#JasonSutekh

[jasonsutekh]

The Mask (1994) and Son of the Mask (2005)

The magical mask od a norse god is found and causes chaos that may just be directed enough to make a few lives better.

There’s little contest that the original is by far the better one because there’s the same iconic style of comedy but it’s handled in a much more adult way. There are actual antagonists related to the real world such as club gangsters and street crime and it’s mainly that contrast which compliments the slapstick humour of the mask power.

Easily the biggest weakness of both films is that it relies too heavily on effects and slapstick comedy to the point where there’s little time for actual humour with variety. The main flaw of the sequel was the musical interludes which ranged from cartoonish to completely cringy in an uncomfortable way and there was no reason to add plastic hair to the mask and have the wife pretend it was somehow attractive.

The scenery changes regularly but still drives the narrative and some of the cut-aways are in the same place but still feel dislocated so it keeps the interest. There are some parts in the sequel worth seeing, such as the parallel between the reluctant father having a baby and the god neglecting one of his children.

A major weakness of the sequel is that the lead character just isn’t as strong. In the first one the protagonist barely stops moving, whereas the sequel he’s sat at a desk for many scenes trying to work and only wears the mask twice. However, it was better to have a physical main antagonist as the threat and some of the outfits were actually great. The main premise of why the mask was created is unclear since why would Loki need to create a vessel to bestow powers that he already has?

The Mask: 4/10 -It’s below average, but only just!-

Son of the Mask: 2/10 -It’s not THE worst, that’s something else. But…-

-The dog playing Milo in the original was named Max irl, there was a dog that does tricks called Max starring opposite Carrey in How the Grinch Stole Christmas (2000).

-In the original the mask only works at night, however this rule doesn’t apply in the sequel.

-The line “we all wear masks” was used by Carrey a year later in Batman Forever (1995) when he played The Riddler whose signature colour was also bright green.

[jasonsutekh]

Tron (1982) and Tron Legacy (2010)

Humans are drawn into a digital world where they’re forced to participate in colloseum-style arcade games.

The first one is easily the superior of the installments, representing classic arcade games with retro effects brought into a third dimension while still having a similar charm. Learning the rules is part of the fun since the digital dimension has an almost arcane lore all of its own while relating to repercussions in the real world.

At times the relationship between the Grid and reality is so tenuous that it may as well be another dimension. Most of the lore is very intriguing and has some science fiction principals that work, however other elements are just left to best guesses, such as why there are wind storms or how independent digital life forms can manifest.

Each of the two installments are quite different, the first is strong because the villain is an all-powerful AI and the introduction to the world is so much more realistic, also there was more time for the games. The sequal has some good factors, namely that the son makes a likeable character and more memorable sidekicks.

Easily the sequel is far worse than the original. For one thing the corporate subtext isn’t nearly as strong and we don’t even get to properly revisit it in the real world so the living villains just get away with stuff. Also the main villain as well as his henchmen were far weaker. The lead antagonist was an inferior copy of a secondary protagonist and one of his prime henchmen steps aside at the slightest threat. Also, the age-reversing tech was horrific.

Tron: 6/10 -Just a cut above average-

Tron Legacy: 4/10 -It’s below average, but only just!-

-In the original the formation of the cycles had to be hand-drawn but the animation was computer-generated. The back of the bikes were harder angles to reduce the power needed to render them.

-Some of the intercaces for technology in The Grid are based on arcade and video game controllers, such as bike handlebars or joysticks.

-The main unmasked henchman in the sequel is called Jarvis, also the name of an AI in the Marvel movies; both the Tron films and Marvel are owned by Disney.

[jasonsutekh]

Kraven the Hunter (2024)

The son of a mob boss is forced to hunt but when he’s almost killed by a lion, he is saved and dedicates his life to hunting down the worst human monsters.

As far as ethics goes he technically counts as an anti-hero but since his repertoire is exclusively people that would cause excessive indirect deaths with clear proof, he basically works as a better heroes that the mainstream ones who don’t like to think about death and therefore leave villains free to kill again at will so they don’t feel bad, the main wonder is why Kraven hasn’t killed any billionaires yet.

