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The Batman (2022)
Meh... save your money (and TIME!)
If Nolan's and Snyder's films had never been made, then fairly, this film would quality as an improvement over the orginal 'Burton-esque' over-the-top collection.
However, they do exist, and when compared to them, this film is...not a contender.
There are one or two nice touches:
1. Location shots are fresh and very Gothic. I prefer many of them to Nolan's Chicago.
2. Zoe Kravitz' Selina Kyle and Farrel's Penguin are not bad.
3. Some of the batsuit aspects and fight scenes are passable.
4. The idea of playing the detective out over a 'Se7en' style serial killer mystery is a good idea, badly executed. The viewer can work out the clues ahead of Btaman in almost all situations.
That's it. If you value your time, and you're wanting a film that will match Nolan's series, this will take away 3 hours of your life, and you'll never get it back.
If you're still reading and you want to know my take on what doesn't work, then I'll try and keep it brief.
1. Bruce Wayne here is a sullen, untrained, slow-moving (mentally) child, who plays catch-up the entire film, and doesn't succeed in stopping the bad guys until AFTER they've succeeded in all of their plans. He's incompetent.
2. His suit, bike and bat-mobile look like they cost less than a million dollars to manufacture and maintain, and yet somehow Wayne Industries is almost bankrupt. That storyline doesn't add up at all.
3. There really is no Bruce Wayne, businessman, there is only a child playing superhero.
4. The music adds little or no value.
5. It's a dull film that goes on for far too long.
6. Patterson is great in TENET, but does not in any way resemble a Superhero, or version of Bruce Wayne/Batman. Dude needs a haircut and a shower.
In summary, I'm comparing to every single Batman film released since Tim Burton's Batman, and I still wouldn't recommend it.
Moon Knight (2022)
Night scenes are too dark!
The show is great entertainment; This is more of a comment on the bad judgment in post-production, but it will affect anyone intending to watch this show on a device during the day.
Even if watching indoors or in the shade, the night scenes are simply too dark to see anything, forcing the viewer to miss out on crucial content or only view at night. This is a major fail on the production side. Somebody hopefully got fired over it.
I'm watching it on an Iphone 12 Pro with maximum brightness on and cannot see anything in many scenes.
Wonder Woman 1984 (2020)
Light popcorn fodder with a faulty ending...
I'm only writing this review to highlight a fundamental flaw in the ending of the film, which erodes at the overall enjoyment of it.
I have to refer to the ending, so please do not read this if you are concerned about spoilers.
In the final moments, Wonder Woman convinces the entire planet to take back their wishes- she inspires them to think about their actions.
Today (in 2021), we now have concrete evidence that humans would NEVER do this in this situation; if this COVID pandemic has shown us anything, it is how utterly selfish and deadly so many people will choose to be if given the slightest opportunity.
These same folks won't listen to reason, or be fair, or even protect the people closest to them.
Plus, terrorism and violence is on the rise, so we know that acquiring nuclear weapons would absolutely have been used by any crazies with them.
That's all. No way many of these folks would have made the right decision.
Leverage (2008)
One of my favourite shows of all time
I'm going to miss the cast in this show- I feel it was smart enough not to take itself too seriously, and some episodes were just so well written.
I also feel the cast and their characters had some decent arcs with change and growth taking place over the 5 seasons- the actors showing a good range of abilities.
What's different here from other shows I love is that I think the cast were better together in this show than they have been on their own since the show finished. They appeared to have great chemistry together.
Clever, funny and easy to watch. If you enjoy thrillers and con series, this should be top of the list, next to Hustle from the UK of course.
Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice (2016)
Good film with great potential
I really like Ben Affleck as Batman and Henry Cavill as Superman. There are some spot-on elements in this film, but I can't shake the feeling that the wheels are starting to come off from the studio side- my guess is too much interference from the studio, and likely too many chiefs there.
They're too distracted by Marvel and will ultimately sabotage themselves.
Also, Jesse Eisenberg does NOT work as Lex Luthor, and the Lex Luthor character story falters solidly.
So, this is likely the peak of the DC Batman/Superman/Justice League films.
Gal Gadot is awesome and the standalone Wonder Woman film is great.
Thor: Ragnarok (2017)
Expected good, got Great!
I thoroughly enjoyed this film- credit must go to the fantastic humour, excellent direction and art direction- a great example of translating comic art into film, and finally, the stunning Cate Blanchett who stole the show over other highly commendable performances.
