Green Room

A24 time again!

Jesus fucking wept this is a sit and a half not because it's bad but it is some stressful shit. Essentially concerning a punk band who happen across a murder at a venue they are performing in and get embroiled in the coverup by a bunch of skinheads as they desperately try to survive. There is no way in two tits of a rat's ass a studio system would make this film and I think that's one of the reasons people laud A24 so highly, because they pick up movies, produce movies, and distribute movies by directors who have unconventional stories to tell. Hearing about the director Jeremy Saulnier talk about having no way to make this film once he became a bigger more noticeable director really put that all in perspective for me, people gravitate towards indie filmmaking and low budget forays because you just don't get this shit anywhere. And I feel he did a good job crafting this very stressful and graphic movie but have little burts of artistry and dare I say avant garde type shots as you are thrown into this scary situation with this band. Anton Yelchin our sweet summer child slowly but surely becomes the main character through this situation, and even in a grim ass dark movie he has that heart and charm which endeared him to so many. Imogen Poots goes from friend of the murdered (good band name...) to final girl by the end of all of this, and I was always keeping my eye on her because man she got dead behind the eyes real quick, solid performance! I almost spit my drink out seeing Sir Patrick Stewart in this movie, that is considerable star power for a independent film and to see him as the main antagonist was rather shocking, but given an actor of his status he can really play anything his heart desires. The band dynamic between Alia Shawkat, Joe Cole, and Callum Turner feels very genuine like these are friends who decided to be in a punk band together, and it's interesting to note how each person handles the pressure of this insane situation. The movie is barely 90 minutes but so much happens within that 90 minutes you get immersed, involved, and really really wanting to see how this ends! It blindsides you with this murder and it only gets bloodier from there, the movie knows how to pace and punch when needed. Granted I was hoping to see some more skinhead natzi shitlickers to get axed but I guess I'll have to take what I can get. It's rather bleak and unapologetic but that's why it is so effective in it's storytelling. I'll admit the synopsis alone caught my attention of potential movies to review this week and what I found was a very well made albiet dark film that certainly is not for everybody but it's compelling in it's own way. I give it 3 stars, 7.5/10.

And tomorrow it's time for another bow like all the other years, eleven's hour is over now the clock is striking twelve.

Dune (1984)

Where to start with Dune?

It's a wild movie. It's like if you mixed Blade Runner, Tron, and really any 80s cult sci-fi film together, and I've been hearing a lot of shit talking about it in recent days from useless hack websites who have nothing better to write about while I actually kinda liked it. Again, for a person who only got about a quarter of the way through the book I was keeping up with it, had a good time, and while there are things that were off this is by no means a bad film. Though I heard the production was a bit of a wreck and David Lynch totally disowns this film which is a shame because he took the director's chair because he saw a lot of potential, but the studio wanted a specific movie and didn't even give him final cut privileges, the only film he directed where he didn't have the final say. That's a real shame that it's such a bad memory for him cause the film is honestly decent. I hear it takes bits from all the books but mainly focuses on the first, with Paul Atreides leaving his home planet with his family to the planet Arrakis to expand the family's power and wealth only to be targeted by another family clan as Paul rises to his destiny and declares war on the entire empire controlling Arrakis. It's not a bad story, and the way it's told isn't perfect but I never had 20 questions per scene and felt the cast while giving a more film serial performance was still very good. I know a lot of people gave Kale good grief because he seemed too old for the character of Paul but he looked very young, and is easily the best actor in the film. Which is saying something when you have Patrick Stewart, Jurgen Prochnow, Sean Young, and Max Von Sydow in the same cast. Even with the performance of the utterly hammy and absurd Baron Vladimir, it looks like Kenneth McMillan is having the time of his life playing this bonkers villain to the max. The special effects and set design is really great stuff, with detailed sets, unique costuming, the sandworms look awesome, it's a very 80s looking film in every respect but I dig that kind of look. It's a very dramatized story with dramatic acting, hence why it felt very Flash Gordon to me but I hold no major grievances with it. It's decent, I liked the cast, I got the story which was very streamlined for audiences, but yeah even I was quoting lines and rocking out to the music when Paul rides the worm. So call me a fan, and I'm curious how the new film will adapt the book for better or worse. 3 stars, 7/10.

X-Men 3 The Last Stand

Do I like it better than X-Men 2? I don't know man!

