tdub154420 Reviews

Everything Everywhere All at Once (2022)

Masterpiece

[10/10 · 9 May 2022]

All great movies should do 3 things. They should entertain you, they should move you, and they should make you think.

Everything about this movie is entertaining. This movie has a plot and action sequences rivaling the biggest budget marvel films and some of the most creative fight sequences ever imagined. The plot and its subsequent action sequences and dialogue is so inspired and endlessly inventive. The filmmakers took the idea of a "multiverse" and used it to craft one of the most entertaining (and hilarious) stories to ever grace the big screen.

Everywhere you look, this film is thoughtfully written with profound human experiences, deep, relatable characters and strong moving moments. Throughout the flashes of multiverse madness we are shown such a gripping and powerful story about family and relationships that is so brilliantly acted by a cast that is able to jump from one beat to another, broadcasting a spectrum of colorful emotions all while soaring through character arcs so wrought with emotion you may even find yourself tearing up.

All at once, this movie is profound. This movie is as deep and intelligent as it is bonkers and emotional. The centrifugal force pulling all of this together is the movie's philosophy. This is one of existential meaning; touching upon the surface of our daily interactions, all the way to our complex personal relationships, and even deeper down to our universal purpose and the meaning of every one of our actions. This movie is as much a dissertation of philosophy as it is anything else. There are so many movies and shows exploring the idea of "the multiverse" but by far this is the most critical and complex to date. It uses this theme to dive straight into a theory of everything, exploring the age old of why we are here.

I can't recommend this movie enough. It's so richly inspired and so delightfully fun, moving and thought provoking. This movie is Everything, Everywhere, All at Once.

Spider-Man: Homecoming (2017)

It's got charm, wit and style - just missing heart.

[6/10 · 23 July 2017]

In Spider-Man's fifth appearance on the big screen they chose a very different approach for his character and it pays off greatly. Peter Parker is a humble teenager who just can't wait to be a superhero. His conflict is that he has been deemed by his hero and mentor,r Iron Man, as merely a "superhero in training". Taking influences from John Hughes movies of the past, Marvel tells a teen movie as best they can. The only issue is that it is too "super" to truly embody the spirit of John Hughes films. Director/writer John Hughes films succeeded because he so well understood the ethos of adolescence, from teenage insecurity to high school hopes and ambitions, John Hughes had an innate sense of how teenagers ticked and how to make his teenage characters emotionally relatable. Its hard to tell a story that is emotionally relatable when its about a teenage boy who has been recruited for something so great. It may be relatable to the likes of Lebron James, who couldn't wait to be drafted to the NBA out of high school, but for most audience members Spider-Man's conflict could come off as less-relatable - or at least less emotionally significant. And therein lies the biggest issue with this movie: it seems to lack heart. Spider-Man is driven by wanting to be taken seriously, by wanting to be a real superhero. In climatic moments his emotional motivation is just to not let down his hero Tony Stark - rather than being driven by any deeper personal commitments to loved ones or any intimate personal reasons. Its a main plot that does drive character development, but its so lightweight of an emotional anchor it seems like it would work better as a subplot. In some ways this is a nice change of pace for a superhero movie, but there are some scenes in which the film tries desperately to drum up emotion and hearken to the heart of the film, and its these scenes that just feel empty and shallow. But for the rest of the film its light on its feet. It is charming and Tom Holland and his supporting cast of teenage friends are a joy to watch. My only hope is that going forward they are able to find a deeper, more relatable emotional heart for Spider-Man's story.

