MILD SPOILERS.
I liked 'Batman v. Superman' more than a lot of people. But when I saw the theatrical version, I thought the storyline was a bit choppy. The scene where Superman survives a bomb blast and then (in that version) just flies away afterwards was the most insulting deviation from an established character that I had seen since the Ninja Turtles became hulking monstrosities.
But then, they came out with a longer version on DVD, which was WAY better. There was a subplot where Clark Kent was doing some hardnosed investigative journalism, a side of him we don't see very often. The action scenes were longer and better, as was the bathtub scene, which my wife enjoyed. Oh, and Superman actually helps to pull people out of the fire after that bomb went off. I wondered why Warner Brothers would make the producers of this film shorten it. What's wrong with a 3-hour superhero epic about these two (sorry, Wonder Woman...three) iconic characters? Why did Superman's "cat out of a tree" (Senators out of a hearing?) moment end up on the cutting room floor?
Well, right before 'Justice League' came out, there was an online rumor that WB wanted the producers to cut JL down to two hours or less. BVS was cut down to two and a half hours and that movie only had the two main characters. Why would they want JL to be two hours or less when most of their six superhero cast had not been established in other films the way that their esteemed competition did with The Avengers?
Well, whatever the reason, the movie suffers for it. And online rumors tell us that there is no longer DVD cut this time. All the actors are great in their respective roles, but the story is choppier than that first version of BVS. Partially because they had to introduce all these characters in this way-too-short film. I loved the scene where Aquaman goes home to Atlantis, but it would have made way more sense if we actually knew more about it, either from a longer version of this film or the Aquaman solo film being released first. It could have been like a wetter Asgard. (Try saying that out loud without laughing.) The Flash and Cyborg were awesome as characters, with Flash being my favorite. But, they should have taken a page out of Marvel's playbook and given them solo flicks first. It makes their roles in this seem too quick and "well, that was cool, but..."
The subject of autism is one close to my heart and the scene where The Flash talks about how everything around him is too slow for his brain sparked my interest like the speed force lightning that shoots off of him when he runs.. There are some clever references to how fast Flash is compared to Superman and a cameo by a character (group?) who would have been in this movie more if a Ryan Reynolds movie didn't ruin him in the public eye years ago.. There are a few great character moments and some good chemistry between a few of the characters, but the story doesn't engage you enough to care about any of it. It made me want to watch the 2000's animated series again, as it had better versions of all of these characters (except for Cyborg, who was a Teen Titan back then.) This movie made me hope that 'Avengers: Infinity War' is a 3-hour superhero epic so that someone can show WB/DC how it's done.
2.5 Halls of Justice out of 5.
For more inspired lunacy, check out Turtle Rocket Books.
Thursday, December 14, 2017
Sunday, November 12, 2017
Thor: Ragnarok REVIEW
There is not a moment in this movie where you will not be able to hear Marvel executives in the back of your mind discussing how much money 'Guardians of the Galaxy' made.
"Yeah, let's make it more like that."
"I mean, they're both in the same universe and they're both in space."
"And we have to set up Thanos' Death...girlfriend...person for 'Avengers: Infinity War' anyway..."
Much has been made in other reviews of how much funnier this movie is than the other two Thor films, or his portrayal in the two 'Avengers' movies. Thor has always been sort of funny. He's funny in that dry sort of way, where he is in an environment that he is unfamiliar with and comments on something that he finds odd or doesn't understand.
So, part of the humor in this film comes from Thor being in crazy situations and reacting to them. And the situations, characters and the planet he's on are much crazier in this film than in the others. But, admittedly, the writers of this movie did make him a bit more of a quipster than he was n previous films. But not so much that he isn't the same character. He's just been hanging around with Tony Stark too much and some of his humor rubbed off on "Point Break".
And that humor, both from Thor himself and from surrounding characters, is what makes 'Thor: Ragnarok' an enormous leap from the dull second movie. And the story. No longer is Thor pining over Jane Foster. Her character's absence is reduced to one line where a side character says "sorry Jane dumped you". Thor is back to his role as a warrior of Asgard. Picking up from one of the more interesting aspects of the second film, Loki has been taking Odin's place as king of Asgard and has been involved in some pretty extensive propaganda to make himself (his "son" Loki) out to be a hero of the 2nd film. Thor makes quick work of that before the villain (Thor's sister and Thanos' boo Hela) shows up and destroys his beloved hammer, as shown in the trailers.
After an extensive, funny, engaging prologue that ends with both Thor (without his hammer) and Loki on a planet ruled by the villainous Grandmaster (played by a flamboyant Jeff Goldblum), the movie turns into a buddy comedy between Thor and Bruce Banner/The Hulk. Thor has great chemistry with both Bruce Banner and his green CGI alter ego (both played brilliantly again by Mark Ruffalo) as they attempt to get off the Grandmaster's planet and back to Asgard to save it from destruction from Hela. Along the way, they form a small team as a drunken fellow Asgardian named Valkyrie is thrown into the mix.
This movie very much feels like 'GOTG' as far as the balance between an exciting sci-fi story and the humor goes. Thor is not as quippy as Peter Quill in GOTG, but he is surrounded by funny characters including Korg, a rock creature played by the director himself and Goldblum's funny showman, the Grandmaster. I personally liked the first Thor, as it was a story about humility, but after the second one, a new direction was welcome and this was a good way to handle that. Thor losing his hammer was a great opportunity for the character to grow as a person and if Marvel wants to make me laugh at the same time, that is fine by me.
There are lots of great little nods to previous and future MCU movies for the fans to dissect and some good cameos. All the acting is top shelf. Tom Hiddleston is always great as Loki. Cate Blanchett is great as well, providing some contrasting moodiness and some dark humor whenever the scene cuts away from Grandmaster's technicolor Flash Gordon-ish planet to her. But, the common complaint about Marvel movie villains just being there so the hero can fight them in the third act is true here and its the movie's one minor flaw. Yes, comic book fans realize that they had to set up Death as a character for Thanos' role in future films. So, she needs to be there and her performance is good. But you will be far more interested in following Thor, Hulk and company around.
4 lightning bolts out of 5.
Check out Turtle Rocket Books for more engaging sci-fi from the mind of a mildly-autistic man-child.
"Yeah, let's make it more like that."
"I mean, they're both in the same universe and they're both in space."
"And we have to set up Thanos' Death...girlfriend...person for 'Avengers: Infinity War' anyway..."
Much has been made in other reviews of how much funnier this movie is than the other two Thor films, or his portrayal in the two 'Avengers' movies. Thor has always been sort of funny. He's funny in that dry sort of way, where he is in an environment that he is unfamiliar with and comments on something that he finds odd or doesn't understand.
So, part of the humor in this film comes from Thor being in crazy situations and reacting to them. And the situations, characters and the planet he's on are much crazier in this film than in the others. But, admittedly, the writers of this movie did make him a bit more of a quipster than he was n previous films. But not so much that he isn't the same character. He's just been hanging around with Tony Stark too much and some of his humor rubbed off on "Point Break".
And that humor, both from Thor himself and from surrounding characters, is what makes 'Thor: Ragnarok' an enormous leap from the dull second movie. And the story. No longer is Thor pining over Jane Foster. Her character's absence is reduced to one line where a side character says "sorry Jane dumped you". Thor is back to his role as a warrior of Asgard. Picking up from one of the more interesting aspects of the second film, Loki has been taking Odin's place as king of Asgard and has been involved in some pretty extensive propaganda to make himself (his "son" Loki) out to be a hero of the 2nd film. Thor makes quick work of that before the villain (Thor's sister and Thanos' boo Hela) shows up and destroys his beloved hammer, as shown in the trailers.
After an extensive, funny, engaging prologue that ends with both Thor (without his hammer) and Loki on a planet ruled by the villainous Grandmaster (played by a flamboyant Jeff Goldblum), the movie turns into a buddy comedy between Thor and Bruce Banner/The Hulk. Thor has great chemistry with both Bruce Banner and his green CGI alter ego (both played brilliantly again by Mark Ruffalo) as they attempt to get off the Grandmaster's planet and back to Asgard to save it from destruction from Hela. Along the way, they form a small team as a drunken fellow Asgardian named Valkyrie is thrown into the mix.
This movie very much feels like 'GOTG' as far as the balance between an exciting sci-fi story and the humor goes. Thor is not as quippy as Peter Quill in GOTG, but he is surrounded by funny characters including Korg, a rock creature played by the director himself and Goldblum's funny showman, the Grandmaster. I personally liked the first Thor, as it was a story about humility, but after the second one, a new direction was welcome and this was a good way to handle that. Thor losing his hammer was a great opportunity for the character to grow as a person and if Marvel wants to make me laugh at the same time, that is fine by me.
