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Titans: Titans (2018)
An early team-up
I must say the trailers made me believe this will be a dumpster on fire and the cgi and cast except for Brenton Thwaites didn't excite me in any way.
That being said I must say the best part of the first episode was Raven.The actress used her all to make the situation feel real,her other,more demonic persona *cough* is really Trigon *cough* was greatly displayed making her a half scared child while being a one girl army using astral projections and magic to kill/scare/traumatize her victims but my complaint concerning her is she looks at time like a possesed kid from a Poltergeist movie.The second best was Grayson,almost perfect except he is far too violent,in the comics while being on bad terms with Bruce he never reacted that violently in a fight or snapped randomly when Bruce was just mentioned.Starfire has an interesting story ahead but Ana did not impress me thus far and is far to sudden for my taste for her character to have amnesia and Beast Boy is meerly cameo-ing so far and I expected and wanted more.
The scenery/set-up/music were very good for a start and the cgi too but there are a few obvious flaws and choices.
Thor: Ragnarok (2017)
Asgard is Dead
The concept of Ragnarok for a Thor finale was unexpected and amazing especially since the Norse myths on which the event is based on and the comic arc is based on were great sources for this movie and I think Taika read exactly none of them.The whole grandiose Ragnarok was the 5 minutes Surtur trashed Asgard.
As for the characters:
1)Thor:Had some development,learned to work together with people,trust in his power and the responsibility of a leader,after 3 movies he just learned that.His attitude towards the whole situation was unnecessary to be honest,most of the times he felt like he either didn't care or was unaware of the real danger.I liked that for once he could stand his own against Hela(for a while),defeated Hulk and the monsters in Hell and Hela's army of the dead.I loved his version of Thorforce(his true potential).
2)Hulk/Banner:It finally gave the big guy some development,some conciseness,some feelings of his own,it was good to see him caring for his friends and acting like a sentient being for once.It was refreshing to see the man and the beast coming at terms with their mutual need for each other.I don't really understand yet why Banner would disappear forever if he ever should turn into Hulk again,which he did.So is Bruce forever gone?
3)Hela:Blanchett by far was the best part of the movie,her stellar performance and her look were amazingly accurate to the comics,she looked convincing and acted royal and for once I saw an evil character enjoying her colors and proudly wearing them.Personality wise she was Hela mixed with Angela and Gorr and her powers were mostly drawn from Gorr which while cool was disappointing,her action scenes were cut short,her screen time was unfairly small for the one supposed to be THE VILLAIN of the movie and despite all this she was the best developed character in the movie in my mind.The most disappointing thing about her and Valkyrie was that their epic fight was reduced to a few shots and that was all,not event a small 3 minutes scene.Her getting stabbed or kicked by the asgardians felt weird since she is presented as Odin's right hand,not that it damages her but looks pretty careless for the general who helped conquer the 9 realms.Also Fenris was reduced to her pet gal dog,while nice to see her it was a very stupid decision.Even if her scenes were meaningful,she was super underutilized.
4)Odin:His death was rushed and I didn't't really feel the tragedy in it,his joke about the God of Hammers was good tho,I would also like to point out that I liked him giving Thor that extra boost of confidence to let his power loose for once.I also loved seeing his true face,a war hungry powerful being,who along his daughter knelled the 9 realms into submission but after all,had a limit which made him question Hela's sanity and purpose in all that.
5)Loki:Arounded character since the Avengers,he is in the movie to add to Thor's relationship,has a few good jokes and some nice moments.
6)Valkyrie:Thessa did an amazing job playing a legendary warrior,hunted by the past who succumbed to alcohol and man hunting to bury her pain and loss but it was weird how she was so easily convinced to join the Revengers.I loved her suit and her action sequences.
7)Surtur:2nd best addition to the movie,it was great to see him in the beginning,his design was superb but even in his weakened state I felt he was defeated too easily.Him being reborn and fulfilling his destiny while facing Hela was pretty epic but short lived,the true meaning of the movie was brought to life by this guy and he was at his job for 3 minutes or so.
8)Grand Master:The character seemed like a Psychotic ruler of a trashy planet,didn't't feel powerful or truly evil,just mad,if that was the intention than bravo to Golblum but I feel the best parts that came of the characters like his speech at the end,the talk in the arena,etc were his work and not the script.I liked his way of dressing and how quick he would switch between moods and ironically how he hated violence.
CGI:Looked very good sometimes like Hela vs Surtur scene,Hela vs the Valkyrior,Thor vs Hulk,everyone vs the army of the dead but the scene they changed,where Hela emerged from her prison was bad in terms of effects,they filmed a new sequence and then added the old,alley one reaction when she caught the hammer.
Soundtrack:It was formidable,especially the Immigrant song added to the biggest action pieces throughout the movie.
