Some debate exists that franchise movies are what’s wrong with modern cinema, that they’ve poisoned the well of what a well-crafted story should be. That growing character arcs and constant leveraging of world-building should be reserved for television. While I could start with Star Wars as an example for the sake of that debate, I won’t. Instead, I’ll focus on the beast that is comic book adaptations. Enter DC’s Blue Beetle.
Blue Beetle is the second-to-last of the projects greenlit by the previous DC bosses at Warner Brothers. Based on how it did at the box office, it will not make its way into James Gunn and Peter Safran’s rebooting of DC projects within the studio. Perhaps I was naive, but I hoped they would get this movie right. That hope was in vain, like Wonder Woman 84.
If you’ve ever seen the TV series Young Justice, you can understand where I hoped they’d go with this film; with massive tweaking, sure, but an entry point for new and younger characters and stories. The origin story for that Blue Beetle is vastly different from the one in the movie. The movie version brings nothing new to the plot. An ancient alien artifact is found, and some evil family member who runs a powerful company wants to use it for evil and greediness. It’s a tired vehicle to introduce a character/plot; frankly, it’s insulting. If you’re going to use something that audiences have seen before (over and over again), you must add something to make it fresh.
Xolo Maridueña as Jaime Reyes/Blue Beetle in DC’s ‘Blue Beetle.’ Image: DC via IMdB.com
Blue Beetle is lackluster and cliché. The fight scenes are boring and predictable, and basing them off a video game didn’t transfer well to real life, in this case. If you are familiar with Jaime Reyes’s character, you know it takes him ages to get along with the Blue Scarab, and when it’s allowed to let loose on enemies, kicks ass. This version had kid gloves on and is still pulling punches. There is so much wasted potential here, like everything Warner Brothers touches regarding DC projects. The only positive I have is that the suit looks awesome.
Aside from the fact I’m not a George Lopez fan, who is just as predictably annoying as I’d expect as Uncle Rudy, nothing stands out to me about the performances of the rest of the cast. This is one of those instances where I won’t judge the cast on what I’d call mediocre performances, at best, because it’s not their fault the story sucks. Changing a bit of Jaime’s family dynamic for the film to include a larger Latino representation was (in theory) wonderful. Why not? Yet, when a movie ends up being terrible, it comes off more as a missed opportunity because audiences like to forget or rag on films that bomb.
Carapax (Raoul Trujillo) looks like a Transformers knock-off instead of a DC villain in ‘Blue Beetle.’ Image: DC via wegotthiscovered.com
My hope, if Gunn and Safran did reuse these characters in their reboot, would be to get to the origins of the Scarab and introduce that into the DCEU. There is so much potential with established characters (we don’t need an origin story for everyone) and their protégés. It would be a fantastic on-ramp to many aspects of what Warner Brothers has epically failed to do for decades, mainly because it moves away from Batman. I’m probably being too naive again, but DC makes it easy to buy into the ‘franchises killed good story writing argument.’
Blue Beetle is the cinematic equivalent of going to eat a hardboiled egg only to find it’s still raw because you forgot to turn the stove on. You will miss out on nothing by excluding Blue Beetle from your watchlist.
-A Pen Lady
Directed: Angel Manuel Soto Runtime: 2h 7m Rated: PG-13 Screenwriter: Gareth Dunnet-Alcocer Studio: Warner Bros. Cast: Xolo Maridueña, Bruna Marquezine, Becky G, Susan Sarandon, George Lopez
Director & Screenwriter: Daniel Kwan, Daniel Scheinert Runtime: 2h 19m Rating: R Studio: A24 Cast: Michelle Yeoh, Stephanie Hsu, Jamie Lee Curtis, Ke Huy Quan, James Hong
Everything Everywhere All At Once won the Academy Awards for Best Picture. It had a solid cast, great directing, and cinematography. The script was well-written, though the story was weird as flark to me.
Michelle Yeoh is incredible (as always) as a Chinese female Dr. Strange knock-off named Evelyn. With hotdog fingers, googley-eyes, and repeated references to a multi-verse, it’s a pretty apt parallel. She is pushed through multiple points in the multi-verse, where she encounters various versions of herself, which are all vastly different from her, of course, where she alone has to save all universes by interacting with her other selves. All while during an IRS audit by Agent Beaubeirdre (Curtis). Who doesn’t want to experience an acid trip or mental breakdown while at the IRS? This is the most minor mind-bending aspect of EEAAO.
Along the way, she encounters other versions of her husband, Waymond (Quan), daughter Joy (Hsu), and father, Gong Gong (Hong). All give fantastic multi-faceted performances. Playing one version of a character is one thing, but playing multiple versions of that character is another level of acting ability.
