The Sparks Brothers - Movie Review *98% Spoiler Free*

 The Sparks Brothers (2021)

The Sparks Brothers is a new documentary film directed by the legendary director, Edgar Wright! That's right, the director of the Three Flavors of Cornetto trilogy, Baby Driver and Scott Pilgrim vs. The World! The film tells the story of the career of Ron and Russell Mael, two musicians who formed their own band called Sparks! I am a fan of Sparks so I was excited for this film! The film was released yesterday and I saw it last night in the Melville theater, the film received hugely positive reviews.

THE GOOD

As I said in my intro, I'm a fan of Sparks, and I am also a fan of Edgar Wright, so I was expecting greatness! I fucking LOVED this movie! This movie absolutely blew me away! This movie was so full of fierce energy! This was nearly 2 and a half hours long and it really didn't feel like that at all! The story of Sparks was so fucking engaging, I always loved learning about these guys and how they formed the band, I loved learning about how they made each album, everything was so compelling! I am so glad there is now a movie out there that (hopefully) brings some attention to these guys. The directing is absolutely flawless! The movie is full of energy, style, wit, Edgar Wright directs the shit out of this fucking movie! You can see the passion leaping off the screen! The music of course is wonderful! I love the band's music so I was having a blast hearing their music throughout the film. I loved the celebrity appearances in this film, I won't spoil every single one, but you do get Mike Myers, Weird Al Yankovic, and even the voices of Simon Pegg and Nick Frost doing voice work in animated segments. This movie just felt so larger than life in its scope and feel, it absolutely felt like a love letter to this band. This movie's editing was PERFECT, which is one thing I definitely expected out of an Edgar Wright film. This movie moves incredibly fast, and the film has so much stylish editing, it is everything any filmmaker should absolutely admire, or anyone who wants to become a filmmaker such as myself should absolutely take notes from! This movie is also quite funny, this movie made me discover how humorous the Mael brothers really are, they really did inject a lot of weirdness and humor in their songs throughout their 50 year career, but their humor really shines here when you actually get to know them as individuals in this film.

THE BAD

I had no issues with this film whatsoever, this was absolutely the best documentary I have seen since Won't You Be My Neighbour?

CONCLUSION

So here is where I end my gushing about the film, but I'll still gush about it in my conclusion, this is my favorite film of the year so far! The Sparks Brothers was so full of style and energy. It was always compelling, this was seriously one of the best documentaries I've ever seen! I hope people support this movie and give Sparks the attention they deserve.

GRADE:  A+

FILM INFO

MPA rating:  R (for language)

Run time:  140 min

Release date:  June 18th, 2021

Studio:  Focus Features

Guardians of the Galaxy - Movie Review

 Guardians of the Galaxy (2014)

Guardians of the Galaxy is the 4th film in Phase 2 of the MCU. It is written and directed by James Gunn, and stars a giant cast including Chris Pratt, Bradley Cooper, Vin Diesel, Zoe Saldana, Dave Bautista Michael Rooker, John C. Reilly, Glenn Close, among many others. The film tells the story of 5 criminals in space who end up teaming up to defeat a ruthless warrior named Ronan. Released in 2014, the film was met with highly positive reviews and like many other MCU films, was highly successful at the box office.

THE GOOD

This film is 2 hours of pure fun! This is a very clever, witty, funny and exciting film! The film keeps things simple with its story, it's never convoluted, complicated, it's always easy to follow and still always interesting. You can pretty much call this movie The Space Avengers, because that's essentially what it is, and most of everything I loved about The Avengers is also in this film. One of the things that The Avengers and this film do extremely well is having amazing chemistry and banter between the characters. I loved every one of the main characters in this film, each one has their own distinct personality and they are all insanely watchable and extremely likable. I loved the friendship between Rocket Raccoon and Groot, I love the chemistry that Star Lord and Gamora develop throughout the film, and Drax the Destroyer brings a lot of wonderful humor to the film. Everyone is hilarious in this film, this movie has some of the best comedy in the entire franchise. Another thing I love is how much this movie embraces how strange it is. Seriously, if this movie took itself seriously, this movie would not have worked at all. James Gunn understood that you can't take a sci-fi movie that has a talking tree and raccoon in it seriously, you can't be expecting something like Logan or The Dark Knight here. I can't talk about a Marvel film without talking about the action sequences. The action sequences are a blast! This movie doesn't have the nail biting, white knuckled action that Captain America: The Winter Soldier has but it didn't have to! Every action sequence was great though, from the prison break scene, to all the space battles, and the fight between Drax and Ronan, every action sequence work wonderfully. It also happens to have one of the most iconic soundtracks of all time, you get a lot of great 70s tunes here, from artists like Redbone, The Jackson 5, Marvin Gaye, Blue Swede, David Bowie and more!

