 While it may be fading a bit nowadays, there's a massive fandom behind sharks. Whether it be watching mind-blowing documentaries like Disney's 'Oceans,' in which we see people peacefully swimming with sharks, or a series of disaster movies that blend weather phenomena with sharks for a decent B-movie, audiences seem to eat this stuff up. Discovery Channel even has a whole week dedicated to them every year! However, I never really got into any of it, so don't expect much praise from me on this film right off the bat.
That's not to say that this was necessarily bad, but I've seen better shark flicks, 'Jaws' being the undisputed king of them all. But they've taken all of the true horror away from what sharks can do, and it's far too often combined with comedy to be, as mentioned, a B-movie, which is fine, but how many times do we seriously need to do it with sharks? And while some half-decent shark horror titles are out there, they seem to swim below the B-movie type; the 'Sharknado series is the obvious front line of it all. By the time I saw 'The Meg,' I was already bored with the shark thing, but I sincerely hope that Jason Statham's presence as an action hero would bring real fun back into what a fun shark movie could be. I can give this an A for effort, but I daresay it fell short of my expectations. It all starts as rescue diver Jonas Taylor (Statham) fails on a rescue attempt and decides he'll never dive again. Five years later, however, he is talked into another rescue dive, this time at the bottom of the Marianas Trench—the deepest known spot on Earth. Recruited by his old friend James "Mac" Mackreides (Cliff Curtis), Jonas is brought into a project funded by billionaire Jack Morris (Rainn Wilson) and supervised by Dr. Minway Zhang (Winston Chao) and his daughter, Suyin (Bingbing Li), meant to explore and discover unknown life deep within the trench. In the process, some explorers come in need of rescue, including Japanese scientist Toshi (Masi Oka), American scientist "The Wall" (Ólafur Darri Ólafsson), and above all else, Jonas' ex-wife, Lori (Jessica McNamee). During all this, we get glimpses of a giant squid, but more importantly, our title predator, "The Meg" (a Megalodon shark from the Prehistoric era), unleashed onto the world thanks to human greed. And not to keep things too simple, but frankly, the rest is Jason Statham vs. a giant shark, which, at times, is fun. But an unfortunate amount of time in this movie takes place without a huge shark, and I have to admit wondering, "Isn't there a big shark somewhere?" When the scenes happen, they're fun but few and far between. As far as criticizing this too hard, it happens to be a title I see very much as it all depending on what you're looking for. There's enough here that I don't think shark movie fans will ultimately be disappointed. When the action happens, it's decent enough. But I have to imagine this doesn't make a whole lot of Shark Movie Top 10 lists. But again, the whole shark thing is sort of lost on me, so who knows? This might just be one of those things that isn't for me, but for all the other Shark Week-watchers and shark B-movie fans. I'd have to say that I've seen a few different dumb, fun action movies about sharks that I enjoyed quite a bit more. But to say this is or isn't precisely what shark fans are looking for is difficult. I'd even go as far as to say watch it as more of a Statham fan because there's more of him than the actual shark. It's a perfectly passable movie for what it is, and it's not like I left it feeling thoroughly disappointed, but it's another case of just knowing better titles for this kind of thing, depending on what you're looking for. But give it a shot if you're a shark fan. If nothing else, it can be seen as mindless fun. 3/5
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 By this point, let's face it; Sony has officially dropped the ball on any live-action Spider-Verse with considerably bad titles like 'Madam Web,' 'Kraven' and 'Morbius.' At the same time, critics and audiences met the 'Venom' trilogy in the middle with reviews. But those movies, luckily, stand out as their pathetic attempt at some 'Sinister Six' movie, which Disney/Marvel proudly intercepted by making 'No Way Home,' which was probably the peak of any Spider-Man production (although it was more of a "Sinister Five.")