Landscapes:I was beyond happy with what we got,Skar,Asgard,ruins of the old cemetery below the Throne room,the secret fortress,Hell,Hela's prison,Norway,Sanctum Sanctorum and of course New York.
Personal observations:
1)Hela as a mix of characters I felt ended up doing more bad for her than good,her comic self is so much superior to this mixed bag they did,it ended up being good thanks to Blanchett's acting.I was so disappointing we got no throne in Niffelheim but a cheap prison set up by her father,powered by his life force.
2)The Asgard scenes while more meaningful than Skar were too short,very insightful but short.
3)Taika's directing was wrong for this movie,the comedy was good but it needed more seriousness,more cosmic action,more Ragnarok and less improvisation,because not everyone is Goldblum or Blanchett to rock at these things.
4)I sure Hope Hela takes over Death's role in MCU and we will get her back,she deserves this,both her and Cate unless they want to waste another Oscar actress...
Kingsman: The Secret Service (2014)
Best Spy movie in a while
I was very surprised how much this director expanded the 6 issues material to a quite extraordinary film.
We have the toys,we have the villain,we have the mentor figure and we have the lead,all pieces falling perfectly into place to form a Kingsman's journey to success.
Eggsy's life and growth are meant to reflect our lives and our continuous evolution and strife to be better.He had a tragic childhood,losing his father,her mother replacing him with some unworthy suitor she found,probably to provide safety to her family.Despite the life he is inspired to lead in spite of his new father,Galahad takes him under his wing and proposes him to be the next Lancelot,a recent Kingsman who died on the field,in honor of his former student,Eggsy's dad sacrifice for his team.Despite not passing the final test,after his mentor's death he takes the responsibility of stopping Valentine.What I particularly liked is that he came up with the solution which got them out of an almost deadly spot even if I expected Galahad to come back and save the day.This movie does well on shading light and giving the deserved spot to their main character without undermining the journey and grooming his qualities which he uses in the last arc of the ingenuity,combat training,wisdom,quick thinking,efficiency and wit.His best quality,in the end remains his good heart which kept him on the right path all along,a good example being that he did not want to shoot the dog or that he wanted everyone to be safe on the parachute test.
Valentine,played by Samuel L.Jackson is a great villain for me,because he doesn't want to take over the world,kill millions of people,he just wants to provide a mean to diminish the population of the planet so that certain individuals can adapt better and survive more safely.Like every villain he corrupts the politicians of the world to be on his side but unlike some he also uses the hero to test his device,Galahad,who killed everyone in the Church,then kills him without revealing anything.I liked that he takes precautions with the explosive chip inserted in the neck,showing his suspicion. Despite being a maniac for a good cause,what is funny about him is his homophobia to some degree.
The minor characters:Galahad,a well groomed,old Kingsman who hasn't lost any bit of his charm,who's mission is to groom the boy and in doing so repaying the debt to his father,is the mentor,who has to die for his student to take matters into his hands.Gazelle played by the charming Sofia Boutella,was the lover of Valentine,a keen,well trained assassin,who was Eggsy's ultimate test,being his shadow and an apprentice of her own who in the end failed killing the hero.Merlin as his Kingsman's name suggest is the ultimate support,always there to help,the right hand of this story's hero but also his teacher,the one who tested him,among others to see who is worth of a place at the "Round Table".
This movie had an amazing,fitting soundtrack and great action sequences combined with good characters to form a great story and journey.
Spider-Man: Homecoming (2017)
Best Spider-Man to hit the big screen
I was introduced to the character by the 90's animated series.Ever since I started reading comics and search for a good live action movie.And finally I found it now.
The plot represents the story and journey of Peter Parker after the events of Civil War and how he grew to embrace his destiny as the hero who looks after "the little guy".
As far as the characters go the most noticeable 2 are:
1)Peter Parker.Tom Holland was perfect for the role.He not only embraced the physicality of the role but he is also able to carry this movie. Thanks to his range he can act a scene out very well,delivering emotional lines intensely.He plays a geeky,hot,a little naive but very gold heart-ed Peter,as he was supposed to be since his creation,who cares about those around him,a good example would be him avoiding to tell May about his super-hero alter ego because it might hurt her after all her loss and strives to do the right thing even if he end up getting hurt,for example, when he saved his collages from the explosion at the Washington Monument.His Spider-Man strong, agile,witty, sarcastic, full of bad puns as he was always supposed to be.Even when he is not believed and taken into consideration because he is young,he puts his life on the line to protect those who he loves and everyone in Queens,people he feels are under his protection.I like that he never gives up,especially when adults dis him.His journey reflects the not so conventional journey of a teenager who wakes up with the powers to make a difference and has to also cope with his adolescent life,which in everyone's life is a curfew to deal with.
