petelanemoviereviews-blog1 - Tumblr blog

[petelanemoviereviews-blog1]

Salò o le 120 giornate di Sodoma [Salò, or the 120 Days of Sodom] (1975) Review

Warning: As this has been called one of if not the most disturbing movies ever made, this review contains descriptions of extreme sexual violence and torture. For the squeamish, do not proceed past this point. It is still banned in several countries “We Fascists are the only true anarchists, naturally, once we're masters of the state. In fact, the one true anarchy is that of power.” More than lives up to being considered the most disturbing film ever made due to its relentless sadism. Despite that, it is still beautiful. Premise: Set during WWII in a Fascist occupied part of Italy, four very wealthy libertines round up/kidnap 18 pre-selected teenage boys and girls and take them to a palace. From there they subject the teenagers to 120 days of sadistic mental, physical, and sexual torture. Among those being tortured are the men’s own daughters. Loosely based on the 1785 novel ‘The 120 Days of Sodom, or the School of Libertinage’ by Marquis de Sade (the word ‘sadism’ is derived from his name) and directed by Pier Paolo Pasolini, who was murdered a few days before the release of the film, Salò is an extremely unpleasant watch, but I feel it must be seen by film lovers and intellectuals. The reason? It is a fantastic social commentary on power and greed that still applies today, 43 years later. I have a long history with this film despite recently viewing it for the first time. I remember doing a project on Fascism in eighth grade and stumbling upon stills from the film on the internet. What I saw traumatized me. I vowed never to watch it. Cut to late 2017/early 2018, I had become a person extremely obsessed with film in the 14 years hence. I had seen countless films, but those images had always stuck with me. A few years ago, I discovered that I could handle disturbing films, as from a very young age watching movies like Jaws, Jurassic Park, and other monster movies, my parents constantly assured me that what I was watching was just pretend. That’s always been in my head watching disturbing movies. But anyways, curiosity finally got the best of me and I bought the film. There was still some hesitation before watching it. As you’ve probably already figured out, this is not a film for the average moviegoer. Only those with the strongest stomachs and open minds will be able to make it all the way through. For me, there were even times where I asked myself if I should continue on or not. The novel it is based on mentioned above took place in France but Pasolini moved the location to Salò, a town on the banks of Lake Garda in northern Italy. The reason for this was that in 1945 his brother killed there in an ambush by Garibaldi partisans while serving in The Party of Action. The four libertines known as the Duke, the Magistrate, the President, and the Bishop are so wealthy, that they have done everything there is to do in the world. The only thing left is to divulge into hedonistic sadism. These men reminded me of The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse. I’m very sure that was intended, but I will be more than willing to admit my mistake if I’m wrong. Nearly every sexual act no matter how perverse is either shown or discussed. The more intense acts shown consist of brutal rape and coprophagia. Pedophilia takes place off-screen. Along with the four libertines are four aging prostitutes who tell stories of their strange and bizarre pasts. Hearing these stories and imagining them is just… beyond words. Many of the sexual acts are seen from far away. However, that doesn’t take away from their impact. Nudity of both sexes is shown very frequently throughout but while some consider it pornographic, I don’t. It’s too horrifying to be erotic in any sense. To quote Pasolini; “The meaning of sex in my film is a metaphor for the relationship between power and its subject- to show what power does to the human body.” There’s little to no character development or depth to many of the victims. Many don’t have any lines. A few do but only because they submit to the libertines. At first, I thought this was a fault, but I discovered that this was intentional. This leads me to believe the film is from the point of view of the libertines. Calming classical music is played throughout. The tone of the film is very calm despite what is depicted on-screen. Personally, that’s what scared/bothered me the most. The film is structured liked Dante’s Inferno. The further it progresses, the more horrifying it gets. This works fantastically, and I wish more horror films would do this. It’s one of my favorite aspects of the film. It starts out relatively time but in the final sequence, it goes all out, balls to the wall shocking. The film explores how power corrupts people. It has always seemed to me that it is human nature to want to control others, to be superior to them. This is partly why the men choose teenagers, most if not all virgins. That they can totally dominate them and fulfill their darkest desires. To quote The Duke; “It is when I see others degraded that I rejoice knowing it is better to be me than the scum of ‘the people’. Whenever men are equal, without that difference, happiness cannot exist. So you wouldn't aid the humble, the unhappy. In all the world no voluptuousness flatters the senses more than social privilege.” Perhaps it is our ego, that we think we are better than others. I have spent countless hours trying to understand how someone could think that way. For me, it was very interesting to see how these men thought and acted. They’re sociopaths and have absolutely no empathy. They don’t even show it to their own daughters. They degrade their captives in many different ways including stripping them of their clothes and forcing them to act like dogs. At one point the Duke defecates and forces a naked, crying girl to eat it. She’s crying as she was reminded of her mother who was killed trying to prevent her from being taken. A still from this scene is the poster found on IMDb and the front cover of the Criterion Collection special edition I bought. To me, this is the most disturbing and upsetting scene in cinema history. According to Hélène Surgère who plays Signora Vaccari, during filming, the atmosphere was quite pleasant and fun for the most part with actors constantly playing practical jokes one another. It was not until they saw the final product that they realized what a horrifying film they had made. Knowing this kind of helps soften the extremely disturbing content. There are certain shots that do feel like a like giallo or grindhouse, but the film is largely shot very artistically with heavy usage of wide-angle shots. There were times where I was reminded of The Sound of Music (1965) in terms of camera set up and color. At times it cuts away from the sadistic violence yet while at other times it lingers. In conclusion, Salò o le 120 giornate di Sodoma really is an intense film. Only a small niche of people will get something out of it. This is not an enjoyable film. It’s gonna take your mind to places it doesn’t want to go. There are only a few people I’d recommend it to. If you do watch it, there are scenes that’ll stick with you for the rest of your life. I can handle a lot but the majority of this did get to me. Despite all of it, in the end, I do find it to be a beautiful film. The more and more I think about it, the more I see how well crafted it is. I do plan on subjecting myself to the book it is based on. Score: 9.2/10 *Note: I do plan on returning to this review after I’ve watched the film a few more times.

[petelanemoviereviews-blog1]

Annihilation (2018) Review

“It's destroying everything.” “It's not destroying... It's making something new.” An extremely thought-provoking and interesting Sci-fi/Drama/Horror but it’s slow pace will undoubtedly turn a few people away. Premise: No one has come back from previous expeditions into a mysterious place called Area X where the laws of nature do not apply and have altered plant and animal life…until now. A man named Kane unexpectedly returns to his wife; Lena, after being declared dead for over a year. Soon Lena realizes something is very wrong with Kane. She is forced into joining the next expedition to figure out what happened to Kane and what the cause of the area is. What she’ll find in there will be beyond anyone’s comprehension.   Written and directed by Alex Garland (Director/Writer: Ex Machina. Writer: 28 Days Later, Never Let Me Go, Sunshine, Dredd) and based upon the first novel of The Southern Reach trilogy by Jeff VanderMeer, Annihilation is a beautiful yet very strange film. Garland wrote his adaptation before author Jeff VanderMeer announced there would be two sequel books. Garland has no plans to adapt them. As with the book, the film was heavily influenced by Andrei Tarkovsky’s Soviet Science-fiction/Drama film ‘Stalker’ which itself is loosely based on Roadside Picnic by Boris and Arkady Strugatsky. I consider this film a loose adaptation of its source novel. This is one of those films that doesn’t need its source material to support it. You don’t have to read the book to know what’s going on. The strange thing is that movie explains some things in the book and the book explains some things in the movie. So, if you want to get the full experience, I’d recommend reading the book. The thing is you can do it before or after.   The film does go into a bit more depth in certain parts than the book did. Much is left vague in the novel, allowing the reader to come up with their own interpretation. This is one of the few strengths it has over the film in my opinion. Yet, I understand why Garland wanted to make things a lot clearer, as you have to do that today’s average movie-going audience.  It is a lot easier to understand than films of similar nature. The only thing that makes this a horror film (well and one very frightening scene) is that whatever is going on in Area X is incompressible to the human mind, that there are things out there beyond the human mind’s capacity to understand. If you’ve read any of H.P. Lovecraft’s work, you’ll understand what I’m referring to, that the mere sight of the things in question drive humans insane. This happens in both the book and the film and it adds an interesting dynamic to the tension between the members of the expedition.  The unknown is one of mankind’s oldest fears. The world inside The Shimmer/Area X is an interesting albeit frightening one. Strange flowers grow, and animal/plant hybrids and cross-breeds of species that are incapable of doing so run amok due to genetic manipulation. One creature that has been shown in the trailers and promos is a crocodile that is discovered to have shark DNA. Not present in the film but in the book is a dolphin-like creature with human eyes and pink skin. In the book it is mentioned that the narrator, the biologist (Lena in the film) found an abandoned swimming pool as a child and altered it to her liking by adding different plants and animals, essentially creating her own ecosystem and studied the effects. Could this not be the same thing what whatever is causing the effects in Area X is doing on a much grander scale? The script is pretty solid for the most part but there are times where it kind of does drift into cliché territory. I found a few of the dialogue exchanges to be poorly written. Also, some of the scenes seem kind of dumbed down. I really loved Lena (played by Natalie Portman) and her characterization shed a new light on how she was in the novel. The supporting main characters/expedition members are much more developed than I thought they would be and aren’t simply fodder. You have the psychologist; Dr. Ventress (played by Jennifer Jason Leigh), the physicist; Josie Radek (played by Tessa Thompson, the paramedic; Anya Thorensen (played by Gina Rodriguez), and the Geomorphologist; Cass Sheppard (played by Tuva Novotny). The least developed is Sheppard, who I really do wish we’d gotten a bit more out of, yet she still serves her purpose. Lena’s husband; Kane (played by Oscar Isaac) is more developed than he was in the novel as well. All give memorable performances. The film has gotten a lot of praise for its visual style and it is greatly different from Ex Machina. Ex Machina had a minimalist look to the sets. In this film, the sets are much bigger and detailed. The special effects are beautiful most of the time but they falter when they’re needed the most which are in the end. Still, to me, there’s a lot more to the film than the visuals. Just as with the book, the film hit me on a level that I can’t describe. Another thing that really stood out to me was the score and sound effects. There are some things that you’ll hear in the film that will stick with you just as many of the scenes do. They’re there to drive the fact that whatever is behind Area X is something almost unknowable. In conclusion, Annihilation is this generation’s ‘Stalker’ (1979). It’s an extremely intelligent Sci-fi film. There is subject matter that’s going to stay with you even if you don’t enjoy it. I’ve been following the film since it was first announced a few years ago and it met my expectations for the most part. There are some faults, but they’re mostly overshadowed by Garland’s superb directing and writing. It’s amazing that this is the outcome to a book that was considered unfilmable at the time of its release. This is one of the few adaptations that I can say I loved just as much as the source material. Score: 7.9/10*I have to mention ‘Stalker’(1979) one last time. If you enjoyed Annihilation, this is the next step.

