“Black Mirror: Bandersnatch” Movie Review

    For the most part, I don’t tend to rush and watch Netflix’s original films.  They typically feel like movies that are either not good enough to make money at the box office or bizarre concept films.  I guess “Black Mirror: Bandersnatch” falls into the bizarre concept category.  Still, as a fan of “Black Mirror” and someone intrigued by the premise of an interactive film, I had to check this film out as soon as possible.

    The amount of options you have is amazing and leads to fascinating paths.  The premise of the film is also delightfully meta as it focuses on a game designer in the 80s developing his own make your own adventure game.  Seeing how the filmmakers play around with this concept is genius.

    The acting was great in the film.  I thought Fionn Whitehead and Will Poulter really pulled you in.  Through different choices, Whitehead and Poulter manage to display varying states of emotions and mental statuses.

    “Black Mirror: Bandersnatch” has at least five different endings.  There are countless numbers of possibilities the story can take with reports that not all scenes have been unlocked by viewers.  I watched some different paths with some different endings and they vary quite a bit.

    The film is one of the most ambitious projects ever to be filmed.  That same ambition I admire might also be the only complaint I might have because it would be almost impossible to see all the different paths that can be taken.  Some critics said the film was too gimmicky but I disagree.  I think it could be the future of streaming films.

    With so many possible story outcomes, it’s hard to dismiss the fun you have controlling the direction the story takes.  Also, with seamless editing, the film never “feels” like an interactive experience.  "Black Mirror: Bandersnatch" manages to pull off the rare win for original Netflix films, I just hope it becomes the first of many.

Grade: B+

“The Karate Kid Part III” Movie Review

    Growing up in the late 80s and early 90s, one of my favorite films was the original and iconic “The Karate Kid” film.  I remember watching that film several times and I loved it.  The funny thing is, I remembered very little of it and was eager to revisit the franchise as an adult.  I had bought the first two films that Sony released in a two pack as well as the Jaden Smith remake which was surprisingly good.  I wanted to finish my collection but “The Karate Kid Part III” and “The Next Karate Kid” blu-ray editions released through Sony were a little too expensive for my taste.  When Mill Creek Entertainment announced they were going to release a blu-ray copy containing both films, I was extremely happy.  Mill Creek Entertainment offers their releases at reasonable prices while still providing excellent quality.  In the interest of full disclosure, Mill Creek Entertainment was kind enough to offer me a review copy of this film.  So here it goes...

  “The Karate Kid Part III” sees Daniel being bullied and forced into defending his title against Cobra Kai student Mike Barnes by mentors John Kreese and Terry Silver.  Daniel’s mentor Mr. Miyagi refuses to train Daniel at first which leads the young man to seek guidance from Terry Silver.  Little does Daniel know, Silver has been manipulating Daniel the whole time.  It has an interesting premise, with Mr. Miyagi and villain Terry Silver essentially fighting for Daniel’s soul.  The film fails to completely capitalize on the premise however by focusing too much on the filler.

   That isn’t to say the movie is bad.  Oscar winning director John G. Avildsen returns for the third film but it feels a bit like Avildsen is running on fumes by this outing.  There are some beautiful shots in this film, for instance the training sequences and the location of the bonsai tree.  I also really liked the use of the opening credits to recap what had happened previously.  It may sound silly, but a little refresher isn’t always a bad thing for a general audience.

    As for the performances, you have to start with the Karate Kid himself, Ralph Macchio.  Macchio is so accustomed to the role by this point that it’s hard to deny his presence even at such a young age.  It’s just sort of a shame he isn’t given more to work with.  Thomas Ian Griffith makes his big screen debut in this film.  Griffith gives an over the top and borderline cartoony performance that took me out of the film everytime he appeared.  On the bright side, Noriyuki “Pat” Morita remains the bright part of the franchise.  Morita’s subtle performance brings so much heart and warmth to the film that it definitely makes up for some of the more over the top performances.

  The finale of the film feels rushed and the movie ends rather abruptly.  I would have liked to see what happened to any of the characters after the tornament ended but we are left to imagine and guess.  Maybe it was just me, but given the fact that Kreese and Silver wanted revenge so badly, it’s hard to imagine they were so passive by the end.

  The biggest problem with this film was that it felt unnecessary and nothing in the film made it feel necessary.  The film is pure fluff but it doesn’t tarnish the franchise either, unlike Avildsen’s “Rocky V”.  It’s not a bad film but it is hard to top the original.

