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Charlie Cobra Reviews (1840 KP) rated Men in Black International (2019) in Movies
Jul 7, 2020
Weighed, Measured and Found Wanting
Men In Black International is a 2019 sci-fi action/comedy directed by F. Gary Gray and written by Art Marcum and Matt Holloway. It is based on the Malibu/Marvel comic book series by Lowell Cunningham. The film was produced by Amblin Entertainment, Columbia Pictures, Image Nation, Tencent Pictures and MacDonald/Parkes Productions and distributed by Sony Pictures Releasing. The movie stars Chris Hemsworth, Tessa Thompson, Rebecca Ferguson, Kumail Nanjiani, Emma Thompson, and Liam Neeson.
Molly Wright (Tessa Thompson) witnesses her parents being neuralized by agents of Men in Black in Brooklyn 1996. Avoiding neuralization as her parents assumed that she was asleep, she helps an alien escape. Twenty-three years later, she manages to track Men in Black agents back to MiB headquarters in New York. Molly makes an impression on Agent O (Emma Thompson), despite being caught entering the building. She is assigned to the London branch on a probationary agent status as "Agent M".
This movie was very predictable. There really wasn't one part of the movie that surprised me plot wise. From the twists and turns that they try and throw at you to the big reveal at the end. A lot of critics said this movie was very forgettable with lackluster action and they are not wrong. However, the movie was quite enjoyable for myself and others. The chemistry between Thompson and Hemsworth was awesome and particularly the voice acting for Kumail Nanjiani's character. His character Pawney, stole the show and really made the movie good. He was the comic relief and center of any scene he was in. The special effects were great and they even threw in a couple of new aliens as they often do with the sequels of this series. The movie also didn't have near the emotional impact of the sequels. It was a decent movie but not as funny, surprising, or stupendous as the first film in the franchise. I give it a 7/10,
Molly Wright (Tessa Thompson) witnesses her parents being neuralized by agents of Men in Black in Brooklyn 1996. Avoiding neuralization as her parents assumed that she was asleep, she helps an alien escape. Twenty-three years later, she manages to track Men in Black agents back to MiB headquarters in New York. Molly makes an impression on Agent O (Emma Thompson), despite being caught entering the building. She is assigned to the London branch on a probationary agent status as "Agent M".
This movie was very predictable. There really wasn't one part of the movie that surprised me plot wise. From the twists and turns that they try and throw at you to the big reveal at the end. A lot of critics said this movie was very forgettable with lackluster action and they are not wrong. However, the movie was quite enjoyable for myself and others. The chemistry between Thompson and Hemsworth was awesome and particularly the voice acting for Kumail Nanjiani's character. His character Pawney, stole the show and really made the movie good. He was the comic relief and center of any scene he was in. The special effects were great and they even threw in a couple of new aliens as they often do with the sequels of this series. The movie also didn't have near the emotional impact of the sequels. It was a decent movie but not as funny, surprising, or stupendous as the first film in the franchise. I give it a 7/10,
LoganCrews (2861 KP) rated Into The Forest (2016) in Movies
Sep 19, 2020
A light, pretty take on the bonds of family during hard times gets brutalized halfway through by one of the hardest to watch scenes of 2015 before becoming a powerfully emotional apocalypse tale about how much of your life is actually necessary. This has been criticized up and down for not using a 'harrowing' enough crisis to set the scene, and look I'm just going to tell you right now that I understand why you all think this is 'millennial' but this right here would be my living nightmare. I'm that character in every pre/post-apocalyptic movie who loses their shit after the power goes out in the first five minutes - I don't even go tent camping, like I *need* that shit. To quote Kumail Nanjiani from đđ©đŠ đđȘđš đđȘđ€đŹ: "I'm going to be the first guy to die. I die so the other characters get to find out something weird is going on". Also a big plus that this doesn't turn into some finger-shaking technophobic lecture as it no doubt would have under any other circumstances. No I don't take a ton of stock in this rather simple story on the surface but the real beauty of it is brought to life with these all-in performances, earthly visuals, together with the *deeply* rich and evocative score. It's such a bracingly haunting yet unforgettably sensual experience, and it has one of the more sound 'good thing, bad thing, good thing, bad thing...' structures for the genre. Very lovely.
Bob Mann (459 KP) rated Stuber (2019) in Movies
Sep 28, 2021
An action comedy that takes you for a ride.
Kumail Nanjiani hits my funny bone⊠again.
Like no other genre, comedy is highly personal and one personâs comedy gold is another personâs comedy nightmare (âMrs Brownâs Boysâ anyone?). Similarly there are some comedians that I really engage with and others that really irritate. For me, stand-up comedian Kumail Nanjiani falls into the former category. Although having had bit-part roles in many films over the last ten years, it was his starring role playing⊠well⊠basically, himself in âThe Big Sickâ that first caught my attention. Here he repeats that starring role and delivers a deft performance as the shy and âscaredy-catâ driver making a pick-up he wonât forget in a hurry.
Heâs paired here, in an unusual âbuddy copâ/ânot buddy copâ manner, with âSpectreâ bad-guy Dave Bautista, a giant of a man who displays a knack for comic delivery (albeit as the straight man) that I was not expecting.
The seeing-eye Uber man.
Bautista plays cop Vic Manning who is in an obsessive pursuit of bad-guy Oka Tedjo (Iko Uwais). Suffering from increasingly bad eyesight, Manning undergoes laser eye surgery on the very day that the âbig tip-offâ comes through. Being almost blind, Manning hires (read kidnaps) Stu to be his unwilling partner in a battle that puts Stu as well as Manningâs attractive artist daughter (Natalie Morales) in harmâs way.
Thereâs comedy to be mined in the blind cop set-upâŠ. itâs similar in some ways to the Gene Wilder/Richard Pryor comedy âSee No Evil, Hear No Evilâ.
Surprisingly visceral action.
We all know that Bautista can do a good fight scene. That fight onboard a train in âSpectreâ, with Daniel Craigâs Bond, was almost on a par with the famous Connery/Shaw fight in âFrom Russia With Loveâ. Here, Bautista gets to brawl with gusto in a few scenes.
In general, the âactionâ in this âaction-comedyâ is pretty full-on and entertaining. The opening scenes in particular, with Manning and officer Sara Morris (the ever-watchable Karen Gillan) taking on Tedjo in an upper floor of a high-rise building are exciting and dramatic. This is due in no small part to the acrobatic capabilities of Iko Uwais. (Uwais is an Indonesian champion at the martial art Silat⊠and it shows).