One of the major flaws is that none of the characters are likeable to the audience, no matter how many bad people they kill. They’re all either outright bad or so traumatised by family indoctrination that they’re too afflicted to identify with the audience. Even the title character is misplacing his only emotional investment and proving his father right.

The best character is easily the younger brother but he gets such a superficial role as weaker character and then the twist near the end was expected but still so disappointing since it immpugnes the best character. The action had the usual basic elements but the more interesting part was that a hunter would lower themselves to using something as underhanded as poisons.

Weaker points included the main villain who was dispatched considerably easy since there was a fair build-up and even the hypnotist was cut off a bit fast. There was far too long spent in flashback setting up the entire character, something that should have been done in order since the establishment felt like filler because there was something the audience spent so long waiting to get back to.

4/10 -It’s below average, but only just-

-The song used when Kraven is on-screen alone is called “Bayu Bayushki Bayu, and is the main theme of the killer “The Huntress” from the video game Dead By Daylight.

-Unusual for the franchise, there were no credit sequences.

-The main villain, The Rhino, wears glasses. In nature, rhinos have very poor eyesight.

[jasonsutekh]

Madame Web (2024)

A woman gains premonitions that may allow her to save lives but an evil spider-like being is seeking to harm young women she distantly knows and the responsibility may be on her to save them.

Some element sof the premise are fairly strong; there’s a comic character who is pretty fun and has a lot of promise. It was largely female-led so it makes for some welcome variety to the usual repetitious stuff we’ve seen from the franchise previously. There are some good effects scenes but the lore is more interesting.

Although there are four female main characters, we get a lot more character back ground for the male villain and even arguably the male side character since at least his family and home life is involved. There wasn’t much character development for the girls since we didn’t actually see them outside of a crisis, leaving them as partialy-built characters.

It was interesting to see some more multi-verse spiderman lore and introduce a little more of the parallel world plot-lines that might balance the largely male-dominated spider superhero universe for later crossovers if the licenses can be achieved. The surrealist scenes were some of the most entertaining as they made tha audience think of how it could work more than the writing ever explained.

Too much of the narrative is left in a vague limbo of not knowing what’s real or what’s a prediction, which could be engaging if there was more of a pay-off by the end. There are superficial versions of Madame Web in video games that feel more satisfying than this. It’s also not super clear how she ended up in the condition she did by the conclusion.

4/10 -It’s below average, but only just!-

-The main character uses visions to prevent deaths, at one point she gets stuck behind a logging truck, referencing Final Destination 2 (2003) which has similar themes.

-Web’s first name is Cassie, short for Cassandra, who in Greek mythology was a prophet cursed with never being believed.

-Unusually for a Marvel film, there were no post-credit scenes at all.

[jasonsutekh]

Knives Out (2019) and Glass Onion (2022)

A formidable detective is introduced to an isolated group of new people to investigate a murder.

As a first installment, Knives had the benefit of a good cast, and a complex enough story that there was a little doubt and it followed some of the better twist fictions available. There were enough details to work it out roughly but also some comedy and character development all the while.

There are enough clues given that one can work out the solution, if not from basic information then at least from the context of the narrative style. In the first film this was perfectly possible since one clue was a little too obvious and it took a second murder to muddle the waters a little.

The sequel lived up to its predecessor well enough that the narrative style feels consistent without it being entirely a repeat. The blame was aimed in the right places with some amusing subtext and the cast was once again strong. It wasn’t heavy on action but the setting was spectacle enough to make it appear grand.

It was a little bit of a cheat in the sequel to have context given half way through that our detective had all along but it still worked well for guessing the mystery as the overall answer was a little too obvious but also morally necessary. It was super weird that there was an entire character not relevant to the story, that felt like an unexplainedr mysterious door, or an Agatha Christie’s The Clocks style addition.

Knives Out: 6/10 -Just a cut above average-

Glass Onion: 6/10 -Just a cut above average-

-Race is a theme in both movies, in the first one each time Marta’s nationality is referenced, a different country is named.

