Note: Major spoilers for the season premiere of The Walking Dead. You have been warned.
I'm not going to do my normal recap of the full episode like I normally do, because I think there are plenty of those out there. Instead, I'm going to walk through my thoughts, both the lead up to and the execution of the episode, and we will just see what happens. I'm still processing some of the decisions that went into this spectacle that became the Season 7 premiere, so maybe typing out my thoughts here will make things a little more clear for all of us.
First of all, I was right about what I thought was going to happen in the episode. When I say that, I'm referring to the deaths that occurred. I was almost certain that Abraham would be the first go, based on his reaction to Negan in last years finale. Knowing that TWD likes to mess with its fan base for some odd reason that I don't fully understand, I knew that they would then throw a swerve and kill off a more major character that people would care more about. Due to the Glenn beating in the comics being such a huge moment, I think it was inevitable that they simply had to do it the same, and so that is what went down.
My thoughts on this...well, they are a bit all over the place. I think the episode itself was done rather well, and was intense and was hard to watch, as it should be considering what all happened. My problem is that I think Abraham's death feels meaningless after they killed off Glenn, as Glenn was such a big part of the show and Abraham was, while not insignificant, just a lesser character. But they just kind of tossed him aside so quickly by going for the Glenn shot, that I think if there were any impact on the viewers, it was lost within five minutes, taking a lot away from poor Abraham's total existence in the TWD universe.
My main problem with the whole situation is how AMC and the marketing strategy really just glorified what was about to happen. They played up Negan as some sort of awesome character, which he is, but almost made him out to be this sort of anti-hero type figure about how he will do whatever is necessary and is a man of his word and so on and so forth. But then they had him kill off probably the most beloved character on the show (sorry Daryl) in such a brutal, unforgiving fashion. Are we supposed to like the guy or hate the guy? I guess they are wanting to straddle that line, but I don't know how you can have it both ways.
The reaction online has been pretty brutal, with a lot of people saying they are never going to watch again, and how they crossed a line (Glenn's eyeball being the most common line crossing move). I don't feel that all of that is true, as I am unfazed by the outcome since you basically knew that this or something like it was coming for what, six months? I'm more inclined to say I wouldn't watch the show anymore because I just don't really care about the remaining people. Rick is broken, Maggie is now going to be obsessed with vengeance, Glenn's death is ultimately Daryl's fault at this point, which will have to be addressed soon. The problem with this last one is that Negan took Daryl with him, so we won't even get to see the group splintered because he couldn't keep his emotions in check, knowing that there would be repercussions for his action. At best, it will be, with the pacing of this show and their constant toying with the audience, like two seasons minimum before we see any sort of revenge, and what then? If you have read the comics, or know what is going on, you know that Negan isn't even that much of a bad guy anymore, and he certainly isn't a threat, so all that talk from Rick was just white noise and more toying with the audience at something huge in the future that just simply isn't going to pay off.
I'm pretty mixed on if I continue to watch the show, or if I just check in every now and then to see what is going on. I feel like I need to give it another episode or two and see what direction they go before I ultimately decide. I feel like I'm leaning towards not continuing much further with the show, but maybe they will do some things over the next couple of weeks that will sway me back the other way. I almost feel like the better ending to this episode would have been for Rick to stand up at the end and say that he would never give in to a man like Rick, and have Negan just kill the group off and we end the show with Rick being dragged off to be tortured for the next few years as Negan promised. Instead, I'm afraid the audience is going to be tortured over the next couple of years waiting for a payoff that probably will never come.
I normally give a rating, and for the episode itself, I guess I would give it an 8, but due to the buildup and the look of where the show is headed, I would probably give it more like a 3 or 4, so somewhere in the middle I guess...hmm...how about a 6? Sure, let's go with that.
Tuesday, October 25, 2016
Saturday, October 15, 2016
Movie - The Accountant
Note: There may be some minor spoilers throughout, but I will keep them to a minimum.
Since seeing the trailer for The Accountant a couple of months ago, I had some really high hopes going into the film. First off, I am one of the people that actually like Ben Affleck, and doesn't think that he ruins everything he touches, so I can actually give an unbiased opinion of the movie, unlike a lot of the reviews that I have seen out there. I thought the trailer was very well done, and hinted at a lot more going on than just a typical action movie, and the film does not disappoint as it is filmed the same way. There are lots of things that are thrown at you that maybe seem insignificant at the time, but by the end of the movie, everything has its purpose and fits together almost perfectly.
The movie follows Christopher Wolfe (Ben Affleck) as a very troubled accountant, who is paid a lot of money by some of the world's most dangerous criminals, to help fix their books so that their money isn't traceable. Over the course of the movie, we get lots of flashbacks as to the pretty disturbing upbringing that has caused him to lead the life he does. We also see that he has some mental issues that he is struggling with as a child, which explains some of his strange behavior as an adult. During the course of the movie, we see him trying to deal with the life that he has chosen to lead, while also trying to form relationships with people, even though he has little to no social skills due to his mental problems.
