Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania

 

Gillipedia Official Rating: Disappointed there isn’t a scene where Keanu Reeves appears and says, “I need ants. Lots of ants.”

Score: 6/10

          I don’t have a particularly controversial take on the new Ant-Man movie. It’s an entertaining, funny Marvel movie that sets up future phases of films. There’s no introspective themes to dive into, no shocking plot twists, but very arguably, it embraces what has made Ant-Man successful in the past—embracing the sillier side of Marvel with the bite-sized hero and star Paul Rudd. Perhaps what I can do for this review is explain what worked and what wasn’t as successful, and even add a suggestion or two on what I would’ve done differently.

          Fans seemed to overall enjoy this movie and laud Jonathan Majors as the main antagonist Kang the Conqueror, while critics place this as a bottom-tier Marvel film. And there are definitely Marvel movies worse than this one, so placing it right at the bottom is too harsh in my books. Kang and his stoic presence provides a terrific contrast to the other light-hearted elements of the film. One thing I really appreciate is the believability of the story on its whole... Well, in terms of believing a movie about an ant-themed superhero that is. As more Avengers come into the fold of larger universes, it becomes increasingly difficult to contain superheroes to their solo films without valid questions of, “But why didn’t -insert hero here- show up to help save the day?” And the Quantum Realm serves as a great location to keep things to Ant-Man, Wasp, and their family. And I can also see how Kang wasn’t a part of earlier films because he’s spent so much time trapped in this realm, and to avoid spoilers, his reasons for trying to escape. Which, very quick aside here, I’m not sure I’m completely sold yet on Kang having the best motives, but we’ll see how his character plays out in the future.

          I think one thing that frustrated me was the opening scene. We see Michelle Pfeiffer early on when she was trapped in the Quantum Realm, and the scene ends with her meeting Kang. Anyone who follows the MCU at least a little will know exactly who he is. But we’re going to spend the next 90 minutes with characters literally referencing “him” almost in the same breath of He-Who-Shall-Not-Be-Named like it’s a big reveal that there’s a villain in this realm. I don’t like the tease at the beginning if you’re going to build it up so much for the first two-thirds of the film.

          What is more successful is our quick opening. The film does an excellent job of quickly getting its exposition out of the way of where our characters are at in their lives because an overwhelming amount of this movie is spent in the Quantum Realm. With that said there isn’t Luis or some of the other Ant-Man characters that I would’ve enjoyed seeing for this third film. Paul Rudd’s Scott Lang is coasting on his contributions to the Avengers and trying to maintain a steady lifestyle for a family unit that he has never truly been a part of himself. Evangeline Lilly’s Hope works on science-y stuff, Lang’s daughter Cassie is taking up on her father’s way by getting into trouble and working with Hope and the grandpa Michael Douglas on technology to map out the Quantum Realm. Once Pfeiffer hears about this, before she’s able to explain why their new technology is so dangerous, it appears the device they created malfunctions, and the entire family gets sucked into the Quantum Realm. Scott and Cassie get separated from the other three, and this serves as our initial driving point of our characters wanting to find each other to find a way out of this place. But not everything is at it seems dun dun dunnnnnnnnnnn.

          I think part of my fatigue of the recent MCU is too much CGI in general. And this film has our characters almost exclusively interacting with green screen backgrounds. The visuals look fine overall, but there’s one generic soft glow that acts as the light source, so there’s little exciting cinematography to find, no dynamic lighting that happens. And yes, there is an overall varied color palette for this crazy realm, but it doesn’t fool your brain at any point into thinking you’re looking at anything real. And what doesn’t help is super derived character and costume designs. Star Wars Episode 2 is what came to mind first, but it also seemed like we were copying the likes of like John Carter and maybe even more recently Dune. This extends into the score and sound design. A lot of characters shoot some form of beams or lasers or quantum particles, I don’t know, at each other and it literally felt like everyone was instructed to shoot their pew pews at each other and call it a day. I’ll talk further about the action later, but it’s all forgettable.

           We meet a lot of new characters in this realm. We meet a rebellious group I believe called the Freedom Fighters, led by the very one-dimensional Jentorra. But two of the side characters from here include a hilarious red oozing blob that gave off B.O.B. vibes from Monsters Vs. Aliens and the mind-reading, deadpan Quaz. It’s Scott and Cassie that find this group and accidentally get them exposed to Kang’s troops. On the other side, in a sequence that held very little weight to the overall story arc, Pfeiffer interacts with Bill Murray’s Krylar, and we learn more about Pfeiffer’s backstory. As Pfeiffer is always about to explain exactly what happened and why it’s imperative they get out as soon as they can, they always get interrupted by something. Later on when they finally get to the bottom of what happened during the 30 years Pfeiffer was initially trapped, the characters of course ask her why she never mentioned Kang to them. And she says, “I didn’t tell you because I was trying to protect you. I’m sorry.” I swear the next movie to use this stupid trope is getting an automatic 1/10 from me because it’s the lamest logic to create artificial tension and mystery in a story.

