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Reviews
Thor: Ragnarok (2017)
"A hilariously fun ride, that isn't anything deeper."
JordanRossReviews: Thor: Ragnarok– 7/10 Rating: PG-13 <> How to Watch: Theaters
I greatly enjoy the Marvel movies because of their balance. I've often admired how Marvel Studios has been able to take the seriousness of these fantasy stories and fuse them with the comedy of its characters and situations to find a perfect middle. Some are more serious than others and some more comedic, and you will find fans on either side of the spectrum. Thor: Ragnarok was not balanced. If you're looking for a fun ride than look no further, but if what you're after is an intriguing storyline, serious acting, or even some great battles then look elsewhere.
Speaking of acting, I loved Cate Blanchett as Hela, but the threat of her character and overwhelming power never seemed serious. Obviously you can guess that the heroes will most likely win at the end of the day, but when you make it so blatant it really steals away the threat. When it came to the action I was let down as well. There were the start of some very good scenes, but none of them could stay serious for longer than thirty seconds, if they even managed that long without a one-liner or pokes at superhero tropes. The scenes where we did see the darker and grim side of events felt rushed and after thoughts, almost as if the director had to put them in, but only to get back to the humor. Once I found out Taika Waititi was the director, whose previous work includes What We Do in the Shadows it made a little more sense. It truly felt like one big joke, but if you like your comedy you'll probably like this movie. If you're a hardcore nerd who seriously debates who would win in a fight between Thor and Hulk, don't get too excited.
This film felt like a side story within the Marvel universe and one I hope that was meant to be the comic relief in the long line of more serious titles. A great comparison to make within the Marvel family would be that Thor: Ragnarok was the complete opposite of Logan. This film had jokes from the first line to the last. The serious fantasy and science-fiction fanboy part of me wanted to attack this movie, but even I can enjoy a pure laugh fest from time to time, as long as this doesn't become the norm.
FILM INFO: Genre: Action, Adventure, Comedy Directed By: Taika Waititi Written By: Eric Pearson, Craig Kyle, Christopher Yost Release: Nov. 3rd, 2017 Runtime: 2h 10min Studio: Marvel
Paddington (2014)
If you or your family are looking for a happy and fun movie to enjoy, go watch Paddington.
JordanRossReviews: PADDINGTON – 9/10 Rating: PG | Family Friendly: All Ages | How to Stream: Netflix
Summary: A young Peruvian bear with a passion for all things British travels to London in search of a home. Finding himself lost and alone at Paddington Station, he begins to realize that city life is not all he had imagined - until he meets the kind Brown family, who read the label around his neck ('Please look after this bear. Thank you.') and offer him a temporary haven. It looks as though his luck has changed until this rarest of bears catches the eye of a museum taxidermist.
Review:
This movie has a special place in my heart. I had never heard of Paddington before I watched this film, but I can understand now why Paddington is such a treasure in England. What really won me over was how the story was so warm and loving. Although the main character was an animated talking bear named Paddington, I felt connected with his journey and didn't want it to end. It reminded me of the good in people and how fun life can be. This was a warm and heartfelt film from start to finish. The story was well written and the jokes spot on. I laughed harder than I expected and it's one that I could watch over and over again. Ben Whishaw as the voice of Paddington was truly perfect. I really enjoyed the innocence of the character and how he portrayed that through his voice. The animation was great, never distracting from the story. The other performance that stood out to me was Hugh Bonneville. I thought his role as the over-protective father – Mr. Brown – was superbly acted and his interaction with an animated character very impressive. Another element I liked was the soundtrack. A lot of the upbeat light- hearted tracks went well with the story. London Is The Place For Me, was an obvious fit which now reminds me solely of this movie, plus I found that it stuck in my head for a long time after. Along with the music the sets were memorable as well. From the wonderful antique shop run by Mr. Gruber (Jim Broadbent) to the home where the Brown's lived. I also thought the moments in which director Paul King spied in on the characters through the dollhouse was a creative and nice touch. It's really hard for me to go after this film for much considering how I fell in love with it, but it was not perfect. Nicole Kidman's character Millicent was a bit over-the-top and not what I considered the best fit for the story. Her acting wasn't the issue for me, but more the character herself. The wardrobe and intensity threw me off from the rest of the film, although I did like the antagonist as a taxidermist. Another odd point was the transformation of Mr. Brown near the end of the movie. I enjoyed seeing his character open up and change his way of thinking, but it seemed almost too drastic of a switch. I originally watched this film when it first released but I re-watched it now with my girlfriend who happens to be six months pregnant. We both enjoyed it as much as I did the first time. When I think about our son who will be joining us soon, this is one movie that I know I'm excited to eventually sit down and share with him. If you and your family are looking for a happy and fun movie to enjoy, go watch Paddington. It lifted my spirits and really left me inspired. Paddington 2 releases this year and I can't wait to revisit my favorite bear in London.
