This is me bordering into "unpopular opinion" territory again.
I don't know what it is with movies this year. Most of those I really looked forward to ended up being a disappointed. I enjoyed the book and I grew up loving the 90's adaptation and I really wanted to love this one, the trailer looked great and I generally love musicals, so I don't know exactly what it is here, that did not sit well with me. Maybe it was the bizarre singing babies opening scene already (creepy af).
I never really got around to listen to the musical soundtrack or even watch it, so I went into this adaptation without much knowledge (only song I knew beforehand was 'Revolting Children') and while the music was mostly fine, I found the songs painfully forgettable.
The actors were okay, I guess. Matilda's parents were funny, but didn't get enough screentime. Lashana Lynch was lovely as Miss Honey (what a voice!) though I found her a bit too meek for most of the film's run. I usually love Emma Thompson, but she didn't really do it for me as the Trunchbull. Pam Farris was fierce and scary, yet oddly funny and entertaining while Thompson nailed the mean-spirited nature, but failed to evolve above that. Her portrayal felt oddly safe. Young Alisha Weir certainly has screen presence and will go her way (and I don't want to be too critical of child actors, it's more the direction and writing I'm blaming here) but Matilda often felt too serious or even too bratty compared to her book counterpart or the relatable portrayal by Mara Wilson, who made her extraordinarily endearing.
I know I shouldn't compare adaptations too much, but I just can't help it. This one was clearly a high value production spectacle but it lacked the heart and soul of the 90s film. The tone was all over the place, it was too long and oddly boring at times.
It had it's moments but overall it lacked the certain something.
And really, wtf was that added subplot about Matilda's story that turned out to be about Miss Honey's parents? That was just bizarre and unnecessary.
Whoever wrote this adaption must have been on something strong. I suppose I wouldn't have been an easy audience. I'm a big fan of Roald Dahl's books and the 1996 "Matilda" is a perfect film. However, I kept a very open mind watching it. (While the 1971 Wonka is perfect too, I also very much enjoyed the 2005 Depp version too. It is possible to do excellent re-makes.)
This version of "Matilda" could have been so much better if the songs weren't so forgettable and if they didn't have that strange psychedelic storytelling where Matilda predicts Miss Honey's past. That never happened in the book and it spoiled this version and made it incredibly boring.
Like so many bad films, it was very much a missed opportunity. The cast were all fantastic and played the parts how you imagine them all to be when reading the book, even if you haven't seen the original '96 version.
With the exception of our dinner lady at school, Mrs Mossop, I didn't think anybody could play Miss Trunchbull as well as Pam Ferris in the original but Emma Thompson does actually do an incredible job. That being said, it would have made more sense for the kids to be singing and dancing around the Trunchbull. I don't think the Trunchbull would be singing and dancing!
The strange writing and some of the directing of this film really let it down. The songwriting wasn't particularly great either. Some might really enjoy this film so it might be worth a watch but it's not for me. I'm sending my DVD to the charity shop.
Loved the movie.
Whiplash tells a great story, a sad one too.
Andrew Neiman is drummer who aspires greatness and is fished by Terence Fletcher a renown teacher in New York.
While everything looks like a dream come true, not everything is as it seems.
My opinion:
Even though I loved the movie I have to take this out of my chest.
Fletcher is a sociopathic narcissistic SOB that exploits the physical and psychological strength his students in the name of success.
I hated the fact that Fletcher exploited his students and controlled them so 'well'. I hated the fact that Andrew searched for Fletcher's approval every chance he had. And even at the end, when he could have just ended his solo (which was awesome btw), and walked away proving his point. But no, Fletcher had Neiman so rilled in that the kid wanted is approval despite all events that happened before.
The story of pushing someone to their limits and if they give up and walk way, meaning they were not meant for success is completely BS. There are times to say 'good job' is a good thing, and there are others where pushing is a good thing, the secret is knowing both.
Pretty sure this is the season finale? Its by far my least favorite episode of the show because of all the inconsistencies it ignores to get to its desired ending. Felt incredibly rushed. Heres a few because I have time:
Those are just the ones that are obvious, there are a ton of more nitpicky ones I chose to ignore. Terrible episode imo.