[petelanemoviereviews-blog1]

No, whiny little fanboys who don't get exactly they want are! Yes, The Force Awakens was basically a rehash of A New Hope. But The Last Jedi was different and that's what I liked about it. If you don't change things up a bit, your franchise is going to fall into the same category as The Fast and the Furious and Pirates of the Carribean movies, where every movie starts to feel the same after a while. From the F&F movies I've seen, I thought they were OK (the ones I didn't I read up on), but if you ask me what happened in what movie, I won't be able to give you a clear answer. Same with many other franchises. Get different directors with different takes and viewpoints. Change here and there isn't a bad thing. The new SW movies are intended for a new generation of fans. These new ones are in no way trying to outdo their predecessors. Would I have loved to see the new films based off of the Expanded Universe (now called 'Legends Canon')? You're darn right I would. Seeing Mara Jade, Leia as a Jedi Knight or the Yuuzhan Vong on the big screen would have been absolutely amazing for me, but they wouldn't have been surprising since we all (well most of us SW fans) know what's going to happen. I'm glad that Disney is at least trying to include some elements of the EU in their films. I'm a person who's going to stay with Star Wars till the very end, either its or mine. Star Wars has been ingrained in my life since I first experienced the wonder of it at age one or two and it always will be. I'm not gonna be angry if a couple hick-ups happen along the way. A true fan sticks by what they love, no matter what.

[petelanemoviereviews-blog1]

Beyond Skyline (2017) Review

“A thousand years ago, we built this place to honor the gods. Now, we use it to fight them. A film that manages to surpass its predecessor by a hundred-fold, yet still manages to be just short of mediocre. Premise: Set during and after the events of the first film in which aliens needing human brains to survive invaded Earth, an alcoholic cop along with a rag-tag group of survivors, struggle to free his teenaged son from the alien warship. Soon, they’ll discover something that may help combat the seemingly indestructible aliens; a baby. Writer/Director Liam O’Donnell is part of the special effects company Hydraulx, which Colin and Greg Strause founded. The Strause Brothers directed AVP: Requiem and the first Skyline. Guys, please stick to doing effects. You’re amazing at that. You’re terrible at writing and directing feature films. The script is terribly written and there’s not an original thing in it. Every Sci-fi cliché save for time travel (if this gets a sequel, $10 says that’ll be present) is used. Countless times you’ll be saying to yourself; “Hey, that's exactly from [insert sci-fi movie name here]”. To name a few; V, Independence Day, Alien (duh!), War of the Worlds, Transformers, Avatar; I could go on for days. And no, they aren’t homages. It’s just lazy and inexperienced writing. Heck, we even get a mech battle! Further, the film suffers from a ton of terrible dialogue and an eye-rollingly predictable. Many times, I found myself saying; “Well that plotline/scene turned out to be completely pointless.” It just feels like a first draft that college kid wrote, that he/she’d revise heavily before turning it in and still getting a C at best. Frank Grillo stars as Mark, a hardboiled cop, which should come to no surprise to anyone as that’s basically all he plays, his character in The Grey excluded. Take his Leo Barnes from the crappy Purge sequels and you have THE EXACT SAME CHARACTER. Speaking of characters, yeah you can probably guess what I’m about to say. They’re just as hilariously generic as you’d expect. To make it worse, they’ll say something and in the very next scene do the exact opposite of what they just said not to do. Eric Balfour and Scottie Thompson who played Jarrod and Elaine respectively in the first film didn’t return and are replaced. They’re in a short scene that sums up the first film in literally 15 seconds. So, if you haven’t seen it (count yourself lucky), you’re not missing anything. The thing that annoyed me most about the first film is how the aliens need human brains to power their technology and at times themselves, despite being from a completely different planet and is evolutionarily impossible, is thankfully (yet lazily) explained in this. But, guess what? It’s ANOTHER sci-fi cliché! The film isn’t a complete waste of time as I found the effects and alien designs to be better. There is some great use of practical effects used for the aliens unlike in the first film when they were completely CGI and unconvincing. The drone has been redesigned from a poor looking CGI creature that looks like something you'd shoot in a video game to a guy in a suit. I like the guy-in-the-suit. It makes it more convincing and gives the actors something to work with. Yes, there are some creatures that have to be CGI because I understand everything can't be made from practical effects as it wouldn't look right.The aliens look a lot different from the first one, but they do resemble the Predator a bit too much. However, there is much of a variety of them and their technology. The action scenes are much more intense and at times, pretty entertaining. The R-rating does give the movie a little more wiggle room to explore darker themes. Despite the terrible characters, there is touching moment here and there. The aliens, even though you’ll be wondering how such a stupid species managed to invent space-faring technology, are given more backstory. And to be honest, I kind of enjoyed the third act…for what it was. In conclusion, Beyond Skyline is still a bad movie but not a complete failure. This is one of those movies you’ll find on Netflix or the $3.74 bin at Walmart. Even then, you’re better off seeing it on Netflix. Yes, it can be fun at times, but you’ll have to sit through agonizingly bad dialogue, terrible acting, and an extremely predictable story. It offers nothing new, but I can at least say more effort was put into than the first one, I’ll give it that. Score: 3.8/10

[petelanemoviereviews-blog1]

My Pitch for a ‘The Last Starfighter’(1984) Reboot

Set in a modern-day alternate reality, Earth has been a member of Star League since the end of the first film. Alex Rogan is now the head of Star League, having returned the organization to its former glory and beyond with bases all over its territories with new alien races having been inducted as well. Alex and Maggie Gordon are now married with a daughter, who will be the main character. Alex’s little brother; Louis, joined Star League as soon as he became of age and is now one of the best Gunstar pilots. Alex’s friend and mentor; Grig, has either sadly passed away or is near death, but his many children have also become pilots, one of which has formed a bond with Alex and Maggie’s daughter. Centauri is still around (having assumed a different human form as Robert Preston died in 1987), and still gives Alex advice from time to time. Soon after the film begins, Xur (who escaped in the first film) returns from deep space with a much larger armada made up of different alien species. He launches a systematic attack on nearly all the bases, once again bringing Star League to its knees. Alex is critically wounded and out of commission. Maggie stays with him, while the surviving Starfighters regroup. Most are rookies including the daughter and are untested. Louis may be out of the fight as well, as his ship crashed on a desolate planet, leaving his co-pilot dead. He’ll still continue to be a part of the story though. Now, it is up to the rookies to defend the territories and bring down Xur once and for all.

Despite loving the first one, one of my biggest complaints with it was how easy it was for Xur and the Kodan to cripple Star League. He attacks the base on Rylos and that’s pretty much it. In this, he’s been out in deep space for years recruiting more aliens to his cause and his armada is now much larger. This time it’s not going to only take one Starfighter to defeat it. It’s going to be rookies with many differences to come together and take down Xur once and for all.  I’m pretty sure I wrote this pitch and posted it before but I couldn’t find it.  

[petelanemoviereviews-blog1]

The Titan (2018) Review

“Pioneering isn’t without its risks.”

With a better director, this actually could have been something. It does have moments where it shines though.

Premise: In 2048, Earth is becoming uninhabitable. Scientists have chosen one of Saturn’s moons; Titan as the new home for humanity. But this world is impossible for normal humans to survive on. An experiment known as The Titan Program is initiated. It aims to forcefully evolve humans so they can live on the moon. A group of war veterans who have shown amazing abilities are the test subjects. Rick Janssen, his wife Abi, and their son move to a top-secret research base to begin his transformation. Problems with the program arise, putting the fate of all humanity into jeopardy.

The Titan is yet another one of those movies dumped on Netflix after the studios realized it would be a flop if released in theaters. And rightfully so. This is a film that had so much going for it, but somehow ended up being a mess. It evokes and is a combination of so many other movies; Avatar, Species, etc. But mostly David Cronenberg’s version of The Fly.

The concept is very interesting and with a director who actually knew what they were doing and a few more script revisions, this might have been a great movie. At the same time, it feels like it was based on an amazing book that was poorly adapted to screen. There are so many neat ideas that are brought up but never explored. The way the film is shot and paced is so by-the-book and run-of-the-mill that from the moment it starts, you know exactly how it’ll go. It never takes any risks. There are no surprises. If you’ve seen the trailer, you’ve seen the movie. I’m not trying to spoil anything, but I’ve always hated when the last scene is shown in the trailer.

The film tries to give some of the other tests subjects personalities but there’s not enough to care about them when they die. The same goes for their families. Game of Thrones’ Natalie Emmanuel plays a test subject that sort of bonds with Worthington’s character, but this sadly never goes anywhere. This bond is slightly referenced in a few scenes but really should have played a bigger part of the story. They’re both going through the same thing, relating to each other, while her husband and his wife are cast aside. A better script would have gone deeper into this and given the film more drama. I wish the son had been given more depth as well. Yeah, there are a few scenes where he reacts to his father’s transformation, but it still isn’t enough as there’s really no depth to said scenes.

