The New Review - Bullet Train

Bullet Train

Directed by David Leitch

Starring Brad Pitt and many many more

Concept: A man doing a job involving stealing a briefcase filled with $10mil gets caught up in SO much more.

Execution

Here we go...

Cast: This a perfectly cast ensemble. Brad Pitt, Joey King, Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Brian Tyree Henry, Michael Shannon, Bad Bunny(yes, that Bad Bunny), Zazee Beets. And not a single wasted casting. Score: 20/20

Presentation: A very Japanese movie, which is the point. It takes place on a Bullet Train. Includes a few famous songs translated into Japanese. Best thing about the atmosphere is that is takes place on a bullet train. And each car is vastly different. One environment... but many sub-environments. Score: 20/20

Chronicle: The story starts very slow. And that is to subvert expectations. What you think the move is from the trailer... that is how the movie starts. Then you go into the meat of the movie. Plenty of exposition. But each exposit scene is fun. And the 3rd act makes up for whatever slowness the beginning of the movie has. Balanced with all the sub stories going on, and all of them connected, paired with all of the stylistic violence that ALSO tells a story. Like Murder on the Orient Express if Hercule Poirot was played by Deadpool(not Ryan Reynolds... the character DEADPOOL). Score: 28/30

Impact: Based on a book, and you know how book adaptation are: either spot on or not even close. This makes a few small changes, and one big one that just... works better. It shows just how good adaptations can be in the 2 hour movie format. The action sequences prove that the small scale, controlled action of John Wick can work with different mediums AND can work with comedy. The impact of the movie is weighed less from this movie, and more on the John Wick series. It really was the first attempt outside of John Wick to use this style of action. And I'm going to give you a new Term of Entertainment Endearment(which I am going to make a post about): Intimate Combat. Because of that... Score: 22/20

Extra Oomph: The cast... I could talk about bigger parts the whole post, but I am going to highlight 2 small ones. First... I watched this movie twice already. It was until the SECOND watch through that I noticed Karen Fukuhara was the cute snack cart girl. Don't know the name? Katana in Suicide Squad and Kimiko in The Boys. THAT Karen Fukuhara. Yeah. It was a small role, but it was cool that I couldn't tell at first. The second small role... Bad Bunny. Bad Bunny plays The Wolf. An assassin. If you've seen the trailer, you've seen the big fight scene. But the small character backstory exposition, the fight scene itself, and a bit of situational comedy(you'll know what I mean)... I fully believe Bad Bunny could be a GREAT actor if he wanted to be. And I fan cast him in a reboot for Desperado already. Cast Karen in more stuffs... and get Bad Bunny on his movie star track... now. Score: 10/10

FINAL SCORE: 100/100

FINAL GRADE: A++

Conclusion: Yes, Bullet Train does start a little slow with ZERO exposition on Ladybug's behalf. But if your attention span is long enough to get past the small slow opening... this one of the BEST movies I've seen in quite awhile.

It's all a matter of opinion: I cannot stress enough that THIS is MY opinion, you can either agree with me or not. I don't have to justify my opinion, because *clears throat* that's what this blog is about. Whether I like it or not doesn't mean you have to or not...... I'ts just my justification behind MY recommendation... Which leads me to my FINAL JUDGMENT...

FINAL JUDGMENT: Go watch it... a few times... and then buy it on disc and/or streaming. And then get a back up copy.

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There is folks... Bullet Train gets a PERFECT score. And it deserves it.

Have you seen it? What do you think? Plan on seeing it?

Comment and share!

Until next time...

Don't forget...

The New Review - Thor: Love and Thunder

Copyright by Disney/Marvel

Thor: Love and Thunder

Director: Taika Waititi

Starring: Chris Hemsworth, Natalie Portman, Christian Bale

Concept: Taika's go with Thor, a sequel to Ragnarok. And the 4th in the series. And this one... we get introduced to Mighty Thor, aka Dr. Jane Foster!!!

Slightly Spoilery. That is your warning.

Execution

Here we go...

