to be fair. Still I think the sexist trouncing of the "supporting" male lead role in the Toby Stephens John character is unfounded and unjustified, all things considered. All that being said, LiS is LiS; perhaps 60-75% overall true to form. Maybe it was time for a remake, maybe it wasn't? Time will tell...
Wynonna Earp (2016)
Not the worst show out there
However, the acting is a bit shallow, and they are thick in propagandist, new world order, attacks on family, "same sex" this that and the other thing. Basically, though, it's your run of the mill Scooby-Doo Gang genre. Strikes me as a show in a bit of trouble, too, when they've got to plumb the depths by casting recurring guest roles of, for instance, Zoie Palmer, in what amounts to a reprisal of her "android" character motif, or any other role she's ever played, it seems, Dark Matter, Lost Girl, etc; and that they've also got cast members reading the tea leaves and deciding to move on themselves, i.e. Shamier Anderson.
A Quiet Place (2018)
Make noise elsewhere if you want an empty movie
What can I say here? This was just a GOOD damn movie. It wasn't perfect, I've seen movies with expensive effects, etc, but this movie did not really need them. This was more of a thriller, suspenseful movie, than it was a horror movie, and it does this VERY well. I found myself really concerned for at least a couple of the characters throughout the movie. THAT is how good a job the whole crew did in pulling this off. Additionally, some horror, thriller movies, indeed movies in general, come across as flat, thin, or wooden at times, or in fact throughout. THIS movie is NONE of those. The actors did a GREAT job selling a DIFFICULT situation. YEA for the disabled hero at the end! This is the closest I will get to a spoiler, I think. The bad guys throughout the movie did not need fancy effects; I think it might have been claymation in some parts, actually, and it was convincingly done, and at times in some rather dynamic environments. There was enough there, I think, for the whole family, but probably not for the smaller children, at least not without adult supervision. Definitely worth a watch. Maybe two or three among friends and family!
Rampage (2018)
It didn't completely bomb
Maybe they should have dropped that MOAB during the movie after all... It didn't completely bomb, IMO, but I'm not sure it's Academy Award material, either. Basically, it was "The Rock" reprising a light version of his previous roles; similarly, it was also basically Jeffrey Dean Morgan reprising his "Negan" character (and I assume, roles prior to that as well; although I've never really followed D.M. career that closely, to be fair). It was entertaining throughout, but I'm not sure the video game subject material really justifies a silver screen rendition, per se. I'm sure they'll make a bid for a sequel; it was all but set up, but we'll see.
Game Night (2018)
Not great but it has a certain kind of chemical charm about it
I'm not usually a fan of stupid in your face kind of humor, and I'm not positive at least 3-4 of the actors were basically reprising their formative roles from prior projects. But when the chemistry is there, run with it, baby. Worth a watch, even on a date night / game night, but I wouldn't spend a fortune making it happen.
Ready Player One (2018)
Not the worst movie ever but yes still somewhat predictable
Review title says it all. Plus, basically reprisals of the chief antagonists' roles, if you ask me, Ben Mendelsohn and Hannah John-Kamen, between their roles in Bloodline and Killjoys, respectively.
Batman Ninja (2018)
Bad on SO many levels
The overall premise was just bad to begin with. Then at around 40 minutes in there was an obviously draft segment of what looked like one of Batman's cohorts doing unspeakable things to a then down low Harley Quinn and Mr. J. Just awful, even for what is apparently English dubbed subtext. No obvious spoilers here other than the word of caution; you have been warned.