Normally, I'd have a whole much of stuff to say... but this time, I just can't. The whole tone of the movie, especially after seeing the recent string of miniseries, felt kind of underwhelming. The plot had potential though. The plot wasn't the issue. Scarlett Johansson and Florence Pugh's chemistry fit pretty well together. I feel like other people didn't care for David Harbour, but I get what they were going for and I think they did reasonably well but definitely could have been better. I can't even blame him. The whole movie felt more like a Bourne film than a Marvel film.
The VFX were pretty bad.. like CW DC show bad. If you have even an amateur level of 3D rendering experience, you'll be able to spot every little thing that is CG. Every car, vehicle, or backdrop that isn't actually there stands out like a sore thumb. Incorrect lighting, overly reflective, just.. amateur AF..
On to the spoilery stuff...
First and foremost... I don't know who did it.. I don't know who approved it.. but this movie has committed an atrocity almost as egregious as Fox screwing up Deadpool in X-men Origins or Sony with Venom in the third Spiderman movie. They completely ruined what I assume was supposed to be Taskmaster. I don't even mind that they made Taskmaster a woman. If that was all they did, it'd have been perfectly fine, but they turned the character into a gimmick that got thrown aside and left to the unknown by the end instead of the badass higher level villain they could/should have been. Sure, they said they were taking her with them but.. that didn't get explained either.
I feel like they fell short on establishing a timeline. The movie starts out in the past, in.. 1995 I believe? and things jump forward and it took me a hot minute to figure out why the hell she was running.. Maybe I missed some text saying that it was post Civil War/pre Endgame. If I did, then that's my own fault but it honestly would have only been because I had such a difficult time focusing on the movie.
The entire movie feels more like an afterthought than an origin story. Loose ends galore. This movie was delay but still somehow felt rushed.
[7.3/10] “Replacements” is a bit of a villain episode, which I always appreciate. It gives us a chance to dig a little deeper into the motivations and personalities of the antagonists, which helps make for a richer story overall. We see Crosshair leading a new squad of conscripts. We see Tarkin listening to the plans of newcomer Admiral Rampart. And we see the Kaminoans plotting to use a member of the Bad Batch as the new source material for new and improved clones.
Little of this is terribly deep, but it’s all solid. As “Aftermath” established, the Kaminoans have a vested interest in keeping their expensive cloning operations running, which creates friction from a skeptical Tarkin. The future Grand Moff even declares the clone army a “relic of the past” here. So the cloners fighting for their financial survival, trying to come up with a way to show their clones are worth the expense, gives them an even greater interest in tracking down their “property” on the run.
Likewise, I like the introduction of Admiral Rampart as another foil. He’s a voice in favor of using a conscript army, with the argument that they would not only be cheaper, but could still be just as effective as their clone counterparts. It signals the beginnings of a transition for the eImperial Military as it transitions from the Republic Army. Creating a face for that transition (beyond the wooden puppet version of Peter Cushing’s visage) helps cement it and add another useful player to the proceedings.
We also get to see Crosshair in action with his hypercharged inhibitor chip, as well as some friction between the conscript troopers and their clone commander. The mouthy trooper is right that volunteers, just there for “three hots and cot”, are the way of the future. But Crosshair shows why the Empire still wants clones around. When sent to wipe out Saw Gerrera’s crew on Onderon, the regular soldiers hesitate to fire on the civilians just hitching a ride. But Crosshair has no compunction about it, taking out the lieutenant who refused to be an executioner even when it’s what they were ordered to do.
It makes for a marked contrast from the series premiere. Hunter and company saw children and other innocents with Saw and refused to do the Empire’s dirty work. The conscripts, at first blush, seemed to draw the same line. But after Crosshair showed any dissension would be punished with lethal force, they followed orders. The elimination of the remaining members of Saw’s group is pretty brutal, and signifies the depths to which the Empire will go, showing no mercy and dealing harshly with those who’ve done nothing to earn such cruelty. If we didn’t already known how bad the villains were here, we certainly know now.
Of course it’s not all bad guy stuff in “Replacements”. We also get a pitstop from the Bad Batch that reads like an homage to Leia and Han’s detour in the belly of a big space worm in The Empire Strikes Back. There’s not much to this little jaunt. The Bad Batch’s ship breaks down; they need to replace a part, and they have to contend with a local beast to do so. But it manages to provide some meaningful and pleasant moments.
