Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse

 Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse - 117min - PG

DC Animation was the gold standard, but this film has changed the game.  I want to see more from each of these characters. I collected the books when I was young, and this is the hands down best representation of this property. Sony is going to kick Warners Brother's ass at the box office if they keep this going. Read my full review here.

Creed II

Creed II - 130 min - PG13

I thoroughly enjoyed the first Creed, it was a great way to bring a new spin on the old Rocky Movies.  When I heard they were going to do a sequel I admit I was excited but also a tad scared. I find rarely do the sequels stack up to the original.

Creed II continues the journey and ties in some of the lore of the previous films.  Some advice for Studios and filmmakers. If you have more good story to tell you need to do a sequel, if you see the first one made money and you have no story, DON'T DO A SEQUEL.  Creed II has a lot of great engaging character development to tell.

Read my review here at BlackFlix.

Telluride Horror Show 

Telluride Horror Show 2018

Telluride is known for an international film festival but people, unfortunately, overlook a festival that happens there in October. In my opinion, the horror show is fast becoming the premiere horror film festival in the nation. This year it had some of the best films I have seen to date. This is a festival that horror fans and nonhorror fans can enjoy. My wife joins me and sometimes watches the films but mostly has a great time in a historic mining town.

This festival has a little bit of everything, Feature films, shorts, authors and industry guests. This year they were showing Killer Klowns from Outer Space for a 30th-anniversary screening with the director Stephen Chiodo as well as highlighting a VR Horror experience (Delusion Lies within) where you are in the middle of a Lovecraftian story. They never cease to amaze me on what new addition to the festival we are going to get each year.

The town itself is perfect for this kind of festival. It’s deep in the moutans surrounded by peaks and forests where 1,500 people gather for the love of horror films. The location and outstanding moves aside the people who attend are some of the greatest people to talk to between films. At dinner, you can hear people talking about what they thought the ending of a film was supposed to be. People waiting and comparing notes on films they had to skip or a recap of some of the best shorts this year. They are there to get their scare on.

In the four years I have been attending, it was the year without flops. The films did not fall into good films and bad films categories this year they were good films and great films. One film (Terrified) scared the hell out of me, rarely happens now, and three others will stay with me forever.

The Guilty - This move is a great example of how to write and tell a story it is spine-tingling and it takes place in one room. Such an emotional journey you will be clutching your seat.

Tigers Are Not Afraid - Reminds me of the fantasy Pans Labyrinth but the monsters are far more terrifying. Humans are the scariest thing I can think of as it takes place in the drug war-torn streets of Mexico.

Anna and the Apocalypse - One of the reviewers said it is Shawn of the Dead meets La La Land. I disagree, its more like Shawn meets The Greatest Showman the songs were better than the ones in La La land.

If you prefer scary books you could have enjoyed the company of authors Paul Tremblay (The Cabin at the End of the World) and Jeremy Robert Jordan (Entropy in Bloom) who were there and took part in the scary campfire stories.

I am personally inviting everyone to go next year, you need to experience this great festival nestled in a valley where horror fans go share some of the best films in the best setting in the best festival in the country. Make plans now for next year the passes go fast so get yours early and I will meet you there.

Mission Impossible - Fallout

Mission Impossible - Fallout - 147min - PG13

This is an excellent continuation of the franchise.  Thes folks know how to make a film. When you have the right mix of performances storytelling and cinematography, you don't mess with it.

Here is my review on Blackflix

Ocean's 8

Ocean's 8 - 110 min - PG13

This is a marvelous addition to the franchise. I love how this does nothing to the original fils it doesn't change any of the established story it just adds to it.

This hits every mark of the heist film as well as brings us new characters to explore. Read my full review here on Blackflix. 

Rampage

Rampage  - 107min - PG13

This was a fun ride made by people who also enjoyed the video game it's based on. There are a lot of nods to the game, but really it's just a fun excuse to have giant monsters destroy a city with the Rock.

Funny story Uve Boll was worried that this movie would harm his films series of the same name and was threatening legal action. The titles are the only thing in common. I have seen his trilogy, and they are doing an excellent job of harming themselves, besides he may get more views as unwary people may stumble on to his films looking for this one.

Read my review here on Blackflix

Pacific Rim: Uprising

Pacific Rim: Uprising  - 111 min - PG13

For a check your brain at the door and enjoy giant monster and giant robots fighting it fits the bill. I like this kind of film, but I also enjoy a good story to go with it.  I was not disappointed.  They seem to be setting this up for a franchise, it could be worse.  Read my full review here. 

