“Bumblebee” Movie Review

    As a child, I grew up in a family very invested in toy culture.  My dad was a big toy collector and I spent a lot of my childhood in toy stores and going to various toy shows.  Now, keep in mind, at the age of 33, I grew up in an era before the internet and the birth of E-Bay.  Needless to say, I was very aware of Transformers toys as a kid.  Ironically, I actually had less Transformers toys than your average kid.  I remember I had a Beast Wars Transformers but I believe that might have been my only Transformer toy despite liking them.  I think they might have been a little too expensive for my parents though and I had plenty of other toys interests including Power Rangers.

    When Michael Bay made a big screen version of Transformers, I was keen to see what the movie would be like.  Despite being divisive, I remember enjoying the first “Transformers” quite a bit.  At the time, I also watched the original cartoon “Transformers: The Movie” but I had a harder time getting into it probably because I never watched the cartoon as a kid.  For better or worse, I found the Bay version more accessible.

    As much as I liked the first “Transformers” movie, I didn’t enjoy the sequels quiet as much.  The first two sequels had some fun moments and I didn’t hate them, but they weren’t as good as the first movie.  Then by the time Mark Wahlberg took over the lead in the fourth and fifth film, it just felt like three hours of explosions and cgi garbage thrown of screen.  The Transformers movie became less enjoyable to watch and more of a chore.

    Now, all that being said, I wasn’t super eager to see “Bumblebee”.  I was pretty much done seeing Transformers movies in the theaters.  I skipped The Last Knight in theaters and still have not watched all of it yet.  That being said, I kept reading good reviews and more importantly for me, good word of mouth so I managed to drag my poor girlfriend to go see it with me.  (I swear she is an angel for letting me indulge in all my nerdy movies and going to see them with me).  We left the movie both really enjoying the movie more than we expected we would!

    “Bumblebee” is a prequel to the Michael Bay “Transformers” movies.  It tells the story of how Bumblebee arrived on Earth and his mission to protect Earth in order to set up a new base for the Autobots.  Upon arriving on Earth, he accidentally crosses paths and makes an enemy in the form of Agent Burns.  After escaping the clutches of Agent Burns and the Decepticons, he is picked up by a young girl named Charlie. The two bond and continue to evade the pursuits of Agent Burns, the military and the Decepticons while Bumblebee continues his mission to keep the Earth secure.

    The movie itself is very sweet.  The movie showcases the relationship between Charlie and Bumblebee much like the relationship a person has with their pet so it’s easy to connect and relate to.  It also helps that they made Bumblebee extremely lovable in this film.  The movie is also very funny at times.  I found myself laughing out loud quite a few times.

    The movie stars Hailee Steinfeld as Charlie and she really carries the movie.  It isn’t easy alongside a non existent co-star but she manages to make you feel like Bumblebee is always there and interacting with her on set.  John Cena plays Agent Burns and does a good job in the film.  Cena continues to be interesting to see on film and I am still curious to see if he can break out in the same way Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson did.  Cena essentially plays a version of himself in this movie so you can tell he was comfortable with the role.  Dwayne Johnson usually picks roles suited to his personality as well so it’s clear he is taking a cue from his playbook.

    This is the first live action Transformers movie not directed by Michael Bay and it shows.  Travis Knight took over the directing duties and he focuses the script more of the characters over the action set pieces.  This was also one of the first Transformers movies in which I could tell what was going on during the action sequences.  It didn’t look like cgi diarrhea.  Transformers fans will also appreciate the Generation One toy line influence including Bumblebee being a Volkswagen Beetle over a Chevy Camaro as depicted in the Michael Bay films.

    “Bumblebee” is ultimately a film that turned out better than I expected (and ultimately better than it had a right to be).  It resparked my interest in the Transformers films and I would gladly go see another adventure if it was made with this tone.  “Bumblebee” is the rare sequel/prequel that exceeds it’s predecessors and delivers a fun movie going experience.  It isn’t a deep film, but it will have you leaving the theater happy.

Grade: B+

Superhero Movie Showdown Round 3

    As C-3PO once said, “Here we go again.”  Yes, here are the results for the third round of my superhero movie instagram poll.  Once again, there are some upsets and some underdog wins!

"Bad Times at the El Royale" Movie Review

    I think it is very clear on this blog that I am obsessed with movies and the art of filmmaking.  As such, there are writers and directors that I tend to follow or consider more ‘bankable’ than the star of a movie.  After all, the behind the scenes crew is very much the bank bone of a movie.  No amounts of stellar acting can salvage a rubbish premise or script.  So, when I saw Drew Goddard had a new film out, I was pretty excited.

    “Bad Times at the El Royale” tells the story of several people who’s paths cross at the El Royale hotel.  It is a period piece with lots of Motown music to set the mood and environment.  The El Royale itself is an interesting set piece because the hotel is on the dividing line of Nevada and California.  While the El Royale is a fictional hotel, it was based on a hotel with a similar gimmick that was owned by Frank Sinatra.