THE BAD

I really only have one issue with this film, but it is a major one. The villain in this movie fucking sucks. There's nothing whatsoever interesting about Ronan, he's an extremely two-dimensional, very boring villain who just does bad guy things.

CONCLUSION

Guardians of the Galaxy is just pure joy. This movie is such an easy watch, thanks to extremely likable chatacters and great performances from the cast, fun action and a simple yet effective story. I love all but one aspect of the film, the villain was really not good in this film. This film is wonderful overall and a very high recommendation for people who love comic book movies!

GRADE:  A

FILM INFO

MPA rating:  PG-13 (for intense sequences of sci-fi violence and action, and some language)

Run time:  121 min

Release date:  August 1st, 2014

Studio:  Disney

Luca - Movie Review *Spoiler Free*

 Luca (2021)

Luca is the latest film from Disney and Pixar, it just got released on Disney+ today and I decided to watch it. The film tells the story of a sea monster in 1950s Italy as he takes human form and goes on a self discovery journey through the summer.

THE GOOD

I really didn't care for this movie at all, it's one of the weakest Pixar films, but I will get to some things that I liked about this movie. The animation and visuals are fucking wonderful, it's what I always expect from a movie made my Disney and Pixar. The voice acting is also top notch here. The film also had a very good message for children about not being ashamed for who you are and accepting youself. This movie in no way treats children like idiots, which I appreciated.

THE BAD

Alright, here's why I didn't like this movie all that much! This film to me felt very uninspired. The story was so incredibly dull! There wasn't a single aspect of the story that kept my attention. The film never explains nor makes any attempts to explain anything about the main character, you don't know why he becomes human when he goes out of water. In fact, it felt like there was no development for any of the characters, and because of that, none of the characters were interesting. There's this girl character who comes into the movie to teach the main character how to ride this motor scooter, and that's all to her character. There's no stakes to the story, nothing really intense happens here, nothing really bad happens to them, it's just my way of saying that not much interesting happens in this movie. There are movies that come to mind when I think of a coming of age story, they're called Boyhood, Everybody Wants Some! and Dazed and Confused. They are similar to this as there's no stakes and nothing really happens in them, but those movies are great because that they knew that in order to make a movie like this interesting, you need interesting, developed and likable characters and make their lives interesting to watch. Richard Linklater (the director of all 3 of those movies) is a master at directing this kind of film. This film does none of those things. This movie also had a villain (like it really needed one) and the villain is so fucking lame! The movie was also not very funny. There was also emotional scenes that fell very flat, there's many scenes that attempt to be heartfelt and emotional but not a single one worked for me.

CONCLUSION

I'm in the minority here but I really thought this movie was boring. I know most people are really liking this movie and I'm not going to convince people not to. I just thought this movie had nothing to offer in terms or story, characters and heart. This movie is the weakest Pixar movie since Cars 3. If you want to watch any recent Pixar movie, just go back and watch Soul, that movie is worth your time!

GRADE:  C-

FILM INFO

MPA rating:  PG (for rude humor, language, some thematic elements and brief violence)

Run time:  95 min

Release date:  June 18th, 2021

Studio:  Disney, Pixar Animation Studios

Captain America: The Winter Soldier - Movie Review

 Captain America: The Winter Soldier (2014)

Captain America: The Winter Soldier is the 3rd film in Phase 2 of the MCU and the 2nd Captain America film. The film is about Steve Rogers and Black Widow teaming up to uncover a new threat, an assassin known as The Winter Soldier. Released in 2014, the film was highly praised by both critics and audiences, with many regarding it as one of the best films in the MCU. The film was also a major box office success, grossing $714 million over a $170 million.

THE GOOD

This film is fucking incredible! This movie really made Captain America a real fucking badass! I loved Captain America in The First Avenger and The Avengers, but here he is flawless in the action sequences, and he given so much more personality. Chris Evans is so fucking great in this role! Black Widow was wonderful here too, even here she is given much more personality and feels more like a character. Despite not having a lot of screen time, Samuel L. Jackson was fantastic as always. Anthony Mackie as Falcon is fucking great, you don't get as much action with him but when he does throw down in the final act, he works great, he's a fucking badass just like everyone else! The story was constantly compelling, just like Iron Man 3, there's a political thriller element to the story, there's this criminal on the run element as well involving Captain America. To me this film felt a lot like a Jason Bourne type movie but in my opinion, even better. Everything involving The Winter Soldier was absolute perfection, he was intimidating, he was interesting, and also fucking wonderful in the action sequences. Let's talk about the those action sequences, they are fucking enthralling! This movie has some of the absolute best action in the entire franchise! They are hard hitting, white knuckled, intense, everything you could possibly want out of them. This movie is filled to the brim with action so you're always at the edge of your seat. There is a bit of shaky cam in the action but it's done properly, it's not some bullshit like Taken 2 and 3 or Kick-Ass 2 where they are shaking the fucking camera to hide poor stunt work, they do it enough to help enhance the intensity of the action and you can still tell what is going on. The screenplay is wonderful too, there's some witty dialogue and humor, the exposition scenes weren't boring, I was always interested. The pacing is extremely fast, this movie hits the ground running as soon as it starts.