Brian Le, Michelle Yeoh, Andy Le in ‘Everything Everywhere All At Once.’ Image: A24 via entertainmentweekly.com
The set designs are believable in the mundane, like the laundromat and apartment, to vivid and surreal other places. At a point, a person explodes into confetti just by being touched. While that’s bizarre, it’s also creative. Most of this film is full of examples of eccentric displays of behavior that borders on off-the-rails fun, and where the hell is this going? What’s the point of all this? This is the point, the second act, where I was done. There is so much going on simultaneously with no sense of where most of it connects to something else. Madness; it’s just chaotic.
It’s not lost on me that this chaos personified parallels the madness we all face in life. A whole host of random shit we encounter and thus must deal with where from the outside it looks like total anarchy, and only from our inside takes does any of it make sense or have meaning. That mixed in with a question of “what if” about our potential and how and where our choices in life lead us. Family is also a big theme in this wacky film. Like the protagonist, there’s nothing humorous about my life. While I wish I could find solace in this cinematic display to enlighten people, they are not alone; they’re all on a similar, trippy ride, I can’t. It’s not my cup of tea, and that’s okay.
Stephanie Hsu, Ke Huy Quan, Michelle Yeoh, & Jame Hong in ‘Everything Everywhere All At Once.’ Image: A24 Studios via Syfy.com
That’s the beauty of so many stories and points of view within a global film industry; everyone can tell a story that’s (ideally) meaningful in some way to some.
One of my first thoughts on this film was, what were the writers on when they wrote this? I thought the same thing about the original Willie Wonka movie with Gene Wilder once I understood what hard drugs were because I didn’t enjoy it as a kid. I can watch it now as an adult, and maybe I’ll come around someday, too, for Everything Everywhere All At Once. Despite my aversion to this movie, I’d still say put it on your watchlist because if the story doesn’t bother you, you’ll find a well-directed and performed two hours of entertainment.
Directed: James Ponsoldt Runtime: 1h 50m Rated: PG-13 Screenwriter: James Ponsoldt, James Eggers Studio: STX Entertainment Cast: Emma Watson, Tom Hanks, Patton Oswalt, John Boyega, Karen Gillan
The Circle is a film about an all-knowing, all-connected social media tech conglomerate with no history, making it no better than a bot. Except that we see it exists, it lives and breathes via the ideas and algorithms created by its creators, Eamon Bailey (Hanks) and Tom Stenton (Oswalt), who are anything but transparent.
Based on the book of the same name, the setting is reminiscent of Apple’s headquarters. Yet, while watching this film, one can’t help but also think of Google, Facebook, and Amazon. It is a film that posits that “Knowing is good. Knowing everything is better.” The notion of privacy is stealing information from everyone else, so what’s the real agenda of a place like this and the people who run it?
Emma Watson in ‘The Circle’. Image: STX Entertainment via IMdB.com
This film has a solid casting, and director James Ponsoldt squandered every one of their acting chops. It boggles the mind to cast actors with so much potential into roles pathetically void of depth or meaning. It’s akin to writing the first draft of a book and not fleshing out anything meaningful about each character besides their names, jobs, and what they look like.
Oswalt is a fantastic actor who does nothing more than stand around with a pissed-off look for the movie. Bill Paxton sits around and shakes. Karen Gillan’s Annie is nothing more than a once happy puppy (on Adderall) who, by the end of the film, is a hollow shell of a beaten dog with no real context except work burnout. Her character had the makings of a way for the director to peel back what The Circle does but backs off, forgetting the character entirely. All that pales next to Ty (Boyega), the creator of TrueYou, the app to end all other apps. TrueYou is The Circles’ most used feature; it renders every other app you use obsolete because it does it all. Except, like all well-meaning creations throughout history, it was implemented in a way Ty didn’t design it for. So Ty gets paid to sulk around the campus of The Circle. Why doesn’t he leave? For the paycheck, zero self-respect? Who knows, and the filmmaker isn’t interested in logic or backstory. Character development doesn’t exist here.
Emma Watson & Karen Gillan in STX Entertainment’s ‘The Circle’ Image: Via vanityfair.com
I say story, but that’s being too generous; there’s the most basic story here, and the same with the plot. Considering this film is based on a novel whose author co-wrote the screenplay for this adaptation, it’s a wonder nothing meaningful made it to the screen. Having never read the book myself, this film gives me zero desire to do so. So what’s left? What should a viewer expect? Emma Watson’s Mae is a grateful young college graduate who gets a job at the best company in the world after a stint as a temp. Many people can relate to that and the overwhelming joy when starting. It’s here where we see the attempted point of this film: to show all that’s wrong with big tech, social media, and, by extension, the internet. The intersection of working for a company is your only life, productivity, and zero privacy.
We give away little bits of our right to privacy when we create an account, download a new app, or subscribe to something. We expect our stuff not to be shared or sold without permission; we don’t consider the more significant implications in small bits. In The Circle, TrueYou does everything all apps used to do. Why use thirty apps when one will do? Streamlining is better, right? Would you give away your right to privacy when you see, all in one place, how much of you is actually out there? Do you understand the ramifications of using your personal information as analytics to sell you stuff, spy, or control you? It’s one area this movie gets right, getting the audience to think about how far is too far in balancing the right to privacy and transparency.