Slick writing that delivers some great lines.
The script is by Tripper Clancy, with this being his first US film after penning two previous German films. And it really made me laugh a lot, both in terms of some of the set up scenes (one in an animal hospital is particularly funny) and in some of the dialogue. As an example, when pushed to the limit of his stress, Stu wails âSo Iâm gonna have to get cheap student therapists who quote white guys with Indian names and tell me that I should meditate. IâŠDOâŠMEDITATE!!!!â.
Also top-notch is the use of music in the film. A use of the Hollies classic âAir that I breatheâ during the above mentioned Animal Hospital scene was brilliant.
Summary
Comedies need to make me laugh. This one did. Repeatedly. It even made the illustrious Mrs Movie Man laugh too. Repeatedly. As such âStuberâ comes with a ârecommendedâ from me.
Like no other genre, comedy is highly personal and one personâs comedy gold is another personâs comedy nightmare (âMrs Brownâs Boysâ anyone?). Similarly there are some comedians that I really engage with and others that really irritate. For me, stand-up comedian Kumail Nanjiani falls into the former category. Although having had bit-part roles in many films over the last ten years, it was his starring role playing⊠well⊠basically, himself in âThe Big Sickâ that first caught my attention. Here he repeats that starring role and delivers a deft performance as the shy and âscaredy-catâ driver making a pick-up he wonât forget in a hurry.
Heâs paired here, in an unusual âbuddy copâ/ânot buddy copâ manner, with âSpectreâ bad-guy Dave Bautista, a giant of a man who displays a knack for comic delivery (albeit as the straight man) that I was not expecting.
The seeing-eye Uber man.
Bautista plays cop Vic Manning who is in an obsessive pursuit of bad-guy Oka Tedjo (Iko Uwais). Suffering from increasingly bad eyesight, Manning undergoes laser eye surgery on the very day that the âbig tip-offâ comes through. Being almost blind, Manning hires (read kidnaps) Stu to be his unwilling partner in a battle that puts Stu as well as Manningâs attractive artist daughter (Natalie Morales) in harmâs way.
Thereâs comedy to be mined in the blind cop set-upâŠ. itâs similar in some ways to the Gene Wilder/Richard Pryor comedy âSee No Evil, Hear No Evilâ.
Surprisingly visceral action.
We all know that Bautista can do a good fight scene. That fight onboard a train in âSpectreâ, with Daniel Craigâs Bond, was almost on a par with the famous Connery/Shaw fight in âFrom Russia With Loveâ. Here, Bautista gets to brawl with gusto in a few scenes.
In general, the âactionâ in this âaction-comedyâ is pretty full-on and entertaining. The opening scenes in particular, with Manning and officer Sara Morris (the ever-watchable Karen Gillan) taking on Tedjo in an upper floor of a high-rise building are exciting and dramatic. This is due in no small part to the acrobatic capabilities of Iko Uwais. (Uwais is an Indonesian champion at the martial art Silat⊠and it shows).
Slick writing that delivers some great lines.
The script is by Tripper Clancy, with this being his first US film after penning two previous German films. And it really made me laugh a lot, both in terms of some of the set up scenes (one in an animal hospital is particularly funny) and in some of the dialogue. As an example, when pushed to the limit of his stress, Stu wails âSo Iâm gonna have to get cheap student therapists who quote white guys with Indian names and tell me that I should meditate. IâŠDOâŠMEDITATE!!!!â.
Also top-notch is the use of music in the film. A use of the Hollies classic âAir that I breatheâ during the above mentioned Animal Hospital scene was brilliant.
Summary
Comedies need to make me laugh. This one did. Repeatedly. It even made the illustrious Mrs Movie Man laugh too. Repeatedly. As such âStuberâ comes with a ârecommendedâ from me.
Gareth von Kallenbach (965 KP) rated Men in Black International (2019) in Movies
Jul 2, 2019
As a young girl Molly (Tessa Thompson) comes into contact with an alien in her back yard. When mysterious men show up and erase her parents memory of the incident it sparks a twenty year quest to find out the truth and find the Men in Black. She is smart and persistent and she becomes the first person to infiltrate the clandestine agency. After convincing Agent O (Emma Thompson) that she is worth taking a chance on, she becomes a probationary agent and sent to London. There she is tasked with helping Agent H (Chris Hemsworth) on a mission to stop some mysterious alien twins (Laurent Bourgeois and Larry Bourgeois) from getting their hands on a world destroying weapon. But they have no idea that a mole within the Men in Black could be their biggest obstacle in protecting the Earth from a destruction.
The Men in Black franchise returns with an international spin with very few familiar faces, Emma Thompson being on of very few, and a lot of new faces. F. Gary Gary (Straight Outta Compton, The Fate of the Furious) helms the fourth installment of the series as director. Tessa Thompson and Hemsworth reunite on screen after the successful Thor: Ragnarok, to head a large cast, including Kumail Nanjiani, Liam Neeson, Rebecca Ferguson and more.
If you are a fan of the previous three MiB films you are going to get the gun battles, cool new aliens and plenty of lasers. Also there are some really funny lines, most of them delivered by Nanjiani. The characters are really interesting and you get all of the action that you expect from a summer âblockbuster.â I really liked some of the CGI especially the stuff that had to do with the Alien Twins. The story really is predictable. From the start you can really tell how the entire movie will play out, for the most part. The previous films also had plenty of cheesy moments but it seems like they really ramped it up for this installment. I thought that Will Smith had really taken the Men in Black series about as far as he could and was excited for the new blood, but left feeling let down but this film. The promise of the characters washed away with the predictability and choppiness of the story.
I think this film will appeal to a younger audience and would be a good matinee watch for a family. Enough funny lines to keep the adults engaged and it moves at a fast enough pace to keep kids engaged. If you have never seen the other Men in Black films this might be a good introduction and get you to watch the first three movies. But I think fans of the previous three films may feel let down, as I did.
The Men in Black franchise returns with an international spin with very few familiar faces, Emma Thompson being on of very few, and a lot of new faces. F. Gary Gary (Straight Outta Compton, The Fate of the Furious) helms the fourth installment of the series as director. Tessa Thompson and Hemsworth reunite on screen after the successful Thor: Ragnarok, to head a large cast, including Kumail Nanjiani, Liam Neeson, Rebecca Ferguson and more.
