The Film Corner

[Unorthodox]

Don't know that it's my cup of tea even today. 

I am most likely going to have a LOT to say about the Moon Knight series. 

Being an unabashed Moon Knight fan, I'm used to him being QUITE flexible in the hands of writers, so I'm completely open to them fudging some details here and there, and each writer has their own means of dealing with his ISSUES...and I could see some really interesting routes to take with that here if they take some cues from the Legion series.     

But, Moon knight is at his best when he's either VERY small time by Marvel standards or really laser focused on smaller time mystical elements.  The local ghosts, a random witch doctor, dare we bring up a werewolf.  Things not rising to avengers level.  He flails whenever they try to shove him into the broader world, even when they attempt to arm him with ludicrous power ups.  Leave him small time...if you have to bring him into the broader picture, let him be a giant wrecking ball at best. 

[Unorthodox]

"The series follows Steven Grant, a mild-mannered gift-shop employee, who becomes plagued with blackouts and memories of another life. Steven discovers he has dissociative identity disorder and shares a body with mercenary Marc Spector. As Steven/Marc's enemies converge upon them, they must navigate their complex identities while thrust into a deadly mystery among the powerful gods of Egypt."

Well, trailer impressions: 

Rewriting of at least Steven Grant personality.  Poor shlub by the looks of it.  Don't care terribly.  Steven Grant the Bruce Wayne analog (and to be fair, Lamont Cranston predates both) was always my least favorite aspect of MK.  Rewriting him as more down to earth like was done in the 2011 run always works better.  I like the whole he's not aware of the other personalities angle they're going for. No mention of Jake Lockley, but a more down to earth Grant doesn't necessarily NEED Lockley.  This is going to take some serious acting and directing to pull off convincingly. 

It appears they're drawing heavily on the 2016 run where moon knight may or may not be all in Steven/Marc's head. 

Like that it doesn't appear to be connected to the MCU as a whole, and at least appears to be a stand alone.  I'm sure there's going to be some references, but hope they all stay just little background bits. 

Villain is a one off (which Moon Knight has A LOT of) from the rather crappy fist of khonshu run, I won't be shocked to see him altered to be tied to hydra (since he is originally tied to Nazi drs, that's the natural MCU tie in angle rather than bring up other organizations) or combined with another villain just to flesh him out.   

[Unorthodox]

Easily my favorite of the entire franchise. 


You gotta realize that's not saying a lot as there's some I haven't bother to watch (the last couple).  Mostly caught this one opening weekend because it's pretty [nonsense] that Disney buried it in a straight to Hulu release.  This movie deserved better.

The mostly native cast, period piece does a LOT of great work and you could think you're watching an updated Dances with Wolves for sections of this film.  Beautiful sweeping shots of wilderness.  The Predator action is done really well, if some of the action scenes are lacking the polish of a AAA movie, they do their job well. 

If you have Hulu in the states or D+ elsewhere, it's worth a sit. 

The only real complaint I could lodge is some of the CGI animals.  And not even the CGI itself, but whoever animated them very clearly had a 'and then this happens' approach to the scenes as the animals don't ACT very natural (both the mountain lion and the wolf.  Bear was OK. 

Amber Midthunder was VERY good in her role as the main lead, and I hope it launches a career.  As in one could draw parallels to Sigourney's performance in Alien level good.  And if you've known me long, you realize what level of praise that is. 

[Unorthodox]

Werewolf by Night. 

As a Horror movie:  C

It only KINDA sorta gets into the horror genre on the fringes.  Like they added horror elements without any real idea of how they should hook together. 

As a Werewolf movie: D

Werewolf movies live and die on the transformation and werewolf designs. 

The transformation is entirely off screen .  The werewolf design is entirely uninspired. 

As an MCU project: B+ 

I really like the more stand alone MCU stuff on Disney plus, and this works well to introduce a whole new side of the marvel universe to the MCU.  Enjoyable enough. 

As a faithful adaptation of the comic:  B- 

Really seems just as interested as setting up other projects as it does in exploring Werewolf by Night in it's own light.  I will say once you get to the actual werewolf, however, it's a pretty darn good adaptation of Kirby's art from the original (which is not the most inspired werewolf ever seen), both the actual design/practical effects and the action sequence that follows.  But it does NOT do ANYTHING with the mythos of the source material, instead focusing on other characters. 

And Ted steals the show. 

[Elok]

The last movie the wife and I watched (on DVD, in our room) was the Coen Brothers' Hail, Caesar!  We'd both seen it before, of course, in the theater.  Still great.  Next we will probably rewatch Miss Pettigrew Lives for a Day.  I think we watched that together like ten years ago.

[Unorthodox]

M3GAN

M3GAN is about what you'd expect from a blumhouse offering.  Nothing going to revolutionize the genre, but overall well crafted.  It does spend it's time with the setup that is a rarity in the genre. 

Curiously it did leave a Chekov's gun situation unresolved if you really want to deconstruct it.  Early on they showed a very clear weakness....and then failed to utilize it in the thing's ultimate defeat which makes me think there was a scene shot that got edited out.

That said, this was just here to roll with some fun times with a touch of horror and it hit that part perfectly.   

[Buster's Uncle]

Have you ever read Childhood's End by Arthur C. Clarke?

[Unorthodox]

Not in the entirety.  I read the predecesor short story which is somewhat and/or entirely the first part of the novel where the demons/aliens take over the earth by pretty much giving people what they want.  I've probably seen various adaptations of the rest. 

Never been a scifi fan in book form. 

[Buster's Uncle]

It's a horror movie.  Though the book is not meant to be horror at all, a faithful adaption could be very effective horror w/ the right tone/emphasis.  You'd see if you read the whole book.  It's not so much the aliens as where the whole thing's going in the last third...


It could also be done as the transhuman epic intended.   -Also, Independence Day should have cut Clarke a check.


Have we talked about Independence Day?

[Unorthodox]

The new Indiana Jones was better than anticipated. 

I've made no secret that Temple of Doom is my personal favorite, but I also recognize it's NOT a good movie by objective standards. 

I'd rate this one as just SLIGHTLY behind Last Crusade in terms of objective film quality. 

So, Raiders > Last Crusade > Dial > Temple > Skull. 

In terms of personal enjoyment:

Temple > Raiders > Dial > Last Crusade > Skull

I raise Dial over Last Crusade here purely as the villain for Last Crusade could have been any faceless stiff in the uniform.  He lacks any real kind of presence where Dial's villain is more in line with Belloq.  Someone more on par with Indy intellectually. 

More importantly this FELT like Indiana Jones again.  Skull never really FELT right. 

[Unorthodox]

The Last Voyage of the Demeter

Movie getting mediocre to bad reviews. 

The complaints being it’s SLOW and predictable.

It’s the first chapter of the novel. Of course it’s predictable. 

Anyhow, thoroughly enjoyed it, as did the kids. 

Yes, it’s a slow atmospheric piece.  Great practical effects, a good ‘organic’ R rating when too many these days are just tossing random language and nudity to achieve the R.  (I don’t subscribe to the narrative horror needs R, and most should be chopped down to pg13 IMO, but this is a film that would suffer for that).

Something of a throwback to Early Hammer style. 

The liberties taken for the sake of screenplay are…glaringly obvious, but I did like the ending and would really love to see THIS Dracula developed with further movies.