The Odyssey

The one time I read the damn book and I have to say the movie was better!

I mean as an adaptation for one of the oldest written stories in human history it's actually pretty solid! They didn't change too much and trimmed quite a bit of fat found in the tale, and as Christopher Nolan is wont to do the movie does a lot of flashback storytelling as we follow the king of Ithaca after the sacking of Troy desperately trying to get back home as he encounters mythical beings and even when he returns home his fight is not over. I don't really have to tell you if it's a good movie, even with examples such as Tenet from Nolan you can surely expect quality and good if not great plots and yeah the movie may be 3 hours long but it just feels appropriate and you do get invested. Hell I was getting pumped up, tense, and even reflective while watching the film! The big main story beats they stick to are all memorable and engaging, from a suspenseful encounter with a cylcops, to a surprisingly grotesque example of body horror, to just the terrible nature of war it all landed expertly. The only real detachment I had with the movie is the cast, now that is not at all damning the performances themselves if anything they actually do really friggin' good. HOWEVER I did see more the actor and not the character which is odd because this isn't exactly the first star studded cast I've seen in cinema history but I just saw Anne Hathaway I didn't see Queen Penelope, I didn't see Calypso I saw Charlize Theron, I didn't see Telemachus I saw Tom Holland, and the only person who rised above was Matt Damon for reasons I can't even quantify. But like I said all the performances are rock solid and the drama of the story was so good it really didn't take much for me to be immersed in the film. The sets, costuming, all those wonderful practical details which I love so much are on top form as I suspected them to be! The music truly hammers home the suspense and unease, it gets the heart pumping and your nerves on edge, so well done Ludwig Göransson! Damn good cinematography (in other breaking news the sun will rise and the sun will set), the scope of crowds and the sea was just right, and even if you're not familiar with the book you can grasp the events unfolding. I say see it just to witness the fall of Troy, that was the highlight of the film in every respect and it truly felt momentous because that is a piece of history countless people have heard about but I have never seen it visualized. Ever! It just feels suitably epic for an epic tale and while I won't say it's the best film of the whole year I'd be a lying sack of shit if I said I didn't greatly appreciate and enjoy it. Even if this was the first and last time I ever watched this film I can safely say I was very happy to see it. 4 stars, 8.5/10, and this may be the last review of the month unless madness strikes hard and fast but this entire show is a literal odyssey, a long and eventful journey and it isn't quite over yet.

Mad Max Fury Road

Okay here we go.

I don't think I have heard this much good word of mouth and undiluted praise for an action movie quite possibly in my entire life. I've never heard even a mediocre thing let alone a bad thing about Fury Road. So how do I break this gently that I thought it was just okay? Granted I haven't seen the previous Mad Max movies so I'm most likely missing some shit, but I know plenty of people have sat down to watch this movie alone and come out fairly pleased. I know bits about it, the story is set in a nuked out post apocalyptic Australia, so I guess 95% of what Australia is actually like (just jokes Aussie's) following previous cop now road warrior Max as he tries to stay alive amidst gangs, scavengers, and fuel grifters. He very quickly gets swept up in the storyline of Furiosa, a hardened woman transporting several young girls to a lush green patch of the world for their safety. Dirt simple plot, very easy to understand and empathize with. No doubt made so for the unhinged action to take front and center stage, this is unashamedly a leave your brain at the door, popcorn, summer extravaganza, action flick through and through. It is astoundingly impressive how much they just did in camera with stunt crew probably as insane as some of the characters, using as little CG as they could get away with to which I strongly commend and applaud. It's metal as hell, off the wall, subtle as a nitroglycerine brick to the head. I assume the previous movies had aspects of this, obviously not that extreme but certainly there and the worldbuilding while brief isn't necessary to enjoy the movie. Though I do want to know way more about it! This isn't a severe mark against the movie when I say this, the cast does just fine but there isn't a great deal for them to sink their teeth into character wise. I truthfully feel they could cast complete unknowns in this part and little would change, but hey they got some big names who obviously were game to do it and it got butts in seats because of it so I will never fault the filmmakers for doing that. This is simultaneously an easy film to talk about and yet a difficult film to talk about for me, it is without question or doubt the phrase "What you see is what you get" and if you've seen clips or trailers and it looks like your kind of bag then rock on my friend, you'll have a blast. And indeed you can see a lot of craftsmanship, dedication, and ultimately passion put into this project. You know they wanted to make the bestest damn movie they possibly could here. I don't hate it by any semblance of a stretch, I can respect the production side, enjoy the movie side, and am quite looking forward to Furiosa, but I don't immensely love it. I like it. The cinematography is proper damn good, the action makes this 2 hour film pass in the blink of an eye, and it's a good bottled movie where you don't need to know anything before or after and just enjoy the cataclysmic ride this movie takes you on. I give it 3 stars, 7.5/10! New release on Friday and more to talk about soon.

