“Jay and Silent Bob Reboot” Movie Review

    I have always had a bit of a soft spot in my heart for the characters of Jay and Silent Bob.  Perhaps it is due to the ease the characters fit into silly movies (such as “Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back”) or films with a more adult flair (their appearance in “Chasing Amy” remains a standout).  Kevin Smith and Jason Mewes have such a natural chemistry that their friendship almost transcends their films.  Smith and Mewes are the definition of ‘friendship goals’.  Naturally when I heard that Kevin Smith was making a new film featuring the characters, “Jay and Silent Bob Reboot”, I marked it down as a must see.

    The film plays as a sort of sequel to every film set in Kevin Smith’s View Askew universe but ties most directly to “Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back”.  The movie starts with Jay and Silent Bob learning that a studio is planning to make a reboot of the Bluntman and Chronic characters that were based off of the pair and that the studio now considers their actual names (Jay and Silent Bob) part of their intellectual property as well.  Once again, the pair set off to stop a Bluntman and Chronic movie from being made in a cross country adventure which unites the pair with a slew of familiar faces as well as some surprising new additions to the View Askew canon.

    Jay and Silent Bob have become unlikely pop culture icons over the years despite most of Kevin Smith’s film being modest box office successes at best.  Smith’s fans are a very dedicated group and I count myself among them.  Jay and Silent Bob have become a new generation’s Cheech and Chong which is quite the torch to carry.  Perhaps it seemed like a bit of a no brainer for Smith to fill this film with none stop fan service.  Unfortunately, it’s this same fan service which hinders this film slightly.  While I very much enjoyed catching up with familiar characters, I feel like more fun could have been had with the satirical reboot concept.  

    While one can complain that too much of the humor of this film was recycled, I do feel like Kevin Smith often isn’t given enough credit for his character development and that strength continues with this film as well.  Perhaps it is due to his personal relationship with the characters, but Smith manages to progress his character’s lives as a reflection of his own and that helps make his films (including this one) more compelling.

    Jason Mewes and Kevin Smith headline the film, naturally, as Jay and Silent Bob and the pair continue to play well off each other.  I do feel like perhaps the weight of a whole movie might be a bit much for Jason Mewes, but he doesn’t sink the movie either.  Joining the pair is Kevin Smith’s real life daughter Harley Quinn Smith playing Jay’s previously unknown of daughter.  Harley Quinn Smith does a solid job in the film and I am excited to see what the future has in store for her.

    The rest of the cast is primarily filled with cameos, some being more impactful than others.  Due to the huge cast last, I will only cover the few cameos that I feel deserve a special mention.  The best cameo comes from Ben Affleck and his cameo mirrors his real life relationship with Kevin Smith as well as providing some closure to the film “Chasing Amy”.  Affleck and Smith were once good friends and frequent collaborators but had a falling out years ago.  The pair reconnected after Smith nearly died of a heart attack and the sense of lost time can be felt heavily in this scene.  Jason Lee has a solid cameo that helps expand his “Mallrats” character some.  Matt Damon returns as Loki from “Dogma” for a brief appearance which helps wraps up “Dogma” and is one of the funniest moments of the film.  Chris Hemsworth has a pretty hilarious cameo.  Screen legend Val Kilmer appears as Bluntman, making him the second ex-Batman to feature in this movie.  Ex-WWE superstar and current AEW Champion Chris Jericho has a fairly surprising appearance in the movie.  Lastly, though the film was ultimately filmed after his passing, footage of Stan Lee looking over part of what would have been his role at San Diego Comic Con played during the credits, drawing a tear from every comic book fan’s eyes.

    “Jay and Silent Bob Reboot” actually had a fairly successful non traditional theatrical run which just wrapped up this week (on Kevin Smith’s birthday I believe).  The film never opened wide, instead Kevin Smith took the film on a literal road show which I actually find very charming.  Smith and Mewes were both personally at every tour location, providing his fanbase a unique experience to enjoy along with the film.

    While I felt like the film fell short of some of it’s comedic potential and should have focused less on fan service and more on a new adventure, I do admire Kevin Smith at the same time for his relationship to his fans.  Smith legitimately could care less about the critical reception his film’s receive as long as his fans enjoy it.  That is a very admirable trait for a filmmaker these days.  “Jay and Silent Bob Reboot” won’t change the ways films are made, but it will provide enough laughs to satisfy it’s fanbase.