-In the sequel Hugh Grant’s character is intended to be the main lead detective’s domestic partner, however it’s not specifically mentioned or relevant, making it easy to cut out for Chinese and Russian distribution.

-Angela Lansbury is seen in one of her final roles on the zoom call while playing Among Us with the lead, she once famously played detective Jessica Fletcher in Murder, She Wrote (1984-96).

[jasonsutekh]

Clash of the Titans (1981), remake (2010), and Wrath of the Titans (2012)

A demi-god is sent to clean up the mess the gods have caused on Earth by showing only contempt and distain for humanity, Hades is usually stoking the animosity.

The better lead actor was easily the Perseus from the original since he was cuter. The effects from that one were also the best of the three, not because they were more realistic, but because they had the most charm and aesthetic enjoyment, the later ones were just basic CGI that look like hundreds of other films.

Women weren’t exactly given a prominent part in the franchise. Athena got a little role in the original but in the modern ones they were damsels and in the 2012 one almost forgotten entirely save one who only had a minor role with the added insult that she’d apparently been gilted between the remake and Wrath, then the wife that supeceeded her had died in the meantime.

It was helpful that so many of the actors from the remake appeared in the sequel to it so there was a firm connection as well as a few decent new actors. There were a couple of new monsters to the franchise and it was at least more original compared to how closely the remake followed the first installment.

Wrath was easily the weakest since the make-up effects were less noticable, the character development was tenuous at best, and there were fewer cool weapons or creatures. Many of the monsters were more bestial aside from the cyclopses and if you don’t know some of the lore then it would have looked somewhat odd how easily they acquieced.

Clash of the Titans original: 5/10 -Can’t find a better example of average-

Clash of the Titans remake: 4/10 -It’s below average, but only just!-

Wrath fo the Titans: 3/10 -This one’s bad but it’s got some good in it, just there-

-The original movie never has any actual titans in, the Kraken wasn’t even part of Greek mythology.

-In the original myth and most retellings you need one coin for the ferryman per person and the same on the way back, however in the remake one coin is sufficient for the entire party.

-In Wrath, Ares kills Hephestus but in the original myths they are half-brothers since both have Hera as mother and Ares takes Aphrodite, Hephestus’ wife, as a lover.

[jasonsutekh]

Ghostbusters Frozen Empire (2024)

When a mysterious orb releases a deity that could freeze all of Earth, only the new generation ghostbusters, with help from the originals, can stop it.

There were several references to the earlier films including whole tropes and storylines, even the ghosts and threatening effects looked the same. A fair amount of continuity was also kept from the immediately previous installment of the franchise and the new main antagonist looked fairly cool (pun mildly intended).

Most of the same actors were also included in this one although some of them had far fewer scenes than the previous one which was a shame as the main ones for this got little meaningful development and the better actors got only a few scenes spread throughout the film.

Some of the new ghosts were amusing such as the possessor, howerver others were mentioned that needed more expansion on their powers. The lore on brass, firemasters, and how ancient ghosts were defeated was interesting but still could have used more context. Especially how or why the sphere wasn’t unleashed in the 1904 sequence.

The build-up took an awfully long time. From the opening scene it was clear that the sphere had a powerful evil in it and could freeze things, however we were still stuck watching multiple exposition scenes in which it slightly froze various objects as though we’d have forgotten it. Then when the big bad was released, horns and all, it was defeated pretty easily.

3/10 -This one’s bad but it’s got some good in it, just there-

-Since much of the film was shot in UK studios, the company was obligated to cast a minor character as a British comedian to qualify for tax relief.

[jasonsutekh]

Alien vs. Predator (2004) and Aliens vs. Predator Requiem (2007)

The predators return to Earth to hunt the ultimate prey but if the xenomorphs escape then the entire planet, possibly even the galaxy is at risk.

The first installment of the cross-over was easily the better of the pair since there was more lore explaining why the two species are together and there was variety in their interactions, including one predator that it’s even possible to partially route for. The location was also engaging as it was something to explore and aesthetically striking.

Most of the human cast is killed off early on so that the aliens can come into play, even though we’ve just spent a while being introduced to them. Due to the limited screen time and sharing the spotlight, the cinematography doesn’t have time to build much horror suspense so it has to rely more on basic action.