          I think one symptom of the constant green screens is a lack of sophisticated action choreography. The action scenes aren’t chopped to death like other movies, but there just isn’t anything particularly interesting that happens. We also have no idea who can do what, or how much danger they are ever in at one moment. Anytime we have action it feels more like a beat that we have to get through to move on. It’s to create a sense of pace for our characters to get from point A to B. And this is my biggest suggestion. The film is just over 2 hours, and I’d like them to make it 10 minutes longer (and I still think you could cut out most of the Murray scene). I want a few seconds where they setup giant weapons or like a big boom or something. Let me feel the sense that when a character shoots their pew pew, it’s going to be a big pew pew. Even take Clash of the Titans and Wrath of the Titans. What those films did with overwhelming success was having the audience understand the insane scale of the Titans in those films. The film would pad the length just a few extra seconds just to show a Kraken emerge out of a giant lake, letting the water fall seemingly endlessly back down to the ground. There’s no comparison here. I want to understand the true might of Kang, and you could’ve had him like charge up before unleashing his blue beams and killing some folks—something along those lines. He may get made fun of for it, but Zack Snyder knows how to emphasize action primarily by slowing down footage. You could even take Hong Kong martial arts films as an example of when they zoom up close on a character when a punch or kick lands on its target.

          There’s a moment that Scott shares with his daughter later in the film that is sweet enough for father-daughter bonding, but there’s so little done to set it up. It’s like the film wanted to aim for some theme and threw a bunch of stuff right near the end. Literally, Cassie tells another character, “Just don’t be a dick.” So there’s your big movie theme, folks. Also, the villain MODOK makes an appearance, and my understanding is that the giant face thing is like how it appears in the comics, and this is where they really should’ve taken creative liberty in translating something into a modern film. Because MODOK looks absolutely wonky. And Paul Rudd and others do make jokes about his appearance, but just because you can be self-referential doesn’t disregard the fact that it should’ve been different in the first place. Anyways, back to setup and Paul Rudd, you remember how he worked at Baskin Robbins for the first film and it was hilarious? Hope you’re ready for three more jokes about that scattered throughout this film. Is it funny? Sure. Is it also lazy? Also yes.

          Paul Rudd and some of the Freedom Fighters help make sure Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania is one of the funnier MCU films and embraces the silliness of previous Ant-Man movies. Kang provides a great foil for both this film as well as promised appearances later on. A predictable story, boring action, and derivative costumes and visuals prevents this from bringing us out of a slight Marvel slump of films that make you go, “Yeah, I mean I liked it, but it wasn’t great or anything.” Oh, and since Valentine’s Day wasn’t too long ago, make sure you find yourself someone that talks to you the way Michael Douglas talks about his ants.

Heat

 

Gillipedia Official Rating: I want someone to take Al Pacino saying, “Bam!” and cut it into a cooking video like Emeril Lagasse seasoning food.

Score: 9/10

          I feel late to this party, but boy am I just happy to show up. I almost gave this film an 8 because there’s a couple elements that don’t come together, but the level of filmmaking and acting displayed here excels this film past so many others that it absolutely deserves the above 9. Writer/director Michael Mann doesn’t come out with too much, but he’s known for hard-hitting action dramas dealing with some form of criminals (first example that comes to mind is Tom Cruise’s villainous turn in Collateral). And Heat was heavily marketed as a Pacino/De Niro showdown, and it lives up to that name.

          We’re introduced to our main players from the start and their living situations in just a couple minutes of the 3-hour runtime before quickly moving on to the first heist that De Niro and his crew pull off. It’s hard to describe exactly how Mann pulls it off, but the combination of these professional criminals working their craft and it feeling authentic, to the combination of well-used wide shots to show us the surroundings and the close-ups of our main characters throws us into this world, grips us, and refuses to let go. And I’ll go ahead and mention this now: if you’re wondering about how the tone of the film feels, it didn’t take long for me to feel like I was watching the inspiration for Christopher Nolan’s The Dark Knight—in particular, the opening bank robbery scene. And I didn’t know it at the time, but I will pat myself on the back because after a bit of research, Nolan does describe this as one of his favorite films and indeed an inspiration to his film.

          I feel like the difference between films I gave high praise to versus those I was more critical of in the past year was all about the emotional connection to the characters. And luckily, this long film isn’t just filled with fluff. The action is tense, but it’s the hardships of life surrounding our characters that draws us in. De Niro has been successful in what he does his entire life in part to his standoffish style and willingness to do what is necessary for the job at hand; but when he meets a young, attractive woman that he takes a liking to, how can he keep the two worlds separate? The demolitions and basically right-hand man to De Niro is Val Kilmer, and his relationship with his wife and child is currently heated, but there is still love there. On the flip side, Al Pacino is a veteran detective that has trouble sharing the burdens of his work with his wife, and that has put a strain on their relationship. It’s within these relationships where the film is both crafted well while also missing just a mark or two.

          As the film moves along, De Niro talks with Jon Voight about another score—of course, it’s one of those career-enders, the big bucks, the big kahuna, enough dough to retire, the end all be all, the big cheese, the butter poached lobster, the final axe to grind, the—

          The first heist was successful, but just a couple small moments start to add up as Pacino and his detectives start to put the pieces together on who’s behind the crimes. The LAPD is putting more heat on De Niro, but there’s almost this sense of pride of “You think you can catch me? You think you’re better at what you do than what I do? Then c’mon, give me your best shot.” De Niro has gone his career knowing when to step away when the heat is too much, but as the draws of perhaps a simpler life with his newfound love toil in his mind, he has to make decision on if this final job is worth all the heat, but also if riding off into the sunset into retirement is truly the end goal. Because this is the only life that he knows and what he’s good at. And again, it’s going to take Pacino’s full efforts to try to stop De Niro, but is the job worth the turmoil it’s causing his marriage?

