The Batman Better than I expected. There's no single captivating performance like Heath Ledger's Joker, but everyone in here is solid. Colin Farrel is unrecognizable as Penguin, Paul Dano pulls menace out of nowhere for what should be a pathetic incel-type character, and Pattinson is the first Batman that actually seems crazy enough to be the Batman, instead of just an attractive playboy getting some cardio in. It's long, but I liked the slow and deliberate pace, and we finally have the world's greatest detective starring in a detective story. Soundtrack was great, production design was top notch, and the fights were well choreographed. 7/10
Cool, I’m going to watch it tonight. I’m glad Pattinson plays the character correctly. Bale was fine, but he was basically Clark Kent as Batman.
Seems like Nicolas Cage is going through a bit of a renaissance right now. Mandy was insane and weird and frenetic. Pig (which I just watched last night) is wonderful, a slow burn that is basically the polar opposite of Mandy - it just highlights that he's perfectly aware of the character he plays in other movies, and he's perfectly capable of suppressing the craziness. Unbearable Weight just looks like a ton of fun.
He also did a pretty legit AMA on Reddit... it was very well received, and he connected well with everyone. Kind of the opposite of that Morgan Freeman one.
It's always interesting to me how rare it is to have a great AMA. For the most part, these are genuinely interesting people. Just be a human being and the AMA will be interesting.
Yeah... I mean, "all" he did was give thoughtful, personal replies to most of the serious questions being asked, and he got into the spirit of some of the silly shit being asked, but you could tell it was more than just a PR stint where he was spewing the marketing drivel... he was being asked questions and was giving a shit when answering it. I think that was the real key.
Half the time it seems like an assistant or publicist answering for them in the most sanitized way possible.
Right. That's what I mean about being a human being; if you've had interesting experiences, and you act like a real person instead of an advertising robot when people ask you thoughtful questions, then it's very likely that the whole interview will be great. It just happens so rarely.
It absolutely is a ton of fun. If you don't like Nicolas Cage, I don't think this movie will make you suddenly like him. But if you've ever enjoyed anything he's been in, you'll have a good time watching this. Just really entertaining. Cage is full on Cage, it's funny, has fun action, a touch of heart, and Pedro Pascal is absolutely perfect.
Cage is the actor you hire when your screenplay requires a main character who is a lost soul— Nobody plays them better than Cage. He’s become very comfortable as a genre/cult mainstay without it boring him at all, or paying him $20 million a movie like the late 90’s. He’s also one of very, VERY few famous people I’d actually be excited to meet. Normally I couldn’t care less about these fucking people.
The Batman I loved it. Batman was the unhinged weirdo he’s supposed to be, and I’m glad they didn’t waste a ton of time with the whole Bruce Wayne vs. Batman dichotomy. That was beaten to death in Nolan’s trilogy. The villains were also very well done. Riddler was actually threatening, Penguin wasn’t disgusting (or a literal penguin like in Burton’s movie) and [spoilered below]. Also, Catwoman wasn’t unbearably annoying like in every other depiction. It was also my favorite depiction of Gotham City. The other versions were very clearly either New York, Chicago or Pittsburgh. This felt like the actual city from the comics. It was a little too long and act 2 kind of dragged a bit. I also thought Tuturro was miscast as Falcone. Otherwise, I really enjoyed it. Spoiler The Joker was absolutely monstrous. I liked that it was a completely different depiction than Ledger’s version. 8.5 / 10
Spoiler This deleted scene is a must watch: I get why they deleted it, as it takes something away from the pacing of the movie, and somewhat duplicates the Riddler interrogation scene, but as a supplemental piece it adds so much to the dynamic between Joker/Batman, and adds an interesting commentary on Batman's perspective and motivations (as interpreted by Joker).
Spoiler Agreed. I saw the deleted scene before I watched the movie, so it wasn't exactly a shock. There would be a lot missing if it was included in the film of why he's visiting the Joker or how he even knows he exists. I feel like they wanted to do something along the lines of Silence of the Lambs with the Joker trying to provide some insight, but realized it doesn't make a whole lot of sense in the terms of the rest of the story. It would basically be an epilogue for a movie that doesn't exist. That said, though, the top comment on YT for this video made a great point that Batman showing him these details would give the Joker the background he needs to manipulate Riddler in their final scene at Arkham. Whatever, still better than Jared Leto's bullshit. The theory for the sequel is that Hush will be the main villain. I hope they go that route and save the Joker for last.