The Addams Family 2

Oh, we're here baby!!

This actually put me in a good mood for the season. Unfortunately no gloomy weather this time around, but I enjoyed the film. Again, not really that great a sequel but I knew for the most part what I was getting into so I could roll with it. Wednesday is full of woe leading the family to take a trip to bond closer together, which is almost derailed before they even get started due to the fact that speculation arises that Wednesday is not really an Addams but was swapped after birth. Couple of things about that. I very strongly voiced my approval and praise of Wednesday in the first film, so the fact we get a much more prominent focus on her is great. However. This plot point is beyond absurd and I do not like it. I could very easily be a complete ass and just say, well this movie only gives you nuggets of promise but swiftly delivers on nothing and amounts to the biggest piece of fluff in cinemas this year. But I did still have a bit of fun with it here and there. I took slight issue with how the Addams family was potrayed in the first film, but I liked it better here. Gomez wants to be a better father, Pugsley starts taking an interest in girls, Morticia is more calm headed and demure, we get more Cousin Itt which is always awesome and I am there for it, the movie even briefly turns into a journey with Lurch and Wednesday which I adored. Still could have lived without Lurch singing. You did it to me once shame on you, you did it to me twice and you're walking on thin ice. The animation I thought was very much improved though every other character besides the fam is still nightmare fuel beyond the capacity for human words. Just why? Their eyes....they're lifeless eyes, blank eyes, like a doll's eyes. When they're moving they don't seem to be living, until they talk and those blank eyes grow ever bigger. Oh then you hear that terrible high pitch screaming, the mind recoils in horror, in spite of all the eyes wide shut and hands covering them, they rip your psyche to pieces. Yet even in spite of that, the comedy though not as potent takes a lot of cues from the sight gags of Looney Tunes and are handled really well. It made me laugh quite a few times just from the visual situations, which I must commend. It's a mixed bag of things, and while I heavily applaud the very obvious murder, I can't entirely say it is well worth seeing in theaters. This seems like just the right kind of movie for Cartoon Network to show during October, it gives me slight Scary Godmother flashbacks. To just lay in bed in your room, hunker down for a few hours, watch some light spooky entertainment, and wrap up the evening however you please before the weekend starts. I'd give it about 2.5 stars though it had the capacity for 3 stars, 6.5/10, decent stuff and only the prologue for the most wonderful time of the year.

BONUS In Retrospect: The Addams Family (2019)

I'm very happy to see this movie again.

I will fully admit if you did match the 90s films to this, it does genuinely work better in the live action films, but to be honest those films are so loved and adored it's kind of an impossible task to surpass them. But I'm just happy this film didn't and went for their own style and story while keeping all the standard Addams tropes we adore. Is it perfect? No. But to be perfectly honest, I never have expectations for any film. I simply can't afford it if I'm going to be an unbiased reviewer, so I always take a movie for what it is and go from there. For instance, the satirizing view on modern culture doesn't delve too deeply and is handled just okay. I do kinda wish we got a bit deeper into that, but do you really watch an Addams Family movie for satire? Of course not, you watch it to see these wonderful characters, and the cast does do them justice with Oscar Isaac and Chloe Grace Moretz being the standout performances. I did take slight issue with Morticia being a bit more apprehensive to new things and people in the neighborhood, because to be honest the whole appeal of this family is their unilateral acceptance of others, they never look down or judge people in any way, they just like them regardless of who they are despite them not agreeing on everything. It's a wonderful trait to posses in human beings, but then again I can understand why Morticia feels that way, her family has constantly been chased around by hateful people with torches so I fully understand why she would be cautious and a bit untrusting of people, though Gomez is still the exact same character we love fully ready and able to meet new people and be very neighborly. I love especially the fact we actually get to see Wednesday go to school, we hear of it in the 60s show but never really saw it and it is everything I wanted it to be, and while I greatly enjoy the cute little girl of the 60s show I'm happy they brought back the mannerisms and characterization of the 90s movies. This is my favorite kind of Wednesday. One strange thing I noticed is while the main characters utilize the original Charles Addams designs, the rest of the characters in the town kind of radically shift. Margeaux looks like a Mike Judd Beavis And Butthead character with her beady eyes, ridiculously huge hair, and slender figure, while other characters like her daughter look like they come from any 3D animated film, some look like humans from The Lorax, some look like Despicable Me, it's kind of a mish-mash of animation styles. Is it bad though? No, but it is something I noticed. The film is good, nothing spectacular but certainly nothing bad either. I still give it a solid 3.5 stars, 7.5/10, This is a fun movie for any fan of this series, and will probably be on a watchlist for many people during October. We still need more Lurch though, I appreciate the wonderful music interludes we have but I could have lived without the song. But a few missteps is hardly worth a bad score and I still genuinely love this movie.

