John Wick: Chapter 2

Now I'm very very interested to see where this goes.

Does the sequel surpass the first? Well it's much of the same but with a lot of new stuff in it as well. I feel the driving force of the movie was stronger in the first, you were with John every step of the way, sons of bitches stole his car and killed his dog. You wanted them dead, you wanted their families dead, you wanted their house burned to the ground! But in this one after a bit of time has passed since the first movie, John is contacted by an old peer who has come to collect on a debt, but doing so would flip the criminal organization of the world upside down and John is trying to put his past behind him. But old debts get settled, and our Mr. Wick finds himself on the run. What I enjoyed more in this one than the first, is how much time is given to John trying to just put everything behind him, he's squared away after the last movie and is trying to bury his blood stained past and move on to a better life, but as soon as he's out they pull him back in, and it sucks because you really want him to have a good life. Beyond that though it was nice seeing Ian McShane and Lance Reddick back, I always enjoy seeing them and I really do love their characters, the action is still kept up at a very good pace I mean you're flying through this movie without even realizing it, the story is still simple though I will admit not as good as the first. Don't get me wrong, I still like the movie, it's a solid good movie! But it isn't better than the first, and yet the new additions are nice. More worldbuilding is always a plus, we travel to new locations, some great visuals are sprinkled throughout particularly the final shootout. And for some reason the henchwoman of the villain in this movie, played by Ruby Rose, is infinitely more interesting and cool than our main antagonist, I can't explain it she's just cool, she's like the female Oddjob minus the steel rimmed hat, I like the fact she speaks through sign language and is always on the heels of John, I just greatly enjoyed her in this movie! And there's one scene, I can't really spoil it but it kinda hit me man, it was quiet, slightly sad, and even a bit powerful. It just really grabbed me and reminded me of another instance in the James Bond series, but I'll leave that for you to decipher which. Good movie, I more enjoyed it for what it's setting up in the third movie than the plot of this one, but everything is done just as well and I really did like it and enjoy it. So will the 3rd movie be the best and cap off this well made trilogy? Guess we'll find out soon.

John Wick

I can see why people liked it.

John Wick is good ol' 70s revenge flick done with the modern cinematography of any finely made film. Our man John is a retired hitman and living his life, he sadly loses his wife to an illness and soon owns a little pup. But some jackass russians done f***ed up, trash his place, steal his car, and kill his puppy! That's like rule #4, you can butcher people wholesale and we don't give a shit but you can never kill a pet, because humans suck and pets are awesome. But aside from that, I really liked it but honestly you think people would have you believe this film is the second coming of Christ. I heard not one even slightly average word about this movie, it is a glowingly reviewed movie from audiences and probably even critics and I don't get it. It's a finely made film, it looks excellent, it's got a good budget, good actors, a simple but still effective story, and some pretty great action. I don't deny that I enjoyed it and think it's a good movie but what did other people see to make them go full out, "OH MY GOD THIS IS THE GREATEST MOVIE I'VE EVER SEEN IN MY LIFE!"? The story in all it's aspects, plot, dialogue, character, and the world they built is really damn good. I think Keanu Reeves did a fine job and acts well, I can tell what he feels from facial expressions and believe every bit of the movie building him up as this absurdly good hitman. I love the world they build, anyone can watch the movie and follow it great, you fully understand who everyone is and where they fit into this story, and with little dialogue there's no need for exposition, they can tell you everything visually and that's just good directing. And yeah the dialogue is small, but it's used effectively and doesn't waste time, you can immediately recognize and understand the relationships between these various characters with no backstory ever required. How many times can you say that about a movie? There's no newbie who's new to this game and has to have everything explained, you roll with it quickly and easily. That's something very strongly appreciated and admired in my book. I'm curious to see what happens next in the sequel before the possibly final chapter hits this Friday so until next time be good people.

Detective Pikachu

You win this round Ryan...