          The beauty of the above questions is yes, there’s plenty of scenes of dialogue, but the true reason this movie earns its ratings is what is said between the lines. I’m thinking this movie was overlooked at the award shows at the time due to being an action film, but I’m telling you the acting here is powerful. Pacino is over-the-top in the best ways that he pulls off, but the way De Niro exhibits his control and power over people with simply a look is so good. It takes gravitas for the commanding presence he has, and it’s a powerhouse to behold. There’s a famous scene in a café where Pacino and De Niro see each other face-to-face for the first time and essentially tell each other that they will both stop at nothing to get the job done. And with it being such a long movie, I was eating dinner at the time, and you better believe even though I was mid-bite, my eyes stayed glued to the screen for the entirety of that scene. Scarlet Johansson could've been in the same room trying to entice me with free tubs of Chick-fil-A sauce, and it wouldn't have mattered; there is nothing that could've prevented me from being spellbound by the acting on display. The way they emote so much without having to say a word is incredible, but it also helps that the dialogue is classic. My favorite line had to be when De Niro is on the phone with William Fichtner who was even in that opening bank robbery of The Dark Knight and made the mistake of double crossing De Niro, where De Niro then delivers the lines, “What am I doing? I’m talking to an empty telephone… Cause there’s a dead man on the other end of this f*ckin line.”

          And it’s not just our three main guys in this film—everybody is in this movie. A tween Natalie Portman, Ted Levine basically playing the character he would recurringly play on Monk, Tom Sizemore, Wes Studi, Danny Trejo, Dennis Haysbert (the All State guy), and Hank Azaria. It’s an all star cast that I thoroughly enjoy, but it leads into my criticism that there’s just one too many subplots in the film. De Niro, Pacino, and Kilmer all deal with their own troubles outside of their work, and while most of it works thematically, there’s even a late subplot involving Portman (who plays Pacino’s step-daughter) that feels thrown in more than anything. Also, I’m sorry, but De Niro’s love interest is just too young for him and I never fully got behind the romance there. I’ll defend the film for most of its runtime, but it could be tightened up just a bit—even 15 minutes cut out would be enough.

          Once we get to the climactic bank robbery and the subsequent and inevitable Pacino/De Niro showdown, I am fully invested. There’s not much dialogue, but the action and the directing speak for themselves. The score of the film perfectly fits every scene, and this film should ultimately be a blueprint for many other films if they too would like to succeed just like The Dark Knight. This is a classic film for a reason, and if you’re looking for a heavy drama with gritty action mixed in, Heat gets my high recommendation.

5 Favorite Films of 2022

 

    There were some clunkers, very mid Marvel movies, but a few standout blockbusters this year. I haven’t seen too many of the Oscar hopefuls (just watched and wasn’t impressed by The Banshees of Inisherin), so keep in mind that this list can only contain the movies I actually watched. With the films that I already wrote a review for, if you'd like to read my full thoughts, I'll be including all of those links! I’m very thankful for this year with the opportunity to watch all these movies as well as life outside of films, but without further ado, let’s recap what I watched.

 

#5 The Batman

The Batman Review

          Sure, there’s some bias here being a huge Batman fan to start off with. It will be interesting to see if Matt Reeves and Robert Pattinson are in James Gunn’s mind for the new DCEU; regardless, the only superhero film on this list deserves its spot. The world building is great and fits in perfectly with the dark tone, Paul Dano and Colin Farrell are standout villains as The Riddler and Penguin respectively, and figuring out the riddles with the overarching corrupt political Gotham at the heart of the film is engaging. And the upside down shot of Batman approaching in the rain with the fire behind him is an all-time shot. Gritty, executed on every level, and everything I could want in a Batman film.

 

#4 Nope

Nope Review

          Jordan Peele has not missed yet in my books. Nope is his biggest departure from the horror genre as a whole, but it still keeps enough of those ingredients to satiate that quench. But what you get as a whole is a film shot like no other—the villainous “monster” lurking in plain view with well-lit nighttime shots. “Well-lit nighttime shots” is not a sexy sounding sentence, but after so many films have wanted that dark aesthetic but refuse to show anything going on, this feels like such a blessing, and Peele knows exactly what to do with it.

          I’d also like to take this time to say that Daniel Kaluuya deserves an Oscar nom for Best Actor for this film. I’m doubling down in my original review that it’s not going to get the awards buzz because it’s not flashy, but he does such an incredible job of playing an introverted ranch hand; one of the most difficult things to do is act subtly, and Kaluuya does it brilliantly. If you’re looking for something more on the sci-fi lines with some horror elements, Nope is solid through and through.

 

#3 Barbarian

Barbarian Review

          In what is typically not my favorite genre overall, this is the 2^nd horror movie to make my list this year, and it’s the reason I couldn’t call Nope the best horror movie of the year. Barbarian was more under the radar, but it’s definitely one of those films that’s better the less you know going in. Star Georgina Campbell has a mix up with her Airbnb, and instead of hopelessly looking for a hotel that’s booked up, she reluctantly agrees to share the space and night with Bill Skargard—who famously played the titular clown in It. It’s a creepy and realistic nightmare scenario, and the plot only thickens from there. This was some of the most fun I had at a theater, and that’s why Barbarian deserves this spot on the list.

