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Men in Black (1997)
Men in Black (1997)
1997 | Action, Comedy, Sci-Fi
I don't know what it is about this movie that just left me unsatisfied, but I just did not like this film. Will Smith and Tommy Lee Jones play an intergalactic crime-fighting duo. It definitely feels like Smith was the token black man in this film and as much as it was seen in the 90s and throughout other decades of film, it doesn't make it any more pleasurable to watch.

This film's plot just could not keep me engaged. I always end up really disappointed when the storyline is so promising and there is so much room to run and a shoddy plot comes out of it and the film or book or tv show, whatever the medium, ends up being lackluster. That's how I felt about this film.

Tommy Lee Jones's character was stiff and unlikeable so by the time the end of the film comes, you don't feel any type of way about how his character arc is resolved. I have a feeling the intention was to feel sad for him but also sad for Jay and it just doesn't happen like that. Will Smith's jokes were not funny and it's clear, once again, that his blackness was what he brought to this film. I find myself having a hard time reconciling the stereotype they put him in and the character he was supposed to play. I'm thinking they're one and the same.

Generally just disappointed in this film. Am I going to watch the next one? Yes. Will I probably regret it? Yes. I guess we'll see.
  
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Juliette Jackson recommended track This Is the Day by The The in Soul Mining by The The in Music (curated)

 
Soul Mining by The The
Soul Mining by The The
1983 | Alternative
9.0 (2 Ratings)
Album Favorite

This Is the Day by The The

(0 Ratings)

Track

"Do you know that film Empire Records? It's got Liv Tyler and Renée Zellweger in it and it's a very 90s’ coming-of-age movie about these kids who work in a record shop. I used to be completely obsessed with it, I wanted to be Liv Tyler and I wanted to have her fluffy jumper. They used to put loads of sugar in their coffee and when I was fifteen and starting to make coffee for the first time, I used to put ten sugars in it, because that was what the kids in Empire Records did! This song comes on at the end, just as all the characters are dancing together. It’s so lifting and so fresh. There are no other songs in the world where an accordion sounds so good. “I've listened to other songs by The The but I'm much more of a song person than an album person. I'll make playlists and go back again and again to the exact same song. I feel like they've got a couple of other bangers, I can't think what they're called, but 'This is the Day' sounds exactly like what it is. It sounds exactly like what they're singing: ""This is the day when things fall into place!"" “It's also a song that me and Celia really bonded over when we first met. We both realised at the same time how much we love that film and we both have it as our 'wake up in the morning and pull your finger out' song."

Source
  
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Justin Long recommended Drugstore Cowboy (1989) in Movies (curated)

 
Drugstore Cowboy (1989)
Drugstore Cowboy (1989)
1989 | Drama
6.5 (2 Ratings)
Movie Favorite

"It’s hard for me to narrow it down to my favorite directors and favorite actors, too, but I love Matt Dillon. I love Beautiful Girls and I love Flamingo Kid — he’s responsible for a lot of my favorites, but I’m gonna have to pick Drugstore Cowboy. I saw it when I was a kid and I felt like it was such a different culture than any that I’d ever been exposed to, and I felt like instantly I was a part of it — even though I had no frame of reference. I mean, I wasn’t a “kid,” I was 14 or 15. I had started getting into, you know, that sort of pretentious high school literate phase where you start reading, like, Kerouac and Ginsberg and, I don’t know — I loved that world, that romanticized, thuggy, kind of petty crime world. I really romanticized it myself and just wanted to be a part of that world; there was something exciting about that for me. And I love the way it’s shot. I love the drugged out scenes; I love the way [Gus Van Sant] shoots with cut-outs, those kind of simple, free-floating cut-outs to convey the psychedelic scenes. It was one of my very first exposures to that style of filmmaking that was a lot more patient and took its time and allowed itself to breathe. And from there I got into, like Hal Hartley and the independent movies of the ’90s. But my love of that type of film all started with Drugstore Cowboy."

