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BankofMarquis (1832 KP) rated John Wick. Chapter 4 (2023) in Movies
Mar 26, 2023
More of the Same - which is a GOOD thing
Once a series gets to it’s 4th installment - and that installment is NOT a reboot or “prequel” - the audience for said series is pretty much settled in. There is a rabid group of movie-going watchers that are looking for the intimate details and Easter Eggs to further their immersion into this world while the rest of the movie going public has probably moved on and, just might, check it out on a whim.
Such is the case with JOHN WICK: CHAPTER 4 - the 4th installment of the Keanu Reeves led/Chad Stahelski Directed series that is long on style, action, intrigue and mythology while being low on logical plot-lines and…well…daylight.
But this won’t matter to the John Wick movie-goer. They are getting more of the same - cartoon violence professionally created by Stahelski and Reeves with plenty of bad guys battling (and losing) to Wick while the mysterious, underground society that Wick has run afoul of tries to take him down.
This insider intrigue will be enriching for the true John Wick fan but will be inconsequential for the casual movie-goer as these plot machinations are just an excuse to line Reeves up against seemingly insurmountable obstacle after seemingly insurmountable obstacle.
And what a journey it is. Starting with a tussle at the Osaka Continental (featuring veteran Martial Artists Hiroki Sanada and Donnie Yen) to a battle in Germany to the final in Paris, JOHN WICK: CHAPTER 4 is just one, long stylized fight sequence with both Stahelski (the Director and Fight Choreographer) and Reeves (as Wick) showing off their talents in new and interesting ways.
There are way too many fight sequences to mention, but there is one sequence in a building that is shot from on high (reminiscent of watching video game play) that is the most interesting/effective - but they all are a ton of fun.
Bill Skarsgard (Pennywise the Clown in the IT movies) is along as the Marquis (cool name) who is in charge of bringing Wick down. He is joined by the always good Clancy Brown (the voice of Mr. Krabs on Spongebob) on the “bad guy” side while Wick regulars Ian McShane, Lawrence Fishburne and the late, great Lance Reddick line up on Wick’s side.
It is a fun roller-coaster ride - if a bit long at almost 3 hours (the middle sags a bit) - that will entertain casual fans of action flicks while satisfying the hard-core “Wick-aphiles” (if that is a term) with a further peeling back of a layer of this world.
Letter Grade: A-
8 stars (out of 10) and you can take that to the Bank(ofMarquis)
Such is the case with JOHN WICK: CHAPTER 4 - the 4th installment of the Keanu Reeves led/Chad Stahelski Directed series that is long on style, action, intrigue and mythology while being low on logical plot-lines and…well…daylight.
But this won’t matter to the John Wick movie-goer. They are getting more of the same - cartoon violence professionally created by Stahelski and Reeves with plenty of bad guys battling (and losing) to Wick while the mysterious, underground society that Wick has run afoul of tries to take him down.
This insider intrigue will be enriching for the true John Wick fan but will be inconsequential for the casual movie-goer as these plot machinations are just an excuse to line Reeves up against seemingly insurmountable obstacle after seemingly insurmountable obstacle.
And what a journey it is. Starting with a tussle at the Osaka Continental (featuring veteran Martial Artists Hiroki Sanada and Donnie Yen) to a battle in Germany to the final in Paris, JOHN WICK: CHAPTER 4 is just one, long stylized fight sequence with both Stahelski (the Director and Fight Choreographer) and Reeves (as Wick) showing off their talents in new and interesting ways.
There are way too many fight sequences to mention, but there is one sequence in a building that is shot from on high (reminiscent of watching video game play) that is the most interesting/effective - but they all are a ton of fun.
Bill Skarsgard (Pennywise the Clown in the IT movies) is along as the Marquis (cool name) who is in charge of bringing Wick down. He is joined by the always good Clancy Brown (the voice of Mr. Krabs on Spongebob) on the “bad guy” side while Wick regulars Ian McShane, Lawrence Fishburne and the late, great Lance Reddick line up on Wick’s side.
It is a fun roller-coaster ride - if a bit long at almost 3 hours (the middle sags a bit) - that will entertain casual fans of action flicks while satisfying the hard-core “Wick-aphiles” (if that is a term) with a further peeling back of a layer of this world.
Letter Grade: A-
8 stars (out of 10) and you can take that to the Bank(ofMarquis)
BankofMarquis (1832 KP) rated The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent (2022) in Movies
Apr 22, 2022
Meta-Fun
It is a tricky thing on film, to parody your film image without making it an homage (or a complete trashing) of yourself. And, in THE UNBEARABLE WEIGHT OF MASSIVE TALENT, Nicholas Cage (playing Nick Cage) has found the line perfectly.
