Reviews new movies and my opinions on certain movies. My reviews are quick and to the point. If you are looking for a good insight into film stop here.
The rating system is 0 to 4 ticket stubs
2 is usually meant to be like a solid rent.
The Legend of Trazan stars Alexander Skarsgard as the classic king of the jungle Trazan. The story is how John Clayton(Skarsgard) must return to the jungle were he grew up to protect his homeland from a plot to enslave the nation by the evil Leon Rom (Christoph Waltz). The film is directed by David Yates the man who was behind the last 4 Harry Potter films. It also stars Margot Robbie as Jane and Samuel L. Jackson as George Washington Williams.
I would say the best thing that this film had going for it was the casting. You have all 4 of the main actors in roles that fit the roles very well. Skarsagard is good as Trazan. He really sells the look of the man. He fits the role. He is very quite in the film and that actually really fits the character of Trazan. Robbie is very good as Jane being a very good foil to Waltz for most of the film I would say. That brings me Waltz who plays your standard villain with a evil scheme, but the actor that I think that honestly kind of steals the show is Sam Jackson and let me explain why.
I didn't hate this film, but honestly you don't really need to see it. The film is unbelievely standard. Nothing to exciting happens. Nothing about the style or acting really comes off as good or bad because no one is really having fun with this source. Jackson is having the most fun with his role which is why he steals the show. The film is far to serious in tone about a man who swings from vines and yells at the top of his lungs. It goes the route of trying to make it real. When Trazan doesn't need to real. The film has zero heart. The only real person I can blame is Yates. The reason why the last four Harry Potter films worked was because of the Dark and gritty tone he brought to the table, but for a Trazan film it just doesn't work. Also there are some really odd shot choices in the film a lot of wide angle close of ups on faces that are just off putting. If you are looking for a movie that you are looking to put on in the background this will work becasue you won't hate the movie but you also won't love it as well.
Beauty and the Beast is the animated musical film done by Disney Anaimation Stuidos in 1991. It is one of the three films to be nominated for best film of the year by the academy. Some people don't really take that to much to heart, but it truly amazing for a film like this to get that. The story is about Belle and the Beast. Belle's father gets lost in the forst and is captured by the beast and held prisoner. So Belle goes and saves him from the beast and takes his place.
Beauty and the Beast is stunning to this day it coming out in 1991 and still looks good. That maybe the Blu Ray update I watched it one but it is one of the best Blu Rays I own. So I highly recommed that buy. I personally love this film. It is my favorite Disney film. I love the characters to the songs to story. The one thing that I think that honestly makes that takes the film from a good kids movie to a just a great film. Is the characters and how well realized they all feel. Belle is one of the strongest leads in Disney history. She goes and save her Dad and wants advanture. Gaston with his looks could be the male lead but is truly a great villain. Then you have my personal favorite King in a Disney film The Beast. All the characters are mirror images of each other. Gaston and Beast are so alike. They are both vine in the beginning and they both are full of rage. They don't know how to be kind, but the Beast changes as to Gaston does not. Beast has a great character arc. The reasons behind Belle and Beast falling for each other also makes a lot of sense. Belle has always been the odd one in town and The Beast was scary. Both of them aren't perfect, but there imperfections is what each other fall for. When you have all this character from your leads. Then you have some of the best side characters in Lumiere and Cogsworth. They are funny and very memorble, but they never steal the story.
The music of the film is unbeileveable. I mean the musical numbers are good, but the musical accompaniment is just on a whole other level when it comes to Disney film. There is always some sort of music in the background and not a single piece of it is bad. All the musical numbers are amazing. Now taste is music is so personal, but "Be Our Guest" and "Beauty and the Beast" are the standout songs that almost everyone remembers. Beauty and the Beast never stops going the film has a relentless pace. Moving from scene to scene so fast. Never getting bored, but never not lingering if it needs to be. Like something I noticed on this viewing is just the acting done by the animators. Like some scene every frame tells emotion of the characters. Beast does this very well. You can see a lot of it in his eyes and I think them cutting to his eyes at the end of the film is a great way for Belle to realize who he is is.
Beauty and The Beast at least to me is the top of the Disney Anaimation stuidos. It looks, feels, and sounds amazing. All the chararters will be remember after the first watch. The romance is one of the best ones done by Disney. The only other film that is close to this one I think is maybe Tangled so that is saying a lot. I hope that the live action version coming out next year is good. From the teaser that was released I think they are at least on the right track. Go and see this film if you haven't seen this film before. Go and Be and Guest at Beasts castle.
