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Godzilla: King of the Monsters (2019)
As a Godzilla fan, I'm insulted
This movie insulted me. It insulted my expectations, my intelligence, and my loyalty to a franchise I've loved for nearly 10 years. This movie may feature four classic monsters from the original Japanese films, but it is not Godzilla. It doesn't have the impact, weight, or spirit of the films that came before. The plot centers around a government strike force of soldiers and top scientists trying to stop an eco-terrorist organization from releasing monsters all around the world to wreak havoc on all civilization. And no, this absolutely ludicrous plot is not where my issues lie. Actually, I liked this kind of direction. It harkens back to the original series, where the sequels immediately became more lighthearted and campy following a dark and moody first installment. Even the constant scenes of human exposition are something I can handle, since the things they have to say are at least interesting. What I take issue with is how it handles elements from the films I grew up with. The monsters are all bland and uninteresting. They don't have the personality or identifiable traits of their Japanese counterparts, leading them to seem more like generic movie monsters. Rodan especially just feels like an afterthought, while Ghidorah and Mothra only have a few brief moments of uniqueness. The film also utilizes some very vital elements of the original films in ways that hold no significance whatsoever, bogging them down to the max in an effort to cram in as much fan service as humanly possible. I found its uses of the Oxygen Destroyer and Burning Godzilla in particular to be very underwhelming. But the average moviegoer wouldn't really notice contrasts with the Japanese films. So how does this one hold up as a movie in its own right? Not very well. Again, most of the human scenes consist of massive barrages of exposition, which lends its way for very little character development. The last film at least had a unique thematic style to make up for this, but since the focus is this time to just make things flashy and simplistic, there's nothing to justify this flaw. Aside from some choice moments, and a very impactful scene centered around the character Dr. Serizawa which I found to be surprisingly poetic, the scenes with these characters are nothing more than excuses to break from the monster action. And while on the subject, I will fully admit that the action scenes are at least a lot of fun. A little clunky sometimes, but enjoyable all the same. The special effects are unbelievably fantastic and the sound design is great (other than the monster roars, which all sound basically the same and REALLY don't help in giving these creatures more of an identity). Though I do have to complain about the overall bland music. The only time anything really stuck out to me is when the original Japanese movie themes were used, and I am very much against them being in this film. I love those tunes, but the music of the last film helped it stand on its own more, while this feels more like mindless fan service. I could go all day about the problems I had with this movie, but I'll just say this: I feel catered to. I feel like someone in a studio watched me enjoy a series of 32 films, and then decided to put random things from said films into this one to gain my approval. And I didn't enjoy this feeling. What I watched in the theater today is what the average person thinks every Godzilla movie is like. This movie has no identity, other than being a pathetic imitation of what came before, and I am insulted to have waited 5 years for this complete waste of a film.
Death Note (2017)
Not a review of the movie
Just to be clear, I am a huge fan of the Death Note manga/anime. I had thought about watching the original before seeing this movie but I refrained from doing so. That's because I really liked the anime, but I could tell by the trailers that director Adam Wingard was trying to make this film its own thing and I didn't want to end up comparing the two.
I've read a lot of this movie's negative reviews on IMDb, and not once did I see someone calmly explaining the flaws of the movie and why that caused them to hate it so much. I saw angry fans who were complaining that it was different from the anime. And I have nothing against that. If the fans want a faithful live action adaptation of a series they've come to know and love, that's perfectly understandable. But in the past 11 years, we had already gotten that twice. There were already two live action Japanese films retelling the story of Death Note very faithfully. Then there was the Japanese mini-series in 2015. Again, a very faithful adaptation. The anime itself was practically a carbon copy of the manga (aside from the ending), so the fans already have plenty of retellings of the same story. So, what's wrong with seeing something different?
When I heard about this film adaptation, I knew it would fail in the eyes of Death Note fans. They would either hate it because it's just another rehash of a beloved story, or they would hate it because it would stray to far from the source material. Personally, I was hoping it would be very different. That's because even if it was bad, it would still be unpredictable. If it were accurate, I would be able to predict anything that happened because I'm already very familiar with the story. But with this film, so much had changed that I could never be sure what was going to happen next. The movie did recycle some plotpoints from the anime, but for the most part, the filmmakers came up with their own twists and turns to try and make it exciting not only for newcomers, but longtime fans.