Ben Affleck gives a very good performance, pulling off the nuances that were necessary to get you to feel sympathetic towards the main character, and really seeing the struggles that he has day in and day out. A lot of the talk I have heard is that he is very stoic and restrained through most of the movie, but that is a testament to the character he is trying to pull off, and it shouldn't be a knock on his acting. As it is explained in the movie, he is very awkward around people, and so he has trained himself to be the way he is portrayed, to be able to function in society without standing out any more than he has to.
The supporting cast is also very good, with the likes of Anna Kendrick (playing the sort of love interest of Chris Wolfe), J.K. Simmons (excellent as always as an agent trying to track down Mr. Wolfe), and John Lithgow (playing the head of the company that hires Mr. Wolfe to find the leak in his company). The rest of the cast does well too, but I felt that Ben Affleck and J.K. Simmons stood out the most, turning in very solid performances that really pulled you into the movie.
I have heard some other complaints that the writing is trying to do too much, or trying to stuff too much into the movie, causing it to be a bit confusing. While I will agree that there is a lot going on, it all serves a purpose, as in Mr. Wolfe's world, everything has to add up, and so all the little clues and things that seem small at the time really play into the bigger picture and gave me a better appreciation for the movie after the credits were done rolling. As me and my brother discussed the movie after it was over, we both saw all sorts of little things that we were able to talk about and point out to each other, where we were like, "Ah, yeah, that makes so much sense." I really enjoy a movie more if it sticks with me afterwards, and this movie has done exactly that, as I keep thinking of things that happened throughout the movie that really added to the overall story of the movie.
As I mentioned above, I went into this movie with high expectations, and I think that it exceeded everything I thought it would be. I thought there was a good chance that the movie may fall apart a bit in the final act, but instead, everything came together and made the movie feel bigger than it was through the first part. I wouldn't suggest you go into the movie thinking you are just watching a typical action movie. You will need to pay attention and keep your wits about you as you watch it if you want to get the full feel of the movie by the time it is over. If you go into it with that mindset, I think you are in for a real treat of a movie that is better than you are probably expecting.
My rating for the movie is 9/10
Since seeing the trailer for The Accountant a couple of months ago, I had some really high hopes going into the film. First off, I am one of the people that actually like Ben Affleck, and doesn't think that he ruins everything he touches, so I can actually give an unbiased opinion of the movie, unlike a lot of the reviews that I have seen out there. I thought the trailer was very well done, and hinted at a lot more going on than just a typical action movie, and the film does not disappoint as it is filmed the same way. There are lots of things that are thrown at you that maybe seem insignificant at the time, but by the end of the movie, everything has its purpose and fits together almost perfectly.
The movie follows Christopher Wolfe (Ben Affleck) as a very troubled accountant, who is paid a lot of money by some of the world's most dangerous criminals, to help fix their books so that their money isn't traceable. Over the course of the movie, we get lots of flashbacks as to the pretty disturbing upbringing that has caused him to lead the life he does. We also see that he has some mental issues that he is struggling with as a child, which explains some of his strange behavior as an adult. During the course of the movie, we see him trying to deal with the life that he has chosen to lead, while also trying to form relationships with people, even though he has little to no social skills due to his mental problems.
Ben Affleck gives a very good performance, pulling off the nuances that were necessary to get you to feel sympathetic towards the main character, and really seeing the struggles that he has day in and day out. A lot of the talk I have heard is that he is very stoic and restrained through most of the movie, but that is a testament to the character he is trying to pull off, and it shouldn't be a knock on his acting. As it is explained in the movie, he is very awkward around people, and so he has trained himself to be the way he is portrayed, to be able to function in society without standing out any more than he has to.
The supporting cast is also very good, with the likes of Anna Kendrick (playing the sort of love interest of Chris Wolfe), J.K. Simmons (excellent as always as an agent trying to track down Mr. Wolfe), and John Lithgow (playing the head of the company that hires Mr. Wolfe to find the leak in his company). The rest of the cast does well too, but I felt that Ben Affleck and J.K. Simmons stood out the most, turning in very solid performances that really pulled you into the movie.
I have heard some other complaints that the writing is trying to do too much, or trying to stuff too much into the movie, causing it to be a bit confusing. While I will agree that there is a lot going on, it all serves a purpose, as in Mr. Wolfe's world, everything has to add up, and so all the little clues and things that seem small at the time really play into the bigger picture and gave me a better appreciation for the movie after the credits were done rolling. As me and my brother discussed the movie after it was over, we both saw all sorts of little things that we were able to talk about and point out to each other, where we were like, "Ah, yeah, that makes so much sense." I really enjoy a movie more if it sticks with me afterwards, and this movie has done exactly that, as I keep thinking of things that happened throughout the movie that really added to the overall story of the movie.
