Summer Recap 2017

Summer 2017 has been dubbed the worst in years. And I think I agree. I haven't seen a lot of bad movies as much like this year. Last year I skipped this summer recap. (Quick last year recap: Top 3 2016: Popstar, Civil War, umm that's it?; Worst 2016: Independence Day Resurgence; Most Disappointing: Suicide Squad & Jason Bourne)

But now I'm back! After went missing for two months in July and August. I saw a lot of films though. But I didn't see The Emoji Movie (high-five!). But also I didn't see The Dark Tower or Cars 3.


Top 3 Films
1. Baby Driver
Coolest film this summer. Featuring a great ensemble led by Ansel Elgort and featuring the coolest soundtrack, Edgar Wright is now 5 for 5. By now, I'd dare him to make a bad movie and I'd pay him up before his new film comes out. The action scenes are super energetic almost unlike other action films you've ever seen. If you come out of the theatres not humming one of the 30+ songs featured, then you must be deaf and tasteless.





2. King Arthur: Legend of the Sword


Controversial choice, yes. I might be the only one putting this film above Dunkirk. The deciding moment for King Arthur is in the first 2 minutes: if you're okay with this version having a giant elephant and more magic stuff than ever, then you're in for a treat. Legend of the Sword is destined to be a cult classic for its action, amazing soundtrack, and quick storytelling (honestly, it skipped shit parts making it so much better). It's a shame people are too dull that this film made less than The Mummy.




3. Dunkirk
It's a Chris Nolan film. This film, as he said, to be experienced. It is. And you have to see it in IMAX to get the full experience. But then there's some weird editing that prevents this film from being my number one this summer. Also, when compared to Joe Wright's five minute sequence of Dunkirk, this film feels a tad dull. (This is a lot of criticism for a film in number 3). 






Honorable mentions
 - War For The Planet Of The Apes, best franchise not featuring humans in leading roles. Also, the soundtrack from Michael Giacchino here is an Oscar contender.
  - Spider-Man: Homecoming, for successfully handling the third iteration of the human spider in a decade in such grace, with a decent villain too.
 - Wonder Woman, for showing that DC could do something right and pioneering female-led superhero film.

Most Surprising Film
Dunkirk
Surprising for not being the best film this summer. But also not a really bad film. It's a different type of film. A film where Tom Hardy acts with his left eye. A film where Cillian Murphy is not explained well. A film with a very intense soundtrack. A film with three different timeframe and place. A film that is super loud. A film that fills complete but also empty at the same time. It's a weirdly good film. It's surprisingly very short. And after Nolan's talky space masterpiece Interstellar, Dunkirk is a weird follow-up.

Honorable mention
- King Arthur: Legend of the Sword, for being more enjoyable than it should've (for me).


Most Disappointing Film
Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales
I'm a big fan of the original trilogy. No one would proudly declare that. But I would. But On Stranger Tides was a massive dud. This one tried better, but failed as well. They managed to make Captain Jack a total buffoon and drunkard. They deleted Will Turner's backstory in favor of a very bland Henry Turner's rescue mission. For a franchise that has ran for 14 years, it is critical to have at least the characters right. On Stranger Tides still has Jack, Barbossa and Gibbs right. This one, not really--only Barbossa was right in this film. It's a shame. They nailed the coffin this time for sure.

Dishonorable mentions

- Alien Covenant, honestly what is going on with this franchise.

Worst Films

1. The Mummy
Worst film ever. Nothing is good, except the production design. At least Tom Cruise got his zero-G plane. He's the only winner here.

2. Transformers: The Last Knight
Also a massive dud. It bad for even the worse things like aspect ratio. There are 8 aspect ratio changes in the film, constantly changing. It's filled with total nonsense. But also surprising stuff that made you stay until the end, just shrugging away every scene. Like Anthony Hopkins or a robo-butler that is voiced by the butler from Downton Abbey. Honestly this film is the epitome of "what the fuck is happening." This film's title should be a curse word, everytime you shout "what the fuck is happening" you should just scream "transformers the last knight!"

Nolan's Gravity

Dunkirk is Christopher Nolan's passion project. Same like Gravity is Alfonso Cuaron's passion project. Both are outstanding technical achievements. Both are short in their runtime. So basically Nolan just made a film worthy to envy Gravity's achievements, which is a weird compliment because Alfonso Cuaron and Christopher Nolan are two different directors. But yes, both are different films. Dunkirk, based on a true story unfamiliar to people outside the UK (or the Commonwealth at least), stars newcomers Fionn Whitehead & Harry Styles, backed up by greats Tommy-fucking-Shelby Cillian Murphy, Mark Rylance and Tom Hardy.

The film plot is the evacuation of 400,000 soldiers from the city of Dunkerque in France, after the Allies + Brits gets pushed back by Germans. The story is told from three settings, land, air and sea. This story device/structure makes the film unique than other war films or other films in general. And it's very Nolan-y with his signature unconventional timeline. The film is technically superior. The sound design is over-the-top in a good way that it's perfect. I saw it in IMAX last week and it's amazing. The score by Hans Zimmer is very Zimmer-y but this film don't actually need a musical motif and Zimmer delivered a music that plays like a main cast member in the film. It is intense and you should blast the song when you're doing a project the night before deadline.

The actors in the film don't have much to do, because the film, like Gravity, is not an actor's film. But more than Gravity, the actors have more to do. Mark Rylance and Cillian Murphy are unquestionable greats and Tom Hardy spends most of the film acting with his left eye only. Damn. But the real test in this film is Harry Styles, which is like the equivalent of when you hear Rosie Huntington-Whiteley got cast in Fury Road. Like Rosie Huntington, Harry Styles did a good performance in this film. He even gets more lines than the Fionn Whitehead, who's in the poster. My only criticism in this film is sometimes the editing takes you out of the film. It could be Nolan's fault too and not only the editor. There are at least three moments that could have better editing. Two of them need more scenes to stitch the existing scenes and the other needs to be deleted. It's a small thing but it could annoy you. It's a tricky film to edit anyway with its complicated structure. But the film is still great. Just like Nolan claimed, the film needs to be experienced in the biggest theatre available with the loudest sound system available. And for that I wholeheartedly agree. Dunkirk: 3.5/4.


PS. Like Inception, Christopher Nolan can be unimaginative to preserve the realism (it's dreamscapes!). Go to the amazing tracking shot in Atonement to see Joe Wright's stellar depiction of the evacuation of Dunkirk.

