Star Wars: the Bad Batch- Season 2

8/10

In this second season, the members of the genetically unique clone squad known as the Bad Batch continue taking whatever jobs they can to support themselves while trying to stay out of the eye of the Empire.

I felt that this was stronger than the last season. Some may be annoyed that this is more episodic-heavy, but it worked for me. The various situations the characters are thrown into keep things fresh. (The only weak spot would be the episode Retrieval. Not bad but it's the type of story that's been told plenty of times.) Not to say there is no ongoing plot. The show continues to look at how the clones were decommissioned after Revenge of the Sith but before A New Hope. The plight of these soldiers and how they were disposable pawns works surprisingly well as an analogy to the treatment of vets. Though a lot of the stories were misadventures, when things get serious, the writing especially pops; the last two episodes make for a hell of a finale.

I think the writers realized the cyborg Bad Batch member Echo (voiced by Dee Bradley Baker) had the least amount to do last time around, so he gets some development as the one clone who feels they should be acting against the Empire and not just hiding. Tech (also Dee Bradley Baker cuz' y'know clones), the very smart and logical member, is getting a lot more time to shine and it works.

The various locations and background designs make for a real sci-fi visual delight.

Recommend. Can't say the show is as engaging as much as the recent live-action ones, but it's a well written and animated affair.

Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves

8/10

In this movie based on the popular tabletop game (the second attempt at doing so after the failed 2000 one), a group of thieves plot to steal from their enemies.

This was definitely a satisfying film (actually a more solid popcorn film than either the recent Ant-Man & the Wasp: Quantumania and Shazam: Fury of the Gods). This all comes together with solid plotting, three-dimensional characters across the board, a fleshed out world, and some decent humor. The movie actually manages to throw in a narrated flashback beginning without feeling too weak.  

This is directed/co-written by John Francis Daley and Jonathan Goldstein, who directed the comedy Game Night. I wouldn't say this is as funny as that movie, but it's definitely having fun. Given that fantasy stories can all run together after a while, the duo definitely felt like they were trying to make sure there were some distinct moments in this which pay off. There's one of the most memorable chase scenes I've seen in a while. Plus, the dragon you may've seen in the trailer is a solid design. There's plenty of dragons in film and television, but you don't see a lot of plump ones.

The viewer is thrown into the world. There isn't real effort given into explaining the various races, organizations, etc. (I did a lot of Googling after this.) However, it works. It makes the world feel lived in by not overexplaining (the characters know the environment they live in, why would they state the obvious.) You're never thrown too much at once, and you get the gist of everything. The movie focuses on basic concepts people can understand, thieves steal, evil magic people do evil magic stuff, etc., etc.

Solid casting in this. Chris Pine as lead thief Edgin manages to show off more of his comic side. In what is probably her biggest starring role in a big movie, Michelle Rodriguez as thief Holga doesn't do anything much out of her wheelhouse but manages to keep being charming and badass. Pine and Rodriguez have excellent chemistry together and really sell themselves as old friends and partners. Rege-Jean Page as Paladin Xenk doesn't appear in the movie as much as the trailer makes it out, but when he does appear, he's definitely the funniest character, someone who's super nice and benevolent, but also super literal and straight-laced to the point it can bug others. 

This looks swell with some fine creature and costume design. Some computer graphic effects are more obvious than others. Fans of D&D may be frustrated that all the leads are human or humanoid with minimal aesthetics and the same applies to the majority of background characters. (You see only one dwarf in this.) In fairness, by not spending a lot of money on CGI or prosthetics for the main characters this probably made it easier for the filmmakers to financially justify the big special effects moments in this.

Highly recommended, this is just one of those adventure movies where everything works and comes together.

Operation Fortune: Ruse de guerre

6/10 

In this new Guy Ritchie spy/action/comedy mix, secret agent Orson Fortune (played by Jason Statham) and his team blackmail actor Danny Francesco (Josh Hartnett) into helping them gain access to arms dealer Greg Simmons (Hugh Grant) in order to stop him from acquiring a mysterious device known as “the Handle.”

I'm guessing that after The Wrath of Man, which might be Ritchie's darkest work, he wanted to do something fun and just lighthearted. (This also kinda has Man from Uncle vibes; Ritchie stated he liked that one and due to its poor box office, this is probably the closest he can get to doing a sequel.)

Unfortunately, this is the weakest of the several films of his I've seen (no, I haven't watched Swept Away yet). The worst part is that this the has bones of a good film in it. If parts had just been tweaked and some jokes cut, this might've worked. To be clear, this isn't straight up bad, just lackluster.

On the plus side, the movie looks great. It's very colorful, echoing the look of the Sixties' Bond films. Though this is a more tongue-in-cheek spy film, the action can be surprisingly intense at points. Also, it's got a strong cast (more on them later).

I know the part about Danny getting into the good graces of Simmons (who's a fan) sounds very similar to that film Nicholas Cage made recently, and yeah, it does a little, but much not as much as you think. The trailer makes it look the whole movie is focused on that, but it's only a subplot. (Danny's really just a supporting character not a main player.) I'm glad that section didn't wear out it's welcome, because some of the most enjoyable moments come from the actor and arms dealer interacting. (I won't spoil how it plays it out.)

