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Suicide Squad (2016)
Hey! You guys... it's actually a pretty good movie.
Suicide Squad is still a good movie... it just squandered the opportunity to be a great movie. I would say don't be put off by the negative comments and ratings. Watch it and make up your own mind... Which is what you should do with any movie really.
For the most part the movie crackles. It plays out really well and is fun and exciting. Some of the scenes in this final cut seem a bit confusing and we are learning now that this is because some scenes were changed (perhaps for the worse) from the original direction they were heading or deleted altogether. I would like to see those scenes restored and I am sure the film would benefit greatly and would become even better.
Probably my biggest gripes with this film are: The main villain should have been the Joker. Enchantress was a rubbish villain and very lackluster. To be honest it was a very poorly written villain. lots of arm waving and "look at me, look at me- I am casting a spell" for the whole movie and not much else.
The Joker should have had more screen time and all those scenes that were filmed that were ultimately cut would have really fleshed out his character and his relationship with Harley. Some of the Joker scenes we see in the trailer do not make it to the finished film and I think this was a mistake and the film suffers for it.
The army of foot soldiers that the Suicide Squad has to fight through are faceless, formless piles of goop or something. It made for very poor action scenes whenever they were involved. Could have been done much better and made to seem more threatening and exciting.
All in all, the film is a good one. It even is a bit self-deprecating in some parts and that is refreshing. Will Smith and Margo Robbie Shine in their roles. Jared Leto's portrayal of the Joker was awesome, I thought. It is just a pity that all his hard work ended up on the cutting room floor and the character was reduced to only a few measly scenes. It would have been good to see the Joker in all his glory.
So I would say go see the film. Hate it if you are going to hate it, love it if you are going to love it. Or, like me, choose to take the good with the bad and enjoy the experience.
Creed (2015)
Not as good as the original "Rocky" films but still worth the watch.
Let me start by saying that I liked "Creed." I thought it was a decent movie and for the most part I enjoyed it.
I think Michael B Jordan did an excellent job in the role. As did all of the main cast including Sly Stallone (Rocky), Tessa Thompson (Bianca), Phylicia Rashad (Mama Creed)and Tony Bellew ("Pretty" Ricky Conlan).
I thought the story was pretty good (except for one major flaw that I will get to in a minute). It was a well written story with good character development and was well paced. I did think it lacked a little on the original "Rocky" films though.
My biggest gripe with this film is with the main female lead - Bianca. That is not to say that Tessa Thompson made a hash of the character. Not at all. I think, as I previously stated, Thompson did a great job in bringing that character to life. I do think however that she was let down by a poorly written character, not worthy to become the "love interest" of the movie. I will explain why I think this.
For anyone astute enough to realize, the original "Rocky" films were at their very heart a beautiful love story. Yes, it was about boxing but at it's very core the "Rocky" films told us of this beautiful journey of love between Adrian and Rocky. We got to see all the ups and downs in their life but through it all was this unconditional and eternal love they had for each other.
We got to see these awesome character arcs as they both developed and grew throughout the films. Adrian was this shy, plain wallflower who wouldn't even speak and yet we see her over the course of the films grow into this strong, beautiful confident woman and mother.
Rocky was a rough meat-head who was roughing people up for a loan shark and going nowhere in life. We see him develop into this caring and loving father who became a better man for the woman he loved because that was what he thought she deserved. The character development of these two main characters underlies the whole "Rocky" series and we can still see and feel the absolute love there was even after Adrian passed away.
Which brings me to my gripe about "Creed." and the character of Bianca.
Bianca is written as this selfish, self-centered, obnoxious gold digger who sees Adonis as a trophy to be on her arm.
Adrian tried to protect Rocky and stop him from fighting because she loved him so much but she always encouraged and supported him. Bianca at first mocks Adonis about being a fighter then finally comes on board once she realizes he has a famous birthright. When it looks like her career is taking off she drops Adonis like a hot potato when he is going through a hard time and struggling to cope. Then, when Adonis's star begins to rise and he becomes a household name she injects herself back into his life. Hmmm.
She clearly is disrespectful and a horrible person as she is constantly blasting music at 2 am and annoying her neighbors. Even when they ask her politely to turn it down she makes fun of them then continues to blast the music. .
She only becomes interested in Adonis after she realizes that Rocky Balboa is his Uncle. A horrible, horrible person in my book. Not someone worthy of being the main love interest in this movie.
I ended up spending most of the movie thinking "Adonis, why are you chasing after this terrible chick. Forget her. She is vain and self-centered and arrogant and rude and disrespectful. Stop wasting your time with her and concentrate on your training and you will find a girl who is 10 times better than her." So while the original "Rocky" films had you really caring about the main characters and wanting to see their love story unfold this film leaves you saying "run for the hills idiot and stop trying to get with this horrible shrew." The character arc for Bianca goes nowhere in contrast to how Rocky and Adrian both changed even over the course of a single movie. Bianca starts off as a horrible person and ends up as a horrible person and does not redeem herself in any way throughout the film.
My only hope is that in the sequels Adonis leaves her and goes on to find the love of his life and be finally understand what true love is like Rocky and Adrian.
