Cookie's Social Distancing Corner - Y7 Reviews

[4815162342]

I would rank the three films the same as you probably

[cookie]

Countdown City

 

Review contains spoilers.

 

Spoiler

 

 

 

Spoiler

 

I've spent over a month ruminating on whether I feel this is as good, better, or lesser than The Last Policeman, and I'm still genuinely not certain, so don't take my grade as an indication of either direction.

 

Unlike its predecessor, which spent much of its runtime enveloping in its atmosphere before somewhat hurriedly wrapping up its main mystery in its last quarter, Countdown City hits the ground running with its main mystery, and it's even wrapped up before the final act before the focus fully diverts to Hank's final pursuit of his sister Nico. Even before the main mystery is wrapped up, much of the film is rather spent on the brother/sister relationship and the enwrapping conspiracy storyline that began in The Last Policeman.

 

On the one hand, focusing so much on Hank and Nico is a good thing, because if there's one major flaw I felt with Policeman was that their subplot pretty much dead-ended into a "to be continued" without ever really kicking off in the first place, and Countdown rectifies that by focusing on it big time. Their interactions throughout the film, including during the sorority break-in, give you a strong sense of how they still care about one another despite being so distant.

 

On the other hand, it also makes Hank's quest to find the missing husband ultimately perfunctory, especially when it wraps up at the end of the second act and didn't seem to really matter in the grand scheme of things.

 

That I feel gives the film a very "middle chapter" vibe, i.e. the question of can the film stand on its own being difficult to answer without taking into account previously established context and whatever all the plot developments will eventually lead to. It's obviously unfair to lobby that against the film because it's a continuing story, but there are elements I still can't fully judge on without knowing what their payoff in the third and presumably final chapter will be.

 

I've been open that I've never been a fan of Ansel Elgort, but he is a good actor, and he remains a terrific straight man in this. Nico getting much more development in turn also allows Kaitlyn Dever to evolve into a stand-out performer of her own. Jane Levy as McConnell has good chemistry with Hank as his partner/eventual lover (?) and Manuel Garcia-Rulfo honestly steals the show as a criminal involved in the film's main mystery in part because of his interactions with Hank and being a large source of the film's surprising amount of levity.

 

Again, I can't really say how Countdown fares to its predecessor without also seeing where it leads. Thus, depending on how World of Trouble is adapted, my stance on Countdown may change.

 

For now, it's very solid. Also, the dog rules.

 

A-/B+

 

 

Edited May 1, 2020 by cookie

[cookie]

Megalo Box

 

Review contains spoilers.

 

Spoiler

 

 

 

 

3

Spoiler

Anime adaptations have had a very spotty track record in CAYOM. While efforts like One Punch Man, Bleach and The Ancient Magus Bride have certaintly tried, they've been undermined by either huge structural issues (often due to adapting multiple episodes or even whole seasons of a series without adjusting their storylines to what would be expected of a film) or hesitance to make the cultural adjustments necessary so that the end result, in particular with Magus Bride, doesn't become unfortunately problematic.

 

Megalo Box, even if it still adapts whole arcs of a series, seems to have learned from the mistakes of its forebearers, and it's better off for it.

 

Now, to be frank, the first patch is rough. This is more of an editing issue than a story issue since the movie cuts and jumps around so frequently that it takes close to maybe half an hour of the film's two-and-a-half-hour running time before essential things have been established in such a way that it becomes tangible for the viewer to follow. It becomes much less of an issue as the movie goes along, although the film's liberal use of flashbacks still cause the film to drag every now and then, and keeping the story more chronologically straight while cutting some of those flashbacks out would've gone a long way to mitigate a lot of these problems.

 

The strength of the film, once it becomes clear what it's about, is in its characters. The premise is standard enough to not really move the viewer one way or another, but the character dynamics are unique and engrossing enough that you don't really care, and you find yourself invested the closer the film gets to its endgame.

 

Benicio Del Toro as Coach Ned is the film's stand out, and that's because of his character arc. How it resolves with him literally sacrificing a part of himself in order to give Joe a fighting chance is poignant in relation to the wider ideas of the story, and the internal conflict that ultimately drives him to make that sacrifice is both engrossing and moving.

