Train of Thoughts Vol 2

I'm back on this lazy feature on my blog. Basically if I were too lazy to write a long treatment of something I'd turn to this. Now you know.

On Zootopia,

Finally I watched this film! The trailers and concept were nothing new for me and it didn't sell to me unless I'm still 4. But with all the great buzz surrounding this film, I became intrigued. I believe it was an okay animated feature in general but its message is exceptional. The movie said so much about society that it challenges you to imagine the parallels with our real life. But then, the movie builds its own world nicely that it became impossible to compare it to our daily life, which is even better so we could refrain from calling some group a fox, or a predator (which is totally bad in real life haha). I liked the social problems and complications presented in this movie and it could create conversation for the kids but also rethinking for the adults. A great treat. And let me share the best line in this film. I couldn't stop laughing thanks to this line. "He's the opposite of friendly. He's unfriendly." HAHAHAHAHAHA Zootopia: rated 3.5/4

On Gods of Egypt,

I have a certain soft spot for a bad-looking, good-fun movie, like this AMAZING (sarcasm) film titled Gods of Egypt which to use stupid YouTube comment summary is Jaime Lannister v King Leonidas: Dawn of Pyramids, with special appearances by Elektra and Black Panther. Anyway, I believed it was going to be worse than Clash and Wrath of the Titans. This movie is pretty similar looking to those two. I enjoyed Clash though, if it were on TV I would sit through it. But what surprised me is that Gods of Egypt might have a better story than Clash. Not the same action excitement, but still a better story. It has character development, many supporting characters (that are essential), pretty cool Egypt-legend bending (still racist though). Yes, it is laughable for the first 30 minutes but if you got over the silly God-transformers or the awkward size of Egyptian Gods, you'd be fine. It's a pretty decent adventure film but the ending is disappointingly Hollywood. I thought with all those silliness they would have the guts to do something different. Gods of Egypt: rated 2.5/4

On Pride & Prejudice & Zombies,
This is one of my most anticipated films of 2016. I'm not ashamed. I was a huge fan of Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter, that movie was the bomb. I was hoping this movie would be on the same level. I only have some words though. Lily James and the sisters fighting zombie in period costumes. YASSS. The Bennets were warrior daughters. YAASS. Mr Darcy is a Batman-wannabe. meh. I liked the fight scenes but as a whole not so much. PPZ: rated 2/4.

On Zoolander No. 2,

Are you disappointed to hear that I liked Zoolander 2? It's less about the silliness of male modeling, but with all the cameos in the film, I'm sold. (spoiler alert) I was disappointed that Milla Jovovich wasn't in the trailers but when she showed up I was internally screaming with joy (I saw this during a flight). The third act was filled with pure awesome silly crazy stuff. There's a bunch of fashion designer cameos and Anna Wintour being mocked by Will Ferrell's Mugatu, which is the best thing ever. Nothing makes sense in this movie which is totally fine. What do you expect from a male model who has the power of telekinesis with the look of his face? Probably the only movie where the power of cameos could make the movie better by a very large margin. Zoolander 2: rated 2.5/4

On Daddy's Home,
Two words. Linda Cardellini!
(movie is 2/4. It's fun and harmless but not very funny). But yes, Linda Cardellini!.

On Hamilton: An American Musical

I'm currently addicted to the songs from this smash hit musical. It's the first time that I listened to songs from a musical without watching it first. I have no regrets this time. My picks: Alexander Hamilton, My Shot, Schuyler Sisters, Satisfied, Guns and Ships, Non-Stop, Wait For It, Say No to This. Planning something related to Hamilton, I hope it will come true.

Masterclass

I've been given the great opportunity to visit back my country for two weeks. I didn't hesitate to make use of my limited time there to watch movies that haven't been screened in Japan. (I know, you thought I was gonna join some volunteer activity to help starving children). So, I watched Jon Favreau's amazing The Jungle Book, Jeff Nichol's sci-fi Midnight Special, and the new X-Men installment, which I already reviewed below. I also watched two Indonesian movies to redeem me not doing anything on my thesis which, surprise surprise, is about Indonesian movies. I was going to watch Jeremy Saulnier's buzzy thriller Green Room but I didn't find the time (or someone to go with). That movie was released at the same time with Apocalypse so it didn't get a fair screen time, and also it had to compete with three local movies, one of them was pretty high profile.

