Saturday, April 30, 2016

With 'Risen', Hollywood Pulls Off a Miracle -- a Respectful and Enjoyable Fictional Retelling of a Bible Story

Plot summary:
Fearing that the disappearance of the recently crucified Yeshua of Nazareth (Cliff Curtis) from his tomb will cause a general sense of unrest in Jerusalem, especially during the upcoming visit of the Roman Emperor, Pontius Pilate (Peter Firth) tasks a Roman tribune named Clavius (Joseph Fiennes), with the help of his aide (Tom Felton), to find the missing body quickly.  The agnostic Clavius initially dismisses the rumors that Yeshua has risen from the dead.  But as he immerses deeper into this remarkable mystery, his sense of reason struggles with the things unraveled by his investigation.

Being the “Greatest Story Ever Told”, various takes on the life of Jesus have been conveyed many times already in various media.  But the premise of Risen is a brilliant, distinctive one.  As a mystery story through the perspective of an unbeliever, it’s a fresh and unique approach.  (It reminded me of a novel I read years ago called The Christ Commission by Og Mandino, since that has a somewhat similar premise.)

Friday, April 29, 2016

Even Those Unfamiliar with 'Gundam' Mythos Will Enjoy the Chic 'Mobile Suit Gundam Thunderbolt'

Mobile Suit Gundam Thunderbolt is a four-episode ONA (Original Net Animation) that takes place concurrently with the events of the original 1979 Gundam series.  It focuses on the brutal battle between the forces of the Earth Federation and the Principality of Zeon in the “Thunderbolt Sector”, an area littered with debris of destroyed space colonies and is known for its recurring sharp electrical discharges (hence, the name).

I haven’t been into the Gundam franchise much.   Thus, I am not too well-versed about its mythos, particularly its main timeline, wherein Thunderbolt is set upon.   The only Gundam series I saw in entirety, from start to finish, are Mobile Suit Gundam Wing and Mobile Fighter G Gundam, and they aren’t part of the main timeline.  As a result, the backdrop of Thunderbolt was hazy to me.  I don’t know its history.  I don’t know why the two sides are at war.  And it was very difficult to determine which side is the “good” or the “bad.”

Thursday, April 28, 2016

'Captain America: Civil War' Is the Greatest Movie I've Seen in, Like, EVER!!!

Okay.  The title of this review might eventually turn out to be excessive.  But this movie has put me in such a high (I’ve never had this kind of excitement and elation since the first Avengers) that it’s what I feel at the moment: Captain America: Civil War is the best movie I’ve ever seen.  All throughout, I was either grinning in delight or open-mouthed in awe.  Now, I might think differently in retrospect at a future time, once the high wears off.  But even then, I can be sure that I will contend that it’s – at the very least – the greatest comic book movie of all time.  Civil War is like a comic book mega-event popping out perfectly to life in the big screen.

'Akito the Exiled' Wonderfully Enriches 'Code Geass'

I’m a huge fan of Code Geass.  It’s my most favorite anime series of all time.  And through the years, I’ve re-watched it many times over.  However, despite my fandom for it, it’s just this year that I learned that there’s such a thing as Akito the Exiled, a spin-off OVA.  It has already been around since 2012, thus, it came as a surprise to me that it took all these years before I encountered it.

But that just might be as well.  Code Geass: Akito the Exiled is a five-part movie series (which are theatrically released in Japan).  That means one movie came out annually from 2012 to 2016.  Waiting for the next installment would have been torturously frustrating if I got to start with it in 2012.  Catching it in 2016, I was able to pleasurably watch all five movies successively in a short period of time.

Code Geass is a thrilling, cerebral anime.  The storytelling is immersive, and the character arcs are terrific.  It has unique mechas (called Knightmares), complex themes of morality, fascinating alternate history, thought-provoking politics, and elements of the supernatural (e.g. Geass).  It’s a fantastic mythos.  And Akito the Exiled wonderfully adds and expounds upon it.

Sunday, April 24, 2016

'Erased' Is a Thought-Provoking and Moving Anime That Fantastically Blends Time Travel and Murder Mystery

Erased – or Boku Dake ga Inai Machi (translated to English as “The Town Where Only I Am Missing”) – tells the story of Satoru Fujinuma, a 29-year-old pizza deliveryman who aspires of becoming a full-time manga artist.  He has the talent for it, but his creations lack the emotion which readers can connect to.  This is due to his own “artificial” personality – something he obtained and honed as a child and carried towards adulthood – which he utilizes to have people like him.  However, this approach never allowed him to have meaningful connections with them.