Peter Parker's Day On

Look at that stupid title for my post. If you missed the reference, it's obviously Ferris Bueller's Day Off, this is actually similar to some of the unsubtle references in Spider-Man: Homecoming to John Hughes' era films. But the film is typical Marvel-entertainment, but mixed with actual entertainment. Confusing? Example, Doctor Strange is typical Marvel entertainment: It's pretty good but you feel like you've seen something similar within the MCU films. Homecoming is directed by Cop Car helmer Jon Watts (weird choice on paper) and starring Tom Holland and RDJ, but still produced and distributed by Sony instead of Disney. This is the best studio teamwork that makes you wonder why don't they just do this for all Marvel properties.

Fresh off the events in Civil War, Peter Parker goes back to New York, waiting to be called to action again by The Avengers. But honestly, who would endanger a high school kid by recruiting him to fight bedazzled intergalactic gods? So Peter Parker is left fighting his own battles, mostly high school "battles" and helping people solve petty crimes. Until he stumbled on Adrian Toomes who is scavenging alien material from superhero battles.

Spider-Man: Homecoming is basically Spider-Man 2. Uncle Ben is now Tony Stark and Doc Ock is Vulture. It's a subtle 'with great power comes great responsibility' premise that is true to the Spider-Man lore. The film is also filled with a great energy, led by Tom Holland. It has a good Marvel villain in recent memory but I still can't help to think that Michael Keaton is paid a lot of money to be in a superhero film unrelated to his Caped Crusader films. He delivers a great performance though. There is this one sequence which just stands out in the film between him and Tom Holland. Also the other supporting cast is super great, especially if you watch a lot of series, from Donald Glover of Atlanta or Community (or just Donald Glover because you should know him by now) to Bokeem Woodbine of Fargo to Nacho of Better Call Saul (sadly underused here though) to Mendoza of Orange is the New Black; seriously, the list goes on. But yes, there are some underused great actors here: Hannibal Burress, Abraham Attah from Beasts of No Nation, and Donald Glover to name a few.

The film has a cool action sequence, seen in the trailers in Washington monument. It's definitely helped by Michael Giacchino's standout score. Seriously, the chills you get from his updated take on the Spider-Man theme is amazing. What I like the most from the whole film is that you don't see Iron Man that much in the film. From the trailers, it seemed like we're going to have a buddy Spider-Man/Iron Man film and even though that would be cool, it would suck for a Spider-Man film. The only thing I dislike the most is how they treated Zendaya's character. She absolutely adds nothing to the story. And honestly, why can't we just get Tobey Maguire to do an old retired Spider-Man called back to action? (Okay this is unpopular opinion). Nevertheless, it's a good "home-coming" for Spider-Man to the Marvel Cinematic Universe. It's certainly better than what we would expect from a second reboot in 5 years. Spider-Man: Homecoming: rated 3.5/4

Clunky Metals

What was I expecting anyway? After Shia LaBeouf left, the Transformers franchise has hit self-destruct by continuing in the same timeline/universe as the original trilogy instead of hitting a hard reset. What follow are some of the worst and laziest blockbusters ever made. Age of Extinction is 3 hours full of pointless dialogue, unexciting action and obvious product placements. This new one is the same. Yes, this opinion comes from someone who enjoys Revenge of the Fallen and Gods of Egypt. I have low standards, and if a film can't clear my low standards, you know what that means.

Transformers: The Last Knight is so bad Michael Bay seems like he's just there to cash his paycheck. Gone are the Bayhem thrills and spectacle, it's just filled with nothing. There's a Suicide Squad-wannabe sequence that feels studio-commissioned because, honestly, even Michael Bay wouldn't sign off on that. The story is stupid, except for the King Arthur parts which are pretty cool (note that Michael Bay was once in the running to direct the Clive Owen version and head writer Akiva Goldsman is one of the EPs of the Charlie Hunnam version, it's super possible that they just lift the elements from those films). The grand villain is even stupider. All in all, there's too much human stuff going on, and we go to these movies to see metal hit metal and shockingly, there's not enough robot action within all the explosions going on. I mean, they have a writer's room filled with superstars for this film!

The fact that they are able to make one of the coolest CGI character stupid is another thing entirely. Optimus Prime is super underused here, Bumblebee too, in fact all the robots are underused. And how they are able to get big names to voice these robots is beyond me: I mean, John Goodman! Ken Watanabe! Omar Sy! Mr. Carson from Downton Abbey!! That is not as shocking as Anthony Hopkins starring in this film. The only explanation I can think of is that he wants a more hands-on experience on robots after dealing with the hosts in Westworld. But I like Laura Haddock, and her career might fail after starring in this wreck of a film, I hope not. Also props to Stanley Tucci (as Merlin for no reason). Let's talk about the distracting aspect ratio in this film. The film constantly changes aspect ratio and it's annoying. I'm not even watching this in IMAX so why am I seeing those 10 aspect ratios throughout the film?? Overall, the film is super bland, but it can keep you entertained if you decide everything that's going on in the film is normal. It's bad, but it won't annoy you that much. But I promise, I won't see another Transformers film after this in cinemas. Please report my blog to the police if I decide to see another one. Transformers: The Last Knight: rated 1.5/4.

PS. There's a lot of bad movies this year. Why...
Most of them are franchise films (Pirates, Mummy, Kong Skull Island..), so I hope Hollywood understands that if you think with your wallet, you'll get shit. (Except for King Arthur: Legend of the Sword, which you should continue).

Really, Where's Your Sense of Adventure?

"Where's your sense of adventure?"
Tom Cruise's character in The Mummy asks Jake Johnson that question twice, bookending the film. And honestly Universal, where is your sense of adventure? I'm going to keep this short and ugly. If you read my blog, you know my worst film of 2017 is Kong: Skull Island, but this one is a contender for that title. Honestly, Kong is bad because of my expectations, maybe it's not that bad, but I was super disappointed. But The Mummy is really bad. It wasted a great production, a talented cast, and possibly, hopes for a new franchise. Tom Cruise's Nick Morton is a treasure hunter(not sure, if he is, a bad one at it). He found an Egyptian tomb in Iraq with an archaeologist, Jenny and his sidekick, Vail. He was then cursed to be the vessel for Set, Egyptian God of Death and the Mummy who goes by the name of Ahmanet is unleashed to the world.