Cast: Hemsworth Thors it up again. You know it. Tessa Thompson with a great support role. Natalie Portman did a great job as the hero. But the highlight of the movie is Christian Bale. His Gorr the God Butcher was amazing. Creepy. The other 3 brought their A game, but Bale brought his A+ game. Score: 18/20

Presentation: Rockin' soundtrack. Bright and colorful. But... equally depressing and dark. And one of the most depressing starts to an MCU movie do far. Straight to the heartstrings. And set a tone that permeates the whole movie. But... the humor, while expected, did take away from the movie a little bit. It wasn't OVERLY funny, like Ragnarok was. But the timing of some of it was out of place. Korg... isn't necessary anymore. Score: 17/20

Chronicle: this is movie with two stories: one for the heroes(Thor, Jane, Valkyrie) and one for the villain(Gorr). The hero story was... happy, positive with a tragic ending. The villain story was dark, depressing with a somewhat peaceful ending. And... that yin yang type works... just know, they feel like two different movies melted together. Not a bad thing... most of the time. And in this case it does, for the most part. The hero side of the story was filled with so many clichés and tropes(but not the one I expected), but it also turned one around(fridging into a hero's death). The villain side... once again, the villain's motivation was justified. But... justified in both sides(the God he worshipped personally... and then the Gods Thor went to for help). The audience understood why. But... methods are what made him a true villain. So... understandable motivations... but despicable actions. A well developed character, portrayed by one of the best actors. Yay to well developed villains. Boo to cramming in too many clichés. Score: 26/30

Impact: Taika Waititi is the first director to repeat in the Thor franchise. And... I was worried going in that Taika would fall into his own trope: overly funny until a serious tone shift. That DIDN'T happen this time. Yes... some of the jokes weren't necessary. But a few were pretty damn good.

"Call the Axe."

"You need to call the dentist." That... worked so well. But the tone was split. Colorful with happy/dark with dreary. And setting up the concept for a sequel. Taika isn't one of favorites when it comes to directors, but because he DID subvert by negative expectations, he is my only choice for the next movie. Score: 20/20

Extra Oomph: Let's address the negative. And then the positives. The negative... TOO MANY CLICHÉS AND TROPES IN THIS MOVIE. It was a love letter to the 80s action/adventure films. But... that means all the crap with it. And it CAN work. Just don't fill a 1 lb sausage casing with 2 lbs of sausage. It doesn't all fit. And shouldn't. It was cool. But might be too much cool. Make sense? Does to me. But... one tired trope got turned on its head. Fridging. Fridging is a trope where someone dies(usually female)to motivate the hero(like in Deadpool 2). Jane Foster dies in this movie. The power of Thor is accelerating her cancer. She chooses the let the power take the last of her strength so she could help Thor defeat Gorr. She died a hero instead of the motivation(and post credits show he joining Heimdall in Valhalla for it). And that was a great touch. And lastly, I can't say enough about how great Christian Bale was. Easily top 5 role for him(because he has so many great ones). Helps me forgive the movie for the clichés, but doesn't eraae them. Score: 8/10

FINAL SCORE: 89/100

FINAL GRADE: B+

Conclusion: The duality of the movie makes this one a bit different than the other MCU movies. And both sides are equally understandable and tragic. Overstuffed with 80s tropes without being an overly 80s movie, but balanced enough that it doesn't matter as much.

It's all a matter of opinion: I cannot stress enough that THIS is MY opinion, you can either agree with me or not. I don't have to justify my opinion, because *clears throat* that's what this blog is about. Whether I like it or not doesn't mean you have to or not...... I'ts just my justification behind MY recommendation... Which leads me to my FINAL JUDGMENT...

FINAL JUDGMENT: Thor Love and Thunder is a pretty good movie with a decently woven story to tell. I was pleasantly surprised. And it is absolutely one of Christian Bale's best roles. As for the movie, I do recommend seeing it, just like most of the other MCU movies. It isn't a top 10 MCU movie, but it is one of the better Thor movies...

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There you have it folks! Thor: Love and Thunder has gotten......... an 89!!!!