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Parker (2013)
Parker (2013)
2013 | Mystery
So this is the type of shit we got right before 𝘑𝘰𝘩𝘯 𝘞𝘪𝘤𝘬, huh? Front-to-back wretched, wouldn't even pass as middling DTV fodder these days. Statham is so much better than such chintzy tripe, and I think he knows it judging by this sleepwalk of a performance - which the entire rest of the cast (except for a crackling Micah Hauptman) matches. Society has progressed past the need for more ignominious, generic 90s actioner-with-little-action ripoffs which basically only exist to fill up midday slots on the Starz channel. You'd think this premise would be intrinsically fun - just having Statham (in numerous disguises and funny accents) hunt down and kill the rest of his former team - but I guess it isn't in this piece of shit. It's a shame too, because the characters look good doused in blood and being shot and/or impaled with various items but the already tame R-rating is utterly wasted by overcutting and shaky-camming the flow completely out of the few fights there are. That might have been marginally less of an offense if it wasn't also seriously sexist towards its female characters. Lopez has no reason to trust this guy yet she badly wants to fuck him the second she sees him even after he assaults her, demeans her, and forces her to de-clothe in front of him - which they then try to spin into some gross romantic moment. Less than trash, somehow even worse than 𝘔𝘦𝘤𝘩𝘢𝘯𝘪𝘤: 𝘙𝘦𝘴𝘶𝘳𝘳𝘦𝘤𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯.
  
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Gaz Coombes recommended New Values by Iggy Pop in Music (curated)

 
New Values by Iggy Pop
New Values by Iggy Pop
1979 | Punk
8.0 (1 Ratings)
Album Favorite

"This was a great time for Iggy Pop. He'd been through a lot but this particular time period, things really seemed to work for him. And I like the exploration of early synths here as well. You've got a song like 'The Endless Sea' which has the over-loud synths. I'd have turned them down a little bit but it's great because it's really in-your-face and you can really hear the excitement of the guys getting hold of a Moog. There's an innocence here coupled with an early discovery of stuff. And this album is more about the songs. I don't know if it's a case of something being overplayed but I much prefer listening to this than say, 'The Passenger' or 'Lust For Life'. Maybe it's because those songs are always on and they're just overplayed - and they are brilliant and amazing songs - but there's a tightness about New Values, especially in the drum sound. They've obviously come back from Hansa and the open room, which is a sound that people have tried to emulate over the years, to do something different. Certainly when you look at albums like this, Horses and Marquee Moon, Supergrass were really trying to channel that '75-'79 period and that edgy punkiness but with elements of sophistication. I bought a Telecaster Deluxe guitar in the late 90s and I was really chuffed to get it because it was probably played by one of those musicians from that time period."

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Sonic the Hedgehog (2020)
Sonic the Hedgehog (2020)
2020 | Action, Adventure, Animation
Kind of shit, but a total blast where it counts. I have so many grievances, firstly - did this honestly have to take the form of one of those trite, throwaway kids' films from the 90s/2000s where some obnoxious animal/alien has to team up with a bland cardboard cutout fuck and they learn to love alone the way? Gag, I feel deep shame that my peer group has such devout nostalgia for such a bastardized, lazy corporate gash-grab of a film era - which is of course is only exacerbated more so here by Fowler shooting this thing about as blandly as can be. Not to mention Marden absolutely sucks in it doing - what I can only assume is - some sort of scuffed, bored Ryan Reynolds impersonation. But it's easy to forgive a film that gives such ample time to Jim Carrey (in like his... third or fourth "return to form" now?) giving the single greatest performance of 2020 in a loving homage to the OG elastic, hyperactive roles of which he built his career upon. The action is fair, and for all its deafening faults the final showdown between Sonic and Eggman is exhilarating (even if I find Ben Schwartz's Sonic voice to be mostly a non-presence). Cute and fun enough to suffice - frequently hilarious too - but not really the resuscitator of video game movies when we got the sumptuous and similarly nonsensical 𝘈𝘴𝘴𝘢𝘴𝘴𝘪𝘯'𝘴 𝘊𝘳𝘦𝘦𝘥 just over three years before it. Truthfully I think this would have been better if they kept that monstrous abomination Sonic from the first trailer.
  