Titane - (2021) This is by far the weirdest movie I've seen in the last few months. Spoiler A French go-go dancer/ model/ stripper gets a titanium plate in her head as a child ("titane" is French for titanium). The movie cuts ahead about twenty years, and one night she kills a stalker, then fucks a car. Yes, I sad fucks a car. (The actual mechanics of this are never fully explained in the movie, sadly.) It turns out that this woman is actually a serial killer, and after a horribly botched series of murders a couple of nights later, she has to go on the run from the cops. Since her face is plastered all over the TV/ Internet/ wanted posters, she decides to disguise herself as a boy who disappeared years prior. She turns herself in to the cops, pretending to be the missing boy (after breaking her own nose), and they call the father, WHO FALLS FOR IT HOOK, LINE, AND SINKER. The father is a steroid shooting fire-chief, and he decides to make his "son" a fireman. Spoiler alert: He/ she sucks at it. At this point in the movie, it is revealed that the woman got pregnant by the car, and the fetus is developing at an alarming rate. Some more weird stuff goes on which is ultimately inconsequential, and eventually she gives birth to a baby with a metal skeleton a couple of weeks later, dying in the process. This movie truly must be seen to be believed.
The Tony Hawk: Til the Wheels Fall Off documentary on HBO Max was excellent. I didn't know much about skateboarding or Tony Hawk before watching this and thought I'd be bored but was enthralled the whole movie. Just watch this if you have some time. It's really well shot and I like the focus of it. They pull in many tertiary skaters to Tony and cover his life from early to current. They have some amazing videos and photos from his absolute start and early career that are just amazing. I guess cameras and recorders were pretty accessible by around that time.
Dr. Strange: Stranger Danger This was a long (2.5 hours) and somewhat intense Marvel film. It had horror movie vibes, and as far as horror goes, had quite a bit of range. Raimi's visuals were God-tier and otherwordly. The writing kind of failed him, and the villain was heart-wrenching. The call-outs and Easter eggs were fantastic, and the new Marvel characters who appear in this were genuinely surprising and well-done. Spoiler: SPOILER No Tom Cruise as Iron Man, but Jim from the office as Reed Richards did not disappoint. Also, Patrick Stewart as Professor X in the 90's era giant yellow chair was great. Equally fun was watching each of these alt-universe characters die brutal fucking deaths. Also, seeing Bruce Campbell re-enact the possession stuff from Evil Dead 2 and having that be an end credit scene was fucking hysterical and made my night. I hate that Wanda was the villain in this, and her character deserved a better arc, but Olson fucking NAILED it. One of the common nerd complaints is that SW is a wildly powerful character in the comics, and it never was fully utlilized in the films. I didn't see Wanda Vision, and I think that would have helped. I expected something...gentler from a comic movie, but this it wasn't a disappointment. If you combine the original Dr. Strange, Inception and other mind-bending visuals with a sort of Alice in Wonderland meets Lovecraft storyline, it still wouldn't do the visuals justice. It was a legit acid trip of a horror movie, and I appreciate it paying homage to the horror origins of the characters, and also setting up a vibe for some of the forthcoming stuff. My hope is that this leads to a few more announcements for properties that would be tied into the MCU like FF, Xmen, Blade, etc., but that wasn't explicitly set up in the film...maybe, but we'll see where they take it.
The version I watched was only 2hrs 6min. You must've gotten the extended cut. I thought it was okay, but was expecting snappier dialogue and more comedy like the first one.
Top Gun: Maverick This is fantastic fun. They pay off with some fan service, crowd pleaser beats - homage, nods and straight up copying - from the first movie. It did not feel derivative at all, though. It's very well done. Script is pretty good, the story works, there is no ra ra 'murica good, Russia bad stuff, and the action / flight sequences are absolutely awesome and heart pounding. It's exactly the film I was hoping for. IMAX was worth it. I'll wait a few weeks and go see it again. I haven't done that in a long, long time.
Jurassic World: Dominion: Should be called do not bother, donut fucker. This movie is awful, makes no sense, and shits on every film in the franchise in unique and terrible ways. Oh, and it's 2.5 hours long. In no way should you watch this movie. I cannot emphasize this enough: this movie makes no sense. At all. None. It feels like a bunch of video game cut scenes re-animated to have some overlapping characters. Prehistoric Planet on Apple Plus handles dinosaurs WAY better. That said, if you do, the action sequences and set pieces you see in the trailers are exceptional. Again, they make no sense, and some of them are straight up hilarious. This movie is dumber than the donkey punch scene in dinosaur erotica novels. The hardest of passes.