Emma Watson, Patton Oswalt, & Tom Hanks in ‘The Circle’ Image: STX Entertainment via IMdB.com
The Circle is by no means the best film ever made. It had so much potential to be meaningful, but it’s a peacock; it’s all flash and little substance. Having said that, I’d still say put it on your watchlist. Why? For all its missteps, it made me think. It made me ask questions and provided an opportunity to have a conversation. I like stories like that, even if it didn’t translate to the big screen so well. It’s worth seeing once.
This is the perfect example of how to do a movie trailer! That was an excellent use of a Beastie Boys song, too.
The Marvels has a solid, serious plot yet, at the same time, is lighthearted and fun. After the decade-long buildup to Avengers: Endgame and Infinity War, Marvel Studios had nothing left in the tank, and phases 4 and 5 showed that. The best thing to come from those periods was their TV show, Ms. Marvel. The titular character in the show, Kamala Khan/Ms. Marvel, played by Iman Vellani, is the burst of fresh energy the MCU desperately needed. Iman, like Kamala, is every comic book superhero fan personified by her character’s unbridled wonder and enthusiasm. She represents what every kid (and some adults) wonders, ‘What if I had superpowers?’
Kamala’s biggest role model is Captain Marvel/Carol Danvers (Larson). Larson reprises her role in what is effectively the second Captain Marvel movie. Larson and Villani are joined by Teyonah Parris, who reprises her role from WandaVision as a grown version of Monica Rambeau. Their mix of technical, brooding, and unabashed joyful personalities create this solid dynamic. And what makes the audience feel for the characters and their journey as they are thrown together.
Iman Villani, Brie Larson, & Teyonah Parris in ‘The Marvels’ Image: Marvel Studios via Complex.com
This film still doesn’t address why Carol hasn’t aged in thirty years but shows why she never returned to Earth. That is the springboard for the plot of The Marvels. While the Kree are still entirely unlikeable in this film, because of Carol’s actions, you can feel why the villain of this film is doing what she is. Zawe Ashton plays Dar-Benn, the (now) leader and general of the Kree.
I liked how The Marvels built on the origin story of Kamala’s powers and seamlessly and believably worked it into space, the Kree, and time travel. Those are where Carol and Monica operate, along with Nick Fury (Jackson) and Goose the Flurken. It feels organic in their meetup rather than manufactured as an excuse to get these characters together in the same room (project). I especially loved that they have Kamala’s family in the film, too! They are all wonderful in the Ms. Marvel TV show and a welcome addition to the film as well. I love the energy and love they all display. So happy they were included.
Iman Vellani, Saagar Shaikh, Zenobia Shroff, & Mohan Kapoor in Marvel Studios film ‘The Marvels’ Image Credit: Marvel Studios via Geekculture.com
The first Captain Marvel film, and Brie Larson in particular, have endured a lot of hate and bullshit since its 2019 release, all of which is unnecessary. Many don’t love Iman Villani because viewers don’t like a TV show geared towards a younger audience. Or, they don’t respect that heroes are global and come from cultures different from Steve Rogers’s. Haters gonna hate. The MCU is a worldwide phenomenon, and as such, it should represent heroes from many backgrounds. While many movies come from America, it’s not just us who watch them. Many people worldwide come across this blog, so if this content isn’t your thing, don’t rag on it. Move on.
Only some things need to be CGI heavy, and The Marvels is a good blend of special effects and actual people. It connects to the multiverse and answers previously unanswered questions while leaving the doors open to other areas of the MCU. Those areas can be tied to existing ones fans still hope to see manifested on screen. I appreciate the story of The Marvels for what it is: a needed stepping stone or foundational piece to building up new characters and stories. Viewers who always expect constant action without the buildup to the action don’t have an appreciation for storytelling. They also don’t have an attention span. I say that, and I have ADHD! Viewers are expected to care about the plot when watching a TV show or film and to be invested in the character’s journey. To do that, you need a buildup.
Zawe Ashton as Dar-Benn in ‘The Marvels’ Image: Marvel Studios via heroichollywood.com
The Marvels is the return to a fun comic-based story with a point the MCU sorely needed. It helps set up the re-entry for old and new characters, continuing to intertwine Earth, space, and beyond and all the characters that come with it. The MCU’s phases four and five were a horrible intermission break, but time will show how the start of the second act with The Marvels was the way to go. This movie belongs on your watchlist.
Directed: Robert Redford Runtime: 2h 13m Rated: PG-13 Screenwriter: Paul Attanasio, Richard N. Goodwin Studio: Hollywood Pictures Cast: Ralph Fiennes, John Turturro, Rob Morrow, Christopher McDonald, David Paymer, Hank Azaria, Mira Sorvino
In celebration of the end of the SAG-AFTRA strike and a brand new year, I went way back for this week’s review. I first saw Quiz Show in 1999 during my video production class at the vocational school I went to in high school. At that point, this film was around five years old, and when you’re learning about the history of television, it’s a great example to use in class.
