The Ritual (Netflix Original 2017)

The Ritual (Netflix Original Movie)

If you do a gender swap, and settings transplant, and change the basic plot of Descent, then add in a dash of The Wicker Man, give a splash of Predator, and top it off with The Blair Witch Project, then you would have The Ritual. I liked this one. I would call this film overall "pretty decent." The acting was believable. The directing was quite good. And the script was not too shabby - I am not going to ruin the plot, I recommend not even watching the trailer. Don't expect a Citizen Kane, but it is no Feeling Minnesota. Heck, I would go as far as recommending it if the initial description caught your fancy.

Netflix, your track record is just good enough to keep me watching.

***Warning, I found the begininning particularly brutal.***

The Cloverfield Paradox (Netflix Original Movie 2018)

The Cloverfield Paradox

If Event Horizon had a one-night stand with Alien, and gave birth to a child that was raised by a pseudo-scientist, then you would have The Cloverfield Paradox. It was not a bad film. But it was a film that had a difficult time pegging exactly the tone and feel it wanted to convey. It at times felt like a drama, at times like soft sci-fi trying to be hard sci-fi, and then at times it might as well have been Army of Darkness... seriously. 

The pacing was not very good overall, but that is made up for for the most part by the acting and special effects. If you dazzle and entertain me, I can overlook issues with plot movement.

Some of the plot seemed to not know where it was going. It seems to have hints and revelations, and if you want to extrapolate some, you go right ahead. And those hints might or might not reveal some about the previous franchise films. Is the setting fleshed out? Well, no. Does it do a good enough job to set up the anthology style mutlifaceted multiverse that the movies are set in? Sure.

What would I say when someone asks if they should watch it? I would say: 1.) Just go with it. 2.) Don't take it too seriously. 3.) Don't expect too much, or too little. 4.) Have a few drinks. :-)

Not bad, and slightly above average, but just slightly. 6 paradoxes out of 10.

Black Lightning (2018) - CW TV - Episode One

Black Lightning (2018)

Black Lightning... 


So, I am a big fan of The Flash, and I like Legends of Tomorrow. And when I heard that the CW was going to be airing the new series Black Lightning, I thought, "Cool, another superhero show for the Arrowverse." I thought it would be similar in timbre and tone, and was lukewarm excited about it, but still was willing to give it a try.


Let me tell you, I was so wrong. This show was amazing. The first episode just floored me. The acting was really strong. The plot was gripping. The directing was great. Everything came together with perfect pacing and sets a great scene with music and the venues. This caliber of show I would except on Netflix or AMC, but not CW. Don't get me wrong, I love The Flash, I do, but this is just on another level. I can't say if the rest of the series will be as good as the first episode, but wow. I was cheering for the main character in a way I haven't since the first season of Daredevil. 

Really excited to watch some more! I highly recommend it. 9 lightning bolts out of 10.

Bright (Netflix Original Movie 2017)

Bright (Netflix Original Movie 2017)

The Good:

• I actually really enjoyed the tone of the world created in Bright. It is a decent blend of cop drama and fantasy. It does lean more heavily on the cop drama side. So, if you are looking for a true fantasy film, be warned, this is not it. 
• I could have put this with the above point, but I wanted to separate it a little. The background is something you only get a few little tastes of throughout the movie. Even if no one admits it, you could tell the creators would love to make this a wider story.
• The races felt pretty distinct and specific. They were not LotR races, but the stereotypes were definitely there and played off heavily. I liked differences 
• Chase movies, do you like them? If no, then skip this one. It is mostly about multiple groups chasing the mcguffin around. Notice I have this in the "good", it's because I enjoy those kinds of films generally.

The Bad:

• A lot of Will Smith's dialog was lacking. Really the dialog in general was mediocre at best.
• The plot was a bit simple, and mostly unexplained, and this usually does not bother me. I put this in the "bad" though because it could have been a rich element to utilize and draw in the viewer. I mean, I would have really enjoyed a little more depth to what was happening.
• Will Smith's family were pointless. On the flipside, he did do what a smart person would do BEFORE things get out of hand, he told them to get out of town.
• The Orc cop, Jakoby, had little background to him. Again, normally fine, but the audience has nothing to base their understanding of him on here.

Overall: Here's the thing, this is a film for a fantasy lovers, but it is set in a gritty cop drama, that is difficult to pull off. Also, for those who love a good police drama, it is laden with odd fantasy elements that would be distracting. Does it work? Just barely. I liked it, but was it great, not really. And for the Shadowrun fans, it works as that, but without the hacker stuff. I would watch another film based in the universe for sure though. 5 orc teef outta 10.

Rough Night (2017)

Rough Night (2017)

The Good:

• I did laugh a few times during the movie. Ilana Glazer was really the standout in this regard. She probably has the best comic timing in the whole cast. The rest were fine, but just fine.
• There is eye candy for whatever you tastes are. Hunky males, attractive females... whatever you want.

The Bad:

• The characters were paper-thin, even for a comedy. I felt little to no emotional connection with any of them. A few minutes of the women in college, then a few short scenes of their personal lives, does not make me have emotional attachments to any of them.
• The plot was like mix between Bridesmaids and the Hangover, but not as interesting as either.
• Not as funny as you want it to be.

Overall: I have little to write about this feature. It was ok for a mindless watch, but I do recommend multi-tasking during it, so you don't feel like you wasted your time. I really liked a lot of the actors in this movie, but it just fell really short for me. Just barely 4 drinks toward the 10 possible. 