As for the supposed "whitewashing", well that's just a ridiculous argument. First of all, it's an American film. So doesn't it make sense to have American actors in it so it connects better with American audiences? It's not like in Doctor Strange (2016) where The Ancient One, a character who was Asian even in the film, was played by Tilda Swinton, a white British actress. The characters in this film are American, so they're logically played by American actors. It's like when America remade The Ring or The Grudge or The Departed. Every character in those movies were white, despite them being Japanese in the original and no one ever complained about those films. If the character's were still Japanese, but played by any other race, then I would see the issue. Second of all, that argument is only made when talking about the white actors playing characters who were previously Japanese. Yes, I did hear many people complaining that L in this movie is black, but never did I hear anyone complain about the character named Watari. In this movie, he's a middle-aged Japanese man, but in the anime/manga, he was a white, elderly, Englishman. Third of all, if this film was really guilty of whitewashing, then why would L, the palest character in both the anime and manga, be played by a black actor?
As the title says, I'm not here to review the movie. I didn't want to talk about my personal feelings about it in this case. I don't want fans of the Death Note franchise to hate this movie because it's different from the original. And there probably are some reviews I missed that actually talk about the problems in this film, because it's far from flawless. But I know there are still some who will see something different and instantly shun it and that's really just not fair. It's obvious that this film is trying to act on its own, separate from the rest of the Death Note franchise and I believe it should be treated as such. So, if you're a fan who was disappointed about the differences in the story, try looking at the film again and just try to at least see what the filmmakers were going for and just see if there's anything about it you can appreciate.
It Comes at Night (2017)
"You know what happens when people get desperate."
I will admit that one of the reasons I was disappointed by It Comes At Night was that I was expecting a creature feature set in a post apocalyptic Earth, but that's not what I got. I spent 2/3 of the movie's run time waiting for "It" to show up until I finally realized that it never would. So, this isn't the movie I thought it would be. Is that any reason to hate it? No, absolutely not. I have to judge the movie for what it is and what it is is a jumbled mess.
The film takes place, as previously stated, on a post apocalyptic Earth where many people have been killed by a rapidly spreading disease. A father, a mother, and a son have taken shelter in an abandoned cabin in the woods to escape the chaos, but eventually, they're persuaded to invite another family into their home. Things start off well, but tensions begin to rise and everyone is left with the question of who to trust.
One thing I have to say is that on a technical scale, this film is wonderful. The cinematography is excellent, the acting is amazing, and the pacing (for the most part) fits the movie nicely. It's clear that the writer and director, Trey Edward Schults, has immense talent and is putting so much effort into making this film. If I were just judging the craft of the movie, then I would give it a 10/10.
However, I must take the plot into account. This film's plot is really nothing new. Everything that happens is pretty much by the numbers for any post apocalyptic movie or TV show. As Doug Walker said, "It's The Walking Dead without the walking dead." If I had known that this would be the movie's plot, I could probably tell you everything that happened before I even saw it. The family comes into the house, they start off friendly, then they don't trust each other, and bodies start dropping. We've seen this done a million times, and with the glowing reviews this movie has been getting you'd expect it to try something new but it never does.
As I said before, the acting is good, but the characters are nothing special. There isn't anything really distinct about them. They're just people living in a house. But that's kind of what I expected for this film.
A huge problem with this movie is the number of unanswered questions. Who left the door open? What injured the dog? What do Travis' nightmares mean? Was he dreaming at the end? Who were those guys who attacked Paul and Will? Why did they attack Paul and Will? Is Will's brother dead? If so, then why would he lie? Why was Andrew in a different room? Did he open the door? Why is this movie called It Comes At Night when there is no It? Many important questions are brought up during the film and none of them are answered. It's fine to leave some things ambiguous to the audience, but it seemed like these questions were building up to something that never happened.
One scene that really bothers me is when Will and his family are killed. Not because of how disturbing it is, but the amount of things that just don't make sense. First off, the filmmakers are trying to make it debatable as to whether Andrew is sick or not, when he clearly is. Why else would Will want to leave the house? And why does Paul opt for killing Will's family when they're pretty much already dead? He says he's afraid that they'll come back and steal from them, but they're going to die! Nothing they do will change that. But even when Travis reveals that if they're sick, then he's sick too, Paul doesn't even bat an eye. And guess what? Travis gets sick and everybody dies. The End. The ending is a convoluted mess only because they wanted to make it a really depressing ending, no matter how many problems it had.
In conclusion, It Comes At Night is a wonderfully crafted film, but doesn't deliver in the sense of its plot. The characters are boring, the story is cliché, and it doesn't deliver what it's posters, trailers, and even the title promise.
Rupan sansei: Fûma ichizoku no inbô (1987)
A short, but sweet Lupin film.
The Fuma Conspiracy is the fourth film in the Lupin the 3rd series and turns out to be a fresh and exciting adventure after the disappointment of Legend of the Gold of Babylon. Even though it's one of the shortest films in the series, at only 73 minutes, it manages to pack enough thrills to make it worthwhile.