Quiz Show follows the real-life story of people involved in rigging quiz shows in the 1950s. The first television broadcast was in 1928, but it wasn’t until the later part of the 1940s and 1950s that TVs in the home started to become commonplace. As such, the newly established TV networks (only a handful) needed content to air. Game shows were a massive hit and a large portion of programming. One such show was called ‘Twenty-One.’
Most of Quiz Show follows the real-life events of the’ Twenty-One’ scandal but also takes artistic license. It is a movie, after all. It follows the rise and fall of contestants Herb Stempel (Turturro) and Charles Van Doren (Fiennes) after Dick Goodwin’s (Morrow) attention peaked after an article came out in the New York Times. Goodwin is a member of a Congressional oversight committee in Washington, D.C., that oversees television broadcasts. The burning question was, were contestants given the answers ahead of time?
Ralph Fiennes, Christopher McDonald, & John Turturro in ‘Quiz Show.” Image credit via Metacritic.com
It is a well-written script, and compelling real-life events can make that easier to accomplish; Quiz Show is no exception. The story comes to life beyond just the salacious details of the scandal because this movie has an excellent cast. At its core, Quiz Show makes everyone question their integrity and morals. Is it fraud? Is it okay to lie to the audience about what they are watching when they think it’s all real? Where is the line? What is the crime?
The quiz shows scandals of the 1950s, while not talked about in the film, did alter the course of TV broadcasting and advertising that still applies largely to this day. Laws were changed, regulations were created, and it is also the single reason commercials exist today. Over sixty years later, network TV and advertisements via commercials have stagnated in their purposes in the wake of streaming services and no-ad plans. When you can’t sell air time between show segments for companies to sell stuff to viewers, how do they make money when the viewer just wants to watch their show? Where is that balance that no longer exists?
‘Quiz Show’ is A Hollywood Pictures film. Image Credit: Via IMdB.com
Network TV took over as the primary communication source from radio, as streaming and the internet have now done to TV. However, this transition is not as seamless or profitable, and in that, actors and writers are the ones questioning integrity and morals now instead of the government. They are the ones now saying, ‘This is not okay,’ and trying to figure out where the new line in the sand is on balance in this changing and expanding entertainment arena.
Quiz Show is a wonderfully acted and directed story that uses its runtime to the fullest. It shows the dog and pony show of how early TV operated. Yet, it’s still an adept cautionary tale of the pitfalls of working in broadcasting (in an age where “reality TV” still exists, no less). An aged nugget in the cinematic archives, Quiz Show, is a movie everyone should have on their watchlist.
After Covid shut the world down for two years, I knew there would be a wait for new content to hit screens. And so I waited, like everyone, and then things got released by studios and streamers. Content that had been pushed, or things that needed to finish in their various places in development. Mostly, I was vastly unimpressed, some of it being hot garbage unworthy of my brain cells. I became so fed up that I stopped reviewing anything for the bulk of this year. The number of things being released lacked anything truly joyful to watch, let alone rewatch in the future. Quality matters to me. Studios and streamers are only interested in cranking out as many unoriginal, overused ideas/themes (packaged in a matter that signals viewers lack an attention span or IQ to know better) as possible.
In the past, I’ve felt my “reviews” were basically rants. Not that I can’t follow a structure in how to frame my reviewing/commenting process to make it more uniform, I can, but originally I thought, ‘why’? It’s not like I have a publisher or editor to answer to with their own guidelines, it’s just me and the inside of my head. To a point, there’s nothing wrong with that as long as I stay true to this blog’s main goal/premise: to talk about movies without spoilers. That is so much harder than I thought it would be, but it is worth the effort! Yet, when all the stuff I watched ended up with me writing negative reviews…why post only those? I want a balance of the bad with the good. So, I needed to step back. If I watch movies, as I’ve always done, to be entertained, whisked away to somewhere else, into a story that makes me think and feel, that tone, positive or not, should be easily reflected in how I post about it, otherwise why bother?
Weeks after my decision to do that, the Writers Guild of America (WGA) went on strike. To date, they still are as are the actors/members of the Screen Actors Guild and at the American Federation of Television and Radio Artists (SAG-AFTRA) now as well.
Do I write about movies when I feel like it again if the strike is still on? I mulled that around for a few weeks a couple of months ago. The answer was simple to me: no. To review something a reader may add to their watchlist would, by extension, support studios and certainly streamers with “views” and/or rentals of items not on a streaming platform. I’m not delusional, there are not enough people who follow this blog for that to matter. It would be like a raindrop in the ocean, insignificant in the grand scope of it all. Yet, in good conscience, I have not. Fully understand that because of these two strikes, there will be another lull in new content after they end. I can wait. As I do, I only hope what comes out is better quality than what came out after the world went indoors for two years.
Whether I liked a film or not doesn’t matter because everyone who works on these projects deserves fair pay, healthcare, sane working hours and conditions, protections against AI and studios stealing one’s likeness, and more. No matter what job a person has, everyone deserves a livable wage, a safe place to work, and to be treated with respect.