Easily the best aspect of the sequel is the Predalien since it references the adaptive morphology of the aliens that was established in previous parts of the franchise. The issue of the acid blood was also explored in a greater depth than previous alien movies and there was some brief character back story.

Requiem felt almost like a parody at times with weak characters, the most disappointing of which was the predator itself; after the one from the previous installment it was disappointingly generic. Most of the plot also made little sense such as why they needed a helicopter instead of just driving away, or how quick the humans were to nuke an entire town.

Alien vs. Predator: 4/10 -It’s below average, but only just!-

Aliens vs. Predator Requiem: 3/10 -This one’s bad but it’s got some good in it, just there-

-15-20 tons of fake snow were used for the first installment.

-Requiem was the first in the alien franchise not to feature any eggs.

-Buckets had to be provided for the aliens since the mechanism that leaks the slime from their mouths couldn’t be stopped between takes.

[jasonsutekh]

The Musketeers (2014-6)

Soldiers of the king fight wars, play politics, and defence the citizens of France while trying to balance the trials of life.

All of the cast suited their roles well and the main four were different enough that the kinds of back stories had some variety. Each season felt consistent but fairly different since the main villain changes with each one. The first season antagonist was the strongest, then the third although the story was divided up among several minor ones for that season, and the second one was a little too obviously untrustworthy.

Even though there was plenty of action and the sword fighting was very competent, seeing an actual swordfight isn’t especially dramatic. It’s more engaging when fire or gunpowder is used, although it makes things a little less realistic for the period. It was a shame we didn’t get to see the Cardinal’s end but the actor had to move on to other commitments.

The era felt consistent thanks to the sets and costumes which had some variety and many were rather stylish. There are some pretty good lines, mainly when the characters are outright insulting one another. The political aspects of the stories clearly had some thought go into them and there didn’t seem to be too much historical innacuracy or deviation from the source material.

Although there are only 30 episodes, the structure only has so much range considering the limited resources and plotical confinements the characters have to deal with. This makes the stories more character driven at least but most of them have plot armour since the main musketeers can’t die without ruining the experience and many of the minor characters are too nice to lose.

6/10 -Just a cut above average-

[jasonsutekh]

Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny (2023)

After retiring, Jones’ past is still catching up with him as old enemies return to reclaim a relic that could hold the key to ultimate power.

There were enough references to the previous films for it not to feel disconnected from the franchise. The effects weren’t bad, especially the de-aging CGI which can be dodgy but this usage appeared to have been motion captured from the real actor rather than other employments of the software based on dead people.

It was rather slow in places and much of what dialogue and back ground there was seemed tenuous or brief. There wasn’t much for the audience to work out for themselves since any explanation was complex and specific enough that it may as well have been made up and then spoonfed to us.

Most of the acting held ujp decently enough to carry the story and there were some amusing parts such as the comparison between snakes and eels. It was pretty bold to allow a child to commit active murder after his life was no longer in danger out of spite and amusing that the censor board allowed it through.

The story was really predictable, following an average formula of the previous movies. Having science fiction elements should have made it more engaging but they were so sparing that the ending had the feeling of a post-credit sequence. They also left the wreckage of a WW2 Nazi plane and many bullets in a noted archaeological site which no historian noted which questions the efficiency of the field.

4/10 -It’s below average, but only just-

-The first Indiana Jones film to bomb at the box office, losing approximately $134 million.

-The blade that the Nazis seek in the opening of the film is the Lance of Longinus; it was seen in the 1995 Indiana Jones comic book “Indiana Jones and the Spear of Destiny”.

-The only film in the franchise not to show Indiana swinging from his whip.

[jasonsutekh]

Wallace and Gromit Vengeance Most Fowl (2024)

Wallace invents a gardening robot gnome but an old rival resurfaces to take controland build an army to execute a crime many years in the making.

Having not had an installment of the main franchise for some time, this was a welcome addition. There were more modern references and some of the jokes were corny but also pretty solid and amusing at times. As ever the style of animation was charming and even more effective than when it was introduced.