Conceived, written and Directed by Tom Cormican (THAT AWKWARD MOMENT), UWOMT (as I will call it here on out) is a meta-film that has Nicholas Cage playing a highly stylized and fictionalized version of himself. In this film, Nick Cage is desperate for work and going broke, when a rich fan offers him $1 million to appear at a birthday party. What happens next is bizarre, gonzo and out-of-control - and a lot of fun.
Let’s start with the man himself, Nicholas Cage, once he was convinced to do this film (and it took some convincing, for he turned this film down at least 3 times), he dives in with both feet and with full gusto filling Nick Cage with the wild actions and antics that are the basis of many, many Nicholas Cage memes. It is a knowing characterization by Cage, but one that knows when to pull back (not a trait often associated with him) and he does it all without winking at the camera.
Credit for this must go to Writer/Director Cormican (and his co-writer Kevin Etten),who had a clear vision of what they wanted to accomplish here, what tone they wanted to set, and how “meta” they wanted this film to be. And they accomplish this goal well, making an interesting and intriguing comedy/action flick that will satisfy many…but, especially, fans of Nicholas Cage.
Along for the fun ride are Neil Patrick Harris, Tiffany Hadish, Ike Barinholtz and Sharon Horgan who all deliver the right vibe for this film (as well as a couple of cameos that would be a spoiler to mention). They all look like that they are having a fun time.
But…the glue that holds all of this craziness together is the performance of Pedro Pascual (NARCOS, THE MANDILORIAN) who plays the millionaire Superfan who hires Cage and, eventually, befriends him. This is a masterful, comedic performance and it is Pascual’s sincerity (without going into buffoonery or overplaying) that grounds this film just enough that you actually care about the relationship between Pascual’s character, Javy, and Cage.
A ton of fun, not only for the performances and wild events, but for the many, many references to fun Cage films/roles of the past - items that will now motivate many (including myself) to check out.
Letter Grade: A
8 stars (out of 10) and you can take that to the Bank(ofMarquis)
Conceived, written and Directed by Tom Cormican (THAT AWKWARD MOMENT), UWOMT (as I will call it here on out) is a meta-film that has Nicholas Cage playing a highly stylized and fictionalized version of himself. In this film, Nick Cage is desperate for work and going broke, when a rich fan offers him $1 million to appear at a birthday party. What happens next is bizarre, gonzo and out-of-control - and a lot of fun.
Let’s start with the man himself, Nicholas Cage, once he was convinced to do this film (and it took some convincing, for he turned this film down at least 3 times), he dives in with both feet and with full gusto filling Nick Cage with the wild actions and antics that are the basis of many, many Nicholas Cage memes. It is a knowing characterization by Cage, but one that knows when to pull back (not a trait often associated with him) and he does it all without winking at the camera.
Credit for this must go to Writer/Director Cormican (and his co-writer Kevin Etten),who had a clear vision of what they wanted to accomplish here, what tone they wanted to set, and how “meta” they wanted this film to be. And they accomplish this goal well, making an interesting and intriguing comedy/action flick that will satisfy many…but, especially, fans of Nicholas Cage.
Along for the fun ride are Neil Patrick Harris, Tiffany Hadish, Ike Barinholtz and Sharon Horgan who all deliver the right vibe for this film (as well as a couple of cameos that would be a spoiler to mention). They all look like that they are having a fun time.
But…the glue that holds all of this craziness together is the performance of Pedro Pascual (NARCOS, THE MANDILORIAN) who plays the millionaire Superfan who hires Cage and, eventually, befriends him. This is a masterful, comedic performance and it is Pascual’s sincerity (without going into buffoonery or overplaying) that grounds this film just enough that you actually care about the relationship between Pascual’s character, Javy, and Cage.
A ton of fun, not only for the performances and wild events, but for the many, many references to fun Cage films/roles of the past - items that will now motivate many (including myself) to check out.
Letter Grade: A
8 stars (out of 10) and you can take that to the Bank(ofMarquis)
The Silent Age
Games and Entertainment
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Episode Two now available, the final chapter in this award winning adventure. The Silent Age takes...
BankofMarquis (1832 KP) rated The Shape of Water (2017) in Movies
Mar 14, 2018
Beautiful, quirky love story
THE SHAPE OF WATER is the most romantic, beautiful, charming, weird and wonderful love story that I have seen in a long, long time.
The fact that the love story is between a mute woman and the Creature from the Black Lagoon makes it just that much more interesting.
From the fertile mind of Guillermo Del Toro (THE DEVIL'S BACKBONE, PAN'S LABYRINTH), TSOW answers a question that a young Del Toro had when he first saw the 1950's creature feature CREATURE FROM THE BLACK LAGOON. He thought, "what if the creature ended up with the girl?" In Del Toro's mind, the Creature was the leading man, not the generic hunk that was hunting him.