The script is full of exposition. Exposition is certainly needed in movies but when it goes overboard, it becomes ridiculous. The first half of this movie is literally characters explaining stuff. The ‘Show, don’t tell’ rule is totally ignored. In a novel, most of this would have worked. At times the dialogue is hilariously bad. I mean the kind of stuff you’d expect to see in one of those Mystery Science Theater 3000 movies.

I actually found it to be a decent movie with some issues until the halfway mark. At this point, it totally falls apart. There are a lot of things that seem very forced when they shouldn’t have been and could have been cut out of the film altogether.

Worthington seems like he got bored waiting for the new Avatar movies to start production, so he did this movie. You could literally switch the characters Jake Sully and Rick Janssen, and nothing would change.

Taylor Schilling, who plays Abi; Rick’s wife is the stand-out star of this film as she gives a solid performance and that her character is given the most depth. She’s losing the man she loves. Abi does have moments of pure stupidity and absence of common sense though. These moments are also due to the poor script. We know from the get-go what’s really going on, but when Abi finally figures it out, it’s treated as a huge reveal. There’s one scene where she finds out that there are cameras in the house and that they’re being watched. Lady, you’re on a top-secret research base with your husband slowly changing. Why WOULDN’T they monitor you?

Tom Wilkinson plays the antagonist. This isn’t a spoiler as the moment he steps on screen, he could have shout; “I’m mad scientist bad guy!” and it wouldn’t have made any differences. Like the other four or five big-name actors, he does great despite being given so little to work with.

The film switches from a sci-fi/drama to a full-fledged horror movie during the last 30 minutes, but you’ll have seen this coming long before it reaches that point. Again, I can’t stress how agonizingly predictable this movie is. I said the film falls apart at the halfway mark, but here it totally explodes. It’s all over the place and feels extremely rushed. Add the fact that it’s even more poorly written and directed than the rest of the movie. It returns to being a somewhat decent film in the final two minutes, so there’s that.

The Titan design and look is actually kind of creepy. Still, Worthington in the makeup does look like the lovechild of the Silver Surfer and Kryten from Red Dwarf, but I liked it anyway. I also will say I enjoyed the build-up in the first and part of the second act. Again, I really enjoyed the concept and the basic story. It also does have a few intense moments and a good action scene or two. There’s even a great emotional scene towards the end.

In conclusion, this story would have worked great as a novel. It would have given all the cool ideas presented in the film time to really develop. It’s not a ‘so bad, don’t watch it’ kind of movie. It is entertaining at times, but you probably will come away disappointed. It’s a missed opportunity, to say the least. Final score: 4.3/10

[petelanemoviereviews-blog1]

Opinion: Hostel (2005)

I was 15 when this movie came out. The trailers horrified me to the point of having to change the channel whenever they aired. I remember saying to myself then; No way in hell, I'll ever watch that movie. "It looks so messed up and pointless." Cut to 11 years later. I'm finally curious. Friends had told me that I had seen way more messed up movies than that. My great friend Mike Nicholson just happened to have the unrated version on DVD and let me borrow it. Popped it in that night and expected the worst. I thought it was gonna be an hr and a half of pure torture porn. It really surprised me as it wasn't. It waits until the third act to show the actual torture. For the first hour and ten minutes, you've got great build up, tension, and even a bit of mystery. You know stuff is gonna go down. You're expecting it to happen at each new scene. To me, that's what makes a horror movie good; the suspense. 2hrs of pure gore isn't scary, it's just disturbing and sick (I'm looking at you 'The Devil's Rejects'. I'm sorry I'm one of the few people to HATE that movie. I did somewhat its predecessor though), for absolutely no reason. A few movies do get a pass. Why that is, I'll save for another time. Hostel actually takes time to develop the characters you know are gonna get the bad end of the stick sooner or later. They're not great characters, but they're OK for this kind of movie. They're actually kind of arrogant a**holes, but when the inevitable happens, you sort of do feel something for them. I mean, when the torture and violence finally do start happening, yeah it's pretty shocking and disturbing. The thing is though, you know this is coming. The movie has prepared you for it. When the credits rolled, I was honestly impressed...and immediately put a Disney movie in. It did exceed my expectations, which were extremely low. It in no way holds up to the classics and it's not even in my top 50 favorite horror films, but it's still a decent one for the most part. It wasn't at all what I thought it would be and I kind of applaud Eli Roth for that. As for the sequels, Part 2 had its moments but it ultimately the same movie. I'm not even gonna bother with Part 3. To wrap it all up, it could and should have been way worse, but Roth actually managed to create a film that is somewhat of a good horror movie. And for the record, I have seen MUCH worse.

[petelanemoviereviews-blog1]

Mute (2018) Review

Review Date: 3/20/18

“…………”

While there are some great aspects of the film including an ensemble cast, Duncan Jones’ dream project turns out to be a major downer.

Premise: Set in the future, an Amish boy named Leo is rendered unable to speak due to a boating accident. Years later Leo works as a bartender in Neo-Berlin. When his girlfriend goes missing, the technologically-illiterate man must journey into the bowels of the strange city to search for her.

From Duncan Jones (Moon, Source Code, Warcraft) comes something that clearly started out as a great idea that became complicated due to the untimely death of his father, David Bowie. You can clearly see director’s pain over his dad’s passing as he continuously tries to pay homage to his dad. It’s sad to the point where now actually thinking about it brings me to the point of tears. I’m going to discuss many of the film’s faults, but I feel I should let many slide.

First off, I absolutely loved Jones’ directorial debut ‘Moon’, which this film happens to be set in the same universe as. The film blew me away with Sam Rockwell’s pretty much solo performance (it was just him and a robot voiced by Kevin Spacey. Still probably not the right time to mention that guy’s name) and a solid script with a fantastic twist. If you haven’t seen it, you’ll be expecting the twist now. Sorry. In Mute, there are a few quick references to the film. If you have a keen eye, you’ll spot them. I counted two or three, but there are probably more. The problem here is that there’s really no reason for the two films to be connected. They do nothing to strengthen each other, other than to show how strange a world Rockwell’s character comes from. It’s reminiscent of when Paul W.S. Anderson decided to put his 1998 film ‘Soldier’ starring Kurt Russell into the Blade Runner universe. In both cases, it’s kind of like a ‘So what?”. But, getting back to Moon. It showed me that Jones could stand on his own and not be known only as David Bowie’s son. He followed up this film with ‘Source Code’, which also received critical acclaim. At the time of this review, I’d only watched half of it and that was three or four years ago, but from what I saw, I really was impressed. Around that time, it was announced that Jones would be directing the movie adaptation of the hit video game series ‘Warcraft’. The film got huge buzz but was ultimately deemed a failure in critics’ eyes when it was released. I saw it when it hit the home market and somewhat enjoyed it for what it was despite knowing little of the lore behind the games. But it wasn’t the Duncan Jones I knew. And now, nearly two years later, here we are. I honestly thought this movie would hit theaters when I first heard about it. It sounded great…then I heard it was coming to Netflix. As much as I love Netflix, I will agree with what people are saying that it is a dumping ground for movies their studio think won’t do well in theaters. Take this year’s ‘Cloverfield Paradox’ for example; it would have bombed at the theaters and I would have been disappointed walking out of the theater after seeing it. I enjoyed it for a Netflix movie and am one of the few people who understand it and will defend it, yet I totally see why the studio sold it to the streaming media company. The same thing was done with David Ayer’s ‘Bright’ starring Will Smith a month earlier. I wasn’t too impressed with ‘Bright’ even for a Netflix movie. Mute falls right in the middle of that film and Cloverfield Paradox to me personally.

The film started to go downhill for when I realized Neo-Berlin looked eerily reminiscent of Blade Runner. A lot of futuristic movies coming out nowadays use this look to where it’s becoming more of a gimmick than a homage. I don’t necessarily call that a bad thing as I love futurism and the whole Cyberpunk genre. Netflix’s Altered Carbon did the exact same thing and to be honest that show and this film looks VERY similar. In both, you’re gonna see some pretty strange stuff. More so in this and that leads me to my first issue. This is where it seems like Jones’ is paying homage to his father but then it goes way too far and over-the-top. Robot Strippers? You got them. Wacky Japanese-inspired video games. Fine. A whole lot of Androgyny. OK… Seeing Robert Sheehan with breasts was a little jarring. Dominic Monaghan dressed as a geisha strongly implied to be having a threesome with robots. What the actual f**k?! These aren’t your robots that resemble humans like in Alien and Blade Runner. These are your robots that look like they’re straight out of ‘I, Robot’ (without the facial expressions) and Terminator. And we do get a lengthy shot of them really going at it. That’s an image I won’t be getting out of my head for quite some time. That was definitely something I never thought I’d see. The Androgyny thing I get. David Bowie was known for doing that of stuff. Like I’ve said before, Jones is clearly paying homage to him even if at times, it goes overboard. Please don’t get me wrong, I’m judging. The problem is, they don’t do anything to strengthen the story. It’s the ‘oooh hey look how bizarre the future is gonna be’ schtick. Another thing that seems out of place in this movie and before I say this, I love this actor. Prepare for your mind to be blown, because it blew mine when he first appeared on screen. Paul Rudd is in this movie sporting a porn-stache and he’s not a very nice guy nor is he that funny. It’s a serious role for him and he’s actually good, to be honest. Still, I wasn’t prepared to see him in that kind of role and it did throw me off a few times.

Another big issue is that there’s a very disturbing subplot. I honestly didn’t Jones would go that far, and I was surprised and even a little disgusted when it first came up. Jones makes it make some sense in the end, but the movie would have been just the same if not better without it. There were other ways to make this movie more dramatic. Worse, is the story kinda delves into that plotline in the third act, shifting to an almost horror-type tone. You’ll see what I’m talking about and I’m sure you’ll agree with me.

Another issue is the script. I’m serious when I say this is some of the worst dialogue I’ve ever heard come out of these (in my opinion) good actors’ mouths. I refuse to believe Jones wrote any of this dialogue. You’re left to wonder why most of these actors even signed onto this. I’d like to believe there were many pointless rewrites.