    Drew Goddard tells the story in an interesting way by essentially showing each character’s point of view as a framing device.  It is a unique style and a less confusing way to tell a non linear story.

    The film is packed with solid performances.  Jeff Bridges and Chris Hemsworth are among the standouts of the film but the movie also showcases some up and coming talent such as Cailee Spaeny and Lewis Pullman.  Dakota Johnson, who was often panned for her role in the Fifty Shades franchise, was also very good in this film.

    Now, for all that praise, it’s a shame the movie only proved to be okay at best.  I have seen far worse films in my life, but this film was definitely a disappointment.  In some small defense, the film’s marketing did this movie no favors.  The marketing department wanted to sell this in the vain of Goddard’s “The Cabin in the Woods” when it shares more elements of a movie like “Vacancy” or “Identity”.

    Now, a lot of critics have compared “Bad Times at the El Royale” to a Quentin Tarantino film as far as the overall feeling of the film but I personally don’t share their feelings.  While the non linear story could easily service a Tarantino film, “Bad Times at the El Royale” doesn’t share the grit and profanity of your average Tarantino film.  While the film does have it’s share of violence, it still seems very polished and stylized.  In that sense, it feels more of a hybrid of Tarantino and Joss Whedon.

    Considering how secretive this project was even among those in the industry, there is little to no pay off for people being so hush hush about this project.  That seems to be the biggest twist to this project, there isn’t really one despite all the hints it was filled with them.

    “Bad Times at the El Royale” is a decent film but nothing that will blow you away.  With no twists and a morally ambiguous plot, there is very little to take away from the movie aside from some excellent performances.  Perhaps “Blah Times at the El Royale” would have been a more fitting title.

Grade: C

Binge Watch: “Dogs on the Job”

    Sometimes I wonder how anyone could not love a dog.  Even when my dogs are driving me nuts, I still love them to death.  Now I realistically know people have their reasons, so I am kidding a bit, but I adore dogs and view my dogs as furry family members.  I watch a great deal of dog movies and tv shows as a result.  When I saw that Mill Creek Entertainment was releasing a DVD documentary set called “Dogs on the Job”, I had to check it out.  Mill Creek Entertainment generously provided me a review copy for me.

    “Dogs on the Job” is a seven part series with each episode focusing on different jobs that dogs still do to this day.  From police dogs to sled dogs, our furry best friends still provide a great deal of services for us.

    The documentary series goes into what each job consists of as well as some vital history about the importance of dogs doing the job.  For instance, the chapter entitled “Herding and Mushing” not only deals with why dogs still mush, it also tells the story of the 1925 diphtheria serum run to Nome, Alaska which saved countless lives.

    I focused on the episode “Herding and Mushing” because I happen to have two Siberian Huskies named Demon and Angel.  Both dogs were very popular on Dogster when it was still around and had their own loyal following.

    What I liked about the documentary is that it takes time to tell you what each job entails as well as showcasing information from people who actually do the jobs along with the animals (such as a ranch hand or musher) to get their expert insight.  It is easy to give information off but the interviews help give the jobs some real world context.  All and all, this DVD set is worth getting if you are a dog lover!

Buy “Dogs on the Job” on DVD!!

"Superman Returns" Movie Review

    After Christopher Reeve was tragically left paralyzed following a horse riding mishap, it seemed like Warner Bros. could only remake a film version of Superman.  Indeed, plans for a remake were in various stages for a number of years at Warner Bros. with everyone from Tim Burton to McG to J.J. Abrams attached at various stages of development.  It wasn’t until Bryan Singer took the director’s chair that things finally started seeing progress.  Singer was fresh off of two highly successful X-Men films and sought to reintroduce Superman to the world.

    “Superman Returns” follows the events of the first two Superman films while ignoring what transpired in the last two Reeve Superman films.  Erasing only two films from continuity while still acting as a sequel to the first two films proved to be a confusing and needlessly confusing move.

    The plot was simple enough, acting as a character piece with some romance and a little action sprinkled in.  Superman had left the Earth before the events of this film to search for any remaining life from Krypton.  Upon returning to Earth, Superman has to find his place in a world that has moved on without him.  While trying to find purpose, Superman must stop a new real estate scam from Lex Luther that could kill numerous people.

    “Superman Returns” serves as Singer’s love letter to the Richard Donner and Christopher Reeve Superman films.  Unfortunately, the Donner Superman films balanced the humor, action, and romance better.  Donner’s Superman film was set up into a three act play with act one taking place on Krypton, act two taking place in Smallville, while the final act takes place in Metropolis.  Singer’s Superman film is a little more all over the place.  It is also about thirty minutes too long which definitely effects it’s pacing.

    Now, this isn’t to say the film is bad, it is still a pretty darn good movie.  It’s just it could have been a masterpiece with a few tweaks.  The easiest move for the movie would have been to add a few more action pieces.  The few action scenes that Singer filmed will leave you dropping your jaw.  The airplane rescue scene is beyond amazing.