 

Another surprise is Romanian boxer Florian Munteanu as Joe's arch-rival, Yuri. In any other film, Yuri would just be the large bully who sees Joe as the underdog scrappy to take out, but Munteanu finds depth in developing mutual respect with Joe and his strive to become a boxer that could win through physicality and wit rather than with the aid of machines, which culminates when the two finally get to challenge one another in the film's final scene.

 

And Laurence Fishburne as the film's chaotic evil and ultimate villain, Felix, is always a treat.

 

Speaking of the final scene, I admit that I had to ask @SLAM! what the intent was with ending on a freeze-frame and leaving it ambiguous on who ultimately wins the fight. Hearing him explain how it relates to Joe's character arc and the desire to make the preceding fight against Mandla Masando the thematic and emotional climax makes it click much better with me than it did initially, and I think it's a solid storytelling choice after being given time to ruminate on it.

 

The corporate storyline between the Shirato siblings, while tying in with the rest of the story, is ultimately less interesting than Joe's own quest. It's not that it's bad, but I felt that by spending so much time on it kinda slowed the film down, particularly in the middle.

 

Megalo Box is not perfect. It is indeed heavily flawed, but it shows that some studios' strive to make anime a viable source to adapt from has already come a long way, and it walks so that perhaps in a few years from now another, more tightly structured film, could run. That, in my eye at least, gives the film a lot of leeways, and when it clicks, it really clicks. And, fortunately, it clicks often.

 

B+

 

Edited February 19, 2023 by cookie

[cookie]

The Ends of the Universe

 

Review contains spoilers.

 

 

 

 

Spoiler

Time to turn to what just might be one of the more contentious topics in recent times: high budget PG-13 animation.

 

The surge that was predicted from the success of To the Moon all the way back in Y2 hasn't happened yet, but that five-year absence ends (pun intended) today with Numerator Pictures bang-up effort in making the concept more commercially viable to audiences. So how does it hold up?

 

Pretty well, actually. To its credit, the film does not shy away from the fact that it's aimed at older audiences, despite its somewhat cutesy appearance initially. There's a willingness to turn violent and grim on a dime, perhaps making some tonal transitions a bit more jarring than others, but I think in the end it serves the story and content quite well.

 

With a cast mostly limited to renowned voice talent as opposed to Hollywood A-listers, Ends also stands out from most of its peers, and again I think is better for it. Yuri Lowenthal is pitch-perfect as the dashing William Kidd, John DiMaggio is the film's MVP as the mischievous lobster pirate Bosch (who's more or less Bender if he was the bad guy) and let's not forget Laura Bailey and her super hot voice as Adina, who frankly should be immediately admitted to the CAYOM space girl pantheon along with Alex, Tamara, Shepard, and others.

 

There are some pacing issues, mostly around the middle leading into the third act. A lot of it has to do with characters running around all over the place doing various tangentially related actions before the appearance of Mark Hamill as the film's ultimate villain, who, while entertaining as a presence, could've been set up a bit better as he sort of shows up out of nowhere to wreak havoc.

 

All in all, a solid, entertaining animated effort for older audiences looking for something different in the ongoing space opera craze.

 

B+

 

[4815162342]

5 hours ago, cookie said:

The Ends of the Universe

 

Review contains spoilers.

 

Spoiler

 

 

 

  Hide contents

Time to turn to what just might be one of the more contentious topics in recent times: high budget PG-13 animation.

 

The surge that was predicted from the success of To the Moon all the way back in Y2 hasn't happened yet, but that five-year absence ends (pun intended) today with Numerator Pictures bang-up effort in making the concept more commercially viable to audiences. So how does it hold up?

 

Pretty well, actually. To its credit, the film does not shy away from the fact that it's aimed at older audiences, despite its somewhat cutesy appearance initially. There's a willingness to turn violent and grim on a dime, perhaps making some tonal transitions a bit more jarring than others, but I think in the end it serves the story and content quite well.