 

#2 Marcel the Shell with Shoes On

Marcel the Shell with Shoes On Review

          Probably the biggest surprise for this list, I think this family-friendly movie is incredible and should easily take Best Animated Film. I’m still not sure how exactly, but there’s like a combination of stop-motion, regular animation, and live-action shooting an adorable 1-inch shell that lives in a comfy 2-story house. And it being an A24 studio film, you know the cinematography is going to be top-notch. Combine family-friendly sensibilities with genuinely well-made material, and then top it off with the most wholesome content I’ve seen in years, and that’s why this movie not only makes the list but also is so far up. If you are in need of a smile, watch this movie.

 

Un-honorable Mentions

         

Amsterdam

Amsterdam Review

          Sometimes I go into a movie with lower expectations, but I’m not shaking in the knees to go dole out money and time for a bad film. And this first film has got to be the biggest disappointment of the year because I was a huge fan of almost everyone involved with this movie. There’s too many subplots, the performances are all over the place, and at the center of it all, this film wants to be a comedy and simply isn’t funny. The built-in pauses for audiences to laugh gets excruciating, and the running gags are worn out by the 7^th punchline you’ve heard repeatedly in the 2-hour movie. I really wish Amsterdam was better, I truly do.

 

Jurassic World: Dominion

Jurassic World: Dominion Review

          Now this was not a film I had exceedingly high hopes for. I thought its predecessor was better than it’s given credit for, but there’s no defending Dominion. I’m tired of bringing back old cast members, the plot is essentially the exact same as every Jurassic movie, and outside of a handful of moments, the CGI action doesn’t cut it. Chris Pratt and all the producers were really just cashing checks with this one.

 

The 355

The 355 Review

          Say what you will about the last two movies above; there might even be some people that could make a few arguments in their defense. But there is absolutely nothing you can do for The 355. This takes the cake as worst film of the year by a mile. I like the cast overall (Penelope Cruz being the only one here actually acting), but there is zero plot and every frustrating element from a generic action film that has come out in the past decade. That style of handheld quick edits that The Bourne Ultimatum pulled off that really no other film has successfully replicated? Yup, that’s exactly what you get here. Since my original review was before I was handing out scores, all you need to know is this film is a 2/10.

 

Honorable Mentions

 

Everything Everywhere All at Once

Everything Everywhere All at Once Review

          Before we get to the film of the year, let’s add a bit more positivity with some well-deserved shout-outs. And narrowing these honorable mentions to just three was a struggle itself. But first on the honorable mentions is the most unique film of the year. Combining the multiverse now made popular from Marvel, some of the best action choreography, some of the most innovative jokes, and a thoughtful familial story at its center, you get this movie. And there’s so much to enjoy and I understand that some people might even be bewildered that this doesn’t claim a spot in my top 5. I think some of its quirks get just a little too quirky for my taste and play out a little too long. I also thoroughly enjoyed the story, but it may not have fully impacted me the same it did for others. And that’s okay! Joke as I may that my reviews are definitive, this is also just my own opinion. This is a really good movie, just not something I need to revisit soon.

 

The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent

The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent Review

          If the title is unfamiliar, just know that this is the most Nic Cage movie out there. And it’s a blast. Saw this at a film festival a month before its theatrical release, and the vibe in the theater was just great. Possibly the most I belly-laughed in a film this year, this super meta film is better than a hot cocoa on a chilly winter night.

 

Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery

          It’s not quite as good as the original, but I love Rian Johnson, I love the whodunnit genre, and I think he successfully pulled off this sequel. It’s another highlight cast with colorful characters (again, they’re not quite as much fun as before), and yet again, the way you think the mystery will be played out is against expectations. One huge gripe I have with mysteries whether in film or TV, is when they want the audience to guess but don’t provide enough suspects or evidence throughout for you to try thinking it through. And I did come to the conclusion before the end. That doesn’t mean the mystery was too simple; it felt earned, and I felt proud for figuring it out using the context clues provided. All in all it’s still plenty of fun.

 

And the film of the year…

 

Top Gun: Maverick

Top Gun: Maverick Review

          There was only one movie I was compelled to go back and see twice, and what else would you expect from me than for it to be a Tom Cruise movie. You can read my full review of the film, but what this film does correctly is make you feel attached to the characters, so the stakes in the action scenes feel genuinely dangerous. And speaking of genuinely dangerous, there’s minimal CGI, and yes, they are actually flying planes. The way this film is shot is phenomenal and ground-breaking (because it’s in the air ha), and that scene where Cruise runs the course to prove the mission is impossible possible had me on the edge of my seat, palms sweaty, and heart pounding. Top Gun: Maverick is why I enjoy going to the cinema and why I will continue to go in the new year. 

    I’m always open to suggestions on what to watch, and I hope you both enjoy reading my content and find it useful in determining if you should watch a certain film as well. For those that have reached out saying they’ve enjoyed these reviews, I have truly appreciated it, and it helped make 2022 a highlight year. Thanks everyone.

Avatar: The Way of Water

 

Gillipedia Official Rating: Because when the first one makes 2b, you don’t not make a sequel

Score: 6/10

          If you’ve heard middling to great reviews for the Avatar sequel, that’s exactly what you’ll see here too. I saw this movie in 3D in a packed theater, and everyone’s opinion ranged from it was okay to it was great. I am seriously shocked that this film is nominated for the Golden Globe for Best Picture – Drama because I fall into the crowd that it was fine. Let me explain.