FILM INFO: Genre: Animation, Adventure, Comedy, Family, Fantasy Directed By: Paul King Written By: Paul King (Written By), Hannish McColl (Screen Story), Michael Bond (Original Author) Release: Jan 16, 2015 Runtime: 1h 35min Studio: StudioCanal
The Lost City of Z (2016)
"A beautiful film of the life of a brave explorer, with a few debatable changes."
JordanRossReviews: The Lost City of Z – 7/10 Rating: PG-13 | Family Friendly: No. 13+ | How to Watch: Streaming
Percy Fawcett's story was one I had no prior knowledge of, yet I found inspiring and adventurous as it was told through The Lost City of Z. I can't remember a film I've seen that began with the story of a cartographer, which I thought was an interesting call-to-adventure deep in the Amazonia. A story like this one stirs my explorer's spirit, but then quickly douses the boy-like fantasy as it reminds how dangerous these explorations could be.
Charlie Hunnam cast as the British explorer was a decision that was questionable to me, although I found out that Benedict Cumberbatch was originally supposed to play the role which would've have been much more fitting. I'm not sure if Hunnam is just too American, but his accent seemed a little unnatural. Although at times I thought he really sold the character, there were others when I felt he just wasn't the best choice for this role. I think he could handle the spirit of the character, but it was more of an issue with his look. Not the worst casting, just not the best. That being said, the casting of the supporting roles were great, and it may have just been me who took a moment to recognize Robert Pattinson as Henry Costin under that thick beard.
My favorite aspect of this film was the cinematography from Darius Khondji. Director James Gray made a decision to shoot with 35mm film which I enjoyed immensely. From Cork, Ireland and London, England to the wilds of the Amazonia the scenes were beautiful. Every shot was rich in color and had wonderful contrast. Gray had a vision that he executed with richness and beauty with Khondji. Although the decision to shoot with the 35mm cost the production an additional seven-hundred and fifty thousand dollars and logistical issues I think it was more than worth it in the end.
The largest issue I had with the film was the script. At times and certain scenes I thought the characters motivation and direction was clear, but other times I wasn't so sure. For example the obsessiveness of Fawcett in finding his lost city seemed under- explained. I wasn't sure of why he even called it the city of Z until I did my own research. For a man willing to leave his family and life behind he had to have more reason to go back to the dangerous amazon. Historically I found that the story of Fawcett was changed a lot, and Gray focused more on the characters then the actual adventure which gave me even more reason to want a more historically accurate tale.
The scope of the film was huge from the beginning and I think it was inspiring. In the end The Lost City of Z was a beautiful tale of exploration and sacrifice, yet could've held truer to the actual events. Even though I didn't agree with the casting of Charlie Hunnam it was a decent pick when Benedict Cumberbatch had to back out, although I still wish it was a British actor to take the role. The soundtrack was fitting with the amazing photography and the tale of such bravery into the wilds of the jungle rekindled my own sense of adventure. A challenging film to make and one that I'm glad I spent the time to watch.
FILM INFO: Genre: Adventure, Biography, Drama, History Directed By: James Gray Written By: James Gray (Screenplay), David Grann (Book) Release: April 21, 2017 Runtime: 2h 21min Studio: Amazon Studios
What Happened to Monday (2017)
A lot of potential and a few good moments, but fell on its face tripped by its own mistakes.
JordanRossReviews: WHAT HAPPENED TO Monday - 5.2/10 Rating: NR | Family Friendly: No. 18+ | How to Watch: Netflix
"Had a lot of potential and a few good moments, but fell on its face tripped by its own mistakes."
With such a relevant topic as overpopulation the story of What Happened to Monday had my attention from the beginning. Disappointingly it slowly lost it from there. I really began to get distracted by questions which never seemed to get answered. The film starts with Terrence Settman (Willem Dafoe) – the grandfather – deciding to raise all seven septuplets in a futuristic world where it's illegal to have siblings. The earth has undergone catastrophic events in the likes of global warming and overpopulation. In an effort to fix these issues the Child Allocation Bureau was created and ran to maintain a one child per family law.