 

With a cast mostly limited to renowned voice talent as opposed to Hollywood A-listers, Ends also stands out from most of its peers, and again I think is better for it. Yuri Lowenthal is pitch-perfect as the dashing William Kidd, John DiMaggio is the film's MVP as the mischievous lobster pirate Bosch (who's more or less Bender if he was the bad guy) and let's not forget Laura Bailey and her super hot voice as Adina, who frankly should be immediately admitted to the CAYOM space girl pantheon along with Alex, Tamara, Shepard, and others.

 

There are some pacing issues, mostly around the middle leading into the third act. A lot of it has to do with characters running around all over the place doing various tangentially related actions before the appearance of Mark Hamill as the film's ultimate villain, who, while entertaining as a presence, could've been set up a bit better as he sort of shows up out of nowhere to wreak havoc.

 

All in all, a solid, entertaining animated effort for older audiences looking for something different in the ongoing space opera craze.

 

B+

 

 

Glad you enjoyed it. My animated films definitely aim to focus on using professional voice talent for the most part.

 

Laura Bailey squad unite.

[cookie]

Beyblade and the Three Prologues

 

Let's get one thing straight right up front: This is NOT a Beyblade movie, and anyone expecting anything remotely like Beyblade is bound to be disappointed and, depending on how devoted you are, probably pissed off.

 

But is the movie good despite that?

 

The fact that it has two subtitles, has three prologues, and has three title cards within the first fifteen minutes, meaning you'll be seeing the word "Beyblade" three times before the movie actually starts, should tell you what kind of gonzo nonsense you're in for.

 

And it is gonzo, let's not beat that around the bush. Although its promise of three prologues is, in my opinion, kinda oversold, since it seems rather that prologue two and three are two parts of the same sequence, just divided somewhat arbitrarily.

 

But is it good? That depends on your definition of "good."

 

Good as in "that was a good movie?" Lol, no. With Rodriguez directing, the movie is somewhat stuck halfway between Alita and his usual all-green screen low-budget I-shot-this-for-my-kids nonsense, especially as the cracks show when the budget is limited to $100 million. On top of that, the plot makes no sense, and whenever it actually tries to be a real movie i.e. have viable character arcs and human drama it falls completely flat.

 

But good as in "that was so ridiculous I still had a good time?" Hell yes. If you're looking to get high and watch some absurd shit to test whether it's the movie or the drugs that are making you see things, then I honestly couldn't recommend it more. The multiple ways it finds an excuse to cram in more Beyblades are so absurd and so hilarious you're bound to still have a good time.

 

B-/C+

Edited May 2, 2020 by cookie

[cookie]

Attack on Titan

 

Review contains spoilers for this film, The Scavenger Wars Part III, Alita: Battle Angel and @4815162342's review of Attack on Titan.

 

Spoiler

 

 

 

 

3

 

 

 

 

Spoiler

So I deliberately decided to read Numbers review before I wrote mine, in part because curiosity got the best of me and because I wanted to see if, like our differing opinions on the first two Odyssey films, there was something I could rebuke or offer a different take.

 

I... can't really disagree with anything he says. Maybe about Eren being one-note since he's rather... uh... two-note? He spends half the movie just complaining and the other time coming up with rousing speeches on a dime, and outside of a few scenes I wasn't really grasping the bond he was supposed to have with Mikasa either. His relationship with Armin is more defined in this regard, but that's partially because Armin's role mostly seems to be standing around doomcasting before he finally decides to nut up, and it got a little old before that happened.

 

Mikasa rules though.

 

I wonder if some of this comes from the source material, given that I've heard very mixed opinions on it, and I wonder if some of the faults with this film either come from faulty translation or not changing/fixing what was broken about the material in the first place.

 

I will not use the word count for or against this film, because in part it'd make me a hypocrite, but also because, if anything, this felt breezier than, say, the last Spark movie, which was of similar length, and had a much more identifiable three-act structure, even if, like Numbers pointed out, most of the second act seemed to be devoted to one overlong sequence leading to the ultimate reveal of the rogue titan.

 

The film's liberal use of flashbacks, while working in some spots, became a bit of a detriment in others, in part because sometimes they seemed to happen without rhyme or reason.