Wonderfully realized by Del Toro, TSOW tells the tale of mute cleaning woman, Eliza (Sally Hawkins) who works at a "secret Government agency" in Baltimore. When she is asked to mop blood up in a highly classified area, she soon realizes that a "creature" is being held there. It is her realization that this creature is not just "some creature", but an intelligent being that starts this lonely, mute woman and the "creature" on the road to a loving relationship.
Hawkins is mesmerizing as Eliza. Obviously, with her character being mute, she must express herself in other ways - and she does. Her eyes are truly the window to her soul and Hawkins' ability to "eye act" is astounding, she conveys more feeling with a look and a glance than most actors can with a mountain of work.
She is strongly aided by some really good co-stars - Richard Jenkins is marvelous (as always) as Eliza's neighbor/friend who, himself, has a handicap - he is a gay man in the 1950's. The strength of Jenkins' performance is that he is able to overcome the trap of "the sympathetic gay best friend" and bring to the screen a complete character. Michael Stuhlbarg is watchable (as always) as the main scientist that studies the creature. Here is an actor that has grown in my eyes and he is a "must watch" in anything he is in. Michael Shannon is a presence as the main "heavy" in this film and though his character is pretty one-note, Shannon hits that note strongly and holds our attention. Unfortunately, compared to these 3 (and Hawkins' lead role), Octavia Spencer's talents are not put to the test as Eliza's co-worker. She is capable of so much more and her character is severely underwritten.
But, while strong characters are a must in a successful film, it is Del Toro's direction and "sense of place" that embue this fable with the character and detail it needs. Set in a 1950's that is a bit more idealistic/stylized than is real, Del Toro steers us through a world that is fascinating to watch - and be in - and makes it seem almost plausible that such a creature could exist and that a woman could fall in love with him.
Much like how I fell in love with this film.
Letter Grade: A-
8 stars (out of 10) - and you can take that to the Bank(ofMarquis)
The fact that the love story is between a mute woman and the Creature from the Black Lagoon makes it just that much more interesting.
From the fertile mind of Guillermo Del Toro (THE DEVIL'S BACKBONE, PAN'S LABYRINTH), TSOW answers a question that a young Del Toro had when he first saw the 1950's creature feature CREATURE FROM THE BLACK LAGOON. He thought, "what if the creature ended up with the girl?" In Del Toro's mind, the Creature was the leading man, not the generic hunk that was hunting him.
Wonderfully realized by Del Toro, TSOW tells the tale of mute cleaning woman, Eliza (Sally Hawkins) who works at a "secret Government agency" in Baltimore. When she is asked to mop blood up in a highly classified area, she soon realizes that a "creature" is being held there. It is her realization that this creature is not just "some creature", but an intelligent being that starts this lonely, mute woman and the "creature" on the road to a loving relationship.
Hawkins is mesmerizing as Eliza. Obviously, with her character being mute, she must express herself in other ways - and she does. Her eyes are truly the window to her soul and Hawkins' ability to "eye act" is astounding, she conveys more feeling with a look and a glance than most actors can with a mountain of work.
She is strongly aided by some really good co-stars - Richard Jenkins is marvelous (as always) as Eliza's neighbor/friend who, himself, has a handicap - he is a gay man in the 1950's. The strength of Jenkins' performance is that he is able to overcome the trap of "the sympathetic gay best friend" and bring to the screen a complete character. Michael Stuhlbarg is watchable (as always) as the main scientist that studies the creature. Here is an actor that has grown in my eyes and he is a "must watch" in anything he is in. Michael Shannon is a presence as the main "heavy" in this film and though his character is pretty one-note, Shannon hits that note strongly and holds our attention. Unfortunately, compared to these 3 (and Hawkins' lead role), Octavia Spencer's talents are not put to the test as Eliza's co-worker. She is capable of so much more and her character is severely underwritten.
But, while strong characters are a must in a successful film, it is Del Toro's direction and "sense of place" that embue this fable with the character and detail it needs. Set in a 1950's that is a bit more idealistic/stylized than is real, Del Toro steers us through a world that is fascinating to watch - and be in - and makes it seem almost plausible that such a creature could exist and that a woman could fall in love with him.
Much like how I fell in love with this film.
Letter Grade: A-
8 stars (out of 10) - and you can take that to the Bank(ofMarquis)
Inside Limbo Double Pack
8.5
Rate It
Video Game
Limbo is a puzzle-platform video game developed by independent studio Playdead. The game was...
Inside Limbo
The War Of Mine
Games
App
Description "If you've not already played this brilliant, heart-wrenching game, then mobile is as...
BankofMarquis (1832 KP) rated Edward Scissorhands (1990) in Movies
Apr 23, 2020
Has more heart than later Burton/Depp collaborations
There have been many actor/director long term collaborations through the years - John Ford/John Wayne, Martin Scorcese/Robert DeNiro and Alfred Hitchock/Jimmy Stewart all come to mind. Another interesting collaboration is the unique one between Tim Burton and Johnny Depp. The films these 2 have made have shown an "outsider" being introduced into an environment - usually in a quirky and gothic dark manner. So it was interesting to go back to the film that started it all - 1990's EDWARD SCISSORHANDS.
