At the Movies with Kane and BN

[Kane52630]

F1

I can't wait for F2 when Dominic Toretto and Ricky Bobby show up.

An unbelievable crowd-pleaser of a sports movie that is fueled by the '90s/'00s Jerry Bruckheimer era of filmmaking. This was everything I was wanting out of Top Gun: Maverick, which never really jelled with me. The director Joseph Kosinski is truly our next Tony Scott in so many ways, with how he uses the high-end visuals and vibes to highlight and elevate the story. Seeing this on IMAX was incredible. On paper, this is a very formulaic sports movie centered around Formula 1 racing, and it's got all the tropes possible, but it's done on such a high level that it still works, and you're still very much invested in these characters. It's like a combination of Days of Thunder, Rush, Ford v Ferrari, and even Moneyball in that way. And this movie would not have worked without Kosinski and Claudio Miranda's visual designs, but more importantly, Hans Zimmer's synth-inspired soundtrack, which is 50% of why this movie works. I thought Brad Pitt, Damson Idris, Kerry Condon, and Javier Bardem were great in this and they all had their moments. Overall, easily the best entertaining popcorn movie of the year, and it's definitely worth seeing on IMAX to get the full effect.
4.5/5

 

[Kane52630]

Jurassic World: Rebirth

You could probably buy a country with that amount of candy product placement.

A shockingly well-made Jurassic film that admittedly does borrow heavily from the original trilogy, especially Jurassic Park III with a decent cast. The first half of the film does feel like the film Gareth Edwards always wanted to make after making his debut with Monsters. The movie in the first half also becomes Jaws in a way that doesn't wholly rip it off. It's pretty lean with the story and it makes a world difference seeing them actually shot on location for the majority of the film. Really enjoyed Mahershala Ali, Scarlett Johansson, and Jonathan Bailey who were fun and exciting. The T-Rex scene feels like it came out of nowhere but it was easily the best scene in the movie. The whole mutant dinosaurs part didn't feel as weird as the previous trilogy even when D-Rex shows up at the end. Still, it's a movie that feels like a copy of a copy but this is better than most copies. Overall, it's probably my 3rd favorite of the series which isn't saying much.
3.5/5

 

[Kane52630]

Superman

You'll believe a man can finally have a personality and fun after a dozen years.

Pretty terrific. It took an entire universe of dour and uber serious comic book films to finally give us a Superman who actually acts like Superman and who does good. James Gunn did a fantastic job bringing us into the world right away without wasting screentime to explain how it all started. You do see the tendrils of universe building within the DC universe without having to put too much focus on it. The All-Star Superman look and feel to it is pretty apt, and it's got scale and scope while also making it look vibrant and colorful. David Corenswet is fantastic and gave this Superman a real personality with ideas that we haven't had since the Donner era. Rachel Brosnahan played her Lois Lane perfectly, just like Margot Kidder and Dana Delany from Superman TAS. Nicholas Hoult might be the best live-action Lex Luthor we've got, and that's saying something. All the outer DC heroes played by Nathan Fillion, Edi Gathegi, Isabela Merced, and Anthony Carrigan were great, and setting up the foundation for the future Justice League was really well done. While the movie does handle its sci-fi shenanigans and has a ton of laughs, the movie also deals with heavy subtext on geopolitics, whether it's about immigration or Palestine/Israel. Overall, it's one of the better movies of the year, and it's a fantastic way to open up your universe and keep you wanting more.
4.5/5

 

[Kane52630]

Eddington

Man, Ari Aster really wanted to hone in on how long and insane May 2020 felt with this runtime.