On the meaningful side, Omega proves that she’s not just Hunter’s ward, but an asset to the team. When Hunter passes out after a confrontation with the beast, she restores his oxygen and dives in after it. The episode cuts a contrast between her and Crosshair, with the chip-manipulated clone firing on innocents when they’re utterly defenseless, and Omega choosing not to use her blaster on the dragon, even in a scary situation, instead finding another way. There’s mercy and decency there, qualities which seem to have been drained away from Crosshair.
The rest of the Bad Batch still has some regret about leaving him behind, even after what he did. They want to believe his actions aren’t his fault, and there’s talk of going back for him eventually, borne out of loyalty. The Bad Batch doesn't leave one of its own behind. But it does welcome someone new into the fold. It’s manipulative as all hell, but Wrecker making Omega her own room aboard the Bad Batch’s ship, officially welcoming her as a member of their group, is a heartwarming moment, and it totally worked on me.
Overall, “Replacements” spends more time adding shading to the bad guys than it does exploring the good guys, but that’s a good thing when the show is still establishing itself. Getting to know the antagonists better, putting them in contrast with our heroes, makes it more satisfying when the inevitable clashes between the two begin to happen.
Excellent movie. The pacing was noticeably better than most other DCAU movies, the art style looks fantastic, and the action scenes are exciting.
I loved this movies portrayal of Wonder Woman (personally I think she's written and developed than in either live action adaptations) and the relationship between her and Steve feels so natural.
As for the Flash, finally he has a portrayal where the writers remembered that he's a genius and can do things other than go fast.
I also enjoyed Superman, with the callback to how the 1940s version of him was just super strong and invincible, so they never show him flying or using any of his other powers.
As for the other characters I was plesently surprised with how well developed they are for being side characters, with Hourman feeling like he doesn't belong on the team cause his powers only last 1 hour, or the romance between Canary and Hawkman. With Barry and Jay Garrick teaching each other Flash tricks they never realised they could do before.
The one thing i'm a bit iffy on is the ending. having the movie go from fighting Nazis to for some reason fighting Atlantis felt like a bit of a weird U-turn and I feel like they did it just so they could have Wonder Woman fight Aquaman and not have to end the film on them winning the war. but what they did with Doctor Fate and the mysterious "Advisor", as well as the very end of the movie, make me think that this is the second step (after Superman: Man of Tomorrow) in another connected universe with a much more long-game threat.
Teared up at the touching moments and the underlying message of the movie, but it could not save the movie itself from being terrible. The protagonist is unlikable, doesn't listen to advice and keeps blaming the 'messenger' for ruining his life. Buddy, you ruined your own life by not heeding advice, and acting throughout majority of the movie like somebody who just can't delay gratification (or bad moments), even though he has been through so many events that served as lessons.
Heck, the rain scene near the end where he chases down his son to relay the important message of putting family first could have been very meaningful, but throughout that scene I simply thought: he still isn't listening to advice (Morty warns him it can all end here if he continues), and undermines the scene because 'putting family first' doesn't mean you can sacrifice your own life to deliver a message that probably can be done over a communication device while not sacrificing your life, or perhaps even the next time when they visit. Unnecessarily sacrificing your own life is simply being selfish and not putting your own family first, even if it means your message will have 100x more impact.
To add to the negatives, Sandler's expressions were wooden throughout the movie, except when his character felt distraught, which ironically I would think requires more acting skills. Not having watched many of Sandler's movies, I wondered if that was meant to be his character's expression, or simply that the acting was bad. Either way, it was quite distracting and pulled the bar down even lower.
Why the shit would you get someone known for incredibly dull horror movies to helm what's meant to be "The Avengers" of the monsterverse?
This film is in dire need of a director. It looks like it was pieced together in the edit because so much of it is just shots of actors looking confused at a camera. As in, they just don't seem present in the scene in a logical way.
Millie Bobby Brown can clearly act, but she doesn't seem to know what character she's playing. I sure as hell don't either after watching this.
Rebecca Hall looks like she's just stood up at a table read.
Eiza Gonzalez clearly just got told "kinda do a Michelle Rodriguez impression IDK" at some point and that's all that comes across.
Kyle Chandler is in about two scenes and frankly why did they bother? His presence makes little contextual sense, and he also doesn't seem to even know what continent his whacky high jinks daughter is on at any one time, which gives that whole plot an element of farce.
Godzilla doesn't even seem to be the same creature from the last movie, not in terms of their physical presence or actions. Something is just 'off' about his face and head that makes him seem weirdly artificial.