I didn't have any expectations for this film. I was simply going in for Tom Cruise, whose decision to star in this film is super peculiar and out of character. It's not his typical film and one can only guess how much he's paid to be covered in CGI rats in this film (yes, that's an actual scene). The Mummy's only redeeming value is the production design. Much of it is actual set and that's something to celebrate. But that's it. Story is bad as fuck. Direction by Alex Kurtzman seems non-existent. This film doesn't deserve the actors' dedication. Sofia Boutella is so underused in this film. And any film that wasted Emmy winner Courtney B. Vance is a criminal. At least we know how they got Tom Cruise to star in this film, by offering him extreme stunts, which, to some people, turned this film into a Mission: Impossible-wanna be monster picture. And maybe they pitch him a bumbling idiot character that he never plays I don't know. I usually love Jake Johnson, Nick from New Girl and he screams Nick a lot in this film which is weird, but in this film he's super annoying. And let's take our hats off in mourning for Annabelle Wallis who is receiving the 2017 Taylor Kitsch Bomb Award for starring in this failure and box office failure King Arthur. Oh, another thing the producers done right is actually hiring Tom Cruise because the film is actually making a buttload of money it shouldn't have made.

The film does not know what it wants to be. Either it is a zombie horror film or a horror film or a comedy-adventure film, instead it settles on being the most bland film I've seen in a long time. Some of the scenes comes off as unintentionally funny. But the actual jokes they do in this film is beyond cringy. What these writers should know is that they can't do Marvel-type jokes without affirming the characters' personalities, and the characters in this film shouldn't make jokes. Also, without backstory they shouldn't do Jekyll and Hyde in this film which to a lot of audience who's not familiar with the literature comes off as the ultimate what-the-fuck moment in this film. Even I know about Jekyll and Hyde but it's still weird. Tom Cruise and Russell Crowe should have a better movie to camp it up ala Liam Neeson and Ralph Fiennes in Clash of the Titans. The biggest crime though, is that for a movie titled The Mummy there's not enough Mummy terror in this film. Instead they decide to bound their titular character in chains to deliver expositions and set up this crap Dark Universe, and with this film, the future for Dark Universe is dark indeed. I hope they just don't continue this doomed universe because they just don't have that sense of adventure. They just have the sense of grabbing cash from the audience without making a compelling film. The Mummy: rated 1/4.

The (Wo)Man Who Can

At long last, the execs of Warner Bros. can breathe now that they have a winner in their DCEU roster. Wonder Woman opened to widespread critical acclaim and box office hit. I myself have seen it twice. Directed by Patty Jenkins and starring Gal Gadot and Chris Pine, Wonder Woman has not only become DCEU's best reviewed film to date but also a movement. Her arrival has marked a barrier being broken for women filmmakers, diverse cast and feminist themes. It is a big burden to bear for one film, but it delivered. The film is a standalone film for Diana Prince, as we see her grow eventually into Wonder Woman. She is exposed to the exteriors of Themiscyra after she rescued Steve Trevor. She then journeys to the modern world of 1918 into the great war as she discovers her own powers and abilities.

Wonder Woman is an unusually bright DC film but to a good one at it. It's not as bright as Marvel offerings but not as bleak as past DCEU films. Gal Gadot takes charge and a great lead for the film. Usually she's only a supporting cast, even a minor one like in Date Night or Knight and Day. She's amazing as Diana Prince, excelling at the nuances of the character and also at fighting sequences. Chris Pine is also great and has a great chemistry with Gal Gadot. It has been a long time since we've seen a compelling romance in a superhero film. The last I remember is Captain America: The First Avenger, strangely both films are set at war times. As for the Amazonians, the island is filled with great women. My favorite is Claire--I mean, Robin Wright, who's super cool in this film as Antiope. Not to be outdone, Connie Nielsen as Queen Hippolyta is also great. The full credit here goes to Patty Jenkins who has assembled this fine film. Her thing for slow-mo in the fight sequences are different than Zack Snyder's, sometimes it's a bit too much but it's still cool. Honestly, I don't think there is going to be a better scene this year to top the No Man's Land scene.

I also like the fact that Rupert Gregson-Williams does the score for this film. He contributed for the melodic parts of the film, wisely blasting Hans Zimmer's theme only three times in this film. Other unconfident composers would abuse that amazing theme to the point of hilarity. Unfortunately, the film is also without flaws. Firstly, some of the CGI is not finessed well. In some scenes it's pretty obvious and that takes us away from the film. Then we have the problem of all DC superheroes: they're too strong, they're like gods, which needs an equally god-like villain. And the antagonist here is pretty over-the-top, even at one part it reminds me of the King Arthur: Legend of the Sword's third act (which is the worst part in the entertaining film). But to counter that, Wonder Woman almost neutralizes it with a surprising amount of heart. The third act works as it tests Wonder Woman's ideals, it is a test that Superman failed in Man of Steel. And it's weird when you think that. In summation, Wonder Woman is great fun, and you can look pass the flaws once you see the action sequences, and of course, the flawless aesthetics of Gal Gadot in any scene. Wonder Woman: rated 3.5/4.

Dead Men Should Stay Dead

If you follow my blog, you'll know that I am the biggest Pirates of the Caribbean ever. I used to shy away when I'm asked about my favorite film. I'd say like Fight Club, Magnolia, Interstellar, etc. All of it I truly liked. But my honest answer would be Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End. Now I would just say it. No shame, no regrets. Think what you may, but for me, that film taught me spectacle in filmmaking (that 'Up is Down' sequence!) and intricate plot techniques with a buttload of characters. I thought Pirates 3 was a great ending to the franchise, then Disney became greedy and fucked it up with the highly terrible, almost unwatchable On Stranger Tides and this year, Dead Men Tell No Tales, which kinda look promising, despite the lazy CGI on Javier Bardem.

But color me wrong (is this an expression?). I won't get to the story details because I would be pissed. First of all, I don't think the writer Jeff Nathanson understands the Pirates lore and mythology, despite his character Henry claimed to have read all myths of the seas. This film could be a comeback for the franchise but he decided to do it simple-mindedly and dishonor the characters. Be warned, spoilers will follow. Jack Sp--I mean, Captain Jack Sparrow is reduced to a drunk. He used to be a swordsmaster, master planner, the man with the plan and escape plan. Here, he's just... there. He makes this weird decisions that is unlike his character. His traded his compass, then he remarked "Pirates life." He would trade other stuff but not his compass. His best friend and foe died, he just remarked, "Pirates life." WHAT THE FUCK. Where is the Jack who voted Elizabeth to be the Pirate King? Where is the Jack who didn't stab Davy Jones' heart when he could after Will was stabbed first by Davy Jones? It's frustrating because it is so out of character. Second character dishonored: William Turner. As we know, Will Turner is bound to the Dutchman, and he has to do his task (one of them carry the dead souls to the afterlife). Here, he's cursed. Why? Did he decide to go crazy and turn into Davy Jones? Third character dishonored: Gibbs. Gibbs has a penchant for storytelling. He knows all the lores too. Someone mentioned the Trident of Poseidon in this film, and Gibbs is not compelled to tell us a few facts about it? Highly unlikely. Also, the timeline is confusing. I believe Nathanson didn't watch At World's End until the very end. Don't they have a writer's room for this? If so, I will volunteer to work for free.

