Zack Snyder's Justice League

Basic Introduction: 

I want to take a different approach to reviewing this movie, and it's something I want to apply to the reviews I write going forward. There will be a lot of comparison to the theatrical cut of Justice League from 2017. It's just kind of hard to avoid.  

What I Liked: 

First off, Zack Snyder's Justice League feels so much more fleshed out than the theatrical cut. The core cast gets a lot more to do. Looking back at the theatrical cut of the movie from 2017, I have to wonder why they cut all but the bare bones of Cyborg's backstory. Here, he doesn't feel like an afterthought. He feels like a character. The same can also be said of the movie's main villain, Steppenwolf. In the theatrical cut, he was just a generic villain who just wanted to rule the world. In this version, he has a clear master in Darkseid, and is working to get himself back in Darkseid's good graces. Already, the movie's main heavy has a backstory. He has a motivation. While he won't go down as one of my all time favorite villains, this movie offers him a much needed redemption. This movie's also pretty well paced. It was four hours long, and I was glued to all four hours of it. It moved at a pretty solid pace. There were plenty of moments I remembered liking from the theatrical cut, that just feel like they are improved upon here. I should also say that a lot of the fan service worked for me as well. It didn't reach a point for me where it felt too distracting, especially when it easily could have. Finally, the Snyder cut had something I feel was sorely missing from the 2017 version, a soul. This felt like a director's creative vision and a story he wanted to tell from the beginning, especially when compared to the theatrical cut (which I think can best be described as the cliff notes version of this movie). 

What I Didn't Like: 

So, my complaints are pretty minor, all things considered. But, I do still have some issues with this version of the movie. First off, there were a couple of lines here and there that I would have bet money Joss Whedon wrote when trying to give the film more humor, but they exist Zack Snyder's version, namely the line: "I am a black hole of snacks. I am a snack hole." Some of the CGI can look a little janky, though I can't harp on that too much because I think it's kind of amazing we even got this director's cut at all. Finally, let's address the elephant in the room: Amber Heard. Yes, I have my thoughts on her whole situation, and I am not a fan of who she is as a person. That is not why I'm talking about her in this section. I am talking about her in this section of my review because she was just bad in the movie. Fortunately, she's not in it very much. 

Final Thoughts: 

So yeah, I really liked Zack Snyder's Justice League. It got a much more emotional response out of me than the theatrical cut did. This version is on HBO Max, and is broken up into parts. If you have HBO Max, and you haven't already watched this, then just know I do have to recommend it.   

My Rating: 

Awesome

Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade

In the third movie in the Indiana Jones franchise, Indy goes on a quest to find both the holy grail and his missing father. First of all, I love the chemistry between Harrison Ford and Sean Connery. Despite the two only having a twelve year age gap between them, they have a pretty believable father and son dynamic. It's honestly a big part as to why this is my favorite of the Indiana Jones movies. I also quite like the Elsa character. It's really the only time in this franchise where the love interest was also one of the villains. I also think it helped make her a little more memorable than the movie's primary villain. He's not bad. He just doesn't stand out to me as much some of the other antagonists in the franchise. As usual, the action set pieces are also a ton of fun. My personal favorite is the scene in Venice. Sure, this movie may be a bit more lighthearted than the second movie. However, I actually believe that is a point in this film's favor. Overall, I adore this film. The acting, the action, and the writing are all in top form. It really is the relationship between Indy and his father that serves as the heart of the movie for me. 

9 / 10 

Identity

Identity follows a group of strangers stranded at a motel who must eventually work to stay alive when a mysterious killer begins picking them off one by one. This is a movie I had heard of but had never seen until recently. Now that I have had a chance to check it out, I am so glad I did. For starters, I love the cast. The actors in this film include John Cusack, Ray Liotta, Amanda Peet, Alfred Molina, and Jake Busey. This movie starts off fairly simple, and you think it's going to go one way. But, there are a couple of solid twists in the movie that I won't spoil in my review. Props should also go to director James Mangold. The man does an excellent job building up atmosphere in this movie. I could potentially pick apart the characters for not being too deep. However, in this movie it almost feels like it's by design. That's not me saying they're super shallow either. I personally feel that this movie gives the characters just enough depth. Overall, Identity works as a mystery-horror movie with some legitimately clever twists. It's not one I hear talked about a lot in day to day conversations, But I honestly think it deserves to be. If you get the chance, give this movie a watch.  