Grade: C

Now...onto the Blu-ray release itself.  I absolutely loved it!  The picture is crisp and the audio is great!  While “The Karate Kid Part III” is admittedly not my favorite film in the series, I also have to have it since I am a completionist.  I love the fact that Mills Creek Entertainment releases films such as this so I can finish my collection of Karate Kid movies.  They are also so amazing to their customers that I honestly can’t say enough good things about them.  The Blu-ray release also comes with “The Next Karate Kid” as well!  (A review for that film is coming soon as well).  I also should note that this film brought me back to a simpler time and while the movie may not have held up as well as I remembered it, it brought back some great memories of my childhood.  “The Karate Kid Part III” and “The Next Karate Kid” double feature blu-ray hits store shelves this Tuesday!  Be sure to pick up a copy and share your opinions.  Thank you!

Buy The Karate Kid Part III and The Next Karate Kid Double Feature Blu-ray Here!!!

“Aquaman” Movie Review

    I am a big comic book nerd and I make it no secret that I tend to prefer DC over Marvel.  Both DC and Marvel have had great movies adapted from their pages and also some near dumpster fires.  Going into “Aquaman”, I knew there probably wasn’t going to be a middle ground with this film.  I just had to hope for the best.
    Luckily, the film turned out to be a fun popcorn flick.  “Aquaman” is basically an adaptation of Geoff John’s “New 52” origin story.  The story focuses on Arthur Curry having to accept his lineage and fight for the crown of Atlantis in order to save everyone from an all out war.  It’s a simple story with elements of adventure and action thrown in.  I would say that out of all the DC movies, this movie feels more like a Marvel Studios movie.  It serves to be a crowd pleaser even if it means abandoning weightier issues that have had mixed success for Warner Bros. (“The Dark Knight” has themes that connected with audiences while “Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice” missed the mark with most movie goers).  Making a softer in tone and safer picture was probably the best move for Warner Bros. after how badly they handled “Justice League”.
    “Aquaman” is a visual fest for the eyes and feels part “Raiders of the Lost Ark” meets “Avatar”.  James Wan does an amazing job of delivering an overall fun crowd pleaser.  Wan does initiative things with his action set pieces and scene transitions.
    Jason Momoa and Amber Heard serve their roles but don’t exactly elevate the movie as a whole.  Momoa’s strength as an actor actually seems to be his sense of humor and comedic timing which isn’t showcased a lot (due to it being an action film).  Momoa and Heard don’t share much chemistry together in my opinion.  The pair seem to be cast mainly for their looks.  All that being said, I think Momoa has a lot of promise and will be more comfortable in the role by the time he reprises it next.  Patrick Wilson ended up being the true stand out of the movie performance wise.  Patrick Wilson chews up his scenes while still being reserved enough not to go over the top.  He makes for an interesting villain and one I would like to see more of.

    One major complaint I had about the movie is the music.  Music can elevate a movie to near epic proportions (case in point: Star Wars).  The music in “Aquaman” is just a pain in the ears at times.  Guitar riffs are not needed everytime Jason Momoa looks into the camera.  We get it, Momoa is a bad ass (case in point: he has tattoos and facial hair).
    The movie is about the spectacle and amazing visuals.  In that respect, it doesn’t disappoint.  “Aquaman” is a fun summer movie that comes to us during the cold winter months.  I am excited to see where future adventures lead the hero.

Grade: B+

"Superman IV: The Quest For Peace" Movie Review

    The Christopher Reeve Superman remains the definitive take on the ‘Man of Steel’ in my opinion.  I think the first two Superman films are among the best movies ever made.  The Superman franchise sadly went down in quality greatly following those two masterpieces.  “Superman III” has some good moments but ended up foiled by it’s attempts at comedy.  “Superman IV: The Quest For Peace” ended up in even worse shape and proved to be an embarrassing swan song for Christopher Reeve in the role he made so iconic.

    “Superman IV: The Quest For Peace” was made by Canon Films with a shoe string budget.  Not exactly a promising start for a film in which it’s predecessors were famous for pushing the limits of special effects.  There were literally moments in the film where the wires could be seen and scenes that ended up being used multiple times to save on the budget.

    Christopher Reeve returns as the Man of Steel in his final appearance as Superman.  Not only does he star in the film, but he also helped develop the story about disarmament of nuclear weapons.  The film sees the welcomed return of Gene Hackman as Lex Luthor.  Hackman is such a joy to watch as he hams it up.  Hackman helps elevate this film ever so slightly, it’s just a shame he isn’t in more of the film.  Jon Cryer adds some comedy as Lenny Luther, Lex’s nitwit nephew.  Hilariously enough, Cryer has recently been cast as Lex Luthor in the CW series “Supergirl”.  Margot Kidder is once again hardly in the movie and her absence is felt.

