The Penguin

It is about as good as everyone says.

Admittedly I wasn't all gung-ho on the prospect of a Penguin show, certainly viable potential but nothing to wet my knickers about and from the slight brief buzz I heard it sounded good enough. I heard the "Gotham Sopranos" comparison and frankly if The Sopranos is anything like this I'm watching it! Crime drama ain't my genre but there is an exception to every rule, and this is it crafting a story you can sink your teeth into with plenty of character building and arcs remarkably done in the obsolete 8 episode structure. When I saw the epilogue to The Batman where you see Oz with Bruce's monologue talking about a power vacuum was all I really needed, but having this series and the bridge showing the wild ass trip Oswald has to undertake to be the king of Gotham is pretty solid! It's an interesting comparison if nothing else to the same character and the same journey presented in Gotham, wildly different tones and story telling but I'm a lover of both. So Oz is starting to make moves climbing the ladder before hitting a speed bump by the name of Sofia Falcone, but he has an up and coming protege named Vic who becomes his right hand man in thebstruggle for something better. Bare bones gist but highly worth watching. Colin Farrell undoubtedly makes his stamp on the character, he was good already in the film but there is no denying he is the Penguin showcasing nothing but pure A-game acting across the board and honestly hits emotional marks that I never would have thought we would see in this character. Award winning? Hey, wouldn't it be nice. Shock of all shocks, flippin' mystery to end all mysteries, I...like Sofia Falcone?? Welllll, let me put it to you this way even though she was losing me near the end of the season I still enjoyed her about 10 billion percent more than the Gotham iteration, Cristin Milioti has such an interesting character journey and she milks it for all it's worth once again putting forth quite potentially award winning acting. You can understand why she does what she does, feel the way she feels, and honestly I was rooting for her a bit. Last of our main leads young Vic played by Rhenzy Feliz, taking on a slightly Jason Todd origin of getting caught trying to steal Oz's rims before slowly coming under his wing as he becomes a novice gangster, he plays it with a lot of heart and is very believable in the role with plenty to do than just be a sidekick to Oz. What's great also is we get almost entire bleeding episodes dedicated to each of their backstories making us connect and therefore care more, aceing the balancing act in my opinion between past and current events. Also I have to shoutout Deidre O'Connell as Oz's mom which was a prospect I was leaping for joy upon discovering, injecting an intense dose of realism to such a lavishly ludicrous world and the dynamic and relationship between Oswald and Francis plays the full emotional gambit. Pretty phenomenal. Didn't take long I'll admit for it to hit this is a grown up show for adults, about as many F bombs in an episode I drop in a day, not skimping out on the blood, you flat out see a tiddy in episode one, like they picked a lane and stuck to it! While the plot didn't exactly twist and twirl it has ways to keep your attention and never gets dull for a second, hell I was blowing through the episodes as fast as I could and not just for the purposes of this review either! The production value truthfully wowed me at times, the scope of the street sets, the architecture, the combined drip of Oswald and Sofia makes the seawall collapse look like a spilled glass of water, the interiors, the vehicles, combined with the non-stop stunning skyline of Gotham all gets an A+ from me. I want to say so much but that would ruin the show, you just gotta go see it. Am I expecting a lot of callbacks to it in the second Batman film? Here and there, perhaps very much like the returning actors and callbacks were present in this series, and no I wasn't expecting to see vengeance himself appear, not even as a brief silhouette. I look at this show like the supplemental material from Star Wars, you don't have to watch Andor, you don't have to watch Clone Wars to understand the films but it adds a lot to the experience when you do even as the series stand on their own merits. Do you really need to watch the movie to get this series? I don't think so actually, it's self contained enough and fills whatever gaps need filling without being exposition. It's written well enough and has style and artistic qualities enough to where you can watch it and have a great time. I'm sure it was a trip to watch it weekly and whatever the future may hold for Matt Reeve's Batman world I'm gonna keep my eyes open. I give it 4 stars, 9/10!, and next week more witches and fantasy are in the works.

The Batman

Yes, it did justice to a new Batman and a new film.

