‘Blu-ray or Bust’ - AQUAMAN

‘Blu-ray or Bust’

AQUAMAN (2018, 143 minutes, DC ENTERTAINMENT/WARNER BROTHERS)

Holy fish nipples—it sure did take a while for the DC Universe to awaken to the juggernaut which is Marvel.

They seemed dead-set on concentrating on a small number of properties, mainly Batman and Superman—so much so that much of their comic’s content went ignored. When Marvel opened the door for them, it was with little known characters, or ones that at least had never gotten the big screen treatment before. With GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY and ANT-MAN, the studio proved that you could get away from the mainstream heroes like IRON MAN and CAPTAIN AMERICA and still provide the audience with originality and humor.

Not to rain on DC’s successes: Christopher Nolan’s take on Batman with his DARK KNIGHT trilogy was quite successful, but so was Tim Burton’s BATMAN vision back in the day. The hiring of the ultra-serious Zack Snyder to bring SUPERMAN back from hiatus was also profitable, even if it was met with mixed reviews. There was also the “Wonder Woman” TV show back in the 70’s, but that seemed more a weekly show about a damsel-in-distress than it did about a near-goddess. Yes, DC has stumbled a bit along the way—but it has also soared, and not necessarily upon the cape of the Man of Steel.

The WONDER WOMAN movie may have helped rejuvenate a flagging DC Universe, but AQUAMAN has cemented it, made it a relevant reality. The casting of Jason Momoa (“Game of Thrones”) was a brilliant move. He brings an everyman quality to the character of “Arthur”, the reluctant half-breed son of the former Queen of Atlantis (played by the always incredible Nicole Kidman—seriously, I don’t care how old she is, she can still pack a punch, and I am still willing to bear her children). He is called upon to save Atlantis, the place he renounced when his mother was sacrificed to The Trench. But his half-brother Orm has taken the throne, and wants to wage war on the surface world.

One of the several beating hearts of this film are the strong female characters, which you have the aforementioned WONDER WOMAN to thank for. Amber Heard plays Mera with a tough yet amusingly cynical approach; she doesn’t necessarily think that Arthur is cut out to be the king of Atlantis, but she’s willing to kick a whole lotta butt to protect him. And Nicole Kidman as Arthur’s mother proves that even mommies can open up a can of whoop-ass when needed. DC is totally capitalizing on Marvel’s idea to hire first-rate actors to play their heroes, and it pays off wonderfully.

What DC does with AQUAMAN is they took a character that was seen by many in the comic world as being not-so-cool and turned him into an utter badass. But they’ve also begun to steer away from the seriousness of Zack Snyder’s take on the universe and injected a much-needed dose of humor. There are times in this film that lift it above your typical Marvel fare, and much of that is at Arthur/Aquaman’s expense. By being able to poke fun at its lead character, it allows the audience to relax—if not relate more—with its super human character.

There are several special features docs included with this release, and all are interesting enough to check out. The best is the final one, which takes you behind the production and shows you just how many sets they created for this film. Yes, there is a lot of CGI, but not as much as you would expect. And the fact that Mr. Momoa looks to be as much fun on set as he appears to be onscreen is an unexpected bonus.

This is a game changer for DC. And while I do enjoy Mr. Snyder’s work (the Director’s Cut of BATMAN V SUPERMAN is near brilliant, and I’ll always stand by his Director’s Cut of WATCHMEN as one of the best comic book movies ever made), I do hope that the studio sticks by this current trend. No, I don’t have to laugh at the hero, but it helps to be able to laugh because of them.

Film Grade: A-

Special Features: A

Blu-ray Necessary: Absolutely

- T.S. Kummelman

The 'Not-So-Critical' Critic: SHAZAM!

The 'Not-So-Critical' Critic: 

on SHAZAM! (2019, 132 minutes, PG-13)

The Quick of It -

To be a kid again.  What a joy it… would… be…

Okay, maybe a bit different now than I remember.  A different ‘age’.  But, seeing that same sense of fun and adventure in SHAZAM! does make me kinda want to get on my bike and ride off to meet with my friends at the park or the mall.  Adulting is not so fun.  And, this is the magic that is embraced in SHAZAM!

