Civilized War

Marvel's answer to DC's Batman v Superman is here. With considerably more heroes in one movie. More heroes than Avengers: Age of Ultron. It stars Chris Evans and Robert Downey Jr with newcomers Tom Holland and Chadwick Boseman, directed by The Russo Brothers who did The Winter Soldier. The film continues the story after TWS and also Ultron. I was pretty hyped on this movie, and it's gonna be fun to see after BvS. 

Captain America's Avengers team is creating a bit of a chaos in of their missions. The UN called a council to keep the heroes on check. Captain disagrees but Tony Stark agrees because of the casualties in Sokovia and also his own guilt for creating Ultron. In the meantime, Bucky resurfaces and is currently a fugitive, so Cap, being a bro that he is, tries to find Bucky and also protects him.

First things first, Civil War is better than BvS, if you want to compare. The storyline was well-fleshed out, the characters were given enough screentime and the fights were satisfying. The jokes were the best part of the movie and although it almost became annoying, it thankfully didn't. I loved how they introduced Spider-Man almost seamlessly while also making fun of Marisa Tomei's casting. Also Black Panther was alright even though it would be annoying in his solo movie if he keeps that accent (Scarlet Witch's Russian accent was diluted tho, and she is still amazing af). That titular fight that has been teased was satisfying. It was more than the 8-minute Batman vs Superman fight and each character gets his/her own moments to shine. Nevertheless, the film felt super safe without any consequences. And the villain's endgame, played by Daniel Bruhl, was a tad better than 'same mom's name Martha.' The film kept it really safe and still maintains to keep us excited for future films. I, once again, doubt the Russos could deliver a Joss Whedon-caliber Avengers film. This film was bland compared to the two Avengers films. There's no killer shot like the slow-mo fights between the Avengers and Ultron robots or that killer opening shot where all the Avengers were in one frame or if you still want to compare to BvS, no Wonder Woman entrance-type moment that makes you cheer or leave you in awe. There were some cool and pleasant moments but it was everywhere. Probably each time Tony Stark suit up, but we've seen them in five previous films. The Russos did a crowdpleasing but merely functional job. Also have I mentioned that the film felt hollow because the score by Henry Jackman couldnt match all the action that are happening on screen. Bottomline, Civil War is a good movie, you'll recommend it to your friend but I don't think a conversation around this film would last longer than three minutes. It's a good Marvel movie, but it's an okay movie in general. Captain America: Civil War: rated 3/4.

note:
Probably Batman v Superman hurt and helped this movie. It helped us to praise this movie more because our basic instinct was to compare it to that underwhelming film. However, it hurt this film because after that lackluster of missed opportunities, we want this film to be more than what was shown in the trailer and we want it bad but it didn't. I mean, BvS left such an impression (be it good or bad or mixed) that I am still thinking about that film even after more than a month. BvS made us audience more critical about similar film which is Civil War. As a whole, I don't think Civil War is even better than The Winter Soldier. Or probably we have reached the superhero fatigue.

note part II:
Am I the only one who's disappointed that Spidey's suit was enhanced by Tony Stark? As cool as it may sounds, I always thought the idea of Spidey as a self-made hero and anyone could be him. A nerd guy who was given an extraordinary power to help others, thus the help from Tony Stark might break that idea for me.

Train of Thoughts Vol. 1

Let me introduce a new feature in this blog. So, 'Train of Thoughts' would be a series of posts that would be dully titled, like 'Train of Thoughts Vol 2, Vol 3, Vol 100' and so on. But it would hopefully be produced weekly, or anytime that I collected enough materials that usually don't qualify for one full post. Ever get that feeling when you want to praise or rant but Twitter can only hold 140 characters and Facebook is too public for you to do it? Yes, 'Train of Thoughts' is exclusively designed for those. So, with no further ado, the first edition of 'Train of Thoughts'! (It's still beta-testing so I hope I can do better with the formatting)

On the latest episode of Empire,
It's still my favorite guilty pleasure. The all-too-important drama is great for entertainment. Music is still good, I mean, Jamal and Freda Gatz is fire y'all. And Lucious Lyon is still slimy as hell. But let me give you these two screenshots of Cookie responding to Anika's Lyon heir announcement. It's so great and very Cookie.