The weird, out-of-character problem takes me away from this film. It's sad, because the film is actually not that bad. It's so much better than Pirates 4, but it's way below Pirates 2 (My original trilogy ideal order is 3-1-2). The story is pretty okay, but I just think the Trident that can break all curse is a bit too almighty. Why didn't we get the trident from the first film then? It has some cool moments like the flashback scene. I super liked Kaya Scodelario in this film. Brenton Thwaites isn't given enough stuff to go for, even though he's quite pivotal in this film. Geoffrey Rush is great in this film as always and his character is not betrayed in this film by the writers. The third act with the "Red Sea moment" is quite a mess. It's super messy that it destroyed one of the most heartbreaking plot in the film. The directors of Kon-Tiki are behind this one, they did a passable studio job I guess, with a bit of their style intact. All in all, the film tried to introduce new stuff while embracing the nostalgia of the original trilogy but let's face it, the franchise should have stopped 10 years ago. I will hate Disney if they make another one, especially after that shit you guys call a post-credit scene. Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales: rated 2/4.


PS. I still believe The Lone Ranger is actually Pirates IV.

Never Too Street To Be A King

Guy Ritchie's always a director with a distinct style. His films is always stylish and modern, even his Victorian Sherlock Holmes films. It's a bit intriguing what he's going to do with the Camelot lore and boy, he delivered it. Honestly, the film trailers didn't interest me. But it looks solid even though it is lacking recognizable actors apart from Jude Law, Charlie Hunnam and Eric Bana.

The story established that Camelot is full with magic and giant creatures. If you've accepted this, then you'll have a good time. Even I immediately went skeptical when seeing those Lord of the Rings Oliphant within 2 minutes of the film. In this film, Arthur was dumped to the streets, raised there, and has to accept his destiny as the true King, not his uncle Vortigen who embraces the dark magic and sorcery to gain power. Yes, the story is a bit Lion King, and on paper this film should be a massive bore. But enter Guy Ritchie.

The film owes its energy to Guy Ritchie's superb style and Daniel Pemberton's unique score. The Snatch story-telling technique works here to trim duration and boredom that arise from traditional storytelling. And honestly, it turns the boo-hoo scenes into great sequence (the Darklands parts) or electric montage (that beginning!) The film also owes itself to a committed cast found in Charlie Hunnam who bulked up and delivers as King Arthur, Jude Law who chews scenery (in a good way) like that giant snake chews people (this is a good spoiler so you know what to expect--I didn't) and the underused but super likable supporting cast such as Djimon Hounsou, Aidan Gillen, those two Arthur buddies and his kid. Daniel Pemberton's score deserves a mention because it's different. Sometimes it's your typical Zimmer Inception booms, but when it's not the sound is unique, some I bet are experimental using actual whistles and breathings. The parts that bothers me the most is when they decide to go overboard with the CGI such as in the final boss battle and the mighty sword sequences. It's almost like Warner Bros decide to get a super high Zack Snyder to direct them. And in my opinion, the sword's power is annoyingly too powerful, it's like a cheat mode in video games. I hate that this film is flopping and it's getting the hate reviews it does not deserve. But for some reason, I am relieved that it won't be turned into a franchise machine because I think it wouldn't work (the sword powers is one of the reasons it wouldn't work). But on the other hand, I hate that this film is less successful than that other budding WB franchise (read: Kong vs Godzilla franchise). Do watch this in the biggest screen possible or watch this cautiously if you can't accept that Guy Ritchie is doing a medieval film. King Arthur: Legend of the Sword: rated 3.5/4


Fun fact: this is my favorite summer movie so far this year. Will probably watch this in 4D Cinema, because I think that is why that video game-like sequences exist in this film.

In Space No One Can Hear You Scream/Dance

Heya there, summer is here. And I guess it's a good time for me to post regularly again. The summer started with Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 around two weeks ago. And then this week we have Alien: Covenant and King Arthur: Legend of the Sword. For compactness sake, I'm combining the posts for Guardians and Covenant, because both have something to do with space? Be warned, spoilers follow.

Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2
First off, GOTG2 might be the only Marvel film that doesn't spoil its story in the official trailer. I applaud this film for it. And if you didn't follow the news or the comics, the villain reveal in this film is quite nice. The film has a unique additional energy thanks to Kurt Russell's appearance as Ego. I'd love to praise Pom Klementief who does Mantis in this film, but she didn't have much. Instead, her character is the subject of the biggest nagging problem in this film. Mantis is constantly verbally harassed by Drax and it seems like the film is okay with it. It's disturbing to have this kind of content in a superhero film. Aside from that, the film gives us more Yondu which is great. But this film also wasted Elizabeth Debicki. So, yeah, mixed feelings.

The film overall maintains the same amount of fun, if not, has less energy than the first film. Mostly due to its restrained setting and nature of the film as a stand alone and as an entry in the MCU. The cast is great. And is this the easiest paycheck that Vin Diesel has collected? He says like two lines (the same line), and his voice is edited. Why bother with Diesel at all? The characters I want to be expanded more are Gamora and Nebula. They seem to take the backseat in the Quill drama, Drax's shenanigans and Rocket's amazing prison break with Yondu and BG. The music seem to also take a backseat with the exception of three featured songs: Mr. Blue Sky, Fleetwood Mac's The Chain and Cat Steven's Father and Son. But my biggest complaint is the third act Earth scenes which reminds me of Fant4stic's third act Earth scenes, because it's so disconnected and routine. This film feels like a missed opportunity because it has a better villain than Ronan, but the film is not better than the first as a whole. Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2: rated 3/4.

