New Film Review: Bumblebee

Bumblebee
4 out of 5

Flashback to 1987!!!
Prequil.
Surprise Surprise it worked!!!
Lets face it, after the first Transformers, it has been all down hill.
Then this came about and it did a lot of things right:
-No Michael Bay so it did not go waaaaaaay over the top.
-The great young actress (See True Grit and Edge Of Seventeen) Hailee Steinfeld as Charlie takes the lead, giving the film some heart.
-The 80's angle gave the film some fun with time and place, and yes some good music...okay...not so good music also.
 Yes the script got a little, or a lot far fetched in the last half hour, and very loose with time and place. However you cared about both Charlie and Bumblebee to get really into it.

What a nice surprise. See it in the theater.

From the shadows as always thanks for your time.

New Film Review: Second Act

Second Act
2 Stars out of 5

It is a modern story of 1988's Working Girl with Melanie Griffith. minus the shoulder pads.
Unfortunately, not as good.
I really wanted to like this. We have not had a really good "Rom-Com" film in a loooong time.
This just fell kinda flat.
Jennifer Lopez is really good here...she is believable in the part. She also has good actors around her including Milo Ventimiglia; Leah Remini; Treat Williams; Vanessa Hudgens; and the very funny Charlyne Yi. Still the script just does not match the talent. It fell flat at the end. It was supposed to be emotional...I did not feel it. Often frustrating where she had opportunity to come clean and did not. Plus there was a strange competition that never rang true. Just disappointing.

Well acted with a couple laughs but just, sadly, okay.

From the shadows as always thanks for your time.

New Film Review: Holmes & Watson

HOLMES & WATSON
 1 1/2 Stars Out Of 5

I went in knowing that this film was being ripped. I went in with an open mind.
It was not the worst. But it was bad.
It is all in the writing. So we have Ethan Cohen to blame here with Arthur Conan Doyle, the writers.
However you also have to look at Ferrell and Reilly, I am sure they had to okay it.
For a comedy it just had maybe 2 laughs, maybe 3. Then the story, it had no tone, it could not figure out what it wanted to be. The plot would break for slapstick scenes that did not fit, and again...not funny. Throw in many plot holes; and throw in most of the plot had nothing to do with the ending...it was a mess.
Why 1 1/2 stars..
-I did laugh a couple of times
-Lauren Lapkus as Millie, with limited lines, almost steals this bad film with just a look or a lick of her...I guess paw. She is wonderful. So funny.
-There is talent here Kelly McDonald (a great actress) as Mrs Hudson so trashy yet so all in!!

Well definitely do not see it in theaters, but home viewing if you have nothing to watch.

From the shadows as always thanks for your time.

New Film Review: Spider-man....Into The Spider-Verse

SPIDER-NAB INTO THE SPIDER-VERSE
4 Stars Out Of 5

This was a nice surprise!
One of the best animated films of the year (still give a slight edge to Isle Of Dogs), and maybe one of the best films of the year.
It is absolutely beautiful looking, the shadows...as it plays with darkness and light; good and evil...is just wonderful.There are layers here that almost make it seem like it is 3D but it is not. You also feel influences of Anime here also. So credit goes to the Directors Bob Persichetti; Peter Ramsey; and Rodney Rothman, and their animators.
The film did a good job with character development of the lead Miles Morales and family and friends around him (Still I wanted more of Gwen Stacy). The film has heart.
The voice work was spot on highlighted by Shameik Moore as Miles; Jake Johnson as Peter Parker; and Hailee Steinfeld as Gwen Stacy.
Why 4 stars?
It ran into Superhero movie virus...not knowing when to end the film. The end fight scene went on and on and on at one point I thought it was done...and it started again. Then it became convoluted with different parallel time warps and who is alive and who is dead. I followed it though it kind of bored me after awhile. I just wonder how real little ones could follow it or maybe I am not giving them enough credit and they just went with it (aka Avengers). It seemed they did not know how to end it.