Thrawn Ascendancy Book II: Greater Good
Thrawn Ascendancy Book II: Greater Good
Timothy Zahn | 2021 | Science Fiction/Fantasy
7
7.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
Timothy Zahn and Grand Admiral Thrawn go way back.

Back to the early 90s, when Zahn first introduced the character in Heir to the Empire, and 'kickstarted' the old Star Wars Expanded Universe (EU), now known as Star Wars: Legends.

Thrawn is one of the few characters (so far) mined from said EU and carried over the the Disney era of Star Wars, which is no surprise giving his popularity.

What may be slightly surprising, however, is (IMO) just how 'different' this version of the character feels: not better nor worse, just different. In the case of this novel (part 2 of a trilogy, after Chaos Rising but before Lesser Evil, what is also surprising is just how loosely connected to the rest of the Star Wars sandbox universe this is - I mean this as in there are no Jedi or Sith, no lightsabres, no Old Republic, no Seperatists, no Empire and no Rebellion.

Indeed, as before, the very opening sentence of the novel makes that clear: "A long time ago, beyond a galaxy far far away ..."

The Star Wars 'sandbox', of course, is more than big enough to accommodate such a departure, with those who have read part one of the trilogy knowing more of what to expect: Thrawn's tactical genius but political blindness, a few 'large scale' space battles and individuals in the Chiss family to which Thrawn belongs seeking to undermine him whilst other shadowy figures also have their own design for the Chiss Ascendency ...
  
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Jordan Binkerd (567 KP) rated Mercy Kill (X-Wing #10) in Books

Aug 15, 2019 (Updated Aug 20, 2019)  
Mercy Kill (X-Wing #10)
Mercy Kill (X-Wing #10)
Aaron Allston | 2012 | Fiction & Poetry, Humor & Comedy, Science Fiction/Fantasy
10
10.0 (2 Ratings)
Book Rating
Note: this review is transposted from my personal review blog, and so was originally written several years ago. I figured if I reposted it here, someone might actually read it….

NOTE: This novel is no longer canon following Disney’s acquisition of Star Wars. That’s not to say it isn’t good, just that it belongs to the old Canon - I prefer to think of it as an alternate universe.

Do you remember fondly the Star Wars novels of the 90s? Are you into Star Wars but a newcomer to the Expanded Universe? Do you enjoy your Star Wars with an undertone of comedy, so long as a certain floppy-eared terror is nowhere in sight? If so, X-WING: MERCY KILL may be a good book for you to check out.

Unlike most of the books being released set in the “modern” era of the Star Wars universe (44 ABY–i.e., 44 Years post-Episode IV), MERCY KILL lets you jump right in, more or less without knowing the situation to that point. A lot of the others you could read cold, but they wouldn’t make much sense. MERCY KILL, however, has little to do with the ongoing plot of the Expanded Universe. It’s rooted in recent events, but the setup is very simple and easily grasped. It would pay to know the characters from the X-Wing novels of the 90s, but even that is not really necessary. You could check out three or four articles on Wookiepedia and be fine–I did, just to refresh my memory.

So….here’s what you need to know. In the 90s, they published a series of comics and then novels based around Rogue Squadron, led by Wedge Antilles and a number of the X-Wing pilots from the films along with some new faces. These comics and the first four novels were written by Michael Stackpole, but after the fourth he dropped out for a while citing other commitments he had to work on. So they hired in Aaron Allston to continue the series. Allston decided to let the Rogues go off on their own adventures while he created a new team for his novels–Wraith Squadron, a team of X-Wing pilots who would work equally well as a ground-based commando team. The result was a cross between The A-Team and The Dirty Dozen, with some aerial action thrown in. For the purposes of this new novel, notable characters included Garik “Face” Loran, a child star turned soldier and the eventual commander of the Wraiths; and Voort “Piggy” SaBinring, a genetically-modified Gamorrean. There are a few other returning faces, but these were the better developed and you can probably get by just knowing them.

