The Film Corner

[Unorthodox]

Spoilers for really old movie ahead. 


What Lies Beneath was just on, and I hadn't watched it in ages, and with Talia on a ghost story kick, we take the opportunity to watch when a PG-13 one comes on.   

I remembered liking it for the whole twist of Ford playing the bad guy. 

And while Ford/Pfeiffer put on admirable performances, my good lord what a mess of a script were they given.  Good ole ghost story drifts into unexplained witchcraft, exorcisms, and channeling of ghosts that really show up for no real reason.  They clearly drew inspiration from Stir of Echoes, and would have been far better off sticking with that line than dragging in the whole unexplained books and rituals and BS. 

Bonus points for another quaint old movie that cell phones more or less ruins. 

[Unorthodox]

Jupiter Ascending was free to me. 

Um. 

If they had hired a decent cinematographer, this could have been MST3K level Good/Bad/Fun.  As is, everything is so damned dark (as in light level) you can't hardly see half the movie.  Or maybe it was a mix of my color blindness creeping in as a lot of things have similar colored characters/ships against a similar colored background.  Black ships against black sky.  Blue lighting all the actors on a blue background, etc. 

[Unorthodox]

The Chilling Adventure of Sabrina

I started this show out of curiosity with Talia.  She made it about a half an episode.  I finished the series with it on in the background only half paying attention. 

Caveat, I haven't read the comic run it's based on. 

It's not BAD, but it's not good.  It's like the CW trying to put out a buffy clone.  They really try to beat people over the head with political commentary in the first half of the season when it's trying to find it's legs. 

(click to show/hide)

There's an underlying commentary on religion as a whole that gets dragged on EVERY damn episode that if they ever let some of the side plots go on without reminding us how stupid 'the church of night' is.  All the traditions and rituals of the church are bad.  But not because it's a satanic church mind you, they are clearly just replacing any praise jesus with hail satan on 90% of it.  No, it's bad because it's all outdated, lies, and stupidity.  The leadership is corrupt even if the word of satan is good, and it's Sabrina's job to bring it all to task. 

When they aren't clubbing you over the head with religion, it's with women empowerment. 

These aren't subtle well done hints to social commentary, either, it's browbeating pure and simple.[/quote] 

On the cast...One aunt is a devout member and very much pressuring Sabrina.  The other is a doubting Thomas.  Salem's role has been retconned, and we now have a cousin filling in as the general 'devil on the shoulder' adviser to Sabrina, while Salem the cat had a rather kick ass entrance and could have been a neat character, but was completely and utterly squandered. 

 

[E_T]

Yeah, I wasn't really that taken with it either...

[Unorthodox]

In case you hadn't noticed by Talia's costume, Creeped out gets a hearty thumbs up from the tween crowd.  It's better than the old goosebumps shows.  Kind of like Black Mirror for teens.  She was thrilled people actually recognized the costume as well. 

[E_T]

Glad she had fun!!

Speaking of Goosebumps, have you seen the trailer for the new movie?

[Unorthodox]

I wasn't particularly a fan of the last movie.  I've vaguely seen a few pieces of the trailer here and there, but I'm not sure if it was from the full trailer or from people trying to make the witches from the trailer.  Either way, the witches with glowing green balls for heads are about the only thing I can point to being memorable. 

[Unorthodox]

Ralph breaks the Internet

Me and the kids went out to watch this after turkey dinner on Thursday.

Decidedly 'good, but nowhere near as good as the first' across the board.  Granted, we may have enjoyed the first more than the average joe. 

The princess scene you see part of from the trailers definitely steals the show, along with a scene just after, IMO. 

(click to show/hide)

perhaps the best princess song ever

I think there was a real missed opportunity in the movie...

(click to show/hide)

the plot largely revolves around Ralph and Penelope needing some cash, and trying to make money on the internet.  They give lip service to the digital item market: finding rare loot in random games to sell for real money via shady websites.  It would have been REALLY FUN to see Ralph/Penelope playing through some spoofs of popular games.  I'm guessing it was a licensing thing, but they instead have Ralph make a slew of stupid youtube...sorry, BUZZtube videos for cash.  I get the emotional point they end up making by going this direction, but it was less FUN. 

