Solo: A Star Wars Story

Surprisingly, one of the best parts of the movie is....Alden Ehrenreich. I know! All these years of people complaining that he was "going to ruin the character" and he actually did a great job. It took me about 45 minutes to get used to him, but once I did, I finally accepted that he was a young Han.

This was a lot better than I was expecting. After hearing mixed reactions and reviews, I thought it was going to be just okay, but it was fantastic! I don't know why some people have said that the first half is boring. I thought it was just the right amount of action, and slowed down when it needed to. I'd even go so far as to say it was a nearly perfect movie. Nearly. The only thing I didn't like about the movie was the character of a droid named L3. She was annoying and unneeded. It's like taking out the comedy of K2-SO and dialing up  the annoyingness of C3PO and maybe even Jar Jar Binks. The movie would have more or less played out the same without her. What Harrison Ford has said about Alden Ehrenreich is true. He is "a brilliant young actor" and I do see him getting more roles in the future. Donald Glover was the perfect choice for a young Lando. He even does a spot-on Billy Dee Williams impression. Pretty much everyone in the cast did a great job. This movie was unexpectedly fun. Ignore the haters. Go see it.

Grade: A-  9/10  4/5 stars

Avengers: Infinity War

200th Post! Yay me! 

It seems fitting that I started this blog with a review of "Iron Man 3" and now my 200th post is "Avengers: Infinity War". I was a bit worried about this film. Yes, Marvel is nearly perfect, but I was also worried that we would have another "Spider-Man 3" or "Batman v. Superman: Dawn of Justice" situation where it's too overstuffed with characters that it becomes hard to follow. This is not the case. It does jump around from place to place frequently, and I wish the plot had flowed better, but I was still able to follow what was going on. This has possibly the best villain in all of the MCU! Thanos is the Darth Vader of this franchise! He's the villain you love to hate and are genuinely afraid of. The actors bounce off of each other very well and the dialogue is as fast-paced and witty as we've come to expect from Marvel. While at times, it does feel like watching a bunch of video game cutscenes edited together, the movie is so enthralling that my first reaction to the credits (other than pure surprise for reasons I don't dare spoil) was "It's over already?! It just started 20 minutes ago? What? It started almost 3 hours ago?! How is that possible?" That's how much this film pulled me in! It's well worth the 10 year wait! It's amazing to see all these characters interact with each other! There are some really amazing shots and moments, which again, I won't spoil. There's a reason Marvel was unusually secretive with this film. Other than the story not flowing as well as it should have, there isn't anything to complain about with this film.

Grade: A-   9/10   4/5 stars

A Quiet Place

For the love of gravy, do NOT bring loud concessions into this movie. People WILL hear it and you will ruin the movie for everyone. This is definitely one of the best thrillers I have ever seen! It's like an M. Night Shamalayn movie back when he still cared about his career. (Although he is slowly redeeming himself with films like "Split"). Very few scary movies will illicit a reaction from me. This was one of them. Without spoiling anything, something happens in the first 5 minutes that lets you know that this film is NOT playing around. There is very, very little dialogue. Most of the story is told through sign language with subtitles and it works very well. It's a movie where you can put yourself into the characters' situation and understand why they make the choices they make. This movie needs to be nominated for "Best Sound Mixing" and/or "Best Sound Editing" when the 2019 Oscars roll around. Definitely worth seeing. Just hope that your audience isn't loud and rude, which will ruin the movie for you. And please turn off your cellphones. 

Grade: A+    10/10   5/5 stars

Rampage

This is what I call a "junk food" movie. There's little value or substance to it, but that doesn't mean it's not good. It's big, dumb, loud fun, on par with the Rock's typical schtick. If you enjoyed his other action films, you'll probably enjoy this one. It's "King Kong", "Jurassic World", "Planet of the Apes" and "Godzilla" all in one. It's a great way to kill 90 minutes and turn off your brain on a lazy weekend. It's like a live action Saturday morning cartoon. There were actually quite a few funny lines in the movie as well, along with some dark humor that you might feel bad for laughing at, but can't really help it. The Rock was by far the best part of this movie. He knows what kind of movie this is and acknowledges how dumb (in a good way) it is. The plot is silly and doesn't make much sense, but man, is it fun! 