Thankfully Detective Pikachu didn't suck. I could even tell it was going to be a good movie before the title, not only did they have a great japanese calligraphy titles, though still in english but Legendary and my boy Toho worked on this movie! Awwww yeah! And it was good, it's a fun little movie to take your kids too, I was shocked to see a lot of older people there and I ain't talking 2 to 5 years older than me, I mean I saw a couple with no kiddos and they looked in their late 30s. That's friggin' awesome, that is love and dedication! But I also saw the people of my generation bring their kids to see it and I thought that was so cool. They even gave me a pack of Pokemon cards at the theater for being there opening day, can you even get more rad than that?? No. So the movie follows a young man named Tim who is given the unfortunate news of his father's supposed death but is swayed to help a Pikachu who can actually speak english and be understood only by Tim. So they team up and try to discover what happened to his pop, and adventure and hi-jinx ensue! I like our main character, he's a reluctant main character but not annoyingly so, he has a lot of family baggage and is just trying his best to uncover the truth. I didn't hate Ryan Reynolds surprisingly, he wasn't annoying and brought some heart to the role, and was even a teensy bit cute but I blame that on the design. If there was one little bugging me problem, there's this character who's been following the crime of Tim's dad and helps out with the investigation, and....she wasn't that great a character. And I know what they were trying to do, they were trying to do a Misty, a no nonsense, emotionally charged, talkative, and kinda bossy girl that tags along with our main character who has some Ash qualities about him. But it didn't work, there was no firm grip on this character and what they wanted to do with her, and it isn't the actresses fault she plays it well, her character was just all over the place. But what very small grievance I take with that gets washed away with the world building, I love this world! The designs are great, these are real sets, they got great lighting with the bright signs yet still look fully set in the real world. The Pokemon designs are great, they look as if they existed, not so much the graphics but the physicality of them, Pikachu is this ball of fuzz and electricity, Charizard is this scaly lizard that breathes fire, Snorlax looks like the most comfy bed in the existence of ever, and I think the CG is not supposed to look real and that it is supposed to look otherworldly and different, they did such a good job! I also like how they integrate the world of Pokemon into the realism, there's no identical looking Nurse Joy's or over the top beloved Team Rocket plans, people have Pokemon companions and work together, the police force has Growlithe's as police dogs, the firefighters have a squad of Squirttle, just little touches like that help the immersion of this world. I also like how the movie has twists and misdirects, you're not just seeing a longer version of the trailer, that was what I was worried about most. But it was avoided and you get a fun movie for the family to go see and rent or buy in the future, and I swear the ending credits are almost worth the price of admission with glorious music and stylized illustrations. It's just good stuff all around, and I just remembered one more little nitpick I had, they could have had better voices for certain Pokemon. They got the same voice actress who's done Pikachu's boice since the beginning Ikue Otani in the movie, but Psyduck isn't the same and Mewtwo didn't have that deep great voice like in the first movie. Why? It's such a shame we couldn't hear them again but like I said it's a nitpick. Good movie, needs more Snorlax, 7/10!

Ace Attorney

Yeah I probably would have loved this movie as a kid.