There are lots of great little nods to previous and future MCU movies for the fans to dissect and some good cameos. All the acting is top shelf. Tom Hiddleston is always great as Loki. Cate Blanchett is great as well, providing some contrasting moodiness and some dark humor whenever the scene cuts away from Grandmaster's technicolor Flash Gordon-ish planet to her. But, the common complaint about Marvel movie villains just being there so the hero can fight them in the third act is true here and its the movie's one minor flaw. Yes, comic book fans realize that they had to set up Death as a character for Thanos' role in future films. So, she needs to be there and her performance is good. But you will be far more interested in following Thor, Hulk and company around.
4 lightning bolts out of 5.
Check out Turtle Rocket Books for more engaging sci-fi from the mind of a mildly-autistic man-child.
Thursday, November 2, 2017
FREE CONTENT: other ways to get reviews
There is a website called Smashwords where indie authors post their work. One thing that I like about them is that they allow you to post short stories for free a lot easier than Amazon does. For obvious reasons, more people will read free books. And then, if they like your style, they check out the stuff they have to pay a few bucks to download.
I have found that I get more reviews on free books as well, which is obvious if more people are reading them. And good reviews draw people to the book. My practice is that I will take a chapter of a book that I am working on that works as a short story unto itself (that happens a lot in my work, as I am trying to introduce a character and the whole chapter ends up working as a short story) and I will post the short story on Smashwords for free. And if people want to read the whole thing, I post an ad for it on the last page of the story.
Here are some links to some of my free content. Feel free to leave reviews. Thank you.
Time Travel Police Corruption
Detective Aileen Buckman has just uncovered a terrible secret, about corruption among her superiors in the Time Travel Police Department. How will she expose this diabolical plot without getting...erased...by the corrupt leader of the TTPD and his ruthless mob confidant?
Trans-Species
Jason Jacobs has an autistic daughter who identifies with lizards better than people. Jason finds it unusual when their pediatrician suggests that she take lizard hormones to feel comfortable in her not-yet-scaly skin. But why would Jason's wife be in favor of such a radical procedure in the first place? And what does her past as an activist have to do with her unorthodox choice?
Slurptooth
An alien prince battles a space slug that only gets stronger when it feeds on the selfishness, fear and hatred on the planets it consumes.
Nebb Tuk
Nebb Tuk is a down on his luck musician who gets the biggest offer of his life, to perform on a TV show that showcases mutants like him. But will he take the money and fame he is being offered or view the show itself as pandering to those who are different?
I have found that I get more reviews on free books as well, which is obvious if more people are reading them. And good reviews draw people to the book. My practice is that I will take a chapter of a book that I am working on that works as a short story unto itself (that happens a lot in my work, as I am trying to introduce a character and the whole chapter ends up working as a short story) and I will post the short story on Smashwords for free. And if people want to read the whole thing, I post an ad for it on the last page of the story.
Here are some links to some of my free content. Feel free to leave reviews. Thank you.
Time Travel Police Corruption
Detective Aileen Buckman has just uncovered a terrible secret, about corruption among her superiors in the Time Travel Police Department. How will she expose this diabolical plot without getting...erased...by the corrupt leader of the TTPD and his ruthless mob confidant?
Trans-Species
Jason Jacobs has an autistic daughter who identifies with lizards better than people. Jason finds it unusual when their pediatrician suggests that she take lizard hormones to feel comfortable in her not-yet-scaly skin. But why would Jason's wife be in favor of such a radical procedure in the first place? And what does her past as an activist have to do with her unorthodox choice?
Slurptooth
An alien prince battles a space slug that only gets stronger when it feeds on the selfishness, fear and hatred on the planets it consumes.
Nebb Tuk
Nebb Tuk is a down on his luck musician who gets the biggest offer of his life, to perform on a TV show that showcases mutants like him. But will he take the money and fame he is being offered or view the show itself as pandering to those who are different?
Tuesday, October 31, 2017
wrapping my head around alien characters
A lot of times, when I come up with an idea for an alien/mutant/otherwise weird-looking character, I draw them first. The purpose of the drawing is not to use it in the book, as I don't draw that well and my art is far from professional. The purpose is to make it easier for me to picture the character when I am writing. Hopefully, the character will look/feel realistic to the reader when he/she is reading the novel, but the crude drawing helps me wrap my head around what they look like.
So, for this post, I would like to share some of my favorite crude drawings of characters that ended up in my books in some form or another.
Enjoy. And check out Turtle Rocket Books
So, for this post, I would like to share some of my favorite crude drawings of characters that ended up in my books in some form or another.
Enjoy. And check out Turtle Rocket Books
The best review I ever got.
Of course, reviews are very important to an indie author who sells their work online.
I have gotten a few. Mostly positive. This is my favorite. What makes it even more special is that it is a review for my favorite one of my books The Inter-Terrestrial. It can be found beneath my book's listing on Amazon. Click here to see.
Review:
The Inter-Terrestrial is a science fiction novel, but within this book are current themes regarding discrimination and prejudice. Chad Descouteaux writes smoothly and his writing reads as that of an author who has worked on his novel and concepts for quite a long time.
I found it very interesting how in this book humans were deemed as inferior, which was rather brilliant. So many times humans see themselves as the upper class in terms of other species and beings,but by putting them at the bottom of the galactic food chain, Descoteaux opened up a new dialogue for readers to discuss our place in the galaxy. He also presented prejudice in a new way that allows science fiction fans to understand the concept in the format of a genre they admire. I thought that Descoteaux’s writing was knowledgeable and original and I thoroughly enjoyed his work. His novel is not only appropriate for science fiction fans, but for anyone who enjoys books that discuss prejudice and the crisis that is currently a major issue within our society. I love seeing so many novels examine this conflict and Descouteaux has written a novel that I feel is original and stands out in his chosen genre. I urge anyone who likes science fiction to read this novel as it is easy to understand and enjoy, and I have to say that it is one of the better novels that I have reviewed recently.
I hope that Descoteaux continues to write, because I would love to read more of his work and more about his stance on different topics.
I have gotten a few. Mostly positive. This is my favorite. What makes it even more special is that it is a review for my favorite one of my books The Inter-Terrestrial. It can be found beneath my book's listing on Amazon. Click here to see.
Review:
The Inter-Terrestrial is a science fiction novel, but within this book are current themes regarding discrimination and prejudice. Chad Descouteaux writes smoothly and his writing reads as that of an author who has worked on his novel and concepts for quite a long time.
I found it very interesting how in this book humans were deemed as inferior, which was rather brilliant. So many times humans see themselves as the upper class in terms of other species and beings,but by putting them at the bottom of the galactic food chain, Descoteaux opened up a new dialogue for readers to discuss our place in the galaxy. He also presented prejudice in a new way that allows science fiction fans to understand the concept in the format of a genre they admire. I thought that Descoteaux’s writing was knowledgeable and original and I thoroughly enjoyed his work. His novel is not only appropriate for science fiction fans, but for anyone who enjoys books that discuss prejudice and the crisis that is currently a major issue within our society. I love seeing so many novels examine this conflict and Descouteaux has written a novel that I feel is original and stands out in his chosen genre. I urge anyone who likes science fiction to read this novel as it is easy to understand and enjoy, and I have to say that it is one of the better novels that I have reviewed recently.
I hope that Descoteaux continues to write, because I would love to read more of his work and more about his stance on different topics.
Sunday, October 29, 2017
the book that made me want to write stuff
SPOILERS for the 'My Teacher is an Alien' series ahead.
Probably the first book that intrigued me enough to say "I wanna do that" was 'My Teacher is an Alien' by Bruce Coville. I must have been in elementary school at the time. The first book in what became a four-book series was about a girl who stuck up for the nerdy kid and later needed his help to get to the bottom of an alien invasion plot. I knew a girl like Susan who would stick up for kids getting picked on. And, yes, I related to shy Peter. But it was the first time that I had seen that sort of a marriage between weird sci-fi elements and relatable characters. The kids in that book were a little older than me at the time, but I still related to strict teachers, tests and the seating arrangements in the cafeteria in the middle of a larger sci-fi plot.
I remember how psyched I was when I was walking through Walden Books at the Lincoln Mall in Rhode Island and I realized that there was a sequel, 'My Teacher Fried My Brains' centered around Duncan, the bully kid from the first book. I remember laughing a lot more with that book, as Duncan would always argue with his brother and they would hit each other. I never had a sibling, but I had friends that I would roughhouse with, so that was age appropriate for me at the time. But the thing that intrigued me about the first book, the weird alien stuff...there was a lot more of it in the second. And the third. And the fourth. Especially in the third and fourth, where most of it took place out in space and we met more aliens. That combination of relatable characters that grounds the weird stuff stuck with me and found its way into my writing when I would actually start writing, taking it seriously years later.
