Gotham Knight

Hey all, sorry I haven't been keeping up with the blog lately. Haven't watched a whole lot of movies, so I figured I'd do that and review one for you. I'm sure I've mentioned how much of a Batman fan I am, and thankfully, there's a lot of Batman movies out there. Today, I'm reviewing Gotham Knight, which is included the hardback graphic novel of Batman: Black and White.

The Plot:
Well, there's six short films here, which is kind of the Animatrix of Batman, so I'll review each one.

Have I got a Story for You:
A group of teenagers tell a version of running into Batman while a masked villain is on the loose. Each story is wildly different and over the top, until the baddie and Batman appear for one last round.
The Good:
Not much. It's an interesting idea, but poorly done.
The Bad:
The animation is sloppy, the voice acting is boring. This short is a waste of time. Also, Batman doesn't operate during the day, which seems to be a theme in this film.

Crossfire:
Detectives Allen and Ramirez escort the previous baddie to a prison, courtesy of Batman. Allen doesn't trust Batman, while Ramirez does. On their way back, they get caught in a gang war, and Batman saves the day, making Allen rethink if Batman can be trusted.
The Good:
The animation's much better and it gives us a better perspective on what people think of Batman.
The Bad:
Sadly, the story's too rushed and the cops are dumb in this one. You don't get any character development and Batman comes off as an overpowered god.

Field Test:
Wayne Tech has a new gadget that can deflect bullets, so Bruce Wayne decides to test it out. While fighting the gangs from the last episode, ( Shouldn't they have been arrested by those detectives?) one of the bad guys gets hurt by a bullet deflected by the gadget. Batman rushes the member to the hospital and tells Lucius Fox that the gadget can't be used to take lives.
The Good:
Interesting idea for the magical gadget, but that's about it.
The Bad:
Ever wanted to see Batman as a Japanese anime? Well, now you can! And it looks stupid. The Batsuit looks more like a Hawksuit and anime Bruce Wayne is...different. The action's also edited heavily so the fights look bad.

In Darkness Dwells:
Scarecrow has kidnapped a priest and Batman must travel the sewers of Gotham to get to him. Batman fights Killer Croc and Scarecrow's deranged followers in order to save the priest.
 The Good:
Good animation, good story. The fights are better so it feels like it's coming out from a comic book. The Batsuit looks better, which is a bonus.
The Bad:
Not a whole lot, though at times the animation looks a little wonky. And I realize Batman isn't realistic, but at times, there's parts where it's pushing the limits of realism.

Working Through the Pain:
After getting injured by a thug, Batman must get to the surface before he bleeds to death. During this, he has flashbacks of training with a woman who has trained herself not to feel pain. Bruce learns her ways, but is kicked out after saving her from local bullies. The reason? The bullies would have given up sooner or later, but Bruce made it worse. Back in the present, Batman is picked up by Alfred.
 The Good:
Good animation, interesting characters and story. It's always cool to see how Bruce trained to become Batman and learning how to deal with pain is interesting. The voice acting is good too, making the characters more believable.
The Bad:
Past Bruce Wayne needs some sun. He looks like he has a disease or something.

Deadshot:
An assassin named Deadshot is hired kill Jim Gordon, but it turns out it was a ruse to get Batman assassinated instead.
The Good:
This film reminds me a lot of the Batman animated series. It's got the old timey film noir feel to it, but it has high tech gadgets too. Deadshot and Batman's costumes look pretty slick too. The fight is probably the best one in the series of movies. You feel a sense of excitement when Bats and Deadshot duke it out on top of a train.
The Bad:
Well, minor thing really, but everyone's chins are highly exaggerated in some shots. If the animators could have toned the chins down, this one would have been perfect.

Overall:
Gotham Knight is okay, honestly. It's neat to see different animation styles and their stories, but sadly not all of them were executed well. If you see this on Netflix or something, give it a watch. It'll kill time, but it's not something worth watching over and over.

Rating:
3 Hawkmen out of 5.

Deadpool

Wade Wilson, aka the Merc with the Mouth and the guy that kinda looks like Spider-Man. Deadpool is a parody of a comic book super hero and over the years he's become incredibly popular. Unfortunately, his first appearance in a movie was a horrible, horrible mess and left a bad reputation. However, Deadpool has his own movie now and has been redeemed. Suit up and grab a taxi, and don't forget your guns. This is Deadpool.