Sony's 'Into the Spider-Verse' was released the same year as 'Venom' (which started Sony's live-action movies) and provided us with all-new layers of awe that we hadn't seen in a 'Spider-Man' film yet. Most importantly, Sony had its own Spider-Man in the form of Miles Morales. It was a missed opportunity to bring him into any live-action stuff they were doing, which could have saved everything. But I digress. I don't know the ins and outs of what Sony can and can't do with a Spider-Verse, but it seems to me like Miles Morales is theirs. Focusing on this movie, however, Miles Morales (Shameik Moore) lives in Brooklyn with his mother, Rio (Luna Lauren Velez) and cop father, Jefferson (Brian Tyree Henry). He also has a special rapport with his uncle Aaron (Mahershala Ali)—your typical badass uncle who's a bit of a bad influence on Miles in some regards but still loves him and wants to keep him out of harm's way. Their most significant bond is in graffiti artistry, and one day, they end up in an abandoned subway tunnel so Miles can throw up a mural, where Miles gets bitten by his very own special radioactive spider. Meanwhile, Wilson Fisk (Liev Schreiber), with the help of this universe's Doc Ock (Kathryn Hahn), attempts to use a particle accelerator to open up other dimensions and reunite with another version of his wife and son. This ultimately goes haywire, and several different versions of Spidey come out of it as a result, including an aged Peter Parker (Jake Johnson), Spider-Gwen (Hailee Steinfeld), Spidey Noir (Nicolas Cage), Peni Parker (Kimiko Glenn) and her machine, SPDR, and of course, Spider-Ham (John Mulaney). Together, they must work to stop Fisk from causing more damage and eventually return to their homes, lest they get stuck. Meanwhile, Parker becomes a role model for Miles and helps train him to be a Spider-Man for his dimension. Spider-Gwen becomes the hint of some love interest for Miles, but they do a good job at keeping it friendly, and that's just one of many things about this movie that works so well. Unlike so many Spidey films before, this one isn't "about the girl," and the pair works better on friendship and mutual respect. I can further credit the film for being a title that delivers a bit of everything one might want from a proper 'Spider-Man' movie. There's a bit of tragedy, there's a lot of fun and humour, all of the characters are likeable (even if they're villains), and of course, there's the embodiment of "great responsibility" coming with "great power." But what makes this movie stand out as a personal favourite 'Spider-Man' title is the incredible combination of animation styles and an outstanding soundtrack that fits well. Into the Spider-Verse is a title I like more and more with every viewing. It's the kind of movie one might watch repeatedly, picking out a little something they missed before. Being animated, it lends itself to more possibilities, not only with some of the more impossible-looking poses of the "Spider-Society," but the animation style looks like it comes straight out of a series of comic books come to life. So, if there was any proof that not every Sony Spider-Man movie is terrible these days, look no further than this gem. It's incredibly well done! 5/5  The DC Extended Universe is basically at a stopping point now and getting a makeover with the help of 'Guardians' mastermind James Gunn, largely due to too many ups and downs within the universe. I will say that audiences met most of the DCEU films with poor results. Still, in my mind, there were always two very big stand-outs that were solid, 'Wonder Woman' and 'Shazam!,' and it's kinda too bad things didn't work out for either of them, especially considering their weaker sequels.