Black Mirror - Season One (TV Series 2011)

The National Anthem - So, this episode seems like it was a dare or something. Take something from bizarre from the headlines and make it even stranger, but make it a serious treatment of the subject matter. It works, I guess. It was not a bad episode, given the strangeness of the premise. The strategic moves and tactic decisions of the people involved make this episode work for what it does. Not bad, but not what I was wanting from the series... 6 pork rinds out of a bag of 10.

Fifteen Million Merits - This is more along what I was hoping for in the show. This story was a neat science fiction idea transformed through the filter the commercialism and "reality tv culture" of today into a critique of modern life. I really enjoyed the plot, the characters, and the movement in the episode. Daniel Kaluuya really shines in this one. His ability to play a range from "rat race zombie" to "passionate rebel" was extraordinary. Great show. 8 merits out of 10.

The Entire History of You - Great. Just great. Fantastic concept. Amazing plot to explore the ideas. Believable acting. This is what I was looking for in this series. I really would love to discuss the implications of the type of technology shown in this... bravo Black Mirror. 9 neurons out of 10.

Overall: 8 out of 10

Star Wars: The Last Jedi (2017)

Star Wars: The Last Jedi (2017)

The Good:

• Opening Space Battle: After being instantly afraid after the crawl that The Last Jedi was going to copy The Empire Strikes Back the way The Force Awakens copied A New Hope, I found the opening space battle overall a fun experience. I had two minor gripes with it, that I am going to say here because they are not detracting enough to be in the bad, but I think I should mention. One, Poe is without a doubt the greatest pilot the galaxy has ever seen. I don't know why this bothered me, but he began the battle alone and came out unscathed. I mean... it's fine. But two, I had no fear of the Dreadnaught. I understand it was big, but we had not seen it do anything. Just telling me to fear it does not make me fear it. But, having said all that, the space battle was well done and I felt the drama in the bomber was top-notch, especially considering the brevity of it.
• Rey and Ben: I could list them individually, but I include them together because the Rey/Ben/Jedi story line was just fantastic. I enjoyed both Rey and Ben in The Force Awakens, but they stepped up their game in this one. Their acting was perfect. Their fight scenes were well-executed and beautifully choreographed. I felt the connection, the conflict, and the drama between them was real. I could have watched 2 more hours of them. I even liked the reveal (true or not) that Rey's parentage was nothing special. And did I mention the fight scenes were phenomenal? They were. I'll mention it again.
• Luke: I enjoyed seeing Mark Hamill return in this iconic role. It was a nice extension of the character's story, even the frailty and weakness in the Ben backstory. The power and presence he brought a wonder gravity to his scenes.
• DJ: Benicio Del Toro was a grand scoundrel and I loved him. The "consistency" of the character's actions made happy. To have such a small role, his addition was great. I would have liked some more of him.
• Climax: The way Luke was utilized in the climax was unexpected, and cool, and really lent itself to a clear and honorable "passing of the torch". And though you thought he was going to die in the manner of Obi-Wan, he died like Yoda, which makes more sense seeing as how Yoda was his real master (Obi-Wan basically died like his master as well - different discussion). Beautiful send off for such a beloved character.
• Blended Tech: I liked that the technology was both new things and old things. It gave the universe a more "realistic" feel. 

The Bad:

• Flying Space Princess: Not going to lie, the scene with Leia flying through space almost ruined the movie for me. The scene was stupid... just pure stupid. It could have been a meaningful heroic death, but she was robbed of that. That makes me sad. And this scene made me angry in every way.
• Disappearing Army: When Rose and Finn were about to be tortured and then "explosion"! When they awoke, with no one around, it really baffled me. 
• The bits of humor: This detracted from the tonal feel of Star Wars to me. A little joke from a new character is fine, but repeatedly breaking the mood for the sake of humor just did not work for me. I was barely willing to accept it in Thor: Ragnorok, but this trend of "Whedon-ification" of cinema needs to end.
• Rose and Finn: This story just did nothing for me. I didn't think it added to the plot, or the drama, or even character development. Which leads me to...
• Captain Phasma: Still useless! Wow... so, useless.
• Snoke: They had built up this dude to be someone important from the past. Turns out, he was just a means-to-an-end. Seems to me using Snoke this way was a total waste of an opportunity. I mean, maybe it was meant to mirror Rey's backstory, I don't know. But where her's worked, the lack of Snoke information fell flat for me. What a let down.
• Salt Planet: Why didn't they send ships to this planet earlier to send out signals? Minor gripe.

Overall: I liked the movie. It was enjoyable, and though it did not feel like a central Star Wars film to me, it was fun. I would give it a 7 laser swords out of ten. I would not see it in the theater again, but glad I saw it in the theater for the first time.

Lord of Illusions (1995 - Collector's Edition) - Blu-ray

Lord of Illusions (Collector's Edition)

My wife got me the Lord of Illusion (Collector's Edition) for Xmas this year. This movie is one of my favorite guilty pleasures. The film constructs a near perfect world that mixes the two gritty genres of Horror and Film Noir, two of my favorite genres. It has very dark themes and the extra sex and violence in the Collector's Edition add even more to these elements - while the extra D'Amour scenes help flesh out his character. Some of the special effects are 90s for sure, but it is more than made up for by the cast of characters and plot.

Also for you fans of 90s RPGs, this film is a PERFECT theatrical portrayal of the White Wolf's World of Darkness Mages. The Puritan (Nix) is a quintessential example of the Nephandi. And the magic is "down to earth" example of what WW could look like. Love this movie.