Tomb Raider

Tomb Raider - 118Min - PG13

This is one area where a reboot makes sense, we are trying to match the look and feel of a release of the video game franchise of the same name.  So you are going to want to start fresh. Alicia Vikander truly embodies the strength and essence of the character.  She totally Jackie Chan'd this performance doing most of her own action scenes.

Read my review here on Blackflix. 

Wonder Woman

Wonder Woman  - 141min  - PG13

This is hands down the best DC film of the modern age. They final reconnected with the character and made a movie that focused on the hero's humanity and not only on their powers.  I have high hopes that Warner Brothers studios takes the right notes. 

This gives me hope that Justice Leauge won't be horrible. Read my review here on BlackFlix

Kong: Skull Island

Kong: Skull Island  - 118min - PG13

This was a promising start to a shared monster universe, and John C Reilly  Stole the show. Seeing my childhood monsters on the screen again in some spectacular effects. The Monsterverse seems to be chugging along, looking forward to Godzilla in 2019 and then Godzilla vs. Kong later.

Read my review here on Blackflix. 

The BFG

The BFG - 117min - PG

Roald Dahl is a master storyteller.  It is challenging to put some of this kid shows on screen without changing something or losing sight of the spirit of the story. I have seen a few Dr. Seuss books ruined by the big screen.  I am looking at you Cat in the Hat. This one transitioned well. I think it helps when you have people who love and understand the story working to make it a film worthy of the story. Read my full review here.

Pride and Prejudice and Zombies

Pride and Prejudice and Zombies - 108min - PG13

This movie is better than it should have been. I like Pride and Prejudice, and I like Zombies so why not combine the two?  It does a great job of mixing the two completely different styles of movies. Read my Review here.

13 Hours

13 Hours - 142min - R

I was not looking forward to this movie, I am not a Michael Bay fan.  But this was only produced by him, so his over the top action and loud explosions didn't dominate the screen. I was also pleased this was not a Right Wing rant but more of a focus on the people who were in the center of that conflict and deserve to be remembered.

Read my review here on Blackflix

Star Wars: The Force Awakens

StarWars: The Force Awakens -  136min - PG13

After many years of waiting, we finally get more stories from this series. If done right they will have stories to tell for years, and tears to come.  I really liked so much of this film it's hard to say just one thing. I will say that I look forward to more.  Read my review here.

Hell House LLC

Hell House LLC - 93min - NR

Here is my review of one of the features shown at The Telluride Horror Show.  Hell house LLC was one of my favorites. Taking the next step in found footage films gives a fresh feel to this kind of movie. Read the review here.

Steve Jobs

Steve Jobs - 122 min - R

Here is my review of Steve Jobs. Its posted to Blackflix.com I covered a friend who could not attend the screening (I need to get back on the press list).  Read My Review here . This was a good move that was completely made up.  Instead of being the subject of a bio picture he is used as a common denominator to tell a touching father and daughter story. 

The Martian

The Martian – 141min – PG13

Matt Damon is back in space and this time he has to find a way to survive on Mars for as long as it’s going to take to get a rescue mission to him. This movie is a great example of how an engaging story can let the time slip by unnoticed. It is also a great examination of the human spirit and the ingenuity of a person who makes a choice to survive. This is such a great movie, I am taking my son to go see it today. A green light film should have production value, spectacular performances and be engaging. This move has all of that.

The manned mission to Mars is interrupted by a storm and the crew gets the evacuation orders. During the evacuation, Mark Watney (MattDamon) is struck by debris his communication and vitals monitoring systems are destroyed. Believing that he has died the crew go on with the evacuation and start their four month journey back to earth. He wakes up alone, on Mars with limited resources he now has to find a way to survive.

Some standout performances were Jeff Daniels who spectacularly played the Director of NASA. Chiwetel Ejiofor was again unfairly outperforming everyone on screen with him. Sean Bean does not die in this movie and it’s nice to see him finish a film without a death scene. Jessica Chastain shines as the captain of the mars mission. Really the entire cast all had strong performances but these were the ones that I truly enjoyed. There wasn’t a weak or miscast player in this production.

Not being an astronaut or a botanist I have to say from the laymen’s view, the science works out just fine. I enjoyed watching the science unfold and how math and engineering and a team effort helped Mark survive. The choice he made to survive and how he did it was also a great life lesson. You are going to die unless you solve this problem, solve it and move to the next problem. The specter of death was always present but the ingenuity and drive of a man’s will to survive can overcome many obstacles.