I can honestly say that the combination found in these superhero movies of action and comedy was not quite the same here as Marvel has been releasing in redundancy.  Director David F. Sandberg, of LIGHTS OUT and ANNABELLE: CREATION, switches from horror to superheroes, maybe one way to enact a slight change in perspective.  Sandberg puts to film the tale Henry Gayde wrote, a joyous escapade you would find similar to BIG and THE GOONIES.  Both seems new to the big-budget film world but have here a defining contribution to the DCU.  There is plenty of humor but a resounding sense of childhood wonder and the love a family can provide makes this work.

Zachery Levi, of ‘Chuck’, TANGLED, and THOR: THE DARK WORLD, does a fine job, embracing his Chuck-side again.  I will say after having watched ‘Chuck’ long ago, I had a hard time seeing him in that inflated suit with glowsticks.  I have been spoiled with DC TV shows having more grounded super-suits.  The kid crew, led by Jack Dylan Grazer as his moral and superhero compass Freddy Freeman, holds up well as a central character, demanding a lot to make the theme authentic.  Kid actors can really complicate a story with just subtle things, but we do not see much of it here throughout the story.

SHAZAM! is an origin story having the Billy Batson, a boy put into foster care after losing his mother in a crowd.  He faces of against Dr. Thaddeus Sivana, played by the busy and remarkable character actor Mark Strong, who was previously rejected as the inheritor of the Shazam power.  The stories pacing shows what DC does best, building a well-rounded villain.  You quickly become sympathetic and understand why he goes down this dark path.  Billy must work through his struggle, trying to find his mother while learning to survive as a near-homeless, angry boy who is gifted with powers.

The lighthearted feel makes this a bridge between the childhoods of yesteryear and today.  I think that is the greatest gift this film offers, to see the same, simple desires we had as children reach the newer generation that is submerged in technology.  Magic still exists.

Grade: A-

‘Blu-ray or Bust’ - RALPH BREAKS THE INTERNET & SPIDER-MAN: INTO THE SPIDER-VERSE

‘Blu-ray or Bust’

RALPH BREAKS THE INTERNET (2018, PG, 111 minutes, WALT DISNEY PICTURES)

SPIDER-MAN: INTO THE SPIDER-VERSE (2018, PG-13, 117 minutes, SONY PICTURES/MARVEL)

For the last year, I have complained about many, many things. I’m old, so I’m allowed.

But the one constant gripe I have is when it comes to the length of animated films. (Okay, that, and the fact that women look at me like I have a fourth nipple growing on my forehead.) But back in my day, animated films clocked in at less than an hour-and-a-half. Especially Disney films; the average length of most of their classics is right around the 1:28 mark. That was always plenty of time to tell a story and, most importantly, keep a kid entertained.

Yet, you cannot help but wonder if the age of home video hasn’t turned modern technology into this century’s version of a babysitter. The movies have gotten much longer, and I cannot attest to whether the films can keep a child’s attention for a full two hours. All I have to go on is my own brain, which, while still held captive by puberty, has aged a bit.

I can tell you that the nearly two hour-long RALPH BREAKS THE INTERNET is entertaining at times, but that is its inherent problem: it only works in fits and starts. There are some thrilling moments, and a few funny ones, but it doesn’t justify the run time. John C. Reilly returns as Wreck-It Ralph, the “bad guy” of an arcade game. This time around, he and bestie Vanellope (Sarah Silverman) must venture into the internet to retrieve the steering wheel to Vanellope’s console video game, or she may become homeless. There are several nods to that vast digital world in the form of many familiar sites. This is like the internet version of READY PLAYER ONE, so far as the name dropping goes.

But ultimately the heavy-handed message sinks this film. Disney used to be much more elegant and sly about their messages to kids, but this one—about how friendships can change—seems overlong and stretched way thin. I get that Ralph pretty much blunders through everything, but didn’t we already cover this territory in one of the TOY STORY films? Much of this seems (and feels) redundant, as if Ralph and Vanellope’s predictable and by-the-numbers story will make the message easier to grasp.

Then there is the latest SPIDER-MAN movie. At a runtime even longer than Ralph’s, it does something the other can’t quite do: it entertains on a consistent basis while encouraging the viewer to believe in themselves. There is a reason—several of them, really—this won the Academy Award for Best Animated Feature, and not the heavy-handed (pun TOTALLY intended) RALPH. In this iteration of the Spider-man universe, Peter Parker dies. Not really a spoiler, so don’t think I gave anything away. His death leaves a void, and stepping tentatively into his webbed shoes is young Miles Morales (Shameik Moore of DOPE fame). Miles has no clue what he is doing; thankfully, when the original Spider-man was killed trying to stop Kingpin’s Super Collider from ripping a hole in the space-time continuum, the machine brought Spider-people from other dimensions into his own.

