Sicario Day Of The Soldado

A worthwhile sequel.

I would go on the record and say it's not as good compared to the first movie but terrible it is not, and does do what any good sequel should. We follow Josh Brolin and Benicio Del Toro from the last film jumping from cartels to border patrol after several suicide bombers come from Mexico, and a ploy revolving around a cartel leader's daughter becomes the main focus. Which makes sense because these are operatives who would jump from mission to mission with little ties to the last, and while the main returning characters don't get much new, the performances are still strong especially with Benicio who gets to spread his wings more and is a perfect follow up lead because of the mystique about him in the first film. Josh Brolin still undoubtedly is the anti-hero willing to go to any extreme to get the job done and they did attempt to give him more of a moral dilemma near the end which I appreciate. Isabela Moner gets plenty of good screen time as we see her transition from hard edged schoolgirl getting into scuffs to most likely PTSD riddled survivor of numerous shootouts, and I know the trauma is her arc rather than overcoming the trauma itself but it does make me wish we got more from her. This does feel like one of those movies from the actionsploitation genre where it's not as tightly written or has as big a budget but is more made for some revenue and to ever so slightly expand upon the characters from the first film. It's not direct to DVD but more like a limited theatrical release before being swiftly added as the TV movie for the week kind of vibe. It's definitely serviceable, it's not shot bad at all, the action still has a punch, the story is involved and doesn't feel like a writer's obligation, it has good quiet moments, I was engaged to see where it ended, and I'm not even really opposed to a Sicario 3 in the future. I guess it's more a matter of what are you looking for, if you watched the first and didn't get your bullet quota fulfilled you won't find much better here, but if you liked the more dramatic angle of the first movie I think you can walk away from this one happy. Me personally I was happy to watch both even if I probably won't watch it again in the future, still solid and enjoyable but I can bow out with a smile on my face. So 3 stars, 7/10, new movie coming up next time so good times to be had!

Wrath Of Man

Kind of a bummer after the surprisingly light and highly entertaining Nobody.

It's good to see a Guy Ritchie film again, and he commits to telling a very grounded, very serious, very heavy film. Now I respect and admire films of this kind, there's action movie fluff but then there is stuff like Wrath Of Man that just goes full f***ing force off the edge into some heavy shit. The plot follows a security truck driver who has more to his past than he leads on as he thwarts robberies with an ulterior motive in the revenge department. There truly is a lot I can't talk about for the sake of not ruining the movie. Guy really brings his camera work to this picture, and the storytelling aspects jumps around a bit in time but each segment of the film, included with title cards and all, is just as important as the one preceding it and it only gets more dense and involved as it goes along. You can tell there is something there to this security guy named H but even I didn't fully anticipate or grasp who and what he was even after the film told me. It works well with it's reveals, not so much plot twists but how it goes about telling you the backstory of events, the best example of which is the inciting incident that kicks off the film both literally and in terms of H's story. You see it from H's perspective, the security guard's perspective, and the robber's perspective, not once feeling like padding or treading the same waters. The action parts have no stylized or entertaining factors to it, it's treated as seriously as it should, almost in the way war films depict gunfights. It's brutal, unforgiving, has the balls to kill anybody, and while the film has a traditional ending of revenge flicks it doesn't detract from how the rest of the film is presented. It's a different kind of entertainment value but one that should be looked at despite it's serious nature. 3 stars, 7.5/10. New movies incoming next time, so I will see you then.

Wonder Woman Bloodlines

No surprise what the next review is going to be.