Alien: Covenant
The second space film of the summer is Ridley Scott's full return to the Alien franchise, after shying away with the quasi-prequel Prometheus, which I must warn you, is one of my favorite space films. The film opens with a great scene between Michael Fassbender's David and Guy Pearce's Weyland. After that the film kind of deteriorates. The 15 crews of Covenant are comprised of couples looking to colonize a new planet but they detour to another planet after picking up a distress signal. Ridley Scott made a great film, direction-wise, visual-wise and production design-wise. On those departments, the film is crazy good. It's almost effortless for Ridley Scott to make a film on this level. On the story department however, the film kinda sucked. Personally, I'm most disappointed at the way they treated Elizabeth Shaw's storyline from Prometheus. It's the equivalent to the opening of Alien3 to Aliens. She deserved better in my honest opinion. Then they decide to make David the main antagonist, even going as far to make him the creator of the aliens. I must admit it creates a good arc for him, coupled with the Weyland opening scene, but it's bollocks for the franchise.

The characters in Covenant are way too expendable and forgettable. From 15, you might only remember 6 by name, and 10 by face. If you think the Prometheus crew were incompetent, this one's way more incompetent. Exhibit A: they decide to abandon their vetted destination for a just discovered planet. The film's great if you're one of the audience who complained that there were no Xenomorphs in Prometheus, despite Ridley Scott and Damon Lindelof saying that it would not feature aliens. Honestly, this film's quality is on you whiny fans. Good for you, this films feature all you want from an Alien film. Facehugger? Check. Chestburster? Check. Xenomorph? Check. New alien breed? Check. As for Michael Fassbender, the 'stars' of this film, I felt like even he plays two androids in this film, I still feel his performance as David in Prometheus is so much more impactful. But the scenes featuring both of them on screen are easily better than any scenes featuring any Covenant crew interaction (save for any Danny McBride's), even the erotic flute 'fingering' scenes. Also, there is a bad editing and staging for the twist in this film that involves Fass's androids that makes Life's predictable twist ending seems superior. I just think this film is disappointing for me for its creative choices. Now let's just hope Damon Lindelof publishes his intended Prometheus sequel somewhere. Because the promised answers to Prometheus are still left unanswered. Seriously, why did the Engineers want to kill us humans? Alien: Covenant: rated 2.5/4.

Up next, Guy Ritchie's King Arthur: Legend of the Sword, which is bombing in theatres near you, but pretty entertaining in my opinion.

Back From Hiatus: The Three-Sentence Reviews

Hello I'm back after two months hiatus. It's like Kong: Skull Island, scarred me to review films again. Pardon my hatred on Kong: Skull Island, but it is well-found. But the truth is, I've just been lazy. There's a buttload of movies I watched since, and to recap, I'll give a brief review of each films.

Beauty and the Beast
The latest Disney is beautiful and amazing to look at. I will always remember this film as the film that gives Ewan McGregor's jaw-droppingly awesome voice the spotlight it deserved after Moulin Rouge. Great cast, great production design, it's simply magical. Beauty and the Beast: rated 3.5/4

Life
I had zero expectations for this film but it delivered the thrill and chill you need for a space-horror film. It has great lead actors in Jake Gyllenhaal and Rebecca Ferguson, production design and classily directed by Daniel Espinosa. The story is a bit predictable, plot-driven and dumb in some places, plus, that ending wouldn't be a massive eye-roller if they edited it better. Life: rated 2.5/4.

Get Out
Welcome to Hollywood, Jordan Peele. His aptly timed and woke film is filled with imageries and chilling story that guarantees multiple viewings. It's a crazy experience and it's not only applicable to racism in USA but also everywhere where racism exists. Get Out: 3.5/4

Ghost in the Shell
This film deserves a large screen viewing just for its gorgeous visuals and color palette. The action is super cool and the film features a good cast. Sadly, the whitewashing in this film is the last thing you should complain about because there is something worse in this film as they try to justify their casting choices. Ghost in the Shell: rated 3/4.

Power Rangers
The film has a unique style and energy, even though it features five no-name actors for the leads. It has a pretty satisfying human story but there is just not enough Power Rangers action in this film. Honestly, they're only fighting in the third act and it's shorter than Batman fighting Superman. Power Rangers: rated 2.5/4.

Free Fire
The film has one of the coolest premises I've heard and it featured underrated actors like Sharlto Copley and Cillian Murphy. The film is funny but it's super violent, almost borderline psychotic. Also, there's not enough story to justify the endless shootings, no matter how funny they are. Free Fire: rated 2/4.

The Fate of the Furious
As always, the franchise is crazy, loud and super entertaining. Just when you thought the film was getting too serious, they inserted dumb plot points and action scenes which is true in Fast & Furious fashion and I do not want these films to be too serious. This film is extra funny and super satisfying with its team-ups it almost made The Avengers look like a bunch of school kids forced to make a study group by their teachers. FF8: rated 3.5/4.

Up next:
Double reviews of Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 and Alien: Covenant.

The King is Slumming It

March 2017 was poised to be a great month, starting with Logan, Beauty and the Beast, Ghost in the Shell, the perfectly bad-looking Power Rangers and this, Kong: Skull Island. Back when Legendary announced this project, it seemed no one wanted this. But then the cast was assembled and holy shit it was star-studded. Tom Hiddleston, Brie Larson, Samuel L. Jackson, Toby Kebbell, John Goodman, and Dr. Dre + Eazy E. It's a promising cast, to be honest, for a film nobody wanted. I'd let the token Chinese actress slide if it turned out great. But spoiler alert, it didn't. If you're looking for a review that embraces this film, you can search somewhere else. The story is pretty straightforward, there's a scientist who's going to find new species/prove their theories, while tagging along to some soldiers. Then they go to Skull Island and find Kong and other beasts.

Let's start with the good stuff first. Consistently for at least the first half of the film, the film was filled with striking imageries that looked hella cool. A standout scene is the bomb drop on Skull Island. And afterwards, just any reaction shots sometimes look cool, or whenever Samuel L. Jackson is ready to rain down fire on Kong is also cool. The Kong fight scenes are good, but they're not for me, or at least after the preposterousness I've endured, the awesome fight scenes just don't pay off. The biggest crime here is the story and characters. If you think the characters in Godzilla are bland, prepare to be surprised because this is blander. And one of the scriptwriters is Dan Gilroy who made Nightcrawler! There are definitely some good ideas in the script but they were never developed fully. For example, Sam Jackson's Packard is obviously the most interesting character, who lost the Vietnam War but had to live it and going to war so soon after that so it gave him a chance for redemption. But, don't mind him just look at that giant spider stomping at y'all! CGI is not even impressive. We've seen the Planet of the Apes reboot franchise, Pacific Rim, or Peter Jackson's way superior King Kong, and the CGI in those films were almost flawless. Not only CGI, but green screen stuff is so bad. Just refer to the first few minutes of the film to see, and sometimes even in character close-ups are distracting? Why? DoP is Larry Fong though who frequently works with Zack Snyder, so he could do his job super good right?