If you are a fan of the previous three MiB films you are going to get the gun battles, cool new aliens and plenty of lasers. Also there are some really funny lines, most of them delivered by Nanjiani. The characters are really interesting and you get all of the action that you expect from a summer âblockbuster.â I really liked some of the CGI especially the stuff that had to do with the Alien Twins. The story really is predictable. From the start you can really tell how the entire movie will play out, for the most part. The previous films also had plenty of cheesy moments but it seems like they really ramped it up for this installment. I thought that Will Smith had really taken the Men in Black series about as far as he could and was excited for the new blood, but left feeling let down but this film. The promise of the characters washed away with the predictability and choppiness of the story.
I think this film will appeal to a younger audience and would be a good matinee watch for a family. Enough funny lines to keep the adults engaged and it moves at a fast enough pace to keep kids engaged. If you have never seen the other Men in Black films this might be a good introduction and get you to watch the first three movies. But I think fans of the previous three films may feel let down, as I did.
Gareth von Kallenbach (965 KP) rated Stuber (2019) in Movies
Jul 8, 2019
Stuber Review
Thereâs no denying that ridesharing has become one of the fastest growing industries around the world. What used to be a chore of finding a cab company and calling them for a pickup (or flagging them down in the streets of New York) has now been simplified with a smartphone app. What used to be thirty minutes waiting for your ride to arrive has now been reduced to minutes thanks to technology. So, a movie featuring a lovable Uber driver who gets caught tangled up with a cop chasing a notorious fugitive shouldnât sound like to much of a stretch.
Stuber introduces us to Stu (Kumail Nanjiani) a man who is madly in love with his plutonic friend and pushed around daily by his boss at the local big chain sporting goods store. In an effort to help subsidize his friend Beccaâs (Betty Gilpin) spin studio he moonlights as an Uber driver. Fate intervenes one day when Detective Vic (Dave Bautista) who has literally just undergone corrective eye surgery receives a tip that the drug lord who had murdered his partner just months before has turned up again in the city. Unable to drive, and recently introduced to Uber by his daughter, Detective Vic is forced to hold hostage Stu as he tracks the killer through the city in an effort to bring him to justice.
Stuber features a star-studded cast that brings this amazingly heartfelt and incredibly funny film to the big screen. With a supporting cast such as Karen Gillan, Mira Sorvino and Natalie Morales to back them up, the audience is taken on a laugh filled, action-packed movie that certainly shows better than the advertisements would lead you to believe. The characters are instantly likable, and no matter how much cursing (of which there is a lot) and violence is portrayed on the screen that never changes. Kumail Nanjiani does an amazing job as the lovable Stu. His comedic timing regularly hits the mark, and his portrayal of a man longing to escape the friend zone never gets old. Bautista delivers what may be one of the most defining roles that he has played. While he regularly is able to stand out among his peers in his previous films, this is one of the first where he is asked to carry the film on his own shouldersâŠand carry it he does. The partnership and true friendship between the two is believable and continues to strengthen as the film moves on. I might even go as far as to say that the chemistry between these two incredible actors is magical.
Thatâs not to say that Stuber is a perfect movie, itâs predictable and doesnât really bring anything new to the table. It does however handle the cop who canât drive scenario far better than any movie that has come before it (like that horrendous movie Taxi that came out back in 2004). Itâs a movie that could have gotten away with a PG-13 rating with a little less language, which ultimately may have helped it do better in the theaters (only time will tell of course). That being said, the language itself never feels as though it was thrown in for shock value, in fact I imagine that any of us who might wind up in this particular predicament might have a few choice words of our own to spout out throughout the entire adventure.
I got far more out of Stuber than I thought possible. For a movie that has had little fanfare and releases not long after the acquisition of Twentieth Century Fox, itâs incredibly fun and full of just as much heart. To say that I had not expected this to be a movie where the audience would clap when it was over would be a tremendous understatement. Itâs good to see that movie studios havenât given up on fun ideas, even ones that donât seem to be exceptionally revolutionary or over-the-top. This is one of the most surprising movies of the summer, in a summer full of blockbusters and big budget films Stuber quietly succeeds where many others are likely to fail. Stuber is certainly a movie worth the price of admission, and you might even come out a little happier than when you went in.
4 out of 5 stars
http://sknr.net/2019/07/07/stuber/
Stuber introduces us to Stu (Kumail Nanjiani) a man who is madly in love with his plutonic friend and pushed around daily by his boss at the local big chain sporting goods store. In an effort to help subsidize his friend Beccaâs (Betty Gilpin) spin studio he moonlights as an Uber driver. Fate intervenes one day when Detective Vic (Dave Bautista) who has literally just undergone corrective eye surgery receives a tip that the drug lord who had murdered his partner just months before has turned up again in the city. Unable to drive, and recently introduced to Uber by his daughter, Detective Vic is forced to hold hostage Stu as he tracks the killer through the city in an effort to bring him to justice.
Stuber features a star-studded cast that brings this amazingly heartfelt and incredibly funny film to the big screen. With a supporting cast such as Karen Gillan, Mira Sorvino and Natalie Morales to back them up, the audience is taken on a laugh filled, action-packed movie that certainly shows better than the advertisements would lead you to believe. The characters are instantly likable, and no matter how much cursing (of which there is a lot) and violence is portrayed on the screen that never changes. Kumail Nanjiani does an amazing job as the lovable Stu. His comedic timing regularly hits the mark, and his portrayal of a man longing to escape the friend zone never gets old. Bautista delivers what may be one of the most defining roles that he has played. While he regularly is able to stand out among his peers in his previous films, this is one of the first where he is asked to carry the film on his own shouldersâŠand carry it he does. The partnership and true friendship between the two is believable and continues to strengthen as the film moves on. I might even go as far as to say that the chemistry between these two incredible actors is magical.
Thatâs not to say that Stuber is a perfect movie, itâs predictable and doesnât really bring anything new to the table. It does however handle the cop who canât drive scenario far better than any movie that has come before it (like that horrendous movie Taxi that came out back in 2004). Itâs a movie that could have gotten away with a PG-13 rating with a little less language, which ultimately may have helped it do better in the theaters (only time will tell of course). That being said, the language itself never feels as though it was thrown in for shock value, in fact I imagine that any of us who might wind up in this particular predicament might have a few choice words of our own to spout out throughout the entire adventure.