Lucky for us, they can stand alone in both cases, as 'Wonder Woman' essentially takes place in the past, and 'Shazam!' doesn't cross over with anything else, which is part of what makes it so good. There's mention of both Superman and Batman, but that's as far as it goes. Since its release, 'Shazam!' has been my favourite DCEU movie, not just for the reasons I mentioned, but it's easily the most fun someone can have with a DCEU movie without taking anything seriously. It's far lighter than most DCEU movies. We meet a foster kid named Billy Batson (Asher Angel), who gets placed in a group home after some trouble with the law while searching for his birth mother. Here, we meet his new family: Mother and Father figures Rosa (Marta Milans) and Victor (Cooper Andrews) Vasquez; Freddy Freeman (Jack Dylan Grazer), who becomes Billy's close friend; and new brothers and sisters, Darla (Faithe Herman), Mary (Grace Caroline Currey), Pedro (Jovan Armand) and Eugine (Ian Chen). One day, after helping Freddy out with a bully problem, Billy gets chased into a subway where he is randomly transported to a strange realm by an ancient wizard named Shazam (Djimon Hounsou), who has been on the search for someone pure of heart for centuries to pass his powers to. Billy is chosen as a last resort to stop a man named Sivana (Mark Strong), who feels that Shazam has wronged him in the past and has chosen a darker path, invoking the seven deadly sins for personal power and revenge. With the wizard passing on his powers, Billy becomes a form of his full potential, grown-up (and portrayed by Zachary Levi) with the wisdom of Solomon, the strength of Hercules, the stamina of Atlas, the power of Zeus, the courage of Achilles and the speed of Mercury, which are mostly seen through hero testing done by Billy and Freddy, which is also the funniest part of the film. Imagine what you would do if you were 14 and suddenly obtained superpowers. Levi does an excellent job keeping the character a 14-year-old kid who doesn't take on true responsibility until things start to go south with Sivana and his "sin" powers. Comparatively, this is less of a usual, dark DCEU flick and much more of a fun time like 'Kick-Ass,' where it's more of a comedy than anything, but it's not without moments of good action and drama. At the time, this felt like a gigantic step forward for DC movies, but this was still at a point where no one knew what was gonna happen with DC movies, and I have to give the filmmakers credit for their willingness to break away from the dark-to-a-fault DC movies we've gotten used to. It was a gamble that genuinely paid off. Sure, the film gets silly sometimes, but it eventually gets surprisingly dramatic towards the end, even if some of that drama is still punctuated by comedy. It throws you for a loop, and before you know it, you're sitting back, routing for Billy. It's a refreshing blend of totally silly and respectably thoughtful, and I agree with most that it's probably one of the better titles DC has cranked out. Even with whatever other direction DC goes with their films, it's good to know this can remain a solid go-to that could fit with any DC universe that gets thrown at us now. 4/5  It's out there now that I ended up enjoying 'Magic Mike' for what it was; more of a cautionary tale about living a particular lifestyle, complete with a bit of real drama. Like most of us guys at the time, watching it wasn't exactly a priority, but when I did see it on a date, I was pleasantly surprised by how much the "eye candy" aspect of the film took a back seat. It was still there, but the movie wasn't really about it. That is more than I can say for its sequel here, which is much more about the strip act.
Three years have passed since we last saw Mike Lane (Channing Tatum), and he has since quit as a male entertainer to run his own mildly successful furniture business. One day, "Tarzan" (Kevin Nash), a former fellow dancer of Mike's, calls him to meet up and reunite with the old gang, the "Kings of Tampa:" Tarzan, Richie (Joe Manganiello), Ken (Matt Bomer), Tito (Adam Rodriguez) and their DJ, Tobias (Gabriel Iglesias). As for Dallas, The Kid (Adam) and Brooke from the previous film, don't expect to see either of them here. Dallas and The Kid have since bailed to start their own acts, and Brooke is just kind of not present, leading one to believe instantly that maybe things haven't worked out to be a "happily ever after" between Mike and her. Some new names are attached to this, but a bit more on that later. Returning to the big meetup, the Kings plan to end their careers as male entertainers on a high note with a trip to Myrtle Beach, SC, to participate in a big male entertainment convention. So yeah, this is very much about the dancing this time. Mike's a little apprehensive about joining the old gang for the road trip to Myrtle Beach, but with a bit of a 'Footloose' solo dancing moment, while he's working on a furniture project, he gets the bug to go and have a good time with the boys. From that point, it essentially turns into a road trip movie consisting of male bonding and a few obstacles the guys have to overcome, but nothing that seems too serious. The amount of stakes in this chapter pale in comparison to the first film, and it works out to be sort of average. Going back to some of the names mentioned earlier who joined the cast this time around, perhaps who stuck out the most to me was Donald Glover, a male entertainer named Andre, working for the very independent Rome (Jada Pinkett Smith) who runs a sort of