The lead antagonist was a returning villain from a much older movie but he didn’t get a lot of screen time and being so inexpressive couldn’t exactly command the screen often and some ot eh sinister glances were shared by the many gnomes which reduced the effectiveness of them. He deserved a better position of control.

There were some recognisable voice actors and the replacement actor for Wallace sounded enough like him to be consistent with the character. There were a few references to the rest of the franchise such as the farm Shaun the Sheep is set on, the moon being an image of cheese, and the lead antagonist from Wrong Trousers.

It’s a little difficult when in some of these shows Wallace becomes oblivious to Gromit to the point where they can’t communicate in any way and he becomes an obviously poor friend until circumstances bring them back together without much conscious development. The ending was difficult because it’s disappointing if Feathers gets away but repetitive if he doesn’t.

6/10 -Just a cut above average-

-The design on the trampoline is the Aardman Animations logo.

[jasonsutekh]

Klaus (2019)

A new postmaster is assigned to a village at war between two halves of itself, only the newly budding idea of Christmas spirit can improve the community.

As an origin story for Santa it’s different from the mainstream ones and actually seems slightly closer to the history than most tend to get. There was some development for the lead character as he changes his entire life priority and finds a purpose that suits him as well as a better ideal other than being rich.

Some of the animation was good and at other points looked strange. The protagonist had a bright red nose for most of it, partly to resemble the myth of Rudolph, and partly to suggest how out of place he is in the cold climate. The father of the protagonist wasn’t much of a positive force and seemed to get off a bit lightly.

Easily the best part of the animation was the sinister giant children who get very brief moments in which the cinematography and dialogue are subtle but all the more unnerving due to the contrast. Most of the messages are solid and still apply today, even with the added commercial immplications since there’s still a strong communist aspect.

The ending was a little bleak for a children’s film ans seemed to make the Jesus parable that comes with Santa in that he eventually just disappears after all the miracles. In lieu of actual elves, the role seems to have been outsourced to the nearest foreign community of unpaid workers, perhaps paralleling that most Christmas toys are made in sweatshops.

5/10 -Can’t find a better example of average-

-The original storyboards depicted the first appearance of the reindeer eating berries, research soon informed the creative team that berries are poisonous to reindeer so it was changed to moss.

-The language that the foreign workers in the film speak is Sámi.

-The town is apparently based on a real whaling town that existed in Norway during the 17th century.

[jasonsutekh]

Last Night in Soho (2021)

A young woman experiences visions of the 60s but when aligned with a young woman she becomes invested in her past story which cannot end well.

There was an interesting technique where the past was transposed upon the present at points that could transition into the past with echoes of the present upon it using reflections or ghosts. The acting was all to a good standard and it was particularly interesting that the two time frames had the same actors in dual roles.

One of the biggest clues to the solution, although still a satisfying one, was who didn’t have an actor counterpart in both present and past because it suggested one was the killer and others were not. For example there were a notable lack of people-of-colour in the past, as well as no ‘Jack’ in the present but similarly Diana Rigg’s character had no prominent past representation.

A lot of the lighting and cinematography cues were engaging but not entirely obvious. The colours transition well, not always shrounding the bad characters in red but the lead past one goes from yellow and gradually gets darker, then in the finale it flashes from red to blue which is reminisceint of the end of Rope (1948) which also used a red/blue neon sign as its cue.

The ending was a little ellisive which is the habit of surrealist movies but it often leaves it unsaitsfying in the modern age since there are so many ghost films, even the cheapest ones, that leave the seemingly resolved end open by having the ghost make ones last appearance, there’s no need and I’d bet most people prefer things to just be ok finally. Enough things are left with anxiety, surely escapism can just let things go.

5/10 -Can’t find a better example of average-

-The figurine in Eloiose’s room was added late in production which would later lend a clue to Ms. Collins’ identity.

-The landline at the end is framed with green light against her red room which constrasts the idea of a red phone which would have been reminiscent of a powerless emergency such as the ‘defcon one red phone’ suggesting nuclear war.

-Taxi drivers used the derogatory acronym for a series of streets acutally named “Greek, Frith, Dean, and Wardour” with the term “Good For Dodgy Women” which was referenced in the movie.