So, Miles gets help from a black and white Noir Spider-man, a Spider-Gwen, a robot, a pig, and a different, down-on-his-luck Peter Parker. Part of the brilliance on display is the blend of animation styles, and the constant love the filmmakers throw to the comic books which birthed these characters. Spider-Ham looks and acts like a Looney Tunes character, the robot-like anime, etc. But it goes far beyond that; the textures in Mile’s face herald back to the comics themselves, and is a wonderful detail that continuously impresses.

Next up for Disney’s Animation Studio is another TOY STORY sequel; after the third one, I’m not sure why this one is necessary, but I’ll watch it anyways. Yet therein lies a problem: each TOY film has been longer than the last, and the first clocked in at eighty-one minutes. At some point, parents may want to teach their kids how to use the “pause” button on the remote. Let them go outside and use their own imagination for a bit.

RALPH: C

SPIDER-MAN: A-

Special Features: (there were sooo manyyyy)

Blu-ray necessary: RALPH no, SPIDER absolutely

-- T.S. Kummelman

The 'Not-So-Critical' Critic: CAPTAIN MARVEL

The 'Not-So-Critical' Critic: 

on CAPTAIN MARVEL (2019, 123 minutes, PG-13)

The Quick of It -

The first round of Marvel films is nearing its end.  We have experienced our ups and downs… no need to mention which ones… (cough…Thor), but we now have the final films hitting theaters, adding one more name to the ENDGAME bucket.

There is a ton of history with the Captain’s legacy, and you must know DC had the name first to realize how much history is involved.  Legal battles and fighting to keep the intellectual property rights… a drama of its own.  In this film, we are presented with a later version of the CAP, a Marvel version, probably to focus on Marvel’s continued implementation of staying relative with mainstream topics.  CAP MARVEL’s central theme and call to action is the empowerment of women.  The truth though is that the theme is subtle this go-a-round, which I appreciated.  If nothing else, that is the whole purpose of superheroes anyways, to see as role-model material, not as a tool for social justice. 

This is an origin story that delivers that typical Marvel formula we have come to know.  Brie Larson (ROOM and THE SPECTACULAR NOW) dons the suit to fight… well, no spoilers.  She is joined by Samuel L. Jackson, Ben Mendelsohn, and Jude Law.  The script is simple enough, so easily dialed-in by the cast, having decent performances from everyone.  When the words struggled, we just shook it off and kept going, knowing we are talking about aliens and weird… stuff.  Hard to keep a sense of tension with this type of storytelling.

As a whole, this is an enjoyable film.  This project is led by the directing/writing team of Anna Boden and Ryan Fleck, a pairing that started long before this project.  I would say this outing will keep them working for a few more years in Hollywood.  The CAP has plenty of action and comedy to keep you entertained, and not bad for tackling an origin film.  Outside a few snafus in keeping to the standard rules of continuity, everything works.  (Although, those snafus still bother me.) 

But I am going to say the end product is still lacking… and probably a part of the negative buzz you hear.  I will point out from how I feel, there is nothing special that makes this film ‘remarkable’.  By that, I mean that if you are creating a story at such a high level, you want it to stand out, not fit in with the rest.  The CAP does not do this for me, not making me walk out of the theater thinking I watched something new and mind-blowing.  Too many trope plot points implemented to tell the story.  We all have seen this ‘story’ told a number of times, just with different people.  Proof of this deficiency – the cat steals the show.  That should not happen.

Grade: B+

‘Blu-ray or Bust’ - FANTASTIC BEASTS: THE CRIMES OF GRINDELWALD

‘Blu-ray or Bust’

FANTASTIC BEASTS: THE CRIMES OF GRINDELWALD (2018, PG-13/NR, 134/142 minutes, HEYDAY FILMS/WARNER BROTHERS)

It’s funny, what a few extra minutes can do.

In some cases, it makes an okay film great (WATCHMEN, BATMAN V SUPERMAN); those extra minutes, whether they are in the single digits or total dozens, can flesh out a story, make the characters richer and the story more meaningful than in its original release, even if you didn’t even realize the film could benefit so heavily from their inclusion (see: every HOBBIT/RING movie).