          We can talk about the long gap between movies, how scenes were shot 4 years ago, how utterly expensive this film was to make, etc., but let’s focus on the product at hand. Despite my score and initial reaction from above, I want to first say that this film is beautiful. If you plan to see it in theaters, 3D is honestly the way to go—and this is coming from a guy who doesn’t even know what the last 3D film I saw was because I don’t like chalking up the extra bucks (I think it was like an adorable panda movie at a museum). Where the first film was ground-breaking in its innovative motion-capture, this film truly takes things to the next level. My understanding is they even filmed some motion-capture underwater for some scenes, and even with that knowledge, I still have no idea how they pulled off what they did.

          From the very start of the film, when you’re looking at the Na’vi and Avatars, even the texture on their blue skin is the most realistic visual effects I’ve ever seen. And it doesn’t stop there. Even the motion capture they’re using is crisp and the movements look and feel natural. One big complaint I’ve had with Marvel visual effects is characters occasionally looking rubbery in their movements. And there’s a section in the film about 45 minutes long where the whole The Way of Water subtitle comes into play with a new setting in their world of Pandora, and the audience is treated to tons of water sequences, new Avatars, and many new creatures. And it’s gorgeous. It truly reminded me of the ride at Disney World, and in this movie you really get to sit back in 3D and marvel at this incredible world around you. You'll see sunsets with this fake but so realistic water glistening, and you will wish you were on Pandora at that point.

          And the above paragraph is the high marks I can’t ignore about this film. I feel bad about any other film that gets nominated for Best Visual Effects because it truly isn’t a competition. Surrounding that roughly 45 minutes of pure wonder, however, is a subpar plot with uncompelling characters.

          It takes about an hour of the film to quickly remind us that Jake, Sam Worthington’s character, married Neytiri (Zoe Saldana), and they now have some children of their own. The bad guys of the film, humans, retreat after their unsuccessful attempt at that unobtainium and return to Earth. We go through a few years as the kids get a little older, but there’s also one character with a baffling background…

          I remember Sigourney Weaver playing a good doctor in the first film. She got injured or something, tried to fully connect with her Avatar, it didn’t work, and she died. But through some weird cloning/pregnancy/I don’t remember because it was like two lines of dialogue, we have another kid Avatar that is basically raised by the Jake household. Her name is Kiri, and I hope you’re ready for a big subplot involving her connection to Pandora and not knowing who her dad is, and I hope you’re also prepared for it to be setting up more plot points in the sequels because it doesn’t get resolved here.

          Along with the strange Kiri, the kids hit very familiar marks. The eldest son obeys Jake’s orders willingly and wants to prove he can grow up to be a strong leader while the younger son is more rebellious but has a good heart that Jake fails to recognize at time. There’s also a human boy that sticks with the Avatars, and while I wished his character was given less screen time just because he wasn’t interesting, it becomes apparent later on that he’s one of the bigger characters in the story due to his background. And boy is that background a doozy.

          You remember Stephen Lang’s one-faced villainous marine from the first movie? First, the human boy in this film is his son. Second, are you wondering who the villain is in this film? Well, the humans took DNA from some main players and technology has reached far enough to successfully implant a person’s DNA into a new Avatar. So Lang’s memory’s are put into a new Avatar that is both that boy’s father but also technically not since he himself is a clone. And it’s easily the thing I hate the most about this movie. Oh yeah, you remember the one-dimensional villain we had the first time? Let’s literally clone him. So once again, this clone named Quaritch played by Stephen Lang is the villain, and humans are the overarching villains having returned to Pandora about 15 years later because Earth is dying and they now need to colonize Pandora to start anew.

          One more thing really quickly. Sigourney Weaver’s cloned daughter Avatar thing is like a 14-year-old girl—still played by Weaver. It’s kinda stupid, but Weaver actually kills it in her mannerisms, and I didn’t even know it wasn’t a child actor until I learned it after the movie was over.

          To avoid spoiling the plot, basically what you might care about is the humans are specifically hunting Jake and his family, and this forces a tough decision on their part to leave their home. They come across aquatically adapted Na’vi with more webbed limbs and greenish tint to the standard blue creatures. Again, the world building is incredible, the water effects and creatures are breath-taking, and I fully embraced the new setting.

          But it doesn’t last as the Jake clan attempt to fit in while the humans continue their search. Throughout the film are multiple action scenes, and by and large, all of them are too long. There was one single moment of action that truly stood out—a guy’s arm gets ripped off—and that’s it. Everything in the motion-capture looks fluid and great, but there’s just so much excess. And this is highlighted by the climax of the film. The last hour of the film is a huge sequence with multiple characters fighting their own battles. I didn’t emotionally connect much with the characters, so I didn’t care much about the tension, and by the end, I really just wanted it to be over. Because to make that sequence (and the other action scenes) as long as it was, you have to manufacture tension and force characters into tight situations that they have to think on their feet to come out of. And every big character has their own situation going on. Which is really where the deviation in how people feel about this film come into play. If you really connected with the film throughout, you’ll feel very invested in the outcome of the final battle; but if you’re like me, then you’ll start getting agitated that this already long movie keeps going on pointlessly. This is not The Godfather where more scenes about the family makes me care more about what goes on around because the actual character drama doesn’t feel novel.