I can totally see 9 year old me watching this on Starz or Encore back in the day and it was made in 2012! Remember how in Street Fighter I brought up how there were undoubtedly going to be differences of the translation from game to film? Yeah, this goes above and beyond. Ace Attorney based on one of the most popular visual novel series if not THE most popular, widely loved and acclaimed Nintendo DS series, got a full live action treatment straight from the motherland itself. I think the japanese are better at this than the americans. It's kind of a difficult film to describe, because it's based off of one of the most colorful, fun, endearing, and loved video game series in the world, and yet it juggles the absurd with live action realism. If you look up any character design that is showcased in the movie (with one or two exceptions, looking at you Redd White you Snape looking bastard) there is so very little changed. They make anime styled hair look completely realistic, and keep very true to each character's personalities and traits. The movie even follows individual stories from the games, and I played them but kinda forgot how everything went down so I was invested and didn't see everything coming. It makes you think critically of evidence, and pay attention to testimony, you really play attorney and I love it! And I love the fact they can be absolutely and shamelessly goofy, yet still can tell a serious story and play it mostly straight faced, it's such a thin tightrope to walk but I think they did a great job. Also surprising pick for the director, now if you aren't very familair with foreign films, specifically japanese films the name Takashi Miike doesn't mean much, but if you have a great interest in all genres of film and a love for films outside your own country then you know Takashi Miike makes some pretty screwed up stuff. He makes very unsettling and often horrifying films, like Audition and Ichi The Killer which are considered some hardcore horror even to monster fans of the genre who can stomach anything, so to get a masterpiece director of psychological horror to helm a movie based off a kid's video game series is about as random as say, Walt Disney directing a film like Schindler's List, it just seems bizarre. But it works! It maintains the spirit of the games while still adding it's own unique touches here and there. And I cannot more strongly recomend Suede's review of this movie, it gives you more information and no doubt more entertainment, the guy makes me laugh to beat the band. The only truly bad part of the movie is you can't really own it, if you live in Australia, New Zealand, Germany, or of course Japan then good news you can buy it now! Other than that.....nope, just try to find it online. That's a bit rubbish if you ask me, but it's worth watching if you want to see an example of video game movies done right, or just a fan of the games. I wanted to do a week of video game movies before Detective Pikachu because it's fun to talk about and I never saw either this movie or Street Fighter before so it was something new and fun. Until Friday my friends!

Street Fighter The Movie

Yep we gotta do some video game movies before Detective Pikachu.

I'm gonna be honest I don't know much about Street Fighter. I know a bit, I recognize characters and some of their traits, a handful of moves, and other things I've absorbed from pop culture. So when I decided to sit down and watch this movie I didn't know what to expect but I had a blast guys! This movie, to an absolute newbie to the franchise is really dang good. But why? Well I think a big part of it comes down to not being familiar with the games so I can't go all fanboy rage if something isn't adapted correctly. I know about Mortal Kombat and how the movie isn't a perfect adaptation, so it's a liberty I don't have here. But screw it, I really enjoyed this movie! Granted you don't get non-stop hand to hand combat but you get decent fights, and strangely enough though the movie is close to 2 hours it feels short. By the time the movie begins it feels like 30 minutes of buildup have been dropped and we're right in the preparing phases where our hero Guile is after the villainously brilliant General M. Bison who's taken hostages and put up a $20 billion dollar ransom. And believe me, I have no issue saying the only reason I wanted to see this movie was because of Raul Julia who plays M. Bison, and I think it's very sweet that this was a role he took for his kids and the film is even in memory of him. He gets lots of screentime, great lines, plays it so absurd it's actually genius, and looks like he's enjoying every last bit of it. The reason you watch this movie other than being a hardcore fan is because of Raul Julia. Van Damme on the other hand plays Guile very straightforward and I'm just gonna say it, bland. Also, good thing I watch movies with subtitles all the time, because I know I would be scratching my head at some of his lines! Plus though my knowledge of Street Fighter is lacking, I can tell they threw in a lot of characters, almost too many even because they don't get a lot of time and they have fun and colorful personalities so you want to see more. It's a no win scenario I know, you either have too few characters and people complain about the roster or you have too many with not enough time for them all, it sucks and no format can do it justice besides the video game. But they do fine, they got good fun actors for these crazy parts, the sets are nice, the action though sparse is good, and surprisingly it's really damn funny! I was shocked how much I was laughing at this, they got good funny dialogue, most of it more subdued comedy than actual attempts at jokes, just keep your ears open and you'll hear it. So yeah, Street Fighter is a pretty good movie and I was shocked to see not even a 4/10 star rating on IMDB, I mean it wasn't that bad! I enjoyed it, I'd probably watch it again, I can certainly recommend it for a fun movie night with a group of friends! Yeah, big thumbs up for Street Fighter The Movie from me!