Next time, we finally watch it, so stay tuned for that review.

The Addams Family (2019)

It couldn't be a better day.

Bleak skies, cold rushing winds, a wonderfully creepy film, it's perfect. I loved this movie, they did dang near everything right with only one or two major grumbles, they treated the film with love and appreciation and for that it has my love and likewise approval. This is more of a love letter to the 60s series with dashes of the 90s movies and it balances very well. We follow our favorite macabre family once more as Gomez and Morticia find a perfectly haunted house and begin to raise their family, as they soon decide due to Wednesday's intrigue to venture down to the quaint and colorful town below to introduce themselves. But shock of all shocks they're not well liked and soon through a fear mongering retailer decide to oust the family from their town leading to a genuinely nice resolution. The first thing I have to say is, there is a bit of Hotel Transylvania in this, a group of people are chased into hiding in a large luxurious house before a young girl is interested in the outside world and forces both worlds to collide, and this really isn't a bad thing. Because it's a decent story and because they actually do something entirely of their own with it, it's not a ripoff of Hotel Transylvania but you do see some elements there. The animation style is excellent with the original designs by Charles Addams used for the characters and they all look great, with gorgeously gruesome backgrounds and great color choice. The cast was great I mean you have Oscar Isaac as Gomez which is already spot on, but Charlize Theron is wonderful as Morticia, Chloe Grace Moretz kinda stole the show as Wednesday which is funny because Wednesday in the show was just a cute girl and was nowhere near as morbidly hilarious as she's been in the past 25 years, Finn Wolfhard is really good as Pugsley, and even Nick Kroll was cast surprisingly effective as Uncle Fester, so cast is great without a doubt. I had a blast with the comedy also but I've always had an odd and dark sense of humor so of course I loved it and it made me laugh quite a lot and even when I wasn't laughing I had the biggest smile on my face and and a gross warm feeling in my chest cavity. Not many films can do that. The satire was also updated from the 90s movies going from a critique of shallow suburban life to shallow modern life with the town literally called Assimilation, where everyone is exactly the same, everyone is using their phones to know what the other neighbors are doing, and security cameras are everywhere. It's not trying to make a big statement but just poke fun at the tropes of today, and while some people would say it dates the film I don't think so. Originally Illumination was going to make an Addams Family movie but it got cancelled and I'm honestly thankful for that, I don't completely despise Illumination's movies but I'm just very happy it turned out the way it did. Now it does have some pop culture references but it's not horrendous, it's just cute gags and is not trying to be totally hip with the fellow kids, even with Snoop Dogg voicing Cousin Itt it still sounds like Cousin Itt (also known as the funniest thing in the world and I have no idea why)! They treated it with respect and not just some cash grab with a recognizable license, they wanted to make a fun and entertaining movie and that's exactly what they accomplished! It's great to see whether with friends, yourself, or just your family, it's just a nice well made animated movie. Maybe not a great movie, but I don't think it's trying to be a great movie and trust me when I say there has never been anything wrong with that. I give the movie 3.5 stars check it out! A lovely movie for the spooky season that might make you appreciate it even more.

Next week some cult favorites from the 80s, 90s, and 2000s.

In Retrospect: Atomic Blonde

You know it takes a lot for a spy thriller to keep holding your attention once you know how it all ends, but thankfully this movie does it well.

Yes, Atomic Blonde is still a fantastic movie that I would gladly buy and own for the rest of my life. Charlize Theron carries the whole movie, and she does a phenomenal job. Honestly if they announced her as the next 007, I really wouldn't mind that much! She gets the ever living hell beat out of her and she still comes into combat with all piss and vinegar, nobody and I will stand by this, has ever been beat down as much as her and yet she still fights back and wins. Pick any movie. Any protagonist. They don't even get a scratch on them compared to her. Jesus God almighty Charlize is the queen! The action is done so incredibly well utilizing slick and quick editing, while still giving the audience a wide view of the action so you can appreciate the choreography and brutal fighting displayed. The espionage element is still very good, with alliances, betrayal, and twists to keep it interesting. And of course, Sofia Boutella. Ohhhh my yes. Movie's perfect! It's perfect! Buy it, that is all. But in all seriousness, she is the cherry on top of this awesome movie. Just every aspect of it is so well executed. Story is very good, characters are interesting, action is exhilarating, the mystery is intriguing, the soundtrack is kick ass, it's just a really good movie! I was so happy to see it again, because I knew I was in for a blast and I highly enjoyed it as I did the first time. Although mind you, it wasn't an easy movie to watch with my mom. Cause she wanted to see the movie, and when it got a little...ahem, steamy, oh dear. Cause you remember how I described those scenes, and it really has not changed in terms of uncomfortableness, like I still feel like I am watching full on hardcore adult movie. Just....God. Beyond that though, very good movie! I might die tomorrow from massive consumption of food, but at least I will die happy and fed. So I'm okay with that. And if I live, I get to run around and breathe in the chaos of Black Friday, so it's win-win. And next week we will have lots to talk about...