          I don’t remember the last time I saw the original Avatar, and I do want to factor in how ground-breaking the technology for that film was for the industry in the decade following; however, I actually still think this film expands on the world of Pandora in a way that is better than the first film. James Cameron also honestly deserves a Best Director nomination. Forget about the plot; how he's able to pull performances from his cast and imagine the world around is truly remarkable, and I still honestly have no idea how he even was able to make this film. And when I have no idea how you do what you do, that will always earn high marks from me. And for the animation, I have regarded Blade Runner 2049 as my favorite visual effects of all-time, but from a pure technical perspective, The Way of Water has no rival and it’s not even close. This film is beautiful beyond measure, and the few extra bucks for 3D is worth it. I’m beyond frustrated by the stupid villain, some of the subplots are completely unnecessary and more than content with being resolved in the sequels, and the plot is disappointingly underwhelming. Which is why this movie is just fine. You don’t have to watch it, but if you do, seeing it in theaters in 3D is easily the route to go for that experience. Also, I can’t tell you how often I mistakenly called this movie The Shape of Water. It was in development so long that was actually probably its original title before Guillermo del Toro won Best Picture.

Amsterdam is really bad + a bonus review

Gillipedia Official Rating: It’s rumored Christian Bale simultaneously gained and lost 300 pounds for this role

Score: 4/10

          Amsterdam is packed tight with big names. Christian Bale, Margot Robbie, and John David Washington are the stars, but there’s also Michael Shannon, Robert de Niro, Taylor Swift, Anya Taylor Joy, Zoe Saldana, Chris Rock, Rami Malek, Timothy Olyphant, and Mike Myers. Throw in writer/director David O. Russell, and this movie has to be good, right? Well, I’m not sure if you read the full title, but the sting of all the names attached to this project still hasn’t worn off.

          Living in a post-WW1 world, Bale is an eccentric veteran doctor taking more morphine than he should, and Washington is a stoic lawyer that served with Bale and continues to work with him. A frantic Taylor Swift asks them to look into the death of her father—their old commander. They suspect foul play, then get framed for a murder, and now they’re on the run trying to figure out what in the world is happening. And to understand what is happening, we also watch what happened to our leads while they served and the nurse (Robbie) that takes care of their injuries, and how the inseparable pair becomes the musketeers instead.

          At over 2 hours long, it takes too long for the movie to find its groove. There’s also a pretty rapid switch about halfway through from trying to be a charming murder mystery to unfolding to a much larger plot involving the war as a whole. Yes, it does tie into some real events, but it is still jarring. The style of this film and Russell films in general is yes, the paragraph above is the main plot. But while characters walk between settings, they talk about what else is going on and the side plots reveal themselves—like Bale’s hapless marriage into an elitist family. We do end up wanting things to work out for the characters, but when the climax fizzles instead of bangs, trying to have the story culminate into one scene with all the characters coherently just doesn’t land.

          The biggest shortcoming for this film, however, is its tone. The genre listed first for this film is comedy. And let me tell you that the way this film is shot is some of the worst directing I’ve seen in a long time because there’s absolutely no comedic timing. There’s never enough setup, and the delivery is far too stiff for any joke to ever land. If I had to listen to Bale tell one more character that he is a veteran, I’d probably shoot myself. I think it’s a running gag, and it’s extremely annoying. And to be very clear, it does feel like this movie is trying to honor veterans which I really do appreciate, but Bale has to tell everyone he’s a veteran no less than 15 times during this movie. But I digress. Let me try to explain this comedy as simplistically as possible.  The most basic setup for a scene would be two characters talking to each other. Any film that gets widely distributed will have a setup something like a camera behind each character’s shoulder (over the shoulder) and a third wide shot showing both actors. To keep the flow of dialogue, sometimes the character speaking isn’t the face we see on screen because maybe the reaction to the dialogue elicits the emotional response we’re looking for. What happens with this film is a character says their line. Pause. Switch to other character. Character two now speaks and says their line. Nobody in the world has ever spoken in a conversation like this, it looks fake, it feels awkward, and no, it isn’t funny to watch. It blows my mind how this happened, but this is the stiffest dialogue I’ve seen since possibly the atrocious Mortdecai.

          If you have an underwhelming story and a comedy without much humor, maybe it can be saved by the acting? Bale is a frequent collaborator with the director (as is de Niro), and he is fully committed to his role; because of the film surrounding him, it doesn’t stand out, but he is dedicated. I’m most disappointed by Washington whom I loved in Tenet and BlackKklansman where I think he’s supposed to be the grounded character, but there’s just hardly any emotion in any of his lines. Robbie does the best of the three in my opinion, and Chris Rock delivers what humor there is. Shannon and Myers try to keep a running gag about bird watching, but it’s not funny from jokes one through five. Malek is pretty good, and Taylor-Joy leans in hard to her pompous character, but it feels like too much even though the exaggeration is added for “comedic” effect. And don’t come at me Swifties, but Taylor tries too hard, it feels like she’s in a play and not a movie. For what it’s worth, I squarely put the blame of my acting criticisms squarely on director Russell’s shoulders. I truly felt like I was watching the rehearsals for this film because it felt like they were still figuring everything out. I seriously can’t tell if some of the dialogue was just that bad, or was it an actor’s first efforts at improvising? These actors were not set up for success, and the final product suffers for it.