The Jungle Book

I only remember images from the animated version. I had a laser disc version back home and of course it hasn't been used since 2001. But of course we remember the hit songs like 'Bare Necessities' and the timeless characters like Baloo, Bagheera and Shere Khan (actually I'm only familiar with those three and Mowgli of course). So, Jon Favreau is given the chance to direct a live action adaptation which serves basically as something Disney must do so that they're not presumed to bloodsuck other properties for a living (jk). The voice cast is exceptional, listed by me according to awesomeness, Lupita N'yongo (we can agree an Oscar winner deserved to be seen, not only heard), Ben Kingsley, Giancarlo Esposito (LOS POLLOS), Christopher Walken (IN A VERY AMAZING ROLE), Bill Murray (YESSS) and Idris Elba (YAAAASSSS). Let me get myself together for a moment.

I don't actually remember the story in the animated version. I only remember it as like a child-Tarzan singing with animals, so I'm the worst person to compare. But I'm gonna call it that this film has a satisfying story that is marvelous, heartbreaking, and full of great messages. But the real star here is the invisible CGI. Move over Avatar. I'm actually scared to rewatch Avatar only to make myself disappointed because the CG doesn't hold up. If this doesn't win an Oscar next year I'm going to be very pissed. This movie could basically pass as an animated movie for all I know. My favorite sequences would be the first time Shere Khan arrives and the songs. Neel Sethi as the sole human performer could also carry the movie as Mowgli with so many character traits. I would recommend this movie to anyone who respects a film and filmmaking process. Andy Serkis must be panicking right now. The Jungle Book: rated 4/4


Midnight Special

I might be the only one but I liked Take Shelter more than Mud, and both are great films. Writer director Jeff Nichols followed up those two exemplary movies with Midnight Special, a star-studded backed-by-studio indie sci-fi film. Starring his man Michael Shannon with Joel Edgerton, Adam Driver and Kirsten Dunst. It's so refreshing to see a sci-fi made in a very intimate way and not in the way that it's going to destroy the whole world. The film was probably less about sci-fi and spectacle rather than its touching father-son relationship drama. The film was shrouded in mystery which makes it even better to watch as you see it all unfurl before you. I also like how the film puts us right into the moment without having any downtime at all. It's all fluid and despite being backed by Warner Brothers, it never felt like a studio film. It felt like a small sci-fi and that is the beauty of the film. The film's score was also amazing I was surprised it wasn't scored by a big name composer.

While many might argue on the film's final twist, (spoiler will follow) I thought the film was never about the sci-fi elements but more about the human aspects of it. The father-son, familial relationship, the friendship and even a man's discovery of something that awed him. (spoiler here) The third act twist felt like a sequel to Disney's inspiring yet flopping Tomorrowland last year with George Clooney. It's not a 'holy shit awesome' twist but a touching one. I don't know how to explain it. The film built up to it nicely and even if you're disappointed about it you wouldn't rant about it because it never was that important to the whole movie. I would like to know more why Michael Shannon didn't say anything to his son before parting. I would like to know how Adam Driver's character and the rest of the world who saw the world above our world react. It's a thought-provoking film and a great sci-fi. The title alone is amazing. It almost had nothing to do with the film. I cannot wait to see it again. Midnight Special: rated 4/4

Apocalypse No

I've always thought the X-Men series being separate from the MCU as a blessing. They've created their own universe without giving in too much on the influence of MCU (you know unlike DC who's hell bent on catching up with MCU). They've amassed a great cast and even hit restart with flying colors, which might be something Marvel could struggle to do once their RDJ and the Chrises decide to quit the franchise. So after the mega-success that was Days of Future Past, the X-Men followed up their adventures with an introduction to an alleged mega villain En Sabah Nur (I dont read the comics bro cut me some slack). Reboot faces return with even newer faces with my loves Sophie Turner aka Sansa Stark and Olivia Munn aka Sloan Sabbith (why are their characters' initals SS?). Directed once again by Bryan Singer, who's just actually collecting paycheck nowadays. I mean he's the guy who made The Usual Suspects for crying out loud.

So, like thousands of years ago, a great mutant lived and died because some normal people betrayed him. And then fast-forward to 1983, through an unfortunate incident that mutant is resurrected and start to bring hell to Earth. He recruited help in the form of Four Horsemen which is Magneto, Psylocke, Storm and Angel. So naturally the X-Men should be the group to stop this new emerging villain.