As I mentioned above, I went into this movie with high expectations, and I think that it exceeded everything I thought it would be. I thought there was a good chance that the movie may fall apart a bit in the final act, but instead, everything came together and made the movie feel bigger than it was through the first part. I wouldn't suggest you go into the movie thinking you are just watching a typical action movie. You will need to pay attention and keep your wits about you as you watch it if you want to get the full feel of the movie by the time it is over. If you go into it with that mindset, I think you are in for a real treat of a movie that is better than you are probably expecting.
My rating for the movie is 9/10
Friday, September 23, 2016
Movie - The Magnificent Seven (2016)
Note: There may be minor spoilers throughout, but I will keep them to a minimum.
The Magnificent Seven is a remake of a movie from 1960, which was at the time a remake of Seven Samurai by Kurosawa. The premise is similar, but there were certainly changes made from the original film, which had it's own changes, since it was a western and the Kurosawa film was a Japanese martial arts movie. The new movie was an attempt to bring the same themes from the older movies and make them relevant to more modern audiences. I feel as if this was accomplished, while still keeping the true older western feeling to the movie, which was my primary concern going in. I'm a pretty big fan of westerns, when they are done right, and I think that the new version of The Magnificent Seven was certainly one of the ones that was done right.
The movie starts off by introducing us to the bad guy, Bartholomew Bogue (played by Peter Saarsgard). He is a ruthless, over-the-top villain, which is what I'm looking for in a western, and Bogue checks all the right boxes. He offers to buy all the land from the townsfolk for $20 each, and when the people try to protest, he kills several of them and says he will be back in 3 weeks time to get the answers from the rest of the townsfolk. This causes two of the townsfolk to go out and look for some help.
Entire Chisolm (played by Denzel Washington). Chisolm is essentially a bounty hunter, who is collecting on government warrants. The two people from the town come across him on their search, and offer him everything they have if he will help. He is reluctant at first, but when he hears the name Bogue, he suddenly changes his tune, and starts recruiting others to help him. Obviously, he ends up with seven men total, and they go to the town to help out the townsfolk.
The cast was very solid, as every character was played well. With the run time of the movie, and so many characters to flesh out, some of the characters didn't get the development that maybe they deserved, and so a few characters in particular stood out more than others. Denzel, as the main character, obviously, and Chris Pratt as Faraday were the main focus points of the story, but I also thought that Ethan Hawke and Vincent D'Onofrio stood out as well. I think that D'Onofrio was probably my favorite character from the movie, as he was very funny and still managed to have a deeper feel to his character than just comic relief.
If anything suffered in the movie, I would say that the climax was a bit abrupt, but the fighting sequences leading up to the final moments were really well done, and let each character shine in their own way. Some of the behavior of some of the characters was a little strange at times, as I felt that they were going through the motions sometimes to get to the ending instead of their actions being what caused the ending to play out like it did, but with this type of movie, I think you have to throw a little bit of logic out the window and just enjoy the ride.
If you like westerns, or were a fan of the original movie, than you can't go wrong with The Magnificent Seven. It was a fun movie, with good performances, good action, and a satisfying, if not somewhat bittersweet, ending. I was pretty excited for this movie since I saw the first trailer, and had a little higher expectations than maybe I should have had going in, but I think that the movie lived up to what I wanted it to be, and I left the theater feeling satisfied.
My rating for the movie is 8/10
The Magnificent Seven is a remake of a movie from 1960, which was at the time a remake of Seven Samurai by Kurosawa. The premise is similar, but there were certainly changes made from the original film, which had it's own changes, since it was a western and the Kurosawa film was a Japanese martial arts movie. The new movie was an attempt to bring the same themes from the older movies and make them relevant to more modern audiences. I feel as if this was accomplished, while still keeping the true older western feeling to the movie, which was my primary concern going in. I'm a pretty big fan of westerns, when they are done right, and I think that the new version of The Magnificent Seven was certainly one of the ones that was done right.
The movie starts off by introducing us to the bad guy, Bartholomew Bogue (played by Peter Saarsgard). He is a ruthless, over-the-top villain, which is what I'm looking for in a western, and Bogue checks all the right boxes. He offers to buy all the land from the townsfolk for $20 each, and when the people try to protest, he kills several of them and says he will be back in 3 weeks time to get the answers from the rest of the townsfolk. This causes two of the townsfolk to go out and look for some help.
Entire Chisolm (played by Denzel Washington). Chisolm is essentially a bounty hunter, who is collecting on government warrants. The two people from the town come across him on their search, and offer him everything they have if he will help. He is reluctant at first, but when he hears the name Bogue, he suddenly changes his tune, and starts recruiting others to help him. Obviously, he ends up with seven men total, and they go to the town to help out the townsfolk.