On the negative side, the tone is all over the place and the movie gets too complicated for it's own good. There's a repeated bit about how Orson has expensive tastes and constantly tries to finagle extravagant benefits from his employer. It's not funny or done well, and the writers really go all in on it. It is clear that this had parts cut and reshoots. The problem is that they don't cut the parts setting up later scenes. There are three plot points that are never followed up on.

As I said, good cast. Statham and Cary Elwes as Orson's boss both play the roles they usually play, tough guy and stereotypically British person, but to be fair, they do it well. Hartnett is amusing, and Grant does an admirable job of continuing to prove in his recent years that he's a character actor. Aubrey Plaza is Orson's team's computer person. Yeah, this isn't her best work and is given dialogue beneath her, but she is still AUBREY PLAZA and brings her trademark energy.

Not a must see. It can make for a nice timewaster/background film. There are good parts. Just don't make this a film you're spending too much on.

Poker Face- Season 1

9/10

In Poker Face on Peacock, Charlie Cale (played by Natasha Lyonne), who has the ability to tell when someone is lying, travels across the United States and keeps running into murderers, whom she tries to bring to justice.

This is a clear attempt by creator Rian Johnson (the Knives out movies and Last Jedi director) to revive the Columbo howcatchem formula. (Heck, Charlie's personality and delivery is clearly modeled off a little from the show's lead.) For those who never watched or were too young for Columbo, the stories weren't mysteries. You always knew who did it. Rather the episodes were about how Columbo was going to catch the killer (and also as character pieces about the murders). Poker Face also revives pre-2000's episodic storytelling. The stories are mostly self-contained. Charlie doesn't have a back-up crew like most crime-solving shows these days, and there are barely any reoccurring characters.

And yeah... This attempt to revive old school television hits it out of the park. The episodes are interesting and diverse (due to Charlie traveling around, one location and story is never quite like the others). Though these aren't mysteries, the show is very good at twists and turns (far more creative than the original Columbo). The writers really wring out the suspense as you try to guess who'll get killed, who'll do the killing, and sometimes the motives.

Charlie is the lynchpin that keeps everything together. She's just a cool gal and personable and is the kind of person without big dreams but just lives in the moment. Natasha Lyonne's star has been rising these past few years, but this is the show that will make her a household name. She's one of those actors with a unique appearance and style and is the perfect type of person to gamble on for a show that is reliant on only one main character.

This has a TON of known or veteran actors. Really, it's a performance showcase much like the classic Columbo. I wouldn't be surprised if there are some nominations come next Emmys.

The cinematography is pretty good for television. It's clearly trying to evoke the look of the 70's and works without feeling straight-up gimmicky.

The show does have a couple points of criticism. Whereas Columbo had movie-length episodes (like today's Sherlock), these are all an hour long, so each episode has introduce the characters and the plot in a short amount of time and the strain can be evident at points. There's also a recurring plot device in this that's innovative the first couple times but soon becomes tired.

Highly recommended. If you liked the Knives Out movies' spin on classic crime stories, you'll probably like this.

Shazam: Fury of the Gods

7.5/10

In this sequel, Billy Batson/Shazam (played by Asher Angel/Zachary Levi) and his team of superpowered foster siblings, who mostly turn into adults when they go into action, have to go against the daughters of Atlas, dangerous goddesses who have beef with humanity and the Shazam team.

I know that there are those online who miss the more human drama of Billy and company from the first film, but I won't lie, I'm okay with this focusing more on the adventure and comedy. My biggest problem with the first film was that it was a tonal mismatch. This one feels a lot more consistent. The best part of the last movie was that you saw a kid become a superhero, and this one realizes that and completely rolls with it. This time you see the characters as adults a lot more than as kids and seeing grown-ups act goofily makes for a good time. (Admittedly, if you liked the child actors, this will be a letdown. Billy actually gets the least amount of screentime here.)

The movie doesn't break the superhero mold, but it's having fun. The humor's pretty good and it really doubles down on the fantasy aspect, which does surprisingly well working with old tropes and makes for some good spectacle.

Like the last film, there are some dark moments. Again I felt there were too forced and more nihilistic than "fun dark." (I feel that one of the biggest weaknesses writers have for superhero or supernatural films or shows these days is that they feel that random civilian casualties to fill up time makes for good storytelling.) However, visually they don't get as graphic as before.

The movie didn't need to be two hours and ten minutes. It's not like it ever felt slow (there's no having to wait through Billy's character-growth/bullying scenes to get to the superhero stuff like in the first movie.) It's just that they threw a lot at you, and they could've cut some bits down.

Strong costume/set/creature design in this. Everything looks nice.

Levi is the main draw of the film, he has excellent timing. Unfortunately, they do have him act too dumb and immature at times (to put things in perspective, Billy is supposed to be almost eighteen). Another show stealer is Meagan Good as the adult form of the youngest child Darla. She does such a great job acting like a child. One of the biggest points of criticism from the last film remains, which is that Shazam really doesn't act like Billy, who is more composed and mature, and I'm afraid that Good also doesn't quite match the mannerisms of child Darla (Faithe Herman). On the other hand, Ross Butler and D.J. Cotrona do a great job of portraying adult versions of their respective child counterparts.