I am not a member of the WGA or SAG-AFTRA so nothing prevents me from talking about past or current movies. While mentally I am ready to post again, I will not as a continued show of solidarity with WGA especially, and SAG-AFTRA members.
Directed: Steven Soderbergh Rated: PG-13 Runtime: 1h 46m Studio: Warner Bros. Screenwriter: Scott Z. Burns Cast: Laurence Fishburne, Kate Winslet, Jude Law, Marion Cotillard, Jennifer Ehle, Matt Damon, Gwyneth Paltrow
Tell me if this sounds familiar; an animal, a virus, fear, global contagion, millions die, the military is involved, a run on goods at stores, and the entire world stops. So why isn’t this a review of Rise of Planet of the Apes? That’s what you were thinking, right? I understand your confusion. The plot of that film and Contagion is very similar, and Rise debuted in theaters a month before this one.
Dystopian disasters and end-of-the-world films never seem to go out of style. In 2011, Contagion seemed like a dystopian reality that couldn’t actually happen. Then, a decade later, Covid-19 shut the world down. Life imitated art. To watch Contagion now, to sit and view an odd re-telling of a reality we’ve lived through, with its eerily similar accurateness in so many regards, is unsettling.
A woman (Paltrow) travels home from a work trip in Hong Kong. She feels a bit off but chalks it up to jet lag. The C.D.C. and World Health Organization (W.H.O.) are involved within the next few days.
Now, hindsight is a bitch. After living through COVID and watching a movie like this afterward, it would be difficult not to question how certain things are done in this film. However, some basic protocols and procedures, and policies have existed for a long time with groups like the C.D.C. and WHO, so how are they not used in this film? Like C.D.C. employees walking around sick people (especially before you figure out how the virus travels) with no masks on! It’s not like we will forget that actress is Kate Winslet or that actor is Matt Damon.
Bryan Cranston, Laurence Fishburne, & Jennifer Ehle in Warner Bros. Pictures ‘Contagion’ Image: Cinemablend.com
This film also calls what’s going on an epidemic, when that’s not accurate either. It is, in fact, a pandemic. It’s like no one bothered to proofread medical terms. Dictionaries must have been so hard to come by for some reason in 2011. Digressing from that are the components of this film that resonate with real life (now) all too well. It has pure scientists, skeptics/conspiracy theorists/deniers, governments, angry crowds, looters, scavengers, and piles of dead people. With all that going on, there’s still a well-written script, acting, and set designs (such as they are). It also has a great, simple explanation for how a virus travels and how contagious (or not) it may be in a way I never heard someone say during the real-life pandemic.
The overall atmosphere of Contagion is excellent, without taking itself too seriously despite the heavy subject matter. The cast is terrific, not just with the delivery of their lines but the emotional resonance behind them. Cotillard’s Dr. Leonora Orantes, Ehle’s Ally Hextall, Winslet’s Dr. Erin Mears, and Fishburne’s Dr. Ellis Cheever get the lion’s share of the screen time, and they are all wonderful with the material they are given.
Marion Cotillard & Chin Han in ‘Contagion’ from Warner Bros. Pictures Image: Telegraph.co.uk
Winslet and Cotillard play epidemiologists, and they both deliver a performance that makes me feel for those that do this job in real life. I was more interested in those characters than in Matt Damon’s. His character represents the average person’s reaction to such an event. Perhaps I’m jaded after the last few years, but as a viewer, I liked the informational perspective, mainly because that wasn’t my reality. With a film like Contagion, people will take away something a little different from others, and that’s okay. Soderbergh packs a ton into this film.
Alan Krumwiede’s (Law) denier mentality is tame compared to real life, yet his tactics via his blog and interviews are spot on. Jude Law doesn’t get as much screen time as the other characters, but his character’s inclusion breaks up everything else to help with flow. One might think his character is the antagonist, but he’s not; the virus is. You can’t yell, shoot, or negotiate with a virus, and its ‘agenda’ (if you will) doesn’t discriminate against whom it goes after.
Jude Law in ‘Contagion’ from Warner Bros. Pictures Image: via LaTimes.com
This isn’t an action disaster film. There are no mobs hoarding supplies protected by large groups like in The Walking Dead; it’s a slow unfolding of events in a manner not usual for this genre. Yet it works. I particularly like how the film hops from one location to another around the globe to show how the virus is perceived by other cultures and how they handle it.
The trailer for this film is well done too. It gives you enough relevant information to tell you about what you’ll be watching but gives nothing important away. The tone-setting music is perfect as well. It may not be something everyone wants to watch after the past few years, but at some point, Contagion is worthy of a place on your watchlist.
It’s been a whole year since I started blogging here on WordPress! Yes, there were those few months of sabbatical in the middle, but let’s ignore that- I posted twice a week for the majority of the year; that’s still a lot to say about movies.