Grade: B

“Sonic the Hedgehog” Movie Review

    Growing up in the 1980s, we had no idea how fast technology would evolve.  We thought things couldn’t advance past the current standards we had, how could it?  We were young and naive but that nativity played right into the hands of video game developers.  Nintendo and Sega both introduced systems which would revolutionize the home entertainment market and create a new generation of video game zombies in the wake of Atari’s former dominance.  We had so many options for consoles and all the choices came with their own benefits.  Nintendo/Super Nintendo had the Mario franchise and the Sega Genesis had the Sonic franchise.  Due to their cost at the time, most of us kids had to choose which console we got, if we were even so lucky to get one.  It wasn’t an easy choice but most of us had to make it.  My brother and I ended up sharing a system and we ended up settling on the Sega Genesis primarily because of the Sonic games.  As a result, I was naturally curious about the film.

    The movie follows Sonic the Hedgehog as he grows up in a small town called Green Hills and lives in hiding.  One day after an accidental power outage caused by Sonic, the government sends a team led by Doctor Robotnik to investigate the cause of the incident.  After accidentally shooting Sonic with a tranquilizer, Sheriff Tom Wachowski agrees to help Sonic locate the rings he lost to escape this world after Doctor Robotnik becomes aware of him.  Doctor Robotnik will stop at nothing to capture and study Sonic however, even if it means killing him to do so.

    This movie is surprisingly good considering everything it had going against it before it’s release.  Films based on video game franchises are typically notoriously bad (although I do admit to finding several of them, including “Super Mario Bros.”, entertaining in their own right).  “Sonic the Hedgehog” is a legitimately good movie though.  It is simple and knows it audience is primarily made up of kids and families.  It doesn’t try to be edgy or risqué, the film just has fun with it’s characters and it works.

    A great deal of the success of this film comes from the strength of Jim Carrey’s performance as Doctor Robotnik.  Carrey is weird, creepy and just a plain jerk which makes it easy for the audience to root against him.  Carrey also hams it up in ways he hasn’t done for years and he seems to have a good time doing so.  I am not the biggest Jim Carrey fan, but he delivers in this role.  James Marsden is also charming as usual as Sheriff Tom Wachowski.  Having co-starred in huge hits like “X-Men”, “Enchanted”, “Westworld”, and “Superman Returns”, Marsden takes on the co-lead with ease and proves once again he remains one of the most under appreciated talents of his generation.  Lastly, Ben Schwarz of “Parks and Recreation” fame voices Sonic and does a stellar job bringing the blue hedgehog to life.

    I would like to take a minute and praise Paramount Pictures for their actions regarding this film.  When the first trailer for this film was released, the design for Sonic was universally panned by fans of the Sonic franchise.  Instead of attacking the fanbase (like Sony decided to do when it’s “Ghostbusters” trailer was universally disliked), Paramount wisely decided to listen to the constructive criticism and changed the design of Sonic.  This cost the studio money and they had to delay the film, but it also helped build good faith with the fanbase and as a result, “Sonic the Hedgehog” now has the highest opening  weekend for a film based on a video game of all time, besting even “Pokémon: Detective Pikachu”.

    It certainly didn’t hurt the film that so many things behind the camera worked as well.  I really enjoyed the music and hearing musical nods from the video game was special to me.  The production design overall was amazing.  Also, despite the major overall on Sonic’s design, the special effects were actually far better than I thought they would end up being considering the animators time crunch.

    At the end of the day, every film is subjective but in my opinion, this was a very solid family film.  It amazes me that Sonic has managed to stay relevant even after nearly thirty years after his debut.  Make sure you stay after the film ends for a post credit surprise.

Grade: B

“Birds of Prey” Movie Review

    Harley Quinn was without a doubt the breakout character of “Suicide Squad” so it seemed like a no brainer for Warner Bros. to bring her back for another adventure.  As it turns out, Warner Bros. had several Harley Quinn projects in development with “Birds of Prey” just being the one to be made first.  With a more female driven film overall, would the film be able to find success with a different audience?

    The film takes place after the events of “Suicide Squad” and tells the story of Harley Quinn after the Joker breaks up with her.  A lot of people want to see Harley dead and without the Joker’s protection, a good chunk of Gotham aims to take her out, top of that list is Roman Sionis aka the Black Mask.  Black Mask has made some enemies of his own however in the form of Gotham City Detective Renee Montoya and trained assassin The Huntress.  After a young girl named Cassandra Cain steals a diamond from Roman and he places a price on her head, Roman’s driver Dinah Lance aka Black Canary warns Detective Montoya and ends up angering Black Mask as well.  With no choice but to join forces, Harley Quinn, The Huntress, Black Canary, Renee Montoya, and Cassandra Cain must face down Black Mask and his gang once and for all.

    The first thing you should know is that “Birds of Prey” is more of a Harley Quinn movie as opposed to an adaptation of the Birds of Prey comic books.  Yes, the Huntress and Black Canary are present in the film (though we will get to that in a bit) but the key member of the Oracle is replaced with Harley Quinn.  I enjoy Harley Quinn but wish she wasn’t the main focus of a Birds of Prey movie.