    One of the worst parts of the movie to many fans is that Nuclear Man is the main villain.  This angered many fans since he wasn’t a character original to the source material.  I am not sure why they chose to create a new villain when Superman has a great rogue’s gallery that weren’t touched up until that point but the filmmakers did.  Still, I remember actually enjoying Nuclear Man as a kid (although the costume is ridiculous). Nuclear Man, interstingly enough, just made his comic debut in 2018.

    The movie isn’t as terrible as many make it out to be nor is it anywhere near as good as it should have been.  “Superman IV: The Quest For Peace” is ultimately a film bogged down by lofty ideas in a no budget and cartoonish production.

Grade: D

Special Awards Announcement!!!

    Being a huge movie nerd, I decided to do a special award presentation on this blog with nominees and then later winners of the best films and work in film during 2018.  I am doing my best to catch up with as many movies possible including films already on video, in theaters, and via streaming (Netflix and Hulu films are not ruled out from my awards).  So, the nominees will likely be released late January or early February but I thought I would give you an idea of the categories.

    The categories for the 2018 Next Level Blockbuster Awards are as follows...

• Best Picture
• Best Live Action Family Picture
• Best Animated Family Picture
• Best Digital or Direct to Video Motion Picture
• Best Actor
• Best Actress
• Best Supporting Actress
• Best Supporting Actor
• Best Ensemble
• Best Director
• Best Adapted Screenplay
• Best Original Screenplay
• Best Home Video Release
• Best Original Music
• Best Original Song
• Best Production Design
• Best Cinematography
• Best Costume Design
• Best Film Editing
• Best Sound Editing
• Best Sound Mixing
• Best Visual Effects
• Best Makeup Effects
• Best Stunt Work
• Next Level Blockbuster Icon Award *(Issued to 5 individuals who left an impact on film)
• Next Level Blockbuster Legacy Award *(Issued to 5 films that were culturally important or changed cinema)

I would also like to hear your opinions in the comment section once the nominees are released.  Thank you for your time!

Superhero Movie Showdown Round 1

    So I decided to do a poll on instagram asking my followers which superhero movies they preferred and here are the results from the first round...

"Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse" Movie Review

    It is no secret that Spider-Man is my favorite Marvel superhero.  I grew up with the 90s animated Spider-Man series and enjoyed the comics (although it was the weird Ben Reilly Spider-Man period).  I am open to anything Spider-Man, but I have to admit that “Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse” didn’t exactly captivate me with it’s previews.  It didn’t look bad to me, but nothing I wanted to rush and see.  Then I kept hearing how good it was from friends so I figured it deserved the benefit of the doubt.
    Needless to say, I was pleasantly surprised with how well the film was executed.  By all intensive purposes, much of the film shouldn’t have worked.  Some aspects were goofy but some of those parts were among the most enjoyable moments of the movie.  The film feels fresh and different which is somewhatly refreshing in an era of cookie cutter superhero films.
    The film primarily tells the origin of Miles Morales and his transformation into his universe’s Spider-Man.  Miles Morales was introduced in the Marvel Ultimate brand.  Like in the Ultimate comics, Miles Morales is forced to take the mantle of Spider-Man after Peter Parker is taken out of the picture.  The story is fun overall and I liked how the filmmakers were able to take the familiar Spider-Man story and changes it up by focusing on a Spider-Man other than Peter Parker.  Miles has a different outlook on life and has different interactions with characters.

    The film also introduces several alternate dimension Spider themed crime fighters including the popular Spider-Gwen, an alternate Peter Parker/Spider-Man, Spider-Man Noir, and Spider-Ham.  It’s amazing how the film can include the likes of Spider-Ham and still work.  It was also visually amazing how the animators managed to differentiate the animation styles of some of the characters.  I should also note that the film contains several references to classic Spider-Man comics and the movies that die hard fans will love.
    The film was filled with innovative animation that was just fun to watch.  My only real complaint with the animation style was that the background had a slightly unfocused 3D effect, almost like you went to a 3D movie without 3D glasses.  Aside from that, it was sharp.
    “Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse” may not be able to top the likes of the classic Sam Raimi movies, but it’s miles ahead of “The Anazing Spider-Man” franchise and on par or perhaps better than what Marvel Studios is doing with the character now.  If you love Spider-Man, comic book movies, and/or animated flicks, you can’t miss this movie.

Grade: B+