The Star Wars publishing event of the early 2000s was the New Jedi Order series, in which a race of extra-galactic aliens called the Yuuzhan Vong invaded the Galaxy Far, Far Away and sought to subjugate its people. They almost did it, and they changed the way Star Wars novels worked in the process. Characters–MAIN CHARACTERS–died. Chewbacca, Han and Leia’s youngest son Anakin Solo, and countless others fell to the military might of the invaders. There have been other upheavals since, most notably a second Galactic Civil War when Han and Leia’s oldest son Jacen Solo fell to the Dark Side. In the aftermath of that war, a conspiracy was formed to take over both the Galactic Alliance and the Empire and merge them together once again, recapturing the glory of the height of the Old Empire. This conspiracy failed, but it may not have been completely rooted out…..

In this book, Garik Loran is called out of retirement by the head of the Alliance military. He wants Loran to quietly look into rumors that an up-and-coming officer may have been connected to the Lecerson Conspiracy. Wraith Squadron is back in business! The resulting adventure is a fun trip, dealing both in nostalgia for those of us who read the adventures of the original Wraiths long ago and in action that newer fans can get into, all the while serving up Allston’s signature undertone of humor mixed with heart. I heartily recommend it. The one caveat I will mention for fans of the original books is that there is comparatively little aerial combat in this book. The plot doesn’t call for it, and I certainly didn’t really miss it too much, but some may be disappointed by that.

If you want more reading suggestions, the X-Wing: Rogue Squadron comics and X-Wing novels are quite good. If you wanted to enhance your experience with this book, I would have you read at least the novels, but you may not have the patience for all nine of the previous books. If not, I won’t hold it against you.

Content-wise, they keep the Star Wars novels pretty PG. Mild language, mild violence, mild innuendos…..nothing to worry about.

Original post: https://jordanbinkerd.wordpress.com/2013/03/12/review-star-wars-x-wing-mercy-kill-by-aaron-allston/
  
Power Rangers (2017)
Power Rangers (2017)
2017 | Action, Sci-Fi
Anyone fancy a doughnut?
If I had a pound for every time someone said they wanted a live-action Power Rangers reboot, I’d have exactly… nothing. The popular television series isn’t the first franchise that comes to mind when imagining films that’ll draw in the crowds, especially considering its era was very much the 90s.

Nevertheless, production company Lionsgate has taken the chance and given the plucky superheroes their first film in 20 years. But does this classic brand have what it takes to excite 21st Century audiences?

Five ordinary teenagers must band together to become something extraordinary when they learn that their small town of Angel Grove – and the world – is on the verge of being obliterated by the villainous Rita Repulsa (Elizabeth Banks). Chosen by destiny, the new heroes quickly discover they are the only ones who can save the planet. But to do so, they will have to overcome the issues blighting their real lives and before it’s too late, band together as the Power Rangers.

Director Dean Israelite in his second feature film crafts a gritty, modern-day reimagining of the series that manages to lose nearly all the campy fun in the process. It’s such a shame that a film as progressive as Power Rangers gets bogged down in poor pacing, expositional dialogue, messy action sequences and hilariously obvious product placement for Krispy Kreme doughnuts.

“How is it progressive” I hear you say. Well, this is the first film to feature an autistic superhero and a female protagonist who appears to be questioning her sexuality and for that Power Rangers should be given huge applause.

There is also an impressive cast. Bryan Cranston playing wise former Ranger Zordon is one of the most bizarre casting choices in recent memory. He’s certainly very good, though why he would choose a project of this nature is beyond me. The new Rangers are all fine with RJ Cyler probably coming across best as the autistic Billy Cranston.

Unfortunately, Elizabeth Banks is the only person who seems to grasp the camp, cheesy nature of the original television series. Her completely over-the-top performance is one of the best parts of the film, but it feels at odds with the darker tone that’s been set.