On the new trailer for Jason Bourne,

I still think it's a silly ass title for a landmark continuation of an exceptional action franchise. But I'll forgive it for having Alicia Vikander in it. Fingers-crossed for a last minute title change though. Also on the subject of trailers, The Magnificent Seven and The Girl on the Train looks good. Oh, first trailer for Doctor Strange! I was already excited knowing that Benedict Cumberbatch is in it despite the whole concept and idea of it is super strange (hence the name) and weirdly off-putting. But then I was reminded that Rachel McAdams in it and also Tilda fucking Swinton is also in it! Marvel did a good job putting seats in theatres in movies that sounds so fucking dumb because I am now 120% sold on the movie purely based on its casting.

On Black Mirror,

I know I'm late to the party but I just started Black Mirror, the Brit TV series that's like Sherlock, only has 3 episodes in one season. It's quality TV for a one-off 42-minute episode and up until the first episode of the second series, it boasted famous British actors that has become familiar faces in Hollywood such as Domnhall Gleeson, Toby Kebbell, Jessica Brown Findlay and Hayley Atwell. Every episode really resonates with you especially because it's technology-related and how it serves as a reminder that technology could be the bane of our existence or it may has already.

On The People v. O.J. Simpson

Holy shit this is such a good show! I was unfamiliar with the 'trial of the century' but now I am familiar, too familiar. The casting of the show is amazing, although they could find someone who looks more like O.J than Cuba Gooding Jr, but it's great to know that Gooding is getting work that someone could show him da money (bad joke). Sarah Paulson is great. Courtney Vance is sensational. Camerawork, direction, production design is top-notch. I binge-watched the whole show in 3 days and I still had some work and also an earthquake going on. It's so good that I just can't put down. Yes, I spent the next two days after that watching documentaries on about the case. Emmy is well-deserved, and if not, Emmy would be as innocent as OJ if you know what I mean.

 On Joy,

My expectations were low on this one, seeing that it's about a woman who invented a mop. Pretty sure there were stuff more important to turn into a film, I thought. While that may still stands true, this movie is so well-made that I couldn't help but loving it. Cast is great and even when you catch David O. Russell on a bad day, he's still so fucking amazing. Also music is so good. Jen Lawrence is too lovely and talented that all this movie oozes her charisma and it's also a movie with charismatic actors like De Niro, Bradley Cooper and Edgar Ramirez in it. I loved this movie, if I must rate it like on a regular post, I'd give it 3.5/4.

That's it for the first edition of Train of Thoughts! See you soon.
Will try to write more because as of right now, I'm so behind compared to previous years. At this point of the year I have only written 8 posts, last year it was 13 and last year I wrote the least in four years! To rub more salt in the wound, at this time of the year in 2014 I had written 20 and in 2013 I had written 14. Gotta catch up! (and not chili sauce).

(another bad joke)

Night is Darkest Before the Dawn?

Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice might be my most anticipated film of the year. I loved Man of Steel but I always thought the idea of bringing Batman to square off with Superman as one gigantic mistake. Even I disliked the logo they showed during Comic-Con in 2013. But after two and a half years I probably have become accustomed to the idea. The first two trailers were solid and it sold me. I didn't see the one with Doomsday in it though, I actively avoided that one. The cast was pretty okay too I guess. With the exception of wild card Jesse Eisenberg as Lex Luthor. Then again, I have become accustomed to the idea. Probably this would affect the film later on. I would be accustomed to the movie. But not right now.

So Bruce Wayne lost an old guy in the Metropolis battle, he disliked the idea of having Superman praised as a God. While Superman still performs his duties as a hero while also undergoing scrutiny for certain allegations that he killed innocents and he disliked the Batman being a violent night crusader. Then there's also Lex Luthor who found Kryptonite in the World Engine. Then Bat and Super fight. Joined by Wonder Woman. Wondering where's the coherence? That what I was looking for too.