So now comes the part where I applaud this movie as the one who tops them all, the best Batman movie since The Dark Knight, a perfect 10/10. No, but I'd be hardpressed to find people who flat out didn't like it. I personally found it to be a damn fine movie and felt certain aspects were done amazingly well while others were just done good. So it's year 3 for the nightly roaming vengeance on Gotham's streets and very quickly his attention shifts from street thugs to a serial killer with a MO of riddles and death traps, nothing too much beyond what you see in the trailers plot wise. However I thoroughly enjoyed the movie, the very realistic but still grand scale fit just right and nothing went beyond what they could feasibly do. Robert Pattinson is on the more down low potrayals of Batman, not saying very much but still able to get through a lot and he embodies the role very very well. Zoe Kravitz I genuinely thought could be at least in terms of live action the best Catwoman we've had, and while the relationship/partnership dynamic was done fine I think she's on the same level with Michelle Pfeiffer. Paul Dano, sweet Jesus man, I think he creeped me out more when he wasn't wearing the mask and it does fully deliver on that zodiac killer influence, I thought he was great. Jeffrey Wright was as good as I thought he would be and I greatly appreciate that you see him investigate stuff with Batman often. Speaking of which, I loved the detective work even though it's not super involved the direction and pieces of the puzzle are really effective, you see the gears turning behind the analytical eyes of Batman, and it's almost police procedure detective work too in just observing the crime scene and figuring it out. I do feel however the vibe of a losse cannon, reckless, pure physical power Batman was not quite the case. He has some anger, he does go out for vengeance, he is pretty straightforward in his tactics, but he is tempered and doesn't go too out there which makes sense because it is his 3rd year of crimefighting, he knows his way a bit around the block. The cinematography and art direction are excellent, giving us a lot of different shots that wouldn't even be found in one of the animated movies, and the style of costumes and sets both fit the modern grit and classic gothic looks. The music score is proper good and I know I have to listen to the full soundtrack once I'm home. It is a solid movie, it is a real good movie, but I feel it will grow on me as time passes and I see it more. The first time I saw The Dark Knight Rises in theaters I liked it but I felt a bit underwhelmed, partially because I just didn't want it to end and partially because it came off the heels of The Dark Knight. However, as years went by I appreciated it a lot more for what it is and I went from liking it to loving it. I did feel somewhat the same walking out of the theater today, so you may notice in about a week's time a Second Viewing reassesment. But for now, a solid 4 stars, 8.5/10!

Phone Booth

Rest in peace Joel, you gave me some entertainment all through my life.

For a movie damn near 20 years old and in such a severe shifting world, Phone Booth has not lost any of it's suspense or impact. I mean it's such a fascinating concept alone that you could make a short film of it, let alone a feature length movie. And I feel it was made at that right time in the world when cell phones were becoming more common but payphones were still around, although even I must admit I haven't seen a phone booth in person in 25 odd years. The script is excellent, with a PR guy named Stu who takes an anonymous phone call and very quickly finds himself in the center of a hostage situation with a sniper who always is on the line. There's no doubt been many instances in films where elements of this situation takes place, but the way each event flows into the next, mounting the tension and suspense, must be commended. I mean while the film is no doubt very dated in that early 2000s way, with blue tinting to the film because it's digital babyyy, and the weird fast pans and dutch angles, even I can't give shit to Joel because this was how a good portion of films looked until say 2006/2007 when it finally died off. Colin Farrell is a great lead, and you can believe someone as fast talking and bullshit spewing as his character can get in such a situation. This might be sort of strange to say, but I heard more Kevin Spacey over the phone than Keifer Sutherland but really the guy has a great voice, voice acting high quality type of voice that I would be interested to see more of. There were several points I really had to step back and asses the situation which brought moments of laughter from me, though this gets heavy and intense before even the 15 minute mark and the movie is not even 90 minutes but it certainly doesn't waste a second of film. Most of the time I was in suspense because you don't really know when or not the trigger is going to be pulled and I did see the ending coming, but the curve balls it threw at me hit well. This is a great film to while not necessarily think what you would do in that situation, but vicariously try to find a way out of that situation. It's entertaining and gives you a rollercoaster to go on, and I'm truly happy I saw it. 4 stars, 7.5/10, I might even say this is Joel's best directorial efforts more so than The Lost Boys but there's always more to see.

Fright Night (2011)

Thank God this didn't suck.

