Those Who Wish Me Dead

8/10

In Those Who Wish Me Dead, based on the novel of the same name (and by the way, I love that they kept the title), Hannah (Angelina Jolie), a smokejumper (wildland firefighter), manning a firetower out in the Montana wilderness, ends up having to protect the life of young a young Connor (Finn Little) from two professional hit men (Game of Thrones' Aidan Gillen and the X-Men prequels' Nicholas Hoult).

I found this to be a very effective survival thriller. The movie pulls all the right strings when it comes to the action and wondering what the protagonists will have to survive next. The villains are smart and deadly and provide a true threat.

I rather liked the backdrop of the wilderness. Can't remember the last time we've gotten a pure outdoors action film like Cliffhanger. There are a couple of pretty good uses of natural element threats. It did bug me that there was an overuse of digital backgrounds rather than natural scenery.

The characterization is surprisingly good here. It's really easy to root for Hannah. Though Jolie is playing a trope, the hero struggling with a tragic past incident, she plays it really well. However, I did feel that Jon Bernthal's deputy sheriff nver reached full expectations; good character, just wasn't a fan of how he was utilized.

The sociopathic killers, hellbent on completing their mission, are equally frightening and detestable. I mean they are willing to do anything, and I mean anything in order to get the job done. Yet, they are also grotesquely fascinating in their cool, efficient methods and the way they troubleshoot any setbacks.

Be forewarned that this is a darker action film, like the first Jack Reacher. If you're not big on these types of movies going crazy with the blood of the innocent, this may not be for you.

Recommended. This was better than I thought it would be and makes for a suspenseful time.

Demon Slayer: Mugen Train

 

8/10

Demon Slayer: Mugen Train, the film sequel to the anime show Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba, continues the adventures of demon slayer Tanjiro, his demon-turned sister Nezuko, and their compatriots as they board a train that has been the source of several disappearances. This movie is the highest grossing in Japan and the first non-American film to top the annual international box office.

This is one of those movies where it helps to see the original show or look up some basic info. at least. (I went in fairly new myself.) It is a direct continuation of the series happening right after the last episode. Whereas a lot of anime films based on shows are original works that tend not to interfere with canon, Mugen Train directly adapts a story arc from the manga. I kind of appreciated this, since a lot of those aforementioned films' stories never feel as strong as the those originating directly from the manga creators, plus the antagonists often feel subpar. This film has a backbone to it.

As someone who walked in new to this, I warmed up to the main cast real quick. Tanjiro in particular is a relatable character. You really end up rooting for him. I did not realize how emotional this movie was going to get as Tanjiro has a lot he has to struggle against. I think this might actually be as good a character piece as an action film. The main villain Enmue, a verbose, theatrical, and sadistic demon with a penchant for strategy, is the type of baddie you love to hate.  

Since the commercials don't really go int detail into what Enmue's main style of attack is, I won't spoil it. It is something that has been done before. However, it's done well enough that it didn't bother me. Heck, I think it's one of the best parts of the film, and it really helps separate this from a lot of other more traditonal shonen anime.

The whole thing looks pretty nice. The movie makes good use of the combination of 2D and 3D animation. The train speeding past the 3D landscape is particularly eye-catching. 

The fight scenes look good too, being creative and ferocious.

Going back to this being based on the manga, this situation does have its setbacks. Usually if something is adapted to film, stuff has to be changed or cut in order to make it more accessible to the audience and fit for time. However, because this film has to connect to the first season of the show and the upcoming second season, plot points and characters couldn't be tossed. The ending feels overextended, going on way past where you'd think it would end. The pacing and structure generally feel odd since the story was intended to be told episodically. 

Overall, I liked this despite not having seen the show. But, I don't quite see why this is top of the box office. It is definitely up there in the top five or ten anime films based on shows, but it doesn't stand as a great work separated from the show like, say, Castle of Cagliostro. At the end of the day, it's a traditional shonen story arc. Fans of Demon Slayer will probably love it. (Like I said, it does have a grand ending.) General anime fans who haven't seen the show, shouldn't have much trouble getting on board. But if you're not big on anime in general, this SHOULDN'T be your entry point. There's so many characters and stuff thrown at you.

Spiral

 

8/10

Spiral, the ninth movie in the Saw franchise and basically a second attempt to restart it after Jigsaw (the film, not the person) didn't take off. In it it, yet ANOTHER Jigsaw (the person, not the film) copycat killer (how many have there been by now?) is targeting crooked cops. 

I've never been a big Saw/torture porn fan. I've only seen parts of the first two films. However, I was curious about this. Comedian Chris Rock personally wanted to do a Saw movie, and this went more plot heavy instead of mostly following a person or persons navigating the traps. 

Rock as Detective Zeke Banks is probably my favorite part of this. He just does a good job as the jaded/partially-on-the-edge cop. Max Minghella is likable as Banks' fresh-eyed new partner William Schenk. The two actors both have great chemistry. Admittedly, they play basic cop tropes, but they were entertaining enough that I didn't care. However, there was something off about the police captain Angie Garza (Marisol Nichols). She felt like she was from an entirely different style of production, like a network television procedural.