The actors are the most wasted properties in this film. They have Toby Kebbell, who could do a lot of stuff. But instead just make him interact with a stupid log monster. Academy Award winner Brie Larson reduced to Ken Watanabe in Godzilla, but without any catchy line. Tom Hiddleston once again proved that he may not be able to act if it's not Loki. John Goodman, wasted. Shea Wigham, wasted. I mean wasted in talent, but you could interpret it differently too. The only small glimmer in the cast are John C. Reilly and to some extent Jason Mitchell. John C. Reilly is like Bill Nighy in Wrath of the Titans, giving new energy in a boring film, CGI-laden film. And by all the beasts in this film, don't give Jing Tian anymore starring roles. She was bad enough in this film with only three lines and a weapon, if you haven't seen The Great Wall, save yourself by not watching it, at least open your eyes when Pablo Pascal or Matt Damon is onscreen. Not to mention her character couldn't be shoehorned in a subtler manner. John Goodman and Corey Hawkins are scientists looking for funding and support in USA and suddenly on the boat comes this Chinese biologist and we're supposed to be okay with that? It's not about diversity, this is just bad business move. At least make her character memorable or important. I am quite sure that anything with Legendary and a Chinese studio is going to be like this until they decide to separate. If this is the kind of film we're going to see for the Godzilla sequel or their eventual versus film, I might be skipping these kind of films altogether.

Note to studios: Internet/fandom ideas are not feasible for a good film, or at least it's not going to be good if they're serving a bigger scheme. I mean, Samuel L. Jackson vs. King Kong is a film everyone wants to see right? But because we know Kong is going to live for the sequel, we also know Sam Jackson is going to lose. Jordan Vogt-Roberts has a knack for spectacle, it's sad to see a good talent like him got a script this bad for his first big blockbuster and also if he keeps ripping off ideas from previous, established films. In conclusion, this trip to Skull Island is extremely half-assed and not worthwhile at all. Kong: Skull Island: rated 1.5/4

PS.
I haven't been disappointed in a film like this since Independence Day: Resurgence. And I'm actually easy to please. Also, it seemed that the critics just decide to lower their standards just for this film. Hmmm. And there's an after-credits scene but fuck me if I had to stay one minute longer after the credits roll for this movie.

PPS.

I thought the 'Skull Crawlers' was an uninspiring monster design,

it's like a bad mix of Indominus Rex and those stupid Great Wall monsters.

But here are more uninspiring moments that I could point out right away...

That Hiddleston samurai scene is basically the worst in the film. 

It obviously references 300 but did it unbelievably poor.

Pacific Rim is still king of American kaiju/monster films. 

K:SI definitely took the bat/sword idea from it.

This is just embarassing now.

Sorry, I just really was expecting this film to be at least enjoyable for me.

Highlight the words 'for me'

You can definitely have different opinions.

Anyway, great job for the people involved in the film who did it with their heart.

If you're cashing in or you're one of the Chinese studio execs, fuck you.

Up next: more film reviews but I might do a post on the films with China co-production. Because now it's getting irritating.

One Last Ride, First Bloody Ride

Saw Logan last week on Wednesday but too busy to write a post. This is one of my most anticipated superhero films of the year because it is wildly different from the MCU or DCEU offerings. This is an R-rated, violent and mature superhero film with Hugh Jackman and Patrick Stewart on their last film in the X-Men films. The story is set in 2029 when most of the mutants are gone. Logan and Charles Xavier are practically the only mutants left from the X-Men squad. Logan is noticeably older and less powerful, while Professor X is basically an old man in a nursing home. Their lives changed after the arrival of a young mutant named Laura and she is so awesome; and also chased by mysterious enhanced mercenaries.

By the first time Logan fights a group of gangbangers, we can know that this film is going to be different and in a good way. It's way more violent and laced with profanity every one minute. It's just satisfying to see Wolverine kill people that left blood on his adamantium claws. Or how it is just as bloody for Wolverine or X-23 when they pull out their claws. Hugh Jackman delivered his best as Wolverine and I thought this was the most fitting film for to do as Wolvie at his age. I thought even in X-Men: DOFP he's quite pushing it to be the young Wolverine in 1970s. Patrick Stewart is also amazing in this film, while we didn't see him in action much but his role is so touching and important. If there is a special Oscar for blockbusters, then both Jackman and Stewart deserves a nom, even in the regular Oscars, I'd say Stewart could be at least considered for Best Supporting Actor just like John Goodman was last year for 10 Cloverfield Lane. And also, my god, Dafne Keen as Laura/X-23. That girl can slaayyyy (I regret writing this sentence).

True kudos should go to James Mangold, already an accomplished director with Walk the Line and Girl, Interrupted, he finally made his mark with his second outing for the adamantium-filled mutant. His first Wolverine film was also exceptional but it was let down by the ridiculous, superhero-cliche third act. I liked that film for having an important human drama but then again come DOFP, that timeline was erased. I like the nuances in this film and how the film took its time with the characters, I thought it was great. The thing I didn't like the most is how they inserted a super lazy villain that took those nuances away (especially that one important scene with Patrick Stewart and the bad guy just came). And I thought the film forced its ending. If they need that ending, they could do it less forced than that. Also, the film opened up possibilities for a prequel to this film that's going to sound more interesting than all the planned X-Men films (excl. Deadpool 2) and of course sounds way better than X-Men: Apocalypse. But why aren't they chasing this storyline?

The film is often dubbed as The Dark Knight of the X-Men franchise. I will manage your expectation by saying it's nowhere near that but at least it's similar to Batman Begins: dark, gritty, satisfying but laced with plot holes. Nevertheless, it's a great sendoff for Hugh Jackman and Patrick Stewart, as well as a great show of talent by Dafne Keen. I hope they never cast another Wolverine or another Professor X. Logan: rated 3.5/4

2017 Oscars Predictions! (AND WINNERS!)

It's days until the Oscars and it's time for the usual prediction time. Last year, I missed the telecast because I had part-time work, and this year I'm going to skip again because of work. Adulthood right? Also might not make it on time for the re-run because of traffic jam. Damn. Anyway, really excited for this year's Oscars. As of Feb 26, I have seen 7 of the 9 Best Picture nominee. Fences and Hidden figures are nowhere to be found in Indonesia. Let the prediction begin! (This post will be updated with winners later)


Best Picture
It's tricky to predict this one now. La La Land does have the upper hand, but to me, the magic fades with time. It's still a gorgeous film, but might lose its importance. Very close behind LLL for the upset is Moonlight. Far behind them both is Lion, which gained serious awards buzz recently. I feel that last year's films are stronger and it's harder to predict last year's films.
Official prediction: La La Land
Personal prediction: Moonlight
RESULT: Moonlight (0.5/1)

Okay, wifi is down so the rest of this post would be uneventful since I'm only writing with my phone. Prepare for a lot of typos and just blandness in general.