 

Now, it is kind of a bold choice to surprise audiences by giving Eren a fakeout death at the halfway mark and not have him come back for a long stretch of time, allowing people to get more of Mikasa, Armin, and the others, kinda like how Lucina gets taken out halfway through Scavs 3's final act, but how Eren's transformation later happens is honestly very confusing and it took me quite a while to understand how him being a titan even worked, especially when a large part of the final act was then devoted to getting him under control rather than immediately send him to pummel the enemy titans. The part about his skeevy science dad and the lack of a real explanation didn't bother me since I know a part two is coming to hopefully explain it (and I've left things vague in the past myself), but given how much time is devoted to his reveal the film didn't really make what WAS revealed any clearer.

 

Some of the worldbuilding I was kinda lost on as well, mainly concerning the dynamic between the city police and the titan hunters. The city police didn't even show up to do anything until the movie was basically wrapping up, but it's held in this high regard for the characters because it's about protecting the king? I don't know, man.

 

And I can't disagree with Numbers either that the action scenes don't get exhausting after a while, in part because so much of them are spent with side characters we don't really get to know or get much chance to even care about since they either end up titan chump or fade back into the background once there's a break in the action. That's not to say there aren't some amazing action bits, and that Matt Reeves doesn't direct the hell out of them, but they also become hard to keep track from time to time, especially with so many characters bopping into each other at once.

 

Sasha only seemed to ever exist to deliver comedy relief about food, most of which devolved into honestly mean-spirited jokes at her expense (even Mikasa got in on it, which felt very out of character for her). I know all the memes of her being the "potato girl," but given her prevalence in the fandom I was hoping the movie would give her more of a rounded character.

 

And why is Dane DeHaan supposed to be a big deal? Even Chris Evans in that part would've been a bigger thing (I was even like "ooh, Captain America's in this!" when he first showed up, but then he disappears for the rest of the movie and then I was like "wait, when was he in this?" when he showed back up at the very end). Honestly, it reminds of the end of Alita where it's revealed that GASP! It's Edward Norton! and you're like "um... why is it supposed to be a big deal that it's the Bruce Banner that got fired?"

 

Let's be clear, this is not another One Punch Man... because it's not a structural trainwreck, but, kinda like One Punch Man, it's kind of a letdown as well. I really wanted to like this more than I did, but throughout so much of it the movie frankly just kept pulling me out it, and I found myself struggling to make sense out of multiple points or feel much engagement for anyone but maybe the main three.

 

I mean, it's a good thing that I care about the main three (okay, maybe just Mikasa because she's awesome), but there's so many other pieces moving around I just couldn't keep track of or care for, and given how much of the movie's devoted to them, that's a bit of a problem.

 

Bless @Rorschach's heart for trying, but this is gonna be a generous

 

B-

 

from me. I am so sorry.

Edited May 30, 2020 by cookie

[Rorschach]

@cookie There was one aspect of your review I wanted to comment on.

 

Spoiler

 

 

 

Spoiler

In regards to your comment about the military police, their job is mainly dealing with human crimes and serving/protecting the king in Wall Sina, the innermost wall after Wall Rose. Because of this, they don't usually come into combat with Titans. The Garrison and the Survey Corps are the ones who specifically deal with the Titans since the former group are the ones who protect the walls and the latter group comes into contact with them in their outside missions. The MP is not featured much in the portion of the story that I adapted, but they'll be a prominent force in the coming film.

 

Just wanted to clear that up for you since you were confused about it. 

 

Edited May 4, 2020 by Rorschach

[Reddroast]

2 hours ago, cookie said:

Attack on Titan

 

Review contains spoilers for this film, The Scavenger Wars Part III, Alita: Battle Angel and @4815162342's review of Attack on Titan.

 

  Reveal hidden contents

 

 

 

 

3

 

 

 

 

Spoiler

So I deliberately decided to read Numbers review before I wrote mine, in part because curiosity got the best of me and because I wanted to see if, like our differing opinions on the first two Odyssey films, there was something I could rebuke or offer a different take.