And then, the Ninja Turtles became popular. Relatable teenage characters who, like me, love pizza. But they're giant turtles who know kung fu. And their dad's a giant rat. It was a perfect storm of the things that inspired me about Bruce Coville's books. I don't know if 'My Teacher is an Alien' is still in print, but you can check out a book that was largely inspired by Bruce Covillle's work (and for a slightly older audience) here.
Probably the first book that intrigued me enough to say "I wanna do that" was 'My Teacher is an Alien' by Bruce Coville. I must have been in elementary school at the time. The first book in what became a four-book series was about a girl who stuck up for the nerdy kid and later needed his help to get to the bottom of an alien invasion plot. I knew a girl like Susan who would stick up for kids getting picked on. And, yes, I related to shy Peter. But it was the first time that I had seen that sort of a marriage between weird sci-fi elements and relatable characters. The kids in that book were a little older than me at the time, but I still related to strict teachers, tests and the seating arrangements in the cafeteria in the middle of a larger sci-fi plot.
I remember how psyched I was when I was walking through Walden Books at the Lincoln Mall in Rhode Island and I realized that there was a sequel, 'My Teacher Fried My Brains' centered around Duncan, the bully kid from the first book. I remember laughing a lot more with that book, as Duncan would always argue with his brother and they would hit each other. I never had a sibling, but I had friends that I would roughhouse with, so that was age appropriate for me at the time. But the thing that intrigued me about the first book, the weird alien stuff...there was a lot more of it in the second. And the third. And the fourth. Especially in the third and fourth, where most of it took place out in space and we met more aliens. That combination of relatable characters that grounds the weird stuff stuck with me and found its way into my writing when I would actually start writing, taking it seriously years later.
And then, the Ninja Turtles became popular. Relatable teenage characters who, like me, love pizza. But they're giant turtles who know kung fu. And their dad's a giant rat. It was a perfect storm of the things that inspired me about Bruce Coville's books. I don't know if 'My Teacher is an Alien' is still in print, but you can check out a book that was largely inspired by Bruce Covillle's work (and for a slightly older audience) here.
Saturday, October 28, 2017
new directions and an office tour
For the past few years, I have written this blog (on and off) to satisfy an aspect of writing that I get really passionate about for a little while...and then it dies down when I feel I have something original to say. Movie reviews. As much as I love yapping about movies and watching Jeremy Jahns and Black Nerd on YouTube, whenever I get the writing bug and an original idea, I don't care anymore about writing about other people's art, because I want to create my own. I briefly wrote for Monkeys Fighting Robots, a great website if you like geek culture, but that died down when I wanted to focus more on science fiction book writing.
So, I decided recently that I want this blog to be more about writing. What inspires me, that kind of thing. Yes, I am going to throw in my two cents when something big happens with Marvel, DC, Star Wars or if Michael Bay screws up the childhood of people younger than me by making a Dora the Explorer movie...but I have quite a few ideas where I can just write about writing.
And, for my first post, I wanted to show you my workspace, my office where I write books for Turtle Rocket Books. Thanks for reading and check out www.turtlerocketbooks.com
So, I decided recently that I want this blog to be more about writing. What inspires me, that kind of thing. Yes, I am going to throw in my two cents when something big happens with Marvel, DC, Star Wars or if Michael Bay screws up the childhood of people younger than me by making a Dora the Explorer movie...but I have quite a few ideas where I can just write about writing.
And, for my first post, I wanted to show you my workspace, my office where I write books for Turtle Rocket Books. Thanks for reading and check out www.turtlerocketbooks.com
Monday, July 17, 2017
'War for the Planet of the Apes' REVIEW
The third and final (??? you never know) chapter in this rebooted version of the 1968 science fiction slavery/racism metaphor presents a satisfying conclusion to everything presented in 'Rise' and 'Dawn' (of the Planet of the Apes...duh!) Caesar is once again (rightfully) the focus and that is one of the film's strengths. One of the best things about 'Rise' was that it focused on Caesar and the other ape characters as much, if not more as it did on James Franco. In a world where Transformers movies focus on Shia or Marky Mark and Ninja Turtle movies focus on everybody but the turtles, it's nice to see the title characters front and center. Especially as a testament to how far the technology has come and how it can blend with an actor's natural ability to create realistic computer generated fantasy characters that you can feel for. Yes, Andy Serkis is once again great as Caesar, as is his supporting cast of guys who probably felt silly in those motion capture suits when they were filming this, but who turned out great performances.
It's been two years after 'Dawn' and the apes are on the run from a bunch of military guys that hold them responsible for the chaos that Koba caused at the end of the last film. Caesar is trying to get his tribe of intelligent apes, including his wife and son, away from this group at all costs. He tells some of the soldiers that come for him that he didn't start this war and wisely doesn't want to escalate the conflict. But when tragedy strikes, things change and Caesar has to struggle with his own anger, not wanting to become like Koba, who has become like the devil on his shoulder. And as the story unfolds, we learn about an ape concentration camp, a mute girl whose father was killed by the Colonel who has been chasing the apes and a (very funny) talking ape who is not part of Caesar's group of lab escapees. It all comes together in the end. Interesting revelations will keep you engaged, as one of this film's strengths is that it relies on drama between these well-CGI'd fantasy characters and not just action. There is some action at the beginning, but the 'war' in the title really shows up at the end and the combatants might not be who you expect.
The only complaint I have is with one lull towards the middle of the film, where Caesar is repeatedly beaten. A lot of that "Passion of the Apes" stuff could have been cut out to improve the pacing. But once that part is over, the movie picks up and there are surprises as to why the Colonel hates the apes so much (that I won't spoil here). There are many nods to the original series (the mute girl's name is Nova) and a satisfying conclusion to the trilogy. I would have like to see Taylor's ship splash down at the end of the film and a CGI Charlton Heston emerge like they did with Princess Leia in 'Rogue One', but that was just me.
I give this movie 3.5 apes out of 5. I am very much looking forward to director Matt Reeves' "na na na na na na na" next film!
Check out Turtle Rocket Books for more inspired lunacy from Chaddy D.
It's been two years after 'Dawn' and the apes are on the run from a bunch of military guys that hold them responsible for the chaos that Koba caused at the end of the last film. Caesar is trying to get his tribe of intelligent apes, including his wife and son, away from this group at all costs. He tells some of the soldiers that come for him that he didn't start this war and wisely doesn't want to escalate the conflict. But when tragedy strikes, things change and Caesar has to struggle with his own anger, not wanting to become like Koba, who has become like the devil on his shoulder. And as the story unfolds, we learn about an ape concentration camp, a mute girl whose father was killed by the Colonel who has been chasing the apes and a (very funny) talking ape who is not part of Caesar's group of lab escapees. It all comes together in the end. Interesting revelations will keep you engaged, as one of this film's strengths is that it relies on drama between these well-CGI'd fantasy characters and not just action. There is some action at the beginning, but the 'war' in the title really shows up at the end and the combatants might not be who you expect.
The only complaint I have is with one lull towards the middle of the film, where Caesar is repeatedly beaten. A lot of that "Passion of the Apes" stuff could have been cut out to improve the pacing. But once that part is over, the movie picks up and there are surprises as to why the Colonel hates the apes so much (that I won't spoil here). There are many nods to the original series (the mute girl's name is Nova) and a satisfying conclusion to the trilogy. I would have like to see Taylor's ship splash down at the end of the film and a CGI Charlton Heston emerge like they did with Princess Leia in 'Rogue One', but that was just me.
I give this movie 3.5 apes out of 5. I am very much looking forward to director Matt Reeves' "na na na na na na na" next film!
Check out Turtle Rocket Books for more inspired lunacy from Chaddy D.
Thursday, July 13, 2017
'Spider-Man: Homecoming' REVIEW
Much has been made of this new adaptation's resolve to stay away from things in Spider-Man's history that have been covered in previous versions (Uncle Ben's death, the spider bite, the Osborns). Well, there's no Osborns and there doesn't need to be. But there is one line where Peter says something like "with all my aunt has been through", alluding to Uncle Ben's death without saying so outwardly. Would it have been horrible for them to say "my uncle died" for those in the audience who never saw the other versions, to reinforce why Peter is so cautious about causing his aunt anymore stress, an important part of this story? With all the men in this movie commenting on newly-younger Aunt May's appearance, would that have resulted in more "so, she's available" jokes? And what about that grandma taking her little grandson to see "Spidey-Man" who has never seen the Tobey Maguire or Andrew Garfield versions?