Yeah, the original Fright Night fell woefully short for me so I was holding high hopes for the remake to be superior. A rare case indeed in such a line of work as this. And I must say I did enjoy this one much more, in yet another rare case this is actually a remake that isn't superflous. It doesn't tread the same waters beat for beat but actually does something original of it's own while still telling the story, which is how a remake should be done! Keep the basic story of in this case, a teenage boy who suspects and soon discovers his next door neighbor is a vampire and takes matters into his own hands with the help of a now this time occultist magician instead of a TV show host to keep his friends and family safe. I think the cast this time around is great with Anton Yelchin being our main lead, and it was very bittersweet to see him again but he does well and feels like a real person. In fact everyone does, the modern quality of the writing and acting makes every character feel like they're someone in your neighborhood. There's no cliche character types or situations, it just tells the story in an entertaining way. I must admit at first I didn't buy Colin Farrell as a bloodsucker, a dark wizard perhaps but no nosferatu but he won me over as the film went on. I really like both the mom and the girlfriend, they're fun and witty and actually do stuff in the story rather than just be someone to save at the end. But my absolute favorite is David Tennant as this Criss Angel looking performer who actually looks way better and knows much of the supernatural to the point he has an entire armory to fight various beasts and monsters, I mean...it's David Tennant it's incredibly hard not to enjoy him, it's like this mix of Time Lord and ginger haired demon in his performance and it's wonderful. The effects aren't half bad either, only using CG when necessary and does some pretty neat tricks with the whole no reflection or image in cameras. It's a pretty good movie and one I actually don't mind recommending, a remake done well with some good laughs and horror elements, and yeah the characters do some dumb stuff but it doesn't hurt the movie much. It's just a fun decently made movie perfect for a movie night with some friends that's actually a huge improvement over the original. 3 stars, 7/10, a good movie for the season!

Dumbo

I don't get the hate.

You would have thought Dumbo personally butchered people's inner child with how much bad word of mouth this movie got. Now I will freely admit, I never watched Dumbo as a kid. I owned the VHS tape but I never watched it. So is that why I'm not shrieking betrayal from the highest mountain into the lowest valley?? I saw a decent cute kids movie. I only had two major problems with the movie which we will get to, so the movie follows a travelling circus who just got an elephant and before long she has a kid, a cute little pachyderm named Dumbo with adult sized ears. Two kids form a connection with Dumbo while their dad has returned from World War 1 and readjusting to circus life. Some stuff happens and sadly Dumbo is seperated from his mother and forced into the circus as a flying elephant. The press attracts an amusement park owner played by Michael Keaton who takes on the whole circus as his employees and wants Dumbo as the main attraction. More stuff happens which lets us meet more new characters including a trapeze artist named Colette played by the practically perfect in every way Eva Green before they find Dumbo's momma and plan to free both of them. It's a decent movie, it's not insulting to your intelligence or panders to the really young kids out there, it just shows a story about a flying elephant. I feel bad I can't compare notes on new and old, but it's worth a rental in the future. Colin Farrell is a decent lead, Eva Green is wonderful as always, Michael Keaton hits an almost Christopher Walken level of acting where you're not too sure what he's doing but he's so damn entertaining you don't mind and he is the best part of the movie, the kids are okay. I take that back, one of the kids is okay, the young boy does okay but the girl....I don't want to bash on her but she does not act. She's supposed to be a scientific orientated character but that doesn't mean you're a Vulcan! She has one face and it never changes even when she sees an elephant fly before her little eyes! It's like watching a doll act, black eyes, lifeless eyes. I mean I'm not trying to be an asshole but we have movies and entire critically acclaimed series with all kid leads and they do pretty dang good. I just don't understand. I am severely disappointed at the handling of the Pink Elephants, I was expecting a real experimental, crazy, Tim Burton style musical number but they don't do anything with it. I saw this movie for two reasons, Michael Keaton and the Pink Elephants. You delivered on one but failed on the other. But beyond that it's fine. Dumbo's cute and seeing him fly is really cool to see, and I didn't walk out of the theater in a ball of hate and betrayal. Somehow I knew this would happen. Fair warning though if you aren't a clown fan, I am because clowns are very entertaining and fun, they have a presence. It's not overwhelming but you know if they scare you, steer clear. I give it a thumbs up. Worse than Beauty & The Beast my foot, did you see that movie? Ugh, I'm disgusted just thinking about it. Give it a try when it hits video and I will see you Friday for the next DC superhero movie!