 

I... can't really disagree with anything he says. Maybe about Eren being one-note since he's rather... uh... two-note? He spends half the movie just complaining and the other time coming up with rousing speeches on a dime, and outside of a few scenes I wasn't really grasping the bond he was supposed to have with Mikasa either. His relationship with Armin is more defined in this regard, but that's partially because Armin's role mostly seems to be standing around doomcasting before he finally decides to nut up, and it got a little old before that happened.

 

Mikasa rules though.

 

I wonder if some of this comes from the source material, given that I've heard very mixed opinions on it, and I wonder if some of the faults with this film either come from faulty translation or not changing/fixing what was broken about the material in the first place.

 

I will not use the word count for or against this film, because in part it'd make me a hypocrite, but also because, if anything, this felt breezier than, say, the last Spark movie, which was of similar length, and had a much more identifiable three-act structure, even if, like Numbers pointed out, most of the second act seemed to be devoted to one overlong sequence leading to the ultimate reveal of the rogue titan.

 

The film's liberal use of flashbacks, while working in some spots, became a bit of a detriment in others, in part because sometimes they seemed to happen without rhyme or reason.

 

Now, it is kind of a bold choice to surprise audiences by giving Eren a fakeout death at the halfway mark and not have him come back for a long stretch of time, allowing people to get more of Mikasa, Armin, and the others, kinda like how Lucina gets taken out halfway through Scavs 3's final act, but how Eren's transformation later happens is honestly very confusing and it took me quite a while to understand how him being a titan even worked, especially when a large part of the final act was then devoted to getting him under control rather than immediately send him to pummel the enemy titans. The part about his skeevy science dad and the lack of a real explanation didn't bother me since I know a part two is coming to hopefully explain it (and I've left things vague in the past myself), but given how much time is devoted to his reveal the film didn't really make what WAS revealed any clearer.

 

Some of the worldbuilding I was kinda lost on as well, mainly concerning the dynamic between the city police and the titan hunters. The city police didn't even show up to do anything until the movie was basically wrapping up, but it's held in this high regard for the characters because it's about protecting the king? I don't know, man.

 

And I can't disagree with Numbers either that the action scenes don't get exhausting after a while, in part because so much of them are spent with side characters we don't really get to know or get much chance to even care about since they either end up titan chump or fade back into the background once there's a break in the action. That's not to say there aren't some amazing action bits, and that Matt Reeves doesn't direct the hell out of them, but they also become hard to keep track from time to time, especially with so many characters bopping into each other at once.

 

Sasha only seemed to ever exist to deliver comedy relief about food, most of which devolved into honestly mean-spirited jokes at her expense (even Mikasa got in on it which felt very out of character for her). I know all the memes of her being the "potato girl," but given her prevalence in the fandom I was hoping the movie would give her more of a rounded character.

 

And why is Dane DeHaan supposed to be a big deal? Even Chris Evans in that part would've been a bigger thing (I was even like "ooh, Captain America's in this!" when he first showed up, but then he disappears for the rest of the movie and then I was like "wait, when was he in this?" when he showed back up at the very end). Honestly, it reminds of the end of Alita where it's revealed that GASP! It's Edward Norton! and you're like "um... why is it supposed to be a big deal that it's the Bruce Banner that got fired?"

 

Let's be clear, this is not another One Punch Man... because it's not a structural trainwreck, but, kinda like One Punch Man, it's kind of a letdown as well. I really wanted to like this more than I did, but throughout so much of it the movie frankly just kept pulling me out it, and I found myself struggling to make sense out of multiple points or feel much engagement for anyone but maybe the main three.

 

I mean, it's a good thing that I care about the main three (okay, maybe just Mikasa because she's awesome), but there's so many other pieces moving around I just couldn't keep track of or care for, and given how much of the movie's devoted to them, that's a bit of a problem.

 

Bless @Rorschach's heart for trying, but this is gonna be a generous

 

B-

 

from me. I am so sorry.

You are not ready for code geass

[cookie]

In the Doghouse

 

This is based on a recently aired Portuguese televonela, and while I think it's neat that material from other countries make it into CAYOM and perhaps bring a new cultural perspective... the switch to a cinematic format comes with its share of detriments.