Interestingly enough, this film works because of the lack of weight of previous Burton/Depp collaborations.
Let me explain...
If you were to hear today that Tim Burton and Johnny Depp were to collaborate on a film, what expectations would you have? Quirky, dark and gothic comes to mind. With EDWARD SCISSORHANDS, none of these expectations were in place. You can see the purity in the beginning of this collaboration with these 2 artists finding there footing together in a film that is...yes...quirky, dark and gothic.
It is also, unexpectedly, light, airy, funny and poignant - traits that I think get lost in later Burton/Depp collaborations....collaborations where the focus seemed to be on the design and look and less on the emotion.
Set in a timeless, stylized world that is part '50's, part '60's, part 80's and part "everything else", EDWARD SCISSORHANDS is Burton's loose retelling of the Frankenstein story, where an isolated inventor (in this case Vincent Price) creates life (Depp)...with scissors for hands (you'll have to see the film to see why). When a local resident (and door to door cosmetic saleslady) discovers Edward living alone, she invites him into her house - and into the lives of the the neighborhood that exists below.
Depp owns this character - and owns it well. He brings an innocence and integrity to this character that rides a fine line well. His character is naive - but not simpleminded. He is longing to please - and to be loved - but has his own mind. In Depp's performance, you see an actor coming into his own.
He is joined - wonderfully - by Diane Wiest as the lady that invites him into her home. Winona Ryder (who turned down Godfather 3 to appear in this film) as Wiest's daughter (and object of Edward's affections) and the great Alan Arkin as the patriarch of the family who is a fun stereo-type of the Suburban dad.
All of this is packaged - uniquely - by Burton with an "8 crayon" color palate that exaggerates the various styles of the time. It is an expert job of combining styles into a unique vision that works very, very well.
I also have to give Burton credit for casting the iconic horror movie veteran Vincent Price (in his last film role) as the inventor of Edward Scissorhands.
I was taken under the spell of this film - and not just because of the interesting visuals - it has a heart and soul (because of Depp's work) that, I think both Depp and Burton lose in some of their later collaborations.
If you haven't seen this film in awhile - check it out - I think you'll like it.
Letter Grade: A-
8 stars (out of 10) and you can take that to the Bank(ofMarquis)
Interestingly enough, this film works because of the lack of weight of previous Burton/Depp collaborations.
Let me explain...
If you were to hear today that Tim Burton and Johnny Depp were to collaborate on a film, what expectations would you have? Quirky, dark and gothic comes to mind. With EDWARD SCISSORHANDS, none of these expectations were in place. You can see the purity in the beginning of this collaboration with these 2 artists finding there footing together in a film that is...yes...quirky, dark and gothic.
It is also, unexpectedly, light, airy, funny and poignant - traits that I think get lost in later Burton/Depp collaborations....collaborations where the focus seemed to be on the design and look and less on the emotion.
Set in a timeless, stylized world that is part '50's, part '60's, part 80's and part "everything else", EDWARD SCISSORHANDS is Burton's loose retelling of the Frankenstein story, where an isolated inventor (in this case Vincent Price) creates life (Depp)...with scissors for hands (you'll have to see the film to see why). When a local resident (and door to door cosmetic saleslady) discovers Edward living alone, she invites him into her house - and into the lives of the the neighborhood that exists below.
Depp owns this character - and owns it well. He brings an innocence and integrity to this character that rides a fine line well. His character is naive - but not simpleminded. He is longing to please - and to be loved - but has his own mind. In Depp's performance, you see an actor coming into his own.
He is joined - wonderfully - by Diane Wiest as the lady that invites him into her home. Winona Ryder (who turned down Godfather 3 to appear in this film) as Wiest's daughter (and object of Edward's affections) and the great Alan Arkin as the patriarch of the family who is a fun stereo-type of the Suburban dad.
All of this is packaged - uniquely - by Burton with an "8 crayon" color palate that exaggerates the various styles of the time. It is an expert job of combining styles into a unique vision that works very, very well.
I also have to give Burton credit for casting the iconic horror movie veteran Vincent Price (in his last film role) as the inventor of Edward Scissorhands.
I was taken under the spell of this film - and not just because of the interesting visuals - it has a heart and soul (because of Depp's work) that, I think both Depp and Burton lose in some of their later collaborations.
If you haven't seen this film in awhile - check it out - I think you'll like it.
Letter Grade: A-
8 stars (out of 10) and you can take that to the Bank(ofMarquis)
This War of Mine
Games
App
"If you've not already played this brilliant, heart-wrenching game, then mobile is as good a place...