The cast was very solid, as every character was played well. With the run time of the movie, and so many characters to flesh out, some of the characters didn't get the development that maybe they deserved, and so a few characters in particular stood out more than others. Denzel, as the main character, obviously, and Chris Pratt as Faraday were the main focus points of the story, but I also thought that Ethan Hawke and Vincent D'Onofrio stood out as well. I think that D'Onofrio was probably my favorite character from the movie, as he was very funny and still managed to have a deeper feel to his character than just comic relief.
If anything suffered in the movie, I would say that the climax was a bit abrupt, but the fighting sequences leading up to the final moments were really well done, and let each character shine in their own way. Some of the behavior of some of the characters was a little strange at times, as I felt that they were going through the motions sometimes to get to the ending instead of their actions being what caused the ending to play out like it did, but with this type of movie, I think you have to throw a little bit of logic out the window and just enjoy the ride.
If you like westerns, or were a fan of the original movie, than you can't go wrong with The Magnificent Seven. It was a fun movie, with good performances, good action, and a satisfying, if not somewhat bittersweet, ending. I was pretty excited for this movie since I saw the first trailer, and had a little higher expectations than maybe I should have had going in, but I think that the movie lived up to what I wanted it to be, and I left the theater feeling satisfied.
My rating for the movie is 8/10
Wednesday, September 21, 2016
TV Show - Vice Principals - Season 1
Note: May contain minor spoilers, but will try to keep them to a minimum.
Vice Principals is a comedy on HBO, starring Danny McBride and Walton Goggins. The premise of the show is that these two vice principals have been waiting for the principal (played by Bill Murray) to retire so that they can have their shot at becoming principal. However, they are destined to set each other up for failure so that they get it over the other one, which ends up leading to the school board bringing in someone from outside of the school to take over. This eventually leads them to team up to take out the new principal so that they can get back to fighting each other for the position.
The premise isn't anything spectacular, but considering this is primarily a comedy first, that doesn't really matter much. These two guys are both terrible people, and so they spend pretty much the entire season doing terrible things to try to get rid of the new principal, which leads to some very funny moments. There are some jokes that miss, but for the most part, the show delivers on the comedy bits it sets out to accomplish. Where the show surprised me a bit was when the show would take some darker, more serious turns. Just when the show has you laughing out loud, they will throw something in there to make you feel sorry for the different characters, even though you know that they bring most of their problems upon themselves.
The two main characters certainly carry the show, but the supporting cast does a pretty good job as well. Danny McBride pretty much plays the same character from his last show on HBO (Kenny Power from Eastbound and Down), but by a few episodes into the season, he starts to set himself apart a bit as the bitter and mean Neal Gamby. If you are already a fan of McBride, you are getting exactly what you are looking for here, but if you don't already like him, his performance here isn't going to do anything to change your mind. The real star here though, in my opinion, is Walton Goggins as Lee Marshall. He is eccentric, very metrosexual, and he is dark and twisted in ways that you have to see to believe. As messed up as he is, he still finds ways to make you feel sorry for him, even as he completely ruins the new principals life on more then one occasion.
Overall, I liked the show very well, but I can't quite place my finger on just why. It was very funny, well acted, and the serious moments don't feel out of place, and even seem to carry you on to the next episode wondering what will happen next. But I still felt like maybe there was more to be had, and sometimes it felt like the show couldn't quite make up its mind what it wanted to be. The first season ended in a way I was certainly not expecting, and it really makes me wonder just where the show will go from here. It was renewed for another season, and from what I can tell, that will be its final season, as they only planned out 18 episodes. I honestly think that is a smart way to go with the show, as I think they can only go on so long with the pace they have, so it's best to not try to stretch the show out unnecessarily.
My rating for the season is 7/10
Vice Principals is a comedy on HBO, starring Danny McBride and Walton Goggins. The premise of the show is that these two vice principals have been waiting for the principal (played by Bill Murray) to retire so that they can have their shot at becoming principal. However, they are destined to set each other up for failure so that they get it over the other one, which ends up leading to the school board bringing in someone from outside of the school to take over. This eventually leads them to team up to take out the new principal so that they can get back to fighting each other for the position.
The premise isn't anything spectacular, but considering this is primarily a comedy first, that doesn't really matter much. These two guys are both terrible people, and so they spend pretty much the entire season doing terrible things to try to get rid of the new principal, which leads to some very funny moments. There are some jokes that miss, but for the most part, the show delivers on the comedy bits it sets out to accomplish. Where the show surprised me a bit was when the show would take some darker, more serious turns. Just when the show has you laughing out loud, they will throw something in there to make you feel sorry for the different characters, even though you know that they bring most of their problems upon themselves.