2)Adrian Toomes/The Vulture.Coming from a minimalist background with a strong sense for care for those around him,this man decides to start a criminal life by selling weapons he made with alien technology in order to keep his team employed and able to provide for their families .He is the brain of the operation and takes up a new name while building himself a name into the criminal world,the Vulture.He is not pure evil,his motivation is to provide and offer a happy life for his daughter,Liz Allen and his co-workers families.He is a man of his word and for being saved by Spider-Man,he does not disclose his identity to the Scorpion.The scene where he discovers who Peter actually is was marvelous and proved the intelligence and the dominance of Keaton's character.
The secondary characters have a place,but just about 4 have a job to fulfill:
1)RDJ as Tony Stark.Surprisingly likable in this movie,he takes his role as the mentor of peter very seriously.He becomes very heart warmed towards Peter after he realize how rude he was by taking his suit away.Their relationship is starting to shape and in the future they might become closer. Other than that,he had horrible puns towards May,he acted rudely to peter after the ferry affair and he did not even bother to try to understand him at his most vulnerable moment.
2)Jon Favreau as Happy Hogan was fantastic if the idea was to make him a total douche.I hated how he ignored Peter all the time,did not even try to listen to him even after Tony specifically put him there just to do it.
3)Marissa Tomei was a modern,likable,cool aunt May who drives her life as best as she can to raise her nephew and to cope with the death of her husband.For the first time this character felt like an aunt and not a grandma.
3)Jacob Batalon as Ned was funny,caring and a good ,overall, who as every teenager wanted to be cool and admired but gave it up in order to respect his best friend wish.
My complaints about the movie:
1)Tony Revolori was horrible as Flash,did not embody any characteristic of his character,had 1 single tired joke during the movie and was interested in science?He came out mostly as an annoying nuisance than a bully.Same goes for Zendaya as MJ,her character was annoying,served no purpose,she was put there for nothing.
2)The 8 years gap:Avengers came out in 2012,the after 8 years makes no sense,as it should have put the movie events in 2020 while it takes place in present day,2017.Linearity was a problem here. 3)The school kids were not used all that much.
Cameos and after credits: I loved seeing Pepper Pots again.The actress and RDJ had a better chemistry here,I felt,then ever before.I hope she is here to stay,at least for the minimal appearance. The post credit scene was a total lesson of patience by Captain America.They rick-rolled us,big time.
American Gods (2017)
Believe it or not,it's on
This shows presents the story of the old gods's fate and how each was brought to America and how they got by ever since.The focus is on Odin(Wendsday) who enlists a man(Shadow Moon) to gather old gods to go to war against the new gods:The Technical Boy (Internet&Technology),Media (Tv&Telecomunications)and Mr.World(Globalization),who is their leader.
Story:The first season is a set up for the war that is to come between the old and new gods.Wendsaday makes it his purpose to turn his grudge against the new guys into a thing he is great at,war and wants all old gods he can gather on his side.He enlists Shadow Moon but to break him to the point he would say yes to a stranger he first asks Mad Sweeney to kill his wife.All events evolve from that one motivation.
Characters:The only characters which are focused but are not gods are the dead wife,the Djin,the driver and Mad Sweeney,an old leprechaun king.I must say my favorite two which are developed during the first 8 hours are Odin,the leader of the old gods and the instigator of the conflict,perfectly done as having a royal aura,being the king of tricksters,something his son Loki inherited,being very wise and always willing to go to war and Media,the face of the new gods,because Gillian Anderson in my humble opinion gave the best performance among everyone else,not only did she embody her character but also every new face she appeared under from David Bowie to Judy Garland and Marilyn Monroe.I also was fascinated by the story of the Djin so I can only hope we will see more of him.Also the last episode did justice to Ostara,she was sensible,beautiful yet her power was terrifying.Every character has a spotlight and in time we also get their backstory which makes it for a "story time" moment during an episode.
Episodes:Each episode brings new characters into the picture while developing the ones already introduced with some of the main's players backstory put along and trough the lines during the 8 hours run of the show.One of my favorite sequences from an episode was the trip to the after life of a woman accompanied by Anubis and the whole conflict with Odin's reveal and Easter's power during the last episode.
Changes from the books:Vulcan is one of them and he was not in the books,but he fit right in.A second one is the fate of Mad Sweeny whose life spawn is extended,opening a path for new adventures and twists andI am totally open to these changes as long as they work and make sense in the long run.
Special effects:The effects in this show are on par with the ones in Legion,amazing for television,they do make sense and are beautiful to look at.
Season 2:I hope now that the war is put in motion we will see many more gods and actual battles.I hope Anansi,Anubis and Thoth will show their loyalties in time.I also do hope Bilquis will be more active among these others come the second season.
Expectations:I really hope to see Ra,Circe and Tsukuyomi among others coming to the show.
American Gods: The Bone Orchard (2017)
The battlefield is getting set
This series is intriguing to say the least,very engaging,mind blowing and dark,full of gore and mystery.