I was immediately impressed by the performance of Noomi Rapace as The Settman Sibilings. Each sibling with her own personality and look played by the same actress cannot be easy to pull off. Noomi's portrayal of each was believable, but there were times where the most noticeable differences between them was their wardrobe. I enjoyed seeing the personalities of each sister, but it was an inevitability that some would stand out more than others. The writers Max Botkin and Kerry Williamson had me wanting to ask if there was a real reason to have seven siblings other than naming them after the days of the week. Decisions like these that ignored obvious issues is what plagued this film the most.
The moments where the film shined the most were the scenes we saw the relationship between the seven girls and their grandfather Terrence. The lengths that he went to in order to ensure their safety and own self-preservation were admirable and touching. Willem Dafoe brought a strong performance when he could, but another mistake was the under- use of his character in the whole of the plot. However I did appreciate how the extremes of the families' situation were never underplayed and really showed through the eyes of their grandfather's role as their mentor.
Where this film bombed and really couldn't come back from was the plethora of plot holes. If it wasn't for this review being a non- spoiler I could list ten plus moments that had me questioning, is this possible? From technology to just characters simply not noticing the obvious, it felt the writers were simply ignoring these issues and assuming the audience would never notice. The film's runtime was two hours and three minutes and I would have gladly watched another ten or fifteen minutes of explanations to solve most of these issues.
Overall I felt this film had a lot of potential and a few good moments, but fell on its face tripped by its own mistakes. Compared to Tommy Wirkola's (Director) other works this was a step up, but clearly he has room to improve. The futuristic setting was believable, but the cinematography was nothing to call home about. Acting was good enough to keep you immersed, but the script had obvious issues that removed you from the world. In the end What Happened to Monday satisfied my sci-fi itch but left me scratching my head.
Gerald's Game (2017)
Gerald's Game was surprisingly more introspective and less gruesome than I imagined.
Gerald's Game was surprisingly more introspective and less gruesome than I imagined (except one particularly cringe-worthy scene). From a viewer who didn't read the Stephen King novel the film was based upon, I went into the Netflix original prepared to be disturbed. The film doesn't waste time getting you to the meat of the story. From the start Carla Gugino gives an emotionally powerful performance as Jessie – a mentally abused victim struggling to repair a failing marriage - that sets the tone for the rest of the film. The reluctance she shows toward her husband Gerald (Bruce Greenwood) forces you to never sit comfortably as the plot begins to be painted.
One of the great strengths of this movie was answering the questions you were going to ask before you asked them. Understanding from the beginning that Jessie was to end up handcuffed to a bed throughout the entirety of the film already had me questioning her inability to escape. As soon as you see her situation play out and begin to think of her options, the writers provided answers as to why that isn't possible in a unique and believable fashion. With the multitude of challenges she has to overcome she is forced to relive her disturbing past, which in-turn must help her overcome her shackled state if she is to even have a chance of surviving.
The use of symbolism in this film is constant, but so much so that at times it seems to spell it out for you, or literally tell you. I felt the comparisons between her current situation and her past was a bit too blunt. I would've called for a little less hand-holding and a bit more mystery surrounding the connections that were made between the men in her life. Yet one of the most obvious symbols - the blood- red eclipse – was one that surprised me the most as its representation transforms into a powerful message of strength.
The anchor for this film was Carla Gugino and her amazingly powerful performance with a great showing from co-star Bruce Greenwood. The dialogue and thought process that unfolded from the two kept me emotionally entwined in the story and eager to find out what would happen next. Along with fantastic performers, Gerald's Game was made better with the subtlety of the soundtrack and cinematography. I was more impressed at the times where there was no music playing at all, which seemed often and was appropriate. It built suspense and kept focus on the current scene when all the viewers were left with was the disturbing sounds of her struggle. The eclipse as mentioned was a favorite of mine. The deep red ring emphasized the horror of events unfolding, yet transformed with the character and began something greater.
Even after the movie was finished I found myself thinking over the message that was left for the viewers to contemplate. It was one that I didn't expect and was glad to see at the same time. Gerald's Game was a fantastic physiological thriller that never had me shaking my head in un-believability. I enjoyed the restraint of music in key moments, and was enthralled by the situation presented. This makes two Stephen King adaptations that have nailed the difficult process of transforming a story from a book to film. JordanRoss gives Gerald's Game:
8.1/10