Movie Reviews

Justice League

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  • Title: Justice League
  • IMDb: link

Justice League movie reviewBuilt from the worst foundation possible laid by the disastrous Man of Steel and the trainwreck which was Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice, it’s a wonder that Justice League is even watchable let alone entertaining. Don’t get me wrong, the latest from “visionary” director Zack Snyder is beset with multiple problems, but thankfully being a dumpster fire isn’t one of them. Despite issues with character, plot, editing, acting, and cinematography, Justice League does produce a flawed yet entertaining film bringing DC heroes together against a common threat. It’s not the follow-up to Wonder Woman DC fans were hoping for, but it’s a fair bit better than I expected from Zack Snyder and company.

The threat chosen by the four (count them four) credited screenwriters is the film’s first major obstacle. A C-List villain at best, Steppenwolf (Ciarán Hinds), a poor stand-in for the more imposing Darkseid, is almost entirely forgettable while his plans for uniting three disco cubes to destroy the Earth is goofy as hell. At least his legion of fear-eating Parademons gives someone for Batman (Ben Affleck) to hit (as the Dark Knight is pretty impotent against the big guy).

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Escapes

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  • Title: Escapes
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Escapes movie review

Escapes in an unconventional look at the life and career of actor/screenwriter/director Hampton Fancher most famous for his screenplays for Blade Runner and its recent sequel Blade Runner 2049. Director Michael Almereyda‘s take on his subject, focusing on a few key stories inter-cut with various film and television clips, archival footage, comic book panels, and stills, meanders a bit at times but succeeds in its main goal of informing its audience about Fancher’s career and key moments and relationships in his life.

Jumping around a bit, opening with an extended sequence focused on Fancher’s days as a struggling actor during his relationship to Teri Garr, the film is very much conversational (albeit one way) in style allowing the man to share specific memories from his life. Those looking for an in-depth analysis of acting, screenwriting, or filmmaking are likely to be disappointed. However, those curious to learn more about the man who helped create one of the most famous science fiction films of the 20th Century will no doubt get their money’s worth.

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Murder on the Orient Express

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  • Title: Murder on the Orient Express
  • IMDb: link

Murder on the Orient Express movie review

2017’s Murder on the Orient Express isn’t the first adaptation of Agatha Christie’s work, nor is likely to be the last. Director Kenneth Branagh, who also stars as Christie’s famous detective Hercule Poirot, offers a stylish version of events featuring an all-star cast as mystery and murder unfold on the renown luxury passenger train which gets stuck in an avalanche with a murderer onboard. And, to make sure his performance won’t be forgotten, Branagh sports some of the most bizarre facial hair you’ll see on film (at least one not filed under Science Fiction).

The movie gets off to an interesting start by introducing us to Poirot solving an unrelated mystery which sufficiently showcases the detective’s considerable deductive ability to the audience. However, from this sequence up until the murder aboard the train, the film stalls a bit while getting Poirot aboard and introducing the variety of characters who will become his suspects over the remainder of the film. Once there’s a dead body and mystery to solve, the film picks up again, although the conclusion to Christie’s mystery doesn’t work quite as well on film as it may on the printed page.

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Thor: Ragnarok

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  • Title: Thor: Ragnarok
  • IMDb: link

Thor: Ragnarok movie reviewMarvel has struggled with creating a consistent and fully-realized film for either Thor or the Hulk. Sure Thor is okay. And The Incredible Hulk is fine, but neither is likely your favorite Marvel movie. The solution to throw the two together with a Ragnarok (end of Asgard)/Planet Hulk mash-up proves to be just what the doctor ordered. Oh, Doctor Strange (Benedict Cumberbatch) is here, too. Thor: Ragnarok marks the first time in four films that Thor (Chris Hemsworth) has actually been more interesting than Loki (Tom Hiddleston). Don’t get me wrong, Hiddleston is still charming as hell, but taking Thor away from Earth and (mostly) Asgard frees the character up considerably for one hell of a fun ride that rivals Guardians of the Galaxy for Marvel Studios’ best space adventure.

After defeating the creature prophesied to bring about Ragnarok, Thor returns home only to find Loki (disguised as their father) ruling Asgard. Without giving too much away, the pair head out to find Odin (Anthony Hopkins) only to run into the sister (Cate Blanchett) they never knew existed and get banished to the far end of the universe on a gladiator-style planet run by a smarmy Jeff Goldblum.

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Goodbye Christopher Robin

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  • Title: Goodbye Christopher Robin
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Goodbye Christopher Robin movie reviewBased on the true story of writer A. A. Milne (Domhnall Gleeson) and his creation Winnie-the-Pooh, Goodbye Christopher Robin is more than it initially might seem. Much like Milne himself, returned from war with PTSD and struggling with getting back to work as a writer, the script by Frank Cottrell Boyce and Simon Vaughan struggles before getting the man and his family into the setting which would eventually help create one of the world’s most-beloved fictional characters.

The rest of the household consists of Milne’s wife Daphne (Margot Robbie) who is more concerned with prestige, fame, and money than her husband, their young son Christopher (Will Tilston) whose interactions with his stuffed animals will lead to the inspiration behind Milne’s most-popular work, and his nanny (Kelly Macdonald). The film turns out to be as much about the young boy as his father and how the growing fame slowly destroyed the relationship which the creation of Pooh helped create between father and son. For a film about Winnie-the-Pooh, it’s more melancholy than I expected, but it also proves to have some unexpected depth.

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