In addition, he has a supernatural ability that he calls “revival.”  It activates whenever someone nearby is in grave danger.  It sends him a few minutes in the past, giving him the time to save the person’s life.  He takes no real joy or pride from this, but he considers it a duty, and thus, he always makes the effort to do right.

One day, something from the past resulted to the murder of his mother.  Worse, the murderer sets him up to take the fall for the crime.  On the run, he has a “revival” that takes him eighteen years into the past.  Trapped in the body of his ten-year-old self, he realizes what needs to be done: to prevent his mother’s murder, he needs to stop a string of child murders that happened during that time – murders that were committed by the same person that killed (or will kill) his mother.

Friday, April 22, 2016

In 'The Night Manager', Loki and Dr. House Engage in a Riveting Espionage Drama

Based on the novel of the same name by renowned spy fiction novelist John le Carré (pseudonym of David John Moore Cornwell), The Night Manager is a six-episode TV miniseries about a former British soldier turned hotel night manager named Jonathan Pine (Tom Hiddleston) who is recruited by intelligence officer Angela Burr (Olivia Colman) to infiltrate the organization of notorious arms dealer Richard Onslow Roper (Hugh Laurie), that he may be brought down once and for all.

I haven’t read a novel written by le Carré yet.  In my espionage thriller readings, I had gone the route of Ian Fleming (007 novels) and Tom Clancy (Jack Ryan novels).  But I’ve come to the understanding that le Carré’s spy novels are less romanticized, more realistic – at least, compared to 007.  In addition, I’ve seen almost all of the movies based on his books.  And they are great.  Though they don’t have much action, they nonetheless have enthralling storytelling, build tension well, and are intellectually satisfying.  The Night Manager is the same.

Wednesday, April 20, 2016

Though Fun and Fresh, 'Supergirl' Strongly Needs Improvement

Supergirl has gone a long way since I weighed the underwhelming pilot’s pros and cons.  Many of those cons have gradually turned to pros over time.  Its elements either improved or eventually grew on me.  One of its episodes is even the best thing I’ve ever seen in TV this year so far.  It has been an overall fun first season, and it established itself as one of the TV series I currently enjoy following.

That said, though the positives outweigh the negatives, this series still has a considerable amount of the latter.

Tuesday, April 19, 2016

'The Witch' Is a Subtle, Unsettling Folktale

The Witch (subtitled A New England Folktale) is a chilling tale about a 17th century Puritan family banished to the New England wilderness, wherein they build a farm near a big forest, attempting to start a new life.  However, evil lurks this nearby forest, and the family’s relationship with each other and faith are strained by a series of disturbing occurrences.

Saturday, April 16, 2016

'Dirty Grandpa' Is a Relentless Barrage of Horrible Jokes

It’s baffling how Robert De Niro can have a classy role in a feel-good comedy (i.e. The Intern), and then, in the following year, have a debauched role in a crude comedy.  That’s a testament to his range.  Unfortunately, Dirty Grandpa is a waste of his talent.

Dirty Grandpa is about a recent widower named Dick (De Niro) who tricks his uptight grandson Jason (Zac Efron), who is a week away from getting married to his over-controlling fiancé, to drive him to Daytona Beach, to mingle with college students on spring break.  A wild and crazy grandpa-grandson bonding time ensues.

Does 'Mr. Right' Suggest a Max Landis Shared Cinematic Universe?

What if a psychopathic hitman falls in love?  That is basically the premise of Mr. Right, an action romantic comedy written by the polarizing Max Landis.  It tells the story of Francis (Sam Rockwell) and Martha (Anna Kendrick) who meet at a grocery store and hit it off quickly.  Francis’ eccentricity mightily charms Martha, who is a bit batty herself.  They seem to be a perfect match.  Eventually, she discovers the truth, and has to deal with the fact that her “Mr. Right” is a semi-reformed assassin who commonly leaves a pile of bodies in his wake.

'London Has Fallen' Is Your Typical Cheesy-but-Entertaining Action Flick; Makes Me Want a Trilogy

If you think the premise of 2013’s Olympus Has Fallen – in which North Korean forces invade the White House – is ridiculously unlikely, then this sequel’s is just as so – maybe even more.