Did you see it? What did you think? What would have changed about Jane's death? What would you have done about Gorr's story?

Comment and share!!

Until next time...

Don't forget...

The New Review - Elvis

Copyright by Warner Bros

Elvis

Directed by Baz Luhrmann

Starring Austin Butler, Tom Hanks

Concept: Stylized Elvis Presley Biopic. Enough said.

Execution

Here we go...

Cast: So, there are really only 2 important cast members in this movie. Austin Butler as Elvis. Tom Hanks as Col Tom Parker. Everyone else is moot. And it was on purpose. It was exactly Elvis's story, it was Parker's. And... it was a weird obsession he had with Elvis. It makes good on the influences Elvis had. So the other characters are important, but not forefront. Tom Hanks was a bit weak compared to what he CAN do, but he made a great villain. And Austin Butler slayed at Elvis, including singing AS Elvis. That was him(for the most part... later in life Elvis had the real thing mixed in with Butler to make him sound older). And everything else that made Elvis the King... Butler deserves at least an Oscar nom. Score: 16/20

Presentation: Let's get this out of the way... Austin Butler was amazing singing as Elvis. Like spectacular. But... the rest of the soundtrack was too modern. TOO modern. And visually... Elvis was an extravagant, flashy individual. So it makes sense for his movie to be... but it felt OVER produced in the first half... and UNDER produced in the second half. Where it needed it, it didn't. Where it didn't need it, it did it anyway. And...... that first half... it almost lost me. It was prevented through the eyes of Tom Parker... and imagine a villain seeing his meal ticket through dollar signs. And... it took me out of that. Score: 10/20

Chronicle: It's the story of Elvis through the eyes of Tom Parker trying to make himself out to not be the villain of the story. Even though it was clear he was the villain of the story. And this twist to it makes the story we know about even more interesting. I learned things I never knew about Parker... that I never knew about Elvis. And... the story had to be engaging, seeing how the mismatched presentation started to lose me. Score: 27/30

Impact: Baz Luhrmann is responsible for writing and directing Moulin Rouge, Australia, Romeo + Juliet, and The Great Gatsby. Out of those 4 movies, I only enjoyed one, and that was Gatsby. And now... add Elvis to that list. But... I still don't think he should've done a biopic. The pieces of the movie(cast and story) were amazing. But it was like watching chess pieces on a flashing LED Chinese Checkers board. This movie helps Luhrmann's portfolio. And I hate that it does. Score: 15/20

Extra Oomph: I'm going back to Austin Butler. Dude... deserves at least an Oscar nom. With the fact that he did his own signing... he was able to encapsulate what made Elvis so special. A one of a kind role... made for a one of a kind piece of Rock and Roll history. No one else could've done this movie. No× one else could've played Elvis in this way. And it redeems the film in a major way. Score: 15/10

Final Score: 83/100

Final Grade: B-

Conclusion: Austin Butler shines. Tom Hanks is creepy. But there are two different halves to this movie. Up to you to determine whether it feels like it is Performance/Presentation or if it was Prime/Pre-Prime.

It's all a matter of opinion: I cannot stress enough that THIS is MY opinion, you can either agree with me or not. I don't have to justify my opinion, because *clears throat* that's what this blog is about. Whether I like it or not doesn't mean you have to or not...... I'ts just my justification behind MY recommendation... Which leads me to my FINAL JUDGMENT...

FINAL JUDGMENT: If you are an Elvis stan, go see this. If you are an Austin Butler or Tom Hanks stan, go see this. If you are neither, I recommend seeing it, but wait for disc or digital. Will I watch it again? Yes. But... only because of how great Austin Butler was as Elvis.

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There you go, Folks. Elvis gets an... 83!!!!

If you've seen it, what did you think?

Did I mention how great Austin Butler was in this?

Until next time...

Don't forget...

The New Review - Sonic The Hedgehog 2

Copyright by Paramount and SEGA

Sonic the Hedgehog 2

Directed by Jeff Fowler

Starring Ben Schwarz, Jim Carrey, James Marsden

Concept: Sequel to the Amazing Sonic the Hedgehog movie. Add some Tails and Knuckles, and you get the next step in the story.