Well, there are a lot of things in this film that are either reimagined (like when Ultimate comics first came out) to be more modern and realistic and it all works very well. That is, if you shut off your nostalgia radar and get happy that Spider-Man now gets to interact with other superheroes (except for the X-Men and the others owned by 20th Century Fox). Remember the 'Spectacular Spider-Man' cartoon series, where Peter was going to a school for smart kids? And they had to explain that Flash Thompson got there on a football scholarship, because he's a dumb jock and why would he be at the same nerdy school as Peter? Well, that lame explanation will help you understand why Flash Thompson is a snotty rich kid and not a jock in this version. He's still Peter's rival. He bullies him by mocking him in front of his peers, not by physically dominating him. No slamming him up against the lockers or anything like that. But he still fills the same role. Same with other Spidey side characters you may remember, such as Betty Brant and Liz. Familiar yet modern.
Much has also been made of the high school element of this new version feeling like a John Hughes movie. Well, a humorous reference to one of the best 80's teen comedies of all time (with the actual movie playing in the background) will cement the fact that this was intentional and also very well done.
The rest of the story is about Peter Parker, after helping Iron Man in 'Captain America: Civil War', wanting to join the Avengers with Iron Man/Tony Stark telling him he's not ready. He's figuring out how to be a hero, helping people any way that he can and Tony suggests that he continue being a "friendly neighborhood spider man", meaning stopping low-level crimes in his neighborhood. But when really high-tech weapons (with connections to the aliens from the first 'Avengers' movie) show up on the streets of New York, Spider-Man sees this as a chance to prove himself. This is a really good, funny superhero origin story with great performances. Since the focus is away from the spider bite thing, this "origin story" is about Spider-Man becoming a hero after getting said powers. Because just getting super powers doesn't make you a hero and this movie explores something that the other versions just fast-forwarded, using the "Spidey becomes a wrestler" storyline from the comics. How does someone become a hero?
'Spider-Man: Homecoming' really works as a stand alone movie, with the nods to other films being very slight and not that important to the story, other than where the weird weapons come from. Mostly just jokes, like Cap doing instructional videos for Peter's gym class (and detention). The film references the one-story Avengers facility shown in 'Civil War' and 'Ant-Man' and shows Tony Stark moving things out of Stark Tower into that new headquarters. So, that's when the story takes place (somewhere between those two films) and you will hear references to Wakanda (because February 2018), but the rest is focused on Spidey. With Tony Stark in the Obi-Wan mentor role. Robert Downey Jr. is great once again, as is Tom Holland as Spidey. Marissa Tomei is a good actress for this new version of Aunt May. And Michael Keaton is amazing as Vulture. Michael Keaton is great period and should be in more movies. The supporting cast of teenage classmates are also filled with good actors.
So, a great Marvel stand alone movie with ties to the MCU that doesn't weigh it down. I give this movie 4 thwips out of 5.
For more inspired lunacy from Chaddy D., check out Turtle Rocket Books.
Well, there are a lot of things in this film that are either reimagined (like when Ultimate comics first came out) to be more modern and realistic and it all works very well. That is, if you shut off your nostalgia radar and get happy that Spider-Man now gets to interact with other superheroes (except for the X-Men and the others owned by 20th Century Fox). Remember the 'Spectacular Spider-Man' cartoon series, where Peter was going to a school for smart kids? And they had to explain that Flash Thompson got there on a football scholarship, because he's a dumb jock and why would he be at the same nerdy school as Peter? Well, that lame explanation will help you understand why Flash Thompson is a snotty rich kid and not a jock in this version. He's still Peter's rival. He bullies him by mocking him in front of his peers, not by physically dominating him. No slamming him up against the lockers or anything like that. But he still fills the same role. Same with other Spidey side characters you may remember, such as Betty Brant and Liz. Familiar yet modern.
Much has also been made of the high school element of this new version feeling like a John Hughes movie. Well, a humorous reference to one of the best 80's teen comedies of all time (with the actual movie playing in the background) will cement the fact that this was intentional and also very well done.
The rest of the story is about Peter Parker, after helping Iron Man in 'Captain America: Civil War', wanting to join the Avengers with Iron Man/Tony Stark telling him he's not ready. He's figuring out how to be a hero, helping people any way that he can and Tony suggests that he continue being a "friendly neighborhood spider man", meaning stopping low-level crimes in his neighborhood. But when really high-tech weapons (with connections to the aliens from the first 'Avengers' movie) show up on the streets of New York, Spider-Man sees this as a chance to prove himself. This is a really good, funny superhero origin story with great performances. Since the focus is away from the spider bite thing, this "origin story" is about Spider-Man becoming a hero after getting said powers. Because just getting super powers doesn't make you a hero and this movie explores something that the other versions just fast-forwarded, using the "Spidey becomes a wrestler" storyline from the comics. How does someone become a hero?
'Spider-Man: Homecoming' really works as a stand alone movie, with the nods to other films being very slight and not that important to the story, other than where the weird weapons come from. Mostly just jokes, like Cap doing instructional videos for Peter's gym class (and detention). The film references the one-story Avengers facility shown in 'Civil War' and 'Ant-Man' and shows Tony Stark moving things out of Stark Tower into that new headquarters. So, that's when the story takes place (somewhere between those two films) and you will hear references to Wakanda (because February 2018), but the rest is focused on Spidey. With Tony Stark in the Obi-Wan mentor role. Robert Downey Jr. is great once again, as is Tom Holland as Spidey. Marissa Tomei is a good actress for this new version of Aunt May. And Michael Keaton is amazing as Vulture. Michael Keaton is great period and should be in more movies. The supporting cast of teenage classmates are also filled with good actors.
So, a great Marvel stand alone movie with ties to the MCU that doesn't weigh it down. I give this movie 4 thwips out of 5.
For more inspired lunacy from Chaddy D., check out Turtle Rocket Books.
Friday, July 7, 2017
'Cars 3' REVIEW
'Cars 2' was the Pixar movie that started Pixar's post-Toy-Story-3 slump after their 12 awesome movie streak starting with the original 'Toy Story'. 'Cars 2' was the first time I walked out of the theatre of a Pixar movie not blown away by the creativity. It happened a few times after that, with 'Inside Out' raising the bar up again...albeit briefly.
But even a mediocre effort by Pixar is just as good or better than what other studios crank out. I just got my hopes and standards up during those first 12 movies, being blown away by 'The Incredibles' and 'Wall-E'. Yes, 'Brave' and 'Cars 2' were lame, but 'Cars 3' falls in the "this would be better if DreamWorks made it" category.
The story is basically about Lightning McQueen having to swallow his pride when younger, faster race cars are making their way into the sport. Because all the characters in this world are sentient cars, race car drivers are athletes, so this movie is like a 'Rocky' sequel for kids as Lightning McQueen mounts both his wheels and his comeback. Along the way, he makes friends with a young, female race car trainer named Cruz Ramirez and teaches her to believe in herself. There are some nice nods to Paul Newman, who died after voicing the character of Doc Hudson (McQueen's previous mentor) in the first film, as Doc Hudson appears in flashbacks and Lighting takes on a mentor role of sorts with Cruz.
I think your enjoyment of this film will depend on whether or not you enjoyed the first one and want to see where the characters have ended up. It's wayyyyy better than the second one (which totally didn't count). Mater is in this one, but with no mention of the lame spy plot in part 2. In the end, 'Cars 3' is a funny final lap to the (two part) 'Cars' trilogy.
KIDS' RATING: 3 Lightyear tires out of 5.
ADULTS WHO LIKE CARTOONS RATING: 2.5 out of 5.
Did anybody see 'Captain Underpants'? Was it good? Comment below.
For more imaginative entertainment, check out Turtle Rocket Books.
But even a mediocre effort by Pixar is just as good or better than what other studios crank out. I just got my hopes and standards up during those first 12 movies, being blown away by 'The Incredibles' and 'Wall-E'. Yes, 'Brave' and 'Cars 2' were lame, but 'Cars 3' falls in the "this would be better if DreamWorks made it" category.
The story is basically about Lightning McQueen having to swallow his pride when younger, faster race cars are making their way into the sport. Because all the characters in this world are sentient cars, race car drivers are athletes, so this movie is like a 'Rocky' sequel for kids as Lightning McQueen mounts both his wheels and his comeback. Along the way, he makes friends with a young, female race car trainer named Cruz Ramirez and teaches her to believe in herself. There are some nice nods to Paul Newman, who died after voicing the character of Doc Hudson (McQueen's previous mentor) in the first film, as Doc Hudson appears in flashbacks and Lighting takes on a mentor role of sorts with Cruz.
I think your enjoyment of this film will depend on whether or not you enjoyed the first one and want to see where the characters have ended up. It's wayyyyy better than the second one (which totally didn't count). Mater is in this one, but with no mention of the lame spy plot in part 2. In the end, 'Cars 3' is a funny final lap to the (two part) 'Cars' trilogy.
KIDS' RATING: 3 Lightyear tires out of 5.