A truly gonzo neo-western that is also an in-your-face political and social satire about America in 2020 during the pandemic. It's a movie with a million social commentaries squeezed into one movie, and while I don't think a lot of them are as well fleshed out individually, the amount builds up over time into a crazy 3rd act. It is pretty much Ari Aster trying to make Network, Civil War, Bacurau, and mainly No Country for Old Men into one film. Joaquin Phoenix and Pedro Pascal were incredible in this, and what they both represent is pretty obvious and on the nose (much like the rest of the film), but also interesting in where it leads. There is an action set piece that is so inspired by the gun fight that happens in No Country for Old Men, and it completely elevates the movie for me. Much like Alex Garland's Civil War, it's a movie that will ultimately piss off people on both extreme sides of the political spectrum while also commenting on doomscrolling culture. If I got any criticism, it would be that it does take its time and it does have multiple endings. Overall, I really dug it.
4/5

 

[Kane52630]

The Fantastic Four: First Steps

Who knew the literal plot point of a Fantastic Four movie would be "WE SHOULD TAKE BIKINI BOTTOM AND PUSH IT SOMEWHERE ELSE!"

Pretty decent, albeit very insular and safe for a Marvel film. It's directed by Matt Shakman, who created WandaVision, and you can pretty much see his retrofuturism influences in this film as well as the original Fantastic Four comics, with a little bit of The Jetsons thrown in. I really enjoyed the first half of the film where they try to explore a alternative 1960s New York where the Fantastic Four are the only well-known heroes and celebrities. It does feel like TV at times, and it works better when they are exploring the characters. I thought Pedro Pascal, Vanessa Kirby, Ebon Moss-Bachrach, and Joseph Quinn were pretty good in this, but I feel like something was missing chemistry-wise. I think the 2000s movies had better camaraderie between each other. As far as Silver Surfer and Galactus, I thought they were properly handled and they got some interesting moments that will probably matter in the future MCU movies. Overall, while it didn't completely wow'd me like Superman or even Thunderbolts, this was a pretty well made movie that did its job.
3.5/5

 

[Shinobi Shaw]

The Fantastic Four: First Steps

Who knew the literal plot point of a Fantastic Four movie would be "WE SHOULD TAKE BIKINI BOTTOM AND PUSH IT SOMEWHERE ELSE!"

Pretty decent, albeit very insular and safe for a Marvel film. It's directed by Matt Shakman, who created WandaVision, and you can pretty much see his retrofuturism influences in this film as well as the original Fantastic Four comics, with a little bit of The Jetsons thrown in. I really enjoyed the first half of the film where they try to explore a alternative 1960s New York where the Fantastic Four are the only well-known heroes and celebrities. It does feel like TV at times, and it works better when they are exploring the characters. I thought Pedro Pascal, Vanessa Kirby, Ebon Moss-Bachrach, and Joseph Quinn were pretty good in this, but I feel like something was missing chemistry-wise. I think the 2000s movies had better camaraderie between each other. As far as Silver Surfer and Galactus, I thought they were properly handled and they got some interesting moments that will probably matter in the future MCU movies. Overall, while it didn't completely wow'd me like Superman or even Thunderbolts, this was a pretty well made movie that did its job.
3.5/5

Your movie reviewing license is still suspended.

 

[Kane52630]

View attachment 142906

Your movie reviewing license is still suspended.

It aint my fault they made the Fantastic Four into an expensive 2 hour tv show.

 

[Kane52630]

Before Sunrise

What if the play about the cow is actually about the milkshakes poem?

Also, this is a perfect movie.
5/5

 

[Kane52630]

Happy Gilmore 2

It's wild that they got Shooter McGavin playing the Joker from The Dark Knight Returns.

Well, this was very mediocre, long, and predictable for a sequel to a beloved comedy in the 90s. It's got the late-stage Adam Sandler problem of making something that should be funny more stern and serious than it needs to be while also doing a lot of nostalgia bait. It's also filled to the brim with cameos between the athletes, comedy stars, and his own kids... It's actually more about the cameos than trying to tell a funny golf movie. In a way, this reminds me of Good Burger 2 more than anything, where they are trying to catch lightning in a bottle again. I will say there are some really good moments that are scattered throughout the movie, but they're few and far between. Overall, a harmless nothing burger with a couple of fun scenes.
2.5/5