Execution

Here we go...

Cast: Once again, Jim Carrey slays as Dr. Robotnik. Ben Schwarz made a great Sonic, and he does it again. The addition of Idris Elba as Knuckles and the original voice actress for Tails just makes the package complete. There is less of James Marsden and Tika Sumpter this time around, but that is okay. But... we got more Carrey being Carrey, so that makes his casting still feel so good. Score: 19/20

Presentation: Soundtrack is solid, with remixes of game themes and sound effects ripped from the game too. Visually, you KNOW it will be heavy CG, and there are some moments where the CG doesn't mix well with the physical locations. But nothing that takes you completely out of it, given that we have THREE completely CG Characters this time around. That does the heavy lifting. Score: 17/20

Chronicle: Typical sequel. New family settling in. Typical Dad telling son "you are too young, your time will come" and then the time comes. Solid sequel writing. Motivations for Robotnik are solid revenge notes. Same for Knuckles, but evolution of his motivations was a nice touch. But let's talk about that wedding scene. So... slight spoiler, I'm sorry. Sonic Earth "parents" are going to Hawaii for a wedding. A Sonic Ring gets mixed up with a wedding ring. And Tom needs to swap rings to save Sonic. And it leads to [redacted spoiler]. I can appreciate an unnecessary subplot leading to a way to tie into the main story... and this one included Shemar Moore of Criminal Minds/Soap Opera fame. It just felt off. Didn't hurt the story. But it didn't help the story. But... conflicted because it strengthens the family part... Score: 26/30

Impact: This will be fairly simple. As noted many times on this blog... and nearly anywhere nerd/movie related... we KNOW how bad Video Game Movies suck. But with Detective Pikachu and the first Sonic movie, that is starting to change. But not only do we have a video game movie, we have a sequel. And the general rule is that sequels usually aren't as good as the previous entry/entries. That is NOT the case this time. We has an enjoyable and entertaining sequel. Jeff Fowler has made a GREAT Video Game Movie SEQUEL. And I never though it was possible. Now... let's see if others can get it. Score: 20/20

Extra Oomph: There are so many sweet references to the game series. The Water references were cool, like Sonic eating an air bubble underwater to keep breathing. Losing his rings when he got in trouble(including Sonic yelling "Oh no. My rings!"). The Robotnik logo looking like game Robotnik logo was cool. But the [Redacted Spoiler] looking like the game character himself... that was a nice touch. But my FAVORITE Easter Egg comes from the Coffee Shop. The name of the Coffee shop is... "Mean Bean". As in "Dr. Robotnik's Mean Bean Machine", a puzzle game for the Sega Genesis, a westernized version of Puyo Puyo with the Sonic Animated series characters. Score: 10/10

Final Score: 92/100

Final Grade: A-

Conclusion: Entertaining movie for the whole family... and the ONLY example that a Video Game Movie Sequel can be great. This is an amazing movie. And if it really is Jim Carrey's final movie, it was a wonderful way to go out.

It's all a matter of opinion: I cannot stress enough that THIS is MY opinion, you can either agree with me or not. I don't have to justify my opinion, because *clears throat* that's what this blog is about. Whether I like it or not doesn't mean you have to or not...... I'ts just my justification behind MY recommendation... Which leads me to my FINAL JUDGMENT...

FINAL JUDGMENT: Definitely go see this movie. Look at the journey for the first movie: horrible reaction to the designs in the first trailer, so they went back and redid Sonic's design... so much support for the first movie, and it was a great movie. Now... we are looking at this sequel being AWESOME. Go see it. This team deserves our support and the movie is worth it. Go see it. They deserve the support. Besides... Idris Elba was fuuuunnnnnnny as Knuckles!

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There it is, folks! Sonic the Hedgehog 2 has gotten...... a 92!!!!!!!

Pretty damn good!

Have you seen it? What did you think? If you haven't, do you plan on it? If not... you should!