ADULTS WHO LIKE CARTOONS RATING: 2.5 out of 5.
Did anybody see 'Captain Underpants'? Was it good? Comment below.
For more imaginative entertainment, check out Turtle Rocket Books.
Saturday, June 3, 2017
'Wonder Woman' REVIEW
The first live-action Wonder Woman movie since her first appearance in All-Star Comics #8 in 1941 (created by polyamorous polygraph inventor William Moulton Marston) satisfies as a solo introduction to this character for people who have heard the name, but never knew about Themyscira and other important elements of this story. Really, the only part of this story that connects it to the DC Cinematic Universe is the photograph of her and Steve Trevor that you see in 'Batman v. Superman', delivered to her by an armored car that says 'Wayne Enterprises'. It was a little on-the-nose, even for a DC fan like myself. If they had cut that scene out, having Diana (Gal Gadot) just find the picture somewhere and start telling her story, it would be a little friendlier to newcomers. One minor nitpick and the only sliver of 'Justice League' movie setup in an excellent origin story.
Most of us know that Princess Diana lives on an island of all women, where they were sculpted by clay and given life by Greek gods that you probably learned about in high school. You get a brief Greek mythology lesson at the beginning and then follow this little girl who grows up wanting to be a warrior like most of the women on her island, but is discouraged from this by her over-protective mother. Then, Steve Trevor (Chris Pine), the first man ever to set foot on Themyscira, crash-lands his plane in the ocean. He is a British spy posing as a German soldier. Diana learns that the rest of the world (Man's World) is wrapped up in a "Great War" (World War I) and is convinced that Ares, the Greek God of War is behind it. She leaves her island for the first time in her life, much to her mother's dismay, believing that if she kills Ares, the fighting will stop.
There is a lot of funny culture clash moments where we see Diana's humorous naivety about the world outside of her island, especially considering it was the 1910's and women weren't allowed to do much. Diana is from an island where women run the whole place. She's not going to listen to Steve telling her to stand outside while the men discuss how to proceed. But Steve is always on her side, we see their relationship grow over time. Gal Gadot is great in this role. So is Chris Pine. All of the performances are top-shelf, including the feisty little girl who plays young Diana, admiring all the soldiers who are training and pantomiming them blocking stuff with their bracelets. And the action scenes are also top-notch. They don't detract from the story at all, but Wonder Woman does kick some German butt all over the battlefield, whipping people towards her with her lasso and kicking others through stone walls.
You may remember that the first season of the 'Wonder Woman' TV show took place in World War II, not WWI, which was appropriate to when she was created in the comics. I think the change was made for this film to avoid comparison to 'Captain America: First Avenger', but the WWI setting does add more intensity to one aspect of the story. You see, (in real life) WWI was truly a leap forward as far as mankind developing more destructive weapons for war. Yes, that took another leap forward in WWII with the atom bomb, but the savagery of Man' s World developing new weapons is an important part of the story. It is why Diana thinks the God of War is behind all this, so the period setting is appropriate to the tale and one of the movie's strengths.
It is truly the best film in the DC movie universe, partially because of the humor and the humanity shown through these characters, something that both 'Man of Steel' and 'BvS' (which I liked) lacked. Check out my review of 'Suicide Squad' to see why I am not mentioning it and hoping it goes away.
Taking one half-point off for unnecessarily shoehorning "Wayne" into this movie just to sell 'Justice League', 'Wonder Woman' was an excellent film with humor and heart that truly did the character justice. William Moulston Marston and his two wives would have been proud. 4.5 tiaras out of 5.
Check out Turtle Rocket Books for some science fiction books written by a mildly-autistic man-child.
Most of us know that Princess Diana lives on an island of all women, where they were sculpted by clay and given life by Greek gods that you probably learned about in high school. You get a brief Greek mythology lesson at the beginning and then follow this little girl who grows up wanting to be a warrior like most of the women on her island, but is discouraged from this by her over-protective mother. Then, Steve Trevor (Chris Pine), the first man ever to set foot on Themyscira, crash-lands his plane in the ocean. He is a British spy posing as a German soldier. Diana learns that the rest of the world (Man's World) is wrapped up in a "Great War" (World War I) and is convinced that Ares, the Greek God of War is behind it. She leaves her island for the first time in her life, much to her mother's dismay, believing that if she kills Ares, the fighting will stop.
There is a lot of funny culture clash moments where we see Diana's humorous naivety about the world outside of her island, especially considering it was the 1910's and women weren't allowed to do much. Diana is from an island where women run the whole place. She's not going to listen to Steve telling her to stand outside while the men discuss how to proceed. But Steve is always on her side, we see their relationship grow over time. Gal Gadot is great in this role. So is Chris Pine. All of the performances are top-shelf, including the feisty little girl who plays young Diana, admiring all the soldiers who are training and pantomiming them blocking stuff with their bracelets. And the action scenes are also top-notch. They don't detract from the story at all, but Wonder Woman does kick some German butt all over the battlefield, whipping people towards her with her lasso and kicking others through stone walls.
You may remember that the first season of the 'Wonder Woman' TV show took place in World War II, not WWI, which was appropriate to when she was created in the comics. I think the change was made for this film to avoid comparison to 'Captain America: First Avenger', but the WWI setting does add more intensity to one aspect of the story. You see, (in real life) WWI was truly a leap forward as far as mankind developing more destructive weapons for war. Yes, that took another leap forward in WWII with the atom bomb, but the savagery of Man' s World developing new weapons is an important part of the story. It is why Diana thinks the God of War is behind all this, so the period setting is appropriate to the tale and one of the movie's strengths.
It is truly the best film in the DC movie universe, partially because of the humor and the humanity shown through these characters, something that both 'Man of Steel' and 'BvS' (which I liked) lacked. Check out my review of 'Suicide Squad' to see why I am not mentioning it and hoping it goes away.
Taking one half-point off for unnecessarily shoehorning "Wayne" into this movie just to sell 'Justice League', 'Wonder Woman' was an excellent film with humor and heart that truly did the character justice. William Moulston Marston and his two wives would have been proud. 4.5 tiaras out of 5.
Check out Turtle Rocket Books for some science fiction books written by a mildly-autistic man-child.
Tuesday, May 9, 2017
'Guardians of the Galaxy: volume 2' REVIEW
'Guardians of the Galaxy: volume 2' picks up pretty much where the first one left off. That is why Groot is still a baby and then, before the opening credits, the movie jumps forward 34 years from its 1980 flashback. So, it's 2014 again and the Guardians are the organized team that they became at the end of the first film. Fighting baddies, doing jobs for money. This is established (along with the great old-school soundtrack that the first movie had) in a very funny opening battle/title sequence.
Rocket's affinity for thievery gets the team in hot water and then the story takes the Guardians all over the galaxy, Empire Strikes Back-style. Peter Quill (Star-Lord) meets his father and goes off to his home planet with Drax and Gamora while blue, fin-headed Yondu joins the rest of the team to find him. Peter's father, as you may have seen in the trailers, is played by Kurt Russell, the human form of a living planet called Ego. Peter learns where he came from and struggles to understand why his father left him. As the one who actually raised Peter, you may remember from the first film, Yondu has a larger and much more emotional role in this story than I expected he would. The whole movie is about people who you are related to vs. people who were actually there for you. "Family" is an important theme to this story, although Vin Diesel doesn't actually say the word "family" over and over again like he does in 'Fast and the Furious' because he is playing Groot.
This is a very funny movie. The Guardians quip at each other during the action scenes. I agree with criticisms that there is a little too much of this, but only a little. Most of the jokes either land or help you to get to know the characters and their flippant attitudes a little better. Another movie that had a rapid fire succession of jokes was 'The Simpsons Movie', but 'GOTG volume 2' made me laugh much more. There are more funny references to things that Peter Quill grew up with in the 80's that nobody out in space understands and this creates a funny friction between him and Gamora, who knows nothing of David Hasselhoff and Pac-Man.
My only complaint about this movie is a storyline between Nebula and Gamora. For most of the movie, Nebula is just kind of there and then, the emotion of her feud with Gamora comes out. It's an interesting dynamic, but it should have been at least alluded to earlier. Other than this minor gripe, this film does a great job of juggling all of the characters. There is a slight 'drag' in certain places, as they had to give all the main characters/actors adequate screen time. But everyone has something interesting to do and some way to grow as a character. New friendships are formed, relationships move forward, either as friends or enemies. Drax is far more interesting than I expected him to be, a prejudice I had against Dave Bautista as an actor because he started his career as a wrestler. When I think "wrestler in a space movie" I think 'Suburban Commando', but he was awesome and hilarious in this.