Kong was well done overall and his arc was the only thing that even tried to make sense in the film and saved it from getting worse than a 5/10.
I was never really into Shaun the Sheep when I was kid and I also didn't enjoy this movie as much as I would if I was. I probably had the same problem with this film as I had with minions. It isn't bad idea but it's too much minutes for too little words.
Shaun the Sheep is great idea but much more enjoyable when it's in seven minutes instead of 85. I think that story had too slow tempo for how long it was and I also felt like I already saw it because the story wasn't really original when it comes to it and also gags in this movie weren't really that funny. I think that even 5-years-old are already full of this same kind of jokes.
I personally enjoyed "emotional part" of this movie more, than I enjoyed the "funny part".
On the other hand I really loved animation and soundtrack of this film which was truly briliant and one of the factors why I had energy to finish this movie because without it I wouldn't do that and for me, the last 15 minutes of this movie was the best part.
The idea was great but they should have worked on it more.
To Paraphrase Brie Larson: "This Movie wasn't Made for Marvel Fans. Am I saying I hate Marvel Fans? No, I am not. What I am saying is if you make a Comic Book Movie that is a love letter to women, there is an insanely low chance a woman will see your movie, and review your movie.”
I don’t hate Captain Marvel the movie. My 4/10 rating indicates a score as an MCU movie, but also because of the inherent deception of the marketing and story/writing.
Captain Marvel the character is entirely CG, and they could quietly replace the actor. If you go into this movie thinking it will introduce Captain Marvel in the MCU, it didn’t achieve that. They don’t even call her Captain Marvel.
Much like Edward Norton’s ”Incredible Hulk”, it’s the woeful and unlikeable storyline/direction that makes the movie hard to enjoy, not Edward Norton. People will argue for the next 5-10 years about Edward Norton or being MisCast, or wether CM should have been made, or wether to recast Captain Marvel.
Just like how people argue for the Film versions of Daredevil and/or Elektra to be part of the MCU for some reason. The Director team of Anna Boden and Ryan Fleck, and Kevin Feige as Producer on the entire MCU to this point, is going to take the bullet on this one, not the “Dream Team” of disposable screenplay and Indie Directors that are more likely to be responsible. Most MCU fans forget that The Incredible Hulk is part of the MCU, because of the successful recasting.
Phase 4, which begins in July 2019 with Spiderman 2 Far From Home, will likely be the point at which they choose another Captain Marvel, or set up a replacement/apprentice character for the main actor to retire the role.
I find CM to be damaged and disappointing because the potential to make “Superwoman” in the MCU, building a character that has the potential to explore amazing new stories, pulling apart the flaws of other superheroes, learning from the mistakes and pitfalls of others, is going to happen in another movie. Just not this Captain Marvel.
The worst aspect of Captain Marvel is realising how the after-effects of this movie, will bleed into 2020 and the next few Marvel movies. Namely, that WOKE marketing worked this time, despite efforts to mislead. There is feminism in the film, but it’s insulting parody to call this a feminist film.
They successfully highlighted the unlikeable Brie Larson, and used her to keep the cycle of attention and outrage, while presenting the movie as a female led story. This might not work for other movies, especially if the Actor(s) are sensitive to being leveraged, or their careers destroyed. Much like Solo: A Star Wars Story, or Ghostbusters 2016 tried to use Pansexuality, blaming the fans for not liking a bad movie.
It’s also becoming harder to ignore the spectacle of outsourcing 19+ companies with 900 different CG artists that modern movies are reliant on, disguising a rotten core with spectacular imagery. When you just look at the story being told, or try to remember what the story is… That’s what matters. Not the explosions or the delights made by artisans. Because, you’ll forget them after a few days.
The Biggest Flaw of Captain Marvel is that it fails at being an origin story
Beyond all of the other tiny flaws, average scenes, disconnected plot moments, the absurdly mishandled retcons, and the attempts at activism and humour that prematurely die due to a lack of talent in the writing and directing teams, among a litany of small and large problems that mount up,
Carol/Captain Marvel is given superpowers and is not changed or motivated to do anything different. The convolution of the “Amnesia soldier” trope and the convoluted surprises during the film, hide the fact that Captain Marvel is underwhelming and disappointing. The use of the Star Trek Insurrection plotline in Act 3, isn’t the issue.