You know, a lot of people give shit to this movie probably more so of, ooh you didn't adapt the comics right, more than actual shoddy production or acting. I never got it and I still don't. I can see the perspective of some people when they say nothing happened in the second movie, plot wise it was very weak, and while I see it more as a character driven movie than a plot driven movie I can't call it weak myself. But here? So much happens. The government has manufactured a cure for mutants which raises some big questions, Magneto is forming an army, Jean comes back after her Wrath Of Khan death, shit happens in this movie. People die, lines are drawn in the sand, they do the Phoenix story which I hear so much about, it does kinda feel like a true end to the X-Men series. The actors sure treat it like that with Hugh, Patrick, Ian, and even Halle giving it their all for one last bout. I gotta give Halle major credit for this movie, she came off a terrible bomb of a movie and has a very passionate, strong, and take no prisoners attitude with Storm and I for one love it. She really does improve through each movie. It's a shame Alan Cumming didn't return but in his stead we have Kelsey Grammer as Beast. Holy. F***. I am going to be publicly executed by both Marvel and DC fans alike when I say, Kelsey Grammer was better casted as Beast than Hugh Jackman as Wolverine. Yes. I said that. This is coming from a man who for all intents and purposes has fallen in love with Hugh Jackman, that massive dork. If you ask me who my favorite X-Man is, it's Beast. You wanna talk cream of the crop? Good lord, that's some good stuff right there, yeah buddy. So story and cast get check marks from me, maybe if I was hardcore into the comics I'd go ballistic over the Phoenix thing but I can roll with it, she has a split personality and literally dusts people a decade well before Thanos. Huh, there's a standoff for you, Jean Grey full destructive Phoenix mode versus Thanos with the Infinity Gauntlet. I have no clue who would win that. Any well read and informed fans out there, let me know. Effects have improved once more, they throw the cars, do the wirework, blow stuff up so props once more to the effects department. But the CG looks mostly good, with stand out moments being of course the bridge scene and seeing the metal bones under Logan's skin. Pretty good work I must say and some credit must he given for trying out new technology to de-age Patrick and Ian. Do I feel that was necessary? Nope! It was a decent trilogy, set the bar for future Marvel movies especially for Marvel team movies at that, it genuinely was cool to go back and watch them again to solidify my opinion. For this one, I'd give it 3 stars, 6.5/10, in terms of pure entertainment the second one did it all for me. And we got one more week before the rematch of the century, and I'm backing my corner full force next week.

X-Men 2

I'm not calling it X2, it's never happening.

Hot damn this was really good! I expected the quality to go up just a smidge but son of a gun, this was a really good comic book movie. Every single aspect of production, story, character, and effects have been improved significantly. Great camera work, even better performances, the story worked very well for me, I genuinely think this will be my favorite of the trilogy. So the film picks up not long after the first movie with Logan searching for answers of his past, while a military scientist named Stryker hits the X-Men hard and forces them to retaliate. Good solid story, has easily one of the best openings to any comic book movie like ever, even I'm shocked to say this but when I stack it up to opening scenes for other superhero movies it's pretty grand! It kept my interest from start to finish, never got dull, never made me ask volley after volley of questions, they did it good and they did it right. All the cast does mighty good work in this, and you might be saying well of course they do, the main cast gets to spread their wings and build upon their performances but shit man, even Alan Cumming and Brian Cox are so good in this movie. The script is leaps and bounds better than the first in terms of character interactions and plot. The action while more sparse than the first, got a rise out of me from time to time, it looks really cool whether it be Magneto busting out of prison or the standoff between Logan and Deathstrike which was a great fight and appropriate that the stakes are raised. I have got to shout out to Alan Cumming and Rebecca Romijn, oh my God. Are these actors amazing or what? Alan is effortlessly perfect as Nightcrawler, and I may or may not ship him with Storm. But Rebecca man. I almost want to say she gives the best performance in both these movies. Did she even speak a line in the first movie? She barely speaks in this but I cannot believe how great she is as this character through sheer body animation, expressive eyes, and some good attitude in her tiny bit of dialogue. It's hard to think of anyone else as Mystique besides her and God bless her for putting up with that much makeup and prosthetics. Hugh has gotten more comfortable in the role, Ian is somehow more awesome than before, Famke gets some good stuff to work with, and Brian makes a good villain. Effects were handled just as well, good balance of practical effects and improved CG, the fights may be less than expected but it really didn't bother me at all. They played their cards right, and what an improvement over a 3 year period so they had a lot of time to iron out what they wanted to do and make it proper entertaining and very good. Back when movies took time with sequels, Jesus H. Christ I feel bitter about that to be honest. But jaded perspective aside, I very much liked this movie and it was genuinely truly better than I expected. 3 stars, 7/10! The funny part is this is the least watched of the X-Men movies I've seen, it was always either the first movie on video or the third on FX back then that I watched. If I was being brutally honest, pretty sure I've seen the third the most....and that includes Logan. I apologize for that. But I'm making up for it I swear, so see you tomorrow for The Last Stand.