The film begins at the wedding of one of Lupin's long time partners, Goemon Ishikawa XIII, being married to Murasaki Suminawa. The guest list includes Jigen, Fujiko, and of course Lupin, who has recently faked his death. However, some uninvited guests arrive: Ninjas of the Fuma Clan. During their raid they attempt to steal an urn belonging to the Suminawa Clan. When, their attempted robbery fails, they instead take Murasaki hostage and decide to trade her for the urn. The leader of the Suminawa Clan reveals to Lupin and the gang that the urn contains the secret location of the Suminawa family treasure, which the Fuma Clan has been after for centuries. After saving Murasaki, Lupin steals the urn for himself to search for the treasure with the Fuma Clan in hot pursuit. But that's not all. Recently out of retirement, Inspector Zenigata joins the chase and is determined to have Lupin's gang as well as the Fuma Clan arrested.
So, after summarizing the basic plot, there's not really much else to say about this movie. The action was great, the humor was great, the villain, simply known as The Boss, was great. Really, all I can say to describe this film is that it was great. The only thing not so great about this was the English dub. Hopefully they'll make a better one in the future. Murasaki, Goemon's bride-to-be, is a pretty enjoyable character. She' smart and joyful and the film does a great job of showing her positive influence on Goemon's life. It allows us to see a happier, more human, side of Goemon that we don't usually see often.
There really isn't anything else to say. The movie is great. It just makes me really happy whenever I watch it. If you're a Lupin fan, then go see it. If not, well go see it anyway. It's just great :)
Rupan sansei: Babiron no Ôgon densetsu (1985)
One of the lesser Lupin III movies
Legend of the Gold of Babylon is Lupin's third animated adventure and is one of my least favorites in the series. After The Castle of Cagliostro, I didn't really expect any Lupin film to top it. It was a masterpiece. Nearly flawless. But I didn't expect a mindless, unfocused mess of a film to succeed it.
In this film, Lupin is searching for the legendary Gold of Babylon. The legend says that the Babylonians pooled all their gold together into a single form. Some speculate it was a statue, some say others. So Lupin teams up with Jigen, Goemon, and Fujiko once again to track down the treasure. Also assisted by a mysterious drunken old woman named Rosetta, Lupin finds he's not the only one looking for the gold. In his way is the villainous Marciano, who is obsessed with gold and would do anything to find the ancient treasure. Also in tow, is the bumbling Inspector Zenigata who is, of course, determined to have them all arrested.
So, it's a great setup. Saying it like that makes it seem like a pretty exciting adventure. However, ti never pulls through and falls flat pretty quickly. One of the most noticeable problems is the animation. After two Lupin films with fantastic animation to rival Disney, this movie looks more like a Saturday Morning Cartoon. Now, there were many Lupin TV specials that looked like this, but this movie had a much bigger budget than those films.
Another problem is Zenigata. Now, some people could say that Zenigata was just pointless comic relief in the last two movies, but in those films, he actually had a purpose. He contributed to the story. Here, the most he contributes to is the run-time. Basically, he has a subplot where a bunch of nominees for the "Miss ICPO Beauty Contest" are angered by the fact that they didn't win and tag along with Zenigata on his quest to arrest Lupin.
First of all, why does the ICPO have a beauty contest? Yeah, way to show how strong and independent the women of the police are by showing them off as brainless sex symbols. But, to the ICPO's credit, I don't really think any of these women really have brains to begin with. Second of all, do the losers get this angry every year? Do they always have to go with another officer on a mission to blow off some steam? Third of all, this whole plot line is completely wasted. At first, I thought these women were going to be badass and their story would result in some pretty awesome action sequences, but all they do is goof around with Zenigata all day. Remember that episode of Family Guy where Stewie kidnaps the cast of Star Trek: The Next Generation and they just play around the entire episode? That's what this feels like.
Another big disappointment was the villain, Marciano. He's hardly in the movie. And whenever he is, he doesn't really do anything interesting or particularly evil. He's just really boring. And his demise isn't really anything special to say the least. I won't spoil it, but trust me, it's really nothing to get worked up about.
Finally, there's the third act. I've already written a review on The Mystery of Mamo and complained that the third act of that movie spiraled out of control and got a little too weird for me. Well, if you thought Mystery of Mamo was weird, then wait 'till you get a load of this. Again, I won't spoil it, but....... never, even in my meth-induced fantasies would I ever see anything like this in my life. The sheer amount of insanity that occurs during the climax is really the only reason to see this movie.
So, those are my thoughts on Legend of the Gold of Babylon. As you probably guessed, I really didn't like it. Since I've seen the movie, I've learned that the director, Seijun Suzuki, has a reputation for caring more about visuals than about story and characters. If only I'd known that coming into this movie. But, it really does show. The visuals in this movie are very creative and the craziness near the end makes this, admittedly, a very unique film. That's really the only reason I gave this a 3 out of 10 instead of a 1. So, bottom line, I'm not saying don't see the movie. If you're a Lupin fan and you really do want to see it, then go ahead. Just proceed with caution. Or if you want your brain to leave your body for a couple of hours, even better. You're all set! Me personally, I probably wouldn't see it again.