My final issue is this: How the heck has this Amish guy been living in the middle of a city so technologically advanced for so long? It’s stated that he ignores all the basic survival utilities but that really doesn’t make sense, because even today, it’s virtually impossible to escape modern technology. Even today’s Amish use some modern technology to a small extent. Maybe if he lived out in the country (if the world isn’t completely covered by vast cityscapes) that might work. A better idea would be to have him live outside the city with his girlfriend coming to visit him. But no, he lives in a soaring high-rise apartment. He’s a bartender at a robot/human strip club. I get that maybe he doesn’t use computers in that field taking money instead of credit cards or whatever they use in that time. Still, kind of a plot hole.

Now to get into the good things. The story and mystery at its core are actually pretty solid. Yeah, the mystery aspect is a bit confusing and feels a bit messy at times, but it comes together OK in the end. Not great but I was sort of satisfied…and kind of happy for this thing to end. I will say one more negative thing. The third act drags on for way too long. I kept checking how many minutes were left. This movie didn’t need to be as long as it is. The only reason for the long run time is that there’s so much unnecessary stuff forcefully crammed into it. But yes, in the end, I was surprised at how everything turned out. I feel kind of dumb for not catching on earlier as I’m usually very good at figuring out that kind of stuff. Another thing I enjoyed was the performances. Alexander Skarsgård, Paul Rudd, and even Justin Theroux are too good for this movie. I also loved and felt sympathy for the main character. For a guy who doesn’t say anything, he’s well written and Skarsgård does fine emoting through his face. A few of the action scenes are pretty cool and well done for the most part.

In final, this movie is a mess, but I feel this is one of the few cases where it’s justified. Jones had just lost his father and it’s clear he was going through a lot of grief, so I’m not gonna rag on him. I think this guy has talent and I believe one day we’ll see this guy on top with other films as great as Moon and Source Code. Score: 4.3/10

[petelanemoviereviews-blog1]

The Shape of Water (2017) Review

The Shape of Water (2017)

Review Date 3/15/18 “When he looks at me, the way he looks at me... He does not know, what I lack... Or - how - I am incomplete. He sees me, for what I - am, as I am. He's happy - to see me. Every time. Every day. Now, I can either save him... or let him die.” Many people have or will come away believing this film is solely about a woman falling in love with a fish-man. Oh, how wrong they are. Guillermo del Toro has created yet another beautiful masterpiece. Premise: Set in the early 1960’s, a mute night janitor at a top-secret research facility forms a bond with an amphibious man-like creature. The film tells how people only see what is on the surface, not what is underneath. Our main protagonists are a mute woman who everyone thinks is mentally handicapped, and African American housewife, a closeted gay man,..and a fish guy. This is set during a time of intense racism and misunderstanding. We’re still suffering from those same things today. It shows one of humanity’s greatest faults; the failure to come together because of our differences and our refusal to try and understand. Like its fellow Academy Awards Best Picture nominee; ‘Get Out’, The Shape of Water is a social commentary. I think most of the same people that liked Get Out will enjoy this as both films aren’t that ‘turn-your-brain-off- and- enjoy' type of experience. The film is considered a horror, as it shows at times the cruelty of man. We’re the monsters in this film. People have said that the film promotes bestiality. I’ve heard that a lot. A little side note is that the film does kind of make fun of these people but making to where they don’t know it. I don’t remember hearing that (much) about Beauty and the Beast, which is what this film essentially is. I wouldn’t call it a rip-off as I see Beauty and the Beast as a template. There are a few scenes where Elise and the Amphibian Man are ‘together’ but they are all artistically done. There’s even a very ingenious one that is arguably one of the best shots of the film. Doug Jones and Sally Hawkins are fantastic together. Their characters communicate with each other through body language. To be honest, every actor and actress is fantastic when paired with another. I loved the relationships between the main character Elise and her friends Giles and Zelda. Jenkins and Spencer were rightly nominated for their performances. Elise completely understands them, and they completely understand her. Along with the creature, they all form this little circle that supports each other as all of the main characters are victims in some fashion or another. Some which are very on the nose, some which are not. The characters are among the most fleshed out I’ve seen in recent memory. There are many subtle gestures and actions they do that allude to a certain trait never shown but letting the audience know about them. They’re ostracized in some way and there are scenes depicting their struggles. Even our antagonist; Strickland, while outside the circle is somewhat a victim, in my opinion, is given a thorough backstory. He has a loving wife (also a victim here) and two children. He’s a sadist at times but there are also times when he’s shown to still be human. His life is also in danger and he’s doing what he thinks is right and if he screws up, he’ll be killed for it. I have asked this just about every time I find out Jones portrayed a creature or monster in a film; Where’s his Oscar nod?! The man uses his body to act and many times despite not having a line, he outshines the actors that do. I hate even mentioning this movie because it was so terrible, but he was even good in The Bye Bye Man. Yes, he’s had speaking roles in a number of movies; Hellboy 2 (David Hyde Pierce provided the voice of Abe Sapien in the first one but gave it to Jones in the second one), Falling Skies, and Star Trek: Discovery just to name a few. I’ve always been a sucker for practical effects. Humanoid CGI monsters for the most part just don’t do it for me in most cases. I like for there to be a living person in that suit, on set, interacting with the actors. You don’t get the same emotion from them when you just have a ball on a stick or a guy in a suit with dots to later be generated over. That’s why I loved the original Alien movies. Alien: Covenant disappointed me in this area. Sure, there are some shots that can’t be done with a guy in a suit and that’s fine. Covenant did use the guy in a suit thing, but it didn’t do it that often, so a lot of the shots looked a bit cheap and cartoony. It’s easier nowadays to do something like that on a computer. I’m not saying there isn’t a craft to it, but I think it requires more effort and time to create an amazing costume. Gollum from Lord of the Rings trilogy, the Na’vi in Avatar and a few others get a pass as there was just no way for an actor to wear such a costume. Those two films along with District 9 blew me away with their effects. Here in this film, that’s Doug Jones in roughly 90% of the scenes the creature is in. Again, there are some shots in the movie that would be impossible to do but for the most part, you’re seeing this beautifully and intricately designed suit. I felt like what I what was seeing was a living, breathing thing. Like the first couple of the Alien films, you feel the creatures’ presence. In the live action version of Beauty and the Beast, I didn’t feel that with the Beast. Again, the CGI just looked cheap to me. But here, it’s absolutely amazing. The creature’s first full reveal isn’t portrayed as shocking as in most movies involving monsters. There’s a strange normalcy to it. Elise isn’t scared. She’s curious just as the creature is to her Now yes, the first time the audience is slightly introduced to him a few scenes before this is somewhat of a jump scene. I’ve always loved del Toro’s dark fantasy atmosphere. Many of his films show a seemingly normal world with much more going on than humanity realizes. He’s said he’s been very inspired by the works of H.P. Lovecraft. One of the biggest things he borrows from the author is that there are simply things out there that humanity is not meant to understand. It is stated that the creature came from the Amazon (a clear homage to one of del Toro’s favorite films, The Creature from the Black Lagoon) but there’s another fantastical element present in the film that I won’t spoil, although telling you that kind of spoils it itself. The opening shot shows that del Toro should be the only choice to direct the film adaptation of the video game Bioshock. There are parts of the film where it does feel like you’re playing the game, wandering through the underwater city of Rapture. Heck, if I were to flip channels and come across this movie at the right time, I probably would think I was watching said adaptation. Paul D. Austerberry, Jeffery A. Melvin, Shane Vieau rightfully won the Academy Award for Best Production Design and I’d love to see them work on the adaptation as well. Something that I’ve always noticed in del Toro’s films (one of his motifs if you will) is that there is often a short burst of unexpected graphic violence here and there. But the thing about this is that in his films is that it’s meant to drive a point across. Not trying to nitpick here, but no one in this top-secret research facility noticed the janitor opening a coded entry, vault-like door and having lunch with something that is obviously…well ‘top secret’? No one thought of having a guard posted there 24/7? I let a lot of things slide and even I’ll let this as well, but I just wanted to point that out. If there were a guard or didn’t let the janitors in there, there would be no movie. There are a few times where the film’s minor faults are shown. The writing is amazing but every now and then there will be a line or plot aspect that just seems a bit lazy. Again, they’re very minor and miniscule to the rest of the film, but a keen observer will be able to spot them. It does drift into the realm of cliché here and there, but I sort of expected that. Some of them are clearly homages to classic monster movies though. Still, we have seen the ‘tortured-creature-befriended-by-a-kindhearted- human’ shtick’ more than enough times. Before concluding, I must explicitly state that the film has nothing to do with del Toro’s film adaptation of Hellboy. The Amphibian Man is in no way related to Abe Sapien despite their many similarities. Some have suggested that Abe is the son of the Amphibian Man and Elise. This cannot be true. In the graphic novels, Abe was a human scientist in the Victorian Era born Langdon Everett Caul. He was transformed into the creature due to an arcane ritual gone wrong. In conclusion, yes there are a lot of people who see this movie as promoting bestiality. As I said before, it makes fun of them for only seeing what’s on the surface, when there’s a much deeper meaning behind it. It is as if the film is saying; “Hey, you’re part of the problem that is discussed here. You’re the whole reason why this movie was made! But you fail to see it.” That’s what I found most amusing about this film after watching it. These people fail to see the beauty underneath. For those that do explore the film’s depths, they’ll find true beauty. Score: 8.8/10

[petelanemoviereviews-blog1]