X-Men

This has been coming, and I couldn't think of anything else to do.

It has been probably about...12 years since I have watched any of the X-Men movies and I've only seen the first 3, plus Logan. I don't think my opinion has changed much. And I saw this movie on VHS when I was like 7 years old and had no clue what the f*** was occuring. My expansive knowledge of Marvel included the Hulk, from the TV show and the Ang Lee movie, and the Sam Raimi Spiderman movie. That's it. And you better believe I was playing 20 questions every 30 odd minutes. I was so young I had no concept of the opening scene which Jesus Christ, what a grim way to open your film. F*** me. And I think the worst part is I still have zero idea what to make of the movie. Cause it brings up a lot in it's runtime and I still have questions. The plot isn't too busy though, Logan and Rogue are thrown into this academy led by Captain Jean-Luc Picard of the USS Enterprise-D, as they learn more about Xavier, his students, and his frenemy Magneto played by the extraordinary man himself Ian McKellen. And my God the love triangle of Hugh, Patrick, and Ian is the goal of life, they have immeasurable adoration and respect for one another because of this movie series so I can never judge it too harshly. For a movie over 20 years old, and excuse me while I cry in a corner after saying that, it's not a horrible comic book movie. At the time this got a lot of praise, finally they made a live action X-Men show, oh my God I loved the 90s cartoon so this was a dream come true, it did pretty good. Does that still stand? No. But again, they were just starting off, comic book movies were in a massive decline and were oh so slowly clawing their way from the abyss, so I have to give it respect for taking a step towards the bright future where we are today. I think it's a decent adaptation of the source material, though I know little of it but I got the comic references, the actors do fine work and are commited, the effects are hit and miss but the practical usage in this movie I feel was done very well. It's not all flashy CG, you'd be surprised how much they actually do. You can tell there's wirework and breakable sets but I'd rather see that than a green screen. Do I think the sequels will improve in some ways? Oh sure. Hell I'll probably enjoy them more, maybe even give a higher score. But the first X-Men movie isn't horrible, it's a decent albeit average comic book movie that helped pave the way for better things to come. 2.5 stars, 6/10. It was weeeird seeing Hugh Jackman be skinny bollocks in the first movie, the guy has always been in good shape but he filled that role so much in the future (full pun intended), and you lord that casting choice forever over your wife Hugh, because you are too grand.

Nausicaa Of The Valley Of The Wind

For the earliest Studio Ghibli movie to my knowledge, this is a heck of a way to begin.

Nausicaa is a very good movie, a truly excellent beginning to a world renowned studio that really set the mark in terms of story, character, and overall quality for decades to come. Original to boot as well, taking place on a world slowly being infected by a poisonous forest our young Princess Nausicaa lives her life trying to save as many people as she can and is a pacifist. But trouble brews beyond the forest as several different warring kingdoms comes to her peaceful valley and Nausicaa tries to resolve the issues peacefully before her people are utterly destroyed. Now this is such an interesting movie from every conceivable aspect. The designs are incredible for this world, I like the fact that they have airplanes but the design is not so much based on birds but more insects because that's the primary source of life beyond people, that alone is fascinating to warrant lengthy discussions but there's so much more. There's tons of different design origins, I like how each kingdom has a look, one has medieval knights with guns and others look like sand nomads that's really cool! But I can safely say in such a weird fantasy world such as this our main character is what keeps us in the movie, you want to see her win, you want to see how she can overcome these odds, and no small part of that can be contributed to Alison Lohman she is absolutely fantastic! Some people again like San says she's whiny and cries at the drop of a hat, but you know as a woman that takes action as much as she does, always has a plan, is respected and treasured in her kingdom far more than anybody, I have to take those claims with a grain of salt. I would follow her until the end, into the very fires of Mordor itself, she's really fantastic! And her supporting cast adds a lot, it gets you involved and connected to this world. One of her close friends is a swordmaster played by Patrick 'The Professor' Stewart, how can you not like that?? And this guy, who is like this smarmy, slimy, underling to a queen of another kingdom may just be my favorite character! And of course he's voiced by Chris Sarandon, he was like born for such roles like this movie and The Princess Bride, everytime he was on screen my joy and love for this character grew and grew, he just friggin' cracked me up everytime! Shia LaBeouf is in this movie, and he ain't actually that bad, he does quite well in the movie. I mean really the movie can do no wrong, you get tidbits of the history of this world and it does help acclimate us and you don't even really mind because the movie doesn't need that much context. Everything is either explained or is recognizable to the viewer, so you're not lost and desperately trying to get any form of bearings. And with a movie about a princess that flies on a hang glider trying to save her kingdom from rage filled bugs and hostile weirdos in costumes, I can safely say good job!