The one young actor who gets the most screentime is Freddy Freeman (Jack Dylan Grazer), and he again does a fine job as the snarky, funny one. The West Side Story remake's Rachel Zegler also puts in a strong performance as a new student at school who befriends Freddy.

Djimon Honsou as the Wizard gets a lot more to do. Whereas the last time the character had to be all busy, here you get more time to get to know his personality, and he's surprisingly funny and works really well off of one of the characters in this movie, which I won't spoil.

This is the first of the DCU films to feature original villains. While I won't deny I wouldn't mind seeing some of the classic Shazam rogues given a chance (sorry Mister Atom, your time may never come.) I'm especially disappointed that we didn't get the threat that was promised in the last movie, but the Sisters of Atlas, while not great (they can be a little one note) aren't too shabby either, and they at least leave more of a presence than some failed superhero movie villains like Thor: The Dark World's Malekith. Helen Mirren, who plays the sister Hespera, as a supervillain is something I didn't realize I've always needed. The woman's got a commanding presence and she does a wonderful job of reacting when things don't go the way she expects. The one scene where Levi and Mirren were working off of each other is probably the best scene. Lucy Liu as the sister Kalypso is unfortunately saddled with the weakest character in the movie. She delivers the role as written but is given nothing to work with.

Recommended, not the most unique superhero or fantasy movie, but it's a generally good time, and I'm far more likely to rewatch this than the first film.

Scream VI

8/10

In this new entry in the horror series, the Carpenter sisters and friends have moved to New York City, only to become the targets of a new Ghostface killer.

The trailers are completely accurate in that this may be one of the most intense Scream films. The last film had already escalated things, but this one goes even further with some unforgettably brutal kills. This Ghostface is a lot gutsier and eyes-on-the prize than some of the others, even going as far as attacking in public. This also has one of the best openers and really invigorates the concept.

I won't lie, I wasn't loving the move to New York (I guess I prefer the films to happen in less crowded areas), but I was wrong. The filmmakers do a wonderful job of making use of the big city and how threatening it can be.

However, I'd rank this as second-to-last in the films. Don't think of this as a dislike of film, it's just that there's tough competition as the franchise has been surprisingly strong for a horror series, and I 'd consider 3 the only bad one.

Love the beginning, but I felt this had the weakest killer reveal. This is also the only film where I figured things out, at least partially, before the end of the film. The writers really show their hand in this. This may also be the Scream movie with the biggest plot holes (why don't the characters get a police escort?)

This movie carries the last film's slow break from the feel of the previous films. Like the current Jurassic Park trilogy when compared to the original, the tone and dialog never 100% feel like they're in the same world. Also, this movie has more of a grainier style of filming to it, and I miss the brighter camerawork of the first two movies.

The return of Kirby Reed (played by Hayden Panetierre) from Scream IV, who I and most people liked, lacked the punch she had before. Dialogue wasn't as fun. I understand she's now at a different place in her life than many years ago, but I didn't buy her as an FBI agent, and if they were trying to show change in her, it wasn't working.

Recommended, despite my complaints, I was still drawn in with the tension and what was going on (this flows pretty well) and will definitely watch this again.

Creed III

8.5/10

In this third installment of the Rocky franchise spin-off, boxer Adonis Creed (played by Michael B. Jordan, also the director of this) finds a monkey wrench thrown into his life when childhood friend Damian Anderson (played by Jonathan Majors), comes back into his life after spending eighteen years in prison. He once had a promising future as a boxer, and he's hungry to achieve the dream he lost. REAL HUNGRY.

Creed has become that rare trilogy where all the films are good. This is a solid, engrossing entry fueled by the conflict between Adonis and Damian and the specter of what went down years ago hanging over the former like a ghost.  

This is the second Creed film that's managed to revive the glory days of the memorable Rocky antagonist. The writers remembered what worked with Creed II's Drago and continued rolling with it: make the guy intimidating but also completely tragic and sympathetic. Majors does a great job and convinces you of the character's buried resentment and the fact that this is clearly a man that's been outside of society for a while. He's also a good physical successor to Drago. Majors is super swole in this and dwarfs Jordan, and the character is differentiated from Drago, who was a relentless animal, by being a "anything goes/push the rules as far you as you can" fighter.

Jordan gives another excellent performance. I think he and the writers realized they couldn't make another installment where the guy's being cocky, and you see growth with the character, now as a family man and running a gym.

Jordan delivers a surprisingly confident work, considering this is the first time he's directing. If you missed the fight in the first Creed film where it's one uncut shot, you'll be pleased to see a couple interesting visual ideas in this.

There is one thing about this movie that may turn off a lot of people. As with the first two movies, a lot of this is about the story and dialogue. The constant talking scenes and deliberate pacing might bore some.

Highly recommended. This is just a well written and acted film that keeps what you like about the Creed movies while naturally evolving them.