The Oscar Project Reviews
It feels like the Despicable Me franchise has run its course, yet we continue to get new entries in the series over a decade after we first met Gru and his lovable yellow minions.
However, despite my initial apprehensions, I was pleased with this continuation of the saga. Set after the events of 2015’s Minions (affiliate link) and before Despicable Me (affiliate link), Rise of Gru (affiliate link) chronicles some of the events that led to Gru becoming one of the world’s greatest villains at the beginning of the first movie. The plot revolves around Gru (Steve Carrell) trying to join a supervillain team called the Vicious Six led by Belle Bottom (Tarji P. Henson) after their previous leader Wild Knuckles (Alan Arkin) is presumed dead. Gru is denied entry into the team since he is just a kid, but he steals something called the Zodiac Stone during his interview, leading to a chase around the world.
Julie Andrews returns as Gru’s mother in a few scenes, but the returning role that was much more central to the plot is that of Russell Brand’s Dr. Nefario. We meet him as an amateur inventor working at a record store, that just happens to be involved in some nefarious underground dealings…literally. There are also some fun cameos from the first film with the banker (working as a teller here) who also mentions his young son Vector.
Despite the title, I didn’t feel like we really got the “rise” of Gru in this film. Instead, we get a fun adventure film that ends up with Gru gaining a father figure in Knuckles, something that has been lacking throughout the rest of the series. True, Dr. Nefario could be seen as something of a father figure as the only older adult male in his life, but Knuckles fills that role much better here and I will be interested to see if we get another prequel at some point in the future. Gru himself does rise to the occasion of the film, but really comes across as more of a hero than a villain, regardless of his intentions. As with any modern entry into a film series like there, there is plenty of expected fan service. Several minions can be seen eating out of a Scarlett Overkill lunchbox at one point and Gru uses a “cheese ray” to shoot melted cheese in a coffee shop, a call back to his freeze ray in the first film. We learn where Gru got his giant alligator couches seen throughout the series and toward the end of the film, Knuckles tells Gru to “shoot for the moon,” an obvious reference to the central heist of the first film. None of these references are overly engineered and I’m sure there are plenty more I missed. Fans of the series will enjoy digging up all the Easter Eggs. Like most sequels these days, this film wasn’t entirely necessary, but I found it enjoyable and fun for the whole family. I can definitely see one more film fitting in between this and the original Despicable Me with more films continuing the series into the future. 7 out of 10
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A fun stylized look into a lesser-known corner of the Marvel world, Werewolf by Night delivers action, new friendships, and plenty of creepy monsters, just in time for Halloween.
I went into this fairly blind, not knowing any of the backstory to these characters from the comics and without even seeing any trailers or imagery aside from the poster and splash page in Disney+. I’m sure there were some subtle details that I missed, but having the Marvel name on it and the logo at the beginning, I expected a bit more in the way of defined connection to the MCU. Now, I understand that not everything with the Marvel name on it is required to connect to the MCU, but based on the release strategy of the last decade and a half, this felt like an outlier. Perhaps we will see more connections later on, especially with films like Blade coming into the MCU. The film was short at only 52 minutes and actually listed as a TV special on sites like IMDb. Gael García Bernal takes the lead as Jack Russell, a monster hunter who ultimately transitions into a werewolf himself. Laura Donnelly plays opposite as Elsa Bloodstone, a fellow monster hunter and daughter of the late Ulysses Bloodstone. I was a bit underwhelmed by Jack’s role, but thought Elsa stole much of the show. For their small parts, Harriet Sansom Harris’s Verussa Bloodstone (Ulysses wife) was splendid as was Kirk R. Thatcher as the Scottish monster hunter Jovan.
I mentioned earlier that there wasn’t much connection to the greater Marvel universe at the moment, but I did make one connection of the visual style to that of the Disney+ series WandaVision. The entire film is done in black and white, with the exception of the bloodstone itself which appears red. This is also a callback to Schindler’s List (affiliate link) which used a similar black and white technique with the only color element being the red coat of a young girl. WandaVision and Werewolf by Night both also use a transitional technique where the film resolves to color at a certain point when the actions allows for it.