The Killing Of A Sacred Deer

Jesus Christ, and I was shellshocked by Mother? This is a whole new level!

There are no words. I am still trying to wrap my head around this movie. This is not a part of the program, I am legit blank in my head. How do I talk about it? Guys? Please help me. Okay, deep breaths. What the flaming ostriches was that?? Okay, so apparently The Killing Of A Sacred Deer was directed by the same person who directed The Lobster, and whereas The Lobster was an off beat but still interesting and entertaining movie in it's own weird ass way, with this movie? I got nothing. No wait, I take that back. It was like, no it IS, a movie directed in the style of Stanley Kubrick. Like textbook Kubrickian cinema! Problem is, it's overdone, they tried to out-Kubrick Stanley Kubrick and while it is a well made (shot, edited, pacing, and overall atmosphere) film to the point where a simple zoom-in shot made me feel highly uncomfortable, the execution of it all and the story is just odd. Basically, it's a eye for an eye revenge story concerning a surgeon and his family being tormented by this teenage boy who lost his father. That is literally as much plot I could get from the movie, cause it spirals out into insanity very quickly. I will say this though, if the film's intention was to make me incredibly uncomfortable, and uneasy, and make me squirm in my seat, it's easily a 11/10 star movie in that respect. Like, I was so queasy when I left and felt very...out of it. I need to watch something like Fear And Loathing In Las Vegas, or Mother just to feel normal again. Cause at least with Mother, you can be very confused by it but then you read and hear other people's interpretations of it and it suddenly makes complete sense. Or with Fear And Loathing, honestly it's not that far off from the book and though it gets odd it still stays true to our reality. This movie's world feels like The Lobster on vicodin, and everyone acts the exact same way as in The Lobster, very unearthly, blunt and straightforward, totally accepting of what we the viewer would call madness. I mean, to a T! Like they totally wrapped shooting on The Lobster, same actors, same crew, and immediately started filming this. So maybe this is what happened about 20 years after The Lobster. It makes about as much sense as anything else in this movie, so why not? I just....ugh, I need a drink. Or at the very least a more down to earth movie. So tune in tomorrow where hopefully I can find something that doesn't make me feel like I had a lobotomy.

In Retrospect: Fantastic Beasts And Where To Find Them

Yep, still highly enjoyable.

Fantastic Beasts has finally hit video and I got to sit down and rewatch it, and it is better on second viewing. I still love the setting of 1920s New York, something out of our element both in time and space with new characters, a good story, and fantastic beasts. I still say Eddie Redmayne is the best part of the whole movie, still the most Timelord wizard you ever did see and I love him to death. Now originally on viewing I hated Tina, not the actress who potrays the character I like her just fine and dandy but the character just seemed so out of place, this timid little worry mouse, but then I watched it again put myself in her shoes, and my entire perspective changed on her. She has to put up with some bullcrap in this movie, of course she would act like this, the poor dear's practically harboring on a nervous breakdown any moment. Jacob is still very entertaining, he gets that everyday man thing down to perfection, and yes the ending is still very bittersweet, but I still like it. Queenie is still absurdly adorable, I just friggin' want to squeeze her she's so goshdarn, gee whiz, cutesy! Graves is still an interesting villain, and I can only imagine where the story could pick up after the events of this one. A 5 picture deal? Really? Damn. I mean I'm psyched to see more but you just wonder how this is all going to go down. The creatures are still great, I'm happy each has their own distinct personality and traits, you could never confuse the creatures in this movie and that's something I greatly admire. The action while minimal is still really good, the drama hits when it needs to, the comedy is still very good, and I just want to see more of these characters. If memory serves (and it rarely does for me) I think the next movie comes out in 2018 and I can deal with that. Probably. Highly recommend buying this movie, it's great for adults, it's great for kids, it's a movie I can definitely see viewing multiple times in the future, and hopefully you do too.

The Lobster

What a weird movie. I liked it.