The plot is interesting. There's a big mystery as to why these specific cops were targeted. It's not the most ambitious story, but it works. Effort is given to develop Banks' past and how it correlates to the mystery at hand. There is a surprising amount of humor in this.

On the other hand, there are some plot points that don't quite work when you think about it. A couple of characters you expect to go somewhere really don't. (In fairness, I've read that one kill got cut.) While the ending works for me, it is a bit abrupt for my taste. Though in fairness, the Saw movies aren't known for wrapping things up with "where they are now."

Some fans of the franchise may not like that the killer skews a bit from the typical Jigsaw killer formula. This one doesn't have a twisted need to make people appreciate their lives and isn't so much a sportsman. Still, I don't know if anyone really filled the shoes of the original Jigsaw, so it makes sense to have this new guy or gal have some wriggle room to forge their own identity.

This is directed by Darren Lynn Bousman who directed entries two through four, and he brings a sense of style. This takes place during a heat wave and the use of a harsh orange/yellow lighting scheme sells this.

Of course you're probably wondering about the bread and butter of the Saw franchise: the traps. I'll be honest. Not a fan. Too much for my taste. However if you're a fan of the traps and gore, this really cranks things up to 11. 

Overall, if you like the Saw movies, I recommend this. If you liked the first movie but were disappointed how the later films focused more on traps and violence than the story, then this might be a nice return to form for you. But yeah... If you don't like torture porn, you should definitely avoid. It gets nasty.

Maggie Simpson in The Force Awakens from its Nap

 

8/10

In this new Simpsons short on Disney+, Maggie Simpson is put into a daycare that takes place in the Star Wars universe.

This is a fairly amusing quickie (only 3 minutes). Not a whole lot of complexity, just a bunch of good-spirited Star Wars visual jokes. If I'm not mistaken, the director and writers are all from the Simpsons golden-age and this short has that classic satirical, smart feel it did back then. The short's not afraid to even poke one light jab at the franchise.

Now my memory could be playing tricks on me, but the animation doesn't feel as ambitious as the last two shorts. This is probably because it was always meant for television and not to be shown on the big screen. Definitely seems to have the same animation as the show. I do miss the perspective coming from Maggie's point of view and the adult characters' faces mostly hidden. Still, I guess it can't be helped in order to utilize the Star Wars characters.

How does it compare to the other two Maggie shorts? It isn't as strong as the The Longest Daycare, the clever first one which set up this film series, but is more original than Playdate with Destiny. Overall, I recommend it. It's an amusing, and like I said it doesn't take up too much time.

The Mitchells vs. the Machines

8/10

The Mitchells vs. the Machines on Netflix is about the titular Mitchell family who are on a road trip to drop off daughter Katie (Broad City's Abbi Jacobson) at college. The trek is also intended by father Rick (Danny McBride) to help mend a rift between him and his daughter. Then, wouldn't you know it, the robot apocalypse hits. 

You may've seen the trailers for this (when it was supposed to be in theaters) under the title Connected, which is kind of weird the name changed. It's not uncommon for movies to alter their titles during development, but it's usually done before public advertising/the trailers.  

This has a very predictable, basic plot structure to it. The first fifteen minutes are the weakest. However, once the family hits the road everything picks up, and the predictability becomes excusable. This movie becomes enjoyable with a decent and goofy sense of humor. 

The parent-child relationship in this is very predictable and obvious, but it is done competently and hits the appropriate emotional points at the right moments. One thing I can't excuse so much is that there is one supporting character who's story just ends; the type of character where enough time was given to them that you'd think hey'd get proper closure, but they don't. 

Poking fun at machines rebelling against their masters has been done before, but the writers are able to mine a lot of jokes from the material. There are a couple major battles, and they're the highlight of this. The first one is definitely the most creative part of the film. The second one is just really good looking and well choreographed. I particularly like the robot and other evil technology designs in this.

To be honest, the whole movie looks good. It looks like 2D animated characters rendered in 3D. The character design feels reminiscent of a comic strip. However, there is one aspect that bugs me. The film includes a lot of 2D effects, think like doodling on a notepad. They felt like overkill. To quote Family Guy, "It insists upon itself."  

The voice cast is pretty good. I was particularly pleased with Danny McBride, who tends to play variations of the same character type, doing something completely new, and he definitely sells the character. 

So, overall I recommend this. Again, perhaps not the most original type of story, but it's definitely a good time for you and your kids.

The Falcon and the Winter Soldier

10/10

In Falcon and the Winter Soldier on Disney+, Sam Wilson/the Falcon (Anthony Mackie) and Bucky (Sebastian Stan) go up against the terrorist organization the Flagsmashers. Out of the first three Marvel shows with trailers, the other two being WandaVision and Loki, this couldn't stand out as much compared to the more creative and unexpected paths the other two were taking. It seemed to be the most traditional of the Marvel shows. Well, the show's come out now, and it's definitely proved itself.