I intended to post twice a week this past summer, and one of my posts each week would involve me working my way through the MCU film roster before ‘Black Widows’ release. That worked out well. I may finish what I started with that mini project but mainly, at this point, if I need something quick to review in a pinch.
Part of my growing pains involved constant glitches with WordPress and their “happiness engineers” not providing much happiness. So my blog layout started one way and has changed a few times to work around some of those glitches. The problem I have is that I hate the way my blog looks. I can’t imagine others like it much if I can’t stand it myself, but we often are our own worst critics. However, I would like to take this opportunity to ask what you all think about it or what doesn’t work for you, especially on mobile devices. The comment section is at your disposal, or click on the “contact me” tab and send a message that way. If someone can’t read my posts without difficulty, then what’s the point?
Writing reviews without spoilers is a challenge, but I like the idea of talking about films without spoiling them. After a year, I recognize that my posts are a little all over the place in terms of form. Sometimes I’m overly analytical, and occasionally I full-on rant. If I were paid to do this by someone, there would be guidelines for writing, why, and what. So I’m still trying to find my voice, if you will, how I’m most comfortable and proud to say what I say about any given film.
I stay away from reviewing TV shows, but I watch a fair amount of them. So, in honor of my first year (and since Covid gave us all a limited amount of content in terms of films), I am listing fifteen TV shows I feel are worth watching or re-watching. In alphabetical order, they are:
After Life
Bones
Broadchurch
Doctor Who
Game of Thrones
Justice Leauge/Unlimited
Killing Eve
Lost in Space
The Crown
The Handmaid’s Tale
The Marvoulus Mrs. Masiel
True Blood
True Detective
Westworld
Young Justice
Mini-series honorable mentions: Chernobyl and Wanda Vision
Thank you all for joining me this first year and being as interested in movies as I am. Happy viewing!
Director: Denis Villeneuve Runtime: 2 hr 35 min Rated: PG-13
Studio: Legendary Pictures Based on: Frank Herbert’s novel ‘Dune’
Screenwriter: Eric Roth, Jon Spaihts, Denis Villeneuve
Cast: Timohée Chalamet, Rebecca Ferguson, Zendaya, Oscar Isaac, Jason Momoa, Stellan Skarsgård, Stephen McKinley Henderson, Josh Brolin, Javier Bardem, Dave Bautista, Charlotte Rampling, Sharon Duncan-Brewster
Dune is a science fiction saga layered with all the typical trappings of humanity. Rife with greed and civil unrest as a set of noble houses control planets for resources, wealth, and power. Often to the detriment of the locals.
Not too far into the film, and I’m having a flashback to 2015’s Jupiter Ascending, which was marginally more exciting than this film.
In Dune, the house of Atreides is given stewardship of planet Arrakis by the overlord of all the houses-the Emperor. House Atreides, people of a water planet, go to Arrakis, a desert world, to mine spice. It’s the only thing of value to the houses because though spice is a drug; they also use it to navigate space. Okay. Spice is only on Arrakis, with two other things: the locals, known as the Freemen, and massive sandworms.
The Freemen walk in a certain way to not cause unnatural vibrations in the sand that would otherwise attract the worms. They also wear special garb to help them endure the intense heat of the surface. Freemen characters are Chani (Zendaya), Stilgar (Bardem), and Dr. Kynes (Duncan-Brewster). Dr. Kynes has the most screen time out of these three, and the trailers for this movie imply the other two have more significant roles than they do. So if you see Dune just because they are in it, you’ll have to wait for most of the film and will be vastly disappointed.
Javier Bardem’s Stilgar in ‘Dune’ Image: Legendary Pictures via IGN.com
The previous stewards of Arrakis, House Harkonnen, mined the spice for 80 years and left abruptly. Houses Harkonnen and Atreides are sworn enemies but obey the Emperor’s decree of change. Still with me?
Paul Atreides (Chalamet) is the son of Duke Leto Atreides (Isaac), next in line to rule his homeworld. Paul follows his father and mother, Lady Jessica (Ferguson), to Arrakis to learn how to lead more. Dune is billed as a sci-fi hero’s journey of a young boy born for a destiny he can’t grasp. A journey to provide safety for his people and family, all while not giving into fear.
Frank Herbert originally published Dune in 1965.
‘Dune’ Spice harvester Image: Legendary Pictures via WSJ.com
To get to my following observation, let me highlight some key phrases and notions about Dune. 1. An Emperor (really) 2. Mine spice (Kessel) 3. Planet of sand (Tatooine) 4. Massive worms (Sarlacc pit, or Jabba) 5. Walking a certain way (Sand people) 6. Wear special garb (Sand people) 7. Hero’s journey (Luke) 8. A Young boy(Luke/Anakin) 9. Destiny (Luke/Anakin) 10. Not giving in to fear (Jedi) 11. High council (Jedi)12. Superpowers (the Force) 13. Imperium (Empire). I could go on. Before seeing this version of Dune, I knew nothing about it. I had never read the books or seen the previous movies, so I walked into the theater with no pre-knowledge or conceptions. However, after only a few minutes into the film, I was beyond irritated.