The additional visual elements in the film are likely ripe for data mining by YouTubers and fans in the vast Marvel online community. There are plenty of monsters created for the film along with murals and carvings in the Bloodstone mansion, many of which probably have a connection to things I’m not familiar with yet. I will be interested to see what connections come from these elements in the background that most people will miss. In the final assessment, I was a bit disappointed with this initial Marvel Studios Special Presentation. I think the format has potential but needs to be better marketed. It also needs to decide if it will be an offshoot of the MCU, or if it will be something that runs alongside the MCU but doesn’t necessarily make those official connections. 6 out of 10
Hocus Pocus 2 is not the original, and that’s just fine. It doesn’t have to be in order to be a fun movie that families can enjoy during the Halloween season.
Nothing will ever come close to capturing the magic of the Halloween classic that is Hocus Pocus (affiliate link), originally released in 1993. Still, there is plenty here to find fun in. The film opens with a look back at the days of early Salem, much like the first time, but this time the Sanderson Sisters are children. The three young girls that play them at this age are spot on and do a good job of showing which is which, without falling into parody. The only complaint about the opening of the film was that it went a bit long. When it comes to the actresses we know as the Sanderson Sisters, Bette Midler is still the best of the three. Her performance felt the most akin to what it was the first time around, while Kathy Najimy and Sarah Jessica Parker’s performances both felt a bit forced. On the other hand, the trio of girls playing the high school friends Becca (Whitney Peak), Izzy (Belissa Escobedo), and Cassie (Lilia Buckingham) were excellent. Their performances felt effortless and they played the dynamics of the friendship well through good times and bad.
The creators placed plenty of Easter Eggs throughout, beyond the obvious. Several flashbacks included footage from the original film, edited to create backstories for characters we meet for the first time here. We see a black cat in the Sanderson House museum and in my favorite bit, we get to see Billy Butcherson yet again, still played by Doug Jones. The fan service is tactful and not overdone to the point of detracting from the story.
The ending of the film didn’t feel overly engineered and did lead to a satisfying redemption for the Sanderson Sisters, even if it did leave things open for more sequels down the road. I’m not sure it was entirely necessary, but it still felt like Hocus Pocus (affiliate link) and didn’t destroy the charm of the original. For a generation that has grown up with the first film and watched it every Halloween, they now have one to show their kids. 6 out of 10
Deadpool 2 brings the return of Wade Wilson and all his wisecracks, this time teaming up with a group of mutants he calls X-Force to help save a young mutant named Russell who is being chased by the time traveling Cable.
This is the rare sequel that lives up to the original while at the same time furthering the story of the central character. Deadpool (Ryan Reynolds) is up to his old tricks, fighting crime and living his best life with his now fiancé Vanessa (Morena Baccarin). When Vanessa is killed by a baddie that Wade didn’t do away with, he falls into despair and tries to end things in a fiery gasoline-fueled explosion in his apartment. Of course, his healing abilities allow him to come back even from that, and team up yet again with Colossus Stefan Kapičić), and Negasonic Teenage Warhead (Brianna Hildebrand), both returning from the first film. After an abject failure in their first team-up, Wilson is thrown in a mutant prison with Russell/Firefist (Julian Dennison), a young mutant who had been abused at the hands of the staff of the “Mutant Re-education Center” where he lived. The prison facility is attacked by Josh Brolin’s Cable, taking a break from playing his better-known Marvel villain, Thanos. As Deadpool enters the MCU arena, it will be interesting to see how this is reconciled over the coming years.
What works for the first film, continues to work here. But while the first film is a true origin story, this sequel takes Deadpool in a different direction, shifting from trying to save his damsel in distress by himself, to working with others to save someone not so much unlike himself. I hope that the third film is allowed to work in this same way and not hamstrung by Disney and Marvel executives trying to fit it into the more traditional MCU mold.
7 out of 10
With the announcement recently that Deadpool 3 is in the works and includes a final(?) appearance by Hugh Jackman as Wolverine, I felt it was time to revisit the first two Deadpool films and deliver some official reviews. So, without further ado, my Deadpool review.