The main character is a man of few words,who endured much and lost everything.He found himself in a position working for this man who calls himself Wednesday,a man of the unknown,who knows everything about him apparently.He has awaken his inner powers in the presence of death and blood,he might be some death god reincarnated or his contract gives him some significant powers.I would not put anything aside when it comes to this series.
The man he confronts at the end and who wants him dead,is a man of technology,one of the new gods,who need no worship in the old,classic sense but the market,the complete depence of their services and people to use their devices and inventions.He is very analytical and puts everything in perspective.
The old gods such as the Queen of Sheba strive to survive and maintain their powers,for their age is gone and they are just relics of what once was a band of world rulers gods.
I am eager for a new episode.
Feud (2017)
The brilliant Feud
This limited series was great,not only gave us a great insight on the life of these 2 sacred beasts of the screen that were Joan Crawford and Bette Davis but also shown the cruelty of the old Hollywood.
I loved how faithful they stood to the glamour of the 20st century,how remarkably accurate the costumes were and how they used bits from Ryan's interview with Bette,for example the explanation why one of her Oscars looked rubbed off or how they recreated great historic moments such as Bette singing "Whatever Happened to Baby Jane",different scenes from their various movies,how deep they went into each detail or how they completely rejuvenated the Oscars of 1963,which to my astonishment was done in the same building which they completely renovated and used a lot of props for it.
Jessica Lange embodied not the voice of Joan Crawford but her manners,her facade sweetness and her fighting spirit to always go forward. Her highlight I felt was in episode 5 where she turned the Oscars of 1963 into her own little party,orchestrating everything around.Her most emotional scene for me was in the finale,where she has this hallucination about a party with Hedda,Jack and Bette and makes peace with them and herself.
Susan Sarandon was sublime as Bette Davis.She embodied the voice,the power and the actress's renown wit and laugh.She was breathtaking in every scene she played but my favorite was her confrontation with Joan,where each lady said what they wanted to for a long time.
Judy Davis for me was the best addition to the cast,she made me hate Hedda Hopper but embodied her brilliantly,from the costumes,to the manners,the voice and her famous hats.She was a force to be reckon with back in the days,we truly see her claws in the Oscar episode,where she badmouthed and manipulated the situation in order for Joan to get her 2nd Oscar.I sure want this lady to win some awards for her work
Stanley Tucci was the embodiment of Jack Warner. Greedy, electric, bossy,demanding,stylish,every bit of the moguls of the golden age of Hollywood.
Alfred Molina did great as the submissive Robert Aldrich,who always listened to his boss until he realized his own value and went to being a successful movie maker.
Jackie Hoffman as Mamacita was one of the highlights of the series for me,a very good comic relief but also a character with much depth,awareness and generosity.
If you like glamour,good drama and anthology series this show has to be on your list to watch.
Beauty and the Beast (2017)
Tale as old as 2017
This tale as old as time was greatly remade with a few nice touches:
1)Gaston is really vile in this.
2)Beast and Belle's backstory are revealed.
3)LeFou is redeemed.
4)Extended look at the witch(Agatha/The Enchantress)
5)The backstory of the staff and their guilt.
I found the characters to be well represented and some of their roles were extended in a natural yet satisfactory way:
1)Belle:Emma Watson gets to expand her original story to a point where we now know why she ended up in a small,provincial town full of simple people.She is raised to be powerful and independent.After the dance scene with her prince all I could see was Belle and not Emma.Her song,Belle was well timed,sang and arranged making everyone participate and it put in perspective everyone's take on her.She became an inventor now and is attracted to create,given her parents were both artists.Also she made reading more than a hobby,for her it was an escapism,and it felt natural seeing her at the dinner table with a book.She even wants to educate the other girls,to make them grow up into respectable members of the society.
2)The Beast/Prince Adam:Dan Stevens was perfect.He embodied the cruel aspect of his character well and still was able to portray his humanity better than the original could,his eyes were magic and shown dependence,uncertainty,sadness.His character was a sweet boy who lost his mother and was shaped into a luxurious,superficial,extravagant and material man,by his dear father.He finds in Belle an equal and is shown to be more mannered than his animated representation,also more intellectual given the fact he is transformed at a latter age.He is cured in the end and becomes the man Belle helped to shape:a loving,caring and sure man.His original song "Evermore" was my favorite,the lyrics are deep and really offer a journey in depth into his mind and soul and the way it was done in the movie went even further to represent his love and loss of Belle.
3)Gaston:Luke Evans landed the role magically and helped the viewers to go behind the looks and see a truly vile,malevolent character,who all his life was after the big prize,Belle and Beast's head.He abandons all and uses manipulation on his fellow citizens to make Maurice seem mad and uses his cruelty to leave the poor man bound to a try for the wolves.He even abandons his best friend and confidant to take what he thought was rightfully his.His song is a jolly combination of humor and dance.And his lead in "Kill the Beast" shows his thirst for blood and war also his madness.