THE BAD

I have zero issues whatsoever, this movie is a perfect comic book movie as far as I'm concerned!

CONCLUSION

I fucking love this film! This is definitely among one of the best MCU films, and one of the best comic book movies as well! I loved the action sequences, I loved the direction, the writing, performances, everything! This movie is exactly what sequels should be!

GRADE:  A+

FILM INFO

MPA rating:  PG-13 (for intense sequences of violence, gunplay and action throughout)

Run time:  136 min

Release date:  April 4th, 2014

Studio:  Disney

Thor: The Dark World - Movie Review

 Thor: The Dark World (2013)

Thor: The Dark World is the sequel to Thor and the second film in Phase 2. Released in 2013, the film was successful at the box office and received more mixed reviews from critics. The film tells the story of Thor going on a more perilous and personal journey as the dark elves attempt to plunge the universe into darkness.

THE GOOD

This is a movie that I think is just okay. Let's talk about the good stuff this movie definitely has to offer though! Chris Hemsworth is once again fantastic as Thor! He brings all the same charisma and humor to the role as he did in the first film and in The Avengers, and he's still a fucking badass! Tom Hiddleston is still phenomenal as Loki. The action sequences are more plentiful this time and they are fun, they aren't quite as hard hitting as the ones in the first film but they do work extremely well. The final act is definitely the highlight of the movie, it was extremely imaginative and a blast to watch, with all the fighting (of course) and the portals. There's some good emotional moments too, especially when Thor's mom dies (yeah spoiler alert for the few people out there who haven't seen this movie already, plus Avengers: Endgame also spoils that for the few people as well so I'm in the clear). For the most part the visuals are gorgeous as well.

THE BAD

So as far as the MCU goes, yeah this is one of the weaker ones, which is why I said that this movie is only okay. This movie is not messy like Iron Man 2 but it feels extremely disposable. Besides the action sequences and the performances by Chris Hemsworth and Tom Hiddleston, this movie feels like it really didn't have a whole lot to offer. This movie is lacking in substance and good storytelling. This movie's story is not very engaging, largely due to having one of the worst and most forgettable villains in the MCU. The Dark Elves are so boring, I never gave a shit about anything about what was going on with the villains. The titular dark world is boring too, and this is where "the most part" comes into play, the dark world is visually unappealing, it doesn't look cool or anything, it's the dullest looking thing ever besides the entirety of The Amazing Spider-Man and Fant4stic. This movie also has a lot of terrible comedy too, mainly from Kat Dennings. She is 10x worse here than the was in the first one, none of her comedy worked here! I honestly don't know if her comedy would've worked any better if it was done by a different actress, but she just didn't have the ability to deliver the comedy very well, and it came off as annoying.

CONCLUSION

Thor: The Dark World definitely has some fun in it, however; it's extremely disposable. This movie contains great performances, some really fun action and even a few great emotional moments. This movie just suffers from that disposable feeling, extremely weak villains and some really unfunny humor.

GRADE:  C+

FILM INFO

MPA rating:  PG-13 (for sequences of intense sci-fi action and violence, and some suggestive content)

Run time:  112 min

Release date:  November 8th, 2013

Studio:  Disney

Iron Man 3 - Movie Review

 Iron Man 3 (2013)

Today we start with Phase 2 in the MCU! Iron Man 3 tells the story of Tony Stark suffering from PTSD after the events of The Avengers during a national terrorism campaign on America led by the Mandarin. Iron Man 3 was released in 2013 and was met with mostly positive reviews, but was considered divisive at the time. The film was a major box office success, it was the 2nd highest grossing film of 2013.