I got far more out of Stuber than I thought possible. For a movie that has had little fanfare and releases not long after the acquisition of Twentieth Century Fox, itâs incredibly fun and full of just as much heart. To say that I had not expected this to be a movie where the audience would clap when it was over would be a tremendous understatement. Itâs good to see that movie studios havenât given up on fun ideas, even ones that donât seem to be exceptionally revolutionary or over-the-top. This is one of the most surprising movies of the summer, in a summer full of blockbusters and big budget films Stuber quietly succeeds where many others are likely to fail. Stuber is certainly a movie worth the price of admission, and you might even come out a little happier than when you went in.
4 out of 5 stars
http://sknr.net/2019/07/07/stuber/
BankofMarquis (1832 KP) rated Men in Black International (2019) in Movies
Jun 23, 2019
Perfectly Fine
MEN IN BLACK INTERNATIONAL is a perfectly fine movie that showcases two perfectly fine talents getting into a perfectly fine predicament that is perfectly fine to view. It's fun and action-packed with weird aliens and charismatic, bickering, leads.
It also is nothing new. We've seen this film before with MEN IN BLACK or MEN IN BLACK II or MEN IN BLACK III. So, while I walked out of the cineplex with a satisfying movie going experience, I was left wanting something...more.
In this version of MIB, Tessa Thompson takes over the Will Smith role as the "newbie" in the MIB Universe. We (the audience) experience unusual - and unexpected - things through her eyes and she is joined by a veteran MIB agent - this time played by Chris Hemsworth. The MIB Universe is expanded as agent "M" (Thompson) is sent to the London Bureau by her boss, "O" (an always welcome Emma Thompson". There she meets the head of MIB London (Liam Neeson being gruff and "boss-like") and his "golden boy", Agent "H" (a game Hemsworth). The two join forces to investigate a "mole" in MIB and are, eventually, joined by Alien "Pawney" (voiced, nicely, by Kumail Nanjiani).
The plot machinations are nothing new. I saw the 2 "plot twists" coming a mile off. So it is the journey, not the destination, that should be the fun of it and, ultimately, the journey is agreeable enough but nothing more. "H" and "M" bicker their way through the proceedings until they form a mutual respect for each other. "O", "High T" and Agent "C" (a rival for Hemsworth's "H") are gruff...enough...but never threatening.
And that, ultimately, is the issue here. The stakes weren't high enough, the conflicts weren't big enough, the special effects weren't new enough and, ultimately, the movie just isn't original enough. I kept thinking to myself..."This is the perfect "airplane" movie." By that, I mean I could watch this on an airplane and not be worried about who is looking over my shoulder at what I am watching on screen. It is a safe, pleasant enough, entertainment experience.
You won't be disappointed in this film, you also won't be challenged, thrilled or amazed at it, either.
Letter Grade: B
7 stars (out of 10) and you can take that to the Bank(OfMarquis)
It also is nothing new. We've seen this film before with MEN IN BLACK or MEN IN BLACK II or MEN IN BLACK III. So, while I walked out of the cineplex with a satisfying movie going experience, I was left wanting something...more.
In this version of MIB, Tessa Thompson takes over the Will Smith role as the "newbie" in the MIB Universe. We (the audience) experience unusual - and unexpected - things through her eyes and she is joined by a veteran MIB agent - this time played by Chris Hemsworth. The MIB Universe is expanded as agent "M" (Thompson) is sent to the London Bureau by her boss, "O" (an always welcome Emma Thompson". There she meets the head of MIB London (Liam Neeson being gruff and "boss-like") and his "golden boy", Agent "H" (a game Hemsworth). The two join forces to investigate a "mole" in MIB and are, eventually, joined by Alien "Pawney" (voiced, nicely, by Kumail Nanjiani).
The plot machinations are nothing new. I saw the 2 "plot twists" coming a mile off. So it is the journey, not the destination, that should be the fun of it and, ultimately, the journey is agreeable enough but nothing more. "H" and "M" bicker their way through the proceedings until they form a mutual respect for each other. "O", "High T" and Agent "C" (a rival for Hemsworth's "H") are gruff...enough...but never threatening.
And that, ultimately, is the issue here. The stakes weren't high enough, the conflicts weren't big enough, the special effects weren't new enough and, ultimately, the movie just isn't original enough. I kept thinking to myself..."This is the perfect "airplane" movie." By that, I mean I could watch this on an airplane and not be worried about who is looking over my shoulder at what I am watching on screen. It is a safe, pleasant enough, entertainment experience.
You won't be disappointed in this film, you also won't be challenged, thrilled or amazed at it, either.
Letter Grade: B
7 stars (out of 10) and you can take that to the Bank(OfMarquis)
Gareth von Kallenbach (965 KP) rated The LEGO Ninjango Movie (2017) in Movies
Jul 11, 2019
The newest Lego movie, âThe Lego Ninjago Movieâ is being released by Warner Brothers and stars Jackie Chan as Master Wu; Dave Franco as Lloyd Garmadon; Michael Pena as Kai;Fred Armisen asCole; Abbi Jacobsen as Nya; Kumail Nanjiani as Jay; Zach Woods as Zane; Olivia Munn as Koko (Lloyds mother); and Justin Theroux as Garmadon.
The film is rated PG and is about 90 minutes.
The story follows the main character Lloyd and his troubled (almost nonexistent) relationship with his father, Garmadon. We begin the movie believing Lloyd has no friends, but quickly discover he DOES have a small handful of friends, and that he, as well as his friends Kai, Cole, Nya and Zane are all leading a secret life as Ninjas. The rest of the kids at school all dislike Lloyd because his father Garmadon is forever attacking the city and destroying everything.
As we see Garmadon repeatedly try to conquer Ninjago city, we see that the Ninjas, along with their âMechâ, and the help of Master Wu, keep beating him back.
Frustrated that his father wonât acknowledge his pain at being abandoned, Lloyd defies Master Wu and attacks Garmadon with âthe ultimate weaponâ.
The Ultimate Weapon ends up doing more harm than good and destroys a large portion of Ninjago city, leaving Garnadon in control of Ninjago city. Master Wu instructs Lloyd and his fellow Ninjas to find their inner strength and âthe missing pieceâ in order to defeat Garmadon.