Best Actor in a Leading Role
Casey Affleck should win with possibility of Denzel Washington robbing him. But one of my favorites of the year is Captain Fantastic, so.....
Official prediction: Casey Affleck, Manchester by the Sea
Personal prediction: Viggo Mortensen, Captain Fantastic
RESULT: Casey Affleck (1.5/2)

Best Actress in a Leading Role
I'd say the race was between Amy Adams, Emma Stone and Natalie Portman. Suddenly Isabelle Huppert emerged and stole everything from them. Except for Amy Adams who was even denied the chance in favor of Meryl Streep. I mean guys, have you seen Jackie? That film wouldn't work without Natalie Portman.
Official prediction: Isabelle Huppert, Elle
Personal prediction: Natalie Portman, Jackie
RESULT: Emma Stone (1.5/3)

Best Actor in a Supporting Role
After seeing Lion earlier, I believe Sunny Pawar should get this aqard. Without any competition at all.
Official prediction: Mahershala Ali, Moonlight
Personal prediction: Mahershala Ali, Moonlight
RESULT: Mahershala Ali (2.5/4)

Best Actress in a Supporting Role
This one is a race between Naomie Harris and Viola Davis, in which I think the person whose name starts with the first alphabet in the word victory is going to win.
Official prediction: Viola Davis, Fences
Personal prediction: Viola Davis, Fences
RESULT: Viola Davis (3.5/5)

Best Achievement in Directing
As much as La La Land is superficial, I believe Damien Chazelle deserves the prize.
Official prediction: Damien Chazelle, La La Land
Personal prediction: Damien Chazelle, La La Land
RESULT: Damien Chazelle (4.5/6)

Best Adapted Screenplay
Recent wins should boost Lion's prospect but I think Moonlight is just too damn strong
Official prediction: Moonlight
Personal prediction: Moonlight
RESULT: Moonlight (5.5/7)

Best Original Screenplay
Hey, La La Land is hardly original. But The Lobster is definitely is.
Official prediction: Manchester By The Sea
Personal prediction: The Lobster
RESULT: Manchester By The Sea (6.5/8)

Best Cinematography
Official prediction: Linus Sandgren, La La Land
Personal prediction: Bradford Young, Arrival
RESULT: La La Land (7.5/9)

Best Editing
Official prediction: La La Land
Personal prediction: Moonlight
RESULT: Hacksaw Ridge (7.5/10)

Best Production Design
The only recognition I thought Passengers really deserve is this one.
Official prediction: La La Land
Personal prediction: Passengers
RESULT: La La Land (8.5/11)

Best Costume Design
I'm torn between Allied and Jackie. The costumes there are crazy beautiful.
Official prediction: La La Land
Personal prediction: Jackie
RESULT: Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them (8.5/12)

Best Make-up and Hairstyling
Official prediction: Star Trek Beyond
Personal prediction: Star Trek Beyond
RESULT: Suicide Squad (8.5/13)

Best Animated Feature
Official prediction: Zootopia
Personal prediction: Moana
RESULT: Zootopia (9.5/14)

Best Song
I'd pick La La Land in a heartbeat if Another Day of Sun pr Someone in the Crowd were nominated, but the two LLL songs nominated here are basic songs compared to Lin-Manuel Miranda's work in Moana.
Official prediction: 'City of Stars', La La Land
Personal prediction: 'How Far I'll Go', Moana
RESULT: 'City of Stars' (10.5/15)

Best Original Score
Official prediction: La La Land
Personal prediction: Lion
RESULT: La La Land (11.5/16)

Best Visual Effects
Official prediction: The Jungle Book
Personal prediction: The Jungle Book
RESULT: The Jungle Book (12.5/17)


This year I decided to be true to myself and let the personal predictions go gonzo.
But the official preds are based on my opinion + previous awards results. Let's see tomorrow for results (and my editing to make this look better and less default)

It's a pretty wild show, with that flub at the end. I thought it's a fitting end for La La Land, considering how cruel the film actually is with its twist ending. But, still they went home with 6 Oscars, so nothing to be sad about, and the producers showed a real sportsmanship that will be remembered more than Moonlight or La La Land. I haven't seen the full show, I only saw the last 1/4 of the show (thanks to work). The best leading actress win is the biggest shocker (we all knew it's between LLL and Moonlight so it just added a little spice to the competition). We all thought Isabelle Huppert is going to win but no, Emma Stone won. Also Suicide Squad won? It's Suicide Squad 1, Martin Scorsese's Silence 0. Some decisions are political, such as Asghar Farhadi's The Salesman. That film wasn't even good enough for Golden Globes, but the director refused to show up so he wins (or I'm just cynical and need to see The Salesman right away).

Will make this post more beautiful tomorrow, anyway. Good night.

We Finally Did Hamilton!

Back in May last year, I finally got my ears on the songs of Lin-Manuel Miranda's Hamilton. For me, three songs immediately stood out: 'The Schuyler Sisters,' 'Satisfied' and 'Wait For It.' The former two have that quick overlapping rap verses that I really adore while 'Wait For It' is just a really damn good song in general. I found myself abusing the repeat on 'Satisfied' because it is the best song in the musical and it has a heartbreaking story in it.

It was not long until I started having images in my head (take note, I hadn't seen anything Hamilton at this point) on how 'Satisfied' would play out. The rewind part is enough to make me go crazy; how do you rewind on stage? Everything would be so much easier on video/film. Then I start imagining it if it was on film. I really want to make a film version/music videoof 'Satisfied' because the song itself has a contained story. The song introduces its characters like we're seeing them for the first time in the play. One obstacle though, I have no budget. All of my previous short films were made on practically $0 budget, it was all sincerity and teamwork. Therefore, it was only natural that I start planning 'Satisfied' on modern setting to press all that potential spending away. So I started sketching and storyboarding it. (I posted something on this blog back then, as seen below).