This was such a nice pallet cleanser after the Venom films I reviewed the last two weeks. Looking back, it almost feels like both Venom and Venom: Let There Be Carnage were trying to have the humor and wit of Deadpool, but couldn’t take the leap, stumbling in the process. That said, Ryan Reynolds is the straw that stirs the drink in this film. It doesn’t work with anyone else playing Wade Wilson/Deadpool, but you can probably put just about anyone around him, and it will work. That’s not to say that the supporting cast is bad. Just the opposite. T. J. Miller is great in a limited role as Wade Wilson’s best friend and Morena Baccarin’s Vanessa goes toe to toe with Wilson as their relationship grows through the film. Ed Skrein’s portrayal of Ajax is not as memorable, but sufficient as the lead villain. Further down the supporting cast list, Gina Carano as Ajax’s sidekick Angel Dust feels very one dimensional, and a bit of a wasted opportunity. On the other hand, Negasonic Teenage Warhead (Brianna Hildebrand) and Colossus (Stefan Kapičić) provide a lovely connection to the world of the X-Men, and feel like fuller characters than either of the villains.
If yours is a family that likes watching Marvel movies together, make sure to put the kids to bed before putting this one on. It earns the R-rating, but everything that contributes to that rating feels relevant. Some of the blood and gore could be a bit excessive, but it still serves to drive home the point of Deadpool’s physical resilience, even if he is a bit weaker emotionally. A well put together film and worthy of a place in the MCU once that connection is made.
7 out of 10
Last week I posted my review of the first Venom film from 2018 and made it a point to follow it with the sequel, Venom: Let There Be Carnage, this week, hoping the series would improve. Sadly, I was disappointed, despite the best efforts of cast and crew.
The sequel was set up very obviously at the end of the first film with a credits scene, something Marvel is so well known for. However, in this instance, it didn’t connect to some other character or series, but rather simply foreshadowed the obligatory sequel for films like this, regardless of the quality of the original. Did we need another Venom movie? Probably not. Are we going to get even more after this one? Probably. When it comes to the character, I echo what I said for the first film that I prefer Hardy’s version of Eddie Brock/Venom to Topher Grace’s. I also appreciated the fact that Venom and Eddie became a bit more distinct in this film, with a few characters in the know addressing Venom directly, regardless of whose body he was in at the time. Michelle Williams ups her game in this film from the first despite her limited screen time. As far as the villains, I believed less in Woody Harrelson’s Cletus Kasady/Carnage and Naomie Harris’s Shriek than I did in the first film’s version of Riot. Don’t get me wrong, I love both Harrelson and Harris as actors, but this material didn’t quite suit them, and it never seemed like they really inhabited the roles.
While I never had a true problem with Ben Affleck’s version of Batman, I can see why many people claimed Pattison as the best Batman in a long time. However, I don’t share the feelings of the masses that adore this film above all others in the franchise.
It’s a good film, but it’s not a great film. Yes, it’s dark and brooding, just like it’s title character, but in that darkness, I get the feeling of being one dimensional. There are new takes on old characters that we all love, but that’s just the problem. It’s another version of the same stories we’ve been told with the same characters for years, decades even. Don’t get me wrong, the performances in this film are top notch. Pattinson inhabits The Batman with ease, but seems to struggle with Bruce. Granted, this is not the playboy Bruce we’re used to seeing from Christian Bale or Val Kilmer, but at least Bale was able to play both playboy Bruce and broken Bruce. Zoë Kravitz is the best of the film for my money as Selina Kyle and Catwoman. She is a less polished version of the character than we got from Michelle Pfeiffer or Anne Hathaway and she is clearly a broken character.
Again, my favorite plot points centered not around the battle of wits between Batman and The Riddler from afar, but the internal conflict of Kyle, first trying to find her missing friend, and then seeking revenge on her estranged father, Carmine Falcone. I wonder if the film would have been an even more effective crime drama if that had been the central point to be made.