The two main characters certainly carry the show, but the supporting cast does a pretty good job as well. Danny McBride pretty much plays the same character from his last show on HBO (Kenny Power from Eastbound and Down), but by a few episodes into the season, he starts to set himself apart a bit as the bitter and mean Neal Gamby. If you are already a fan of McBride, you are getting exactly what you are looking for here, but if you don't already like him, his performance here isn't going to do anything to change your mind. The real star here though, in my opinion, is Walton Goggins as Lee Marshall. He is eccentric, very metrosexual, and he is dark and twisted in ways that you have to see to believe. As messed up as he is, he still finds ways to make you feel sorry for him, even as he completely ruins the new principals life on more then one occasion.
Overall, I liked the show very well, but I can't quite place my finger on just why. It was very funny, well acted, and the serious moments don't feel out of place, and even seem to carry you on to the next episode wondering what will happen next. But I still felt like maybe there was more to be had, and sometimes it felt like the show couldn't quite make up its mind what it wanted to be. The first season ended in a way I was certainly not expecting, and it really makes me wonder just where the show will go from here. It was renewed for another season, and from what I can tell, that will be its final season, as they only planned out 18 episodes. I honestly think that is a smart way to go with the show, as I think they can only go on so long with the pace they have, so it's best to not try to stretch the show out unnecessarily.
My rating for the season is 7/10
Monday, August 29, 2016
TV Show - The Tick - Pilot Episode
Note: Major spoilers for the pilot episode of The Tick. You have been warned.
When I was young, I remember discovering The Tick through the cartoon version of the comic book. It was only on for a few seasons, but to this day there are still some of the one-liners and catchphrases that still stick with me. I also watched the live action version of the show, which was on even less time, and remember being disappointed when the show was canceled and didn't come back on. And so, when I heard that Amazon was making another live action version of The Tick, I was instantly excited and waited around for my opportunity to see if they would be able to recapture the joys I had when I was young, or if it would turn out to be a disappointment. Well, the time has finally come, as I watched the pilot episode over the weekend and having now seen it, I am optimistic for what the future holds.
The episode mainly follows Arthur, a clearly troubled young man, whom is trying to prove that an evil supervillain, The Terror, was not really killed as the world thinks. Soon into the episode, we find out that Arthur truly is a bit crazy, and is on medication for his illness, but he has stopped taking his meds. He tracks a group of bad guys to an abandoned factory by the bay, where he sees some sort of weapons being transported in. He then encounters a large man in a blue suit, who calls himself The Tick. They talk for just a minute or two before the cops show up and Arthur is arrested.
At the station, as they are questioning Arthur, we find out a little more of his backstory. It turns out that when he was young, The Terror killed his father, which explains why he is still trying to track him down if he is still alive. The cops offer him a deal, but they will have to call his sister, which is his guardian. He reluctantly agrees, and she picks him up and lectures him on getting back on his medication and letting The Terror stuff go. He says he will, and she leaves him alone at his apartment.
Meanwhile, The Tick attacks the men at the factory and blows the whole place up. This scene was fantastic, as we get to see The Tick in all his glory, which is to say his over the top bravado, and also we get to see that he is basically indestructible and really strong. I really felt like they captured a lot of my old memories of The Tick in this scene, which is what really gives me hope for the future of the series.
The next day, The Tick goes to visit Arthur and tells him that destiny brought them together, and that he wants Arthur to be his sidekick. Arthur says he is basically nobody, but The Tick is relentless and tells him about the night before. He also gives Arthur a briefcase, which he says is the only thing remaining from the explosion. The Tick tells him that he will be waiting on the rooftop for Arthur when he decides to join him. Arthur puts on the suit as the remaining henchmen from the night before show up to kill Arthur. They bust through the door as Arthur is figuring out the suit, and The Tick is on the rooftop giving a monologue. Arthur hits a button and his wings pop out, making him fully into The Moth, as he will become when he becomes The Tick's sidekick, and the episode goes off there.
The episode was not as big on humor as I thought it would be, and was a lot of setup for Arthur. It really set the table for things to come, and for that, I thought it did well. I would like to have seen more of The Tick in the episode, but we get a nice taste of the character with the promise of way more on the horizon, assuming the show gets picked up for a full season. I truly hope it does, as I think the show has a ton of potential, and would like to see where they are heading. In the meantime, I guess I had better work on my catchphrase...
My rating for the episode is 7.5/10
When I was young, I remember discovering The Tick through the cartoon version of the comic book. It was only on for a few seasons, but to this day there are still some of the one-liners and catchphrases that still stick with me. I also watched the live action version of the show, which was on even less time, and remember being disappointed when the show was canceled and didn't come back on. And so, when I heard that Amazon was making another live action version of The Tick, I was instantly excited and waited around for my opportunity to see if they would be able to recapture the joys I had when I was young, or if it would turn out to be a disappointment. Well, the time has finally come, as I watched the pilot episode over the weekend and having now seen it, I am optimistic for what the future holds.