Spectre (I) (2015)

Is it Skyfall? No. But it's still one of the best Bond films

[8/10 · 10 November 2015]

This film completes the genesis of the Bond world we knew before Craig, and there's good and bad that comes with that. Like Batman Begins, Casino Royale was a film that took an iconic franchise that featured more of a caricature than a character and gave them a grounded psychology. Casino Royale to Skyfall starred the great acting of Daniel Craig who took what has always been a two dimensional roll and gave it depth. From the beginning though, it seemed to be the goal of this reboot to connect the dots of new Bond to old Bond in some way. Why does Bond womanize, drink top shelf alcohol, fancy classy things, and get wrapped up with maniacal villains? It seemed that many of Craig's films were trying to find those roots in subtle and realistic ways, but what Spectre does is make the huge jump to bridge the rest of the gap. World controlling networks of villains, unstoppable henchmen, the elegant class in Bond's style, and a tight-knit MI6 that operates despite being an incredible liability are all classic Bond tropes that this film sets out to establish. In doing this, it loses a lot of the complex themes and character motivation the previous films had- a shortcoming that is inherent when trying to portray "classic" Bond. While trying to bridge the gap in between the two, it also doesn't take a leap far enough to completely feel like the campy but charming style of "classic" Bond. This can admittedly leave fans of either side wanting more.

After coming to terms with what the film is and isn't though, enjoying the film comes easy. The action set pieces are exciting, the plot intriguing, and the characters compelling. The film flows well, and appropriately keeps the audience on the edge of their seat. Don't expect any of the depth from Skyfall, it's just not there. But go to see all the traditional Bond tropes fall in to place as Craig edges closer to Classic Bond and starts living in the Bond world we all once knew.

The Wolverine (2013)

Enjoyment will depend on familiarity.

[9/10 · 26 July 2013]

First and foremost I must say that I absolutely loved this movie. But as I will cover in my review it may largely be due to the fact that I have always held the source material of this film in very high regard. Having said that, I do recognize that their may be a sliding scale of enjoyability for this film. If you are a fan of the 1983 Claremont/Miller miniseries of Wolverine then this is the movie you have been waiting for. If you are fond of the character Wolverine and interested into delving deeper into his chronology and exploring his inner conflicts, you will certainly enjoy this movie. If however, you have no familiarity, or no desire to familiarize with the character of Wolverine, you may find yourself not caring about many of the slower moments and longing for a more evenly paced action film.

Fans of Claremont's Wolverine rejoice, this Wolverine does it right. The film does its best keeping characters intact while deviating from the comics in the sake of a self contained story and grander character development. There are several of the shots in this film that are near recreations of the comic's original panels, and although story lines have been shifted and shuffled in some places, its all there. Mariko, Yukio, Harada, Shingen and Viper may develop differently than in the comic series, but their relation to each other and contextual significance is intact. As a Wolverine fan it was also nice to see a meaningful relationship blossom between Wolverine and Mariko, unlike the comics where it really is love at first sight. Instead here Wolverine falls in love not entirely with the character of Mariko, but rather with the idea of being a protector, a take that is a welcome addition to the Claremont storyline. The characters of Silver Samurai and Viper undergo the largest facelift in this film, but it isn't entirely out of place. Let us not forget they were involved in the X Men issues directly connecting to the Wolverine miniseries. Although their characters have undertaken slight adjustments in order to incorporate ideas from the Fatal Attractions storyline, the plot does well to take from Wolverine's side of this storyline because it was one of the few times in the series where Logan did feel vulnerable. Many fans will recognize that the plot device and character of Master Yashida cannot be found in any of the original comics, but one must keep in mind it serves as a useful device to connect all the developments of Logan's journey. All in all I think its the best character study of Wolverine that any fan could ask for. Wolverine struggles with his animalistic urges and his commitment to reform, he grapples to find meaning in his endless immortality, and he ultimately finds purpose and resolution that he had not before. None of these developments are significantly or profoundly discovered, rather they are slowly revealed, which may turn casual movie goers off from enjoying this film. As a thoughtful exploration of Wolverine's character and a grand homage to incredible source material though, how can any Wolverine fan say no to this movie? It is the best X-Men movie and one of the best comic based movies.