Old Man’s War by John Scalzi Review

 Now there have been many science fiction books that I've put down because I hated the writing or felt they were too 'out there'. I was very hesitant about this one. It came out in 2005 and I think I first heard about it around 2009 but kept putting off buying and reading it until about a month ago. My first foray into Military Science fiction novels was Eric Nylund's 'Halo: The Fall of Reach'. I liked it as a teen and it's still one of my favorite books of all time.Then again it's been more than a decade since, so that opinion may have changed. I don't know since I lost the book.  I then read Heinlein's Starship Troopers at 23 which I felt had a pro-war philosophy, having loved the satirical 1997 film adaptation ever since it came out (that's another story, I've talked about a few times, but it's too long for this), but still enjoyed the book and later read Joe Haldeman's  'The Forever War', which I think is a critical response to Starship Troopers, being very anti-war. Again, I enjoyed that book as well. I read Orson Scott Card's 'Ender's Game' somewhere in between and that became another one of my favorites. But now onto 'Old Man's War'. Scalzi's novel combines all of the formally mentioned yet still feels very original. It tells the story of a 75-year-old man (having signed up to join the Colonial Defense Forces ten years prior) whose wife died a few years before the start.  Along with many other elderly people (male and female), his consciousness is placed into genetically enhanced bodies to fight to protect Earth's many colonies. The reason for choosing the elderly to fight is that they have more experience in life. As it turns out, there are many other space-faring species of all shapes and sizes trying to do the same thing. Some of these aliens are friendly towards humanity but most aren't. As each species has its own culture, philosophies, and customs, (vastly different/strange or incomprehensible to the human mind) sometimes it is near impossible to communicate or cohabitate with each other. Violence IS the only answer a lot of the time but is generally used as a last resort by humanity. Scalzi stresses this but also states that survival is all that matters in a universe like this. Our main character isn't a gung-ho, guns blazing kind of person (as a few of his comrades are that are killed off in almost humorous) was but understands that it is his duty to protect humanity. He's the every-man and we easily identify with him. Like the reader, this stuff is all new to him, so as he gradually begins to get the feel of the universe, so do we. By the end of the book, you feel somewhat accustomed to this universe despite knowing that many things are beyond comprehension. Scalzi does a great job explaining the science behind things without going too deep. If you paid attention in high school science class, you should be fine. The book flows well, giving us a great balance of action and drama. Humor is also there when needed but only a handful of times does it feel forced. My only real problem is that every now and then, it does go out of its bounds in improbability along with some eye-rolling coincidences. There's really not a lot of mystery and once an important event happens (not going to spoil it) around the halfway mark, you know exactly how it's gonna go from there. I wasn't a big fan of the genetically engineered soldiers' look. Looking like a slimmed down Hulk with cat eyes that is otherwise a clone of their younger selves was too silly for me, even though it is explained why. Still, I found it to be very enjoyable. It does set itself apart from your generic science fiction novel while giving homage to the classics. I'm about to read the sequel. I'm praying the series doesn't go off the rails like so many other book series I've read. Netflix has bought the movie rights. I personally think it should be a one or two show, but maybe whoever they put in charge will get it at least somewhat right. I hope they'll change the look of the soldiers as mentioned above. The younger versions of the people with cat eyes are enough.

[petelanemoviereviews-blog1]

The Cloverfield Paradox (2018) Review

“Logic doesn't apply to any of this.” A movie that is best suited for Netflix. While it pales in comparison to the previous two films in ‘The Cloververse’, it is still enjoyable. You just have to use your suspension of disbelief…. like you did the others. Premise: Scientists aboard a space station struggle to perfect a particle accelerator that will provide unlimited power to Earth this is on the brink of World War III. After multiple failures, the device seems to work, but in doing they lose communications and visual contact with Earth. Soon strange things that defy the laws of physics begin happening on the now-crippled station.   Directed by Julius Onah, Cloverfield Paradox is a decent science fiction movie and good for Netflix standards. Yet it is the weakest of the Cloverfield movies so far. I still think it’s worth checking out though. The characters are what you’d expect for this type of science fiction movie. They’re not perfect but I did understand each one’s motivations… for the most part. Chris O’Dowd’s character is there for comic relief. I enjoyed Gugu Mbatha-Raw as the main character and she’s obviously the most fleshed out. David Oyelowo and Daniel Brühl do fine. I would have liked more from Oyelowo’s character.  Aksel Hennie plays virtually the same character he did in The Martian. The rest of the cast; Elizabeth Debicki, Ziyi Zhang, John Ortiz, and Roger Davis do fine. It has been called “messy and confusing” by many reviewers but personally, I was able to follow it well. I’m not one of those ‘Oh you didn’t like it because you didn’t understand it’ people. Maybe that’s just me as I usually go into a movie with very low expectations especially if I know nothing about it. That was the case with this. I probably like it more than I should.   There are parts where you will be asking yourself; “Why is this happening?” Then again…well, I don’t want to venture into spoiler territory. Off topic, I don’t try to spoil things in my reviews, however, I may include very subtle hints. I think most of it will probably be explained in future movies, even though it hints at a few things. This is a J.J. Abrams-produced film, so you know there’s going to be things that aren’t going to be clear. It does answer a few questions from the Cloverfield and 10 Cloverfield Lane but more so raises its own. There will be many debates and theories on the internet. This is a minor spoiler: a minor subplot involves the main character’s husband as he deals with the events in the first film. To me, this felt more like previous two movies. I liked it for its somewhat sense of realism, but it could have been a little more fleshed out. It has gotten criticism, but I was generally fine with it even though it did feel somewhat shoehorned in even though I thought they did a decent doing that as it gave the main character not seem paper thing. The main plotline has its own story and style different from its predecessors. Some parts are original, others seem ripped from films like Alien and Event Horizon. Some of the typical sci-fi tropes are even pointed out and made fun of.  One reason why I think this didn’t make to theaters is that it there are many similarities to last year’s ‘Life’. We see some clips from Cloverfield (2008) and it’s obvious that this takes place during the events of that film but I don’t recall that movie mentioning anything of power shortages/depleted resources and rising tensions between nations. Having just scoured the DVD and looking back at the viral marketing campaign, I couldn’t find anything except the ‘Chuai Station’. I’ll let the reader look that up. My explanation for this is that Cloverfield is a found-footage movie. We’re only seeing things from their perspective. For the most part, they’re out of communication with everyone else. The threat of World War III could have also been transitioned from the original script that originally was its own thing, having nothing to do with the Cloververse. This was the same case with 10 Cloverfield Lane.   I loved the marketing for this. You had the first trailer during the Super Bowl and at the end of it, it said “coming very soon”. It had been known that Netflix had acquired it. Being a guy who keeps up with movies on the internet, I quickly found that there were speculations that it would stream immediately after the end of the game. That was soon confirmed. To me that was awesome but there is a part of me that now wishes it had been for a better movie. Like I mentioned before, it feels perfect on Netflix. I do feel that if I’d paid $12 to see it in theaters, I would have come out disappointed and most likely would have liked it a lot less. Now does it deserve a score of %17 on Rotten Tomatoes (this was the score at the time of this review)? No. Maybe a %35 to %40 score. I had fun watching it, but would I again? Maybe. I can’t wait for the next Cloververse movie, currently called ‘Overlord’, which is due out sometime later this year. I do sincerely hope it’s at least a bit better than this, again which isn’t a bad film. Score: 6.4/10

[petelanemoviereviews-blog1]

My Picks for the Winners of the 90th Academy Awards

Note(s): *Foreign Language Film, Documentary (short), Documentary Feature, Animated Short Film, and  Live Action Short Film are not included as I’m not familiar with any of the nominees at this time. * These are not my predictions. Predictions will be made at a later date and will be different from this list.

Best Picture: Get Out/The Shape of Water

Actress in a Leading Role: Sally Hawkins

Actor in a Leading Role: Daniel Kaluuya

Actress in a Supporting Role: Octavia Spencer

Actor in a Supporting Role: Richard Jenkins

Best Director: Guillermo del Toro/Jordan Peele

Original Song: Remember Me, Coco

Original Score: The Last Jedi/Dunkirk

Animated Feature Film: Coco

Adapted Screenplay: Logan

Original Screenplay: Get Out

Production Design: Blade Runner 2049

Cinematography: Blade Runner 2049

Costume Design: Beauty and the Beast

Sound Editing: Blade Runner 2049

Sound Mixing: Blade Runner 2049

Visual Effects:  The Last Jedi

Film Editing: Dunkirk

Makeup and Hairstyling: Wonder

[petelanemoviereviews-blog1]

Star Wars: Episode VIII – The Last Jedi (2017) Review- Part 2: Addressing Spoilers, Complaints, and My Opinions on a Few Things