Nothing can be done to fix or remediate this, because the movie can’t or won’t go in the direction needed to tell the story that the audience wants to experience. Instead, the writers and directors show us an afternoon for Carol Danvers in which she snarkily destroys things with a smile on her face, but looks bored most of the time.
Removing the Feminism isn’t effective. Re-casting Carol Danvers for another actor won’t modify the screenplay or change the directors. Swapping Brie Larson for ANYONE, can’t make people care about the character, because the character is unchanged from the beginning to the end. We never see Carol evolve, her challenges don’t change the character or make her heroic.
To summarise
• It’s not the worst MCU movie.
• It is the most disappointing though.
• Avengers: Endgame is ~6 weeks away or so, by then, everyone will have forgotten CM.
• Yes, it is a film with Feminism - It’s treated as a joke or punchline by the writers.
• Going into 2019, expect movie critics to attack fans when they lose “Access” for bad PR.
• Goose the Cat should kill Captain Marvel, and the entire Avengers team during the mid-credits break on Endgame, as they’re celebrating their success, to end Phase 4.
• The retcon of Fury’s Eye being lost is a deep insult to MCU fans, or, it’s a light-hearted nod to the fact that this is a comic book story franchise, that has made $18 Billion US Dollars, and is going to go on for 20 more years. You decide.
• Captain Marvel will defeat Thanos, by bringing up his sexist tweets from 2009 in Avengers:Endgame
• Goose the Cat is going to kill Thanos in Endgame, because someone at Disney will find it funny.
The Good
• The CG team did a fantastic job in making Captain Marvel.
• DC’s Captain Marvel trailer, looks fantastic…
• Great work was done by ILM & 20+ CG studios to make the Suit/Mohawk/Breather work and not look out of place.
• The Mohawk does not look silly. The “Tesseract Fire” and “Photon Blasts” are messy.
• The De-aging on SLJ works, Coulson’s is a bit more jarring as you struggle to recognise his face at certain angles.
• Every character in the movie is more interesting to watch than Brie Larson.
• Ben Mendelsohn’s Australian Accent is Superb, elevates the movie and has subtlety, it makes you notice by contrast how mediocre Brie Larson’s delivery is.
• The Cat, is pointless.
• 11-year old Monica “Lieutenant Trouble” Rambeau, isn’t terrible, but the age will be a problem. Expect “Trouble” to show up in SHIELD, 25 years later as another RetCon.
• The overt activism present in the movie, does not detract from the movie’s plot, but it shifts tone and leads to disconnected moments.
The Bad
• There is a continual dissonance when Brie is playing Air Force Carol, Starforce Soldier Veers or pyrotechnician Captain Marvel, or regular casual Carol. It never feels like a character, not even when the costumes change.
• Usually there’s a few moments of crossover, where you might get Robert Downey Jr instead of Iron Man, etc, you never get the sense that Brie Larson is a pilot, kree soldier, Superhero, or human character within the story unless her clothing changes.
• Your experience might vary, but Brie Larson is unlikeable at times. “noble warrior heroes” isn’t supposed to sound condescending or sarcastic.
• The levity, backstory and character moments in Act 2, do not help make Brie Likeable.
• The moments of Levity and snark, which work on other characters, and female characters, feel wooden, rehearsed and sociopathic when Brie Larson is reciting them.
• The scenes as Full Powered Super-Saiyan Captain Marvel, feel out of place because there’s no teasing or sense of context. She goes from fist-fighting Kree and Skrulls to flying length-way through a starship to destroy it as an invulnerable missile.
• The visual Look & Focus of Captain Marvel when using the tesseract-given power, perhaps due to storyboarding of combat to look like flight or aerial combat maneuvering, needs improvement or better storyboarding to follow the danger and action.
• The plot is intentionally convoluted, and does not actually fit together, because the screenplay is intentionally patchworked together to bring characters to action scenes.
• Unravelling the timeline of the movie, shows a few plot holes with the character of Dr Lawson / the Kree Scientist Mar-Vell who has been hiding on earth during the early 80s or earlier.
• Rather that uncovering world-building, Mar-Vell hiding on earth unpacks a larger set of questions about how Yon-Rogg finds & kills Mar-Vell, and the “Engine Prototype”, which is the Tesseract-Lite.