This irritation was because I couldn’t stop thinking about how much George Lucas poached from Frank Herbert. Not drew on as inspiration, full-on stole. George Lucas released the first of his Star Wars films, A New Hope, twelve years after Dune was published. Yes, the troupes of a young hero’s journey, saving one’s family, and the notion of destiny are all well used throughout cinema and literary works; but this is something else.
Sandworm of Arrakis in ‘Dune’ Image: Legendary Pictures via Looper.com
My urge to slap George Lucas aside, Villeneuve’s Dune isn’t worth the hype. It’s dull, cold, and wastes its runtime with lackluster performances. This film should have had gravitas and more substance, considering the vast source material available. I saw the trailer like millions of others, but I was unimpressed. The movie, like the trailer, left me with no investment in the plot or the characters. Dune’s filmmaker expects the audience to care and follow along with this story, though there’s no satisfaction at the end.
Why is there no satisfaction or excitement to find out what happens next? Imagine the following: you wake to strangers in your home, there’s shooting, fire, and death. Therefore you flee for your life through dangerous parts of town to seek shelter and help from people you barely know. All while not disturbing the gigantic sandworms and daydreaming about a girl. These people agree to help you- end film. Without actual spoilers, I just summed up Dune.
Zendaya in ‘Dune.’ Image: Legendary Pictures via nerdist.com
Villeneuve cuts Dune off after two-and-a-half hours with no actual climax/resolution. Walking through worm-infested dunes isn’t a proper climax. It’s a bloody boring letdown. As an avid reader and fan of films, I know that movies rarely do their sourcebooks justice. Even though I haven’t read Dune, I don’t believe the first novel ended the way the film did. Please correct me if I’m wrong because Dune is one of the top 100 books of all time.
How does such a popular novel make it to the silver screen with lackluster cast performance, pace, and lack of details? The most energy any character provides is Jason Momoa’s Duncan Idaho, discounting Brolin and Bautista’s roles as gruff, angry soldiers. That’s not a stretch for them, so I hardly call it acting.
Stellan Skarsgård as Baron Harkonnen in ‘Dune.’ Image: Legendary Pictures via latimes.com
Stellan Skarsgård’s depiction of Baron Vladimir Harkonnen was said to be terrifying. I’m a big fan of Mr. Skarsgård’s work, and terrifying isn’t the word I would use to describe him in this film. Authoritative, vengeful, physically imposing (he’s a tall man in real life) who flies, which I find to be a weird ability, but not terrifying. Again I haven’t read the books; maybe he’s amazingly terrific as his literary counterpart description.
The Lady Jessica is credited as Atreides but is referred to as the Dukes’ concubine in the film. If she’s his concubine, she’s not his wife. Either way, she is the mother of the Dukes’ son, Paul. The Lady Jessica is part of the Bene Gesserit, a political shadow group of sorceress with a breeding program. Again, I have that Star Wars connection in my mind. Breeding, cloning. Female sorceress’s, the Nightsisters of Dathomir. By and large, Ferguson’s emotional range is that of a brick wall.
Chalamet, Ferguson, and Isaac in ‘Dune’ Image: Legendary Pictures via Screenrant.com
Ferguson is a brick wall, and Timothée Chalamet is a wet mop. Why is there hype around this kid? Harry Potter had more emotional responses about his dead parents, whom he’d never met than Paul does about any of the stuff happening around him. And Paul is a lot older than an eleven-year-old. For that matter, Harry’s dead parents in memory form or in moving magical photos conveyed more emotion for their son than Lady Jessica.
It’s not fair that all I can think about is Star Wars when watching this; Frank Herbert really should have sued George Lucas at some point. Star Wars has plenty of other things that separate it from Dune. Still, so many of the broad strokes are not original, leaving me with a bitter taste in my mouth about the franchise. Herbert crafted a sci-fi series in novel form, and had George Lucas never come along with Star Wars, who knows how popular the Dune series cinematically could have been long term. All it needed was a studio, cast, and director, along with an excellent screenplay to bring it all to life- a few decades too late. Instead, now, Dune is left seeming like recycled content.
Jason Momoa as Duncan Idaho in ‘Dune.’ Image: Legendary Pictures via Vanityfair.com
The script and direction should be solid when watching a big-budget film with a solid cast based on a classic novel. The passage of too much time and George Lucas robbed Dune of its full potential. Try as Denis Villeneuve did to make a better version of the 1984 attempt of Dune; it still falls flat. The devil is in the details, and there were not enough of them for Dune to resonate as the larger-than-life story it’s branded to be.
Hopefully, the next attempt at Dune on the big screen will better incorporate details about the Houses in general, the interpersonal connections, and the mystical components that were played up but meant nothing. The story isn’t compelling enough without energetic performances and more complete pictures of characters and story arcs.
When plot mechanics are the backbone of a film with little emotional resonance (story), it shouldn’t be on anyone’s watchlist. That’s not a film worth anyone’s time.