4)LeFou:Josh Gad finally gave the character a redemption,turning him into a more lovable self after he was blinded for years by the admiration for his friend,who turned out to be unworthy of him.
5)Maurice:Kevin Kline is tasked to portray a guardian and an intelligent man who lost so much:a home,the woman he loved and is tasked to raise his daughter.He grooms her with all the aspects he loved at her mother,mostly intelligence,taste and over time becomes overly protective. What I particularly liked about him was his lucidity,he wasn't that mad inventor who should end up behind bars because he put people in danger with his constructs.He faces many trials,some new ones being left to be eaten by wolves and sent to an asylum.
6)The staff:All seem on point,but for me the best was Ewan(Lumiere).He seemed more stylish than his animated counterpart.We learn now why in the end the staff accepts their fate,a good explanation which adds to the depth of the characters.
7)Agatha/The Enchantress:She has the role to teach everyone a valuable lesson of how deceiving can one appearance be.She also leaves the magic book which helps expand Belle's story.She lives in the same town as Belle,among common people.She aids Maurice and heals him,proving she has love for the people who are worth her time and is back at the end to lift the spell and make everyone remember the kingdom they once loved.This new addition to the curse offered a good explanation and tied some loose ends,also that everything is rejuvenated with the once cursed rose,strengthening the motif of the royal flower.
They way the used the special effects made me wake up in a real fairy tail,where everything came to life as things progressed.The actual death of the beast and the curse being fulfilled even for a time added tragedy to what it seem a remediable dilemma at times.
The songs were redone to the letter and the new ones are a fine addition to already a classic ensemble.My favorite as I earlier mentioned is Evermore because I can identify with the song very well. Celine Dion is back and her new song "How does a moment last forever" offers us a great lesson about love,life and is sang in her distinct,mild voice,with her specific intonation which adds to the melancholy and the message of it."Be our Guest" was better done here,on a smaller scale but very melodic,spectacular and charmingly presented(The French way)."Beauty and the Beast" touched me,but I still prefer the original version,Angela is the mistress of the song.
I loved this movie and I feel we should all enjoy it and learn something from it while we travel trough this classic french fairy tail.
Iron Fist (2017)
Great
Characters:
1)Danny Rand:Young,charismatic but deeply troubled,even after he became a living weapon,the Iron Fist of K'un L'un. Bein raised in a monastery of order and equality,he is very quick to throw his trust around and this costs him dearly during the show.Him running off with that power is a proof of a deranged young man,haunted by his parents death.He wasted 15 years of Buddhism for nothing...He also without remorse left these people that raised him without their only defense.His behavior towards being on the board is also childish considering his education.His growth is contemplated in the final episode where he escapes the past and achieves complete control over his actions.Finn Jones did great for me,but that is because I can't really see in the real world a martial artist being bulky,his lean built and flexibility is what I see when the thought comes to mind.He plays the deranged parts well and is convincing in his delivery.I wish he had better choreographed fights,better dialogue and they would turn this example of a character into a prick,childish character full of rage and VERY SUPERFICIAL.
2)Colleen Wing:Aspiring member of the society and of the Hand,who is tricked by her sensei into thinking she can actually help outcast find protection.As a young girl she was thrown around and she was trained to become a fierce fighter.She wanted to offer kids the chance to defend themselves, unwillingly giving them to the Hand,to place them in key position.She reverts into finally being on Danny's side and almost kills her former master.Her interaction with the underworld added some substance while proving even she enjoys putting her life on the line for the sheer joy of violence. The actress did a great job with what she was given but I was really excited to see her using a sword and those 3 or so times she used it was pretty average I must say.
3)Claire Temple:Rosario keeps impressing me,her character grew the most in these series.She became a fully fledged active member and might even take a mantle in the future,this series turned her into a tougher character, able to self defend herself.
4)Madam Gao:She works trough fear.She uses people whenever she deems it necessary,kills those who wronged her,she is master manipulator who trough legal means(Rand Corporation,political connections) slips heroin illegally into the city.She has shown extensive knowledge of the Iron Fist , claiming to see more than one,maybe all during her extended life-spawn,her oldest claim being around the 17th century where she lived as a prisoner mostly and she endured cruel interrogation.She knows of K'un L'un and proves it by describing the city's central tree.She is intrigued by Danny and allows him to dwell into her business until she has her answers.She proves to also be a magnificent observer never ceases to tell Danny how childish and stupid and a poor excuse of an Iron Fist he is,mostly because of his silliness,greed and trust.Drugs apparently do not affect her,she has telekinesis(she threw Danny around like a flee),a sword in her cane,she proved to be able to walk without it and a pure hatred for Bakuto,the leader of another Hand fraction.She also claims to have a master.Her as Crane Mother is not yet confirmed,but clues are thrown in all directions. 5)Harold Meachum:A low key manipulator,who threatened by cancer,is cured by the Hand and hidden from the world.He is forced to work for them.He drags his son into it,because he is exiled.Both times he is brought back,he is less human,more a frustrated killer.Most of his decisions are taken based on either guilt,fear or the sheer will of revenge of Danny.He pushes his kids to have a war with each other,and stop trusting themselves,he was very abusive to his son but needed him until Danny came around and started to manipulate him.He in the end blames Daniel for all of his misfortunes being unable to see his part.