All in all, this is a good film. It just lacks that 'magic' that the "Rocky" films had. The love story isn't there (well it is but it is very one-sided). Go watch it and make your own mind up. 7/10.
Spectre (2015)
Spectre: it's not a calamity but it's not great either :|
When James Bond got "Reloaded" in Casino Royale with a new grittier main star (Daniel Craig) and a darker retelling in the vein of a re-imagined origin story things looked awesome for the franchise and the new direction it was taking.
This is the fourth film in the new reloaded James Bond style. Casino Royale was awesome. Quantam of Solace was wretched. Skyfall was okay but could have been better. Spectre is, in my opinion, better than Quantum of Solace and Skyfall but not as good as Casino Royale. It doesn't compare to the greatness of that film but, on the other hand, it doesn't suck either.
The storyline and plot seem a bit confused in some places and some of the stunt sequences do not make a whole lot of sense. Daniel Craig and Cristoph Waltz both did well with what they were given however I feel they were let down by weakness in the script.
There are flaws a plenty in the film which ruins the experience. For instance the evil mastermind uses his nefarious torture machine to render poor Bond with no ability to remember those around him and a disrupted sense of balance. Yet, immediately afterwards Bond has no trouble remembering everything and easily dispatches with a whole squad of henchmen with absolutely no ill effects. Hello? ... what an incompetent Evil Mastermind! Totally does not seem to be the diabolical embodiment of evil and hatred that the film leads us to believe. Also... it has been a while since I saw the other three films but I am sure that in Casino Royale, Bond got injected with a tracking chip in his arm so that MI6 can track his whereabouts at all times. Well, it happens again in this film. what the? Did I miss something?
That is just 2 examples of many things that do not make sense in this film.
All in all, the film is worth a watch. I enjoyed the fact that it continues the retelling of Bond's origin story and (re)introduces some of the characters we all know and love from the original films... in this case it is Ernst Stavro Blofeld.
It is a pity that the film is too contrived, convoluted and confused for its own good but I am sure that James Bond fans will love it nonetheless. I give it a 7 out of ten stars but true Bond fans can add another star.
Centurion (2010)
Underrated film tells an exciting tale.
Centurion is a story that explores the myth and legend of the Ninth Legion who were wiped of the face of the earth without a trace. No one knows what happened to them and this movie gives us one possible scenario.
Is it historically accurate? Probably not. Is it a good tale? Definitely. In this case the legend of the Lost Legion is probably more exciting than the truth.
The story is shot beautifully and moves at a brisk pace. The main characters are well developed and the actors portraying them, Michael Fassbender, Dominic West and Olga Kurylenko, all do a fantastic job bringing the main characters to life. As does Imogen Poots who plays the potential love interest in the movie's sub-plot.
The movie has exciting and gory battle scenes but for the most part is a tale of cat and mouse that will leave you breathless and on the edge of your seat. The story follows a rag tag group of survivors being hunted down and picked off.
In short this film is well worth the watch. The story is exciting. the acting is great. It is beautifully shot. It has thrills and action, political intrigue, murder and betrayal. It is just a good, meaty, entertaining and, unfortunately, underrated movie. Highly recommended.
Project Almanac (2015)
Very flawed film that squanders its potential.
After seeing the trailer to this film I thought what a fantastic idea and great story this would be. The potential for greatness was evident.
Sadly, the film failed to live up to what it could have been: A great thriller and sci-fi classic.
The "shaky cam" style of the film was overdone and nauseating at times. I feel that the story could have been far better served by shooting it traditionally or at least limiting the use of the "shaky cam." The story has far too many plot holes and flaws and contradictions to be believable or even enjoyable. Again, such a wasted potential. It could have been so much more.
For instance, the main characters express that the reason they built the time machine was not about the money yet one of the first things they do is go back in time to win the Lottery. They could have sold the technology to a global "Microsoft" type corporation and become billionaires and helped to further the advancement of mankind however this group decides to use the time machine for their own selfish and ultimately stupid ends.
I ask you, if you had a time machine at your disposal, what would you use it to do or change? avert disasters? save lives? See your loved ones again? The protagonists in this film use it to:pass an exam, pick up girls, stand up to a bully and go to a concert. All things that they could have done without a time machine.
And speaking of the main characters, again they are badly written and flawed. Right from the start they are portrayed as a group of bumbling fools that mess up at every turn. It is really hard to believe that these clowns had the brains to build a time machine.
As an example, with all the knowledge of the future at their disposal they still manage to Not win the Lottery through sheer ineptness. It also takes them about 5 attempts to pass that chemistry exam, having to travel back in time multiple times. Certainly not the bright minds that you would expect to create such a revolutionary invention (even if the plans were already there for them).
I could go on and on about the numerous flaws and mistakes that make no sense at all, and believe me the list is exhaustive. But instead I will just say what a disappointment this film was. The potential for greatness was there and yet it was squandered hopelessly through bad writing, poor camera work and nonsensical plot-holes and poor character development.
I could not recommend this movie to anyone. What a waste...