Director: Chloé Zhao Runtime: 2 hr 36 mins Rated: PG-13
Studio: Marvel Studios Screenwriter: Chloé Zhao, Patrick Burleigh, Ryan Firpo
Cast: Richard Madden, Gemma Chan, Angelina Jolie, Salma Hayek, Lauren Ridloff, Barry Keoghan, Lia McHugh, Brian Tyree Henry, Kumail Nanjiani, Ma Dong-seok, Kit Harington, Bill Skarsgård
Eternals is everything a decade’s worth of MCU films couldn’t do; it tells a complete, complex, and compelling story, with a strong plot, from beginning to end. A story where you didn’t know how it or the characters would end up. When you spend a decade establishing characters, building up an ensemble to fight together, you expect them to win. You expect them to make it to the end of their respective standalone films, so there’s little mystery there. How you get from Iron Man to Endgame is largely spectacle. Flash over substance.
Eternals is more substance over flash, and many movie-goers hate that. Over the years, the MCU model conditioned people to expect less story from Marvel films, which are padded with costumes, CGI, and action. Don’t despair. Eternals have plenty of CGI and action woven more intrinsically within this detailed, rich story.
Perhaps this is part of what many disliked. Details. Being required to listen and pay attention; when it’s not a spectacle, that’s what films need. Perhaps it’s the openly gay couple with a kid? Get over yourselves. Maybe it’s the sex scene? Hm, that one is fair. Up to this point, you could take young kids to see their favorite superhero in what has been a G/PG rated aspect of this topic in the MCU thus far. Well, kids grow up. Comic characters are not just for kids, nor have they ever been. Eternals isn’t dark and deranged like Zack Snyder’s comic book character depictions. Eternals fall in the middle. I’ll grant you this tiny spoiler if you’re on the fence about this film based on this point. It’s tastefully done. Sure it’s clear at one point two of the characters are lying down and don’t have clothes on anymore, but it’s from the collarbones up. Take from that what you will.
Image: Marvel Studios, composite by Kirsten Acuna/Insider.com
Exploring this further, Eternals has a well-rounded, diverse cast. There are black people; one of whom is deaf, white people, an Indian character, Asian characters, a Spanish character, and a kid. This large cast ticks off a bunch of boxes with ease and not for the sake of ticking off boxes. I appreciate a well-rounded, talented cast that lets the film be about the story-not character-specific. In prior MCU films, one or two characters always managed to show up even when it wasn’t their standalone film like the film wouldn’t work without their inclusion. While Eternals have costumes, you should consider them more as uniforms, extensions of their powers, and ship. In this manner, this ensemble is without the brightly colored spandex costumes and accompanying ego trips. It’s all the better for it.
Fans, however, may not feel better about the film’s opening sequence. They’ll need to read the screen. This isn’t a bad thing! It certainly sets the tone for the movie and the upfront departure from every other MCU project to date. It provides needed backstory in a format that consumes less screen time and budget. This format will not resonate with every viewer, but it’s an essential blip in the overall runtime of the film. It’s hardly the first film to use this tactic. So, read it without complaint. It’s also an important reason to remember to show up and find a seat before the film starts!
Celestial image from the MCU Image: Marvel via Screenrant.com
Eternals has gotten mixed reviews, and I’m going to point out why you should ignore the naysayers. 1. Marvel didn’t put nearly the marketing effort into hyping this movie as others. It’s like they didn’t know how because 2. They are obscure characters with no prior buildup 3. The teaser trailer did nothing for this movie. Please ignore it. 4. It’s not all Hulk-like smashing, gun-heavy violent 5. The box office sucked. On that last point, when American films come out usually, other countries see them first. China is an excellent example of this, and they opted not toallow Eternals into their theaters. When that happens, the studio will see fewer zeros from ticket sales. That’s just a fact. Couple that ban with still touchy post-Covid theater options, and it’s clear those previous metrics for evaluating a hit or flop need reassessment ASAP. With all that against it, tossing that all aside and Eternals should be considered a box office hit.
Chloé Zhao did a bloody marvelous job bringing together a large ensemble that portrayed characters worth being invested in. A cast who have great chemistry and energy that are believable and meaningful. Full of details that make the plot move along at an incredible pace, with seamless cinematography. Zhao tells a consistent story whose themes are just right and impactful. The audience can understand their story, who they are, why they are on Earth, their purpose, and how it all fits together in the MCU, which is a fair point after Thanos.
Kumail Nanjiani is Kingo in ‘Eternals’ Image: Marvel Studios via SYFYWire.com
Moving forward, I sincerely hope that the house of mouse doesn’t “Disney-fi” future work with the Eternals within the MCU because this fresh infusion of characters is a palate cleanser. The right amount of serious and grownup to intermix with the sassy, zany and quirky characters left doing projects with the MCU.
Eternals is worth a spot on your watchlist and your time. Make sure to stick around for the two end credit scenes; one’s at the very end. Cheers!
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