6)Joy Meachum: She is the one who fixes things.She is smart,charismatic,the first to give Danny a chance,she gives what is needed for him to prove who he is,but she hates that secrets were kept from her and she grows distant and cold with her ultimate goal being to kill Danny Rand.
7)Ward Meachum:The mistake,black sheep of the family,a fierce leader but a deranged kid with daddy issues.He is cruel,determined but in the last episode his true colors are revealed to be pretty shinny,once his dad is dead.I hope he keeps the company strong in this time of need.
Fights:Could have been A LOT BETTER.For masters fighters they move amazingly slow,I loved the fights,but I judged them as slow motions, because if not they are hideous mostly,they look well done but that is all,nos real substance in that.
Finale:I liked the cliffhanger,The triumvirate:Gao-Joy-Davos,will hit everyone when is unleashed and the event at the monastery and how it disappeared is a good subject for the 2nd season.
Easter Eggs:My favorite was seeing Davos,The Bride of 9 spiders and Zhou Chang.
Complaints:Action not well choreographed,very superficially executed. Danny's reason to be deranged and unsure of himself.His training K'un L'un should have prepared him for real life,trusting someone easily,is your first mistake.How can one be allowed to become the Iron Fist when he has anger management issues.Davos coming in was a nice touch but I feel his guilt was too quickly played up.Still he seemed like a more sure fighter and overall a better set up villain.Zhou Chang:Overall a disaster.I hope this was just a set up.He was drunk and he did not went all out,it was so promising to see him but it did not pay up. The constant monk talking,like Danny was delusional,or something.I would rather add more flashbacks scenes from K'un L'un,to see him interact more with others or see one of his adventures.
Feud: The Other Woman (2017)
Every woman has a soul
This episode theme I felt it was "Every woman has a soul" and the secondary being "Industry is cruel".
It was beautiful to see Joan and Davis get along for once and they were such a powerhouse together,almost if not more successful than each other in their prime and they demanded respect and outwitted their director but Jack Warner wanted attention and baited that poor excuse of a director with no sense of morality to do his dirty work,make his stars hate each other.While this made their performances stellar it crippled their souls and their lives with a little help from Davis's Hedda Hopper,another strong woman in Hollywood who got strong by creating feuds,destroying lives and make innocent people despicable but at the same time being one of the best journalists of the time.
Lange's Joan Crawford suffers this episode the loss of her current partner,which she did threw out,out of necessity and convenience.She manipulated Bette to team up with her against the young actress and to make the director get rid of her.She lets herself be played by Robert Aldrich into the Feud game and the fact she did not even check if the gossip about her did indeed came from Davis made me sad,proving sometimes she is a superficial woman,who did not care who created rumors about her as long as they were and who would not let that person get away with it.Her talk with Hedda,at her house made this scorpion sensible and shown she has a soul and that she is vulnerable despite seeming to be made out of ice cold rock.She wanted to hide everything about her private life from the public and let out just the powerful star that she used to be.
Sarandon's Bette Davis is the more sensible character this episode,for sure.She feels she has no place in the world,she wants to settle the initial scandal by inviting her co-star to dinner,she wants to not fade forever and to not be turned into a walking joke,a thing expected of someone of her caliber.Her scene where she losses her daughter out of her own greed for attention and the fact she as Jones has been doing since the begging:chose the career over everything else,it was strong because every word that came out of her daughter's mouth was true,the moral of that scene being"Leave while you have your dignity intact and while you still can."Everything bad that happened to her recently culminates on a love night with her director.
Stanley Tucci's Jack Warner is the classic,American magnate.He does not care what it takes to bring attention to his business,because he will do it and gladly because his title and career will only benefit,because he is not the front runner of the scandal and has his loyal employees to spread the dirt around.
Alfred Molina's Robert Aldrich is the a ping pong ball,that is both a pawn and a greedy man,who wants to come back in vogue while keeping his stars happy.He betrayed his wife,his dignity is gone,his soul was sold to the Warner Brothers,he has nothing left but to follow this path he has taken and hope for the better.
The side characters:Olivia the Havilland and Joan Blondell give us an insight of what Hollywood used to do and still does to get scandals going and their pictures the attention they need.They seem to point out that when women are manipulated against going out for each other,no one interferes,especially other women who enjoy their conflict and hope this will bring themselves more attention while their colleagues rip each other to pieces.
Feud: Pilot (2017)
It's on!
This first episode was our introduction to the characters and I felt it was great giving us the opportunity to have a great behind the scenes look and choose our side.
