Movies

Some things that I’ve seen

Extraction 2

More of the same.  This time, the faux-oner lasts 20+ minutes.  Certainly some well executed action scenes, but nothing I’ll ever watch again.  This movie also has one of the stupidest, most annoying kids I’ve ever seen.  I wished they would have let him die.  

Regret watching? No

Would watch again? Yes

Would buy on DVD? No

Rating: Nice

Boomerang

I finally watched this after 30 years.  It’s got one of the most stacked casts I’ve ever seen, with some of the most beautiful people in the world.  And while Robin Givens flipping the tables on the womanizing Eddie Murphy (very slick and suave here) is amusing, he doesn’t do enough to make himself a sympathetic character.  I don’t get why Halle Berry would fall for him, I don’t buy for a second that he’s actually in love with her, and he does absolutely nothing to deserve the happy ending.  

On the plus side of the balance sheet, Grace Jones, Eartha Kitt, and Geoffery Holder absolutely destroy in their performances.  Major laugh out loud stuff.  Robin Givens is spectacular in her take-no-shit-from-anyone boss role.  And of course, Halle Berry.  

Regret watching? No

Would watch again? Yes

Would buy on DVD? No

Rating: Fine

New comics

New comics!

Superman Annual 2023

This is basically a continuation of Joshua Williamson’s run on the main title, told from the POV of the reporters at the Daily Planet.  It’s entirely pleasant, and sometimes that’s all I’m looking for from a Superman comic.

Avengers 4

The fight against the Ashen Combine begins.  This is the part of the arc where the Avengers get their asses kicked, only to come back with vengeance in the next issue.  It’s well drawn by CF Villa, but it’s missing that extra oomph that makes the best action scenes sing.  

Barnstormers 2

I really don’t care about this story by Scott Snyder, but damn if the Tula Lotay art isn’t some of the loveliest that I’ve ever seen.

New comics

New comics!

Love Everlasting 10

Joan finally falls in love in this timeline at the age of 90-something.  Rinse and repeat.  This arc hasn’t been the strongest, I didn’t need however many issues this lasted to get the point.

Fantastic Four 10

Ryan North can really bring it.  This is an outstanding one-shot, set up with amazing, eerie atmosphere.  Even with some duds in the run, it’s worth sticking around for issues like this.

Avengers 3

Setting up a major fight in the next issue.  Jed MacKay still has my interest, that’s for sure.

Batman: Brave and the Bold 3

Tom King’s story got bumped to the next issue which is total bullshit.  At least the other stories don’t completely suck, and there’s a story illustrated by Otto Schmidt.  But there’s no way I would have bought this given the proper information.

Movies

Some things I watched on my TV screen.

Your Place Or Mine

Reese Witherspoon and Ashton Kutcher are the couple to be in this blah blah blah.  Reese is an overprotective mother who blah blah blah.  Thank god this was free.

Regret watching? No (Because it cost nothing and ran in the background)

Would watch again? No

Would buy on DVD? No

Rating: Didn’t suck

Secret Invasion

This was it.  The MCU project that destroyed my faith in the Marvel Machine.  Coming on the heels of the wretched Quantumania (and that rating is too high), Secret Invasion completely shredded any remaining confidence I have in Kevin Feige and Co’s ability to land however many future phases they have left in them.  

Secret Invasion is a textbook example of wasted potential.  This could have been an amazing experience in paranoia, who’s really a Skrull, far-reaching ramifications, and shocking reveals.  It could have been the culmination of three phases of Marvel movies.  It could have been glorious.

Instead, it’s a small scale disappointment with reveals, deaths, and plots that fail to carry any emotional weight.  Maria Hill and Talos die with little fanfare, ending the runs of two brilliantly cast and completely wasted actors.  Emilia Clarke is now the most powerful character in the universe, and I can’t bring myself to care.  What the hell was that weak ass, unimaginative fight at the end?

Nick Fury has lost all of his luster; On that point, the show’s spot on: He’s old and has nothing left to give.  His marriage could have had some real heft (and almost gets there), but ends up being something else that I don’t care about.  

I daresay that Marvel is reaching DCU levels of badness.  They’ve fallen so far, it makes me so sad.  

Regret watching: No (I mean, I was going to watch it regardless of how bad it was)

Would watch again: No

Would buy on DVD: No

Rating: Stupid

Updated TV rankings:

1. She-Hulk

2. Hawkeye

3. Wandavision

4. Ms Marvel

5. Loki

6. Falcon/Winter Soldier

7. Moon Knight

8. Secret Invasion

Library books

I borrowed Ducks from the library after it recently won the Eisner.  While I was there, I perused the new graphic novels section and picked up a trio of books that all happened to be relationship-based stories.  I’m a sucker for a good romance, do any of these qualify?

Chef’s Kiss

A trite made-for-Netflix romantic ‘comedy’ about a college grad who takes an assistant chef position when his dreams of becoming a writer don’t pan out.  He falls in love with the sous chef, learns to love cooking, and deals with the drama of overbearing parents and a roommate/best friend who starts to feel left out of this new life.  It’s painful in its earnestness, and I found myself completely bored.