male entertainment mansion, where girls can go to get a dance and feel good about themselves; another theme the film gets into - the hottie male stripper paying special attention to someone who may have low self-esteem, to give them the attention they're wishing for. As far as the "bad" of the film goes, it does feel perhaps a bit cocky at points, considering things like the above theme, but I didn't exactly hate it either. Much like the last film, there's some good camaraderie here with the guys, and it's pretty humorous overall. Still, it's definitely more about their performances, and again, there's no real stakes to this. It's an easy-to-shrug-off story. Just another road trip movie with less comedy than your average movie should have. I didn't even mention Zoe (Amber Heard), who's here to flirt with Mike, and there's not much more to her. I'm glad they didn't cram a love story into the film, but she is just "there" in it. When all is said and done, 'XXL' isn't without its moments, but it pales in comparison to the first, and instead of it being a pleasant surprise like last time, it's more or less what we all thought the first one was going to be - not a whole hell of a lot more than a bunch of eye candy for those who enjoy a good six-pack of "bro abs." 2/5  Back in the summer of 2012, I met someone, we started dating, and long story short, we made a deal: I would see 'Magic Mike' with her as long as she would see 'Spring Breakers' with me. The agreement was made, but what I never expected was to actually enjoy 'Magic Mike,' and walk out of (and it's still the only film I've ever done this with) 'Spring Breakers,' which I personally thought was horrible, and never did end up giving a second chance to. But there was something about 'Magic Mike' that I actually enjoyed.
This is one of my life's most interesting theatrical experiences, as I was one of about four guys in an otherwise packed theatre of women. One of the guys even approached me and shook my hand for having the "guts" to be there. I mean, watching 'Magic Mike' may not have been on my list of things to do, but I was shocked at how many unwilling souls were out there. I was there on a date, so I was comfortable, plus we had our trade-off in case the movie sucked. But I was actually pleasantly surprised by the film's story. I think when most of the "unwilling" think about this movie, they think of a bunch of gyrating male strippers and frankly don't wanna see what they don't wanna see, and I understand that. But all of that is the distracting eye candy for the women of the audience. Some of this is also about male camaraderie, making the right (or wrong) decisions, and there's even a bit of a love story that isn't entirely in your face but casual. This is a movie that combines the slice-of-life subgenre with a cautionary tale. Altogether, it's actually pretty simple. Mike Lane (Channing Tatum) meets a college dropout named Adam (Alex Pettyfer) at a construction site while working an odd job and soon takes him under his wing. Adam needs a job, so Mike suggests he follow him to the Xquisite Strip Club, where he strips and asks Dallas (Matthew McConaughey) for a job. Meanwhile, Mike has an on-and-off relationship with a girl named Joanna (Olivia Munn), seemingly often engaging in threesomes with another girl, and wishes to start his own business, building furniture out of odd items. However, things get a bit complicated for Mike upon meeting Brooke (Cody Horne), Adam's sister, to whom he's slowly becoming attracted despite his relationship with Joanna. Mike promises Joanna that he'll take good care of her 19-year-old brother upon finding out what Mike has him doing. Still, his care is often put to the test as Adam starts getting more and more out of control; on top of all that, Dallas wants to move to Miami and begin an empire of male strip clubs, which puts a damper on what Mike really wants to do with himself. If I were to really compare this to another movie, I'd put it with something like 'Boogie Nights.' Not only does it have the sexuality aspect to it, but plot-wise, it involves someone getting swept up in the respective industry. However, 'Boogie Nights' is much better. I do have the odd criticism about this. The movie ends with not a whole lot entirely resolved, and it almost feels like a forced ending just because they don't know what else to do. Still, though, the film comes across as a pleasant surprise as long as you can deal with seeing a handful of male strippers doing their thing. To be clear, however, I'm not gonna sit here and try to urge people to see it who don't want to see it. The film is what it is, and I don't blame anyone for not wanting to go there. But I will say that it's not quite as bad as one might think, and it's not just about the male bodies dancing around (although full credit to Tatum for his moves) so much as a guy trying to find his way in life, and another guy who provides a cautionary tale about the party lifestyle. It's not the best story out there, but it was better than I imagined. 3/5  It may be my perspective, but this movie no longer gets talked about. Even with several sequels on its heels only fourteen or so years later, nowadays, it feels like this came, went, and became one of the greatest movies of the time - the time, not all time! At the time, 3D, while well known already, became a gimmick used ad nauseam. With all honesty, the first movie I ever saw in 3D was 'Monsters vs Aliens,' released earlier the same year, making the timing for 'Avatar' nothing short of perfect.