Probably I went in with a really high expectation. I haven't been let down this much since I don't know. I'm disappointed with the film. There's so many potential there. I mean, the plot is not that bad either. It's just, they should be emphasized more, maybe packed differently. I know I could suggest some edits to certain parts. The talented cast was stranded save for Ben Affleck, Henry Cavill, Gal Gadot and Jesse Eisenberg. I would love to see more of Laurence Fishburne, Jeremy Irons, Diane Lane and even Amy Adams, who's just there without doing much. The opening sequence was pretty cool. The fight in the end was also cool. The introduction to Wonder Woman is probably the coolest entrance ever given to a superhero character. I have that Wonder Woman theme song as my ringtone now. And I'll walk away from a flight casually with that song in the background.

There are many cool imageries that are literally on the screen. However, we lost the more subtle imageries like the symbols as seen in Man of Steel and in Nolan's trilogy. This one has become a straightforward comic book flick. This film played a really insider game, this film might not be accessible to kids because the story's too serious and it might not work with the general audience because it's too comic-bookish. I watch DC's animated films but sometimes it gets too comic-bookish and I don't even like it, and I don't like the comic-bookish feel of this film (you'll get what I mean if you see the movie). This film works like The Amazing Spider-Man 2, to world-build and tease for further installments. This one tried and pretty much failed. If you remember TASM2, which for the record I love, there were a lot of characters being introduced. But this film has even more which is already a burden to begin with. This film doesn't know the difference between tease and show. Let's tease the Justice League! I would tease by showing their logos. But this movie's idea of teasing is showing what/who they are. And fuck Cyborg. I hate him. Bring on the Martian Manhunter.

Let's talk about something good. Zack Snyder is still the master of visuals. I like/love all his films and this one might rank lowest for me, and I love Sucker Punch. I'm an easy guy to please. He works best if given the right script and this one isn't right. Sorry, something good. Wonder Woman is awesome. Gal Gadot did a great job. Ben Affleck shut the critics, and how I wished we were introduced to him in a solo film prior to this one. All the cast is good. There are some good moments, but then again they are not explored well. They weren't given the time to sink to the audience. They were there and bam, gone, moving on. The fight scenes were functional at best. Man of Steel had the best, and I'm not exaggerating, best fight scenes in the whole superhero genre. This one had Batman beating up Superman with a sink. Something good, sorry. The opening scene was quite nice. Some scenes was good. Also the ending's pretty good for a messy movie like this. It keeps you curious for the next one. But it's kinda classified for spoilers. Like I said, this movie might work better as soon as I have become accustomed with it. Just like we all have been accustomed to the idea of this movie two years after it was announced. Probably this wasn't even the dawn of justice. I hope this is still the night. Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice (by the way, still a really bad title): rated 2/4. (Frankly I could go lower but I love Batman & Superman so much that I just couldn't do it. Sorry. I couldn't stay objective this time).


Come to think of it, I probably enjoyed Green Lantern more. The last time I was this disappointed in a film was probably Wrath of the Titans. But it's like comparing apples to watermelons. I was disappointed in Transformers 4 but at least I know it's gonna be bad from the get go. It's really my fault, I went in with a very high expectation. Okay so, disclaimer: come with the lowest possible expectation. Think of it just Batman and Superman having a talk at the park.

But for now let me treat you with this gorgeous pic of Wonder Woman. Because even if I watch this movie again, Imma watch it for Diana.

Up next, is the promised 2015's bests.

Las Ketchup

I mean, let's catch up. It's probably these jokes that killed my blog. Anyway, it's been too long since I posted a movie review. I watched quite a lot of movies though. I caught up on Ron Howard's In The Heart of the Sea, which is quite a satisfying watch in my opinion, I was also the last man on Earth to see The Martian, and I watched Room just a couple of days ago. I don't know where to start.

Let's just divide the films I watched during these past few months in a ratings category and then I'll absolve my sins by stating my top picks for 2015 (which is supposed to be controversial because I haven't even seen The Revenant or The Hateful Eight).


Rated 2/4
- The Danish Girl
It's beautiful to look at and acted amazingly by Alicia Vikander. But Eddie Redmayne came off as annoying and the story that was supposed to be meaningful and moving just fell flat. I don't know if Einar is vocal to be a transgender or if he's just a bitch by default, it certainly is the latter in this film. It's harsh, sorry, I know I have to respect the LGBT community, but I'm just being honest. I'm sure the real Einar wasn't like the person portrayed in the movie.