Another thing of note...

Most theaters around here have gone to the cushy recliner seating.  Fewer seats, but super comfy.  I'm starting to think this actually hurts the experience of going to the theater to watch a movie.  The theater we watched this in seats, perhaps 75.  It was sold out except the front row, because who wants to sit there?  It's just not the SAME as the larger capacities of old.  The whole Jungian crowd psychology effect doesn't really have the same impact, causing the jokes (in this case, but scares in a horror movie) to not quite hit as hard. 

[Unorthodox]

Blade Runner 2049

Worthy

Having a mostly meh opinion of the first movie, rather enjoyed this. 

[Unorthodox]

Sorry...

The boys and I went to this the Sunday before Christmas.  I didn't take Talia due to common sense media's review claiming there was some graphic sexual content in one of the songs.  Grease has worse, I should have taken Talia. 

The first half of this movie absolutely NAILS the concept, the humor, and the music. 

The second half, all three fall apart.  It's like they had a good short film and didn't know how to extend it to a full movie. 

[E_T]

How would you have prevented the movie falling apart like it did?

[Unorthodox]

How would you have prevented the movie falling apart like it did?

Mostly, they drop the tone in the songs and nearly all the humor in the third act. 

Ok.  Here.  This is from the first act, before the zombies (as all promotional material). 

(click to show/hide)

<a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0xAk8h4z4lA" target="_blank" class="aeva_link bbc_link new_win">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0xAk8h4z4lA</a>

That thing is BEGGING a reprise in the third act.  That's like musicals 101.  It never comes. 

Instead we are saddled with a 'villain' that really can't hold his own.  (though I think the songs are as much to blame as the actor)

(click to show/hide)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7mPl_voKmq4&t=1512s

Keep the humor (it can be done), reprise that above song in the final act, and rewrite/recast the villain song, and you'd have a decent third act, which would not completely detract from the strength of the first. 

[Unorthodox]

The Chilling Adventure of Sabrina

I started this show out of curiosity with Talia.  She made it about a half an episode.  I finished the series with it on in the background only half paying attention. 

Caveat, I haven't read the comic run it's based on. 

It's not BAD, but it's not good.  It's like the CW trying to put out a buffy clone.  They really try to beat people over the head with political commentary in the first half of the season when it's trying to find it's legs. 

(click to show/hide)

There's an underlying commentary on religion as a whole that gets dragged on EVERY damn episode that if they ever let some of the side plots go on without reminding us how stupid 'the church of night' is.  All the traditions and rituals of the church are bad.  But not because it's a satanic church mind you, they are clearly just replacing any praise jesus with hail satan on 90% of it.  No, it's bad because it's all outdated, lies, and stupidity.  The leadership is corrupt even if the word of satan is good, and it's Sabrina's job to bring it all to task. 

When they aren't clubbing you over the head with religion, it's with women empowerment. 

These aren't subtle well done hints to social commentary, either, it's browbeating pure and simple.

 

The Christmas special was actually pretty darn good. 

Season two, however, has been even worse with the commentary.  They dropped the hammer beating and got a steamroller. 

God I wish they fleshed out Salem.  He's completely forgotten this season. 


Alita: Battle Angel

Talia wanted to see.  It was ok, not great.  Better than I expected, really.


Captain Marvel:

Another Talia wish.  Rather middle of the road for a Marvel film.  Nothing fabulous, but good popcorn movie. 

[Unorthodox]

Uno's Endgame impression:

Meh.  Somewhere around Avengers 2 quality.  It does some things good, but ends up a steady stream of fan service that is just trying to finish the big paint by numbers wrap up that seemed to lack the weight of Infinity War. 

I'll not go into detail on my problems as it would be spoilertastic.

[Unorthodox]

Shazam

Dollar theater, low expectations. 

This thing is actually pretty darn good.  Best DC movie IMO.