The episode mainly follows Arthur, a clearly troubled young man, whom is trying to prove that an evil supervillain, The Terror, was not really killed as the world thinks. Soon into the episode, we find out that Arthur truly is a bit crazy, and is on medication for his illness, but he has stopped taking his meds. He tracks a group of bad guys to an abandoned factory by the bay, where he sees some sort of weapons being transported in. He then encounters a large man in a blue suit, who calls himself The Tick. They talk for just a minute or two before the cops show up and Arthur is arrested.
At the station, as they are questioning Arthur, we find out a little more of his backstory. It turns out that when he was young, The Terror killed his father, which explains why he is still trying to track him down if he is still alive. The cops offer him a deal, but they will have to call his sister, which is his guardian. He reluctantly agrees, and she picks him up and lectures him on getting back on his medication and letting The Terror stuff go. He says he will, and she leaves him alone at his apartment.
Meanwhile, The Tick attacks the men at the factory and blows the whole place up. This scene was fantastic, as we get to see The Tick in all his glory, which is to say his over the top bravado, and also we get to see that he is basically indestructible and really strong. I really felt like they captured a lot of my old memories of The Tick in this scene, which is what really gives me hope for the future of the series.
The next day, The Tick goes to visit Arthur and tells him that destiny brought them together, and that he wants Arthur to be his sidekick. Arthur says he is basically nobody, but The Tick is relentless and tells him about the night before. He also gives Arthur a briefcase, which he says is the only thing remaining from the explosion. The Tick tells him that he will be waiting on the rooftop for Arthur when he decides to join him. Arthur puts on the suit as the remaining henchmen from the night before show up to kill Arthur. They bust through the door as Arthur is figuring out the suit, and The Tick is on the rooftop giving a monologue. Arthur hits a button and his wings pop out, making him fully into The Moth, as he will become when he becomes The Tick's sidekick, and the episode goes off there.
The episode was not as big on humor as I thought it would be, and was a lot of setup for Arthur. It really set the table for things to come, and for that, I thought it did well. I would like to have seen more of The Tick in the episode, but we get a nice taste of the character with the promise of way more on the horizon, assuming the show gets picked up for a full season. I truly hope it does, as I think the show has a ton of potential, and would like to see where they are heading. In the meantime, I guess I had better work on my catchphrase...
My rating for the episode is 7.5/10
Saturday, August 27, 2016
Movie - Mike & Dave Need Wedding Dates
Note: May be some minor spoilers throughout, but will try to keep them to a minimum.
I went into this movie with some low expectations, just based on my thoughts that this movie was thrown together and was never really supposed to be a movie anyway. It is loosely based on actual events, as these two guys did post on Craigslist to find dates to their sister's wedding, but it is my understanding that essentially everything in the movie is completely fabricated. I do like Adam Devine and Anna Kendrick has been fantastic in everything I have seen, but that wasn't enough for me to really go out of my way for this one, but I was in the mood for a comedy and it was the only option that I hadn't already seen, so I decided I would give it a go anyway. It ended up being much better than I expected, and wasn't just some cheap, gross-out comedy, like what I first believed.
As I mentioned above, the premise of the movie is that these two guys, that are known to their family as constant failures and mess-ups, are invited to their sister's wedding, but the family wants them to find actual dates so they aren't just their normal selves. This leads to them having the idea to post an ad on Craigslist because they had found a couch that they both loved on Craigslist and so thought it made the most sense. After a lot of failed dates, they come across two equal failures and mess-ups who have conned themselves into the dates so they can get a free trip to Hawaii. From their on, the movie plays out like any other similar romantic comedy you have seen, with some obvious humor thrown in as we get to the obvious but sensible enough ending to this whole façade.
The performances were pretty well done by everyone, especially the four main leads. I was a little disappointed that Anna Kendrick ended up being the least impressive of the group, as she was a little too restrained instead of given full rein as Aubrey Plaza was given. Adam Devine was easily the funniest of the four, as I would expect, and I thought that Zac Efron actually did a rather good performance, although his timing could have been a little better with some of his more humorous scenes. I just felt that he was better off staying as the straight man to Adam's funny guy routine.
Most of the scenes throughout the movie were on par with typical R rated comedies on the market, with not a lot of scenes that stood out as extremely different from other movies. I also didn't think there were a lot of just weak scenes, as all the scenes worked for the most part and kept the story plodding along to the end. There was one exception to this, and that was a very interesting massage parlor scene that was easily the biggest payoff of the whole movie, which actually comprised of two different scenes happening concurrently. I can honestly say that while not a lot of the movie will stick with me in say a year from now, but that one scene will likely stick with me anytime mentions this movie in the future.