At nearly three hours of running time, The Batman is too long and too dark (both visually and emotionally) for me to enjoy it as many do. I understand the appeal for some segment of the audience, but hope that the expected sequel takes a slightly different turn. 6 out of 10
Venom was one of the few gaps in my Marvel film viewing in recent years, and it was time to fill that gap.
I didn’t expect much from the film after it a tepid reception when it was released. But, since it did well enough to warrant a quick sequel, it was worth a shot. I loved Tom Hardy in the role of Eddie Brock, much more so than Topher Grace’s version in 2007’s Spider-Man 3. Michelle Williams role in the film was a bit understated, and I enjoyed seeing rising star Riz Ahmed, this time in a true villain role. The story itself is pretty typical for a comic book film. It was a bit slow to build the characters and even took some time to get Venom and Brock together. Fortunately, it wasn’t overly long, clocking in just under the 2-hour mark. I’d say it probably could have been about 10-15 minutes shorter, but I’m not sure how much shorter a film in this genre can be and still be viable at the box office.
When you’re looking through Netflix recommendations, and it suggests a Netflix original film that you’ve never heard of, it might be better to steer clear.
Interceptor tries to bill itself as an action film in the vein of classic Schwarzenegger or Stallone flicks of 20-30 years ago, but fills itself with so many plot holes, that it’s hard to even understand what the true motivations of the characters are. The conceit here is that the only remaining missile defense platform located somewhere in the Pacific Ocean is being taken over by terrorists working in tandem with someone in Russia to steal a bunch of nukes to fire at the U.S. This begs the question of why the U.S. only has two missile defense platforms (interceptors) and where all the other missile defense capabilities are during this film. Don’t we have planes, ships, etc. that could launch similar countermeasures against a nuclear attack? I digress. The star of the film is Elsa Pataky as JJ Collins, a Navy captain who has faced backlash for Me Too accusations against a high ranking general earlier in her career. You may recognize Pataky as Elena Neves, Dominic Toretto’s love interest in some of the more recent Fast and Furious films and she is probably the best part of this film, I just wish she’d been given a better vehicle to showcase what she could do in the action genre. Aside from Pataky’s performance, the only other real bright spot in the film comes from her husband and executive producer on the film, Chris Hemsworth. He has a cameo as an electronic store employee in Los Angeles who see the events on the missile platform broadcast live across the country and cheers Collins on as she fights the terrorists. Ultimately, you know how this film is going to end. There are no surprises along the way, at least not ones you can’t see coming 20 minutes in advance. A forgettable film that hopefully doesn’t kill the career of an actor with some great potential. 3 out of 10
Thor is back and I wish I could say better than ever, but unfortunately Love and Thunder leaves a bit to be desired.
Much was made of the return of Natalie Portman to the Thor franchise, and it was great to see her back on screen, and even better to see her don the Thor armor and wield Thor’s legendary hammer Mjolnir. But the truth of this film is that it feels like an awkward follow-up to what was an excellent previous installment in Thor: Ragnarok. The film picks up with Thor as he tries to figure out what to do with his life after Avengers: Endgame where he left with the remaining Guardians of the Galaxy and while they figured prominently in the trailers promoting the film, I’ll disappoint any Guardians fans by letting you know they disappear about 15 minutes into the film. Don’t worry, they will be back with their holiday special on Disney+ and another theatrical film in the works, but Chris Pratt has been busy with Amazon lately, so the Guardians scenes in this film are pretty limited. The other high point of the film is Christian Bale’s Gorr the God Butcher. The film actually opens with his backstory and I wish we’d gotten more about his character. We quickly understand his motivations from the opening scenes of the film, but there was so much more they could have done with the character. His lines are sparse and Bale delivers them with his typical dedication to the material, but I couldn’t help hearing Bruce Wayne/Batman in some of his scenes.
Thor: Love and Thunder is still a fun film. There are plenty of new characters introduced and we may look back in five years’ time with a different lens after seeing what else has transpired in the MCU, but for now this film didn’t quite reach its full potential.
6 out of 10 |
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