- Crimson Peak
I also would like to love this film more but I just couldn't. The production design is stellar and awesome. The gothic feel of the movie was captured from the set and costumes. The actors are also amazing. But the story was quite frankly boring, uneventful and predictable. I know the ghosts are supposed to be a metaphor but it doesn't mean the movie should be moving as slow as those red ghosts are right? Nevertheless, I still love Guillermo del Toro and would like to see more original ideas like this.

- The Night Before
If you've seen the trailers, then you've seen the movie. This is not an exaggerated take on an overused statement, but it is the truth. This film is a film that does not know what to be. Is it a comedy? A drama? A sci-fi? It has a Hangover feel over the trailers but all we get is a by-the-numbers friendship drama that revolves around Christmas. Some parts felt stretched too long, some parts came out of nowhere. On that last part, something good came out of it: Michael Shannon. Best part of the movie. It struggled too hard to be that classic Christmas movie, but it did not know what to be at the first place.

Rated 2.5/4
- In the Heart of the Sea
I think this film is underrated. It came out the week before Star Wars so it was buried both in the box office and headlines. It is actually a solid film directed by a solid Hollywood director, Ron Howard. The cast is great with Chris Hemsworth at the lead. I'm so happy that Benjamin Walker finally starred in a major film after the amazing Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter. The visual effects was great, and the film itself felt enormous but still, if explored more could be even more epic.

Rated 3/4
- Black Mass
A complete return to form from Johnny Depp. The true White Oscar snub. It is a performance that carried the whole film. Pair him with an underrated actor Joel Edgerton and you've got yourself a winner. Add that with a slew of amazing actors, and you've got yourself a solid film and a tense story acted greatly. My favorite among the supporting actors were Jesse Plemons and Dakota Johnson. Dakota Johnson, who single-handedly made Fifty Shades of Grey worth at least one go earlier this year, had two scenes in this film with Johnny Depp in his full make-up but can still be on the same level, that's just great.

- Brooklyn
It's undeniably a beautiful and good movie. I give a 3 out of 4 mainly if it's compared to the other 7 Best Pic nominees, it's the most bland. it does not mean the movie is bland, it's just a wonder for it to be nominated. It has a sweet screenplay penned by Nick Hornby, a great performance by Saoirse Ronan (in her original accent!), and an all-round beautiful cinematography that captured both the location and the mood of the lead actress. Wait, come to think of it, this is definitely a 3.5/4 film. Brooklyn: rated 3.5/4

Rated 3.5/4
- Bridge of Spies
YES. Another Steven Spielberg film this year. The subject of the story might be a bit boring but the film is beautiful. The look of the movie and the production design are great. Of course we also have the Oscar-winning performance from Mark Rylance, performing in a quiet but effective acting that is pivotal to the film. Tom Hanks also delivered a great performance.  The movie is just satisfying to watch while it definitely does not belong in among the other Spielberg greats.

- Spotlight
This is your typical best picture winner. It's a great movie but I don't believe it deserved the title. It has a tight script that keeps you wanting more and a great ensemble cast led by Michael Keaton and Mark Ruffalo. It's great to know that this film is written and directed by that guy who died on a freak accident in a modern ark to save humanity from doomsday in 2012. What a range. Anyway, Spotlight, while not a really really great film, is still an important film to address important issues of today.

- The Walk
JGL's French accent and constant narration from the top of the Statue of Liberty might be annoying. But once you saw through that, the film is stripped down to the most intense final sequence ever filmed. Ah also, you have too look past the awkward CGI during the first half of the film at least, because definitely all the CGI budget went to the final walk. That last sequence is just amazing it felt surreal. It felt super real. Great stuff.

Rated 4/4
- The Martian
Hands down the best sci-fi of 2015, or at least behind Ex Machina. Matt Damon gave a defining performance in a movie that relied solely on himself. Also with a bunch of talented supporting actors in it, the movie is just amazing. It is an effortless go by master director Ridley Scott who directed this film beautifully. Don't forget the amazing script by Drew Goddard too.

- Carol
Beautiful film. Great script. Beautiful direction. Amazing actors and actresses. Great cinematography. Great costume design. Surely this is among my 2015 greats. I don't even know how to describe more of this film. You know this is a lesbian film right, so you'll watch it anyway.