Atomic Blonde

I friggin' called the use of 99 LuftBalloons. I mean come on, it's Germany in 1989. We're going to hear some Nena.

Atomic Blonde, a brash, vibrant, and pretty kickass spy film has just hit today and it sure does need to be seen. So the story takes place about a month before the Berlin Wall is torn down with a british agent sent in to East Berlin to retrieve a list of all the agents in the world before it gets in the hands of the KGB. And then a lot happens that you come to expect in spy movies, action scenes, double crosses, and of course the more....ahem, steamy scenes. But Atomic Blonde does takes these normal conventions and puts a new spin on it, and not just due to that we have a female spy this time. The action scenes are visceral, they're brutal, I mean Charlize Theron gets the piss kicked out of her and she still hits back hard. The spy and espionage element is there but not heavily centered on. This movies does fully deserve the R rating so obviously it's not for everyone. The violence is in your face and doesn't shy away from kills, the sex is in my opinion kind of unnecesary. I mean your following the story and then Sofia Boutella and Charlize Theron participate in lesbiaonics, and while I love Sofia Boutella I just felt the sex and nudity wasn't there for a reason other than for someone to get their rocks off. And really that's the only bad thing I can say about the movie. The cinematography is friggin' blasting with color when in the right scene, and looks fantastic. All the acting is good with James McAvoy being an ass like he always is, but my God he is terrific at it. Charlize Theron has got a bad attitude in this movie, like she is just not a nice lady. Is she great in those action scenes? Uhhhh.....yeah!! But her character is very unlikable, for about 90% of the movie, not until the end am I fully behind her and want to see her get stuff done. Sofia Boutella who is my new golden girl, is just a treat to see in the movie so I'm all for it. And one thing I don't ever think I mentioned is I love period pieces, not like Victorian era dramas or anything like that but more specifically, seeing a part of the world in that time. Another spy movie example I can throw out there is You Only Live Twice, just seeing Japan in that time period, in the late 60s was really awesome. So seeing Berlin split between East and West in that time period was very interesting. I certainly don't have to tell you I LOVE this soundtrack! I'm a lover of this decade of music above all others, a close second being 60s rock, and even beyond the excellent choice in musical tracks the original music created and used in this movie is really good! Like buy the soundtrack good! It fits right in with the feel and style of the movie. I walked in expecting a decent, if not great spy movie and I got a great spy movie! So if it sounds like your kinda movie, definitely go watch it.

Well that's it for this week. But what now? What comes next? Well.....tomorrow I'll tell you.

Kubo And The Two Strings

Not only is this one of the best animated movies I've ever seen in my life, but the story itself is one of the best I have seen.

Kubo And The Two Strings is brought to us by our friends over at Laika Studios, the same folks who brought us Coraline and the ghoulish brilliant Paranorman to the big screen, this particular movie follows a story, a tale, a legend of a young boy with a single eye on a quest to reclaim three pieces of armor in an attempt to defeat the Moon God. Not only is this beyond perfection in terms of animation, using the same style of stopmotion and models like The Nightmare Before Christmas and all their other films, not only is the story rich in potential and delivers, not only is the voice acting outstanding with Charlize Theron and Matthew McConaughey, not only is it rooted in a world of magic with a profound basis in Japanese culture and art direction, but this was a film where I had such slight, miniscule expectations and by the time the title popped up I knew I was going to watch a marvellous movie. I love the characters, I love the mythos, I love the magic element, the art is breathtaking considering how they achieved it, the comedy is fun but maybe a bit off in places, the movie just shapes it's own identity and there are no compromises to it. I have no idea if most of the story is original or based in Japanese myth and legends, I don't even care because it is so good. It's been awhile since I had a fun time watching a movie, and been awhile since a movie blew my expectations out of the water. I saw the trailer for it and was fascinated, but never saw it in theater's, and you better believe I am kicking myself in the ass because I missed it. What a wonderful movie, with enough to capture the imagination of a child and intrigue the parents. A grade A+ family film, 4 stars check it out!

Well that's all from the old Duder tonight, and tomorrow we have another venture into the Pixar realm with Finding Dory, so just keep swimming folks. Goodnight everybody!