After 'Titanic' was a massive success back in '97, the concept of 'Avatar' was set into motion. Still, writer/director James Cameron lacked the technology for what he wanted to do with the story. To no one's surprise, this annoyed people almost as much as awaiting the dragons to arrive in 'Game of Thrones.' Cameron eventually came with some killer new 3D motion capture tech (the man is always on top of his special effects); however, many more impatient people shut up when they saw what a visual spectacle the wait was worth it for. Taking place in 2154, the Earth is on the brink of ecological collapse, which sends the Resources Development Administration (RDA) to the planet of Pandora to mine for a valuable mineral known as "unobtanium." On Pandora, there dwells a race of big, blue, humanoid creatures called the Na-vi, who have accomplished what humanity ultimately sucks at and has become one with nature. The potentially dangerous-to-humans race combined with an unbreathable atmosphere led the RDA to use "Avatars" to explore the planet. Paraplegic former Marine Jake Sully (Sam Worthington) is recruited to the project after his brother dies. Once he's plugged in and becomes his Avatar, he's able to walk again, and the viewing audience's genuine appreciation for how wondrous this planet is probably starts here as Jake breathes in the world around him. Here, he escorts Dr. Grace Augustine's (Sigourney Weaver) and Dr. Norm Spellman's (Joel David Moore) Avatars through this wonderful planet, immersing the audience in awe. Think of it this way: back in 2009, this would have been a LOT of people's first 3D movie experience. During said escort mission, a life form attacks Jake, separating him from the others, but he's rescued by Neytiri (Zoe Saldana), a Na'vi princess. To make this long story short, she initiates Jake into her society, and he learns their ways, their appreciation of life, nature, etc., and he adapts pretty well. Meanwhile, Colonel Miles Quaritch, who promises Jake the use of his legs upon retrieving inside info on the Na'vi, gets impatient and wants his damned unobtanium, so eventually, it turns into nature lovers vs industry, technology and humankind in general. Most of us left this movie in complete awe. The box office numbers show that, as it's still the highest-grossing film worldwide of all time. Its sequel is currently just two below it, with 'Avengers: Endgame' sandwiched between them. But for some, the fault with the film lies in the basic plot that is essentially another version of 'Pocahontas,' 'Dances With Wolves,' 'Fern Gully: The Last Rainforest' or any other movie with a similar plot. A criticism I understand but tend to overlook, as just visually, this was at the tip-top of the best of them. I've since received the film on a special edition Blu-ray, and while it's still a good movie, the full effect of it is now somewhat lost, as the film isn't as immersive as it was on an IMAX 3D screen, making it a bit of a product of its time. These movies are meant to be seen on the biggest screen you can find while wearing 3D glasses if you want to experience them. But supposing one hasn't seen this movie yet, it's still worth checking out, if only to remember it as a time capsule before superheroes started to rule the box office. 4/5 |
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