That being said, I wasn’t terribly pleased with the theatrical release of THE CRIMES OF GRINDLEWALD. The editing felt jumpy, the story clunky, the characters too one-sided. Watching it, I got the feeling that there was quite a bit missing from this messy, and at times overwrought, sequel. And I had high expectations for it; coming off the brilliant FANTASTIC BEASTS AND WHERE TO FIND THEM, I was wholly invested in writer J.K. Rowling’s efforts as a screenwriter. So my disappointment with the second of a planned five-film story left me at odds. Could the series withstand this entry? Would it wind up costing the studio too much with future installments, seeing as how the gamble did not pay off with this one? (After all, the film cost an estimated two hundred million to make, and grossed less than that domestically. To be fair, it did cross the six-hundred million mark worldwide, but that is still cutting it close when it comes to the movie business.) And most importantly, would I be attacked by rabid Potterheads who see my reviews as nothing more than hobo vomit spewed from a fast-moving train hauling cow poo and cabbage?

With the video release of the film, I was pleased to see an extended cut of the film—and if it were not for the irritating inclusion of the words “Deleted Scene” every time one came up, this iteration of the film far surpasses the theatrical release. I can understand having to cut a film’s original runtime because of an audience’s possible fatigue, but at the cost of the story and the flow of the film…well, as a movie fan, it sucks donkey nipples. Back in the day, there used to be such a thing as an “intermission” (Google it, I don’t have time to fully explain…). Yet in this day and age of assembly line customer processing, theaters aren’t given enough time to provide viewers with breaks.

Thankfully, home video allows us the opportunity to see how the filmmakers originally intended a film to be seen. In the case of CRIMES, it helps tremendously. The story flows rather seamlessly now, and you are allowed more time to identify with and feel compassion for the plight of Credence (the marvelous Ezra Miller) and the doomed Nagini (the quite flexible Claudia Kim). The choice of Johnny Depp for sympathetic baddie Grindelwald makes more sense here, and Eddie Redmayne’s Newt Scamander has more time to shine with Jude Law’s Dumbledore. Essentially, when you put the disc in, head straight to the special features and watch the Director’s Cut.

Speaking of the special features, skip the second one. It’s basically Ezra Miller and Evanna Lynch (Luna Lovegood of the HARRY POTTER films) geeking out together, and adds absolutely nothing to the viewing experience. The others are your usual documentaries—nothing too special, but nothing else as bad as that second one.

The third chapter in the series is due out next year—in November, if the release date holds true to the others. With as much story as was packed into CRIMES, I hope that Ms. Rowling switches gears a bit next time. While I appreciate a Director’s Cut, it shouldn’t always be necessary.

Film Grade: B+ (the theatrical cut gets a B-)

Special Features: B

Blu-ray Necessary: You bet your niffler

-- T.S. Kummelman

‘Blu-ray or Bust’ - MORTAL ENGINES

‘Blu-ray or Bust’

MORTAL ENGINES (2018, PG-13, 128 minutes, SCHOLASTIC ENTERTAINMENT/UNIVERSAL PICTURES)

If for some ludicrous reason you find yourself in the store holding a copy of this film, you need to ask yourself a few questions.

Do it now, before you wander up to the checkout line and spend your hard-earned cash on it. Just take a minute and consider what you are about to do. How long did you have to work to be able to afford the $20 price tag? An hour and a half? Two hours? Two months, if you work in a Nike factory? You cannot get that time back, just like you won’t be able to get your money back if you don’t like the film.

You owe it to yourself to ask the following questions, and you need to pay close attention to the answers. First, are you considering this purchase because Peter Jackson’s name is on the cover? Because, while the man did bring hobbits and orcs and dwarves to glorious life in the HOBBIT and LORD OF THE RINGS films, not to mention that wonderful version of KING KONG, you should not allow his name alone to quantify your decision. He helped write the screenplay, and he is listed as a producer, but he did not direct this movie. First-timer Christian Rivers did. If it is the Peter Jackson brand you are looking for, go purchase DEAD ALIVE or HEAVENLY CREATURES. Thank me later.