The Plot:
Wade Wilson is ex special forces turned mercenary.  He meets the love of his life, Vanessa, and everything seems great. But all good things don't last forever, Wade finds out he has terminal cancer and signs up with the Weapon X program in hopes of curing the cancer so he can spend the rest of his life with Vanessa. While being subjected to mutant testing, he is tortured by Ajax (Francis), a mutant who can't feel pain. However, Wade isn't too discouraged and teases Ajax(Francis) until Wade develops his super healing mutant powers (and fourth wall breaking powers). The powers come at a cost, turning Wade into a disfigured monster. Afraid that Vanessa won't love him because of how he looks, Deadpool becomes obsessed with finding Ajax (Francis) and get his looks back. While searching for Ajax (Francis), Deadpool teams up with couple of X-Men; Colossus and Negasonic Teenage Warhead. The two agree to help Wade only if he joins the X-Men to become a super hero. Wade agrees and they go off to find Francis, but Francis has kidnapped Vanessa, angering Wade. Deadpool fights Francis and saves Vanessa, but his looks aren't cured. Vanessa doesn't care how Wade looks and the two kiss and live happily ever after.

The Good:
Uh, pretty much everything. I was laughing from start to finish throughout the entire movie. Ryan Reynolds nails Deadpool. Everyone else does a decent job too. The banter between Deadpool and Blind Al (the old blind lady), and Negasonic Teenage Warhead is the coolest super hero name ever. Brianna Hildebrand (NSTW) is hilarious and awesome at the same time. And the easter eggs, there are plenty.  In one scene where Colossus is taking Deadpool back to the Xavier's school, and says "We are taking you to professor." Deadpool asks, "Which one? McAvoy or Stewart?" FYI: James McAvoy and Patrick Stewart have played Prof. X in the movies.

The Bad: 
Mainly Ajax (Francis). He's not a very intimidating villain. He has nothing to gain by killing Deadpool, because....Deadpool can't die. It's a losing situation. There are a few minor things that were annoying, but they're not worth mentioning because the movie does a decent job on keeping the pace going. 

Overall:
Deadpool is a great movie. Even if you're not a fan of Deadpool, it's a fun movie. There's lots of laughs and decent action scenes. The dialogue between the characters to Deadpool breaking the fourth wall will keep you entertained. If you're a fan of the Merc with the Mouth, then you're going to love this movie.

Score:
5 Chimichangas out of 5.

Attack the Block

When man first gazed upon the stars, was his first thought about aliens invading us? According to Hollywood, yes. Don't get me wrong, I like an alien invasion movie every now and then. Though nowadays, alien invasion movies are a dime a dozen and most of them have the same plot. Brave hero defeats aliens and saves the day. Attack the Block however, is a bit different. An unlikely hero defeats the aliens and saves the day. (Block?) 

The Plot:
A group of teenage street thugs encounter an alien after mugging a woman. Moses (John Boyega), the leader, kills it and takes it back to a friend's home for safekeeping.  After getting high with his friends (I never said this guy was a stand-up citizen) they discover more and more aliens keep crashing into the neighborhood. They arm up and go out to kill the aliens, but find themselves outnumbered and scared. The aliens only seem to be interested in Moses and his friends, ignoring anything else unless attacked. Moses and his friends head back to the block they live in and try to escape, but they're pursued and picked off one by one until Moses has had enough and decides to end it once and for all.

The Good:
For a low budget movie, it's actually pretty good. The dialogue is amusing, I found myself laughing at certain parts of the film. The actors do a good job too. The kids are likable at most, even though at the beginning, you find yourself hard to root for Moses. The kids grow more and more throughout the movie and you feel sad when one of them dies. The monsters are pretty wicked looking. Pitch black fur with glowing teeth is pretty terrifying and it's nice to see that it's an original look.

The Bad:
I honestly can't think of one thing that was too terrible. A minor thing though, is a gang leader is attempting to kill Moses and has the worst aim ever. I mean, Stormtroopers have better aim than this guy. For such a baddie, he's not very threatening.

Overall:
Attack the Block is a fresh breath of air into alien invasion movies. It has a character that you have to earn trust from, instead of Mr. Action Hero. The effects are pretty decent and it doesn't focus too much on the aliens, but rather the people involved.

Rating:
4 glowing alien teeth out of 5.

Lara Croft Tomb Raider

Ellen Ripley, Sarah Conner, Furiosa....these are some of the toughest fictional females in movie history. Now, you can add Lara Croft to that list. A popular video game character going to the big screen makes sense, right? Well, let's find out in Lara Croft: Tomb Raider!

The Plot:
The Illuminati (don't worry this is not a conspiracy theory movie) are searching for an artifact that grants the user to control time. For reasons unexplained, they must find it before time (haha) runs out until the next 5000 years. Lara Croft (Angeline Joline) gets thrown into the hunt by finding her father's clue and must destroy the artifact, again for unexplained reasons. Croft is sent via clue to a temple to obtain the first piece of the artifact and is forced to work with the baddie, Manfred Powell, an Illuminati member in search for the artifact as well. After Lara gains the first piece, she goes into hiding and works out a deal with Powell. He gets the piece, she lives and they can work to get the second piece where it becomes a free for all. Powell and Croft head to The City of Light in Siberia and they find the second piece. After solving a puzzle, Lara gets the artifact and has a heart to heart with her departed father, before going back in time and saving James B- I mean, Alex West (Daniel Craig). Powell and Croft fight as the City crumbles around them, again, for unexplained reasons. Lara wins and heads back to safety. The movie ends in a classic freeze frame of happiness.