[jasonsutekh]

Giant (1956)

A tale of a Texas ranch owner and his family across the course of one generation’s lives.

As an epic it has the benefit of showing an entire lifetime in one film, including the contrast in outlook for each characters as they develop such as how they feel stifled when young but deny their children freedom to make decisions for a time later. The acting was fair and the cast get the opportunity to show some range as the characters age.

It’s a very long film, as is the hazzard of an epic, so one really has to submit to investing in the characters even if they are a little too repressed, in order to experience enough of the story without it swiftly feeling like a tedious family reunion. There are few really dramatic scenes and the ones there are often end up being generic fist fights.

The genre was a combination of Western and soap opera which was an odd mixture of dramatic elements and iconography but it worked effectively enough and the characters had the chance to develop more than they would in a typical Western. There was also some race subtext that was handled rather well for the time.

Some of the cast were perhaps a little too young for the older versions of the characters but it would have been somewhat disappointing if they had switched to different actors too. The race and class politics were the main thing elevating this from an omnibus soap drama, although few of the main characters could be described as lower class considering how big the houses are.

3/10 -This one’s bad but it’s got some good in it, just there-

-James Dean died in a car accident around the time production on this movie concluded.

-Many fans were said to have crowded the premiere, expecting Dean’s death had been a publicity stunt.

-Dean and the director had a bad relationship that included insults and at one point Dean reportedly yelled “Cut!” and urinated in front of the crew and visitors.

[jasonsutekh]

Bound (1996)

Two women cultivate a plan to steal two million dollars from the mob.

The main characters were all different enough to distinguish as individuals and understand the separate back stories concisely. The two protagonists were both likeable in their own ways and one could easily route for their romance, in particular the sensual representation on their sex life which makes heterosexual sex scenes look superficial at best in comparison.

Most of the mob crew were essentially archetypes; one in particular seemed like he was just waiting to quote The Godfather (1972). The police in particular were completely useless, which isn’t a surprise but could still have used a follow-up of some kind. The mob were also oddly short-handed, taking only two guys to protect an eminent figure, and neither managed to get their guns out.

Several scenes had some very effective suspense. The movie worked well to a brief considering it was all done in just a few rooms by utilising phone calls and hiding evidence in close proximity to other dangerous characters. The acting was also a strong point consistently and a fair bit of range was there for some of the actors.

There are long periods where we’re waiting for the censorship to come into the narrative and make the two lovers betray each other or for one to turn out to have masterminded everything for evil. Fortunately, it’s actually rather refreshing, especially for the mid-90s which can’t have had many lesbian characters. There still aren’t many to name in mainstream films.

6/10 -Just a cut above average-

-The totem in Corky’s truck is called a Wilgefortis, based on a myth about a woman in an arranged marriage who prays and gets a beard to avoid it.

-The nail polish of the two women were coordinated so that violet wore purple at the end and Corky wore pink.

[jasonsutekh]

Vampires vs. the Bronx (2020)

A trio of adolecents discover a nest of vampire taking over their community but won’t be beaten easily.

There was plenty of subtext to back up the story and it was largely about the class structure and prejudice which is similar to the original plot of Dracula. This was also reinforced by many references to other vampire fiction such as the Blade franchise, the Salem’s Lot novel, and Murneau, which is the real estate company in the film but also the director of the original Nosferatu (1922).

Some parts were entertaining, however the comedy was styled more situationally or through the coloquial way the characters speak rather than setting up actual conditions for humour. At the same time the threat never quite lands since the main characters are too young for anything but a really dark film to harm them in any serious way.

It was amusing that the lore combined all of the weaknesses from various stories so that there were many ways to kill the antagonists but largely went for the classic stake-to-the-heart. The subtext about protecting the community was strong and gentrification by old-money (so old they have to be vampires) was quite funny.

Although the lore was mostly complete, the main omission was the transformations into wolves, bats, and mist which would have made things even more interesting. The overall aim of the villains also wasn’t unclear since it couldn’t have been to wipe out humans since that’s their main food source.

4/10 -It’s below average, but only just!-