For those who would not consider themselves fans, but are rather moviegoers intent on enjoying a superhero epic, be warned. This film is a character study, it does not grapple with any conflicts outside of Wolverine's internal struggles. The world is not being threatened, and not many lives outside of Logan's are even being threatened, so the storyline does not crescendo in epic suspense like the Avengers or the Dark Knight. So for those not invested in Wolverine's personal self discovery, some of the action can seem unmotivated and the pacing an obstacle to satisfaction. The film does its job in providing action sequences, but it intersperses several moments of symbolic soul searching, cryptic metaphors and relationship building that serve as pavement for Wolverine's self discovery. This movie can still be enjoyable without interest in Wolverine's inner conflicts however. With an outstanding supporting cast, a beautiful setting, and gripping and intense action sequences, it plays a lot like a token Bond film for those unfamiliar with Wolverine.

Whether you are familiar with the original comics or not, this movie will certainly provide entertaining thrills and intriguing themes. If, however, you are a fan of the original comic books, this film is a wonderful achievement.

The Great Gatsby (2013)

Chaotic, frantic, and emotional with heavy handed imagery. Exactly how Gatsby should be.

[9/10 · 20 May 2013]

I hadn't read any critic's reviews on this piece before seeing this movie, I finally did the right thing and saw a movie for myself without letting pretense, opinion or bias of another individual interfere with my experience. But going into the movie I did understand that many critics' reviews were not favorable. After seeing this movie I am absolutely baffled at how this could be so.

First off, this movie is a fairly accurate representation of the novel. All of the key moments of the book are left nearly intact and if changed they are simply subject of stylistic interpretation. Which brings me to my next point: stylistic choices. I can only assume this is where this film lost favor with the critics. The style of this film is gaudy, hectic and downright blurred with chaos at some points. I found this to be a wonderful choice for the film as it compliments the tone of much of the film perfectly. The editing shows great attention to pace as the film dazzles with decadent splendor, taking care with appropriate segues of narration, and drawing out pace as the film's mood takes a dive into desperation. At times the film nearly bludgeons the audience with emotion and it attempts to brainwash you with the novel's famous symbolic images, but this was something I expected, however, as this was the experience I recalled from when I first experienced the novel.

The performances are not without their notability either. The charming yet tortured character of Gatsby could not be portrayed by anyone better than Leonardo Dicaprio. As for Tobey McGuire, he conveys Nick Carraway's self conscious journey amongst the nihilistic American bourgeois in a careful and precise manner. I cannot imagine any two pair of actors playing these parts better than these two.

In the end I believe that anyone who is a fan of the novel will be a fan of this movie. This movie does not suffer from any fundamental film making short comings. If one finds fault with this movie its most likely because they are at a disagreement with some of the director's stylistic choices. Heck, it may upset people to hear hip hop so often interjected into a period piece, but as it cross-fades with many interesting jazz tunes it must be recognized as yet another stylistic choice. I sincerely appreciated the entertainment value as well as the artistic endeavors of this film. It conveyed a unique interpretation of the novel that I found emotionally poignant and thought provoking. The film maybe a gaudy blur, but in the end it accentuated the most memorable images and lines from the original novel and it reminded me why the Great Gatsby is an American classic.

The Three Stooges (2012)

The Three Stooges just how you remembered them

[8/10 · 27 May 2012]

If you still watch the old Three Stooges Shorts from way back when and appreciate their humor, there's no reason you won't love this movie. The setting is contemporary, with iphone's and the jersey shore and what not, but this setting is only used to further punctuate the timeless humor of the stooges. All three actors who portray the stooges do a flawless job and make you actually forget that they are not the originals halfway through the movie. It's as if Larry, Curly and Moe have been pulled out of time and placed into today's society getting into the same type of trouble and running the same type of gags they always would. There really isn't a better way the Three Stooges could have been portrayed in this day and age. The Farrelly brothers do an incredible job doing the character of the Stooges justice, weaving a fantastic Stooge-esque plot and transporting these lovable nitwits into the present day. Heck the Farrelly brothers even made sure to include the classic title slides seen before every Stooges short. It's for this reason I give this movie an extremely high rating, not because it's a profound comedy, but because it had one goal: recreate the enduring humor of the Three Stooges, and with that goal in mind this movie overwhelmingly succeeds.