I very much was surprised when I learned Bloodlines was not a sequel to the 2009 film which I reviewed way back, even though I should have been clued in that there was a decade between the two releases. This follows the main animated DC universe, which I've touched upon oh so briefly but it works so easily as a standalone movie you don't even need to worry about it. The film starts very predictable, hi Steve, but goes big and broad quick. We jump a bit forward in time as we see Diana be fully in her Wonder Woman persona and is asked from a friend she met not long after arriving in the U.S. about helping her daughter out of a pretty sordid company of characters who comprise Wonder Woman's rogue gallery. We see Cheetah, Giganta, Dr. Poison, Dr. Cyber, and Silver Swan. Now I will admit even to a big DC fan such as myself, there were some names I was not terribly familiar with, specifically Silver Swan and Dr. Cyber, but you grasp the concept and personality of the villains quite quickly so it didn't pose problems for me. But all does not go well for Diana and Silver Swan is birthed, with Dr. Cyber leading the charge from behind the curtain to attack Themyscira and use their power. So we get fair amounts of both settings, and while I do take slight issue with some elements of the film I think the plot is handled well. Positives first, they got Diana perfectly in this movie. Absurdly compassionate, kind, thoughtful of others, doing the right thing to the best of her ability, I have zero issue saying this is the best version of Wonder Woman I've seen and that is coming from someone who loves Gal Gadot, and treasures Lynda Carter, and grew up watching the Justice League show. Rosario Dawson brings that perfectly balanced performance of, Wonder Woman fearless hero with high morality and values, and Diana kind person who has a bit of humor and wears her heart on her sleeve. I very much liked all the cast, Jeffrey Donovan did great work with Steve, and Marie Avgerpoulos did quite well with Silver Swan. The animation still has that distinct style of that series of films, but is handled well and looks really really good in places. Now for negatives, the reasoning for certain events in the film could have been handled better, they're not shit but it wouldn't have hurt to re-write it. Silver Swan's creation into villainy seems incredibly quick and a touch nonsensical, Diana essentially does have to go obtain a McGuffin for the plot, I personally do not subscribe to the Amazons having advanced technology I see them much more mythical but I know that's just my stance so it's not horrible, Diana forgets where Themyscira is located after she leaves which raises many a question to me, it's more brief moments and details that make me just go, "Wha?" more so than big important plot details. I think it's a totally fine, okay movie, it's for the audience who watches the animated DC stuff (Though it's still good to know they're still doing the kinda sorta nudity and cuss words, thanks I still want it to die.), it's by no means essential viewing but if you want a proper comic book movie that embraces comic book stories you can have fun with it. 3 stars, 7/10. Life is good with this movie, but it can be better.

Let Him Go

Yeah I've sorta seen it before, but I still liked it.

I don't think any groundbreaking storytelling occured in this movie, but I'd be lying through my damn teeth if I said I didn't get very invested and very much enjoyed the movie. The basic story of loving family member trying to rescue loved one from psycho family is nothing new, you've no doubt seen something akin to it. But man, it took 12 minutes for me to get into this film and I was with it till end credits. Which I mostly attribute to the powerhouse royalty that is Diane Lane (my love and admiration for her knows no bounds), and Kevin Costner who I think has set himself up pretty good acting career wise. Okay so, basic gist. Two grandparents are trying to retrieve their grandson after witnessing both him and his mother be abused, as it sort of becomes a hell bent scenario with them travelling abroad to find the boy's whereabouts before meeting an albeit stereotypical but nevertheless serviceable brutish family led by the matriarch, and tensions rise before it kind of goes home invasion/revenge flick. Now despite a forseeable plot, the film does not do a bad job setting up the emotions, the tension, and the payoff. In fact it does a pretty good job, I could have clocked out at any moment and not lost a bit of plot but it just goes to show how well they really wanted to make this movie and it does pay off. I wasn't expecting Hitchcockian suspense and immense bloodshed (though full honesty I was shrieking for blood after seeing that boy and his momma get hit), but the elements presented are done pretty damn good. I believe Diane and Kevin as a couple, a real couple even, you know they don't always agree but their love and dedication to one another even in an extreme situation as this, is felt. They try to bring a touch of depth and give them character, and I say good show. Lesley Mannville really got this part and brought her A-game, again going for more than just a cookie cutter villain which I can appreciate fully but it really is exactly what you imagine. Best character was Peter though, that boy was grand and I really love the actor, Booboo Stevens after seeing just this performance. The film has gorgeous scenery in it, fully utilizing the nature of Montana and North Dakota to make some impressive shots. The genre though is hard to pin, it isn't really a suspense movie or a thriller, there's tension yes but nowhere near the slow burn or anticipation building of staples of those genres, you might even be led to believe it goes full shootout near the end as it becomes a war for this young boy, but again not very true. You get some blood for sure, but not neccesarily a body count. I guess the umbrella term would be a drama, and when you see the film you certainly will agree. Hell I'm probably not even the first person to make the joke of, plot twist this was a prequel to Man Of Steel the whole time! But what a wild shift that would have been, they bugger off to Kansas, change their names to Martha and Jonathan Kent, and raise the last son of Krypton when he crash lands on Earth. I would have been upset not seeing this in the theater if that occured. But anyway, enough of my geeky ramblings. 3 stars, 7.5/10, admirable work for a recognizable story.