Even the cameos are well handled, not bogging the movie down. They serve their purpose, either providing a laugh or an insight into one of the main characters, and then they move on. The Stan Lee cameo is one of my favorites of his. Another small role in this film is an obvious set-up to a spin-off movie that Marvel hasn't greenlit yet. But the set-up for said film is saved for one of five post-credits scenes that this movie has, so sit tight when the credits roll. I saw this movie at a screening where people walked out as the credits were rolling. My wife looked at me and muttered "amateurs". This is a Marvel movie, people!
A fun space adventure that will make you laugh out loud. No, it's not as good as the first one, but not by much. 3.5 Infinity Stones out of 5.
Check out Turtle Rocket Books for science fiction books from the mind of a mildly-autistic man-child.
Rocket's affinity for thievery gets the team in hot water and then the story takes the Guardians all over the galaxy, Empire Strikes Back-style. Peter Quill (Star-Lord) meets his father and goes off to his home planet with Drax and Gamora while blue, fin-headed Yondu joins the rest of the team to find him. Peter's father, as you may have seen in the trailers, is played by Kurt Russell, the human form of a living planet called Ego. Peter learns where he came from and struggles to understand why his father left him. As the one who actually raised Peter, you may remember from the first film, Yondu has a larger and much more emotional role in this story than I expected he would. The whole movie is about people who you are related to vs. people who were actually there for you. "Family" is an important theme to this story, although Vin Diesel doesn't actually say the word "family" over and over again like he does in 'Fast and the Furious' because he is playing Groot.
This is a very funny movie. The Guardians quip at each other during the action scenes. I agree with criticisms that there is a little too much of this, but only a little. Most of the jokes either land or help you to get to know the characters and their flippant attitudes a little better. Another movie that had a rapid fire succession of jokes was 'The Simpsons Movie', but 'GOTG volume 2' made me laugh much more. There are more funny references to things that Peter Quill grew up with in the 80's that nobody out in space understands and this creates a funny friction between him and Gamora, who knows nothing of David Hasselhoff and Pac-Man.
My only complaint about this movie is a storyline between Nebula and Gamora. For most of the movie, Nebula is just kind of there and then, the emotion of her feud with Gamora comes out. It's an interesting dynamic, but it should have been at least alluded to earlier. Other than this minor gripe, this film does a great job of juggling all of the characters. There is a slight 'drag' in certain places, as they had to give all the main characters/actors adequate screen time. But everyone has something interesting to do and some way to grow as a character. New friendships are formed, relationships move forward, either as friends or enemies. Drax is far more interesting than I expected him to be, a prejudice I had against Dave Bautista as an actor because he started his career as a wrestler. When I think "wrestler in a space movie" I think 'Suburban Commando', but he was awesome and hilarious in this.
Even the cameos are well handled, not bogging the movie down. They serve their purpose, either providing a laugh or an insight into one of the main characters, and then they move on. The Stan Lee cameo is one of my favorites of his. Another small role in this film is an obvious set-up to a spin-off movie that Marvel hasn't greenlit yet. But the set-up for said film is saved for one of five post-credits scenes that this movie has, so sit tight when the credits roll. I saw this movie at a screening where people walked out as the credits were rolling. My wife looked at me and muttered "amateurs". This is a Marvel movie, people!
A fun space adventure that will make you laugh out loud. No, it's not as good as the first one, but not by much. 3.5 Infinity Stones out of 5.
Check out Turtle Rocket Books for science fiction books from the mind of a mildly-autistic man-child.
Sunday, April 23, 2017
'Fate of the Furious' REVIEW
I always say that, anything that a movie explains in the first twenty minutes or so, people will buy into, because that is when your brain is trying to figure out what you are watching. So, with sci-fi movies, they explain the fantasy elements right away, so you believe that this guy was bitten by a radioactive spider or is from Krypton or whatever. And with space movies, there is still the element of "this is another planet, so this is different from what I'm used to". So, even if they take a little longer than twenty minutes to explain The Force, you buy into it because they established that you were in a galaxy far, far away...right away.
'Fate of the Furious', the 8th installment in the series, takes place on Earth, with cars, weapons and countries that we are all familiar with. This makes the fantasy elements, the laws of physics that they ignore, both with the car chase scenes and with how strong Dwayne Johnson's character is, far less believable than Yoda fighting Count Dooku. The saving grace, however, is how this movie knows what it is and does not try to be anything other than silly. So, if you shut off your brain and laugh at how over-the-top it is, you will have a great time.
The main characters are very likable, despite being played by actors who would be terrible in anything except this series or a music video. Again, the producers know what kind of movie this is and have given us two good actors to raise the credibility of the cast as a whole. Charlize Theron is great as the villain in this and even makes human Groot Vin Diesel look like a better actor than he is in other scenes. Kurt Russell is also great, playing a government agent. My low opinion of Tyrese Gibson as an actor has improved, but I give credit to the writers and director of this movie for making him the butt of the jokes all the time. It made me feel that I am not the only one who finds him irritating.
A lot of characters are the butts of jokes, as this movie was clearly made for a bunch of guys who like cars to sit around and bust each others chops while watching it. Dwayne Johnson has some funny one liners (including one about a toothbrush) and there is a scene at the end with Jason Statham that was legitimately hilarious. I'm not going to spoil it, but he's protecting something and it's funny. I dare you not to laugh. Or go "awwwwww!"
There is a decent story holding this all together, about Vin Diesel's character being blackmailed into going back to his old criminal life from the first movie. There are a few surprises and the characters explain what you need to know from previous films in order to go along. If you forgot that Paul Walker's character's name was Brian, you might be confused when he is referenced. (The actor passed away shortly before the 7th film was released, but the character just went home to his family.) But everything else leads up to a plot twist that I honestly did not see coming. I gave them credit for surprising me, allowing me to enjoy the ridiculously fun climax with cars running away from a submarine (on ice) that was shown in the trailers.
All-in-all, if you shut off your brain and can enjoy the over-the-top madness, Fate of the Furious is a good time at the movies. I give it 3 nuclear subs out of 5.
Check out Turtle Rocket Books for science fiction books from the mind of a mildly-autistic man-child.
'Fate of the Furious', the 8th installment in the series, takes place on Earth, with cars, weapons and countries that we are all familiar with. This makes the fantasy elements, the laws of physics that they ignore, both with the car chase scenes and with how strong Dwayne Johnson's character is, far less believable than Yoda fighting Count Dooku. The saving grace, however, is how this movie knows what it is and does not try to be anything other than silly. So, if you shut off your brain and laugh at how over-the-top it is, you will have a great time.
The main characters are very likable, despite being played by actors who would be terrible in anything except this series or a music video. Again, the producers know what kind of movie this is and have given us two good actors to raise the credibility of the cast as a whole. Charlize Theron is great as the villain in this and even makes human Groot Vin Diesel look like a better actor than he is in other scenes. Kurt Russell is also great, playing a government agent. My low opinion of Tyrese Gibson as an actor has improved, but I give credit to the writers and director of this movie for making him the butt of the jokes all the time. It made me feel that I am not the only one who finds him irritating.
A lot of characters are the butts of jokes, as this movie was clearly made for a bunch of guys who like cars to sit around and bust each others chops while watching it. Dwayne Johnson has some funny one liners (including one about a toothbrush) and there is a scene at the end with Jason Statham that was legitimately hilarious. I'm not going to spoil it, but he's protecting something and it's funny. I dare you not to laugh. Or go "awwwwww!"
There is a decent story holding this all together, about Vin Diesel's character being blackmailed into going back to his old criminal life from the first movie. There are a few surprises and the characters explain what you need to know from previous films in order to go along. If you forgot that Paul Walker's character's name was Brian, you might be confused when he is referenced. (The actor passed away shortly before the 7th film was released, but the character just went home to his family.) But everything else leads up to a plot twist that I honestly did not see coming. I gave them credit for surprising me, allowing me to enjoy the ridiculously fun climax with cars running away from a submarine (on ice) that was shown in the trailers.
All-in-all, if you shut off your brain and can enjoy the over-the-top madness, Fate of the Furious is a good time at the movies. I give it 3 nuclear subs out of 5.
Check out Turtle Rocket Books for science fiction books from the mind of a mildly-autistic man-child.
Thursday, April 20, 2017
What Suicide Squad could have learned from Guardians of the Galaxy
Suicide Squad was a mess of a movie. But there was enough cool stuff in it that, as I often do with movies I am disappointed by, I started rewriting it in my head. I usually don't bother rewriting the flick in my head unless I like something about it and want to salvage the rest. I thought Margot Robbie was great as Harley Quinn and Jared Leto was good as The Joker, his performance diminished by the poor writing. Viola Davis made an amazing Amanda Waller, a character I loved from the Justice League cartoon, but didn't save the weaker elements of the film. Anyway, as I was mentally rewriting Suicide Squad, I realized that this movie could have benefited from being more like Guardians of the Galaxy.