The Ninjagos then start off on a journey to find what Master Wu has instructed. During one important scene, we discover that Gamadon is Master Wuâs brother!
Apparently, this movie is a spin off of a popular kids TV series, but I was unaware of that. My son does have some Lego Ninjago books and Lego sets, so I knew they existed, but not to what extent.
I was not a fan of the breaks in the middle of the movie to ânon animatedâ pieces, they seemed cheesy to me, and âcomic-book-ishâ. I found them annoying. I did like the tie in at the beginning and end however, of the live action sequences. I felt it tied the story together.
I thought the Ninjago Lego movie was pretty decent, I liked it somewhat better than the Lego Batman Movie. I did find the hot / cold attitude of the Garmadon character a bit hard to follow, but the existence of that same attitude did give that character some of the best lines of the movie.
The PG rating was fair and at no point did I feel uncomfortable having my 9 year old there to see it, and he loved the movie. He said his favorite part was âthe action packed fight scene between the brothers in the woods.â
The 9 year old gives the movie 4 out of 5 stars, and
The film is rated PG and is about 90 minutes.
The story follows the main character Lloyd and his troubled (almost nonexistent) relationship with his father, Garmadon. We begin the movie believing Lloyd has no friends, but quickly discover he DOES have a small handful of friends, and that he, as well as his friends Kai, Cole, Nya and Zane are all leading a secret life as Ninjas. The rest of the kids at school all dislike Lloyd because his father Garmadon is forever attacking the city and destroying everything.
As we see Garmadon repeatedly try to conquer Ninjago city, we see that the Ninjas, along with their âMechâ, and the help of Master Wu, keep beating him back.
Frustrated that his father wonât acknowledge his pain at being abandoned, Lloyd defies Master Wu and attacks Garmadon with âthe ultimate weaponâ.
The Ultimate Weapon ends up doing more harm than good and destroys a large portion of Ninjago city, leaving Garnadon in control of Ninjago city. Master Wu instructs Lloyd and his fellow Ninjas to find their inner strength and âthe missing pieceâ in order to defeat Garmadon.
The Ninjagos then start off on a journey to find what Master Wu has instructed. During one important scene, we discover that Gamadon is Master Wuâs brother!
Apparently, this movie is a spin off of a popular kids TV series, but I was unaware of that. My son does have some Lego Ninjago books and Lego sets, so I knew they existed, but not to what extent.
I was not a fan of the breaks in the middle of the movie to ânon animatedâ pieces, they seemed cheesy to me, and âcomic-book-ishâ. I found them annoying. I did like the tie in at the beginning and end however, of the live action sequences. I felt it tied the story together.
I thought the Ninjago Lego movie was pretty decent, I liked it somewhat better than the Lego Batman Movie. I did find the hot / cold attitude of the Garmadon character a bit hard to follow, but the existence of that same attitude did give that character some of the best lines of the movie.
The PG rating was fair and at no point did I feel uncomfortable having my 9 year old there to see it, and he loved the movie. He said his favorite part was âthe action packed fight scene between the brothers in the woods.â
The 9 year old gives the movie 4 out of 5 stars, and
LeftSideCut (3778 KP) rated Eternals (2021) in Movies
Nov 5, 2021
Contains spoilers, click to show
Fair warning - I'm going to be briefly discussing some major spoilers down below...
Straight up, Eternals is extremely close to being a perfect movie (in my opinion of course, I understand that it's proving to be divisive).
For starters, the narrative is wonderfully crafted. As expected, it jumps all over different time periods, from anywhere between 5000 BC to present day, and manages to not feel jarring. It's pacing is a little slow within the first half an hour or so, but it's forgivable considering the whole host of new faces being introduced. It's impressive then, that each character gets a decent amount of development, you know exactly what everyone is about in a pretty swift manor. The bonds that these characters share make for some genuinely emotional moments throughout a film that frequently feels like an odyssey.
The cast is solid as hell. Gemma Chan is the closest to a lead character, and she's great as always. LAST SPOILER WARNING Richard Madden manages to be a suitable leader, and then ruthless, convincing, and cold when he takes a more villanous turn. Gave me some semi Homelander vibes. It's wonderful to see the likes of Ma Dong-Seok and Lauren Ridloff make the jump into blockbuster territory. Barry Keoghan continues to be generally awesome in everything he's in. Brian Tyree Henry, Lia McHugh, and Kumail Nanjiani are all great as well, and the heavy hitters, Angelina Jolie and Salma Hayek, are left shy of the spotlight but still feel important. I was surprised to see Bill SkarsgÄrd's name during the credits and can't help but feel he was a little wasted as CGI villain Kro. I would have liked to have seen more of Kit Harrington but I understand that he essentially a big tease for future projects (forever keeping my fingers crossed for a Midnight Sons movie...)
It's important to celebrate how visually breathtaking Eternals is from start to finish. There are of course some familiar Marvel aesthetics here and there, but Chloé Zhao has really laid down her own stamp. Even the fight scenes look unique, the Eternals powers always looking elegant. The climactic showdown is a particular highlight. This is all complimented by what is arguably the best music score in the MCU yet, with Game of Thrones veteran Ramin Djawadi coming through with something truly special.
In terms of wider MCU connection, Eternals very much feels like it's own thing, which works well with its unique feel. I am excited however to see some of these characters interact with other properties in the future. The proper introduction of Celestials is an exciting prospect, and that one shot near the end (you know the one), shows that technology is ready for the likes of Galactus to show up in the near future.
Eternals is yet another bold step for the MCU in a new phase. A movie with a hell of an ambitious scope that manages to stick the landing. I entered the cinema with slight trepidation due to it's early critical reception, and I left thinking that it's one of the best MCU entries so far, and I continue to be hyped for the future of the franchise.
Straight up, Eternals is extremely close to being a perfect movie (in my opinion of course, I understand that it's proving to be divisive).
For starters, the narrative is wonderfully crafted. As expected, it jumps all over different time periods, from anywhere between 5000 BC to present day, and manages to not feel jarring. It's pacing is a little slow within the first half an hour or so, but it's forgivable considering the whole host of new faces being introduced. It's impressive then, that each character gets a decent amount of development, you know exactly what everyone is about in a pretty swift manor. The bonds that these characters share make for some genuinely emotional moments throughout a film that frequently feels like an odyssey.