9 / 10 

Child's Play 2

 

Two years after the events of the first film, Andy Barclay is sent to live with a foster family. It doesn't take long before Chucky the killer doll returns to exact vengeance. Along the way, the doll leaves another trail of bodies. If the first film offered more of a mystery leading up to the reveal that Chucky was the killer, this movie lets Chucky off his leash. Therefore, there's more of a straight up slasher feel to this movie by comparison. I see it as a good thing because knowing Chucky is the killer throughout the entire thing means we actually get more of him. I absolutely love Brad Dourif in the role. I also really like that the movie puts some focus on a foster family. It's not something you really see that often in horror movies. The kills can also be pretty effective. I can think of two of them that are among my favorite Chucky kills of all time. Overall, I see Child's Play 2 as being pretty on par with the first film. It's a movie that actually continues the story of the first film, but doesn't feel entirely restricted by the exact same rules. It also doesn't entirely feel like a movie that does the exact same thing again. There is a little bit of that feeling, but nowhere near enough to ruin the movie by any means. 

8 / 10       

The Invisible Man

 The Invisible Man is the latest remake of the original H.G. Wells story. This version follows Elizabeth Moss as a woman, Cecilia, who escapes from her abusive boyfriend, a scientist named Adrian Griffin. After Adrian apparently dies, Cecilia begins to think something suspicious is happening, and that Adrian is somehow behind it, even as those around Cecilia believe she may be going crazy. So, between this and Upgrade, I know that Leigh Whannell is someone to look out for as a filmmaker. There's a fantastic sense of tension. The acting is very good too, especially Elizabeth Moss in the lead role. She convincingly pulls off a performance that feels both sympathetic and unhinged. This also feels like a perfect off-set for a villain that is actually very cold and calculated. Some of the supporting characters could probably be a little bit deeper, but they still work pretty well for me. I kind of feel as though they serve their purposes within the context of the film. The pacing of the movie is suitably slow. It feels like it builds more and more as the film progresses. I also really have to compliment the film's visuals. The digital effects are actually pretty seamless. It feels like there is a pretty solid mix of both digital and practical, at least from what I was able to tell. Overall, I really liked The Invisible Man. This is a movie that makes me feel like there's an understanding of how to make a movie (and story) like this work in a modern setting.   

9 / 10 

Apt Pupil

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Todd Bowden (played by Brad Renfro) discovers that his neighbor, Arthur Denker (played by Ian McKellen) is a Nazi war criminal. Todd has an obsession with the awful things the Nazis did during World War II. Todd blackmails Denker into telling him all of these horrible stories. So, Apt Pupil is a movie I had been interested in for a while. Now that I have finally seen it, I will say this. I absolutely loved this movie. It's based off a story by Stephen King, and I suppose I should start there. I have not read the story this movie is based off of. That said, this is a type of horror that I don't really see Stephen King explore all that often, meaning real world horror. The acting is excellent all-around, especially from the film's two leads. A lot of the tension comes from the cat and mouse game between these two. It also helps that you're never fully sure who is who in this scenario. Yes, Denker is a former Nazi war criminal who had been suppressing a lot of his more sadistic urges. However, Todd shows a lot of his own sadistic tendencies throughout the movie, and you feel each of them trying to attain a sense of control. In my opinion, this was a great little movie, even if critics and audiences didn't really respond to it.