Comment and share! Help a dude out!

Until next time...

Don't forget...

The New Review - Death On The Nile

Copyright Warner Bros

Death On The Nile

Directed by Kenneth Branagh

Starring Kenneth Branagh, Gal Gadot, Armie Hammer

Concept: Branagh adapted another Agatha Christie Hercule Poirot novel. Direct sequel of his first one, Murder On The Orient Express.

Disclaimer: This movie was finished or nearly finished when the Armie Hammer/cannibalism scandal broke. And... there was no way to remove him without reshooting the WHOLE movie.

Execution

Here we go...

Cast: Branagh as Hercule will always fascinate me. Even making that accent thick enough that when he gets emotional, it is hard to understand him. And that is beautiful. Armie Hammer makes a great Doyle. Gal Gadot is stunning and regal as Linnet Ridgeway. Supporting cast is pretty solid, and I give props to Letitia Wright for another great performance. Score: 19/20

Presentation: Visually stunning. The set pieces are near perfect, which is pretty great, since there aren't very many of them. Definitely a period piece as much as it is a literary piece. And... one of the low points I had with Murder On The Orient Express, the music. I noticed it this time. I wasn't trying to force it. It was just noticeable this time. And that is a positive in so many ways. I wouldn't listen to a soundtrack, but it sets the scenes and the mood so much more in this film. Score: 17/20

Chronicle: The opening scene giving a full backstory on Hercule's famed mustache and his love, Katherine... it was tragic. The over all story was more predictable than Murder. Which to be fair, isn't Branagh's fault. He adapts his movies to the source material pretty strictly. You won't know exactly how deep it goes, but you'll figure out the culprit(s) pretty easily. Doesn't hurt the story. Doesn't hurt the mystery. It is still very well done.

Of course, there are some small, inconsequential changes compared to the novel: subbing Tim Allerton out for Bouc made it more of a movie sequel, and Salome ends up not [redacted spoiler]. Score: 29/30

Impact: Once again, Branagh gives a masterclass in how to adapt a movie from source material. And I'm not just saying that because he is my favorite director. He is my favorite BECAUSE of that talent. It is why James Pritchard of Agatha Christie Limited trusted Branagh with these projects. The impact isn't just how he adapted the novel, but how a murder mystery movie should be build. Example... Rian Johnson's magnificent Knives Out... I think more original stories should manifest due to the success of Murder On The Orient, Death On The Nile, and Knives Out. We need more of these movies. Score: 20/20

Extra Oomph: This one... this one. We need to talk about one particular character. Lord/Doctor Windlesham. A well done adapted character. Throughout the movie, I kept seeing him... hearing him. And I thought he looked and sounded familiar, and I just couldn't figure out who it was. And this it hit me... it was RUSSELL BRAND. And he did a wonderful job. He was a main cast member, but dammit. I can't believe I didn't know it was him. Kenneth Branagh did something nearly impossible: he made me LIKE Russell Brand. To the point where I want Brand to tackle more serious roles. Score: 12/10

Final Score: 97/100

Final Grade: A+

Conclusion: Yes... it is a movie from my favorite director. But this movie is evidence of WHY he is my favorite director. A famous murder mystery getting adapted to make a beautiful movie filled with suspense and emotion.

It's all a matter of opinion: I cannot stress enough that THIS is MY opinion, you can either agree with me or not. I don't have to justify my opinion, because *clears throat* that's what this blog is about. Whether I like it or not doesn't mean you have to or not...... I'ts just my justification behind MY recommendation... Which leads me to my FINAL JUDGMENT...

FINAL JUDGMENT: If you like murder mystery movies, watch this movie. It is currently on HBO Max... if you have Max, you need to watch it. Did I say you should watch it? Watch it. It really is that good of a movie.

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There you go folks! Death On The Nile gets a 97!!!!

(Yes... I know... bonus points for making me like Russell Brand)

Have you seen it? What did you think? If you haven't, plan on watching it?

Comment and share.

Until next time...

Don't forget...