Lange's Joan Crawford seems tough but also had a hard period recently and I felt sorry Bette Davis did not answer her congratulations card.It is good to see the little sensitivity behind a real life viper,who really seemed to push it hard at times and she always looked for an excuse to make her producer's life harder.She dominates almost every scene she is in,because of her acting experience and her character's power.
Susan's Bette Davis in my opinion,is perfectly done if we overlook the voice,she knows her age is over yet it still strives to bring something new to raise her kids and have a modest yet accomplished life.
The other characters we were introduced to,who give interviews and opinions on the legendary rivalry have themselves taken side,a thing most likely expected of us,the audience.
The best part is yet to come.
La La Land (2016)
The magic is real
This movie was ART...Pure art(I could end here)
The structure was kept simple from an outside perspective:2 people who pursue their dream but the deep journey of each,both faced a long line of disappointments,a long line of regrets,they achieved small success but wished for more and struggled for more.
The characters are really ripped from reality:2 people who want to chase their dream and who fall in love for a time. Their love story is really a touching and funny one:how they say it was never meant to be but then each makes whatever it can to make the other proud of him and happy,the way they encourage each other and even when they fall apart they are still there for one another,that is PURE LOVE.
The music is perfectly in tone with the film and complements it perfectly each time it happens.The 2 leads are amazing and they quite show their vocal potential in the songs they perform,especially Ema Stone.The best piece in my opinion is City of Stars performed by 2 young aspiring artists who are in awe of Los Angeles,the city where dreams come true.
The dance was also on point and I love how our 2 leads managed to keep up and even surpass at some point their professional dancers colleagues.
The scenery:digital+studio+real landscapes were very well chosen depending on the scene,depending on the message and depending on the interactions.
All scenes were great but for me the best one was the "What If?" type of life they could have had together,the way they could have lived and merged beautifully with the final dance and the fact both achieved their dreams but had to sacrifice their love in the processes.
It was a real journey for me too,I felt like being there with them and made me really look a little at my life and enjoy it more,struggle more when time comes to achieve what I want and to be positive and it shown me that life gives you plenty if you look at things the right way.
Doctor Strange (2016)
Favorite Marvel Movie Ever
I will begin this by saying I was hyped about this film since it was announced because I was always attracted to magic and the supernatural and Doctor Strange is one of my favorite Marvel superheroes. PLOT:A simple enough story,a brilliant surgeon's journey from the peak of his career to a ruined man,incapacitated due to an accident.Losing all his money in an attempt to heal his hands,he finds out about a mysterious healer in a place called Kamar-Taj.With his last dollars, he gets a one-way ticket to Nepal to find this place and is introduced like so into a whole new world.He has an affinity for what he discovers to be called "The Mystic Arts".He learns and develops quickly but is thrown into a fight with the one who would become his first nemesis,Kaelcilius,too soon.He is almost killed but with the help of his ex-fiancée,Dr. Christine Palmer(who operates on him) he is saved and returns to the Sanctum Sanctorum.He tries to stop Kaelcilius but needs to be rescued again by his teacher,who is killed and leaves him with a valuable lesson.To finally defeated the Zealots he bargains with their boss,catching him into a time loop for all eternity if he does not call his servants off and sets everything right.In the end his ex-friend and mentor,Mordo goes on a quest of finding himself and ends up becoming a sorcerer murderer. Characters: 1)Dr.Stephen Strange:Benedict portrays him amazingly and is always on point with the character.I liked his journey and how he changed and grew to see that he is just a tiny bit of an infinite multiverse.He was pretty good using magic and I hope he will develop quicker to the Sorcerer Supreme. 2)The Ancient One:My favorite character in the movie.She is a wise teacher,has the best quotes,best battle scenes,best entrances and an amazing battle costume.I loved how even she was aware that for higher goals she needed to cross the line and do things she teaches against and also isn't proud of. 3)Kaelcilius:A tragedy of love brought him to Kamar-Taj where he ascended to the rank of master.Tired of following The Ancient One and still haunted by the death of his loved he seeks to stop time,to give his new teacher,Dormammu our world.Mads was amazing in the role,his whole ideology of time as the enemy of humans and them longing for eternity is interesting and really on point.He briefly achieved his goal,a shame he became a mindless one. 4)Karl Mordo:Another prominent student,who doesn't ask questions,doesn't contradict and is pretty adamant about trust and has lots of issues with bending the rules.He was very disappointing and boring and his only interesting feat was that he became a villain. 5)Wong:Decent but underused character,he will surely be seen a lot in the later movies as Strange's right hand. Magic:We are introduced to magic as an energy harnessed from various dimensions to create things of need,to conjure spells.An interesting take on such a vague but intriguing subject. Post-Credit Scenes: 1)Thor scene:takes place in 2017 with Thor asking our Doctor(has gloves,seems more powerful,informed) for help to find his father,trapped on Earth.He accepts with the condition that they would leave our realm as soon as they are reunited. 2)Mordo scene:He went on a quest of getting rid of all the sorcerers of Earth. Overall:A very decent movie with amazing special effects and super acting.A mus see.