Rupan sansei: Kariosutoro no shiro (1979)
The best Lupin III film
The second Lupin III movie is also the directorial debut of the legendary Hayao Miyazaki. Almost all Lupin fans agree that this one is the best in the series and I am no exception.
So, the film starts off with Lupin and Jigen robbing an international casino. While celebrating in their car, Lupin makes the discovery that all the money is fake. Determined to seek vengeance, Lupin and Jigen travel to the small country of Caglisotro, which is rumored to be the origin of the counterfeits.
There they come across a group of henchmen partaking in a car chase with a beautiful damsel named Clarisse. Though she is captured by the bad guys, she leaves Lupin a signet ring. Lupin later discovers that Clarrisse is a princess and is being forced to marry the evil Count Cagliostro and he it trying to use the ring to uncover an ancient treasure left behind by his ancestors.
Now with the help of Fujiko Mine and Goemon Ishikawa XIII, Lupin and Jigen set out to infiltrate the Castle of Cagliostro to save Clarisse, foil the counterfeiting scheme, uncover the treasure, and outwit Inspector Zenigata, who is determined to have them all arrested.
The Castle of Cagliostro is an animated masterpiece with breathtaking action and comedy and should be an enjoyable romp for anyone who sees it.
Rupan sansei (1978)
The first Lupin film is weird, but fun.
The Mystery of Mamo is the first movie in the Lupin the 3rd series. It's been a critically polarizing film ever since it's release in 1978. So, is this theatrical debut worth the time? Well, let's find out.
The film starts with the master thief, Lupin the 3rd, seemingly being executed. However, the police inspector Zenigata doesn't believe he's really dead. His assumption turns out to be true as Lupin steals the fabled Philosopher's Stone in Egypt.
The Philosopher's Stone is then stolen from him by his on-off lover, Fujiko Mine and she brings it to her mysterious benefactor, Mamo. But when they find out that the stone is fake, Mamo is determined to track down Lupin and his colleagues, the expert gunman Daisuke Jigen, and the warrior priest, Goemon Ishikawa XIII. But it becomes a three-way free for all with Inspector Zenigata determined to have them all arrested.
So what did I like about this movie? Well, the animation and the action is very creative and well executed. It blends in with the story and characters very well. Speaking of, the chemistry between the characters is probably the best part about this film. The villain, Mamo, probably has the most intimidating voice I've ever heard, regardless of whether you watch the dubbed or subbed version. And it's even better when you see what Mamo looks like.
So what didn't I like? Well, the third act was a little clunky. While the animation still made it visually pleasing, the plot seemed to spiral out of control and became a little too weird for me. Though I can't say much more without spoiling it. And I never thought I'd say this, but I didn't like the nudity. I just thought it was out of place with the rest of the film.
So, in the long run, The Mystery of Mamo is a flawed, but extremely well made Lupin film. If you're a fan of the manga, then this will probably be one of your favorite movies in the series. It's fun, it's weird, it truly is Lupin the 3rd
Leprechaun (1992)
Too many people hate this movie for such a stupid reason.
A strangely common misconception with people is that this movie was supposed to be scary. Seriously? You actually think that a movie about a killer leprechaun was meant to scare you. Unfortunately, that is what so many people think. Those people apparently have never heard the term "horror comedy" or "cult classic". So, here's some full closure. No, this movie isn't meant to scare you. It's meant to amuse you. And it fulfills it's purpose beautifully.
So, the story begins with a man returning to America from Ireland, where he tells his wife that he stole a pot of gold from a leprechaun. She, of course, doesn't believe him. However, moments later, the Leprechaun, played by Warwick Davis, shows up at the home and tries to steal his gold back. But the man outwits him and traps him in a crate.
10 years later, a woman, played by Jennifer Aniston, and her father move into the same house, now abandoned, and hire "3 Guys That Paint" to work on it. But when one of the painters accidentally sets the Leprechaun free, all hell breaks loose. The Leprechaun's motivation is plain and simple: he wants his gold, and he'll kill anyone to get to it.
The reason so many people love this movie is because the characters take their situation so seriously even though their dealing with something as silly as a killer leprechaun. It's the perfect recipe for a funny, gory, and one hell of a good time.
Leprechaun was followed by several sequels. By the third one, he was in Las Vegas, then in space, in the hood, back to the hood, and by 2014, WWE studios had removed Warwick Davis, along with all the wit and charm he had with him in the butchered reboot, Leprechaun: Origins.
So, in short, (no pun intended) this movie is as charming as they come and I would recommend it to any fan of horror.