Neal deGrasse Tyson gave his blessing on keeping the science accurate in a series of tweets. I think his approval of the film validates that a movie can be entertaining and accurate. What it gives me as a viewer is the thought of I could do that. Nothing Watney does  is fantasy or fudged to make it a better story. Science is entertaining as it is.

Not seeing the 3D version I am unable to comment if if it added to the experience. I know that for some films 3D is more of a distraction and takes away from the story. When it is applied as a gimmick it almost never ends well. I may have to go and check it out to see if my hypothesis is correct. I’ll let you know if the 3D is better than a regular showing.

I saw the 3D version and it added a little depth (pun intended)  but not enough to forgo the normal theatrical release.

The other effects in the film were done with care and don’t scream out that a CGI effect has been done. Mark’s emaciated body toward the end of the film as well as the floating debris in space blends in so well that they all enhance the imagery without drawing attention to themselves.

Mark’s sense of humor helps him a lot in the weeks and months alone. He makes logs to keep a chronicle of his journey and Matt Damon embodies that character well. His touches of sarcasm and mental acuity are played well that gives Mark a charm that draws you into his plight and engages you in his survival. You want him to live because you fall in love with how down to Mars he is.

I have been ordered to read the book by a friend who says that the book as a lot of humor in it. As I understand it there are a number of cut scenes. There are a lot more of Matt Damon cracking wise in character for the camera. I can’t wait for the blue ray to come out so I can see them.

What blue ray release have you waited for in hopes of great extra features? 

The Visit

The Visit – 94min – PG13

This film is a return to the thing that made M. Night Shyamalan famous: a great story told simply. Doing a micro budget film forces you to focus on only the essentials in the story. Mr. Shyamalan has some good stories. I learned a while back that when going to one of his films don’t try and guess where the story is going; just sit back and enjoy it as it unfolds. It’s a bit like going to see a magician and working out how the tricks are done when you watching the show. You miss the magic. Maybe I’m not the best person to review this film, I already have a high opinion of his work so yeah I am going to love it. It does nothing but make me enjoy his creativity more.  

Becca (Olivia DeJonge) and her brother Tyler (Ed Oxenbould) spend a week with their estranged grandparents. Becca is a budding filmmaker and wants to document the trip. This leads us down a path that I have never cared for as a device. The main characters are shooting the footage. It’s not really a found footage per se but it’s chocked full of oddly staged scenes and shaky camera shots.  Using these devices, in my opinion, on a big budget film is a lazy story-telling tool. But on a micro budget, it’s understandable.

Beyond that, what really attracted me to the story is that the characters are genuine. The family is going through a separation and the kids are going away to give mom some time with the new man in her life. The kids have some time to examine the effects of their parents break-up, and we can see them working out their issues.

The pacing is very deliberate. Rising tension is relived by a touch of humor and the simple explanation that what they saw is very normal if you look at it from a certain point of view. This is another reason to enjoy this film with its understanding of human nature to accept reasonable explanations for things because the alternative would be too horrifying. Yet the horrifying is sitting right there waiting for you to recognize what you have been seeing all along. As it comes more and more into focus, the feeling is akin to that of the slow rise up the hill on a roller coaster. Click,click, click,click as you go up and crest the hill you can see the drop off and do nothing but go with it and hope that you survive out the other end.

I loved the symbolism in the film. It may be heavy handed but still done well. The characters surviving their ordeal and walking out into the rain as a baptism to their new lives touches the right notes. Unlike other films it doesn’t make victims of its characters who survive only to become creatures themselves or are horribly scarred for the rest of their lives.

The dialog has the flavor and touches of humor that have been missing from some of his previous work. You can tell that he has the story clearly in his mind and that translates to the screen perfectly. This has the same feel as the Sixth Sense. They both have similar themes: kids are stronger than we give them credit for and life can sometimes be scary but we get through it. 

I for one, am glad this film is doing well and that Mr. Shyamalan is telling stories again. I’m looking forward to the next one.  Are you? 

Mission Impossible: Rogue Nation

Mission Impossible: Rogue Nation - 131 min - PG13

As a formulaic summer blockbusters go, the latest installment in the MI series does a great job of bringing the goods. When I go and see this movie I am not looking for deep plots or a lot of character development. I come to a film like this to see the following: Tom Cruise channeling his inner Jackie Chan and doing some crazy stunts. Simon Pegg adding his pop culture nerdly flavor to the supporting role. Jeremy Renner looking fabulous as he brings the heat. Ving Rhames being the baddest hacking Motherfu(Hush your mouth).. Just talking about Ving. I enjoyed this movie immensely.