    As far as the cast goes, Brandon Routh makes for a fantastic Superman.  He really embodies the big blue boy scout of the comics.  I would say that I personally preferred the performance of Routh over Henry Cavill.  Kate Bosworth added little as Lois Lane and makes you long for Margot Kidder.  Now, for the elephant in the room, Kevin Spacey as Lex Luthor.  If you can divorce yourself from all the gossip and all the terrible allegations surrounding Kevin Spacey, I thought his performance was fantastic.  Out of all the actors to have played Lex Luthor on the big screen, Spacey is my favorite.  The film also uses archive footage of Marlon Brando as Jor-El.  Seeing Brando once again added a sense of continuity to the film.

    Speaking of elephants in the room, Bryan Singer did an amazing job directing this film.  Yes, there are flaws and the film needed some of the filler trimmed, but the visuals are incredible and the character study of Superman was an interesting approach.

    It’s a shame that “Superman Returns” didn’t receive a sequel because it could be argued that this film was as good or better than the Zack Snyder remake “Man of Steel”.  The film isn’t perfect but deserves to be seen by true comic book fans.

Grade: B+

"Supergirl" Movie Review

    Following up a successful franchise is never an easy task.  Sequels are hit or miss in terms of successfulness and spin-offs tend to fail more often than sequels.  Still, the notion of a “Supergirl” film had (and still has) promise.  Supergirl has always been one of the most interesting characters in the Superman mythology and has had numerous successful solo comic book runs.  Plus, The CW has a hit in their own “Supergirl” show currently so clearly a movie could easily be a run away classic.

    Unfortunately, “Supergirl” doesn’t fly to the heights of it’s potential.  The film follows the events of the Christopher Reeve Superman films and features Marc McClure reprising his role of Jimmy Olsen.  McClure is the only returning cast member which is a shame since a cameo from Christopher Reeve could have went a long way.  Reeve was actually going to film a cameo at one point but bowed out before production began.  A scene was written which would have featured Supergirl having to rescue an ill Superman from the clutches of the film’s villain.

    The film remains a landmark because it was the first mainstream superhero movie to feature a female lead.  Before “Wonder Woman”, “Captain Marvel”, or even “Catwoman”, “Supergirl” was the first out of the gates. It’s just a shame that it wasn’t a better film.

    The movie follows Kara as she journeys to Earth in order to recover the power source for the Kryptonian community of Argo City.  Upon arriving to Earth, she adopts the mantle of Supergirl and follows in her cousin’s footsteps in fighting crime while on the planet.  The power source is found by a witch named Selena who uses it to perform “real” magic.  In order to recover the power source and protect the Earth, Supergirl must stop Selena.

    Helen Slater is a delightful Supergirl.  It’s a shame that she wasn’t in more films after starring in this because she had a real presence.  The rest of the cast doesn’t deserve the same acclaim however.  Faye Dunaway plays Selena and she is easily the worst part of the film.  Dunaway is typically a very good actress but she just seemed out of her element in this project.

    The film is rather dull and feels like a less enjoyable version of the previous Superman films.  As a huge Superman fan, I had high hopes for this film upon rewatching it and I remember really enjoying this as a kid so I was disappointed to revisit it only to be mildly enjoyed.  That being said, there are worse ways to spend a few hours.

Grade: D

"Alien Abduction: Incident in Lake County" Movie Review

    I have always been interested in the subject matter of the paranormal even as a kid.  I found the stories interesting and frightening all at the same time, especially if the subject matter involved aliens.  Just seeing pictures of aliens used to scare me but for some reason, I felt drawn to the subject matter.  I read about incidents both famous and not so well known and watched countless shows and documentaries.

    One such special aired on the now defunct UPN channel.  The special was called “Alien Abduction: Incident in Lake County”.  The special is also known as “Alien Abduction: The McPherson Tape” since the family in the video was supposedly the McPherson family.  As I later found out, it was a remake of a video known as “The McPherson Tape”.

    The film focuses on the McPherson family as they enjoy a family gathering (a Birthday party).  Things quickly turn topsy turvy as members of the family explore the woods outside and find a UFO complete with alien occupants.  The family than had to fight off the aliens as they try to abduct the family.

    The film was presented on UPN as genuine footage (even though they clearly knew it wasn’t real).  This misrepresentation caused a great deal of controversy.  I remember seeing this and thinking it might be real as a kid.  I won’t lie, it scared the heck out of me. This was a time before the internet was widely available so fact checking footage like this was difficult.  Interestingly enough, one of the actors later appeared in “Battlestar Galactica” during the Pegasus episodes.

    The film remains scary to this day due to the fact that it feels real.  It is a found footage film in the vain of “The Blair Witch Project” but with aliens.  During the night, watching this in the dark, it’s hard not to be frightened and the film still holds up as a result.

Grade: B