Note: After having some time to think it over, The Last Jedi was not as good as I thought. Before I say what I’m about to say, I still enjoyed the movie, was overall satisfied, and my expectations were virtually met. Still, now that I’ve thought about it this my third least favorite movie of the saga after Attack of the Clones and The Phantom Menace. Again, as hardcore Star Wars, I enjoy all of the films despite their flaws. This one is heavily flawed but was still a good movie in my mind. This second part will also defend some of the aspects people have problems with. Again, SPOILERS!!!!!!!!!!!!! Let’s address the elephant in the room and get this out of the way. Yes, Luke is a very different character from the original trilogy and dun dun dun…he dies. Apparently, a lot of people didn’t see it coming or didn’t want it to happen. I did and that was before I read the spoilers before seeing the movie. Hamill himself wasn’t happy with the direction Rian Johnson went with his character. To be honest, on the surface, it seems like a far cry from the expanded universe (now called Legends) where he DOES successfully restart the Jedi Order, has a wife and kid, goes on many awesome adventures, and does a lot more cool stuff which are too many to mention. In this new Disney canon, he’s a washed-up hermit living alone waiting to die because he failed Ben Solo from turning to the Dark Side. The last shot of TFA shows Rey about to hand him his father’s lightsaber. For two years we speculated how he would react and when that moment comes, he tosses it over his shoulder without a second thought. To me that was absolutely hilarious. Despite his redemption in the end, his arc is still depressing. In the original trilogy, while he was a bit whiny, we still rooted for him. At the end of Return of the Jedi, there was hope that he’d have a bright future after all the stuff he’d gone through. Now, that’s not the case. While it is sad, I feel that Disney and Johnson did a decent enough job making it work. In the beginning, he’s lost and destitute. A lot of people aren’t willing to accept that. A lot of complaint has been that it was out of character for Luke to try and kill Ben/Kylo. Perhaps he was acting on his emotions rather than logic which has been an element throughout the saga. It showed that there was a dark side of Luke that we hadn’t seen. That’s partly why he is in this film. At the end, he’s himself again having made peace with his sister in a very touching scene and dies while the two suns of Ahch-To set, paralleling that iconic scene in the first film. I loved the heck out of that shot and it gave me a similar feeling. It was beautiful. Could his characterization this film have been better? Of course! But there’s still a reason for his death. This whole new trilogy is about passing on the legacy to a new generation. Snoke’s Death and Kylo’s Allegiance; Now this was one of the really shocking moments in the movie for me. We all thought he’d have a bigger presence. We knew he’d get a lightsaber to the gut or head at some point, just not this early. This is one of the aspects of the film I’m on the fence about. On one hand, it works, on the other, it doesn’t. Here’s why it works; It shows us that Ben/Kylo is still struggling to come to terms with what side of the Force he’s on. In TFA, he killed his father, Han=bad. In this, he kills his evil master= good. Before this, he hesitates to shoot the bridge of the ship that his mother is in. He’s a conflicted character. He wants so desperately to be evil but there is still good in him no matter how hard he tries to suppress it. Luke trying to kill him was the final straw that made him turn to the dark side. Again, that’s another scene that I really loved. Luke saw too much of Vader in his nephew and didn’t want to take the risk. Getting back to Luke for a sec, he saw the good in his father. He didn’t want to kill his father. With Ben, he felt as if he had to. To me, I think that’s what makes Kylo a good villain. He’s not Vader. OK, well he is an overblown version of him. But, he’s not a badass like Vader. In some aspects that makes him a better bad guy. We really don’t know if he’ll return to the light-side as his grandfather did at the end of RotJ. Now for the bad part of Snoke’s death. We were lead to believe he’d have a bigger role in the trilogy. We still don’t know a lot about him. Well, maybe that’s a good thing we’re not having everything spoon-fed to us this time around. Maybe this is one of the twists mentioned by the filmmakers. Still, I was kind of hoping he’d stick around till the last one, but then again, he’d be a copy of the Emperor and he was already pretty close to begin with. Other surprising deaths were Admiral Ackbar and Holdo. As for Ackbar, I understand why they killed him off as he doesn’t really serve any purpose to the story anymore. He was a relatively prominent character in RotJ but he doesn’t do anything in this trilogy. We briefly see what is probably him being blown up when the bridge is destroyed, and Leia is sucked into space. Holdo confirms his death in the next scene. As for Holdo, I was under the impression that she’d stick around for a bit. Something I'll get into a bit later is dealing with the progressive attitude this film has. I don’t see the problem with women being strong. I never have. There are a lot of strong female characters in this film and there’s nothing wrong with that. Rey’s Heritage Not Being Important; To say that she isn’t special because she isn’t the offspring of a character(s) from past films is a bit redundant. If she really is the daughter of space- lowlife drug addicts (like Kylo told her), that does make her special as she came from nothing. She had that power that her parents weren’t aware of. Perhaps she was just in the right place at the right time. Force sensitivity could skip generations. Maybe one of her ancestors was a Jedi but that might not be that important. One of the scenes that I thought was a bit ridiculous was when she fell down that hole that Luke told her not to go near. It was too much like the great sequence in Empire on Dagobah when Luke goes into that cave. As with TFA, there are a lot of copied and pasted scenes from the original trilogy. That’s my biggest problem with the new trilogy but now isn’t the time to go into that. Anyways, she goes down and finds a big glass wall-thing. I immediately thought of The Mirror of Erised in Harry Potter. It doesn’t reveal her parents but multiple images of herself. Maybe I’m wrong here, but what if she’s an incarnation of the Force? Also, what if Kylo was lying to her to weaken her in attempt to persuade her to turn to the Dark Side? We learn later that it was Snoke who concocted the connection between the two. Again, this is probably another reason why people didn’t like the film. It is too vague. Again, are the Disney and Johnson trying to fool us as they’ve done in the past and have a greater scheme that’s saved for the next film or is it just bad writing? We’ll know in 2019. The Canto Bight Sequence: This is something I will agree with the haters on… to a certain extent. It was virtually pointless to the main plot. I felt the same way with the Rathtar Escape sequence in The Force Awakens. Both stopped the plots in their tracks. As for the sequence in this film, I thought it was completely ridiculous that Finn and Rose were put into a cell with the kind of person they were looking for. DJ (played by Benicio Del Toro) wasn’t the person they were looking to recruit. They were looking for a Master Codebreaker who we briefly see being played by Justin Theroux. Guess what though, DJ is a codebreaker too! Even for plot convenience that was overly absurd. Still, both these scenes do amazingly have a point. It’s called World-building. We get more exposition as to what the galaxy is like at this time and a bit of character development/backstory. The Rathtar sequence showed us that there were still gangs after Han and Chewie and some of the stuff they’ve been up to since RotJ. It also shows that Rey is resourceful. The Canto Bight sequence is much the same in that case. We learn that this is a luxury planet filled with casinos and caters to the rich and their every desire. This is probably a callback to Hologram Fun World in the now Legends canon. Ok, back to this sequence. It also showed or at least alluded to how The First Order is getting some of their funding. Another thing it showed was that the planet had a grim underbelly. The rich got their pleasure at the expense of those less fortunate including that Force-sensitive kid we see at the end of the movie. That leads us to Rose who grew up on a planet where she and her sister (who dies in the opening battle) were possibly used as a workforce to mine the planet’s crystalline Ore. This may be a callback to Anakin’s childhood as a slave. The First Order also used this planet to steal children to become Stormtroopers and test their weapons. Getting the social commentary here? So, while it does plod out the film’s runtime, it isn’t completely pointless. Note: I’m going back on what I said in the initial review calling Luke/Rey’s plotline a bit boring and this one more interesting. This plotline did suddenly halt the former to the point where it got annoying at times. The Force’s Capabilities: Arguably the most ridiculous scene in the movie (to me) was the one in which Leia is sucked into the vacuum of space after Tie Fighters destroy in the bridge (after Kylo hesitated) and uses the Force to make her way back into the ship. I’ve heard some people say that should have killed her. That would have been extremely disrespectful to Carrie Fisher unless that was the original plan if she hadn’t died. It wasn’t. It was the plan for the third film to be hers as the first was Han’s and this Luke’s. Anyway, at this point in the forty years since the first one came out, you should know by now that the Force is most likely capable of just about anything. A lot of the plot holes can be fixed by saying; “It was the Force.” And I’m OK with that. Another plot-hole fixer is that some of the laws of physics in our universe don’t necessarily apply in ours. This scene however with Leia even kinda pushed the limits of suspension of disbelief for me. I found it unintentionally funny. To see her literally Superman her way back to the ship was kind of stupid. Because Leia is out of the action for about twenty minutes and sets up the entrance of Vice Admiral Holdo played by Laura Dern. Now, yes we’ve known for a while that Leia “has that power too” from the original trilogy and even a book about her early life on Alderaan. Don’t ask me what book, I just saw that she could Force-throw a ball on Wookiepedia. If Luke had failed in defeating Vader, Leia probably would have eventually. I’m not going to go into HOW she learned to do what she did the film but it’s possible all Force-sensitive people learn at least a few things on their own as we see with that little kid on Canto Bight in the final scene. We also learn that adept Force users can project themselves across space. We see this with Luke fighting Kylo on Crait while he’s still on Ahch-To. One of my issues was that while he couldn’t be touched, the items he had (the dice from the Millennium Falcon and the blue lightsaber which was broken a few scenes before by Kylo and Rey) can interact with the world i.e. are solid. Still, this is what all of the past movies have done; expanded on what the Force is capable of. The Resistance is Down to a Few Ships: Yes, I’ve heard people complain about how they seemed numerous at the end of TFA. Here’s how; I don’t know if you walked into the theater late but most of the Resistance was on D’Qar when the first order initiated their counter-attack. Not a lot of ships escaped. In another scene when they’re down to a support frigate and their command ship, The Raddus, they do call for help but everyone else is too far away. If you’ll remember the Resistance wasn’t that big, to begin with. They were an offshoot of the New Republic. Those main planets were destroyed by Starkiller Base. We see what could be Resistance ships in orbit destroyed as well. Yes, one of the issues with that is did all the other planets suddenly bow down to the First Order that quick? Maybe they didn’t want another situation like when the Empire forcibly took over planets, killing millions. This could be a scapegoat for the writers to further the plot when it took years for the Empire to take over all of those systems. As for why help is too far away, in the thirty years since the events of the original trilogy, it is more than likely that more of the galaxy has been explored and populated. We know that many new species have entered The New Republic. Also, this is a call back to Empire. In the three years between that and A New Hope, the Empire found and slaughtered many Rebel planets and hideouts. What Purpose Do the Porgs Serve to the Plot? Yes, I thought they were adorable and funny but they’re just…there. Before release, they were marketed as being crucial. In the end, they were in the movie to sell toys. I’ll admit I want one. Also, they’re there for the kids just like the Ewoks which were created to sell toys as well. At least they had a purpose to the plot even if was ridiculous. Yes, we’re most likely going to get a movie or two about these little bird-things and I’m totally fine with that. The Seemingly Progressive Attitude of the Film; Some of the hate (I’m hoping it’s minor) has been geared toward the fact that the film is seen as “too progressive”. A lot of people had problems with a Black Stormtrooper in TFA. I don’t see why. If you paid attention, you would know that clones as troopers were fazed out between the events of Revenge of the Sith and A New Hope. The Empire and later the First Order found it easier and cheaper to conscript or force people to be troopers. As a Millennial raised to judge people by their character rather than their ethnicity, gender, or sexuality both in and outside the household, it didn’t really occur to me that some people had a problem with a Black man, Asian woman, Latino man, and a White woman being the heroes of the story. I’m not trying to get into politics here, but I see them as PEOPLE. The thing I like about these movies is (at least I don’t think) is that they’re not trying to shove political correctness down everybody’s throat. If there were an SW movie containing all gay characters, I really wouldn’t have a problem with that. If I hated the film, it wouldn’t be about that. What is wrong with diversity as long as all races and genders are treated equally?! Also, this whole thing about calling Rey a ‘Mary Sue’. She’s not. I’ve never thought that women were below men. Again, not trying to start an argument here but to me, that concept has always seemed archaic and primitive. If you still think that way, there’s nothing I can do about that. You are free to your own thoughts just as everyone else is. Complaints That the Film is Different and Unexpected; Do you want the same movie again?! A lot of people complained that The Force Awakens was far too like A New Hope. For the most part, Disney took that to heart. Yes, there are many scenes that are like those in the original trilogy, but this isn’t as prevalent here as it was in TFA. You’re always going to have whiny fans, but this is getting ridiculous. You’re entitled to your opinion and I respect that, but I’m also entitled to mine and I’m going to speak my mind as I already have so far. People are angry that their fan theories were incorrect. I’m not being mean here but most of them were completely stupid and make no sense. Heck, I had a theory that Rey was the reincarnated soul of Anakin Skywalker. Personally, I thought that would have been neat but when it was shot down, I was totally fine with it! Phasma Probably isn’t Dead!: Yes, we do see her fall in into a giant explosion during the destruction of Snoke’s Mega-class Star Dreadnought ‘The Supremacy’. Keep in mind that we see that her armor is completely bullet-proof a minute or so before. She could have escaped just like she did the destruction of Starkiller Base in the previous film. We’ll probably see her back for the final episode, so she’ll get a better send off. Or maybe she is in a billion pieces floating in the vastness of space. She was supposed to be this trilogy’s Boba Fett i.e. mysterious and a fan favorite. Disney may have jumped the gun on the latter as it doesn’t seem she’s getting the same reception, although personally, I do find her character cool despite the fact that she’s barely in the first two movies. Fett had an impact in the original trilogy that so far Phasma hasn’t even come close to and probably won’t. While I personally enjoyed the brief battle between her and Finn in this, I really do want to see a more amped up version in IX ending the grudge once and for all. Finally, What Does the Future Hold for the Franchise in Terms of Sequels; *Before I get into this, this section is basically me just throwing out guesses. Like I’ve mentioned before, in the last scene we see a stable boy on Canto Bight take a broom by using the Force and look hopefully to the stars. This meant to me that the Jedi Order may resurface at some point. I didn’t notice this, but it was pointed out to me that the sacred texts of Jedi religion thought to be destroyed by Force-ghost Yoda when he set the tree library on fire can be seen on the Millennium Falcon around the scene when Rey finally meets Poe. Was Yoda the one who put the books on the ship or was it, Rey, as she knew Luke wanted the Jedi to end? That’s a question for another time. As far as we know, Luke was the only one alive at the point of this trilogy that knew about the Jedi ways and it’s always seemed to me that he had barely scratched the surface. Rey at this point knows next to nothing. Luke restarted the Jedi Order from scratch and Rey (and maybe along with Ben if he returns to the light side) will most likely do the same. Perhaps Luke, Yoda, and other Jedi who learned how to become a Force-ghost will come back and guide them. In the now Legends canon in the book Heir to the Empire by Timothy Zahn, in 9ABY Obi-Wan tells Luke that he must go on to the afterlife or whatever comes after death in that universe and would not be able to guide his apprentice anymore, meaning that the Force-ghost ability itself could drain. Luke only heard his voice twice again. That’s been retconned. For all we know, in this canon, those who learned the ability before death may live on as ghosts forever should they choose. Did Luke learn the ability? Did he even bother? We’ll probably find out in the next movie. As for Obi-Wan, it is very possible we’ll see his ghost at some point as Ewan McGregor has repeatedly expressed a keen interest in returning. He even has a brief voice cameo in TFA when Rey first touches Anakin/Luke’s lightsaber saying; “These are your first steps.” It should be noted he (Obi-Wan) said “Rey” before this but this was not McGregor but a snippet from Alec Guinness saying, “Don’t be afraid” in the 1977 film. We know Anakin did as he is seen at the end of RotJ. There’s even concept art from TFA showing him as Force-ghost. Could he return as well? Will Hayden Christensen return? I disliked his portrayal of Anakin, but he’s gotten to be a bit of a better actor since last appearing in 2005’s Revenge of the Sith, so if he came back in some form or another, I’d be OK with that. Finally, Just a Little Nitpicking Here; For some reason, I liked the cinematography more in TFA. Not that aren’t many great shots in this, I don’t know. I’m not complaining, it’s not so much of a criticism as it is a personal thought. Speaking of TFA, yeah, I liked it a bit better than this. Mostly because of the whole; “Hey, it’s a new Star Wars movie!” effect. Said effect has worn off only slightly. I’m one of those people who will never get tired of Star Wars. I’m ecstatic about the fact that the franchise is back in the spotlight again, that you can go anywhere and see the merchandise. I can understand why a lot of people are sick of it. This is a complaint many people have and I’m right there with them; no Lando! He would have been perfect for a brief scene during the Canto Bight sequence. Heck, I would have been satisfied with a brief cameo. But as many Star Wars have learned the hard way, we can’t always get what we want. Speaking of my fellow fans, I really wish the whining would stop or at least be directed to more important issues in the trilogy. The Last Jedi wasn’t what you thought it would be and now you’re angry? I’m with you guys that the now Legends cannon (expanded universe) is better than anything Disney will probably put out Star Wars related, but at least you still have Star Wars. You whined that TFA was too similar to the original movie, now about how different this one is? What do you want?! Disney is trying to please fans of the previous movies but they’re also trying to reach a new audience/generation and you’ve got to accept that. Nothing is ever going to be the exact way you thought it would be. That’s life as well and that’s also what makes both interesting. If you can’t accept the franchise’s many faults, then I feel bad saying this, but then you’re not a true Star Wars fan. In final, if you’re not happy, don’t watch the new ones. There’s still a lifetime’s worth of material. Star Wars is moving on without you. Enjoy the old ones. You have those. Be grateful for that.