So my first impression of this movie is disappointed. I've been disappointed lately by superhero movies. It's just probably the fatigue kicking in. On BvS I was massively disappointed. On Civil War I was mildly disappointed. And on Apocalypse I was averagely disappointed for the averageness this movie was compared to even X-Men: The Last Stand. Harsh I know. At least The Last Stand has Magneto played by the great Ian McKellen sans makeup as the main villain. Here? It's not even Oscar Isaac. Oscar Isaac played a better villain in Sucker Punch than this movie, not his fault really. Firstly, I don't feel the menace from the villain. Probably due to the fact he's a power blind old guy and he's blue and I don't know what his powers are. His plans are stupid. And he's stupid. I like how he just gives the Horseman position to any mutant he meets. "First mutant I see is Storm and so you'll be my Horsewoman." I would also like to point out that his powers includes costume designing and the fact that he's also a 50000 year old perv who dresses Psylocke in latex while he gives face tattoos to Angel. He's not relatable enough. We're in an age where our Star Wars villain is basically a teen with dad problems and there even was a robot whose plans were to destroy the world but still spits out mean one liners and jokes. Apocalypse/En Sabah Nur is weirdly one-dimensional. Also by making Magneto his aide, the movie robs us of the electric bromance between Erik and Charles which is the constantly enjoyable aspect of the series. The movie also doesn't justify why do we need this 1980s setting, again, thanks to En Sabah Nur (I'm not calling him Apocalypse because he doesn't deserve the title). First Class was set in the 60s because of the Cuban Missile Crisis, DoFP was set in the 70s because of Vietnam War, and here? I don't know. The only reason would be to justify the jab on both Disney and Brett Ratner by including Return of the Jedi, a.k.a. the third one that always turns out bad. (Too bad Simon Kinberg, Apocalypse is the third in the prequel series and you fucking wrote The Last Stand).

The cast did their best. With the exception of my bae Jennifer Lawrence who seemed super disinterested and just here to hangout with the other cast members. The thing is the cast did their best but their characters doesn't get the chance to shine which is something Kinberg should learn from MCU. The story is pretty predictable too. And it doesn't connect with the logic. I mean, after 20 years being an-all powerful mutant, Magneto still wants to destroy the world because he was swayed by ESN? The action sequences felt hollow. Much like the maligned version of Fantastic Four's destruction sequence, it doesn't connect with the audience. It aimed bigger but fell short. Even G.I. Joe Retaliation had a better nuclear launching sequence and I hated that movie more than anything. The fight sequences was somehow poorly directed compared to DoFP. The big fight between Psylocke and Beast was even shakier and more unfocused than the first time Paul Greengrass held a camera. I mean, don't we all want to see Olivia Munn kicking ass clearly on the big screen? I was gonna buy an IMAX ticket just for that you know? To my defense, if you think I'm a perv, you've got to see ESN. But I like the final boss fight between Charles & ESN + a new character (wink). It's so beautifully done that it possibly could redeem the dullness of everything. OH the new Quicksilver sequence is also fun, it's bigger and more ambitious than the standout sequence in DoFP! Finally some positive points. Now back to the negativity, the last complaint probably is MCU and Deadpool's fault but the whole movie seemed overly serious and took itself too seriously. Sure we can do a little zinger at Charles' bald head? I mean he literally lost a whole lot of hair in 2 seconds. Also blame it on Oscar Isaac because everytime ESN hesitates to speak all I can think of is someone saying 'so who talks first? you talk first?'. I can find other examples but I need to stop. I just wished this movie is relevant to the series. But it wasn't. For me, it ranked lower than X-Men: The Last Stand in terms of story, relevance and philosophy/the whole mutant-human connection stuff. But as a whole movie of course this is better. And for god's sake apply more make up on James McAvoy and Michael Fassbender, it's been 20 years since First Class but they seemed to only age 8 years. X-Men: Apocalypse: rated 2/4.


PS. Is it only me but is Sophie Turner less attractive with an American accent?
Oh but I forgot to tell you that she's super gorgeous throughout the movie that I want to take pictures of her. Anyway, back to the North!

PS. part two
Place your bets! Would I be disappointed by Suicide Squad? or Doctor Strange? It's 3 out of 3 so far in terms of disappointment. (edit: I forgot Deadpool, but seeing it as an unconventional superhero film, we can leave it out of the discussion. Note: I liked that movie I thought it was a 3/4 for me)

Bonus guysss, thanks to ESN's costume designing skills

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.