9 / 10 

The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring

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It amazes me to watch this movie nearly 20 years later, and see just how well it holds up. I should start with my negatives with the movie because they are really just minor nitpicks. Some of the action felt a little bit choppy to me, and wasn't always the easiest for me to make out. Some of the choppy slow motion was also a little bit odd to me. Yep, that's about it for negatives for me. Everything just worked for me. The actors all felt perfectly suited to their respective roles. After nearly 20 years, the visuals are still incredible. In fact, I think a lot of the special effects look better than some movies that have only come out in the past couple of years. For the most part, I do think this movie stands on its own, which is not always the case. This movie does a great job building the world its characters inhabit. I also love the little teases to the greater lore of Middle-Earth that I really understand better as I have grown older. The characters feel so rich, even some of the smaller characters where I may not know a lot about them, but would love to know and learn more. Overall, there were a couple of editing and filmmaking choices that did feel a touch dated to me. However, everything else about the film still holds up from the perspective of 2020. I have always been a fan of these movies, and have never really gotten much of a chance to talk about them. 

9 / 10 

Stranger Things - Season 3

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Even though I've watched it a couple of times now, I realize I still haven't actually reviewed the third season of Stranger Things. So, that's what I'm going to do. One of the first things about the third season I really appreciated was the fact that most of these kids are growing up. All of them are in relationships except for Will. But, I also like the way they dealt with Will in this season as well. I kind of think Will is the least interesting of the core kid group. But, with season 3, there's more of an effort to flesh him out. For most of the season, he's still kind of stuck in the past while his friends are growing up around him. I like it because it feels relatable. We've probably all known someone like that, or maybe we've been in Will's shoes. I also think Billy was a much more improved character this season. I thought he was kind of one-note in the majority of season two. If anything, this season cements him as one of the show's best villains. Some of the new additions are pretty fun. Cary Elwes is awesome as a sleazy politician. Murray returns for this season, and is quite a bit stronger in season 3. It doesn't hurt that he gets a bromance with a Russian defector named Alexei. Alexei's great too. Basically, he's just a big child. The motivations behind his attempts at bribery are Cherry Slurpees and being allowed to watch Looney Tunes. My favorite new addition has to be Robin. I speak so much to the characters on the show in my reviews because they are the highlights for me. Don't get me wrong. I enjoy the action. I like the effects. I like the nostalgic callbacks. But, the characters and their relationships are the heart of the show. The one thing about this season I'm not entirely sure needs to be there anymore is Mike's parents and little sister. Mike and Nancy continue to feel like they are growing and developing. I'll say Mike's mom had some development. However, I don't entirely know what the dad and baby sister really offer anymore. They aren't awful characters. I just kind of feel like they are just there. I love how this season just kind of keeps building with each episode as well. There's an episode in the third season, The Sauna Test, that is easily in my top five. The episode just feels so tense, and actually raises the stakes. Overall, I think this season about on par with season one.

A

Sleepwalkers

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Sleepwalkers is an interesting movie. It is most definitely terrible by most conventions. Yet, it is entertainingly insane. The movie is directed by Mick Garris (who has also directed the miniseries adaptations for The Shining and The Stand). and written by Stephen King. The plot is about two incestuous vampire-like creatures that are trying to suck the life force out of a teenage girl, and they have a severe fear and hatred of cats. Even writing the plot of this movie sounds insane to me. But, I have seen Sleepwalkers and it is perhaps one of the most fun experiences I can think of. The cast is interesting to me. The main antagonist of the movie is played by Alice Krige (the borg queen herself). You also have a small supporting role by Ron Perlman. That's not even mentioning the plethora of random cameos littered throughout the movie. I also kind of think a lot of the actors kind of know the type of movie they are in. Alice Krige and Ron Perlman are perhaps the best examples of this. There are so many times where I feel like these two are just hamming it up on screen. Of course, I should also mention Glen Shaddix as this creepy high school teacher. If you don't know, this is the same guy who played Otho in Beetlejuice, Bob in Demolition Man, and the reverend in Heathers. This movie also has one of my favorite death scenes in a horror movie ever because I find it so gloriously stupid. In fact, gloriously stupid feels like just the right description for this movie as a whole. 

