Feeds:
Posts
Comments

Posts Tagged ‘DC comics’

Wonder Woman 1984 Movie Review

Posted in Comic Book Movies, Fantasy literature, New Movie reviews, Reviews, Reviews, tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , on December 28, 2020| Leave a Comment »

by LaTaeya Lane

New Wonder Woman 1984 poster is totally '80s

Wonder Woman 1984, directed by Patty Jenkins and starring Gal Gadot and Kristen Wiig is the second installment in the Wonder Woman Film Franchise. This film focuses on how Diana tries to deal with the devesting loss of her one true love, Steve Trevor, while she attempts to find balance in other aspects of her life. As Diana faces her grief, she encounters a darkness that is unleashed upon the world that threatens humanity’s survival. Diana’s choices and the choices that others make around her have a domino effect upon Diana.

Warning: Spoilers Below:

 I must say that Gal Gadot is an amazing actress and I love her in her role as Wonder Woman. Kristen Wiig, as Barbara Minerva, did a fantastic job playing the female antagonist.  Both women were great in this film. They had a lot of great scenes together and had great chemistry.

The main problem with this film was the overall storyline and score: The writing was so disconnected from the time, and the story did not cohesively connect to Diana. The opening scene takes place in a Mall, and I felt like Wonder Woman taking on a mall robbery was more appropriate for Spiderman (excuse the Universe crossover) but Wonder Woman in a mall saving people is beneath her and her abilities.)

The whole concept centered around Max Lord could have been done in a more creative and balanced manner. I liked Pedro Pascal as the villain, but the idea of him consuming the powers of an ancient stone could have turned into one of the greatest superhero good versus evil concepts ever written. The movie fell so flat on so many levels with the writing aspect. I also felt that the directing was a bit disconnected. When people watch this film, or at least when I anticipated watching this film, I came in with the same high expectations that the first Wonder Women film and the Justice League films created and delivered.

I must admit that I was disappointed.

If you are going to put a year in the title of a film, then you better be prepared to present aspects of score and cinematography in a way that transports your audience to that time. The mall scene looked like a mall from the ’80s but I can’t recall any other important components that would bring me to that time. As an 80’s kid, I wanted to feel those happy feelings and see those sights that would bring me back there. This film missed the mark big time, especially with the music. The music in a movie is responsible for the entire mood of a movie. It brings emotions, magic, connections; it is the last puzzle that connects all the other pieces together and unfortunately WW84 did not deliver that.

I have mixed feelings about the fashion. Gal and Kristen’s costumes were amazing! I loved everything that was presented in the film with those two. Even Steven Trevor’s costumes looked good, (they did try too hard with his wardrobe changes. I even loved Diana’s armor. I just had a problem with the fact that Diana should have had that armor when she and her Justice League colleagues battled Steppenwolf. The use of the armor did not seem to fit the situation she was in.

Overall, I gave this movie three stars for my loyalty to Gal and the Wonder Woman Franchise. It’s worth watching since WW3 is in the works, as well as additional Justice League Franchise films. I just hope that they upgrade their writing team for the future.

L.L.

Check out the trailer below:

Advertisement

Read Full Post »

Joker 2019 (Movie Review)

Posted in Comic Book Movies, Fantasy literature, New Movie reviews, Reviews, tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , on June 26, 2020| Leave a Comment »

Joker starring  Joaquin Phoenix, Robert De Niro and directed by Todd Phillips, tells the story of a Gotham City man Arthur Fleck as he attempts to achieve his dreams of becoming a standup comic while battling mental illness and struggling to find his place within a society that does not treat or accept him fairly.

I saw this movie opening weekend in October 2019, and then 5 more times after that. With so many things going on with work and grad school, I just did not have the time to review this film. This by far, I think is the best Joaquin Phoenix movie I have seen, in addition to one of the best movies of all time. There is something extremely deep about this film and the story behind it. There is such an odd connection that moviegoers have with the lead character Arthur. We see that he does his best to live a life that mainstream society may call, “normal”. Arthur works as an entertainer, trying to make ends meet, he takes care of his sick mother, and he is even receiving treatment and attempting to live with his inner struggles, by dealing with his mental illness, to the best of his ability. The character tries to deal with his issues as he displays independence and even attempts to have a relationship with a neighbor that appears to understand him, but overall the movie is not quite what it seems to be, at least through the main character’s eyes.

Arthur, as portrayed by Joaquin, is completely transformed into this the dark and complex character that we all thought we knew just through our background knowledge of the Batman comic book and film franchise but as we all know now, this film is a standalone movie but still artistically connects the historical relationship between the Wayne family and Arthur aka the Joker in a way that makes the two storylines blend together very well.