 

This is very melodramatic and kind of ridiculous in spots, which kinda makes you wonder why David Fincher, of all people, would approach it. On the one hand, it's a film that lays twists upon twists upon twists, which keeps the engagement level high, but many of those twists are so soap opera-ish and kinda ridiculous that it's hard to either take seriously or even follow from time to time, especially when some characters seem to exist just to spout cryptic exposition whenever they appear.

 

Doesn't help that some of the dialogue, especially the analogies used ("c*nt is a name that should be reserved for people who care about humanity at large about as much as Gandhi cared about paychecks") are... a lot.

 

It's not without its redeeming factors, and for a first time effort I've seen a whole lot worse. The cast try what they can with the material, even if most scenes devolve into people just screaming their backstories at one another, and I think Pugh comes out on top since she's probably the most rounded and down to earth character involved. The other kids seem to just exist, honestly, and Harbour and Ruah become a bit much with their constant yelling at one another, as mentioned.

 

It does kind of improve towards the end, if only because by then the overall mystery has cleared up and it so engages in soap opera melodrama so overdramatic that it becomes enjoyable in its own right, but it takes a bit of patience to get there.

 

Maybe one could draw a comparison to The Parvelli Reunion, because of similar setups, but Parvelli added an extra layer of confusion for the sake of confusion this one fortunately avoids, but it doesn't make it any less ridiculous in a "what the heck was that?" way by the time the credits roll.

 

C/C+

[cookie]

Tony Hawk's Pro Skater

 

It maybe is a little too weighty given its subject matter (Ryan Coogler directing and the Interstellar-like scoring at times kinda distract more than they add), but when it acknowledges that, still, it's a Tony Hawk Pro Skater movie, it does a pretty good job with what it has, even if the celebrity cameo of Tony Hawk himself becomes more gratuitous the longer he sticks around.

 

Points also for depicting a main character with Aspergers in a respectful way and not turn it into a major crutch for drama's sakes.

 

B/B+

[cookie]

Columbine

 

Like Alpha pointed out, the film just feels unfinished. It feels like there's a point hanging around at the margins, but it never really comes to fruition, and instead uses its last third to pretty much turn the actual shooting into some sort of spectacle like Mendes' own 1917, even though 1917 was about sacrifice and heroism while this... I'm not really sure what the intent was.

 

Is it about bullying? Gun violence? Just saying "hey, this tragic thing happened?" I really don't know.

 

The only remote pieces of insight seems to be when Eric is denied a date to the prom by Mollie, but Mollie disappears from the film once the shooting begins and nothing seems to come out of that.

 

Then there's the ending gag about Craig's hair which is, like, kinda gross?

 

Again, it's like half the film was cut out in the editing room but there wasn't anything to patch in the gaps left behind after that.

 

It would be wrong to call this film soulless, but it's definitely unfocused.

 

Update: I got a part about who uses slurs against who mixed up. That was my mistake, but it has no real effect on my overall opinion.

 

D

Edited May 6, 2020 by cookie

[cannastop]

5 minutes ago, cookie said:

The other is the shooters being called slurs and bullied by one or two kids,

I thought that they were using the slurs themselves in conversation with their friends. I don't recall putting any scenes of the shooters being bullied in the movie, although I could have if I wrote out more of the movie.

[cookie]

Love After Loving

 

 

This wasn't requested but IDGAF.

 

A fucked up film of the worst kind, the one that's just fucked up for no reason other than for the sake of revolting audiences. The kind of cynical bullshit that deserves no place in movie theaters and frankly audiences should just stay away.

 

And for the love of all dog lovers everywhere don't make that bullshit sequel implied at the end.

 

F

 

 

[cookie]

Birdwing

 

This review contains spoilers.

 

Spoiler

 

 

1

Spoiler

 

This gave me strong vibes of a film from the Gemini era of CAYOM animation, and I mean that for both good and for ill.

 

I like the fact that you don't know where exactly this film is going until around halfway through, which is kind of rare for an animated picture. The plot takes a few modern spins on the fairy tale formula and is commendably upfront about it being about disability and either being or dealing with a family member who has it. Granted, the way it pans out is maybe kinda iffy in that context, since it still ends with the main character being "cured", where I can see the argument that the movie could've found a way to make the disability something the character accepts and makes the best of rather than suggesting that the best way is just to get rid of it.