Secondly, are you holding this film in your hand and replaying scenes from the book in your mind? Thinking how cool it would look to see giant cities rumbling across the broken earth, devouring each other as a means for fuel to keep these behemoths running? Looking for that young adult/steampunk vibe that is an as yet unexploited theme in Hollywood? Get yourself some anime. I’d recommend FULLMETAL ALCHEMIST, STEAMBOY, or even HOWL’S MOVING CASTLE as better alternatives. HOWL’S is barely recognizable as steampunk, but it will at least distract you from the memories of that one time you almost bought a really crappy film…

Now ask yourself: do I deserve this? You might also ask yourself if you deserve a swift kick in the naughty bits. Or a punch right on your left eyeball. If these are things that you indeed believe that the universe owes you, then by all means PUNCH YOUR OWN FACE. Just put this movie back on the shelf before you begin. You deserve better—hell, the worldwide viewing audience deserves better—than questionable acting, bad dialogue, and predictable story. The only reliable actor on hand is Hugo Weaving, but you aren’t supposed to be rooting for him here. Although if he turned into Agent Smith from THE MATRIX partway through, it might have actually saved this steaming bucket of shark vomit.

You see, there are some things in life that you cannot avoid. Taxes, death, blackheads, gray pubes—all inevitable results of reality. Those bastards follow you everywhere. But this movie? Totally avoidable. Put the movie down and go wash your hands—you may know where that movie isn’t going, but you have no clue where it has been. Or what sort of diseases it may be carrying.

Now, you see that discount bin over there? The giant wire corral with thousands of Blu-rays piled in it? Guaranteed you can find four better movies in there. Start digging.

Grade: F

Special Features: F (The only special feature worth watching would be one in which the entire cast and crew do nothing but apologize for half an hour. And that one ain’t on here.)

Blu-ray Necessary: Hell to the N

-- T.S. Kummelman

‘Blu-ray or Bust’ - A STAR IS BORN

‘Blu-ray or Bust’

A STAR IS BORN (2018, R, 136 minutes, MGM/WARNER BROS.)

Bradley Cooper can just have my damn money. Seriously; if I could figure out how to have my paycheck directly deposited to his account, I would.

It isn’t that A STAR IS BORN is a perfect movie—it is not supposed to be, and it is not. The characters are flawed, there is a slight issue with pacing, and, call me nostalgic, but this iteration of the classic tale is occasionally too smart for its own good.

But…DAMN. For his directorial debut, Mr. Cooper certainly did tackle a timeless cinematic tale, and he did so with a sure and confident hand. They say that actors make great directors, and that is certainly the case here. Not only is his own performance outstanding, but what he gets from pop artist Lady Gaga is astounding. I knew she had a great voice, but to see how much she’s grown as an actress since her questionable turn in “American Horror Story” is one of several high points.

Another is Mr. Cooper’s own ability to sing. At one point in the film I wondered, briefly, if there isn’t anything the man can’t do. I admired his performance in LIMITLESS, and fell in love with his artistry in SILVER LININGS PLAYBOOK. But his layered performance here is predictably heartbreaking. We know from the start that Mr. Cooper’s Jackson Maine is a troubled man; he is a self-destructive alcoholic, one with a troubled family past that nearly ended with his own death. It seems that his voice is really all that he has left—that, and a brother that is getting tired of his crap (Sam Elliot, the film’s hesitant conscience). But Jackson is a star, and everyone just seems to want to make him happy, and not necessarily do what is best for him. Enter Lady Gaga’s Ally, a waitress who performs once a week at a drag bar. Her mastery of a French song gets Jackson’s attention, and it is there that their love affair begins.

That is one of the tricks of the story by Eric Roth (MUNICH, THE CURIOUS CASE OF BENJAMIN BUTTON) and Mr. Cooper; this isn’t just a simple story of two people that fall in love. It is also about the love they feel for what they do. As Ally comes into her own, exploring her own voice and where in the competitive world of music her voice belongs, we witness the love between her and Jackson change. Such layered performances make these distinctive characters resonate, makes their particular journeys that much more meaningful.

Of course I’m going to tell you to purchase this on Blu-ray—it is necessary for the soundtrack alone. But there is also a certain raw beauty to cinematographer Matthew Libatique’s (VENOM, STRAIGHT OUTTA COMPTON) eye; he follows the goings on as a voyeur, giving us up close and personal views of the dramatic realities playing out through the characters. There are several special features included in the release, including a 30-minute long behind-the-scenes which includes interviews with just about everyone. But there are also additional performances that were cut from the initial release, all of which are must-see’s if you enjoyed the concert performances.

Next up for Mr. Cooper is a biopic concerning Leonard Bernstein. Once again, he’ll star and direct. Can someone please get me his address? I’ve already got a money order for him…

Film Grade: B+

Special Features: A

Blu-ray Necessary: Most Definitely

-- T.S. Kummelman