Pacing is also not a strong point. At 124 minutes, you’d be forgiven for thinking there’s time to pop in an origins story, a nice training montage and a climactic battle. It’s there in some form, but our heroes don’t “suit up” until the final 20 minutes which then becomes a mess of brash CGI as the film-makers try to tie up all the loose ends.

Overall, Power Rangers isn’t the royal mess it could have been. It’s stylish, progressive and well-acted with a decent storyline that desperately tries to bring this 90s pop-culture phenomena very much into the 21st Century.

Unfortunately, Lionsgate haven’t realised that retro is all the rage and in updating Power Rangers for a modern audience, they’ve lost what made the series and its films so endearing in the first place. It’s definitely better than 2015’s Fantastic Four, but Guardians of the Galaxy it isn’t.

Anyone fancy a doughnut?

https://moviemetropolis.net/2017/04/08/anyone-for-doughnuts-power-rangers-review/
  
Geostorm (2017)
Geostorm (2017)
2017 | Action, Mystery, Sci-Fi
The 90's are back
I’ve got to start by telling you I wasn’t holding out much hope for Geostorm and that’s for quite a few reasons. Firstly, Gerard Butler’s career has been on a bit of a slide recently.

Last year was particularly rough for the Scotsman, with London Has Fallen and Gods of Egypt receiving less than 2 stars here at Movie Metropolis. Secondly, Geostorm has had one of the most turbulent productions of any blockbuster in recent memory.

It actually completed main shooting in 2014 but after a negative audience reaction, it’s release date was pushed back numerous times and costly reshoots were drafted in to sort out the presumed mess. Now, in Autumn 2017 it’s arrived. But what’s it like?

After an unprecedented series of natural disasters, the world’s leaders banded together to create an intricate net of satellites to control the global climate and keep people safe. But now, something is wrong: the system built to protect the planet is attacking it, and it becomes a race against the clock to uncover the real threat before a worldwide geostorm wipes out everything and everyone along with it.

Sounding like something straight from the SyFy channel, Geostorm’s premise is utterly ridiculous but disaster movies have never been particularly well-known for their deep, meaningful and accurate storylines. In fact, some of the very best films in the genre, Deep Impact, Armageddon, Volcano wrestled with significant plot holes – audiences don’t care about that when they can watch the planet getting destroyed.

Morbid, right? Most definitely, but the same applies here. The special effects are so darn good, as a tidal wave obliterates Dubai, and the action interspersed at the right intervals, that the lack of cohesive plot and at times hideous and expositional dialogue really doesn’t matter.

The cinematography by director Dean Devlin (in his first feature film) is really rather good. It’s not ground-breaking but considering 95% of the movie is CGI, he works with green screen well and the script’s twists and turns make it a damn sight more interesting than the majority of 2017’s blockbusters.

“Geostorm channels those brilliantly camp disaster movies from the 80s and 90s beautifully.”
Gerard Butler is actually very decent, but there is a lot more talent on offer here than you would first expect. Ed Harris is always dependable and Andy Garcia plays a President similar to Morgan Freeman’s turn in 1998s Deep Impact. It’s cheesier than a Dairylea triangle, but that’s exactly how disaster films are meant to be.

Geostorm channels those brilliantly camp disaster movies from the 80s and 90s beautifully. Dante’s Peak, Earthquake and Volcano can all be felt here. It takes itself a lot less seriously than 2015’s San Andreas, and has a decent sense of humour to boot.

The scenes on-board the International Space Station are a little dull and to be fair, for a film titled Geostorm, there could be a little more ‘storming’ going on, but it’s a fun, throwaway film that requires nothing but your mind to switch off.

Overall, despite a ridiculously turbulent birth, Geostorm is an honest film. Sure, it’s premise is plagued by plot inconsistencies and the characters aren’t fleshed out enough for us to care about their fates, but it’s a rollercoaster ride of special effects and disaster, which I’m not ashamed to say, I really enjoyed.

https://moviemetropolis.net/2017/10/21/geostorm-review/