    So, on the subject of Harley Quinn, Margot Robbie was once again fantastic in the role.  Robbie seems to have had more fun in the role this time around, no doubt due to the fact that she is more comfortable and confident in the role.  Robbie is so perfectly cast as ‘Mr. J’s Pudding’ that it would be hard to see anyone else in the role.  Unfortunately, even though Robbie leads a ‘female driven cast’, Robbie is the only actress whose character is given any development thus making her the only memorable character of the group.

    The supporting cast (and members of the Birds of Prey) is made up primarily of Mary Elisabeth Winstead, Jurnee Smollett-Bell, Rosie Perez, and Ella Jay Basco.  Winstead is completely wasted as the Huntress.  Winstead is a great actress and the character of the Huntress is interesting in the comics but this film fails to capitalize on the actress or character.  Smollett-Bell does a good job as Black Canary but, like Winstead, isn’t given much to do to shine.  Rosie Perez has a few moments of levity but fails to steal any scenes.  The real breakout of the supporting cast is the young actress Ella Jay Basco as Cassandra Cain.  Basco is funny and holds her own against her more seasoned co-stars.

    Although the cast is primarily female, the main villain of the film is played by a male.  Ewan McGregor once again delivers an excellent performance as Black Mask.  I left the film wishing his character had been given more screen time and development.  While I personally didn’t have a problem with it, I do wonder if making all the males in the movie evil and all the females ‘good’ might send the wrong message to the film’s primary demographic.

    The film had some surprisingly good action sequences.  Many of the action scenes are on par with the “John Wick” franchise (which isn’t a surprise since John Wick’s director Chad Stahelski helped choreograph and film parts of this film’s action shots).  Aside from the excellent fight scenes, the film was also legitimately funny at times and I found myself laughing out loud more than a few times.  Director Cathy Yan managed to craft a very unique, if sometimes uneven, film with a little something for everyone.

    “Birds of Prey” or “Birds of Prey (and the Fabtabulous Emancipation of One Harley Quinn)” as it’s officially titled isn’t a perfect movie but it is enjoyable and a must see for any Harley Quinn or Margot Robbie fans.  I appreciate the fact that this film takes some risks and is a different overall tone than “Suicide Squad” was.  While this isn’t the best film of the DCEU so far, it’s a fun side adventure until we see Harley Quinn return next year in James Gunn’s “The Suicide Squad”.

Grade: B-

“1917” Movie Review

    War, what is it good for?  If your answer was anything but “absolutely nothing”, shame on you for not respecting the lyrics of the hit song by the band War.  The same can’t be said for films focusing on war however.  War films, if done well, have a way of showcasing the brutality of battle and depicting the physical and mental strain it puts on soldiers.  It also has a way making us reflect on the human cost of war.  Unfortunately for many people, war is an inescapable reality.  Does the new film “1917” reach the high bar already set by such war classics as “Platoon” or “Saving Private Ryan”?

    Set during the Great War (World War I), Corporals Blake and Schofield are tasked with crossing the German trenches to deliver a message of vital importance to Colonel Mackenzie.  Mackenzie is about to lead an attack which would jeopardize the lives of thousands of men, including Blake’s brother.  The men risk their lives to reach Colonel Mackenzie in time before his troops are massacred in a tactical German trap.

    Much of the success of “1917”, from a storytelling point of view, is it’s rather simplistic plot which allows us to grow attached to the men as they make their way across no man’s land.  A lot of the best war movies put a focus on the soldiers over the grander battle.  We should care about these men’s lives, not find war to be visually appealing.  What happens to the two leads sticks with you throughout the film and you find yourself rooting for them to just survive.

    The lighting and cinematography overall for this film was breathtaking.  The way the shadows fell on every frame was mesmerizing.  It’s amazing how organic they managed to make it seem as well.  “1917” and “Joker” are going to be the films to beat in the Oscar’s best cinematography category this year.

     Director Sam Mendes has made a stunning film depicting the lives of soldiers fighting in World War 1 loosely based on a story his grandfather shared with him.  Mendes once again delivers a unique movie going experience by telling “1917” through one long continuous shot (or at least the illusion of one).  To be completely honest, I didn’t even notice it in the theater since I was so engrossed with story.  Now, it gives me an excellent excuse to revisit this film just to soak up Mendes’ filmmaking techniques.

    Using two relative unknown actors also helped make the film feel ‘real’, never was I distracted by movie stars in this film.  This isn’t to say the film was without star power at all.  Colin Firth, Benedict Cumberbatch, and Richard Madden all appeared in the film, but they were minor roles that didn’t last long enough to pull you out of the movie.

    “1917” is definitely one of the most unique war movies ever made and one of the best films of 2019.  “1917” is a film best scene on the big screen but important to see regardless how you see it.

Grade: B+