Monday Movie Mania - Meg 2: The Trench

It's been five years, but Jason Statham and the megalodons are back! And this time they have company!

I love "B" monster movies! I can't help it. Saturday nights with Svengooli, watching the old Universal monster movies, the Godzilla series, and the '50's sci-fi/horror flicks after putting Genius Kid to bed used to be the highlight of my week. Occasionally, there's a modern film company who gets the old thrills of something so bad it's good.


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SPOILERS


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LOVES
1) Jason Statham in anything rocks. He always looks like he's having a damn good time, even when he's making fun of himself.

2) Nearly the whole cast who survived the first movie is back, except for Li BingBing (Suyin) and Ruby Rose (Jaxx). Through dialogue and photos within the movie, It's revealed that Jonas and Suyin did marry after the end of The Meg.

3) Wu Jing was a nice addition to the cast as Suyin's brother, who took over the Mana One project after her death.

4) Sienna Guillory chewed the secenery as the film's head bad guy. Or she did until she was chewed by something other than the titular megs.

5) PIPPIN LIVES FOR ANOTHER SEQUEL!


HATES
1) I have to suspend a lot of disbelief when the film continuusly breaks the laws of physics. J can let it go with gratuitous shots of a shirtless Jason, but since this is a US/Chinese co-production, I didn't even get that.


This ain't high-falutin' cinema, but it's a good rainy, Saturday afternoon flick. I give Meg 2: The Trench 8 stars out of 10 for stupid fun.

Monday Movie Mania - Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny

One last Indiana Jones movie (until they recast Indy with some young, hot up-and-comer because Hollywood can't come up with new ideas).

This film was made for those of us who were kids when the original Raiders of the Lost Ark came out forty-two years ago. It acknowledges the crap we go through as we grow older. The regrets. The disappointments. The question of whether we still have relevance in today's world.

It's been pretty obvious that those who've one-starred this movie are the kids who haven't grown up yet. But I give James Mangold, Harrison Ford, and the rest of the cast and crew credit for putting together a movie that addresses all the issues of a world that's changed around the character, and his ability to adapt or not, as the case may be.


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SPOILERS


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LOVES
1) People bitched about the CGI de-ageing of Harrison Ford for the flashback scene at the begining, but I thought it was nicely done for the most part. My only complaint is Ford's double couldn't mimic his awkward running style. (Yeah, I know it's a bizarre nitpick, but it's something very specific to Ford's style.

2)The return of both Marion and Sallah.

3) The way the writers dealt with Mutt. A child's death often drives a permanent wedge between spouses.

4) The addition of Phoebe Waller-Bridge as Indy's goddaughter, Helena Shaw. She's more like Indy's child than Mutt ever was.

5) Mads Mikkelsen as Nazi scientest Voller was pitch perfect as someone on the flip side of Indy's sorrow and regret. Voller is determined to kill Hitler and avoid all of the mistakes Hitler made. What he doesn't understand is that even if the time machine allowed him to go back to 1939, he wouldn't have succeeded.


HATES
1) None. The movie did what it meant to do. Not even King Arthur gets a happily ever after, but this adventure got Indy out of his depression over his age and Mutt's death. It's too bad the kids who watched this movie didn't get it.


I give Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny a solid 10 out of 10 stars. Because I'm an old fogey, and it's my blog. GET OFF MY LAWN!!

Monday Movie Mania - Oppenheimer

People, you need to see this movie, too.

It's not an either/or with Oppenheimer and Barbie. Both are awesome in their own ways. Both are examinations of our cultural dynamics.

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SPOILERS


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LOVES
1) The sheer acting power Christopher Nolan and the producers recruited for this movie! The ads focus on Cillian Murphy, as well they should. I'm going to be very upset if he and Nolan don't get Oscar nods for Best Actor and Best DIrector along with a Best Picture nomination for the movie itself.

2) Holy crap! The supporting cast is a master's class on acting. Emily Blount (my pick for Best Supporting Actress). RDJ (one of my picks for Best Supporting actor). David Krumholtz (one of my picks for Best Supporting Actor). Gary Oldman. Kenneth Branagh.Florence Pugh. Harry Groener. Rami Malek. I could keep going, but Holy Shit! There's a ton of talent in this flick.