The cast is solid as hell. Gemma Chan is the closest to a lead character, and she's great as always. LAST SPOILER WARNING Richard Madden manages to be a suitable leader, and then ruthless, convincing, and cold when he takes a more villanous turn. Gave me some semi Homelander vibes. It's wonderful to see the likes of Ma Dong-Seok and Lauren Ridloff make the jump into blockbuster territory. Barry Keoghan continues to be generally awesome in everything he's in. Brian Tyree Henry, Lia McHugh, and Kumail Nanjiani are all great as well, and the heavy hitters, Angelina Jolie and Salma Hayek, are left shy of the spotlight but still feel important. I was surprised to see Bill SkarsgÄrd's name during the credits and can't help but feel he was a little wasted as CGI villain Kro. I would have liked to have seen more of Kit Harrington but I understand that he essentially a big tease for future projects (forever keeping my fingers crossed for a Midnight Sons movie...)
It's important to celebrate how visually breathtaking Eternals is from start to finish. There are of course some familiar Marvel aesthetics here and there, but Chloé Zhao has really laid down her own stamp. Even the fight scenes look unique, the Eternals powers always looking elegant. The climactic showdown is a particular highlight. This is all complimented by what is arguably the best music score in the MCU yet, with Game of Thrones veteran Ramin Djawadi coming through with something truly special.
In terms of wider MCU connection, Eternals very much feels like it's own thing, which works well with its unique feel. I am excited however to see some of these characters interact with other properties in the future. The proper introduction of Celestials is an exciting prospect, and that one shot near the end (you know the one), shows that technology is ready for the likes of Galactus to show up in the near future.
Eternals is yet another bold step for the MCU in a new phase. A movie with a hell of an ambitious scope that manages to stick the landing. I entered the cinema with slight trepidation due to it's early critical reception, and I left thinking that it's one of the best MCU entries so far, and I continue to be hyped for the future of the franchise.
Emma @ The Movies (1786 KP) rated Men in Black International (2019) in Movies
Jun 22, 2019 (Updated Sep 25, 2019)
When Men In Black 3 came out 7 years ago I wasn't convinced they'd be able to follow the first two films, but it's probably become my favourite of the franchise for that ending alone. Seeing the trailers for International I was a little dubious but knowing how I felt the last time I was slightly optimistic about it.
*Eyes closed. Pinch bridge of nose. Slow, pained exhale.*
I hate it when the internet is right, it sets a very bad precedent. This film was not good, and it was fairly evident early on. Considering that at the beginning of the film we're seeing a kid discovering aliens for the first time I can't fathom how there is so little wonder and excitement in it. I found myself thinking it was cute, but cute isn't enough to kickstart a film.
I hoped for a while that it was just a slow burner, but after a third of the film had passed it was difficult to hold on to that hope. There was almost nothing that was exciting in it to make you want to ever see it again.
Somehow the effects have got both better and worse at the same time. The aliens in general look a little shoddy, apart from the main evil duo. There are some moments where they turn into a gaseous entity, their appearance changes to a galaxy like blur, and it's actually pretty beautiful to see... but then they turn back.
Tessa Thompson plays our obsessed wannabe woman in black. Relatively speaking her performance was quite good. I've only seen her in things from the last couple of years, and apart from Ragnarok I haven't been overly impressed with the roles she's played but Molly was a nice addition to her roster.
Chris Hemsworth... oh my dear boy... I'm not convinced that he should do comedy. Thor is great in Ragnarok but outside of that I'm not overly fond. There's only so far handsome and a little dumb can get you, and I think Thor and Kevin really used all of that up. When he's so good at drama I'm not sure why he keeps picking the same type of comedic pieces, as a dramatic actor in 12 Strong and Bad Times At The El Royale he was great and I really want to go back and see more of his serious roles. H in this is basically just Kevin from Ghostbusters in a black suit with a few more brain cells. It's a terribly scripted role and a massively disappointing lead in a series that has so much possibility behind it.
The standout performance for me is from Kumail Nanjiani as Pawny. Pawny is fantastically scripted, to the point that I wondered if someone else had written his part. The wonderful thing about it was that I could feel Nanjiani in everything that Pawny was doing, if you'd had him as a real-life character it would have been (almost) exactly the same performance. The only times I laughed were Pawny moments and I was genuinely annoyed when they were interrupted by the rest of the film.
Our four main supporting actors are a bit of a mix. Emma Thompson gives a repeat performance as O and ooooo is she glorious as always. Liam Neeson plays High T, the head of the London branch of MIB, it's fairly non-descript, sadly he's no Rip Torn. Rafe Spall plays Agent C who's a bit of a snitch. He has a rather slow start and when we meet him it's not a great scene for anyone involved, I found him to be terribly boring but thankfully his part does improve as we get deeper into it. Lastly we've got the surprise inclusion of Rebecca Ferguson as H's ex-girlfriend, Riza... I just... what was the point of her character?
"But the bad guy fights must have been good?"... am I the only one that felt like there wasn't really a bad guy in this? Don't get me wrong, there are plenty of options but we don't see enough of any of them to be really invested in the fact that they're bad. And when it comes to action scenes... were there really any of them either? I just... I can't even... ugh...
Considering I wasn't buzzing about this before I went in I'm amazed that I felt so disappointed by it. There was very little to enjoy beyond Nanjiani's Pawny, and hardly anything to workout as you watched because the trailers made it fairly obvious what was going to happen. You always hope that new instalments of series are going to stand up to its predecessors or at least not be so shit that they make you regret spending time watching it... yeah...
I want to like this more and I may give it a second chance after the slight success of Aladdin's second viewing, but no matter what happens, this is still going to be ranked fourth in the series.
What you should do
I really wouldn't bother watching this, spend your time rewatching the previous three instalments.
Movie thing you wish you could take home
I would like the only amazing thing from this film, one Pawny, please.
*Eyes closed. Pinch bridge of nose. Slow, pained exhale.*
I hate it when the internet is right, it sets a very bad precedent. This film was not good, and it was fairly evident early on. Considering that at the beginning of the film we're seeing a kid discovering aliens for the first time I can't fathom how there is so little wonder and excitement in it. I found myself thinking it was cute, but cute isn't enough to kickstart a film.