London Has Fallen focuses once again on Mike Banning (Gerard Butler), Secret Service agent to President Benjamin Asher (Aaron Eckhart).  After the UK prime minister passed away, world leaders travel to London to attend his state funeral.  But despite the heavy security, terrorists – heavily armed, numerous, and well-organized – are able to conduct simultaneous bombings and assassinations, killing the world leaders, save for the President of the United States due to the Secret Service’s courageous efforts.  However, the protocol that would have brought the POTUS to safety is thwarted by the enemy, leaving Banning alone with the task of keeping President Asher alive in a chaotic city overran by terrorists keen of killing him.

Wednesday, April 13, 2016

'The Finest Hours' Has Some Thrills, but Is a Clichéd, Colorless Drama in General

For all its flaws, I really enjoyed the 2006 Coast Guard rescue movie The Guardian.  Thus, when I saw a trailer for The Finest Hours, I was intrigued.  Based on a true story, the movie tells how the small crew of Coast Guard Motor Lifeboat CG-36500, led by Boatswain's Mate First Class Bernard "Bernie" Webber (played by Chris Pine), attempts a daring rescue – deem by the nearby townspeople of Chatham, Massachusetts as a “suicide mission” – of the crew of SS Pendleton, which had been badly compromised by a fierce nor’easter (a macro-scale storm).

Tuesday, April 12, 2016

Not Everyone Will Enjoy the Quirky Hollywood Satire of 'Hail, Caesar!'

Hail, Caesar! isn’t for everyone.  It’s a typical Coen brothers film.  For those who are familiar and appreciative of their style, this movie is a treat.  But casual moviegoers might find it difficult to recognize its merits.

The movie follows a day’s work of a studio “fixer” named Eddie Mannix (Josh Brolin), whose job requires him to solve various problems for Capitol Pictures, like keeping the scandalous behaviors of its stars out of the press.  In this particular working day, Mannix has to deal with several affairs, which includes securing the release of Baird Whitlock (George Clooney) – the star of Hail, Caesar!, an epic movie set in ancient Rome – after being kidnapped by a group called “The Future.”

Monday, April 11, 2016

'The Jungle Book' Is a Spectacular Experience

As a kid, I loved revisiting The Jungle Book – particularly Mowgli’s story – since the premise mightily appealed to me.  I’ve read and watched this tale unfold in various versions in various media (the 90’s especially had a few obscure live-action films about it) through the years, including the classic 1967 Disney cartoon.  It’s enjoyable and delightful, but in my opinion, it’s one of the weaker Disney animated features.  In addition, most notably, I hated that Kaa the python was portrayed as a villain in that version.

The recent live-action 2016 movie, however, which reimagines the classic 1967 Disney animated film, is easily a superior film to its source material (by that, I mean the cartoon, not the book).  Yes, Kaa is still portrayed as a villain in it – and I still hated that aspect – but aside from that, I found the movie quite spectacular.

Saturday, April 09, 2016

'Ip Man 3' Doesn't Have the Story I Want, but Is Still Great Martial Arts Fun

When I saw Ip Man in 2008, I never really expected it would become a trilogy eight years later.  I always felt that the previous two movies ended in definite notes.  I guess their respective epilogues have that kind of effect.

Anyway, if you have been following this series from the start, you know already that it tells the story of kung fu master Ip Man (portrayed marvellously by Donnie Yen) – or Yip Man – who was Bruce Lee’s mentor, and whose discipline – Wing Chun – Bruce Lee based his own fighting style creation – Jeet Kune Do – on.  Knowing this fact, and assuming from the connotation of the final scene of the second movie, I thought Ip Man 3 would focus on how Ip Man trained Bruce Lee, and how the latter developed Jeet Kune Do.  But, though Bruce Lee is in the movie, that won’t be the case with its plot.  Instead, it’s about Ip Man protecting his community’s school from a rough American property developer (Mike Tyson) and his hooligans, while dealing with his wife’s illness and a rival Wing Chun master keen of defeating him.

Friday, April 08, 2016

'Justice League vs. Teen Titans' Isn't as Fantastic as the Title Suggests

After the disappointing, cluttered Batman: Bad Blood, DC Animated’s second feature in 2016 is Justice League vs. Teen Titans.  Having these two teams duke it out is a fantastic idea for a DC animated film.  Unfortunately, the execution isn’t satisfactory at all.  And yet, I still pick it over Batman v Sup – uh, on second thought, not really.  This movie is as equally problematic and underwhelming as BvS.