7 / 10

Heathers

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Well, this is a movie that I can say surprised me in the best way possible. The film follows Veronica Sawyer (played by Winona Ryder) as she meets falls for the mysterious new kid, J.D. (played by Christian Slater). Along the way, the fall into a series of murders and accidents. Veronica is left trying to figure out what J.D.'s angle is. Going in, I knew this movie was called Heathers and I knew some of the cast members. What I didn't not know anything about was the story. The movie has a dark sense of humor that I legitimately appreciate. The actors all do a pretty solid job. In particular, I really like Christian Slater in this movie. It's a little difficult for me to explain any further. A lot of the jokes really worked for me, and those are not the kind of things you would want to spoil in a review. The film is legitimately cleverly written. At the same time, it's kind of obvious that this movie is a product of its time. There are moments that probably wouldn't fly today. In this movie's case, I honestly mean that as a compliment. Overall, I don't think there's much more I have to say about this movie. I had a legitimate blast with Heathers. 

10 / 10 

Upgrade

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Grey Trace (played by Logan Marshall-Green) and his wife are in a car accident. A group of men stumble upon the wreck, kill his wife, and leave Grey paralyzed. Several months later, A reclusive billionaire offers Grey an operation that will allow him to walk again by attaching an AI to his spine. Grey and the AI, known as STEM, soon begin working together to find the men who murdered Grey's wife. So, this movie came out in 2018, but I didn't get a chance to actually see it until a couple of days ago. I just gotta say, this is a movie that really lived up to the hype. I went into this movie knowing only some of the basic premise, making some of the twists and turns a lot of fun for me as I saw them unravel as the movie went on. The film is written and directed by Leigh Whannell (the same guy who wrote Dead Silence, the first two Insidious movies and the first Saw, and also wrote and directed Insidious: Chapter 3 and The Invisible Man). This film is a true showcase for his talents. As much as I really like the performances in the film, particularly Logan Marshall-Green in the lead role, it really is Whannell who feels like the star of the show here. The whole time, there's a sense of atmosphere, making the moment where Grey truly allows to unleash STEM feel as earned as it possibly can. The violence is brutal in the best way possible, and actually managed to make me cringe in a couple of spots. Trust me, that is not an easy thing to do, and I have the utmost respect for this film for actually making it work. Overall, this is one of those movies where pretty much everything about it stood to me in a good way. If you haven't seen it yet, then I highly recommend Upgrade.   

10 / 10 

Onward

I should preface this by saying: I saw this movie at the beginning of March, before things went crazy. I've had this review ready to go for awhile, and I just haven't been able to post it until now. 

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Onward is the latest film from Pixar. The movie takes place in a fantasy world where magic used to exist. The fantasy creatures that inhabit the world invented technology and simply use that because it’s easier than magic. Brothers Ian and Barley (voiced by Tom Holland and Chris Pratt respectively) find a a spell gifted to them by their long-dead father for them to see him for one more day. I love the world this movie sets up because it’s something I would have have never thought of, or considered. The humor really works well for me. One of my favorite things about the film is the biker gang made up entirely of pixies with anger issues. I also kind of love the idea of a centaur being so lazy he just kind of uses a car to drive everywhere. Because this is a Pixar movie, you also get those emotional moments, and those work really well. They are used effectively to help build the characters. In some respects, I didn’t necessarily see all of them coming. They work in the context of the story. The road trip and quest stories aren’t really anything new, I will admit. That said, for the story this movie presents, it works pretty well. I love the voice cast too. Naturally, Chris Pratt and Tom Holland are reliable in their roles. I also kind of love Octavia Spencer in the role of the manticore. The manticore is a pretty enjoyable character in and of herself. She used to be an adventurer, but gave it up to run a restaurant. Overall, the story might be somewhat familiar, but I don’t think it really matters that much in the case of Onward.

9 / 10