In conclusion, The Last Jedi is both a new direction for the franchise while still having the similarity of the previous films. Could it have been better? Yes, but then again everything can. Does it have a lot of glaring issues? Heck yeah! Still, you can overlook those because the magic that has captivated us for over 40 years is still there, maybe in a different form, but it’s still there. It’s been such an important part of my life and I’m more than overjoyed that I get to continue to experience it, even if I’m not totally on board with some of the directions it takes. I’m more than ready for Rian Johnson’s new trilogy and Disney’s overall involvement in the franchise. I said this before, but I’m gonna stick with Star Wars until the very end, either it be mine or the franchise’s.

[petelanemoviereviews-blog1]

Star Wars: Episode VIII – The Last Jedi (2017) Review

“Let the past die. Kill it, if you have to. That's the only way to become what you are meant to be.” While it certainly has its flaws it’s still a fine addition to the saga. The emotion really packs a punch this time around.

Premise: Set minutes after The Force Awakens concluded, Rey has come to Luke to train as a Jedi, but our old hero initially refuses due to his failure with Ben Solo/Kylo Ren years before and has abandoned the Jedi ways to live out his days in exile. Rey won’t give up that easily though. Elsewhere, with The First Order hot on their tail, The Resistance, whose numbers have been devastated after a counter-attack on D’qar, struggles to keep as many alive as possible. It is up to Finn, Poe, BB-8, and a mechanic named Rose to save them from total destruction and continue the fight.