THE GOOD

In my honest opinion, Iron Man 3 is just as good as the first film! I think this movie is absolutely fantastic! This movie balances action and character stuff perfectly. This movie has a great tone, this movie has more of a political thriller vibe to it, and I thought it worked beautifully. The action sequences are wonderful, this is the most action packed one out of the 3, and each action sequence works great! I loved the sequence where Tony's house gets destroyed, the final act is a ton of fun, and by far the best action sequence in the movie is where Tony saves all the passengers in a hijacked flight that eventually gets destroyed. This movie's visuals are also quite great! The acting is great all around, this movie has one of the best performances by Robert Downey Jr. in the entire franchise. I bought that Tony Stark had very bad PTSD, the anxiety attacks were convincing, every time he panics, it felt like he was really having those attacks, and he sells the emotional scenes perfectly! In my opinion, Iron Man 3 has one of the most compelling stories in the entire MCU, I loved the terrorism element, I loved the whole personal element of the story from Tony's prospective, everything kept me invested throughout the movie. This movie also moves at a more smooth pace, it's not quite as fast paced as something like The Avengers, Iron Man 1 or The Incredible Hulk, but it's definitely not as slow as Iron Man 2, this movie moves at a smooth pace and it's still never boring. This movie also has for the most part some really great writing! The dialogue is wonderful, and this film is really funny! I know people were pissed with the twist in the movie but it got a HUGE laugh out of me!

THE BAD

I do have one issue with the film, and it's not the Mandarin twist that pissed everyone off, I understand why people were pissed but I actually found that quite hilarious, as I mentioned in the positives section. My issue was the scene where Tony gives the Mandarin his address after this major attack. That was stupid, it's the dumbest Tony Stark moment, well maybe the 2nd dumbest, 2nd only to when Tony pisses himself while he's drunk in Iron Man 2. It's a very stupid moment in an otherwise great movie.

CONCLUSION

Iron Man 3 is a fucking fantastic film! It's a major improvement over Iron Man 2 in every aspect. I loved the story, I loved the action sequences, I loved the performances, I just really love this film! Despite the one really dumb moment in this film, Iron Man 3 is a very well written, fun, action packed film, and is among one of the most underrated films in the MCU.

GRADE:  A

FILM INFO

MPA rating:  PG-13 (for sequences of intense sci-fi action and violence throughout, and brief suggestive content)

Run time:  130 min

Release date:  May 3rd, 2013

Studio:  Disney, Paramount Pictures

The Conjuring: The Devil Made Me Do It - Movie Review

 The Conjuring: The Devil Made Me Do It (2021)

The Conjuring: The Devil Made Me Do It is the the 3rd core film in the Conjuring franchise, and once again stars Patrick Wilson and Vera Farmiga as Ed and Lorraine Warren as they investigate a murder that may be linked to a demonic possession. This film received mixed reviews from critics. It was released on June 4th, 2021 in theaters and HBO Max.

THE GOOD

This was one of my most anticipated films of the year, because I LOVED the first two films, they were filled to the brim with good scares, great atmosphere and legendary performances by Patrick Wilson and Vera Farmiga. My overall opinion of this movie is that I found it very, very disappointing, but I do have some good things to say about this film! Patrick Wilson and Vera Farmiga are still wonderful as Ed and Lorraine Warren, they still bring their A game here! I always love watching them on screen no matter how good or bad the movie could be. There were a couple of good scares in the film. The opening sequence was fucking amazing! I really liked that this movie tried to do something different for the core films in the franchise.

THE BAD

Now we get into why I thought this movie was extremely disappointing. As a horror film, it doesn't work all that well. This movie doesn't have anything besides the lead performances that made the first two movies so good. Besides the couple of good scares, there's nothing here, every other scare is very weak and relies on more jump scares this time around. The story was very boring and uninteresting. I'm sure the actual story this movie is based on is very interesting, but this movie just didn't do it any justice. The film lacked the scope of the first two, the first two films felt like bigger scale horror films, this film felt like a 2 hour procedural on network television. It felt like the budget was cut in half and they just opted to make a 2 hour episode of a horror themed procedural instead of a high quality horror film. This film really reminded me of The Unholy, it's not as bad at that movie, but it really reminded me of it. It has the same lack of tension and suspense, the same lack of scares, and it's basically mostly investigating without the intrigue.

CONCLUSION

I was extremely disappointed with this film. This film was not scary, not interesting, it's extremely boring for the most part. Besides the great performances from the leads, a fantastic opening scene and a couple of good scares, The Conjuring: The Devil Made Me Do It did absolutely nothing for me. As far as I'm concerned, this will land into the abyss of the forgotten. This film doesn't even come close to being as good as the first two.

GRADE:  C-

FILM INFO

MPA rating:  R (for terror, violence and some disturbing images)

Run time:  112 min

Released date:  June 4th, 2021

Studio:  Warner Bros. Pictures