The movie didn't break the mold for romantic comedies, but it is a pretty enjoyable hour and a half if you are just looking for something to laugh at and not have to spend too much time thinking or worrying about the plot. I really didn't think I would enjoy it very much, but I had a better time with it than I thought I would, and so I guess I would say the movie was a success at least from that standpoint. I think the movie maybe could have been marketed a bit better to get the point across that it was a romantic comedy first, and then a typical R rated comedy second, and it may have had some more success. I think they probably could have left out the part about it being loosely based on actual events as well, as I think that made me have some preconceived thoughts about the movie that drew away from the film as opposed to making me more interested in it.
My rating for the movie is 7/10
I went into this movie with some low expectations, just based on my thoughts that this movie was thrown together and was never really supposed to be a movie anyway. It is loosely based on actual events, as these two guys did post on Craigslist to find dates to their sister's wedding, but it is my understanding that essentially everything in the movie is completely fabricated. I do like Adam Devine and Anna Kendrick has been fantastic in everything I have seen, but that wasn't enough for me to really go out of my way for this one, but I was in the mood for a comedy and it was the only option that I hadn't already seen, so I decided I would give it a go anyway. It ended up being much better than I expected, and wasn't just some cheap, gross-out comedy, like what I first believed.
As I mentioned above, the premise of the movie is that these two guys, that are known to their family as constant failures and mess-ups, are invited to their sister's wedding, but the family wants them to find actual dates so they aren't just their normal selves. This leads to them having the idea to post an ad on Craigslist because they had found a couch that they both loved on Craigslist and so thought it made the most sense. After a lot of failed dates, they come across two equal failures and mess-ups who have conned themselves into the dates so they can get a free trip to Hawaii. From their on, the movie plays out like any other similar romantic comedy you have seen, with some obvious humor thrown in as we get to the obvious but sensible enough ending to this whole façade.
The performances were pretty well done by everyone, especially the four main leads. I was a little disappointed that Anna Kendrick ended up being the least impressive of the group, as she was a little too restrained instead of given full rein as Aubrey Plaza was given. Adam Devine was easily the funniest of the four, as I would expect, and I thought that Zac Efron actually did a rather good performance, although his timing could have been a little better with some of his more humorous scenes. I just felt that he was better off staying as the straight man to Adam's funny guy routine.
Most of the scenes throughout the movie were on par with typical R rated comedies on the market, with not a lot of scenes that stood out as extremely different from other movies. I also didn't think there were a lot of just weak scenes, as all the scenes worked for the most part and kept the story plodding along to the end. There was one exception to this, and that was a very interesting massage parlor scene that was easily the biggest payoff of the whole movie, which actually comprised of two different scenes happening concurrently. I can honestly say that while not a lot of the movie will stick with me in say a year from now, but that one scene will likely stick with me anytime mentions this movie in the future.
The movie didn't break the mold for romantic comedies, but it is a pretty enjoyable hour and a half if you are just looking for something to laugh at and not have to spend too much time thinking or worrying about the plot. I really didn't think I would enjoy it very much, but I had a better time with it than I thought I would, and so I guess I would say the movie was a success at least from that standpoint. I think the movie maybe could have been marketed a bit better to get the point across that it was a romantic comedy first, and then a typical R rated comedy second, and it may have had some more success. I think they probably could have left out the part about it being loosely based on actual events as well, as I think that made me have some preconceived thoughts about the movie that drew away from the film as opposed to making me more interested in it.
My rating for the movie is 7/10
Sunday, August 21, 2016
Movie - Sausage Party
Note: There may be some minor spoilers throughout, but I don't really think that matters so much for this movie.
I don't even really know where to start with this one, as I think that anyone who is even thinking about watching this movie already knows what they are getting themselves into. There is a ton of bad language, sexual innuendo, racism, and ridiculousness, and I don't think that anyone that watches it would have it any other way. If by some odd chance you wander into this without knowing all of the above, to which I say shame on you, then I would not be surprised if you walked out within the first five minutes. All of that said, I enjoyed the movie well enough, but I think maybe I have just gone numb to this type of humor, and so I was just looking for something to set this movie apart from other Seth Rogen movies, and it just wasn't there.
The movie follows Frank, a hot dog that is wanting to get chosen by the "gods" so that he can go to the Great Beyond and have sex with Brenda, the hot dog bun in the package next to his. That's...pretty much it, there isn't a lot of other storyline here other than the fact that we all know when they get chosen, they are going to get eaten. After they get chosen, but before they can leave the store, a jar of honey mustard that has been returned to the store has found out the truth, and tries to explain himself before throwing himself out of the cart to die before he can get eaten. Frank and Brenda try to save him, but they just cause the cart to crash, and get separated from their friends, along with the main protagonist...wait for it...a bottle of douche (I'm not making this up, I promise). So, the bottle of douche wants revenge for not getting to do his job, and spends the rest of the movie trying to hunt down Frank and Brenda, while they try to find the answers that lie on the other side.