The Good:
Did you enjoy that scene above? If not, well, you apparently don't like fun. This movie is full of scenes like that and it's enjoyable to watch. There's also a few nods to the video games: Lara's mansion is similar to the game's layout for one. And towards the end of the movie as Lara is making her escape, she makes an "Aha.." Like this:

  Nice little nod there.
You can tell the actors are clearly enjoying themselves in the film and it makes you enjoy it more, regardless of the plot. Also, a good thing, Daniel Craig's "American" accent. It's so bad it's good and at times you can hear his British accent.

The Bad:
Daniel Craig's "American" accent. It's bad. Like he can't decide which region of America so he throws in a hybrid of Western/ Boston. It's bizarre. The plot is all over the place. For example, in Daddy Croft's clue, he mentions that the artifact was broken into two pieces and sent to opposite ends of the earth. Clearly he was lying, because one piece apparently stayed behind in the City of Light for giggles. No explanation as to why it was still there. There's also alot of unexplained stuff going on and it gets a bit frustrating as to how certain things are going on. Again, example: In the first tomb Lara raids....Haha get it? Anyways. Lara figures out the puzzle and suddenly the statues come to life. How? There's bit a pieces like that and it gets a little frustrating. It's like the writers came up with this stuff and no one proof read the script.

Overall:
Lara Croft: Tomb Raider is no where near a perfect movie. The plot flops around and lots of things don't make sense. But, it is a fun movie to watch. Angeline Joline was having a great time as Lara Croft and you see that on the screen. Sure, there are some cheesy lines and silly action sequences, but it's still fun to watch.

Rating: 4 tombs raided out of 5.

The Running Man

Ah, 80s action movies. What can't you like about them? The cheesy one liners to the over the top villains. Big guys with big guns that never run out of bullets. However, Arnold Schwarzenegger is arguably one of the best action heroes of the 80s and 90s. And his role in The Running Man is no exception. So, turn on your TV and root for the stalkers, this is The Running Man!

The Plot:
Ben Richards, a cop, is covering a food riot and is ordered to fire on unarmed civilians. However, Richards is a good man and refuses to follow his orders and is detained and wrongfully arrested for the slaying of the unarmed people. Two years later, Richards is imprisoned in a labor camp and manages to escape with two people of a resistance who wants to end the totalitarian reign and bring back freedom. Richards wants to escape and leave the U.S. He kidnaps a woman, Amber, who is living in his brother's apartment, and he tries to flee the country. Amber ruins his plan and is captured once again. This time, the host of a popular TV show, The Running Man (Roll credits!) offers to have Richards participate in the sadistic show, and his resistance friends will live. On the night of the show, it turns out Killian (the host) has lied and sends Richards and company to the game grounds. The three must survive against the stalkers, killers who have different themes. Sub Zero is a hockey player with a deadly hockey stick, Buzz Saw likes chain saws, Fireball has a flame thrower, etc. Each stalker is no match for Richards who disposes of them easily. Amber, who no believes Richards is innocent, is added to the game. After finding the resistance's hidden base, they hatch a plan to end the evil TV show and bring back freedom to everyone.

The Good:
It's an Arnold Schwarzenegger movie, how can you not like it? As I mentioned before, it has everything an 80s action flick needs, cheesy one liners, over the top bad guys and guns. What more do you need? Overall, the story's not that bad, even though this trope was used and is still used a lot. There are a few laughs to be had and Arnold even says "I'll be back." It's great.

The Bad:
Yeah, there's some bad stuff, but I feel like it'd be silly, considering the fact that 80s movies weren't gold. I mean, there's the fact that Richards is basically invincible, so you never feel like he's in danger. And there's a few dumb mistakes the stalkers make, which make them come off as newbie killers, instead of seasoned pros. Other than that, yeah. Not a bad movie.

Overall:
The Running Man is a fun movie to watch. Arnold is amusing and funny, even when it's unintentional, and the story's okay. Certainly a must see if you're a Schwarzenegger fan.