- Room
For me, this is the best picture of the year. It has a story that can move you, can leave you scarred, or it can leave you happy and inspired. Amazing acting by Brie Larson and Jacob Tremblay. Effective and outstanding direction from Frank director Lenny Abrahamson. The script is written by the woman who wrote the book herself too. Amazing film. A must-watch. Definitely. I'd rather watch this 10 times then see anything else.

You know that year recap might have to wait. I'm sleepy.

I'm Probably White (Oscars Predictions! and Winners!)

That's a clickbait title. I'm not. It's just my annual Academy Awards prediction for this year. It's a joke okay? OscarsSoWhite, so if I'm watching it and actually excited about it, I'm probably white? Get it? Anyway, I have accomplished to watch six out of eight films this year, leaving probably the frontrunners The Revenant and The Big Short. I like this year's nominations, with The Martian and Mad Max: Fury Road, the barrier between mainstream and art films are blurred. It's great. Let's just get on with the predictions shall we? I'm trying something new here. Official predictions are made based on how the film fared at other awards and also the film itself. Personal predictions are made solely by how I think about the film. This post will be updated by winners later. [updated with winners Feb 29, with scores! (my personal predictions are worth 0.5 *wink)]

Best Picture
Favors go for another Inarritu this year with The Revenant, but apart from the awards season and Leonardo DiCaprio, the film didn't create much buzz. This year's race is pretty much open. The possible top three for winners are The Revenant, The Big Short and Spotlight. It won't be surprising if suddenly Mad Max or Room came out on top though. Especially Room, it hasn't created much buzz mostly because it remains underseen. Without Carol in the mix, Room is the best out of the bunch by a long shot (that's a bold statement but I stand by it).
Official prediction: Spotlight
Personal prediction: Room
Winner: Spotlight (1/1)

Best Actor in a Leading Role
All signs lead to Leo. Obviously. But instead let's mentioned the snubbed actors who deserved this nom more than I don't know, say, Bryan Cranston as (who?) Trumbo: Johnny Depp for Black Mass, Michael B. Jordan for Creed and Jacob Tremblay for Room. I haven't seen Concussion so don't get mad at me Jada Pinkett-Smith.
Official prediction: Leonardo DiCaprio, The Revenant
Personal prediction: Leonardo DiCaprio, The Revenant
Winner: Leonardo DiCaprio, The Revenant (2/2)

Best Actress in a Leading Role
Brie Larson! YES. It's great to see Jennifer Lawrence nominated once again, but yes for Brie Larson. She's in it to win it. At this point, you'll realize how I'm obsessed with Room.
Official prediction: Brie Larson, Room
Personal prediction: Brie Larson, Room
Winner: Brie Larson, Room (3/3)

Best Actor in a Supporting Role
I'd love to see Idris Elba in this category for his role in Beasts of No Nation. I really do. But let's talk facts. Based on nods and performance, I would give the statue to Mark Rylance in Bridge of Spies. He's been consistent in every awards show. Then again Mark Ruffalo's performance in Spotlight was also spotlight-stealing. Supporting actors and actresses are always the hardest to pick. Then again, the Academy might go for Sylvester Stallone.
Official prediction: Sylvester Stallone, Creed
Personal prediction: Mark Ruffalo, Spotlight
Winner: Mark Rylance, Bridge of Spies (3/4)
Note: I was heavily hoping that The Academy relied on nostalgia rather than sheer brilliance, they did that a lot. But I was wrong.

Best Actress in a Supporting Role
I would give the Oscar straightaway to Alicia Vikander if it's for Ex Machina. But then again, I would gladly give any award to Alicia. The Danish Girl is an empty film, especially after you watch it last in a marathon of great films starting from Room, Brooklyn, and Carol. The film works for the performances of the actors. Nevertheless, I could see Rooney Mara stealing the trophy from her.
Official prediction: Alicia Vikander, The Danish Girl
Personal prediction: Rooney Mara, Carol
Winner: Alicia Vikander, The Danish Girl (4/5)


Best Director
This category has too much snub. I'd pick Todd Haynes, Steven Spielberg, Ridley Scott, Cary Fukunaga and more to be nominated here. Despite Inarritu's DGA win, I only see two men who deserves this the most: George Miller for Mad Max: Fury Road or Lenny Abrahamson for Room. I haven't seen The Revenant so I couldn't actually say anything.
Official prediction: Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu, The Revenant
Personal prediction: George Miller, Mad Max: Fury Road
Winner: Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu, The Revenant (5/6)