Finding Dory is the sequel of the highy successful film Finding Nemo. This film has all the voice actors return to there great roles Albert Brooks and Ellen DeGeneres. This one is about Dory and her nasty memory problem and how she has forgotten her family and now much like Nemo find them.
Finding Dory to me was an unneeded film. Finding Nemo was a perfect story. Great character develpoment. Great adventure. Then to top it off great laughs. This film comes up and could almost seem like a cash grab. Which it problemly is, but man did they make a great film out of this cash grab. Finding Dory has all the love and heart that the first one had. It brings us right back to this world of fish. The CGI animation is amazing. Which I almost don't need to say for Pixar. The character design for the fish is so loveable and just fits them all so well. Baby Dory maybe the cutest thing on the planet right now. Putting the story all on Dory was a great move from the writers. She carries this film well and also has a great arc for herself. All the side characters are memorable. None being annoying and always entertaining. Brooks is great, DeGeneres kills it, and Ed O'Neill (Hank the Octopus) almost steals the show. The tone is perfect almost all the way thought the film.
Finding Dory almost has zero issues. The biggest one in my eyes is the first act and I would say the overall message. The movie starts off a bit rocky and goes by a little to fast for my tastes. Then the overall message doesn't really exist in the film, but the first one didn't have one as well. These are only very minor complaints. This film is going to be one of the best films of the year for sure. I would love to see it again and I hopefully well. Dory, way to keep swimming.
The Conjuring 2 is the sequel to the The Conjuring. James Wan returns to direct this one with of course Patrick Wilson and Vera Farmiga returning to there roles as the Warrens. This time the Warrens are pushed into the spotlight with the events of the Amityville case and when strange things start to happening to a family in England they must go and help that family there.
James Wan is a very instresting director. He has gone from making very low budget films like Saw and Dead Silence. To making huge box offices smashs like Fast and Furious 7. So its almost needless to say that this man has a lot of talent. I do personally think he fits perfectly into the horror genre as a director just because he is so good at it. The Conjuring was one of the best big budget horror films that has come out in the recent years. This film lives up to the first one in many ways. I thought the smooth direction and set design was one of the best things of that film. Once again those two thing stick out for this film. Wan is the master of the scene he knows how to build teason and keep your holding onto the sides of your chair. Then the house that they designed was one of the creepiest old houses I have ever seen in a film. Just a great work by the set design people. The house felt like it had its own personality.I loved it for this reason. The acting in the first was very good. This one is no expection. Wilson and Farmiga have great chamisty on scene and look and feel like a real couple. They make you really care for them and you don't want to see them go. Which is the opposite for most horror film main characters.
This film is very good and has a lot of great scares none of them being a false or just a poor mans jump scare. Where this film hurts is the pace of the film and the 2nd to 3rd acts. I think the 1st act was perfect, but slows down a ton in the last two thirds. There really isn't much they could have cut out, but I could still see some stuff that could at the very least been spead up a bit just so we have a more impact climax. The Conjuring 2 is easily a worthy sequel to the original. I had a lot of fun with a good amount thrilles and still saw a good film. It is easily worth your time.
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Out Of The Shadows is the sequel to the 2014 version of the film. In this film we have the Shredder teaming up with the evil villain Krang. All actors return for the human performances. So you have Megan Fox as April O'Neil and Will Arnett as Vern. It does add characters as Casey Jones played by Stephen Amell and Brain Tee to replace the CGI monster Shredder.
Thing that needs to be good in this film is the Turtles. All of them are pretty good in the film. They flesh them out even more in this film. Really putting the spot on them this time around. With less focus on the April and the side characters. Which is what the film should have done. There is also one other actor that I was surprised about with this film and that was Tyler Perry as Baxter Stockman. I thought he was pretty good. He was wonderfully over the top, but I could tell was having a lot of fun in the role. Something that I think the film really needed to have. I as a fan well say that they do have some pretty great fan service moments as well.
Even thought they get the central thing right the rest of the film fails at all basic storytelling and character motivation. The attempt do the arc with the Turtles trying to figure out if they want to be human, but they never really explore or explain why they choose what they choose. Krang is so shot gunned into the film that really comes from no where. All the other actor don't really do anything or just aren't good. Jones character goes all over the place in the film. Then to top it off the action of the film is pretty dull and boring. Overall, this film is great for understanding what the fans want but has no idea of how to tell a good story around it.