 

I mean the movie does make a point that being fully swan is when Ardwin is truly happy, but... I don't know. I have to ruminate on that.

 

Moving on from that, the Gemini "vibe" does come through strong in this one i.e. it's a fairy tale musical with a lot of songs, wacky sidekicks and characters making big, sweeping declarations at one another, and it made kinda nostalgic for those days, so points in its favor for managing to replicate that feeling.

 

But, like a fair amount of Gemini work, I just wish the plotting was a bit tighter.

 

There are some LONG sequences in this, and I'm not just talking about the prologue, which, had it played out as a movie, probably would've been up to ten minutes and probably tested some kids' patience (seriously, that prologue could've been a movie in and of itself). Stuff like when Rafe reveals his evildoings to Ardwin or Ardwin's meeting with the Enchantress involves a lot of times where Ardwin gets the same points repeated to him in a slightly different fashion, and that's not mentioning the theme of him being himself constantly getting hammered in, which runs a bit stale after a while. I don't mind that movie is more about characters discussing their feelings than getting into wild and wacky hijinks, in fact, Birdwing's best moments are when the movie does exactly that, but at times it's also when the film drags its heels to get to the point.

 

I also agree with Numbers that Queen Rose is a bit thin of a character. and her disappearing for huge chunks of the film just so her big ham of a husband (whose scheme is just all over the place) can chew up the scenery is unfortunate.

 

I also feel like William is kinda flat as well? McKenzie is the far more interesting of the pair, definitely.

 

This is a nitpick, but it kinda annoyed me with how time worked in this film. Characters age at different speeds, but only sometimes? and then entire weeks pass by for Ardwin, leaving you to wonder if the rest of the crew were just in stasis the whole time, given William and McKenzie were imprisoned for a large portion of the story with at least one of them waiting to be trialed and executed.

 

The songs are good and not overly abundant. Not much else I can say about them.

 

Birdwing is not a mess. I would go as far as saying it's pretty solid, and it has an effective enough ending. I just think an overly complicated plot for its target audience and getting its theme repeatedly stated kinda hampers the experience, enough so that you at least notice.

 

B

 

 

Edited May 23, 2020 by cookie

[Blankments]

 

I understand and get why the general response to Birdwing is to presume the message aiming for is about disability. Both you and redd voiced concerns about that in regards to the film and unfortunately, this has to go with me using something hot-button to try to do the main theme of the film, which was to do a trans-coded film about transformation. IMO, there has never been IRL an animated movie that utilizes its trans-coding to its fullest and in a positive manner, although inherently a film with people being transformed into other beings are trans-coded (this is my LBGTQ Theory in Cinema courses shining). To be blunt, Ardwin's story is meant to be a metaphor for gender dsyphoria and a trans narrative.  

My mistake is introducing this metaphor into a storyline that extensively uses the words "disability" and frames a side effect of the gender dyphoria being viewed as a disability. This is my mistake, and this is when I acknowledge I am a cis man writer attempting to tackle this metaphor, and thus, this confusion could definitely be labeled as me potentially falling into a blind spot. Nevertheless,I really do not see how I could do the storyline I wanted with the central narrative of Birdwing being what it is an adaptation. If I remember right, the book ends with him remaining with the birdwing and finding someone who loves him as he is, but most of my characterization in this film throws out the book entirely, so the fact is the book is a completely different work than what this is. Aware of the possible confusion, I tried to avoid the misconstruction of the film being about disability and/or physical ailments in any way, which resulted in the film constantly hammering home "be yourself" and "I don't know who I am" as elements of self-discovery among the gender (or rather, in the metaphor that makes up the film, species) dysphoria that Ardwin experiences. 