3) The costuming, set design, and music were so perfect you didn't notice them. Which is how it should be in a historical flick.


HATES
1) There's only one nitpick. During one of the black and white scenes, the line of RDJ's bald cap was obviously showing. It's one of those things that probably wouldn't have been obvious if the scene was filmed in color, but in black and white, the issue was glaring.


Overall, I expect a ton of Oscar nominations for Oppenheimer. Barbie will get a few noms, but it was too popular and too successful for the Academy to take it seriously though it fucking should! Overall, Oppenheimer earned the rare 20 stars out of 10.

Seriously, folks, go see both movies as a double-feature if your ass and knees can handle it. Mine and DH's can't anymore, which is why we had to do two different nights. As DH pointed out, both flicks cover a lot of the same themes.

Monday Movie Mania Is Back! - Barbie

Quick Note: Look up the Barbie movie on Google to see what happens!

Yep! DH and and I are going to the public movie theaters again! I'm still a little nervous about going to public places, but so far, everyone in the theaters have been self-spacing, which is a relief. (It was right up there with the pilot telling the passengers on my first leg of my Columbus to Boise to keep their damn mouths shut about those of us wearing masks.)

And no, I didn't wear a mask in the theater because I wanted POPCORN!

Seriously, you need popcorn while watching Barbie.

It was fun! It was fabulous! Margot Robbie and Ryan Gosling were perfect as Stereotypical Barbie and Beach Ken!

A lot of folks pick one side of the political spectrum or the other to paint their dislike of the movie. However, Greta Gerwig and her writing partner Noah Baumbach made equal fun of the patriarchy and feminism. The only thing that surprised me was that Mattel signed off on the script though it made their executives look like a bunch of dumbasses.

I'm not bothering with a spoiler warning because the media has dissected this movie enough, but here's my loves and hates:

LOVES
1) Kate McKinnon killed it as Weird Barbie. She's the only Barbie doll from the movie I want. (She's currently on pre-order on the Mattel website.)

2) Gloria's speech to the Barbies. America Ferrera killed it as the mom who just wanted to share something with her daughter.

3) Ariana Greenblatt as Gloria's self-righteous daughter Sasha was perfect in the trope twist. (The kid doesn't want to save the doll. As Samual L. Jackson's character said in The Kingsman, it's not that kind of movie.)

4) Rhea Perlman kicked butt as the spirit of Barbie creator Ruth Handller.

5) Helen Mirren as the narrator had all the best lines.

6) John Cena obviously didn't feel his manhood was threatened by playing Merman Ken.

7) WIll Ferrell played Mattel's asshole CEO to perfection.

8) Michael Cera was adorable as the only Allan doll.

9) And a shout out to all the actors playing the citizens of Barbieland--You had fun with your roles and it showed.


HATES
1) Not once did the movie acknowledge that Midge married Allan, and that's why she was perpetually pregnant.


What's the star score on Barbie? I plan on seeing it again in the theater, so Barbie gets the double-score of 20 STARS!

Monday Movie Mania - Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania

DH and I went to the theater twice over the Presidents' Day weekend because he had the day off and we already have plenty of mattresses. AMC showed the re-release of Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, which DH had never seen.

When it came to new releases, he wanted to see Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania, despite my best efforts to talk him into Magic Mike: The Last Dance. (I can't imagine why I failed. LOL)

 

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SPOILERS

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PROS

1) Kathryn Newton gained my admiration as Claire Novak in Supernatural. She's excellent as the latest Cassie Lang.

2) Jonathan Majors' Kang is so much better than Thanos. I can't wait to see what Kevin Feig and the rest of the writers have in mind for him in the upcoming Avengers movies.

3) Henry Pym finally got to be the hero in this movie.

4) Since Kang is a major foe of the Fantastic Four in the comics universe, this will be a perfect opportunity to bring them into the MCU.

5) Turning Yellowjacket into M.O.D.O.K cracked me up.

CONS

1)  Treating the Wasp as part of the scenery. The story focused almost solely on Scott/Cassie's relationship and Hank/Janet's relationship. Poor Hope had little to do other than saving Scott's ass at the end.

2) Not enough character development with the five characters the script did focus on.