I hoped for a while that it was just a slow burner, but after a third of the film had passed it was difficult to hold on to that hope. There was almost nothing that was exciting in it to make you want to ever see it again.
Somehow the effects have got both better and worse at the same time. The aliens in general look a little shoddy, apart from the main evil duo. There are some moments where they turn into a gaseous entity, their appearance changes to a galaxy like blur, and it's actually pretty beautiful to see... but then they turn back.
Tessa Thompson plays our obsessed wannabe woman in black. Relatively speaking her performance was quite good. I've only seen her in things from the last couple of years, and apart from Ragnarok I haven't been overly impressed with the roles she's played but Molly was a nice addition to her roster.
Chris Hemsworth... oh my dear boy... I'm not convinced that he should do comedy. Thor is great in Ragnarok but outside of that I'm not overly fond. There's only so far handsome and a little dumb can get you, and I think Thor and Kevin really used all of that up. When he's so good at drama I'm not sure why he keeps picking the same type of comedic pieces, as a dramatic actor in 12 Strong and Bad Times At The El Royale he was great and I really want to go back and see more of his serious roles. H in this is basically just Kevin from Ghostbusters in a black suit with a few more brain cells. It's a terribly scripted role and a massively disappointing lead in a series that has so much possibility behind it.
The standout performance for me is from Kumail Nanjiani as Pawny. Pawny is fantastically scripted, to the point that I wondered if someone else had written his part. The wonderful thing about it was that I could feel Nanjiani in everything that Pawny was doing, if you'd had him as a real-life character it would have been (almost) exactly the same performance. The only times I laughed were Pawny moments and I was genuinely annoyed when they were interrupted by the rest of the film.
Our four main supporting actors are a bit of a mix. Emma Thompson gives a repeat performance as O and ooooo is she glorious as always. Liam Neeson plays High T, the head of the London branch of MIB, it's fairly non-descript, sadly he's no Rip Torn. Rafe Spall plays Agent C who's a bit of a snitch. He has a rather slow start and when we meet him it's not a great scene for anyone involved, I found him to be terribly boring but thankfully his part does improve as we get deeper into it. Lastly we've got the surprise inclusion of Rebecca Ferguson as H's ex-girlfriend, Riza... I just... what was the point of her character?
"But the bad guy fights must have been good?"... am I the only one that felt like there wasn't really a bad guy in this? Don't get me wrong, there are plenty of options but we don't see enough of any of them to be really invested in the fact that they're bad. And when it comes to action scenes... were there really any of them either? I just... I can't even... ugh...
Considering I wasn't buzzing about this before I went in I'm amazed that I felt so disappointed by it. There was very little to enjoy beyond Nanjiani's Pawny, and hardly anything to workout as you watched because the trailers made it fairly obvious what was going to happen. You always hope that new instalments of series are going to stand up to its predecessors or at least not be so shit that they make you regret spending time watching it... yeah...
I want to like this more and I may give it a second chance after the slight success of Aladdin's second viewing, but no matter what happens, this is still going to be ranked fourth in the series.
What you should do
I really wouldn't bother watching this, spend your time rewatching the previous three instalments.
Movie thing you wish you could take home
I would like the only amazing thing from this film, one Pawny, please.
Bob Mann (459 KP) rated Dolittle (2020) in Movies
Feb 23, 2020
A complete mess, but kids will probably love it.
With the words of Mark Kermode's review ringing in my ears ("It's shockingly poor... and that's the same in any language") I was bracing myself when I went to see this latest incarnation of Hugh Lofting's famous animal-chatting character. And I have to agree that it is a shocking mess of a film, given $175 million was poured into this thing. But, and I say this cautiously without first-hand empirical evidence, I *think* this is a movie that kids in the 6 to 10 age range might fall in love with.
Doctor Doolittle (Robert Downey Jnr) - famed animal doctor, with the unique ability to communicate with any animal - is now holed up in his animal sanctuary, a recluse. His beloved wife - adventurer Lily - was lost at sea (in a cartoon sequence that could have just used the same clip from "Frozen"). He's lost the will to practice; and almost lost the will to live.
Impinging on his morose life come two humans: Tommy Stubbings (Harry Collett), a reluctant hunter with a wounded squirrel, and Lady Rose (Carmel Laniado), daughter of the Queen of England. (We'll quietly ignore the coincidence that, after what looks like several years of mourning, these two independently pitch up at Chez Doolittle within ten minutes of each other!).
For the Queen (the omnipresent Jessie Buckley) is dying, and noone (other than us viewers, let in on the deal) suspect foul play might be at work in the form of Lord Thomas Badgley (the ever-reliable Jim Broadbent) and the Queen's old leech-loving doctor Blair MĂŒdfly (a moustache-twiddling Michael Sheen).
Doolittle must engage in a perilous journey to find the only cure that will save both the Queen and his animal sanctuary - the fruit of the tree on a missing island that his long lost love was searching for.
Let's start with the most obvious point first up. Robert Downey Jnr's Welsh accent is quite the most terrible, most preposterous, most unintelligible, most offensive (to the Welsh) attempt at an accent in a mainstream film in movie history. And that's really saying something when you have Laurence Olivier's Jewish father from "The Jazz Singer" and Russell Crowe's English cum Irish cum Scottish cum Yugoslavian "Robin Hood" in the list. Why? Just why? Was it to distance this version from Rex Harrison's? (Since most younger movie goers will be going "Rex who?" at this point, this seems unlikely). It's a wholly curious decision.
It turns RDj's presence in the movie from being an asset to a liability.
The movie has had a tortuous history. Filmed in 2018 at enormous expense, the film completely bombed at test screenings so they brought in more script writers to make it funnier and did extensive additional filming.
I actually disagree with the general view that the film is unfunny. For there are a few points in the movie where I laughed out loud. A fly's miraculous, if temporary, escape was one such moment. The duck laying an egg in fright, another.
However, these seem to stand out starkly in isolation as 'the funny bits they inserted'. Much of the rest of the movie's comedy falls painfully flat.
In terms of the acting, there are the obvious visual talents on show of Michael Sheen (doing a great English accent for a Welshman.... #irony), Jim Broadbent, Jessie Buckley, Joanna Page (blink and you'll miss her) and Antonio Banderas, as the swashbuckling pirate king cum father-in-law.