Ethan (Tom Cruise) gets attacked by the Syndicate, an organization like his, only bent on making the world a more chaotic place. He is the only one who knows for sure this organization exists and his department is being shut down because of the efforts of Alan Hunley (Alec Baldwin). The IMF agents are all being absorbed into the CIA. Ethan is on his own with no support from his country, but being disavowed is nothing new to him. He starts recruiting some trusted people and goes on the offensive.

I liked how this movie picks up right after the second movie. I don't know if they are going to do more but as an action fluff film they have the right mix. Other films go heavy on the humor and some just focus on causing the most damage scene after scene. This film has a good balance between building action scenes and story with just a few humorous spots to relieves the tension. The characters have had a lot of time to get comfortable in their skins and it shows on how easily they interact on screen.

The director (Christopher McQuarrie) really knows how to work with the action film elements. As writer and director, he can guide the action to be as he intended on the page. Some writers/directors need someone to bring them back after they have swerved too far off the path. McQuarrie doesn't seem to need this. His product is fresh and clean and an enjoyable journey. He first got my attention with his work as writer for The Usual Suspects. He has a great way of making the characters seem real. There is an honesty to his characters that is fun to watch.

Tom Cruise, regardless of his personal beliefs and associations, is a star. I have been guilty of making fun of the craziness that is his personal life but when we are in the theater and he is on screen he commands respect and can carry off the many performances that he takes on. He was miss-cast as Jack Reacher but still did a strong job as that version of the character.

Rumors hover over the next installment but they are going to have to tread carefully. You don't want to carry the fun on too long because when a franchise goes bad it just doesn't go a little bad it goes very, very bad. So far they are doing fine and I hope they continue with this streak, because gosh darn it, these moves are fun. 

The Man From U.N.C.L.E

The Man From U.N.C.L.E - 116min - PG13

Proving yet again that Hollywood is out of ideas, we have another movie made form a TV show. I was never a fan of the TV show so I was only mildly interested, however Guy Ritchie is an outstanding storyteller and makes this formulaic TV story into something outstanding. This film highlights Ritchie's masterful skill at blending just the right amount of action with story and emotion. I appreciated the dedication to the vintage time period. it feels like if the filmmakers from the 60s had access to today’s technology, this would totally be a move they would have made.

Art thief Napoleon Solo (Henry Cavill) is recruited by the CIA to work for them in exchange for not going to jail. He is partnered with a KGB operative, Illya Kuryakin (Arnie Hammer)  to find and stop a maniacal villain, Victoria (Elizabeth Debicki) from launching a nuclear weapon. With the help of a girl, Gaby (Alicia Vlkander) from East Berlin whose father is being held captive to work on the bomb. Together they work to save the world.

The setting is the cold war and they did a perfect job of fitting in with that time period. The costumes and set design are one thing, but the choice of font for subtitles blends in with that time period perfectly. They even took some of screen division elements from the TV show. You know the ones where we see one protagonist looking one way, and only on the top half of the screen and the other protagonist looking the other way occupying the bottom of the screen. They both split further and the bad guy is looking directly at the screen. The animated series Samurai Jack used this technique well.

I enjoyed the way that they sometimes back tracked on a scene, showing what is happening all at the same time. The end is a great example of this. We see events unfold from one point of view. Then we see them from a different character’s POV, and again from a different character. All of the events happened simultaneously but we are now seeing what everyone was doing right before the final outcome, with the scenes edited together without confusing the audience is a challenge. They did a great job of it.

I have yet to see Guy Ritchie movie that I didn't like. Unlike the other directors of today he seems to have gift for adding just the right amount of everything. He has a knack for pace and for blending all the elements together to make a highly entertaining film. His choice of performers is outstanding as well. The three stars of the film work really well together on screen. They have a great chemistry that makes it enjoyable to watch.

Armie Hammer's portrayal of Illya is perfect. He has the intensity of a hard Russian spy but enough subtle vulnerabilities that make him interesting. As the straight man to Solo's sense of humor he gives a lot of great material to play off of. Henry Cavil's Agent Solo is extremely American. Every line he delivers is like he is making an announcement at a pageant. Every line is dripping with roguish charm.

When I was a kid, I saw the show in reruns but it never held my interest, maybe now that I'm older I should give this series another look. Or maybe Guy Ritchie took a dull series and made it entertaining.

What TV shows did you look at in a different light after they were put on the big screen?