Granted, I understand that opens an entire other can of worms of how I executed that and clearly, since it wasn't obvious, it probably wasn't executed to the best possible way. Moreover though, the question probably more remains on if this was the right story to try to execute that message with, rather than a fairy tale with transformations that do not evoke physical disability comparisons. It most likely wasn't, but as I outlining, I realized that what I was drawn in the moment of writing was the trans elements of his narrative, and once that stuck in my mind, this film was going to be about that, more obvious disability message be damned. So I do believe you're right, as since you came up with the message I wasn't aiming for, that means that this was likely not the appropriate vehicle to do the metaphoric trans-positive storyline I wanted to do. And that's okay, and understandable, and will help me realize what to write about in the future and definitely double check to make sure my intended thematic elements mesh better with the actual story on display.

(And as a side note, the only time the aging is different is the curse at the beginning I believe? If it wasn't clear otherwise, that's a massive failure on my part)

 

 

Edited May 9, 2020 by Blankments

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Starlight

 

A fairly decent space opera mixing Voltron, Spark and Legend of Korra into an enjoyable package, but is a bit thin at the edges. Maybe if more work was put into the relationship between the two brothers there could've been more meat to its bones (and it's a bit strange how Colin Firth just disappears from the film after the first act), but maybe that's what the sequel teased at the end is for. Russel Crowe makes for an enjoyable baddie, though.

 

B-

 

 

Liamzilla: King of the Neesons aka Vengeance

 

Liam Neeson Liam Neesons and kills half of Japan because he mad over friend dead. Some action scenes get a little silly, knowing Neeson's age (this is the guy that needed thirty edits to climb a fence), especially him going toe to toe in a final katana fight against a Japanese guy nearly half his age, plus some parts of the plot are overly complicated involving corrupt cops and Yakuza loyalties, but I can't deny the film isn't entertaining just as trashy spectacle. At least it isn't uncomfortably xenophobic like the first two Taken films or complete braindead nonsense like the third one.

 

B-

Edited May 10, 2020 by cookie

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Outside the Law - C/C-

Scout’s Honor - C

Plastic Man - B-/C+

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Hypercompetency

 

I'm gonna keep this one fairly brief.

 

There's a lot of this that feels half-baked. The concepts of the hypercompetency and the exopresent are both really unique and interesting, and something I would've loved to see far more developed than just "oh, they don't feel groggy when they wake up, but they also freeze in place constantly." Maybe that's what the intended sequels are for, but it feels like as of right now it was more of a device to generate tension during action sequences than characterize the world the story and characters inhabit.

 

The characters are similarly half-baked. Everyone outside of maybe Adaline are pretty one-note, even Keif despite Gyllenhaal trying his best with what he has to work with, and despite carrying a strikingly silly name, Debstogun leaves very little impact as a villain outside of being B.D Wong. The movie itself feels like it hurries along a little too fast, dumping huge mounds of exposition to keep the plot rolling when there maybe could've been more character development spliced in between.

 

The action is pretty good and inventive, even if some of the characters constantly freezing in place for the sake of tension did get annoying and sometimes made the order of events more confusing than they should be. You certainty feel more tension for the characters than you do for whatever they're trying to save/destroy, given both Pauptite and Corencia feel underdeveloped as locations, but given the characters aren't all that either, it's not saying much.

 

I just wish there was more to this, honestly. The script feels like it took a great concept, threw in weird character names while borrowing a lot from the Matrix films (since this is Lana Wachowski directing it didn't bother me that much, but I got a lot of Matrix Reloaded/Revolutions vibes from this) and called it a day. The post credit scene teases something interesting down the line, but I just wish the road there had more to engage with to make the heavier exposition dumps and familiar set pieces more palatable.

 

B-

Edited May 16, 2020 by cookie

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Higher Ground

 

This review technically contains spoilers.

 

 

 

 

2

Spoiler

 

This is the evil cousin to Yin. Random, obtuse nonsense with no real purpose behind it whatsoever.

 

The movie starts off okay with the potential of being an affecting story about a woman coping with trauma and loss but then devolves into a confusing, schizophrenic semi-slasher movie mess whose mythological allusions are both headbangingly blunt yet have little to no coherency to them. If the intent was to confuse audiences as much as possible, I'd say mission accomplished.

 

The few clips of Odyssey 2 played during this was more enjoyable than what's actually happening around them.

 

D

 

And despite being swept up by a tsunami, Brenton Thwaites remains as dry as ever.