Suicide Squad (2016)
Better than the last two yet it lacks sometimes
Concept:So the concept of assembling an all villain team of the worst criminals in the world to take on bigger threats is quite good and it was taken out of the comics and pretty well delivered.
Plot:I always felt that Enchantress would turn bad at some point throughout the movie but never thought it would be the main villain do to Joker being heavily promoted.The plot was bland,a team of super-villains goes to stop the biggest threat,the witch, and her brother who now want to exterminate humanity because their kind is gone.The bait she used,their dreams becoming a reality was cliché.And I also did not understand why an all-powerful being needed to fight people who she could throw around using chants like a ninja.
Characters(In the order the left an impact on me and had a good performance):
1)Amanda Waller:Viola Davis nailed the part and she represented an Amanda Waller that is intelligent,fierce and overall such a bitch to the extent that after you save her life she would blow you off.She was a strategist and paid no mind about who will die if the job gets done.
2)Joker:Jared Leto did very well for the part he was given and while I feel sorry for him because his scenes were heavily cut off I need to point out what I liked and did not about him.His Joker was violent,obsessed with Harley,given the fact it was so early in their history and he was mad,he enjoyed a lot his lifestyle and he was a strategist,always knowing where to go and how to proceed in different situations.I did not like his laugh though and he lacked his jokes,he did not strike me as a particular funny Joker but I hope this will be addressed in the future.His look is modern and was inspired from various comics and from David Bowie and I must say he looked alright in my eyes.
3)Dr. Harleen Quinzel/Harley Queen:Margot Robbie also nailed her part and she was given material to work with.She was crazy,a good fighter,unpredictable but with an anchor in the sane part.I did not agree with her being called crazier than the Joker because as we see later in her vision:She saw the Joker as a sane,cured man,deep down despite her love for her Puddin' she wanted a boring,fulfilled life.As for her doctor portrayal,she was pretty sexy that part,of course, we could say we found her like this because she was found of Mr. J and wanted to impress him.
4)El Diablo:he was bland and boring to me until the third act where he really shined.His backstory in the bar scene really made me feel for him and I hope he will be back,he was one of the anchors of magic in the DCEU.His guilt is what saved the team, in the end,he accepted his fate and agreed to suffer the consequences.
5)Katana:While a minor character,she was great.Her fighting style was on point and she displayed it well.I wanted to see her use the soul taker more and I felt bad when Warner Brothers decided to cut her two major supernatural based scenes:the soul taker display of power and her eyes turning pitch black.She had an emotional scene with Maseo though I would have wanted to hear him talk back.Karen's first role had a great impact for me and I want to see more of her in the future.
6)Professor June Moon/The Enchantress:I must say they really went far to establish her as a dark,vicious witch from the ancient time.I liked Cara's portrayal,but I felt they should have gone with her third act look for the entire movie,the Mayan,Aztec goddess of magic.Her brother was added to the plot only to be her servant and save her from Amanda's threat because she almost killed her stabbing her heart.I wish we will see more of her and maybe next time they will let her unleash more spells.
7)Deadshot:This was Will Smith as himself with a little twist in some scenes but this time he was enjoyable,he brought some of his fun and personality to the character and this made me like him more.His deep care for his daughter was kind of overused, though.
Honorable Mentions:
1)Captain Boomerang:He had a lot of potential but in the end felt as an untouched character,we could not feel for him,we could not see what made him come back,the only thing to be remembered by is his Pony.
2)Killer Croc:While being King Shark's replacement he got the same treatment as Boomerang,his joke and overconfidence felt cringe and I hope he will be evolved into a more monstrous state in the future.
3)Rick Flag:while a master strategist and an army pro his only purpose was to be a damsel in distress for the squad to save every time and his only connection was with June Moon.He felt really possessive to the extent where he would let the world end to save June.
4)Slipknot:WAISTED CHARACTER.They should not introduce him just to use him as an example.
Cameos:
1)Batman:It is always a delight to see Affleck's Batman in action and mostly to see him interact with more of his rogue gallery,not just the joker.My favorite cameo was nonetheless his chase after Joker and Harley.
2)The Flash:I love the costume and he seems to start to embody Barry well,he can crack one or two jokes sometimes but he is serious and considered mostly. The editing:Warner Brothers seem to lack in confidence in their directors each time.Only because a select number of people did not like the darkness in the movie it doesn't mean it should have been funnier.As a side note, I must point out that to me it was not really funny.The third act was miserably edited and,to me it seemed it was re-shot completely and the cast looked tired and bored,just standing there,doing the stunts and delivering the lines,but some of the passion was gone.