This may not be as original as Wandavision, but I think FatWS was the better scripted show. It really manages to keep the spyesque, political intrigue-light feel of the last two Captain America films. The show manages to incorporate heavy themes that include racism, PSTD, and sociological/political elements smoothly into the superhero world of Marvel.  

The six-episode run times gives the characters more room to breathe than in the films resulting in a character piece with a nuanced, three-dimensional cast. None of the villains are straight up evil-for-the-sake-of-evil and you get where they're coming from.    

You just get a great bunch of faces in this. Sam Wilson really is the successor to Steve Rogers/Captain America as the hero who's trying to do good for the sake of good. He realizes more than Steve that the world isn't perfect and has some compelling struggles. Still, he is the voice of reason and legitimately tries to talk things over with his opponents. Stan also does a great job as a brooding Bucky trying to recover from his horrible past.     

This show brings the first live action appearance of John Walker (Wyatt Russell), who for a short period of time during the 80's was the bad boy/antihero Captain America. Walker's the competition to Sam and Bucky in taking down the threat, and he's one of the more intriguing parts of the show. He's a very complex fellow and a wild card.  

Flagsmasher was the Captain America villain I've wanted to see adapted the most. Having the villains' motivation be pro-globalism, anti-nationalism, is a unique motive. Their leader Karli Morgenthau (Erin Kellyman) works, oozing self-righteousness.  

The aforementioned characters are all good, but it's Daniel Bruhl as Zemo who steals the show. I feel that he was one of the best villains in the Marvel movies, but didn't get as much credit as he deserved, probably due to his plan in Winter Soldier being too complex and the large cast relegating him mostly to just enacting his plan. But, I'm glad to see that this show has gotten him quite a bit of buzz online. We're given more time to know Zemo, and he proves himself to be quite charming and a conversationalist. He remains the smartest guy in the room, you're left anticipating what his next move will be.

The one thing I don't love is that this is Sharon Carter's third appearance, and she still hasn't been given enough time to reach her full potential. Her actress Emily VanCamp was also filming her show The Resident at the same time as this, so it's understandable that they couldn't use her as much, and we're lucky they were filming in the same area and the two shows were able to work things out at all. I just find the character's MCU adaptation disappointing. In the comics, she's Captain America's main love interest and one of the more prominent characters. However, the films were too busy to squeeze her in more (early attempts were made to include her in Infinity War, but she got cut) and Peggy Carter resonated more as a love interest with the fans. She does get more to do here, but I guess it's just not what I wanted. 

The show looks great. Like Wandavision, it is almost film quality. There are some impressive and at times creative fight scenes. Costume design works, too. They finally adapt Zemo's classic purple comics mask, and it works pretty well.

I highly recommend Falcon and the Winter Soldier. It's just really good.

Mortal Kombat (2021)

 

7/10

In this new attempt at adapting the popular video game franchise, new character Cole Young (played by Lewis Tan) finds himself chosen to be one of the warriors of Earth destined to fight in order to protect the planet from the forces of Outworld.   

The fighting in this is definitely better than the '95 version. The R rating and modern special effects manage to achieve the more over-top and gory violence that made the game famous. Doesn't hurt that the brawls are well choreographed and shot. Surprisingly, the movie paces the more hardcore violent moments. I felt this pays off, the more mouth-dropping moments have more impact to them. If you like violent movies, this has a couple of the more creative kills in some time.

The movie looks good (with the exception being the design of a pair of mechanical arms that didn't quite work for me). Director Simon Mcquoid brings a distinctive visual style. Nice work on the costumes, too. Kung Lao's razor-rimmed hat is finally realized, and it's everything you'd want. Computer graphics allow more creative looking opponents from the games to pop up and they're fun. 

Introducing the new character Cole does feel extraneous when the games already have a ton of characters to work with. The director has said that it was too provide a fresh prospective as an audience surrogate in order to explore the world. However, any of the characters could've been written as a newbie. That having been said, I didn't dislike the guy. He had a decent, albeit simplistic backstory, and some impressive fighting skills. Also, I can see how it's easier to write a character free of any pre-established lore restrictions.

Unfortunately, the story and characters aren't as strong as the nineties' version. The story is at it's peak during the action. It lags during the middle, which is a lot of setup. It doesn't help that there are couple of plot points that don't make a lot of sense, (and bear in mind that I wasn't walking in this looking for a lot of logic.)

There are some good lines, but a lot more stale ones. A lot of dialogue is just spurting out exposition without any nuance. The movie tries to squeeze in too many characters, and most of them are kinda flat or one-note. The main villain Shang Tsung (Chin Han) is a particularly dull character and a major step down from his nineties' counterpart. There are a few bright spots. Kano (Josh Lawson) is fun as the comic relief/in-it-for-himself member of the group. Though he doesn't get the best material every time, Joe Taslim as the villain Sub-Zero has some pretty standout moments.

Despite the film's problems, the weakest moments are simply that: weak. I wouldn't say they're a turnoff or intolerable. This definitely delivers in the action department and does deliver the basic essence of the Mortal Kombat games. I recommend this if you like this kind of thing. You just don't need to watch this at full movie ticket price.