From May 27, 2016

'Satisfied' got pushed back because I had a short documentary project and honestly, because of difficulty in finding the right cast. Scheduling is a big issue and I wanted to have everyone talented in my project; I was greedy and it was not going good. I talked with everyone about this project and how badly I wanted to make it with the thought of 'if talk about it so often, it has to happen somehow.' And around July, we started recording the song for the first time. It was piano and cello by my talented friends, recorded in my apartment at noon.

It was until late September that Nicole (my co-producer) and I started to carefully schedule the project and by then we have locked 60% of the cast who were doing this because we're friends or they're intrigued enough by the project. After securing the schedule and locations, we started shooting late October on location, then continued in the first week of November for the studio scenes and lastly we shot the wedding scene in one day on the second Sunday of November. In total we spent 4 days shooting which was roughly 15 hours in total. It was rushed and I didn't like that I rushed but I would hate myself more if this did not get made at all.

On their first meeting...

Because of work and technical limitations, I finally finished editing and released it just last week on February 13th. I am proud of the result and I am proud of everyone who is involved. Especially after I left Japan, there was one day of reshoot and weeks of re-recording and mastering the track. You can see the video above and I hope you enjoy it. The track might be disorienting if you're familiar with Renee Elise Goldsberry's original take on the song, because the actress, Jennifer, has a very different voice color and style. But it is still a legit good cover on the super hard song in my opinion and she basically nailed 98% of the song in theory. (I just felt like explaining because there are people who really dislike our version just because it doesn't sound like the OBC recording, I thought it wasn't fair to Jennifer who worked incredibly hard on it--but well, it's the internet life).

Location shoot day

To close out this post, I would just like to say a few words to the people who 'moved' this project forward:
- Nadira (Co-Producer)
Basically exposed me to Hamilton from her snapchats and I would make sure I get her approval on just about everything on this project.
- Clarissa (Pianist)
I asked her to play the piano for this because she's the best pianist I know and she said yes. Moreover, she voluntarily asked her cellist friend to join. That officially kicked off this project.
- Patricia
I talked to her about this randomly (as I said above I talked about this to everyone), but she was super excited and we already made a chat group to shoot late July and release during August-September, but it didn't work out. But her pick Jennifer still stayed for the project's 'revival' until the finish line. It was also during the talk with her I realized this project needs to have more girls working on it because it is basically a story about a girl who makes sacrifices for her sister out of love and duty (is this considered mansplaining?). I wish I could get Patricia to join the 'revival' but I didn't, because of efficiency and scheduling (and I didnt re-ask her and probably this would haunt me forever).
- Nicole (Co-Producer)
We worked together as videographers on some sort of summer camp and we said we would do a project together. We did this and she's so talented in everything. She helped with the equipment, scheduling and location. Her work is super efficient. I learned a lot. She also have her own films and videos she directed and wrote.

Ardanti, Hung, and Nicole on location shoot day

- Jennifer (Angelica)
She worked real hard on hitting the notes and making the track perfect. She might take the heat because her voice is different than Angelica in recording (or Sia) but she's still super good in my opinion.
- Ardanti (DOP)
She's always there to join my projects, even though she sometimes doesn't know what its about. She pressed me on scheduling, which I was really bad at. And of course, doing her job as DOP really great. She might not know it but she has the most future-oriented mind; like I know what her job is going to be like and she might love doing that job.
- Italia (Production Assistant)
Helped me a lot in production on sets, location, casts. Her constant support basically drives this project forward.
- Dega (Music Producer)
Tasked with creating three tracks for the video in total. Took a lot of criticism if the mixing wasn't right--literally a lot of criticism from me. There are more than five versions he sent me, and between them I gave notes with like a dozen points to fix and change.
- Chatwara (Alexander)
I felt super saved when he agreed to do this. He's also the best person ever. Alexander's role is the hardest to fill and thank God for Chatwara.

(Felt like just given an Oscar speech--but nonetheless still important)

Wedding scene shooting day

Quick stats:
- In one week, the video amassed over 1.4k views!
- Now holds the title of the video with most dislikes in my channel (12 ds as of Feb 20)
          (Quoting from one of my favorite series: if you have haters on the Internet, it means you've made it)

Action Weekend

Last week I had the chance to catch John Wick Chapter 2, starring Keanu Reeves and just yesterday I saw The Lego Batman Movie in glorious IMAX3D. I really like the one film and I'm just okay with one.

John Wick Chapter 2
I'm not a fan of John Wick. Call me stupid but I thought the action is too much, just like The Raid, by the third act I could snooze off and still understand the whole film. I thought John Wick 2 is so much better in terms of that action but man, this film is preeetty slow for an action film. John Wick is forced out of his retirement again as he has to fulfil an agreement with Santino D'Antonio who helped him retire in the first place. There are quite a lot of great action sequences, and one particular exciting one with Common. I liked the supporting cast, and the action sequences are incredibly well-done and well-shot. The whole world-building about the assassin community is pretty cool but I believe it's the world-building too that halted the pace of the film. Keanu Reeves is amazing though as John Wick. It's a pretty solid entry for stuntman-turned-director Chad Stahelski who's up to direct Highlander before confirming his return on Chapter 3. I think the one that deserved the most applause is the marketing team, the posters for this film are awesome (the same should be directed to Resident Evil: Final Chapter marketing team because those posters are classy as fuck for a film of Resident Evil's calibre). John Wick Chapter 2: rated 3/4.

The Lego Batman Movie
Lego Batman was the breakout star of The Lego Movie, it is only logical to have his spin-off to follow up that amazing film. The same couldn't be said for the upcoming Ninjago which to me has no personality at all, judging from the trailers. In Lego Batman, Batman has to battle his arch-nemesis Joker while also dealing with his personal issues. I have to say, just like The Lego Movie, this film is unexpectedly touching and moving. It is loaded with great jokes and pop-culture references but more importantly it is a superb Batman film. I probably like this more than The Dark Knight Rises. And it is canon to all--I repeat, ALL--Batman films from 1966 until BvS. Hans Zimmer's protege Lorne Balfe also did a great job spoofing Zimmer's score, including Bane's percussion assault from TDKR. I was a bit skeptical this film could match the energy of The Lego Movie especially without Chris Miller and Phil Lord (who's busy with Disney's Star Wars machine), but Chris McKay did it just as good. The voice actors are amazing and the animation is flawless. Still this film does not make me want to see Ninjago but I'm down for more Lego Batman. Hopefully with more Justice League members in action. The Lego Batman Movie: rated 4/4.