Best Original Screenplay
Despite it being 'original', most of the screenplays here are based on real stories, so they have their work half done at least. I'd say the most deserving here is either Inside Out or Ex Machina because they are truly original. Nevertheless, this one's Spotlight to win.
Official prediction: Spotlight
Personal prediction: Ex Machina
Winner: Spotlight (6/7)

Best Adapted Screenplay
Out of the nominees, I only haven't seen The Big Short, which is probably the one most likely to win. If it's a fair game, I have my money on The Martian. Oh scratch that, Room should win.
Official prediction: The Big Short
Personal prediction: The Martian (or Room)
Winner: The Big Short (7/8)

Best Animated Feature
Bing Bong.
Official prediction: Inside Out
Personal prediction: Inside Out
Winner: Inside Out (8/9)

Best Cinematography
The heavyweights are here. I don't know who to pick. I really don't. All are great-looking films. I don't know if Chivo should win. He got two already. How about give it to a man who came out of retirement to do a magnificent work?
Official prediction: John Seale, Mad Max: Fury Road
Personal prediction: Edward Lachman, Carol
Winner: Emmanuel Lubezki, The Revenant (8/10)
Note: I know he's going to win, but I was hoping for a shocking Mad Max upset.

Best Production Design
The Martian boasts a great production itself so that should win, right?
Official prediction: The Martian
Personal prediction: Mad Max: Fury Road
Winner: Mad Max: Fury Road (8.5/11)

Best Costume Design
Sandy Powell is a double nominee this year. It's her vs her and Carol is the most beautiful film I've seen of 2015.
Official prediction: Carol
Personal prediction: Carol
Winner: Mad Max: Fury Road (8.5/12)

Best Make-Up
Why isn't Black Mass here? Why?
Official prediction: Mad Max: Fury Road
Personal prediction: Mad Max: Fury Road
Winner: Mad Max: Fury Road (9.5/13)

Best Editing
Those frenetic sequences in Mad Max must be fucking hard to edit.
Official prediction: Mad Max: Fury Road
Personal prediction: Mad Max: Fury Road
Winner: Mad Max: Fury Road (10.5/14)

Best Original Score
Quentin's smug acceptance speech in the Globes must have boosted Ennio Morricone's chance of winning a bit in an already (what I've heard) a standout score. I wouldn't be surprised to see Carter Burwell snag that gold though
Official prediction: Ennio Morricone, The Hateful Eight
Personal prediction: Carter Burwell, Carol
Winner: Ennio Morricone, The Hateful Eight (11.5/15)

Best Song
This year's nominees are pretty shit. I'd be happy to see anyone win but Fifty Shades of Grey
Official prediction: Writing's On The Wall, Spectre
Winner: Writing's On The Wall, Spectre (12.5/16)

Best Visual Effects
If The Revenant wins we'll riot. It's just a BEAR. But given The Academy, I won't be surprised to see The Revenant wins. But I'm not picking that film.
Official prediction: The Martian
Personal prediction: Ex Machina
Winner: Ex Machina (13/17)

Pretty good on me to have that quite accurate predictions. The only I didn't see coming is the Best Costume Design. My money's all the way for Carol. Anyway, for the first time in five years, I didn't watch the Oscars live, instead I was going to my part-time job. Is that a sign of maturity? I will watch it soon but for now I have to leave it here. Will update this as soon as I finish watching.

It was an entertaining telecast. But honestly I have enough of the OscarsSoWhite protest. Chris Rock's monologue, while on point on that matter, lacked nods or jokes about the nominees themselves. Then came that random girl. Or the shockingly bad intro for Room by Sacha Baron Cohen. The Black History Minute was funny though. The black people inclusion mashup of this year's films was also funny. The cookie thing? Not so much.

Recap
Mad Max: Fury Road 6 wins
The Revenant 3 wins
Spotlight 2 wins
Room, The Big Short, Ex Machina, Bridge of Spies, The Danish Girl, Spectre, Inside Out, The Hateful Eight 1 win
Carol 0 *gasps in surprise