Once Chaos Walking properly starts and introduces “The Noise,” it rapidly becomes an annoyance
The opening aerial shots of space are the best parts of Doug Liman’s latest sci-fi dud, Chaos Walking, a loud and obnoxious movie deemed “unreleasable” by the film’s producers and studio, which we can definitely see why. The movie quickly loses momentum once we’re introduced to Tom Holland’s protagonist, Todd Hewitt, whose internal voice is heard by everyone. Hewitt lives on a planet called New World, where the men have been affected by what’s called “The Noise,” where their internal thoughts are shared — which means they cannot lie and/or hide feelings. Women, however, were not affected by “The Noise.”…
Its action sequences will keep viewers on their toes.
In the opening sequence of Simon McQuoid’s reboot of Mortal Kombat, Hanzo Hasashi (Hiroyuki Sanada) faces against Bi-Han/Sub-Zero (Joe Taslim)’s army in a bloody matchup mixing traditional samurai action with the extreme ultraviolence of James McTeigue’s criminally underrated 2009 action flick Ninja Assassin. The fight scene lasts for several minutes and gets gorier as it lasts — setting the stage for what’s to come: a ridiculously violent action film containing the most exhilarating and over-the-top fight sequences of the year, which perfectly exalts the spirit of Ed Boon and John Tobias’ 1992 video game.
These action scenes, obviously, do not…
Zack Snyder’s Justice League fully resurrects ZSnyder’s artistic vision as one of the most daring filmmakers of our time.
*Warning: This article contains spoilers for Zack Snyder’s Justice League — though many plot points that are addressed are the same as the 2017 cut. Read at your own risk.*
Few filmmakers have caused such vivid comic-book fan discussions as Zack Snyder. His DCEU films, Man of Steel and Batman v. Superman: Dawn of Justice, were responsible for many heated debates amongst the DC community. Man of Steel challenged viewers by presenting Kal-El/Superman (Henry Cavill) as a brand-new iteration of the Son of God — until Batman v. …
While many aspects are underwritten, WandaVision is still hugely entertaining, thanks to its masterful performances.
*Warning: This article contains major plot spoilers for WandaVision. Read at your own risk.*
Marvel Studios finally makes its return after one year of content setbacks with its “first” television series: WandaVision — whose initial premise of mixing the styles and aesthetics of different sitcom eras to the grandiose spectacle of Marvel Cinematic Universe films seemed like a great idea. In one area, they succeeded brilliantly in creating something truly daring and, dare I say, different from what we’ve seen before, done time and again in their movies. In another, WandaVision replicates the facile formula of Marvel Studios whilst adding…
Music furthers the proof that Hollywood does not care about proper autistic representation
In Ben Stiller’s Tropic Thunder, actor Tugg Speedman (played by Stiller) starred in a film called Simple Jack, in which he portrayed a mentally challenged protagonist in the hopes of winning an Oscar. The “film” was lambasted by critics, as Simple Jack’s neurotypical portrayal was filled with ableist stereotypes. However, this was satire—a parody. Offensive, yes, but a parody nonetheless, which exposed how Hollywood doesn’t care about neurotypical actors offending the autistic community if the film in question contains an A-lister as its star.
In Sia’s feature directorial debut, Music, every stereotype satirized in Tropic Thunder is used to create…
“Solipsistic” is a word uttered in Sam Levinson’s Malcolm & Marie, when hotshot filmmaker Malcolm Elliott (John David Washington) describes his girlfriend, Marie (Zendaya), after bickering on whether or not she liked his movie. The most basic definition of “solipsistic,” according to Merriam-Webster, is the following:
of, relating to, or characterized by solipsism or extreme egocentricity.
Let’s dig a little deeper and find out, together, what solipsism means (once again, according to Merriam-Webster):
a theory holding that the self can know nothing but its own modifications and that the self is the only existent thing
also : extreme egocentrism
“Extreme…
Minari succeeds at telling a brilliant, awe-inspiring story of how our commitment can lead to great success and a better quality of life.
“Wonderful wonderful Minari wonderful” are words sung by one of the Minari’s central characters, David (Alan S. Kim), as his grandmother teaches him (Youn Yuh-jung) how incredible of a plant minari is. Those were also words I spoke when the end credits appeared. Lee Isaac Chung’s Minari was truly a wonderful (wonderful) experience on the resilience of the human spirit and is, in my opinion, the best film of the 2020–2021 awards season.
Minari follows the Yi family as they move from California to Arkansas in the 1980s. The father, Jacob (Steven Yeun), hopes to pursue his own version of…
Endless potential wasted.
Picture this: a heist-comedy, set during the COVID-19 lockdown, made by one of the most versatile filmmakers working today, with two * excellent* actors in the lead roles, accompanied by a robust supporting cast; how could it not work? The answer’s simple: if you spend the first NINETY MINUTES of a 118-minute film moping around in an apartment complaining about lockdown instead of…I dunno…doing a heist film in the vein of Steven Soderbergh’s Ocean’s 11?
Doug Liman’s Locked Down fails to assess the untapped potential of a heist film set during the most unprecedented times, where humans are now making…
Not worth paying $30 to watch it in 4K or an HBO Max subscription.
*Warning: This piece contains spoilers. Read at your own risk.*
Remember the sequence in Richard Lester’s Superman III, where Gus Gorman (Richard Pryor) gives to the titular character (Christopher Reeve) a tar-laced Kryptonite and splits his personality in two, rendering the “good” side of Superman powerless? …
The future of Star Wars is on the small screen.
*Warning: Spoilers Ahead*
During the first episode of the latest season of The Mandalorian, the titular character (played by Pedro Pascal), with the aid of Cobb Vanth (Timothy Olyphant), fight a Krayt Dragon in Tatooine. The entire sequence is presented in an IMAX-like aspect ratio, with superb special effects and fantastic action direction — setting the stage for what’s to come; a season filled with spectacular action kinetics and fun side quests lacking in purpose.
The Mandalorian’s first season had the same problem. Dazzling moments stand out above its non-existent story, too busy trying to stick so much fan-service out…
Maxance Vincent
I currently study film and rant, from time to time, on provincial politics.