The Girl That Can’t Get a Girlfriend

Autobiographical story about a college student and her first girlfriend.  Things are blissful for the month that they’re together, then things fall apart when they go long distance.  The rest of the story deals with her four year-long mourning period and journey of self-discovery.  Slightly better than Chef’s Kiss, but Mieri Hiranishi’s insistence on drawing herself as far more unattractive than everyone around her completely took me out of the story.  I get what she’s going for, and it does a good job of conveying her self image, but it makes for a much less enjoyable reading experience.  

Hiranishi’s first-relationship euphoria is well conveyed, as is her post-breakup anguish.  But while I found myself relating to both, the story still lacked the magic note that would make it resonate in my feels.  

Walk Me to the Corner

A fifty-eight year-old woman falls in love with another woman, which leads to the dissolution of her thirty year-old marriage.  It’s got the makings of an interesting story, but I couldn’t stand the protagonist, who can’t get over the fact that her ex-husband ends up in a relationship with a former student.  She’s the one who cheated first, but gets all petty and jealous when he moves on with his life?  I can’t deal.  

So I’m 0-3 with these.  I keep trying these indie comics hoping for something spectacular, always forgetting that I’m usually disappointed.  Sigh.  Hopefully Ducks will prove itself worthy of the accolades. 

New movies

Oppenheimer

Christopher Nolan makes technically proficient movies, and they look amazing, but aside from The Dark Knight, I’ve never wanted to watch one a second time.  (And that one’s because of Heath Ledger’s singular performance, not because of the direction.)  I find his films emotionally distant, and that works for some directors, it doesn’t for Nolan.  

So much of this movie doesn’t work.  Robert Downey Jr’s a caricatured mustache-twirling villain.  Florence Pugh’s role is titillating but unnecessary.  Emily Blunt plays the generic disapproving wife.  The splicing in of cosmic, fiery dream sequences adds nothing.  It’s never fun to watch bullies do their thing with no repercussions, and that takes up half of the film here.  

What’s good, then?  Cillian Murphy is excellent in his understated way.  Matt Damon steals every scene he’s in.  The Trinity test is a work of art.  Any time the narrative focused on the Manhattan Project.

Looking at the reviews, I appear to be in the minority.  But there’s no way this is the masterpiece that I keep reading about.  It’s not even in the top half of his filmography.

Regret watching? No

Would watch again? No

Would buy on DVD? No

Rating: Fine

Underrated

The Steph Curry documentary on Apple TV.  It basically covers his 4th championship season and his years at Davidson.  It’s not bad, but nothing that can’t also be found in a few youtube clips.

Regret watching? No

Would watch again? No

Would buy on DVD? No

Rating: Nice

Movies

Mission Impossible: Dead Reckoning Part 1

Very, very well done.  Let’s get to it.

What I liked:

• Hayley Atwell.  I will love her in anything she’s in.

• Rebecca Ferguson continues to be the best part of these movies.  I love her even more than Hayley Atwell.  Ilsa Faust as a sniper continues to bowl me over.  That little look she gives before the sword fight on the bridge.  The moment she decides to drop her shields and be completely content and happy with Ethan Hunt on the balcony in Venice.

• The Rome chase scene.  The doughnuts by the Spanish Steps were hilarious.  

• Pom Klementieff.  Only the second role I’ve seen her in, and this is completely different from her ditziness as Mantis.  She’s basically Asian Harley Quinn here, and I love it.  The babyface turn feels cliche and unearned, but I’m not going to complain if it means we see more of her in Part 2.

• Nice to see Henry Czerny back as Kittridge, Cary Elwes as Denlinger, and Charles Parnell as random guy in the room.

• Ving Rhames and Simon Pegg are always welcome.

• The whole Abu Dhabi sequence.  Masterful cutting and use of soundtrack.  Same with the faceoff at the club.

• The Venice chase scene was good until the ending.

• The bike skydive.  The whole train-falling-off-the-tracks sequence.

What I didn’t like:

• They killed Ilsa.  Worst decision ever.  Can’t express how much I hate this.

• Killer AI.  They’re going with Skynet for the big bad?  I get that AI’s becoming more and more of an actual thing, but I still have a problem taking this seriously.

• Gabriel doesn’t work as a flunky in any way.  A generic monologuing villain who fails to intimidate, regardless of the results.

• Shea Whigham is completely useless as Special Agent Fultiley Chases Tom Cruise.

Regret watching? No

Would watch again? Yes

Would buy on DVD? Yes

Rating: Really good

How have my ranking changed?

1. 5 (Same) (Opera, Hanging plane, Underwater, Motorcycle chase)

2. 1 (Up 1)

3. 7 (New)

4. 4 (Down 2) (Prison break, Building climb)

5. 3 (Up 1) (Vatican)

6. 6 (Down 1) (I’m probably the only person in the world who ranks Fallout this low)

7. 2

Portrait of a Lady on Fire

I’ve heard so much about this movie, finally got to check it out.  

It’s beautifully made.  Noemie Merlant, in particular, blew me away with her subtle performance.  Her eyes are absolutely arresting, and I spent the whole movie trying to recall who she reminds me of.

It didn’t blow me away as much as I would have hoped, but the love story is touching, and there’s no doubt that the last couple of scenes will linger in my mind for a long time.  (I’m curious to see if they rank up there with Roman Holiday’s ending after there’s been some time to percolate.)

Regret watching? No

Would watch again? Yes

Would buy on DVD? No

Rating: Good