Not that Suicide Squad should not have had the darker tone. Of course it should have. The people in Suicide Squad (or any Batman-related property) certainly should have had a tone that was darker than GOTG. Darker humor would have worked to lighten up the movie where it needed to. But the thing that Suicide Squad did poorly that GOTG did much better was apparent to me from the very beginning. It had to do with the way that they introduced the characters.
GOTG and Suicide Squad are both about groups of people, a "squad" and "guardians" respectively. But GOTG started out by introducing us to a main character (Peter Quill/Star Lord) and then, as we follow him on his journey, we meet the rest of the group (Rocket, Groot, Drax, Gamora etc.). So, even though the movie is about a group of people, it still technically has ONE main character, which prevents the movie, the first act where you introduce everybody, from being confusing.
Confused is precisely what I was in the first act of Suicide Squad, which consisted of numerous flashbacks being hurled at the audience, introducing all the characters, most of which I forgot who they were, because they don't give you much of a reason to care. Besides Harley and the Joker, I only remember Killer Croc because of Batman's 1992 animated series. Oh, and Deadshot. Would I have remembered Deadshot if Will Smith didn't play him? Probably not. Should DJ Jazzy Jeff have played Scarecrow? YES!!!
But that was my biggest problem with Squad. Movies should have ONE main character, even when said film is about a group. I said to a friend after seeing the film that Mad Love, the Batman cartoon episode where they get into Harley Quinn's origin story, would have made a better basis for the movie. People like seeing female main characters, so here you have a criminal psychologist who gets her first high-profile gig working at Arkham Asylum. She's lonely and falls in love with the bad boy. And in helping the Joker escape, she lets out the other members of the Suicide Squad, who we meet slowly through the first act of the film through therapy sessions that they have with Dr. Quinzell. Then, you have your Batman cameo and Amanda Waller (DC's female Nick Fury) intro as they show up to handle the madness. See how that would have been better because you're following Harley around, getting to know her, getting inside her head and THEN she meets other people?
Personally, I would have ditched the other members of the Squad and made it a Harley Quinn movie, where Harley and Joker escape and go on a Mickey and Mallory/Bonnie and Clyde style road trip crime spree. But even if the other guys are there, focus on one journey and how that journey affects other characters.
There are a lot of things that I think mainstream sci-fi movies could learn from GOTG, but I will save that for when I review the second film, which is coming out in 2 weeks. Are you looking forward to GOTG2? What's your favorite comic book movie of all time?
Meanwhile, check out Turtle Rocket Books for science fiction books from the mind of a mildly autistic man-child.
Not that Suicide Squad should not have had the darker tone. Of course it should have. The people in Suicide Squad (or any Batman-related property) certainly should have had a tone that was darker than GOTG. Darker humor would have worked to lighten up the movie where it needed to. But the thing that Suicide Squad did poorly that GOTG did much better was apparent to me from the very beginning. It had to do with the way that they introduced the characters.
GOTG and Suicide Squad are both about groups of people, a "squad" and "guardians" respectively. But GOTG started out by introducing us to a main character (Peter Quill/Star Lord) and then, as we follow him on his journey, we meet the rest of the group (Rocket, Groot, Drax, Gamora etc.). So, even though the movie is about a group of people, it still technically has ONE main character, which prevents the movie, the first act where you introduce everybody, from being confusing.
Confused is precisely what I was in the first act of Suicide Squad, which consisted of numerous flashbacks being hurled at the audience, introducing all the characters, most of which I forgot who they were, because they don't give you much of a reason to care. Besides Harley and the Joker, I only remember Killer Croc because of Batman's 1992 animated series. Oh, and Deadshot. Would I have remembered Deadshot if Will Smith didn't play him? Probably not. Should DJ Jazzy Jeff have played Scarecrow? YES!!!
But that was my biggest problem with Squad. Movies should have ONE main character, even when said film is about a group. I said to a friend after seeing the film that Mad Love, the Batman cartoon episode where they get into Harley Quinn's origin story, would have made a better basis for the movie. People like seeing female main characters, so here you have a criminal psychologist who gets her first high-profile gig working at Arkham Asylum. She's lonely and falls in love with the bad boy. And in helping the Joker escape, she lets out the other members of the Suicide Squad, who we meet slowly through the first act of the film through therapy sessions that they have with Dr. Quinzell. Then, you have your Batman cameo and Amanda Waller (DC's female Nick Fury) intro as they show up to handle the madness. See how that would have been better because you're following Harley around, getting to know her, getting inside her head and THEN she meets other people?
Personally, I would have ditched the other members of the Squad and made it a Harley Quinn movie, where Harley and Joker escape and go on a Mickey and Mallory/Bonnie and Clyde style road trip crime spree. But even if the other guys are there, focus on one journey and how that journey affects other characters.
There are a lot of things that I think mainstream sci-fi movies could learn from GOTG, but I will save that for when I review the second film, which is coming out in 2 weeks. Are you looking forward to GOTG2? What's your favorite comic book movie of all time?
Meanwhile, check out Turtle Rocket Books for science fiction books from the mind of a mildly autistic man-child.
Sunday, March 26, 2017
'Power Rangers' REVIEW
I enjoyed Dean Isrealite's last movie, the time-travelling teenager movie 'Project Almanac'. I liked the characters, thought the dialogue was well-written, but the ending ruined it for me. It was like they either ran out of time or money and the movie just fell off at the end. I went from being pleasantly surprised that Michael Bay had something to do with this to being confused, not that Michael Bay made a disappointing movie, but as to what happened at the end.
Well, running out of budget was no problem for Dean Isrealite's latest movie 'Power Rangers', which contains the most obvious product placement for Krispy Kreme Donuts that you have seen since Chris Rock suggested their donuts have crack in them. Literally, the crystal that Rita Repulsa is looking for during the whole movie is buried under the Krispy Kreme ("Krakky Kreme?") in Angel Grove. And the kids hang out there (it IS a small town), practicing some of their kung fu moves by trying to snatch donuts away from each other on the end of forks. A "wax on, wax off" for the new generation.
This new version of 'Power Rangers' (based, of course, on the campy 90's kids show) contains the same kind of well-developed teen characters that 'Project Almanac' had, almost as though Dean wanted to finish his movie. "Dinosaur robots??? Cool??? Why not?" Fans of 80's movies will make comparisons between this movie and 'Breakfast Club', especially since all of these soon-to-be superheroes meet during Saturday detention. And the plot revolves around their characters having to bond and work together as a team. They don't "morph" into their iconic, multi-colored suits if they don't. But instead of writing a letter to the teacher (or to Zordon) about being "the geek, the brain, the spaz etc." they fight monsters and save the town.
Fans of the original show might not like the fact that these heroes do not show up in their iconic armor suits until the end of the movie, but that is what I liked about it. As I mentioned in my last blog post, I don't have a nostalgic pull towards these characters because I did not grow up with the show, so I was "just" looking for a good movie...and I got one. I liked the fact that this movie is a teen drama with sci-fi elements sprinkled in and then all the "wham bam" stuff shows up at the end when the putty hits the fan.
I liked the fact that Billy the Blue Ranger was autistic, for personal reasons. I liked being represented and seeing how nice Jason the Red Ranger would be to me if we ever met. I liked that these characters all felt like real, mischievous kids that I grew up with in the 90's, when I was in high school and too old to be watching the original show. These are truly "teenagers with attitudes", not the goody-two shoes kids that you may remember from the show. You will be able to relate to at least one of these characters. The movie still has positive messages about the importance of trying to understand one another...but without being preachy like the show tended to be.
The sci-fi elements (power coins, Zordon, Alpha 5) are introduced little by little and do get a little over-the-top. But, it doesn't take you out of the movie because you are already invested in these characters and want to see them succeed. Also, since the original show was a little over the top, the filmmakers were trying not to alienate long-time fans. They just gave the characters more backstory and grounded it in a more serious world, before they donned colorful costumes and started driving around in robot dinosaurs...and it works. It all gels together. All of the young actors who play the Rangers are great and Elizabeth Banks is great as (yes, over-the-top) villain Rita Repulsa. Same with Bryan Cranston as Zordon and Bill Hader doing the voice of Alpha 5.
Not sure if long-time fans will disagree, but I liked it. This was the serious, but still-quippy take that I would have loved to see in a TMNT movie. Now, THAT was something I grew up with.