Oh my God this took forever to find though, Studio Ghibli or perhaps Disney does not want you to rent this movie at all. They want all your money's, but through perseverance and sevral ibuprofen I did manage to find this on a anime website. You can find it easily too if you just ditch the new browsing options and go back to good old Internet Explorer. Because if life has taught me anything it's that older always has the edge over the new.

In Retrospect: Logan

I know, friggin' finally! Only took 8 years!

This is a hard ass movie to watch. Not because of the gore or the language, but I mean Jesus Christ guys this movie is depressing. Is it still a great movie? Absolutely, but by God you are sober when those credits roll. I have to admit I did not buy the blu-ray where you could watch the movie in black and white, but honestly I can just turn off the color on my tv so I know I can do it one day. But anyway, yeah. It's very fascinating going from the first X-Men movie with Logan being this wise ass, hard hitting, nigh invincible, SOB to this very broken down, very tired, slowly dying old man. I mean yeah, he still throws down and is awesome but it's painful to watch. I mean the poor guy looks like he's going to collapse just from taking a few steps and he gets all kinds of jacked up in this movie. I mean Hugh Jackman man, dude's already so lovable and just 8 different flavors of amazing, it's very hard to watch him in this movie because of how attached we've become in like what is it now, 10 years? I still can't get over that! I almost argue it's way harder watching Charles, because he's 90 years old, his mind is breaking down due to dementia, he has seizures which end up killing people. It's just a sad, sad movie to watch because of how much of a fundamental low point this movie is for these two beloved characters. And I think everyone should see this movie! This is a great character movie, I'm so proud to own it, the characters are great, the acting is what sells this movie, Dafne Keen is a walking death machine and yet I still want to squeeze her cause of how sweet she is, it's a heartbreaking conclusion to the character of Wolverine, and actually makes me want to read stories about him. I think that is the true intention of a comic book film, to get people interested in the original source material, for them to become die hard fans of a character. And you know what? I want to read Wolverine comics, because he's a great character, I'm going to miss Hugh, I love Hugh, he did perfect justice to the character, and this is his shining moment in film history. Oh sure, you could argue other movies, but this is a character he's been doing for 10 long years. So that means you get good performances and great character building because it's all done by the same guy. I miss you Hugh, we all do. I'd tell you to buy it but quite honestly, with how long it took me to get to this review you've probably already watched it about 10 times and don't even need me to ramble on so I'll just quit while I'm ahead. Tomorrow, we got another In Retrospect and I can say I am stoked for it. It's high time we get back to Angel Grove.

Logan

Screw The Shack, if you want a movie that highlights life, family, the sense of home, and the importance of helping people just go see Logan.

This is a damn good movie, highly deserving of the R rating it has, but still a good movie. Now granted I haven't seen every X-Men movie, so some things were lost on me but never once did it ruin my enjoyment of the film. So Logan has been living with Charles Xavier for several years, and they are soon in contact with another mutant named Laurel, we don't know too much about her but we learn more as the movie goes on and I thought she was awesome. She's a beast on the battlefield, and some might argue your tolerance and enjoyment of this movie hinges on this one girl, but I don't think so. She fits right in. But of course, bad guys are on her trail so Logan and the Professor need to get her to safety before she is used as a weapon against mutants and non-mutants alike. What really shocked me about the movie was not the stellar gore and action scenes but rather the more quiet moments, when Logan and Charles travel with this girl it almost seems like a family movie, it has that real heart and emotion to it and just for that alone gets two big thumbs up from me, but then you add layer after layer of story, character, action, drama, and just pure emotion that really does have you leave the theater satisfied and yet very melancholy too. Very good movie, despite the utter and not in any way possible good joke of having Deadpool at the beginning before the movie really begins. Oh God, if you left that out we wouldn't miss anything! But no! Use the Superman theme and have Ryan Reynold's ass on the screen. Just the right introduction to a surprisingly good drama with one of the best comic book characters of all time. Good job Marvel. Where's the alcohol?