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Dune: Part Two (2024)
Chani ad the Eternal RBF
So, I watched Dune Part 2 last night, and, again, like part 1, I was VERY impressed with the visuals *specially the Ornithopters), however, some of the casting choices, character changes, wardrobe designs etc., left me.....flat.
Part 2 was more of the same, except now, I got treated to almost 2 full hours of Zendaya looking like someone just urinated in her lunch pail. It has been a long time since I slogged (slogged, mind you) through the first book, but I don't recall Chani being such a whingy brat, always looking like she sucked 3 pecks of lemons in rapid succession.
I was never impressed with Zendaya's acting skills to begin with, but she just seemed to set her shift lever on RBF, and it stuck....for almost 2 full hours.
Also, the movie did away with the whole, "He shall know your ways, as if born to them." part of the Prophesy by having Girl Boss Chani slyly teaching Paul how to pass his desert survival test (which he was suppose to do alone, if memory serves).
The final nail in the pine box was, at the end, when she goes off to pout, she sets a thumper and calls a worm as big as the "grandfather" worm Paul had summoned which was, also part of the Prophesy (can't have a boy calling a ginormous worm and not a Girl Boss amiright?
The movie was almost as much of a slog as the book, but having the gaze at her eternal scowl, made it seem...slog- ier.
Now, if you'll pardon me, I'm going to lose myself in the Director's cut of Lynch's version.
It's not perfect, but, at least I don't have to spend the majority of my time looking at The Eternal Pout.
Summer School (1987)
Funny Classic, however....
I have a question.
Why was Shoop at the strip club?
It couldn't have been to find Larry, because he didn't know he was there.
There was no scene either before or after the strip club scene to explain why he went there in the first place.
So...why?
Avengers: Endgame (2019)
What a ride!
One critic said this movie was a, "glorious conclusion".
I say it was one nutpunch after another.
So.....
a glorious nutpunch?
Take a hanky..a ton of napkins,....something ti blot the tears away.
Trust me...you're gonna need it.
Batman: Gotham by Gaslight (2018)
What the Hell is this?
Batman: Gotham by Gaslight...a review (or rant...whichever)
*SPOILER ALERT!*SPOILER ALERT!*SPOILER ALERT!*
Do NOT read further if you don't want to know the grisly details....you have been warned
I'm a big fan of the DC animated moves. They weren't all winners, (Gotham Knight, I'm looking at you), but all were entertaining.
One of my favorite comics I wanted to see as a movie was Batman: Gotham by Gaslight. A tale that transports Bruce Wayne and pits him against Jack the Ripper in Victorian Age Gotham City.
The story was tight, the mystery well thought out and the action well executed.
I was so excited when DC announced that GbG would be their next offering. Then my wait was rewarded with...this.
The animation was good and kept the gothic creepiness f the graphic novel, and I could even excuse the inclusion of Selena Kyle and Pamela Isley...but not the rest.
Let's start with the Batsuit. In the GN it looked home made, visible stitching along the mask and his cloak had a rough edging to it making it resemble the scallops of a bat's wing. The three throwing daggers he had on his belt in the GN looked more like mini billy clubs and he never used then referring to using a very modern looking batarang.
Now I might have been able to over look that mess if they had done the story justice....but no.
In the GN it was revealed that Jack was an old family friend of the Wayne's from Jolly Old England who had fled his native land to slice-n-dice his way through Gotham's fallen women.
What we got in the movie, however all connection to Jolly Jack was gone in favor of besmirching a iconic character, Jim Gordon.
Yup...they turned Commissioner Gordon into a sadistic creep who, not only murdered the street ladies, but also a Sister Leslie Tompkins, Alienist Hugo Strange and an old crazy lady. On top of all that, he tortured his own wife, so she became just as nuts as he was.
To make matters worse, three street orphans were added to the mix, becoming Alfred's assistants, at one point, and Bruce Wayne's wards at the end, Dick, Jason and Todd...the names of those who, in regular continuity, would become Robin. Why? Who the hell knows.
And the end...WTF? Bruce gets accused of being the Ripper, thrown into prison,,,escapes...kills the Commissioner (well..he kinda kills himself after Batman cuffs him to a burning Ferris wheel car), and he just rides off into the sunrise with Selena, Alfred and the boys....with no explanation or closure leaving me going, "Watdafuq did I just watch?"
King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table (2017)
You Name It...
You name it, and this movie's got it...and it's all bad. So very, VERY bad. The acting, the effects, the plot (what there was of it) were just so horrendous that you can't measure it with current technology. Knights of the Round Table...in Taiwan. Active duty Marines with full beards. A Marine who, when he fears he might not pass his Captains exam (HUH??) laments he'll, "always be a grunt." (sorry Skippy, but if you're an officer...you are no longer a grunt.) Dojos that are obviously NOT dojos, but more like Taiwanese temples. When Morgana goes into battle mode, it's painfully obvious that the make-up artist just slathered her hair with white grease paint. The list goes on. Avoid at all cost.
Thor: The Dark World (2013)
Still rocking' the God of Thunder thing....