And next time we go straight to Japan for our next adaptation of an acclaimed and beloved video game franchise.

Black Klansman

I had no idea how to properly write the title, I'm sorry.

I'm not gonna lie, I got real choked up at the end. Spike Lee did an exceptionally great job with this movie, though I will freely admit I haven't seen many of his movies and I will continue to see more in the future but it's gonna be hard to top this one. Now I know I say that a lot, and am often proven wrong a lot but is that really a bad thing? I didn't know this was based on Ron Stallworth's actual biography on a case he worked, when I heard a story about a young black man joining the police force in the 1970s and starts an investigation into the KKK, I was pretty much hooked! Then you add some drama, really good comedy, ffffflippin' fantastic actors and an acclaimed director, and there was no doubt in my mind about seeing it. I must say I feel really damn bad not seeing it in theaters, I don't know if I was busy or what but now that it's died down a bit before the big summer rush I decided it was hight time to see this movie. It is amazing. The shots look so good though to my knowledge it's shot on film, could be wrong stay tuned to find out if I'm wrong, I love the editing, I love the film references from Gone With The Wind to Shaft and how they're used, it's just a great movie. And as with all great movies it does have something to say, and it is an admirable thing to say as well. I really wouldn't be surprised if people called this a spiritual succesor to Blazing Saddles with it's mockery of absolutely absurd racism but it does it with a lot more drama, yes the film is funny but it's about the story and characters first. John David Washington is a great lead and I really would love to see more of him, Adam Driver is awesome as always, and Laura Harrier gives an intense but still highly enjoyable performance. It's more details that I love more than anything, there is this undercurrent of humor in scenes especially if someone's on the phone or they do a split screen edit cause the more you listen and think about it, it's absolute perfection. I love how it brings up the fact that with any form of protest or movement, there's going to be more militant and hard pressing individuals but also how others can talk and inspire yet neither is really the tight choice. You need to be diplomatic yet also ready to take action, wise yet powerful, that peace is not weakness and strength is not the solution. When you are both, then you posess the true qualities of a leader. And the fact the movie has no qualms, no quarter, no hesitation to adress the fact that such a thing as horrible as racism must be continued to be fought even to this day, tomorrow, and in the future because it still exists in frightening forms today must be admired. And I for one believe in all power for all people who are good, and kind, and decent, and loving.

The Mule

Pretty damn good.

I gotta tell you I'm not usually one for crime movies, or heist movies, or what have you, because all it comes down for at the end for me is do they get caught or do they make it out? Now you might be saying but Dude the story isn't the important thing because there's hardly ever any surprises in a crime movie so it's more about the acting and the characters. And you are absolutely right. You already get a great actor and director to helm the movie then you add talent upon talent and that is what makes the movie interesting. It's such a different light to see Clint Eastwood in a grandpa type role, sure he can be gruff and crack a wiseass joke, but he's actually really nice and incredibly likeable! So story wise, an old man who has spent too much of his life with work and not family, is given the opportunity to be a drug mule for a cartel and he uses the money to help out his friends, family, and other people. On the other end of the spectrum we have Bradley Cooper who is given the assignment to bust the drug cartel, and it's Bradley Cooper he always does fine work. If that sort of movie interests you and you want to see Clint Eastwood in another great role this is definitely a rental or even a buy, he knows how to direct and tell a story and because of the characters we are invested in the story. It's very well shot, has drama, has humor, and a good spirit of altruism! So obviously you got good writing, great actors, a fine director, and it turns out to be a pretty good movie! And I'm interested to see what Clint will do next, the last movie he was in was Trouble With The Curve, another good movie of his which you should check out, and that was six years ago. So I am very curious to see what comes next, and I know this was an odd choice (and short but if the 90s taught me anything it's WYSIWYG) but different ain't always bad, I can tell you that right now and we have another recent movie I've been wanting to check out so until next time!