RATING: 3.5 Zords out of 5
Like sci-fi? Want to read a book with another autistic superhero? click here
Well, running out of budget was no problem for Dean Isrealite's latest movie 'Power Rangers', which contains the most obvious product placement for Krispy Kreme Donuts that you have seen since Chris Rock suggested their donuts have crack in them. Literally, the crystal that Rita Repulsa is looking for during the whole movie is buried under the Krispy Kreme ("Krakky Kreme?") in Angel Grove. And the kids hang out there (it IS a small town), practicing some of their kung fu moves by trying to snatch donuts away from each other on the end of forks. A "wax on, wax off" for the new generation.
This new version of 'Power Rangers' (based, of course, on the campy 90's kids show) contains the same kind of well-developed teen characters that 'Project Almanac' had, almost as though Dean wanted to finish his movie. "Dinosaur robots??? Cool??? Why not?" Fans of 80's movies will make comparisons between this movie and 'Breakfast Club', especially since all of these soon-to-be superheroes meet during Saturday detention. And the plot revolves around their characters having to bond and work together as a team. They don't "morph" into their iconic, multi-colored suits if they don't. But instead of writing a letter to the teacher (or to Zordon) about being "the geek, the brain, the spaz etc." they fight monsters and save the town.
Fans of the original show might not like the fact that these heroes do not show up in their iconic armor suits until the end of the movie, but that is what I liked about it. As I mentioned in my last blog post, I don't have a nostalgic pull towards these characters because I did not grow up with the show, so I was "just" looking for a good movie...and I got one. I liked the fact that this movie is a teen drama with sci-fi elements sprinkled in and then all the "wham bam" stuff shows up at the end when the putty hits the fan.
I liked the fact that Billy the Blue Ranger was autistic, for personal reasons. I liked being represented and seeing how nice Jason the Red Ranger would be to me if we ever met. I liked that these characters all felt like real, mischievous kids that I grew up with in the 90's, when I was in high school and too old to be watching the original show. These are truly "teenagers with attitudes", not the goody-two shoes kids that you may remember from the show. You will be able to relate to at least one of these characters. The movie still has positive messages about the importance of trying to understand one another...but without being preachy like the show tended to be.
The sci-fi elements (power coins, Zordon, Alpha 5) are introduced little by little and do get a little over-the-top. But, it doesn't take you out of the movie because you are already invested in these characters and want to see them succeed. Also, since the original show was a little over the top, the filmmakers were trying not to alienate long-time fans. They just gave the characters more backstory and grounded it in a more serious world, before they donned colorful costumes and started driving around in robot dinosaurs...and it works. It all gels together. All of the young actors who play the Rangers are great and Elizabeth Banks is great as (yes, over-the-top) villain Rita Repulsa. Same with Bryan Cranston as Zordon and Bill Hader doing the voice of Alpha 5.
Not sure if long-time fans will disagree, but I liked it. This was the serious, but still-quippy take that I would have loved to see in a TMNT movie. Now, THAT was something I grew up with.
RATING: 3.5 Zords out of 5
Like sci-fi? Want to read a book with another autistic superhero? click here
Friday, March 24, 2017
Go Go No Nostalgia!!!
I remember when the original 'Mighty Morphin Power Rangers' show came out and, at the time, I was too old for it. It was on 'Fox Kids' right after 'Batman: the animated series', which I love (and still do, owning all the DVDs as a grown man) and the TV in my room didn't have a remote control...and I was too lazy to get up. So, I watched with judgmental curiosity the adventures of these small town kids who fought monsters every time one or more would be sent to their quaint little burgh.
I guess I was at that age where I thought my fandom was too cool to watch something aimed at too young an age group. I scoffed at the opening sequence, where Zordon labeled the Power Rangers as "teenagers with attitudes". Clearly, if you watched the show, these kids were straight-A students who helped old people, younger kids and did volunteer work. I went to school with teenagers and the ones who did that stuff didn't have "attitudes". None of the Power Rangers were sneaking alcohol or girls into their rooms (or lives). Obviously, this was done to keep positive messages in the show for the younger fan base. So, what kept me watching (privately) this "kiddie" show that I had pronounced "stupid" in front of my peers?
I had read in a pre-Internet 1990s movie fanzine that MMPR used to be a Japanese show where the American actors were edited into pre-existing footage. Being a fan of 'Godzilla' at the time and realizing that this same thing was done to the American Raymond Burr version of the original 'Godzilla' in a racist, post-WWII USA (so that the main characters would not be "those people"), part of my brain viewed it as a kiddie version of the kaiju flicks that I loved. It was still in the "so bad it's good" MST3K territory and I never bought any merchandise from the show, but I did enjoy watching robot dinosaurs knock down small buildings...in that "revert back to a five-year-old" kind of way.
All the while, the teenager part of my brain was wondering why this Rita Repulsa lady wold be spending all her time and energy trying to conquer Angel Grove, a small town no one's ever heard of and that only had tall buildings when the movie came out and the budget went up. Was there oil underneath this town? Did Rita work for the Carlyle Group? Is that why she was waging war on a small place and killing innocents during monster/robot battles? And where did the Zords come from? Why would Zordon bury WMDs underneath this small town? All these questions were shoved aside as I laughed and quipped at this colorful show, like I would see Tom Servo and Crow do all those years later. Also, I thought Kimberly was hot, one of the perks of every show casting 20-somethings to play teenagers on TV.
Then, I saw the trailer for the 2017 version many years later. Well, they fixed the teenagers with attitude thing, one kid is on parole, the other has to take a drug test. And the special effects are way better. And they fixed the racial connotations to the colors of their uniforms. The blue ranger is black, the black ranger is Asian. I think the yellow ranger is Hispanic. The pink ranger is still a girl, but one kid is autistic like me, so that's diverse too. I like being represented.
Anyway, I'm going to check out the new movie, shutting off my brain and enjoying the giant robot dinosaurs. I won't have the nostalgic baggage that I had when Michael Bay ruined Ninja Turtles, because I didn’t grow up loving the franchise. But I do like superhero movies and I plan to go into this one like it's something new. Obviously, Hollywood would have never made this film if it was an original idea, because they don't do that with sci-fi...so, thank you, cheesy show, for the closest thing I'll have to watching something truly original at the movies this year.
Like sci-fi? http://www.turtlerocketbooks.com
I guess I was at that age where I thought my fandom was too cool to watch something aimed at too young an age group. I scoffed at the opening sequence, where Zordon labeled the Power Rangers as "teenagers with attitudes". Clearly, if you watched the show, these kids were straight-A students who helped old people, younger kids and did volunteer work. I went to school with teenagers and the ones who did that stuff didn't have "attitudes". None of the Power Rangers were sneaking alcohol or girls into their rooms (or lives). Obviously, this was done to keep positive messages in the show for the younger fan base. So, what kept me watching (privately) this "kiddie" show that I had pronounced "stupid" in front of my peers?
I had read in a pre-Internet 1990s movie fanzine that MMPR used to be a Japanese show where the American actors were edited into pre-existing footage. Being a fan of 'Godzilla' at the time and realizing that this same thing was done to the American Raymond Burr version of the original 'Godzilla' in a racist, post-WWII USA (so that the main characters would not be "those people"), part of my brain viewed it as a kiddie version of the kaiju flicks that I loved. It was still in the "so bad it's good" MST3K territory and I never bought any merchandise from the show, but I did enjoy watching robot dinosaurs knock down small buildings...in that "revert back to a five-year-old" kind of way.
All the while, the teenager part of my brain was wondering why this Rita Repulsa lady wold be spending all her time and energy trying to conquer Angel Grove, a small town no one's ever heard of and that only had tall buildings when the movie came out and the budget went up. Was there oil underneath this town? Did Rita work for the Carlyle Group? Is that why she was waging war on a small place and killing innocents during monster/robot battles? And where did the Zords come from? Why would Zordon bury WMDs underneath this small town? All these questions were shoved aside as I laughed and quipped at this colorful show, like I would see Tom Servo and Crow do all those years later. Also, I thought Kimberly was hot, one of the perks of every show casting 20-somethings to play teenagers on TV.
Then, I saw the trailer for the 2017 version many years later. Well, they fixed the teenagers with attitude thing, one kid is on parole, the other has to take a drug test. And the special effects are way better. And they fixed the racial connotations to the colors of their uniforms. The blue ranger is black, the black ranger is Asian. I think the yellow ranger is Hispanic. The pink ranger is still a girl, but one kid is autistic like me, so that's diverse too. I like being represented.
Anyway, I'm going to check out the new movie, shutting off my brain and enjoying the giant robot dinosaurs. I won't have the nostalgic baggage that I had when Michael Bay ruined Ninja Turtles, because I didn’t grow up loving the franchise. But I do like superhero movies and I plan to go into this one like it's something new. Obviously, Hollywood would have never made this film if it was an original idea, because they don't do that with sci-fi...so, thank you, cheesy show, for the closest thing I'll have to watching something truly original at the movies this year.
Like sci-fi? http://www.turtlerocketbooks.com
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