          I actually give high marks to the music. It has a very ethereal, dreamlike quality to it, and could’ve added depth to a better film. I would honestly nominate and very possibly win the score for an Oscar I think it’s that good, but this movie does not deserve to be called Oscar winner or nominated. It also breaks my heart to see that the director of photography is the goat Emmanuel Lubezki. Everything is shot with a very soft white backlight—also adding to that ethereal quality. Which is not inherently a bad thing, it just doesn’t really fit with this film. Or why we kept following characters from behind as they walked around. It was also slightly uncomfortable how much the film is shot from like waist height looking up at our characters.

          Amsterdam is really bad. I was enticed by all of the actors and actresses that I recognized and have adored in previous films. David O. Russell has also directed some great movies, including one of the best romantic movies of all time in Silver Linings Playbook. Apparently, this was enough confidence for the producers because this wasn’t a cheap film and appears to have bombed hard. As it truly should have too. You won’t feel bad or anything for watching this, but there’s just way better ways to spend two hours of your time. I do feel less bad about this movie flopping though because I guess Drake was an executive producer. Probably also why this movie sucks.

 

Spencer

Gillipedia Official Rating: Twilight star gets British. No, not actual British actor Robert Pattinson

Score: 4/10

          The only thing I knew going in was the film was supposed to be okay and elevated by star Kristen Stewart’s Oscar-nominated performance as Princess Diana. Knowing the slightly anxious quality of Stewart and the fact that this film’s entire aim is to focus on the mental strain Diana was going through at the time, this could be an interesting movie. It’s not.

          There’s not much that happens. The film does center around Diana and how there’s this mix of outside forces trying to control her life and herself trying to desperately control her own life despite what the royal family’s plans for her may be. And this concept isn’t a bad one. I think the execution is simply rudimentary. The issue is how flat the film is. It doesn’t feel like the anxiety, stress, and other mental illnesses ramp up enough, so we move from scene to scene without riding much of an emotional wave. Yes, later on we get some slight hallucinations, but we’re never punched in the face with stress, and this movie desperately needed some sort of jolt of emotions.

          Stewart isn’t the only other big name. He’s most recognizable to me from his days as Wormtail in Harry Potter, but famed British actor Timothy Spall is here, as is Sally Hawkins and her effortless smile and exuberant joy. The biggest side character, however, is the head chef played by Sean Harris. The film takes place over roughly a week, and during that time we hear Harris yell out the menu for the day every day. Sure, the food looks and sounds pretty good. And there’s a couple lines of dialogue during the film about the efforts of everyone involved with the making of the food, but beyond that, I didn’t get the point. Yes, I also get that the real life chef got to know Diana… but in a film already struggling to find that “it” factor, we’re slowed down even further by watching the kitchen. I don’t see a bigger meaning behind it except to make this feel more like a “legitimate” film by bringing it just under the two-hour mark.

          Despite Stewart’s efforts, I’ll be honest—I did feel like the whole time I was watching her try to do a British accent and never felt like I saw her get lost and absorbed into the character of Princess Diana. I also like the intentions of this film and its stress on mental health, especially on such a public figure. But from an actual storytelling perspective, the themes are far too light, and the scenes don’t have enough flavor. Whereas at least with Amsterdam you could see where the story was building up towards, there is never a far-reaching goal for our protagonist to aim for. Nothing to look forward to, no callbacks or foreshadowing with payoffs at the end. Spencer simply moves from scene to scene, relying on the laurels of Stewart, and it’s not nearly enough to carry this film.

Black Panther: Wakanda Forever

 

Gillipedia Official Rating: Nothing but love to the Boseman family

Score: 8/10

          With the tragic passing of Chadwick Boseman, one of the most successful Marvel franchises had to pivot with its superhero Black Panther. From what I understand, Namor was always set to be the villain, and writer/director Ryan Coogler switched thematic elements and story points from there. The film does a solid job of paying tribute to Boseman, but it also wants to be a Black Panther movie, tie in elements of the TV shows, and set up future films as well. Everything is handled well, and this is ultimately a great movie that is the best Marvel movie of 2022—but that’s not the largest statement to make with Doctor Strange 2 and Thor 4 being the others.

          The best way to describe the mood of the film most of the way through is somber. And appropriately so. We start off with standout Letitia Wright’s Shuri unsuccessfully able to heal her brother from his sickness, so the film immediately addresses his death. Shuri acts as our new lead for the film, and she is a great actress, but this is really more of an ensemble film. Again, you have the other returning Black Panther characters like Winston Duke’s M’Baku, Angela Bassett as the queen, and Martin Freeman still playing an American. All of them get their time, then we get Namor’s backstory too, oh, and Shuri as the protagonist needs to have some form of an arc as well. And in terms of hero arcs, this is one of the weakest; the payoff at the end doesn’t feel naturally resolved or as thought-provoking or emotionally charged as it tries to be. As a common theme of this review, all scenes are well-made, but with how much needs to happen in the 2 hr 40 min runtime, there’s never enough time to let the emotions soak in. I think one of the biggest symptoms is I came in fully prepared to cry over Boseman and get goosebumps, and instead, everything was more muted.