Still a nice surprise go see it on the big screen!!!

From the shadows as always thanks for your time.

New Film Review: Welcome To Marwin

WELCOME TO MARWEN


2 1/2 OUT OF 5 STARS


I know this is not getting good reviews. I think critics are starting to go through a faze of...reviewing on what they wish the movie would be, not for what it is. I think Marwin is one of those movies, they want Mark Hogencamp (Steve Carell) to be something he is not. I cant say more because I do not want to spoil the film. I can say the film kind of...... partially.......... works.


You have to remember the film is odd, it is Directed by Robert Zemeckis, and he did Forrest Gump, and remember that was a little or maybe a lot odd. So the film is odd and you really have to go with it. So I was entertained, I can say that. I found myself on the edge of my seat for some of the doll scenes...which is odd....I mean they were dolls in a make believe world.
Sadly, it just seemed like it had no where to go or did not go places. There were characters that disappeared. There should have been more development of the people around Hogencamp. We are told they are important but not how and why. I also think...maybe Carell was miscast a bit. I had a little trouble believing him.
I can say however this film has 2 great performances in Merritt Wever as Roberta and Leslie Mann as Nicol. Both shining with limited material.


I think there is half a good movie here so I give it 2 1/2. It is emotional...and maybe worth a look for home viewing.


From the shadows thanks as always.

New Film Review: Life Itself

LIFE ITSELF


2 1/2 STARS OUT OF 5


When I started this blog I noted I am doing this because I felt:
1- movie critics want you to know they are smarter than you.
2- They are sheep, so if a majority of the critics have certain opinion of a film, most likely a critic will fall in line.
3-Most important they forgot a film should be entertaining....not just pounding you over your head with an agenda.


Now I come to Life Itself which has been on the top ten list of many critics for the worst movie of the year. I disagree. I do not think it is a great film, but I do think it was good.
This film is shown in ...I think 5 parts. To be honest I wanted to bail on this after the 2nd part. I mean it was just depressing. Than in part 3 we follow a story line involving Antonio Banderas then dots start connecting and characters start developing and you start becoming vested, and you get the "feels". Out of nowhere this film works.
This what brought to the big screen from the people who did the TV show This Is Us. So you go to watch this for a little corny (and it delivers at the end, coincidence, but you go with it), and the "Feels", and it delivers what you want. So take that critics!!


Spoiler free so I cannot get into the plot but we follow, like This Is Us characters who are all pieces of a puzzle...it just takes awhile to get started.


From the shadows as always thanks for your time;.

New Film Review: Vice

VICE


3 OUT OF 5 STARS


I just do not know what to think. It definitely has an agenda. However...is the agenda true?
Again, I just do not know. The film even noted in the very beginning: "Dick Cheney was a quite man so this may not be facts, but we did the best we could do so fuck it". From what I watched and figured...I think the first part did was not entirely true and the second part ...I guess...true. How do I know where the second half starts...well they run credits in the middle. I think that was suppose to be funny but it really was not. In fact the film often tries to be funny, and misses often.
Now I liked Adam McKay when he did The Big Short. In the Big Short he went after the system and the people linked to the issue. Here he goes after Cheney...strangely without all the facts. It just felt odd...and off.
Throw in that the film is waaaaaaaaay too long. Two hours and twenty minutes!! I mean, if what I figured is true, just focus on the second part of the film which seemed to have more witnesses to be true.
Well there is good here...
The film at least, true are not, is interesting. It dives in to what we all know...left or right...Dems or Republicans...politicians are mostly crooked and are self serving.
Well acted....with an Oscar worthy performance by Christian Bale as Cheney (Sadly I thought Amy Adams was miscast as Mrs Cheney).


So a little better than average. Yes I know people are going nuts over this saying best film of the year, I do not see it, I think people see what they want and watch with partisan views. Its long, yet interesting, but just better than okay, with a great performance by Bale.


From the shadow as always thanks for your time.