• Hala, the Kree Homeworld, looks good, but it feels like a badly made CGI city because the writers don’t seem to understand EVERYTHING needs to be fleshed out and named for these films.
• The setup of the Skrulls as the Kree’s public Enemy is hammy & executes badly.
• Nobody calls Carol Danvers… Captain Marvel.
• Act 1 is very similar to Battle Angel Alita, but also Ghost in the Shell 2017.
• Act 2 is occasionally interesting. It’s supposed to be the point where you learn more about Carol Danvers and her personality, But you end up being more interested in the other Actors
• Act 3 ‘s Star Trek Insurrection reference, the Skrulls are “ILLEGAL ALIEN” Refugees, And Talos (Ben Mendelsohn) was scanning Carol Danver’s memories to locate MarVell and find his family.
• The Skrull, and the Kree are turned into 2D villains that RetCon earlier and later versions of those characters in the MCU.
• Turning the Skrull into “Illegal Aliens” and Refugees, is stupid on several levels and I wish that this story was removed from the movie,
• The Cat is pointless.
• Once you get home from the cinema, or get up from the couch, the clock starts ticking before your enjoyment wanes.
• The screenwriting team of Anna Boden & Ryan Fleck, Nicole Perlman (GOTG, Detective Pikachu), Geneva Robertson-Dworet (Tomb Raider), Meg LeFauve (Inside Out, Good Dinosaur), but also uncredited work from Liz Flahive & Carly Mensch (Nurse Jackie, GLOW) are more likely to be the cardinal dilemma, of how not to write a superhero origin story.
The Ugly
• We get Brie Larson, Cosplaying as Carol Danvers in a Captain Marvel suit.
• I don’t believe it’s Mis-Casting alone, the writing and direction is to blame for a lot of faults.
• They broke the Marvel Formula, by failing to make an Origin Story.
• I’m not sure the writers understood the Marvel Formula, but Kevin Feige should have. It’s his franchise to ruin, and he’s certainly put this movie in the best possible spot to be forgotten. That’s not going to work Kevin.
• The montage of “Rise Up” scenes are parody.
• The way that the “Women Rise Up” Feminist agenda moments happen in the movie, it takes you out of the nostalgia of the 90s when it occurs.
• There’s a Ghostbusters 2016 moment with a biker parking nearby, telling CM to “Smile More”, next scene, you see her riding his bike.
• There’s a Dick Measuring scene. 6 Female Screenplay writers, Go figure.
• Fight scenes are choppy & hard to follow due to frequent cuts.
• Due to the absurd dropping of all tension once Talos reveals that he’s a refugee, at least 20 minutes earlier, his team was shooting at Danvers & fighting with Fury.
• Music and Foley / sound is occasionally all-over the place. Layering and separation was messy at times with the music. I get that it’s bombastic to hear No Doubt “Just a Girl” at 95db, but there’s also dialogue and combat going on. Possibly a result of flattening the Atmos audio to regular audio levels.
• Captain Marvel is a Mary Sue insert, it’s hard to empathise with a perfect character or predict what they’ll do.
• Maria Rambeau, who plays Carol’s BFF. That relationship is hostile at times, Maria doesn’t react appropriately, and there’s a lack of emotion expressed.
• I Like the Cat, but the RetCon with Fury is not a “funny joke moment” and it makes the movie worse in context. This is a “throwing the lightsaber away for a joke” moment in the MCU, that should have been stopped by Feige and others.
• I Hope that Endgame does not balance on the personality of Captain Marvel’s choices or powers.
MCU films have always been kid cartoons for older audiences, but even in this line of films Captain Marvel falls flat.
I didn't expect any nuance when seeing this film, but you know the film just takes the cheapest, easiest route possible when it decides that our characters are just brainwashed and lied all along instead of having some sort of agency in their restrained life. This kind plot robs the character from their complexity and dilemmas they have to face--in few ways displayed in Spiderman: Homecoming--and makes the struggle they have to face almost non-existent. Part of the problem is having the film plays like some sort of MTV clips: you have some moment defining scenes edited here and there, but there is no thread that joins all them together.
The amnesia plot could have been used to help working on Brie Larson's character, but they end up using it only for the big final reveal that "everything is hidden within you all along". Unlike what has been a staple in MCU origin story films, there is no struggle in Carol Denvers--there is nothing to overcome. Just click a button (or destroy one) and then you go unleash the fantastical power within. Perhaps it is the same reason why in the last third of the film the climax feels really abrupt and shows us not an empowered character but a terribly overpowered, picture perfect character that serves as nothing but power fantasies.