A fun fun movie from the first frame to the last (and by "last I also mean the after the after credits scene...so don't walk out until the credits are all done).
Even tho the story is your typical superhero fair, (bad guy wants to destroy the universe, good guy fights to stop him) it isn't typically told.
There is a abundance of superhero action to be had, but also some really tight emotional moments as well,as characters grow, die, morn, go a bit nuts, and laugh together (and we with them).
Christopher Eccleston and Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje are virtually unrecognizable under their make up as the chief villain, Malekith and his henchman Kurse, but that doesn't stop them from oozing malice every time they are on screen.
Chris Helmsworth is still rocking' the God of Thunder thing exceptionally well as does the rest of the returning cast in their respective roles (with some stellar work from Hopkins as Odin)....all except Natalie Portman. She is the one and only drawback to TtDW. Without going in to too much detail here, she was contractually forced to return for the sequel, and it shows in her phoned in performance.
But the shining moment of the whole film for me was, of course Hiddles, who returns to his third go 'round as Loki with great scene-chewing aplomb.
Every time Hiddles' Loki hits the screen we can see something working behind his eyes. Plot, scheme, love, or hate..we're really not sure....but you can't take your eyes off him.
Loki's not the villain here..nor is he the hero...he is a live wire, or loose cannon, if you will, we never know what he'll do or say next, all we know is he's having more fun than a Norse god should be allowed to.
But underneath all the bravado and anger Loki exudes, thanks to Hiddles layered performance, we are treated to moments when Loki's conflicted (after the death of someone he supposedly hates) and that he also has a protective side (puts his body between destruction and a mortal) for those he "likes".
Loki will never be a hero like his "big brother", but TtDW shows he has the potential, if not the desire.
The Wide World of Mystery (1973)
Norming of Jack 243
The Norming of Jack 243" was a TV movie on ABC's World of Mystery, and is really about he only one I remember clearly. From what I remember, the plot was about a planned, sterile, rigid futuristic society where everyone lives in bare rooms,and has a number for their name (like THX-1138). Jack at first is normal but after developing an attraction to a girl hobo living in an abandoned train car, Jack starts to pick up bad habits. One habit is eating in front of his wife (which is considered disgusting).
As the story progresses Jack becomes more and more out of "control", and more and more in love with the girl (who wants to join his world) to the point that the powers-that-be take notice. They capture both he and his girl friend, "norming" her,(which drives Jack nuts) and dragging him to a darkened room to see the Leader. Turns out the society is run by a man who tells Jack that society was set up this way to be more efficient, and less violent/sick and Jack must conform or else. Jack is told he must be subject to a process called "Norming". Jack, naturally rebels, and in the struggle, kills the Leader. The last scene is of a guard coming in and seeing a body on the floor with a mashed face he turns to the Leader who tells him to take the body away, "Remember, he tells the guard, "his name was Jack,..Jack 243." As the guard drags the body away, the camera pans to the Leader, and we see...it is Jack....now in charge.
Fantastic Four (2005)
Good, simple fun
I've read, and re-read some of the threads on the boards for this, and I have to ask, "Did we see the same movie? I thought the move was really well made, and, for what it was suppose to be, just a good time. This isn't "Cinderella Man" or "War of the Worlds (which ROCKED BTW), but it wasn't meant to be. It was meant to be F-U-N,..that's it, that's all, and it succeeded in all aspects. The cast was well thought out, and performed their parts admirably. The humor between the characters kept the story lively, and (here's that word again) fun. Ben's angst over his transformation into The Thing was palpable, without pulling the movie into "Punisher" level, which is NOT what the FF is all about. The relationship between Reed and Sue was believable with him completely clueless as to how to deal with the woman he loves,and her as a woman frustrated when the man she loves, can't seem to get a clue. (I know people just like them, trust me.) And with Johnny, he's the gut you alternate between wanting to throttle one second (when he goes overboard) and envying the next (in his reckless abandon, and ability to get the girls) The story was interesting, and kept you moving along at a rapid pace, and the special effects were,..well,..INCREDIBLE! Michael Chiklis's range of emotions really came through through all that make up, enabling you to laugh, or cry with him. I've been hearing a lot of noise and people b***hing about "miscasting" because of Miss Alba's mixed heritage, and that the character of Alicia Masters is portrayed by a black lady,..SO FRIIIKN' WHAT? Didn't we all hear the same moaning and groaning about Michael Clarke Duncan as Kingpin in "Daredevil? And he did a wonderful job! Both actresses did a fine job in their respective roles, and the fact Alicia was black just cemented the idea that it's not what you look like outside, but what's inside that counts. She (very pretty lady) was attracted to what was inside Ben, not his rocky exterior, and he was attracted to her in-spite of her race, or handicap. A lesson, I've noticed reading these boards, we could all use. All in all, I enjoyed this movie ,and everything with it. I consider myself a large movie fan, and a fan of WELL-DONE comic book movies, and I will be adding this gem to my collection when it arrives on DVD. I am also looking forward to any sequels!