          Where Multiverse of Madness only had moments of cool action but relied too heavily on CGI and Love and Thunder leaned in too far to the goofiness and only had the standout scene in that shadow realm, Wakanda Forever does still rise above these films thanks to the actors and director Coogler. This is some of the strongest acting I’ve seen in a Marvel film as you can tell everyone is giving it their all as their own personal farewell to Boseman, and Coogler is simply one of the more talented directors working today. The way scenes are shot doesn’t make you feel like you’re looking at visual effects, and the focus stays with the powerful faces of the actors. Also, the editing in the fight scenes are quick; however—and this is huge—you’re still able to see everything that happens and can tell thought went into the choreography.

          While Wakanda mourns its king, a new threat arises in the underwater nation of Talokan. Led by mutant Namor, they shock Wakandans by also having vibranium. Having suffered at the hands of slavers centuries ago, Talokans are willing to kill those from the outside world to keep themselves and their vibranium hidden. One early action scene blends horror elements where a nation uses a ship and some rigging to try drilling for vibranium out in the ocean, and some female Talokans mimic being sirens by singing and luring the workers out to the sea and to their death.

          While I am critical of the Marvel movies this year, one thing all of them, including this film, excel at is the villains. DC has always had the better villains, but Namor is another strong entry for Marvel. Since he is a mutant, he has the ability to swim underwater and breathe on land, and he even has wings on his feet. So this makes Black Panther 2 for 2 on awesome villains. The Wakandas can relate to the isolationist mentality of Talokans, but the heroes have more morality in not wanting to create an all-out war with the world. This creates a lot of the thematic elements, particularly with Shuri, on how far you will go for vengeance and if it’s even worth it in the end. And perhaps under normal circumstances, cutting away centuries ago to spend 10 minutes on Namor’s background would’ve been fine, but I think for this film it just dragged the film a bit too much. The middle of this film goes through all its story beats without pausing long enough for the audience to feel the weight of its implications. This is probably most evident when one of our characters dies over halfway through, and while shocking and sad, again, the tone felt more muted.

          With mostly solid visuals, strong music, obviously great costumes, and the focused efforts of the entire cast and director Coogler, Black Panther: Wakanda Forever is the best Marvel movie of the year. But with so much to accomplish with its own story as well as the MCU as a whole, the emotional impact is lost ever so slightly. This is a solid Marvel movie and is well made overall, but it doesn’t hit quite hard enough to be one of the elites.

Marcel the Shell with Shoes On

 

Gillipedia Official Rating: So wholesome I can’t even make a joke in this tagline

Score: 10/10

          I recently had the opportunity to do a bit of traveling for work, and part of that ritual is watching movies on flights. While I’m debating reviewing some of the others I watched, there was one clear standout, Marcel the Shell with Shoes On. This movie oozes wholesome content through a brisk runtime. For 90 minutes straight, I was grinning from ear to ear, even possibly with a tear in my eye from time to time.

          The best way to describe the first dozen minutes or so in terms of tone is honestly a bit like the opening of Up. There’s this montage-like quality as we’re introduced to our here, Marcel, who is… a shell… with shoes on. He’s only one-inch tall and lives in a suburban two-story house. His dialogue feels very stream of conscious as we’re guided through the house and watch how Marcel gets by on a daily basis— traveling inside a tennis ball or using a stand mixer attached to string to shake a tree to get fruit to drop. And where does this supply of string come from? Marcel’s answers and solutions to everything is always innocent, creative, and even a bit clever.

          There’s a couple other players to know. Marcel isn’t the only living inanimate object. There’s an older shell that Marcel calls Nana Connie, and a young man named Dean. It’s also worth mentioning at this point how the film actually looks. The house is live-action as is our human Dean, but Marcel and Nana are a mix of stop-motion and animation. Dean rents out the house as an AirBnB until he finds a new apartment, and upon discovery of Marcel, decides that he would make the great subject of a documentary. And that’s the style of how the film is shot. And it’s gorgeous. Playing with depth perception and those sun rays gleaming off a slightly dusty service, and then incorporating our adorable stop-motion protagonist is so thoughtfully crafted. This is an A24 film and comes fully with the expectations of how that studio’s films should look.

          Not only is the film endlessly wholesome, it’s surprisingly funny. Marcel has some great lines, but there’s many small moments too. My favorite example is Dean helping Marcel make a phone call. Marcel leaps from number to number on Dean’s smart phone until it starts ringing. We listen to the call while just to the side Nana is watching the scene unfold. And she’s casually standing on a laptop that’s open to a word doc, and since she’s on the “z” key, the doc slowly fills with “zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz”. It’s not the focus of the shot, they never call it out or bring attention to it, but it’s a fun, clever idea executed and timed so well.

          If I had to stoop low enough to find any critiques, it’s that the way the small conflict in the middle of the film plays out is a bit pedestrian and easy to predict where the movie is headed. Part of this involves Dean uploading a segment to YouTube and Marcel gaining popularity. Stupidly, Dean includes the outside of the house and this brings unwanted attention once the public figures out where the house is. Marcel feels responsible for something that happens a bit later, but Dean never remarks about this.

          But that’s not nearly enough for me to not recommend this film. The ending made me so happy that I genuinely was starting to tear up. I honestly haven’t kept up too much with animated films recently, but this is easily the best animated film of the year, and I’d also say it’s the most wholesome film I’ve seen in the last decade. It’s an incredible feat of filmmaking that the entire family will enjoy. I am a huge fan of many genres including films like Hereditary that fill you with dread, but you have to balance that out with good-feeling movies, and there’s no better choice than this film. Tis the season to put a smile on your face, and you’ll do just that by watching this movie. Cheers, everyone.