4 running men out of 5 

The Hateful Eight

Quentin Tarantino is probably one of my all time favorite directors. He doesn't just make movies, he makes experiences. Which, nowadays is a pretty rare thing. So when I heard he was making a Western, how could I not be pumped up? The Hateful Eight is Tarantino's 8th movie and he filmed it using 70mm film which is a thing of the past, since everything is digital so this makes it pretty cool. So, naturally, a couple of friends and I saw the 70mm version and had a wonderful experience. It played like the movies of old, no previews, a great story, an intermission and an epic finale. So, hop on the stage coach and let's review The Hateful Eight!

The Plot:
Two bounty hunters, a criminal, and a new Sheriff hop on a stage coach to head to Red Rock, but are forced to seek shelter due an incoming blizzard at a haberdashery with four others. However, one bounty hunter believes that someone isn't who they say they are and paranoia ensues.  The bounty hunters are Major Marquis Warren (played by Samuel L. Jackson) and John "The Hangman" Ruth (played by Kurt Russel). Ruth thinks that someone is out to free his bounty Daisy Domergue (played by Jennifer Jason Leigh). The tension builds and builds until tempers flare and all hell breaks loose. Is someone in cahoots with Daisy or is John "The Hangman" just paranoid? Is everyone telling the truth, or is there a liar or liars in the midst?

The Good:
Everything, to be honest. It was pretty cool to at least feel like a moviegoer in the golden age of film. The cast is great and there are laughs to be had. Even the bloody parts are fun to watch, though it's not for the squeamish. The scenery is stunning and is almost a character itself.

The Bad:
Like I mentioned above, this movie isn't for the squeamish. There's also some shock value, but it feels like Tarantino is trying to go as far as he can with the shock value. These parts of the movie are uncomfortable at best and don't really serve a purpose to the plot. It feels tacked on at times and it can be a bit distracting from the plot.

Overall:
The Hateful Eight is an entertaining movie to say the least. The shock value feels overdone and has no point other than to make you go "ew!".  Other than that, it's fun. The cast does well, and the story is pretty fun to watch. And if you get a chance to see it on 70mm film, you definitely should.

4 stage coaches out of 5.

Star Wars 7: The Force Awakens

Well, after the long wait and all the hype from the trailers, Star Wars VII: The Force Awakens is upon us. And man, was I pretty excited for this movie and couldn't wait to see it. So, was all the hype pointless and was it garbage like the prequels? Or did J.J. Abrams bring back the Star Wars we all know and love? Grab your lightsaber and let's find out!

WARNING: THIS REVIEW CONTAINS SPOILERS!!
Go see the movie first! If you want to ruin the experience and keep reading, don't get mad at me.

Now, with that out of the way:

The Plot:
30 years after the defeat of the Empire, a new threat has arisen from the ashes of the enemy. The First Order. They are searching for Luke Skywalker and believe he is a threat to them. A resistance pilot has a map that leads to Luke and tries to escape, but is captured by The First Order and the dark jedi, Kylo Ren. The pilot's droid, however, has the map and escapes to safety. BB-8, the droid, runs into Rey, a salavger. She and BB-8 run into Finn, an ex stormtrooper and they fly off in the Millennium Falcon. There, they run into Han Solo and Chewbacca. Rey gets captured by Kylo Ren, who is an ex pupil of Luke Skywalker. Finn wants to save Rey and with the help of the resistance, they launch an attack on The First Order's base, Starkiller. During the attack, it is revealed that Ren is Leia and Han's son turned evil. Kylo Ren kills Han and fights Finn. Finn loses, and Rey, who is force sensitive, defeats Kylo Ren, but as the base is falling apart, she escapes with Chewbacca. Once they return, BB-8 and R2-D2 show the map where Luke is hiding. Rey flies to the planet and returns the lightsaber she found.

The Good:
J.J Abrams pulled this off. It's a mix of new and old and it works. The cast is perfect and each actor is believable. There's a lot of witty banter between characters and it makes you laugh. Yes, Chewbacca and Han Solo get a lot of screen time, but they don't steal the show from the new cast. Kylo Ren is a badass Sith with an attitude. Rey is strong and independent, but she's also relatable. Finn, is funny and heroic. It's just so good. This is how Star Wars was meant to be. There's a lot of nostalgia, but it doesn't dwell on the past too much.

The Bad:
There are some parts that come off a bit too cheesy. I also wish Luke would have said -something- and had not made the last scene awkward. And what's with these bad guys and building giant laser bases that shoot lasers? And what's with them having a weak spot? Did the First Order not learn anything from the Empire? I get that it's a call back to the original films, but it would have been nice to see something different. I'm okay with giant laser planets of doom, but make it a bit harder than "exposed weak spot".

Overall:
I'm just glad George Lucas had nothing to do with this movie. J.J Abrams pulled it off and we got something worthy of the original trilogy. It's not perfect, but it's still a wonderful movie and any Star Wars fan should see it. I hope Episode 8 is just as good.

Rating:
5 BB-8s out of 5.