3) No mention of the previous movies' supporting cast, much less any appearance. I especially missed Michael Pena as Luis.

Overall, Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania was an okay entry in the MCU, but it could have been better. I give it 6 stars out of 10.

Monday Movie Mania - Black Panther: Wakanda Forever

This may be the last theater viewing DH and I do for a while. Just when I started to get comfortable going to the local cinema again, COVID, RSV, and flu rates started climbing in our section of Ohio. The rates are high enough most of my doctors have gone back to requiring masks in their office for both staff and patients. And even in the offices that aren't requiring masks, more and more people are voluntarily wearing them as a precaution.

But enough about that.

Black Panther: Wakanda Forever provoked an intense emotional reaction from the audience, though not the same emotions as the original Black Panther. One kid stood up and cheered. The rest of the audience, men and women, young and old, black and white, were bawling their eyes out.

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SPOILERS

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PROS

1) The beginning and ending of the movies were amazing tributes to both T'Challa and Chadwick Boseman. The end especially was the reason we were all crying.

2) Leticia Wright claimed the mantle of Black Panther as expected and did an excellent job as the lead.

3) The revision of the Sub-Mariner's storyline was essential because it's practically the same as Aquaman's in the comics. The writers gave a little more sympathetic storyline to Namor, and Tenoch Huerta Mejia beautifully pulled off the revised Namor.

4) Riri Williams, aka Ironheart, makes her debut. I think I'm in love with Dominique Thorne. All the replacements for the original six Avengers is now complete for Marvel's Stage Four.

5) The cameo by Michael B. Jordan expands Shuri's grief and anger at failing to save her brother.

6) M'Baku and Shuri's agreement on how affairs in Wakanda will be handled showed a maturity in both characters.

7) General Okoye. 'Nuff said.

CONS

1) How they handled Queen Ramonda pissed me off because I love, love love Angela Bassett. She always provides a wonderful, nuanced performance in everything she does.

Chadwick Boseman was on his way to becoming one of the greatest American actors of all time. His talent brought a grace and humanity to a role that could have been treated as a joke. His loss over the same stupid disease that nearly killed DH just fucking kills me. But everyone involved in the making of Black Panther: Wakanda Forever lived up to Chadwick's talent and ideals. They made a movie that was a wonderful homage to both the character and the actor. And Leticia Wright earned her stripes as the new Black Panther.

Overall, Black Panther: Wakanda Forever earn 10 stars out of 10.

Monday Movie Mania - Ticket to Paradise

I attended this movie with my friend Becky when I visited her in Missouri. We tried to get together for my birthday weekend, but the plans fell through at the last minute because of her work schedule.

Ticket to Paradise is a cute, little romcom reuniting George Clooney and Julia Roberts as their characters deal with their daughter's upcoming nuptials to a man and a lifestyle they think is wrong.

 

*****

SPOILERS

*****

 

PROS

1) George and Julia still have the chemistry they had in the Ocean's series. In fact, David and Georgia come across as Danny and Tess twenty years after their second divorce.

2) Billie Lourd steals the movie as Lily's best friend Wren.

3)  A hat tip to Lucas Bravo's performance as Georgia's boyfriend Paul. I actually felt sorry for the character when Georgia dumps him to rekindle things with her ex.

CONS

1) It's a fun Saturday night popcorn movie you won't remember two days later.

 

Overall, I give Ticket to Paradise 5 out of 10 stars. It's not bad, but it's not memorable either. Wait until it hits a streaming service to watch it.

Busy, Busy, Busy

I've been overwhelmed with editing the finished books I want to get out this year, writing new manuscripts, and keeping up with my freelancers (who always seem to be light years ahead of me). On the good side, that means lots of stuff coming out under both of my author names later this month.

On the bad side, I'm not keeping up with any of my blogs (as I'm sure you have especially noticed here). So I'm cutting back on posting to Wednesdays and Saturdays only for the rest of 2015.

Well, I take that back. You'll get the occasional Monday Movie Mania post because there's lots of movies I want to see in the near future, starting with October 23rd's releases of Vin Diesel's The Witch Hunter and Jem & the Holograms: The Movie.

In the meantime, I strongly suggest Jane Friedman's condensation of what she got out of the 2015 NINC conference.