Friday, March 25, 2016

Batman v. Superman: Dawn of Justice (2016)

Major League
I want to start this review with the negatives, so I can attempt to not undercut my true feelings about this film. Three big things stand out to me: First, the pacing is really weird. Many scenes in the first two acts move at such a quick clip, that not many things get to properly breathe. Second, despite how much I like Jesse Eisenberg's energetic performance as Lex Luthor, they didn't delve enough into his character to make him anything but evil for evil's sake. I wouldn't be surprised to find a lot of his scenes on the cutting room floor. Third, some of the dialogue is pretty heavy handed. A lot of it was given to Eisenberg, so it makes it really hard to enjoy the character without a good backstory in a film that is a bit overcrowded.

That being said, the movie is passable, and it doesn't just feel like the two-and-a-half hour long "Justice League" trailer that many feared it would be. The plot was well constructed, even if the script was a little lacking. It ended up being the opposite of "Deadpool" in that way (great script, dumb plot). I can't think of anything that was a bad idea in the film, and all the character motivations made perfect sense (besides the aforementioned Luthor problems). The build to the marquee showdown is especially excellent. The action scenes are well done, and the fights have their own contained storylines that help drive the film forward better than any of the dialogue.

The characters are intriguing, and the performances carry the film so well, that it seems implausible anybody ever doubted them. Henry Cavill continues to be a soulfully tortured Superman trying to do his best in a world in need of saving. As Batman, and Bruce Wayne, Ben Affleck turns in what is possibly the best performance of his career. He is unhinged, untrusting, and unbelievably spot-on. His Batman committed a little more homicide than I would cared for, but I guess Keaton's Batman had quite a bit of Blood on his hands as well. Gal Gadot gave an incredible amount of depth to a character that didn't get a lot of screen time. It is rare that I appreciate a major character getting such a minimal amount to do, but after seeing the "Wonder Woman" footage, and knowing that we will get a full backstory on her later, it felt exciting to not get to know her better. Much like Rey in "The Force Awakens".

All in all there is way more positive about this film than anyone expected, and it outweighs the shaky problems that unmistakably plague it. It is a lot of fun to watch if you allow yourself to get lost in it, and serves as a great lead-in to a DC movie universe. If future films can improve on this structure, we may be in for a lot of fun in the future.

Grade: B-
Easter Egg: No
3D: If you can find it in 2D, see it that way.

Starring: Ben Affleck, Henry Cavill, Amy Adams, Jesse Eisenberg
Director: Zack Snyder
Writer: Chris Terrio and David S. Goyer
RT: 151 min
Rating: PG - 13 for intense sequences of violence and action throughout, and some sensuality

Friday, January 15, 2016

2016 in Film

January 8th
Anesthesia -
The Forest - F
Lamb -
The Masked Saint -
The Treasure -
Wazir -
Yosemite -

January 15th
13 Hours: The Secret Soldiers of Benghazi - C+
Band of Robbers -
The Benefactor -
Moonwalkers - D
Norm of the North -
A Perfect Day -
Ride Along 2 - D-

January 22nd
The 5th Wave -
Aferim! -
The Boy -
Dirty Grandpa -
Exposed -
Ip Man 3 -
Mojave -
Monster Hunt -
Synchronicity -

January 29th
Fifty Shades of Black - F
The Finest Hours - A-
Jane Got a Gun -
Kung Fu Panda 3 -

February 5th
The Choice -
Einstein in Guanajuato -
Hail, Caeser! - B
Pride and Prejudice and Zombies -
Regression -
Southbound -
Tumbledown -

February 12th
Deadpool - B+
Fitoor -
How to Be Single -
Of Mind and Music -
Providence -
Touched With Fire -
Where to Invade Next -
Zoolander 2 -

February 19th
Busco novio para mi mujer -
Embrace of the Serpent -
Neerja -
Race - C
Risen -
Rolling Papers -
The Witch - A+

February 26th
Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon: Sword of Destiny -
Eddie the Eagle -
Gods of Egypt -
The Last Man on the Moon -
Tere Bin Laden Dead or Alive -
Triple 9 -

March 4th
Desierto -
Emelie -
London Has Fallen -
Knight of Cups -
The Other Side of the Door -
The Wave -
Whiskey Tango Foxtrot -
Zootopia -

March 11th
10 Cloverfield Ln -
Backgammon -
The Brothers Grimsby -
City of Gold -
Creative Control -
Eye in the Sky -
Hello, My Name is Doris -
Hyena Road -
Lolo -
Marguerite -
The Perfect Match -
River of Grass -
The Young Messiah -

March 18th
Allegiant -
The Bronze -
Krisha -
Midnight Special -
Miracles From Heaven -
My Golden Days -
The Program -

March 25th
Batman v. Superman: Dawn of Justice - B-
Born to Be Blue -
I Saw the Light -
My Big Fat Greek Wedding 2 -
They're Watching -

April 1st
The Dark Horse -
Everybody Wants Some -
God's Not Dead 2 -
Kill Your Friends -
Meet the Blacks -
Miles Ahead -
Natural Born Pranksters -
Standing Tall -

April 8th
Before I Wake -
The Boss -
Demolition -
Hardcore Henry -
Louder Than Bombs -
Wedding Doll -

April 15th
Barbershop: The Next Cut -
Colonia -
Criminal -
Fan -
Green Room -
The Jungle Book -
Our Last Tango -
Rio, I Love You -
Sing Street -

April 22nd
Compadres -
Elvis & Nixon -
A Hologram for the King -
The Huntsman: Winter's War -
The Meddler -
Sworn Virgin -
Tale of Tales -

April 29th
A Beautiful Planet -
Keanu -
The Man Who Knew Infinity -
Mother's Day -
Ratchet & Clank -
Viva -