But the end titles are an amazing array of "Ah!" moments as the vocal performances are revealed: Emma Thompson as the parrot; Rami Malek as the gorilla; John Cena as the polar bear; Kumail Nanjiani at the ostrich; Octavia Spencer at the duck; Tom Holland as the dog; Selena Gomez as the giraffe; Marion Cotillade as the fox, Frances de la Tour as a flatulent dragon and Ralph Fiennes as an evil tiger with mummy issues. It's a gift for future contestants on "Pointless"!
There are a lot of poe-faced critics throwing brick-bats at this movie, and to a degree it's deserved. They lavished $175 million on it, and it looked like it was going to be a thumping loss. (However, against all the odds, at the time of writing it has grossed north of $184 million. And it only opened yesterday in China. So although not stellar in the world of blockbuster movies it's not going to be a studio-killer like "Heaven's Gate").
And I suspect there's a good reason for that latent salvation. I think kids are loving this movie, driving repeat viewings and unexpected word of mouth. It is certainly a family friendly experience. There are no truly terrifying scenes that will haunt young children. A dragon-induced death, not seen on screen, is - notwithstanding the intro Frozen-esque cartoon sequence - the only obvious one in the movie and is (as above) played for laughs. There are fantastical sets and landscapes. Performing whales. A happy-ending (albeit not the one I was cynically expecting). And an extended dragon-farting scene, and what kids are not going to love that!!
Directed by Stephen Gaghan ("Syriana", but better known as a writer than a director) it's a jumbled messy bear of a movie but is in no way an unpleasant watch. I would take a grandkid along to watch this again. It even has some nuggets of gold hidden within its matted coat.
As this is primarily one for the kids, I'm giving the movie two ratings: 4/10 for adults and 8/10 for kids... the Smashbomb rating is the mean of these.
(For the full graphical review, please check out the review on One Mann's Movies here - https://bob-the-movie-man.com/2020/02/22/doolittle-2019/ . Thanks).
Doctor Doolittle (Robert Downey Jnr) - famed animal doctor, with the unique ability to communicate with any animal - is now holed up in his animal sanctuary, a recluse. His beloved wife - adventurer Lily - was lost at sea (in a cartoon sequence that could have just used the same clip from "Frozen"). He's lost the will to practice; and almost lost the will to live.
Impinging on his morose life come two humans: Tommy Stubbings (Harry Collett), a reluctant hunter with a wounded squirrel, and Lady Rose (Carmel Laniado), daughter of the Queen of England. (We'll quietly ignore the coincidence that, after what looks like several years of mourning, these two independently pitch up at Chez Doolittle within ten minutes of each other!).
For the Queen (the omnipresent Jessie Buckley) is dying, and noone (other than us viewers, let in on the deal) suspect foul play might be at work in the form of Lord Thomas Badgley (the ever-reliable Jim Broadbent) and the Queen's old leech-loving doctor Blair MĂŒdfly (a moustache-twiddling Michael Sheen).
Doolittle must engage in a perilous journey to find the only cure that will save both the Queen and his animal sanctuary - the fruit of the tree on a missing island that his long lost love was searching for.
Let's start with the most obvious point first up. Robert Downey Jnr's Welsh accent is quite the most terrible, most preposterous, most unintelligible, most offensive (to the Welsh) attempt at an accent in a mainstream film in movie history. And that's really saying something when you have Laurence Olivier's Jewish father from "The Jazz Singer" and Russell Crowe's English cum Irish cum Scottish cum Yugoslavian "Robin Hood" in the list. Why? Just why? Was it to distance this version from Rex Harrison's? (Since most younger movie goers will be going "Rex who?" at this point, this seems unlikely). It's a wholly curious decision.
It turns RDj's presence in the movie from being an asset to a liability.
The movie has had a tortuous history. Filmed in 2018 at enormous expense, the film completely bombed at test screenings so they brought in more script writers to make it funnier and did extensive additional filming.
I actually disagree with the general view that the film is unfunny. For there are a few points in the movie where I laughed out loud. A fly's miraculous, if temporary, escape was one such moment. The duck laying an egg in fright, another.
However, these seem to stand out starkly in isolation as 'the funny bits they inserted'. Much of the rest of the movie's comedy falls painfully flat.
In terms of the acting, there are the obvious visual talents on show of Michael Sheen (doing a great English accent for a Welshman.... #irony), Jim Broadbent, Jessie Buckley, Joanna Page (blink and you'll miss her) and Antonio Banderas, as the swashbuckling pirate king cum father-in-law.
But the end titles are an amazing array of "Ah!" moments as the vocal performances are revealed: Emma Thompson as the parrot; Rami Malek as the gorilla; John Cena as the polar bear; Kumail Nanjiani at the ostrich; Octavia Spencer at the duck; Tom Holland as the dog; Selena Gomez as the giraffe; Marion Cotillade as the fox, Frances de la Tour as a flatulent dragon and Ralph Fiennes as an evil tiger with mummy issues. It's a gift for future contestants on "Pointless"!
There are a lot of poe-faced critics throwing brick-bats at this movie, and to a degree it's deserved. They lavished $175 million on it, and it looked like it was going to be a thumping loss. (However, against all the odds, at the time of writing it has grossed north of $184 million. And it only opened yesterday in China. So although not stellar in the world of blockbuster movies it's not going to be a studio-killer like "Heaven's Gate").
And I suspect there's a good reason for that latent salvation. I think kids are loving this movie, driving repeat viewings and unexpected word of mouth. It is certainly a family friendly experience. There are no truly terrifying scenes that will haunt young children. A dragon-induced death, not seen on screen, is - notwithstanding the intro Frozen-esque cartoon sequence - the only obvious one in the movie and is (as above) played for laughs. There are fantastical sets and landscapes. Performing whales. A happy-ending (albeit not the one I was cynically expecting). And an extended dragon-farting scene, and what kids are not going to love that!!
Directed by Stephen Gaghan ("Syriana", but better known as a writer than a director) it's a jumbled messy bear of a movie but is in no way an unpleasant watch. I would take a grandkid along to watch this again. It even has some nuggets of gold hidden within its matted coat.
As this is primarily one for the kids, I'm giving the movie two ratings: 4/10 for adults and 8/10 for kids... the Smashbomb rating is the mean of these.
(For the full graphical review, please check out the review on One Mann's Movies here - https://bob-the-movie-man.com/2020/02/22/doolittle-2019/ . Thanks).