Written and Directed by Rian Johnson (The Brothers Bloom, Looper, and a recently announced SW trilogy), The Last Jedi already is and probably will continue to leave fans divided for years to come. Johnson does make the film feel a bit different from other Star Wars movies, but I don’t understand why that’s a bad thing as many people have complained about it. It sure felt like an SW film to me. Even if you don’t like the movie, you can’t deny getting that special feeling when you see “In a galaxy far, far away” and hear that iconic music. It always makes me grin like an idiot. The film opens with an amazing opening space battle. Along with Rogue One, I’m happy to see the return of these in this magnitude. Yeah, you had them in the prequel, but they didn’t have weight like the did in the original trilogy and in this. A little side note, I’ve heard that people are having problems with the bombers dropping their payloads in space. Keep in mind that they could still be within the gravitational pull of D’quar. We’ve seen ships go down in other movies. Another possibility is that the ships have some sort of gravitational pull of their own due to their size. The most likely though is that some laws of physics don’t apply in this universe i.e. plot convenience. I don’t care about scientific accuracy in these kinds of movies but you know it won’t be long before Neil deGrasse Tyson rips it apart if he already hasn’t. Like Empire Strikes Back, this is much darker. Unlike Empire, there’s a lot of humor. Maybe I missed something but do the Porgs serve any other purpose than comic relief? Yeah, I laughed at most of the gags involving them, one in particular with Chewbacca trying to eat a cooked one. I’ve heard that a lot of the humor is forced. I have to agree and disagree. I agree that there’s humor placed in parts where you wouldn’t expect it, while other times it’s perfectly placed. There are some ridiculous parts even for a Star Wars movie, one of which you’ve probably heard about involving Leia. I’ll admit I did chuckle a bit. I think the characters are better written this time around. The relationship between Rey and Ben/Kylo escalates from TFA as it should. Again, due to the fear of spoiling anything, I can’t really go into detail other than that I thought it was a great dynamic. Ridley and Driver play well off each other. Another relationship I really enjoyed was between Finn and a new character, a mechanic named Rose. Finally, and most importantly is the relationship between Luke and Rey. Yes, it does mirror Luke and Yoda at times but I expected that and let it slide. Personally, I wasn’t as interested in their plotline as I was with the other involving Finn, Poe, Rose, Leia, BB-8, and the Resistance. Then again, that’s how I’ve always been with Empire. I wasn’t really interested in the Yoda-training- Luke aspect as I was with the Cloud City plot-line. It’s not that the training sequences in both are boring or anything. Please don’t me wrong! I’m not trying to bash these parts of the movies in any way, well OK, maybe with this one a bit but whatever. That leads me into what everybody is talking about and what everybody wants to know. Personally, I was fine with Luke’s story arc despite hearing many negative things about it. Hamill himself said he didn’t agree with the direction of the character. To me, it wasn’t amazing, but it was passable with some great moments and not so great moments. Could it have been better? Of course. Do I like the now called Legends canon better where he has a wife, kid, briefly turns to the Dark Side, and does successfully restart the Jedi order? Yes, but I’ll take what I can get. His entrance is funny and a bit unexpected. A couple times I did wonder why they went with a certain thing (sorry, trying to keep this spoiler free) when a better thing could have been done. Hamill does great with what he’s given. You’ve seen in the trailers that the character is now a brooding middle-aged man with nothing to live for so that isn’t a spoiler but there are hints of the person he used to be, and it’ll put a smile on your face when they happen. This might be a spoiler but there is a character from the past six films that returns as a Force ghost. I won’t give away who (a glance at the IMDb page will though), but the scene is very powerful and one of the best of the sequel trilogy so far. It’s a fantastic callback to the original trilogy. There are some amazing emotional scenes. We learn a bit more about Rey and I loved the reason behind why Luke abandoned the Jedi and failed Ben Solo. Was that in TFA? If not, sorry! It’s been a few months since I last watched it. Benicio Del Toro’s performance as DJ is a bit over the top, but I didn’t think he was as bad as people made him out to be. Del Toro is known for doing that kind of stuff. He’s somewhat of a replacement for Lando, who by the way is absent from this even though he would have right in on the casino planet, Canto Bight. I did like DJ as I felt his character was developed and I’m hoping we’ll see him in the next movie. I would have liked to have seen more of Dern’s character; Vice Admiral Holdo. Another character I wanted to see more of was Phasma. There’s much more to this character but her only reason for being in these movies seems just to kick Finn around. We do see 3PO in this a lot more and he delivers some hilarious gags. He’s one of the few original characters who hasn’t changed since the original trilogy and I’m perfectly fine with that. R2 is in this much more than TFA but I still wanted more of him. BB-8 is a great droid and I love him, but nothing can beat the R2/3PO duo. Another issue I have is that some characters who you think are going to be an integral part of the continuing story are snuffed out. It’s not that these characters don’t serve their purpose though. Now with my issues. As you’ve seen in the trailers, we somewhat get the Battle of Hoth again. Little side note: The Walkers in this one are neat but I got a sort of Cylon-vibe from them. I understand the red vision screens. As with The Force Awakens, there are sequences that are ripped from past movies and slightly altered. The good thing is that they’re not as prevalent and overbearing but it does follow the overall plot of Empire i.e. good guys weakened, bad guys back on top. But in short, there is still more originality here than in TFA. You know the whole dark side and light side of the Force and that characters struggle with it. It’s vastly overdone with Ben Solo/Kylo Ren in this to point where I was somewhat confused. It kinda works, kinda doesn’t. I like Domhnall Gleeson but he isn’t as good as Hux this time around. His acting just seemed weaker to me. His character is whinier but it is amusing to see Ren and Snoke Force-beat the crap out of him every now and then when he is complaining. Most of the other acting on the other hand to me (something I really don’t that much attention to) was fine. There is a sequence that could have been cut down due to how slow it goes with literally nothing happening. It’s not a breather from the action. I’m definitely going to fast forward through that when I get the Blu-ray. Johnson has said that he cut some full sequences. Hopefully, we’ll see these in the deleted scenes. Concluding, I’m gonna say the dialogue could have been better, but I do say that a lot. In final, I understand why people aren’t happy with it. You’ll find out why. Personally, I enjoyed the heck out of it. Decent performances, enjoyable humor, some unexpected but welcome turn of events, cool lightsaber fights, awesome space battles, halfway decent ground battle, and a fantastic ending. Also, yes, I am biased when it comes to Star Wars movies. I’m probably gonna like whatever this franchise puts out at least to some extent no matter what. I’ll always enjoy the original trilogy over anything and I don’t like some of the changes by Disney but that’s OK. Score: 7.9/10

[petelanemoviereviews-blog1]

An R-rated Star Trek?!

As you’ve probably heard by now, Quintin Tarantino wants to make an R-rated Star Trek movie. Two questions; why and how? First of all, why? To me, like Star Wars; Star Trek should always remain ‘relatively’ family friendly. Many of the episodes and films deal with morality and ethics where violence is only used as an absolute last resort when all other options fail and are mostly negatively portrayed. Sure, there are a lot of great action scenes, but many of the characters are shown to be regretful when they have to go to such extremes. They always seek a non-violent solution in whatever predicament they come across. Maybe I’m wrong here but the films in the ‘Kelvin timeline’ (a parallel universe created when the Romulan civilian mining vessel Narada was pulled into a black hole in 2387 and ending up in the year 2233), tend to focus more on action while morality and ethics take a back seat. In both timelines, however, The Federation is based on liberty, equality, and the search for and sharing knowledge to make the universe a better place for all species. You have many species and other factions that are against this. To me, The Federation embodies everything that Humanity is supposed to be. Many of the negative aspects of our species have been quelled. To know what I’m fully talking about look up creator Gene Roddenberry and his ideals. Now onto ‘how’. I just don’t see graphic bloody violence, excessive profanity, or intense sexual themes fitting in with that universe. Graphic brutal violence such as dismemberment and gore don’t fit in a universe where most of the weapons used are lasers. Now there are some light instances blood here and there, but it’s never dwelt upon.  Now when it comes to sex, we all know about Kirk’s escapades with alien women. But all of it was subtle. It flew over kids’ heads. Finally, with the coarse language, knowing Tarantino there’s gonna be a lot of it. Again, it just does not fit. The Federation has evolved past using words like ‘fuck’. Now the Klingons on the other hand, that I can sort of see. The only reason I can for an R-rated ST movie is that it would enable the plot to go into and explore more intense issues. That’s it! I think Tarantino wants to make an R-rated movie just for the hell of it when there’s really no need for it. I guess the general idea in Hollywood at this time is; “Hey it worked for other franchises.”  Roddenberry is probably rolling over in his grave right now, may he rest in peace.  Maybe I’m wrong here and this movie will make me see the Star Trek franchise in a different light. Maybe it’ll surprise me. I’m a fan of Tarantino’s films even if I think he goes to the extreme just because he can. I’m waiting with bated breath along with other Star Trek fans. P.S.; I don’t consider myself a “Trekkie” (despite growing up with it) as I’m not knowledgeable about all the lore. While I’ve watched and read much of the material, I feel that I still have a long way to go before I can call myself one.

[petelanemoviereviews-blog1]

Guardians of the Galaxy Vol.2 (2017) Mini Review

*Note: This is a mini review as I only decided to do one halfway through. An expanded review will come sometime in the future.

“You don't have to believe in yourself because I believe in you.”

Improves on the first film in some areas but falters in others.

Premise: On the run from a high priestess of a golden-skinned people known as the Sovereign, the Guardians are saved by a mysterious man named Ego who claims to be Peter Quill’s father. Also on their tail is Yondu who knows the truth about Ego.

Directed by James Gunn (Slither, Super, Guardians of the Galaxy), Vol.2 is exactly what you’d expect being a sequel to Guardians. It’s a fun ride mostly throughout but it really doesn’t offer anything new save for some amazing character development. The script has its highs and lows. One of the lows being around the halfway mark where there are two extremely cliché and terribly written scenes back to back. These are necessary scenes mind you but it’s like a kid in middle school took over and wrote them. I thought the first half of the film was very well written but the second just seemed a bit lazy and predictable to me. Another issue dealing with the predictability is that the entire movie is summed up in one sentence at the end of the first movie. The pacing is a bit off as well. The action scenes are fine but don’t differ too much from the first film. The thing that surprised me the most, was the character arcs/development. Drax was my least favorite character in the first film as there wasn’t much to him other than that he was out for revenge but he’s my favorite in this one. He’s got much more of a personality now and is more humorous. Bautista’s acting is a lot better in this as well. Another character who I didn’t think got enough screen-time in the last one was Nebula. She isn’t one dimensional anymore. The humor is another improvement over the first. I laughed a lot more than I thought I would. This one is also a lot more emotional. There’s more depth to it. All of the returning actors’ performances remain virtually the same, although Michael Rooker really stands out. As for the new actors, Kurt Russell is fantastic as Ego. Sylvester Stallone also appears as a Ravager but isn’t given enough screen time. The same goes for Ving Rhames and Michelle Yeoh. I’d really like to see a Ravager spin-off with them. Another thing worth mentioning is the soundtrack. If you enjoyed the soundtrack in the first one, you’ll definitely enjoy it here. In conclusion, I loved the emotional aspect of it. I think that’s where the film really shines. I also thought it was a lot funnier. Still, I can’t shake the feeling that the movie as a whole doesn’t feel that different from the first. Score: 6.4/10

[petelanemoviereviews-blog1]

My Pitch for the Third Alien Prequel and Part of Alien Five

Covenant arrives at its original destination; Origae-6. Note: This planet is NOT Acheron (LV-426). The events of the other Alien films are a separate story. Tennessee and Daniels are nowhere to be found. The log states they died in the neutrino blast that killed the rest of the crew. This was the cover story as Daniels and Tennessee didn't want anyone finding out about the Engineer homeworld...for those who haven't seen the movie. David put their names in the log between movies. David now disguised as Walter (spoilers) helps the colonists who were in stasis start building a settlement, all the while continuing his work by experimenting on Daniels and Tennessee, perfecting the Xenomorph. As it turns out, David didn't completely eradicate the Engineers in the previous film. A few were off-planet and have followed the Covenant to Origae-6. They're obviously angry and want revenge. It is also revealed that David is not the original creator of the Xenomorphs. He just altered them to his liking. It becomes an all-out war between the Engineers and David, using their Xenos as soldiers with the colonists caught in the middle. If Neil Blomkamp's Alien movie ever gets made which will disregard 3 and Ressurection, Ripley has been in a coma for 30 years. She awakens to find that there is another Xeno-infested planet, Origae-6 and Weyland-Yutani has held a presence there attempting to reverse engineer Engineer tech and figuring out a way to use the Xenomorph as a bio-weapon.