Wow. Oh my God. I'm sorry, I find it difficult to describe this movie. The Lobster is a drama I would say, with tiny bits of comedy peppered in centering around a society in the not too distant future where single people are forced to find love within 45 days or be transformed into a animal of their choice, which is where we meet our main character David who has just recently been divorced and must find love or be transformed into a lobster. What follows is both an absolutely brilliant satire on love, or rather society's viewpoint of what love is, how is it formed, how is it achieved and a truly disturbing view into the human psyche. The film has some great use of dark comedy though scant, but it is extremely adult orientated and deals with a quite frankly disturbing reality. Whether you have lost your loved one through either a break up, a divorce, or even death you are forced to go to a hotel to find a companion in a limited amount of time or be transformed into a animal, your entire being is stripped of all identity focusing on one unique trait whether it be fair hair or a limp to sum up who you are, you have no choice in how to express yourself through clothing or music, only what is ordained. Being a single person in this reality is considered a crime! You have to be with someone. I would not bode well in this society. It is fascinating to watch this movie, because it flat out mocks how people pursue and win love but also how the human mind copes with such a world as this one potrayed in the film. It almost takes a cynical and cold look at relationships which I have to applaud the film to some degree, you never see that in movies. I'm kind of speechless after viewing it because not of how odd and surreal it is, but of how true and thought provoking it is. I would certainly have to recommend it but to who? Who is the target audience of the film? I would say adults because of it's mature content and thought provoking messages but nothing is concrete about it. It could be teenagers but I think it would severely jade them on basic human interaction let alone romance. This entire movie is a complete mystery. What is it?? I mean I like it, I enjoyed it, it's a true solid film that needs to be seen by most people but it just confounds me as to what to call this movie. A human drama perhaps? A surreal romance? There's probably not a good title for it so I implore you to watch this just so we could discuss it with other people. Wow guys, um...this film is quite a special thing, I'm probably never going to forget this bizzare little movie and hopefully some of you feel the same.

Fantastic Beasts And Where To Find Them

Well 15 years after The Sorcerer's Stone hit theaters, we venture once more in to the magical world created by J.K. Rowling. Does it do justice to her works?

The short answer is, yes in a way. The long answer, let's begin. The first thing I have to point out is I have no idea what a movie is about beyond trailers, so I have a sense of surprise when I see the movie, and this movie had a lot going on it other than just an easter egg hunt for magical creatures. The story takes place in 1926 New York City, and I was actually a bit off with the time. I thought it was either going to be the 30s or the 40s, I even narrowed my guess down to a year, 1937 so I was a bit off. It's quite interesting to see the magical world not only in a different era but also a different country. The basic rules of the wizarding community is still there but slightly different, and my God I thought the Ministry Of Magic were massive assholes, this organization set in America was the bane of my existence for this entire movie! I have never had more hatred for a fictional organization in my life. But all it does is make our protagonist's more enjoyable and you can really stand for what they are trying to do. Our hero Newt Scamander is a brilliant zoologist for the wizarding world and is on a quest to obtain a rare magical animal only found in America, after he arrives though several mischievous creatures escape and the hunt is on to capture them all to avoid the revelation that there are witches and wizards walking amongst us. But something more dangerous is happening around them. First of all the scenery is great, both in location and in the creatures. Yes you can tell it is very obvious CGI but it still looks impressive. The magic is familiar and yet new and looks and even feels just right. The casting is perfect in the case of our main hero, played by Eddie Redmayne who I can fully believe is Mr. Scamander and oddly enough he acts well...very Time Lord-ish. He feels like the wizard equivalent of The Doctor, in fact Matt Smith tried out for the role and Eddie looks a lot like Matt both in clothing and physical features. I mean it's just uncanny! He is the real star of the movie to me, nothing else compares. The story kept me interested all the way through, and even had a twist that no one could ever see coming and made my jaw drop to the floor. The creatures are brilliant in design and you do care for them greatly, even though I was very shocked at how few creatures actually escaped. I mean, in the trailer it seems like 10 creatures actually escaped when in reality it added up to about 5 total. Not a bad thing by any true stretch but did turn out to be a bit misleading. Beyond that, I really liked this movie! When it was first announced I just asked why couldn't they leave well enough alone, but obviously the world of Harry Potter is a bit more expansive than the 8 books, now is this movie series good enough to warrant four more sequels? That can only be answered in time my friends. Until next time.