For a film that wants to get the empowerment/feminism message spread across, it ends up jailing Brie Larson with a plot that makes the character uninteresting and unconvincing in the most bland way possible. Carol Denvers is supposed to be this smart, determined woman, but she comes out as a wooden facade of the cool outfit she is wearing. "Feminism" remains a shallow part in the film, perhaps as braindead as the film's opponent, approached in such a tacky way like the scene where Larson confronts (steals) a catcaller's bike or sending mansplaining alien to outerspace.
It's unfortunate because the buddy cop section between Larson and Samuel L. Jackson is the best part of the film--with better character and better written story, it could be much more entertaining. It has flashy scenes and the many outfits can help boosting Disney's toys however, so there is that.
"Space invasion, big car chase... truth be told, I was ready to hang it up. 'Till I met you today."
One year later - nobody's talking about this, expect for me right now. All that fuss and name calling over an average by the book superhero movie.
One of the blandest and most forgettable movies of last year, which I just remembered to login as watched.
Brie Larson, who has proven in the past to be a talented actress with amazing range, but is unfortunately the weakest link in the movie. I thought her performance was incredibly wooden and the least interesting part of the movie. Her line delivery felt really off and there wasn't anything there for me to care about her character. All backstory with very little depth. It might have just been the poor material she was given to work with.
I'm sorry, but not once did I believe this is the strongest character in the MCU. The issue is that the movie does a terrible job of actually showing us that she is powerful and important. They tell us rather than show us. Like OK, she shoots lasers, flies around and has some magical glow around her. Am I suppose to be impressed?
The story itself is really messy and unfocused. It's trying so hard to be an origin story while also setting up the next installment for future movies, but also having a Bourne element into the mix of connecting pieces to the past.
Also I can't believe they did Lee Pace dirty. Not just once, but twice now!
However, there are some things I liked in the movie that stopped it from being the worst thing ever. I love the tribute to Stan Lee on the Marvel Studios opening intro, which was such a loving touch to his legacy.
The de-aging on Samuel L. Jackson was fantastic and shows us how far technology has come. Although towards the end the effects started to look a bit wonky for some reason. Jackson himself was charismatic and a blast to watch. It was interesting to see a younger and goofy version of Nick Fury before he gets super serious.
I love Goose the Cat, just don't let her anywhere near your eyes.
The Skrulls were enjoyable "villains" and Ben Mendelsohn absolutely shines as one of the Skrulls.
And that's really it for positives.
Overall rating: "Being powerful is like being a lady. If you have to tell people you are, you aren't." - Margaret Thatcher
Yes, I actually took a quote from Thatcher. I honestly should just delete my account right now.
Once again the most interesting part of this whole fucking show is the stuff that gets the least amount of time. I could not care less about the sitcom shtick and I wish they would stop ripping off other shows when it serves little purpose except to make this all ridiculous when it could've been so much better.
In the movie Far From Heaven, you get this practically picturesque town and home life of a housewife in Connecticut. It's gorgeous and full of colors and 50s/60s "retro", what have you. It looks so perfect and lovely yet hides all sorts of ugliness underneath the perfect veneer of "All American Dream". Imagine that kind of set up but with horror and mindfuckery and that could've been THIS FUCKING SHOW.
Each episode continues to disappoint.
Each episode shows me how this would have been better served in a binge-watch (if they ever fucking do anything with the reveal).
Each episode annoys me with a pointless, obnoxious laugh track.
And each episode has me not giving a single damn about this couple or buying into any of their "chemistry" or love. This relationship was developed completely offscreen, and now I'm just supposed to believe they are some shining example of True Love because Marvel clearly wants Young Avengers? Nope. Not happening. I demand better writing and pacing, thank you.
Olsen and Bettany are very talented and capable actors in other projects but here, I can't buy anything between them.
The pacing is just painful and not at all suspenseful. There's tension and then there's annoying the shit out of your audience. This show is the latter.
This show continues to be the epitome of "my disappointment is immeasurable and my day is ruined".
Best Snyder movie so far. Sadly it is deeply misunderstood. Movie is way more deeper and complex than it looks like on first glance.