The New Review - The Matrix Resurrections

Copyright by Warner Bros

The Matrix Resurrections

Directed by Lana Wachowski

Starring Keanu Reeves, Carrie-Anne Moss, Jessica Henwick, Yahya Abdul-Mateen II

Concept: Going back to the Matrix. Legacyquel for such an innovative franchise!

Execution

Here we go

Cast: As always, Keanu Reeves was breathtaking. Nice to see Carrie-Anne back. The new crew members are amazing. But the highlights are Jonathon Groff and Neil Patrick Harris. All of the performances are wonderful, but those 2 stand out. Score: 20/20

Presentation: Retro and futuristic. Color schemes the original trilogy introduced are still present. The flashbacks were a bit choppy, but it was done on purpose... manipulating the audience. Subliminal throughout. The action scenes felt different, but it parallels the story. All of the action scenes before the climax were indoors, isolated, like Neo through the story. Nice touch. The little details throughout the movie make piecing the story together even better, small clues, blink and you miss it moments. Score: 18/20

Chronicle: Some points in the movie feel like nostalgia in overload(especially the flashbacks). But as I was going through the film, I realized that it was done on purpose. Those were memories as Neo was seeing them, we were seeing them when he was seeing them. The "villain monologue" by Neil Patrick Harris(you'll know the one)... it all clicked for me. The original trilogy was focused around innovation in technology... but this one was a straight up psychological thriller. An experiment of the human mind. I started piecing things together, and any problem I had with the film leading up to it just melted away. I was engaged, and I want to see it again for those pieces. I love those kinds of things. An amazing Legacyquel, and makes me feel better about Reloaded and Revolutions. I really like what Lana was able to, and this deserves bonus points. Score: 33/30

Impact: There are no real technological innovations in this movie, but the workings of the human mind, the manipulation. I felt the franchise is in good hands with this movie, and I can't wait to see how the Analyst and the new Smith take psychological evil to the next level. It wasn't what I expected, but I'm glad. And I hope other franchises take note. Nostalgia is good, but you must use it wisely. And Lana pulled it off beautifully. Score: 19/20

Extra Oomph: It made me think. I love that. This is my kind of movie. Also, an appearance from Christina Ricci always makes things better(*wink*)(even if was just a cameo with one line). We also had a surprise Chad Stahelski(stuntman turned John Wick series director). And...... is that a Telma Hopkins?(checks cast list) it IS a Telma Hopkins!!! See... not all nostalgia is bad. Score: 10/10

Final Score: 100/100

FINAL GRADE: A++

Conclusion: It isn't like the original trilogy. And that is perfectly okay. It also isn't going to be for everyone. If you were looking for technological innovations, you will be disappointed, but this is perfect for anyone into the psychological thrillers.

It's all a matter of opinion: I cannot stress enough that THIS is MY opinion, you can either agree with me or not. I don't have to justify my opinion, because *clears throat* that's what this blog is about. Whether I like it or not doesn't mean you have to or not...... I'ts just my justification behind MY recommendation... Which leads me to my FINAL JUDGMENT...

FINAL JUDGMENT: I know this isn't going to be everyone's cup of tea, but I loved it. I recommend this movie to every sci-fi fan, but I also recommend to drop all expectations. This isn't the same Matrix we all know and love. But... it has so much potential going forward.

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There you go folks! I have given The Matrix Resurrections a score of 100!

Yes... I docked a point off Impact... and two off Presentation because of the fight scenes... but I loved the story/psychological aspect SOOOOOOO much, that it deserved the extra points there. So... it isn't a perfect movie, but I fully believe that deserves the rub from me! And the performances were all better than solid!

What did you all think? Aspect of the franchise that is missing? Something unexpected that pleased you? Something anger you? Disappointed? Surprised? Comment down below, share this with the masses!!

And there is my final review of 2021. Hopes that 2022 will have some spectacular movies!

Until then, don't you ever forget...

Happy Early New Year!

A Return To Some Form

The New Review Renewed is making a comeback. With a New format... and NEW movie related posts. Sorry it has been so long... but we are going to make this work.

It's time to return to form