All the elements of this film are massive ingredients for a film success on so many levels. The visual representations were creative and authentic.  We were brought into the character’s world and underwent a journey of emotional experiences that enveloped a multitude of highs and lows, as well as revels shocking moments and moments of happiness and potential hope. This film has won several awards including a Golden Globe for Best Actor in a Motion Picture Drama and an Academy Award for Best Actor as well as an Academy Award for Best Original Score. The Score took me to that place where emotions dwell deep within, where questions about the structure of how our society appropriately and inappropriately deals with mental illness, bullying, and the differences among people. Joaquin Phoenix in conjunction with  Robert De Niro and the supporting cast all created a world where the moviegoer sees the world of mental illness, poverty and the other complexities of life including the horrors of child abuse and enabling as ongoing issues that need to be exposed and changed for the better to improve the quality of human life.

Overall, I gave this movie 5 stars

Joker is a great film.

L.L

Check out the trailer below…

Check out the Amazing Bathroom Dance song that received an award for Best Score.

Read Full Post »

Aquaman Movie Review

Posted in Fantasy literature, tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , on December 26, 2018| Leave a Comment »

 

DC’s Aquaman directed by the talented James Wan and Starring Jason Momoa tells the story of a half human hybrid that learns he is the heir to the underwater Kingdom of Atlantis. Born from the love of a human and the Queen of Atlantis— Atlanna portrayed by Nicole Kidman, Arthur Curry finds himself amidst a potential war between the Surface world and Atlantis- all initiated by his half-brother King Orm. Arthur makes several attempts to escape his destiny but is eventually swept away in a world that he can not turn his back on.  After much struggle and facing the battles of the sea, Arthur embraces his identity and takes his place as the rightful King of Atlantis.

Aquaman was a sheer delight to see. It took me into a world that was so unique and visually alluring that I did not want it to end. The origin story of Aquaman was well written and exciting. Jason’s portrayal of the main character was fitting. Even though we have seen Jason in this role before in the Justice League, Momoa still delivered in a way that was refreshing. It was nice to see him carry the whole movie, and not just have a few lines. I think he did a great job with the role. Nicole Kidman was stunning as Atlanna, and I was pleasantly surprised to see Patrick Wilson grace the screen as King Orm. It was nice to see him play a villain instead of the unassuming father or paranormal investigator, which I both love by the way.

This movie was a nice change for me when it came to James Wan’s directing. The special effects were amazing and well done. I’m looking forward to seeing this movie again. Visually it was so enjoyable to watch. The creativity behind the creature designs, as well as the underwater realm, can really be respected by moviegoers that appreciate the hard work that is put into a project like this.

Overall, I gave this movie five stars. It is a must-see for the holiday season.

L.L.

Check out the trailer below.

Read Full Post »

Wonder Woman 2017 Movie Review

Posted in Fantasy literature, tagged , , , , , , , , , , on June 7, 2017| Leave a Comment »

Wonderwoman poster

Wonder Woman directed by Patty Jenkins and starring Gal Gadot and Chris Pine tells the origin story of how Wonder Woman came to be. The fast paced superhero film opened with Diana (Wonder Woman) living as a child within the magical world of the Amazon. Living within a community of strong Amazonian warrior women, Diana is first sheltered by her mother and the others. Her will to fight and be strong resonates within her as her aunt tries to bring out that inner strength. Under the direction of her aunt, she trains to prepare to fight the ultimate enemy until she is ready.

Diana’s world is turned upside down when she meets a mysterious stranger that nearly drowns in the Amazonian waters. Her journey of strength, self-discovery and love follows her as she travels to early 1900’s England.

I really enjoyed watching Wonder Woman, I absolutely loved Gal Gadot in the starring role. I was very impressed with her when I first saw her in the Batman vs Superman film. The time sequences of the Amazonian warriors was very good. I actually wished that the entire film took place in that world. Once she crossed over to the early 1900s, I really didn’t care for that time period, so it was hard for me to get past the setting, but I knew that the director was trying to take us back to a place where we and Bruce Wayne first saw her. The film does a nice job in explaining her origins. Now I am interested in seeing what the future holds for Wonder Woman.

The special effects were infused nicely and didn’t get lost in the film. The character chemistry worked well, but the score wasn’t memorable. The costumes were great and I loved the way Gal looked in the updated version of her costume. I know it will be a hit at New York Comic Con!!!

This is a good movie and you will enjoy the action and excitement that it will bring!!

I gave this movie 4 stars!!

L.L.