I really put down a lot more up there than I thought I would, but I almost felt that more clarification needed added as I kept typing. It just snowballed, I'm sorry. Anyway...the movie doesn't shy away from anything, and I mean that literally. There are things that could not be shown in a normal Seth Rogen movie, such as the douche going down on a juice box to resupply himself after losing he springtime freshness, or a giant food orgy, but overall, the humor is the exact same. They even poke fun at themselves at the end, letting everyone know that they are in on the joke the whole time. While this is all to be expected of sorts, I felt that they didn't try to do anything special to stand out, and by doing a movie in full animation, that might have been something they wanted to do. It felt like a normal Disney or Pixar movie, just with a bunch of extremely R rated content. Maybe that is what they were shooting for, but I guess I was looking for something else, and that may be on me more than it is on the filmmakers.
The voice cast was solid, and there were some truly laugh out loud moments, but mostly I just laughed a little inside as most of the jokes were predictable, but fairly well executed. Nobody ever questioned Seth's timing, it has always been more about taste and just phoning it in, as his stoner vibe puts off, and this one was no different. I watched The Night Before several months back, and I felt that in that movie, they were trying to be more than just a gross out comedy, whereas this one just said, "Nah, who cares."
I did like the movie well enough, but I don't know that I would recommend it to anyone. If you like this type of movie, and are just looking for something funny for an hour and a half, then feel free, but if you want a comedy that you haven't seen before, you probably want to look elsewhere. I wanted to like the movie better than I did, but I just simply couldn't. Other than a handful of truly funny moments, it was just a mediocre Seth Rogen movie, only animated.
My rating for the movie is 6/10
I don't even really know where to start with this one, as I think that anyone who is even thinking about watching this movie already knows what they are getting themselves into. There is a ton of bad language, sexual innuendo, racism, and ridiculousness, and I don't think that anyone that watches it would have it any other way. If by some odd chance you wander into this without knowing all of the above, to which I say shame on you, then I would not be surprised if you walked out within the first five minutes. All of that said, I enjoyed the movie well enough, but I think maybe I have just gone numb to this type of humor, and so I was just looking for something to set this movie apart from other Seth Rogen movies, and it just wasn't there.
The movie follows Frank, a hot dog that is wanting to get chosen by the "gods" so that he can go to the Great Beyond and have sex with Brenda, the hot dog bun in the package next to his. That's...pretty much it, there isn't a lot of other storyline here other than the fact that we all know when they get chosen, they are going to get eaten. After they get chosen, but before they can leave the store, a jar of honey mustard that has been returned to the store has found out the truth, and tries to explain himself before throwing himself out of the cart to die before he can get eaten. Frank and Brenda try to save him, but they just cause the cart to crash, and get separated from their friends, along with the main protagonist...wait for it...a bottle of douche (I'm not making this up, I promise). So, the bottle of douche wants revenge for not getting to do his job, and spends the rest of the movie trying to hunt down Frank and Brenda, while they try to find the answers that lie on the other side.
I really put down a lot more up there than I thought I would, but I almost felt that more clarification needed added as I kept typing. It just snowballed, I'm sorry. Anyway...the movie doesn't shy away from anything, and I mean that literally. There are things that could not be shown in a normal Seth Rogen movie, such as the douche going down on a juice box to resupply himself after losing he springtime freshness, or a giant food orgy, but overall, the humor is the exact same. They even poke fun at themselves at the end, letting everyone know that they are in on the joke the whole time. While this is all to be expected of sorts, I felt that they didn't try to do anything special to stand out, and by doing a movie in full animation, that might have been something they wanted to do. It felt like a normal Disney or Pixar movie, just with a bunch of extremely R rated content. Maybe that is what they were shooting for, but I guess I was looking for something else, and that may be on me more than it is on the filmmakers.
The voice cast was solid, and there were some truly laugh out loud moments, but mostly I just laughed a little inside as most of the jokes were predictable, but fairly well executed. Nobody ever questioned Seth's timing, it has always been more about taste and just phoning it in, as his stoner vibe puts off, and this one was no different. I watched The Night Before several months back, and I felt that in that movie, they were trying to be more than just a gross out comedy, whereas this one just said, "Nah, who cares."
I did like the movie well enough, but I don't know that I would recommend it to anyone. If you like this type of movie, and are just looking for something funny for an hour and a half, then feel free, but if you want a comedy that you haven't seen before, you probably want to look elsewhere. I wanted to like the movie better than I did, but I just simply couldn't. Other than a handful of truly funny moments, it was just a mediocre Seth Rogen movie, only animated.
My rating for the movie is 6/10
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