People don't realize Sweet Pea is the protagonist, Babydoll is a figment of Sweet Pea’s imagination. Babydoll does not exist. Babydoll's story is Sweet Pea’s story. Sweet Pea was sexually abused, killed her sister and is in psychiatric hospital in therapy. Babydoll is Sweet Pea's avatar. Way of dealing with grief, with guilt, and way to manage her current situation and overcome it. Babydoll is also Sweet Pea's guardian angel.
Sweet Pea is the only fully rounded character, other girls represent aspects of her psyche. Babydoll represents strength and courage, Amber loyalty, Blondie fear, and Rocket represents guilt. In the third level reality her psyche fights for the things to get her free from her current state. Second guardian angel (the Wise Man) guides her through. To fully recover she needs to get over her guilt (Rocket dies as a symbol), also other girls represent things which she needs to leave behind to fully recover .
Babydoll is one of those things. She is the fifth thing (“The fifth is a mystery. It is the reason. It is the goal. It will be a deep sacrifice and a perfect victory.”). Lobotomy of Babydoll represents Sweet Pea’s mind of taking control. Sweet Pea needs to sacrifice Babydoll to be “cured”. Escape at the end is a symbol of that process of being cured. That’s why the driver is the Wise Man, he guides her further.
Sucker Punch is Sweet Pea’s journey from “madness” to “sanity”. Movie is philosophical / psychological investigation wrapped in a special effects action-fantasy. As the movie changes realities (mostly in the third reality), Snyder uses more fetishized image of the girls. He uses clichés and cluttered iconography (nazi zombies, sexy schoolgirls). It is a way to detached and disconnected characters from second reality. Second reality, the brothel, is the “main” reality. In which everything happens.
Synopsis: Just after being released from an unfair prison sentence, preacher Dave (David A.R. White) names his good friend Jude as his associate minister...only for Jude to be killed in an accident caused by a brick thrown into one of the windows of the church building, which also burns the building down! Dave is bound and determined to have his church rebuilt; problem is, it's on the campus of a university, and the leaders of the college want the church removed. Not sure what to do, Dave turns to his long-lost brother, a lawyer, for help in the legal fight. Meanwhile, Christian college student Keaton (Samantha Boscarino, Nickelodeon's How to Rock) is experiencing serious doubts in her faith...which become even more complicated when she discovers her boyfriend Adam was the one who threw the brick that started the whole affair! Will Adam ever come clean? Will Dave be able to rebuild his church building?
The Good: This had some surprising plot details, especially portraying a preacher as a flawed individual who messes up in a big way. It also makes a wonderful point about what a church truly is. (Hint: It's not a building!) All of the actors did amazingly well, and the storyline had me hooked.
The Bad: The only complaint I had was with the beginning's out-of-order chronology; it would have been better if they'd shown it in order.
Content Concerns:
Sex: College co-eds briefly seen dancing at a party; kissing.
Nudity: A girl in a one-piece swimsuit; slight midriff.
Language: Name-calling, at worst.
Violence: A man is killed in an accident, which is a bit bloody; two men get into a fight, which leaves a gash on one's face; a man knocks a college student into the bushes.
Drugs: Possible drinking at a college party.
Frightening/Intense Scenes: The accident scene at the beginning; emotional intensity throughout; people arguing on television news programs; a funeral; the fights.
So.....this film is so awesome but in the cheesiest way, it is literally the Chinese version of Rocky 3 and 4 but I don't mind that as I am a huge Rocky fan. Once again I am not sure how historically accurate these films are, but once again the story kept me engaged the entire time and from the first frame with Donnie Yen (Ip Man) you are rooting for him as he is so likeable and you want to see him win.
But this film has the great addition of martial arts movie legend Sammon Hung (Hung Gun-nam), he is perfect in this film as the person who is on top of the martial arts scene in Hong Kong and his relationship with Ip Man is very reminiscent of Rocky Balboa and Apollo Creed as they are almost frenemies during this film. Like I said this film is very much like a Rocky film as it has a very cheesy British villain (instead of Russian) and literally the last 30 minutes is a mixture of Rocky Films, but this film is still masterfully put together and that could not have been done without the talent behind the camera.
Ip Man movie fans and martial arts movie fans will not be disappointed and though not as good as the first film, it is still a really great film that I recommend big time. But just remember....SUBS OVER DUBS!!!!!!!