The cast overall is perfectly assembled, especially the new Tessa Thompson as Valkyrie!
Kudos to Taika Waititi for helming a project this size and delivering an example of how to do it right.
Person of Interest: The Devil's Share (2013)
The finest episode of the series
I'm watching POI for the second time, and I had honestly forgotten about this episode, but upon watching it again, I'm driven to write a review and expound on its magic.
In my mind, this is the finest episode of the series, and one of the finest episodes of any television series I've ever watched. Naturally, one has to be familiar with the characters to really be present, and in this episode, the entire cast of characters reveal more depth and texture than I've seen before. Plus, it doesn't unfold the way I would've expected, and the impact of Carter on all of those around her felt very real- I think the actors were genuinely feeling the loss of one of their team. It's as though they were completely united as a result of her- and Carter was only one of the characters.
It's a soulful reminder of what's left behind when someone special dies. The aftermath. And the opening sequence- holy cow. Power.
Ghostbusters (2016)
Too much fuss over an average movie, but still entertaining.
I decided to go and watch the movie by myself. Not that it should matter, but I am a 41 year old male.
In short, I enjoyed the film, and I have no complaints. It cannot replace the original, simply because no film can top the original.
That aside, it was an okay movie- nothing astounding, but a fun, entertaining 90 minutes.
I am a fan of Melissa McCarthy and Kristen Wiig anyway, but now I am a huge fan of Kate McKinnon- for me, she stole the show!
Regarding the feminist stigma attached to this project, I am more of an 'Equalitist' than a Feminist, and not that it really matters, but I think a mixed Ghostbusters team would have been more representative of Equality.
In the end, the cast and crew worked hard on a film that was going to be a thankless task anyway, and I for one, appreciated it.
Rules of Engagement (2007)
Despite other mixed reviews, this show has won me over!
*I want to add something to my earlier review below* Now, having watched almost all of the episodes, it is worth noting that something has indeed changed in the shows' formula since Season 5, at least. (I don't enjoy it as much now.) 1. Originally, Russell had more depth, now there is no attempt to show that. 2. Adam's character was only 'dumb' once in a while, now he's permanently an idiot, and 3. Jennifer hardly has any real presence in the show, other than as a foil to Adam or Audrey. 4. Jeff used to actively be protective and invested in his relationship with Audrey, but now he is basically as 'dumb and stubborn' as all other generic sitcom husbands. So, all in all, it would appear that all the characters have been flattened and simplified to remove any complexity, and with it, most of the magic that was there originally. I can't help but feel that the writers of the show must've changed along the way as well. Still, I recommend the earlier episodes as well worth the effort and time to watch.
Here is my earlier review, prior to the update above:
First of all, let's place a few benchmarks here- Friends, HIMYM, Family Guy, American Dad, Arrested Development, Parks and Recreation, Black Adder, Big Bang Theory, and Modern Family to mention only a few; these are some of my favourites.
So, I was at the gym, and plugged in to the treadmill to watch something, and got stuck on this. After that, I decided to watch a few more at home, and the rest is history.
Essentially, this show is about healthy relationships. There's a bit of formula, such as the 'player', the new couple, and the old/established couple, but after that, it's the banter that gets me, since that's what my friends and I do in real life.
I think the best parts are the issues that the characters encounter- most are relate-able, and they get handled in either a mature, or an entertaining way.
If you like Patrick Warburton, and his man's-man approach to everything, which is awesome in its modern-day version, and you can tolerate David Spade, who brings a diluted version of himself here, then you'll definitely enjoy Megan Price, who has a sexy, girl-next-door, Jennifer Aniston-type of appeal, with a fantastic laugh, and Oliver Hudson (Kate Hudson's brother and Goldie Hawn's son), who definitely brings an innocence to his role, and it's pretty original, if nothing else, in his delivery of it. A pleasant surprise is Bianca Kajlich, who is just plain cute, and sexy- and takes their teasing her with the greatest of humour. (No changes needed there) Finally, Adhir Kalyan, who really is South African, and really did pick up his accent in the UK, adds a nice touch, as does Orlando Jones' random appearances.
All in all, if you like people as much as I do, you will quickly warm to the interaction of these actors with each other, and that is what gives the show its charm, with the added spice of some really sharp dialogue every now and again. Keep it up, guys.