Grade: A-   9/10   4/5 stars

Ready Player One

Well done Spielberg! I did not live in the 1980s. (1997), but now I know how those kids felt when they went to go see "Back to the Future" or "E.T." for the first time. This really captures the feeling of an '80s film, with futuristic technology. If you have the chance, go see this in IMAX or the local equivalent of an IMAX (like I did, because my IMAX is very far, but my closest theater has a screen about the size of one) because it is HUGE. There is one scene in the beginning that was worth the extra $2. My one nitpick that I can give away without spoilers is that while Ben Mendehlson is great as the villain, I really wish they had let him keep his British accent, because his "American" accent is distracting. (And let's be honest. Villains are more intimidating when they're British). I've complained about Warner Bros' CGI before and how it seems to me like they always cheap out when it comes to that aspect. (To me it always looks like cutscenes or trailers to a PS2 game from 2003.), but here, it was believable. I am so glad I was the only one at my screening, because I would have been kicked out for fanboying so much otherwise. This is a film where when I buy it on Bluray, I am going to need to pause it and analyze it frame-by-frame to get all the background references. The plot relies heavily on pop culture references but that's what makes it so great. It's a movie for fans (of anything) by fans. If you've ever had an obsession with pop culture (and almost everyone has at some point), this is the film for you. If you grew up in the '80s, this is definitely the film for you. You will weep with nostalgic joy.

Grade: A-   9/10    4/5 stars

Pacific Rim: Uprising

I went it with mild expectations, because I had heard mixed reviews. The general consensus seemed to be "meh." I thoroughly enjoyed this movie! Was it perfect? No. Could some of the writing have been better? Absolutely. But I knew what kind of film I was going into. I wasn't going into some intellectual film made to made you think. I was going into a cheesy popcorn flick, with action. And that's what I got. My expectations were met. I got exactly the kind of film I was hoping for. Was the first one better? Yes. Do I still like this one? Yes. It's a live action Saturday morning cartoon. Nothing more. If the first one was "Transformers" mixed with "Godzilaa", this is more of that, but with "Power Rangers"  thrown in there as well. Without spoiling anything, I will say I wish the last scene had been left out, or put on the Bluray as an alternate ending, because if the studio decides they don't want to make a 3rd one, that last scene was pointless and I will be disappointed. John Boyega was one of the best parts of this movie. His character is well written and you understand why he does what he does. He was actually the most interesting character in the movie. John Boyega has come a long way since "Star Wars: The Force Awakens" and that was only 3 years ago. (He was also producer on this film as well. Good for him!) If you enjoyed the first one, you'll get pretty much of the same. Nothing more. Nothing less. It is on par with the first one. Neither better nor worse.

Grade: A-    9/10    4/5 stars

Tomb Raider (2018)

I went in with my expectations really low. This is a video game movie, after all. I went in with my expectations low and was still disappointed. I wanted to find something to enjoy about this movie, but I found nothing. The plot, when it finally got to the plot after an hour, was a beat-for-beat rip off of "Raiders of the Lost Ark." There's an ancient tomb/coffin, the bad guys (who in this one are not called Nazis but are basically Nazis) want to open it to unleash the power to control the world, archeologist tries to stop them, blah blah blah, you know the rest. This should have been called "Tomb Raiders of the Lost Ark". (Hey, Honest Trailers, I found your title for this movie.) The main character is so bland. She is such a Mary Sue. The actress did a fine job, it was just a badly written character. Lara Croft has no character flaws. She does everything perfectly. She's one-dimensional. She's boring. She is a knock off of Indiana Jones and Katniss Everdeen. (She even has the same bow and arrow!) The action sequences were filmed with the cursed shaky cam so you can't even tell what's going on when something is happening. I went with my friend who actually played the games, and even he thought it was terrible. I didn't play the games, and thought this movie was terrible. So if it can't satisfy fans of the game, and it can's satisfy a casual moviegoer, that should tell you all you need to know. This movie is better off buried and forgotten.
Grade: F+     0/10     0/5 stars