Check out the trailer below!!

 

Read Full Post »

Batman Vs Superman Review

Posted in Fantasy literature, tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , on March 27, 2016| Leave a Comment »

batman vs superman

Batman vs Superman: Dawn of Justice was not as bad as most of the reviews claim. Directed by Zack Snyder and starring Henry Cavill and Ben Affleck, the movie merges Metropolis and Gotham City in a way that helped to possibly introduce a future that fans of the DC  comic world has been anticipating for years.

Without giving too much away basically Bruce Wayne aka Batman believes that Superman is a major threat to the world and sets off on a personal vendetta to put an end to the extraterrestrial hero. Superman does everything he can to try to clear his name as a killer. His intentions were misunderstood, but no matter what he does to help,the people just can’t fully put their trust in him. In this movie Batman is more of a villain than a hero. Another villain soon surfaces, Lex Luther played by Jesse Eisenberg. Lex does all he can to try to destroy Superman once he gets his hands on Kryptonite.

Some interesting characters make an appearance like, Aquaman, The Flash and Cyborg, which I think will set the stage for future movies.

Overall the movie was very interesting. The action scenes were done in a manner that was exciting, but I just think that the some of the casting choices muddled the story-line and brought down the overall mood of the film. First and foremost I just can’t get over why Christian Bale declined the original offer. Aside from Michael Keaton,  Bale is by far the best Batman and that is why I just cannot accept Ben Affleck in this role. Batman appears to be aging, and the fact that he still hasn’t come to grips with the death of his parents just makes him even more distant as a character. It is clear that this is not the crime fighting Justice seeking individual that we have seen and grown to love in the past. We have struggled with Bruce and seen him in ways that made him more identifiable than any other hero we have seen. Affleck was unconnected and cold on so many levels. This role was not meant for him and it was clear that his on-screen delivery expressed that.  Another problem I had with the casting was with The Social Network star Jessie Eisenberg. He just did not channel a serious Lex Luther character. His comical air,seemed to be a better fit to play the Joker. It was as if his character was trapped in the body of another character. He was not a good fit.

batman

Henry Cavill was great as Superman. He gave the same passion and energy he did in the Man of Steel which was a great movie. Another Character that I really loved was the new Wonder Woman played by Gal Gadot. The only problem I had with her was that I wanted to see more of her and know more of her backstory. I hope they get her to do her own movie before Dawn of Justice 2 comes out. I’m not talking about the 1980’s Wonderwoman version.

I won’t spoil the end, but the movie was very interesting and it seems as if some characters have to go through a deeper transition, which will shape who they will become in the future of this adventure.

I give this movie 3 in a half stars. It would have been 5 but for obvious reasons I just couldn’t do it.

If you are a fan please go see it. Check out the trailer below.

L.L.

Read Full Post »

“The Man of Steel” Movie Review

Posted in Fantasy literature, tagged , , , , , , , , on June 17, 2013| Leave a Comment »

The Man of Steel directed by Zack Snyder was a Sci Fi thrill ride that will take you on a massive adventure between worlds.

Starring Henry Cavill, as Superman aka Kal-El. Henry is best known as the Tudors supporting actor and King Henry’s right hand man Charles Brandon.

The two and a half hour movie, features an all star cast in some of the most important roles the story has.
The movie opens with a spectacular scene as Jor-El played by Russell Crow and his wife Laura have a baby. As they quickly settle into parenthood, their happiness does not last long as they face the fate of a dying Krypton.
Jor-El meets with the leaders of the Council and tries to find out what they can do to save their people from extinction. The meeting is interrupted by General Zod played by Michael Shannon as he murders members of the Council and Jor-El in an effort to take over as the leader. He and his crew are captured and banished from the planet. Before Zod’s departure, he vows that he will find Kal as he witnesses Laura sending him to safety in an escape pod.
The secret to Krypton’s survival is within the genetic make up of Kal-El.
The planet explodes and with that no one survives.
As Kal adjusts to life on Planet Earth.
The movie then picks up with Clark as an adult, as he moves from one odd job to the next searching for his place in the world.
A strange and supernatural encounter in the Artic with a journalist sets off a chain of events that changes everything for the entire world.

I don’t want to give everything away but the storyline was indeed very complex and well thought out. The film was hard core Sci FI and not what you’d expect from a Superman movie.
The world created for the film was fitting for the story and the cast choices perfectly pulled everything together. My only concern with casting was Amy Adams as Lois. She was not a good choice. The effects were amazing and pulled you right into the adventure. I give this movie 5 Stars.

Read Full Post »

%d bloggers like this: