Tag: movies

Why 2014 Was The Most Important Year For The Marvel Cinematic Universe

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Last week, Captain America: The Winter Soldier turned an unbelievable ten years old! This is a film that is considered a fan favorite among Marvel fans! It was able to tell a smart, complex and politically driven story about the dangers of trusting the government and your allies, it delivered some of the best and most unique action in the entire MCU, it gave side characters such as Nick Fury and Black Widow more to do than ever, and best of all, it just made Captain America an ultra cool badass instead of a Mr. Goody Two Shoes hero that the character was originally thought of as.

And in just about four months, we will also see the ten-year anniversary of the original Guardians of the Galaxy. This is a film that is also considered a fan favorite among Marvel fans and perhaps their most surprising film they have ever made. It was able to be a super fun, action packed, heartful and hilarious movie about becoming a family while introducing five instantly memorable characters that turned out to be the most lovable group of misfits you can imagine want to following. Considering the fact that the guardians themselves were characters that very little people knew about outside of hardcore Marvel fans, Guardians of the Galaxy being as good as it is was quite simply a miracle.

Captain America: The Winter Soldier and Guardians of the Galaxy were two installments in the Marvel Cinematic Universe that were so good that I would argue helped turned the tide of the narrative of the MCU as a whole. A narrative that this franchise was more than just Iron Man and his best friends in The Avengers. This franchise could in fact rely on more than just one person with star power but MANY other people with star power as well. So much so that I’m willing to declare that 2014 still remains the most important year for Marvel Studios and the Marvel Cinematic Universe overall.

Yes, more important than 2008 which saw the release of Iron Man, the film that kicked started this cinematic universe. Yes, more important than 2012 which saw the release of The Avengers, the payoff to Marvel’s five to six year plan up to that point. And yes, even more important than 2018 and 2019, which saw Avenger: Infinity War and Avengers: Endgame, the culmination and payoff to the entire Infinity saga, being two of the most commercially successful films of all time. While all off those were undeniably important and impactful, 2014 was where the Marvel Cinematic Universe was able to achieve it’s own level of peak.

Before 2014 rolled around, Marvel was still riding high off of The Avengers and the building blocks of Phase One. However, while every Phase One movie has their fans, it was mostly the first Iron Man and The Avengers that carried the weight of that entire phase and are the two films that are looked the most fondly of! Those two films were so good that it made the entire first wave of Marvel movies worth it, even with the indifferent quality of the other features!

Phase Two of the Marvel Cinematic Universe kicked off a year later in 2013. However, despite the financial success and solid reviews for certain installments, the fan response was arguably very mixed. Iron Man 3 was a genuine crowd pleaser but was controversial among hardcore fans due to the film’s portrayal of the Mandarin, A.K.A. Iron Man’s greatest enemy. Thor: The Dark World was seen a decent “filler” movie at best and a dull and forgettable movie at worst for critics and fans and is usually ranked as one of the lowest rated movies in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. There was also Marvel and ABC’s first show in Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., which had strong ratings for it’s first two episodes but saw a steady decline with each episode getting less viewers as the season went on. Although the show would end up getting a following due to the improved quality of later seasons, the first season of the show was not looked to fondly.

When looking back at the state of the MCU in 2013, the reaction that got from fans was almost identical to the state of the MCU for the past few years. After a handful of subpar and lukewarm at best installments, it made people question whether or not Marvel still has it. Is that superhero fatigue setting in and that special bubble is about to burst? If 2014 had anything to say about, the answer was quite simply hell no!

Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. finished off its weak first season on a strong note and started a second season that was considered a HUGE step up in quality. So much so that most fans that stuck around felt that was when the show had finally found it’s footing and was well worth their time and investment. Even if the ratings did decline after each season, the show was still able to last for seven seasons, with the final episode airing in August 2020. What seemed like a questionable show to keep going in it’s first season was able to find a following and fanbase that helped pushed it to seven seasons!

When it comes to the 2014 MCU slate regarding films, we had Captain America: The Winter Soldier and Guardians of the Galaxy! After the mixed bag of a 2013 slate with Iron Man 3 and Thor: The Dark World, these two films had a LOT to prove! Not only to prove that Marvel Studios was not slipping away in terms of quality but that these stand-alone installments could in fact exist on their own terms and didn’t need Iron Man or the rest of the Avengers to carry it. And man, did Marvel respond to 2013 about as good as they could have!

First up, we had Captain America: The Winter Soldier! This acted as a sequel to The Avengers and served as the next step of Steve Rogers’s development that started with Captain America: The First Avenger. While The First Avenger acted as a period piece flick, The Winter Soldier acts as a modern day espionage thriller. It was a showcase of Steve Rogers adapting to modern day events, discovering the corruption of a government that flew right under everyone’s nose, working and bantering along with his trusted allies, and seeing the pieces of his past come back to haunt him in present day. And it was all brilliant!

The Russo Brothers’ first entry into the Marvel Cinematic Universe was met with widespread acclaim from fans and critics, instantly ranked up there as among the very best installments in the Marvel Cinematic Universe! It acted as a perfect way to follow up Captain America’s story from his first movie and The Avengers while planting the seasoning for future installments in film and television for that universe.

Perhaps the most important thing about The Winter Soldier was not only how impressive it was in terms of story, characters, action, and themes but also how it stood strongly on it’s own without the notable successes of Phase One to bog it down. It shown that these side stories with these characters still had a purpose and they weren’t just being made just for the sake of buying time for the next Avengers movie. Important characters such as Captain America could carry his own film without the need of Robert Downey Jr. or the Avengers name alone. These stand alone entries could in fact stand on their own and play a big important role to the future of the Marvel Cinematic Universe.

For as impressive as Captain America: The Winter Soldier was, one could still make the argument that Captain America was still a well known superhero that was going to have his well deserved due at some point. That is something that could NOT have been said about the other big movie to come out of Marvel Studios in 2014, Guardians of the Galaxy.

I will die on the hill that Guardians of the Galaxy was the most risky project that Marvel has ever released. It contained a bunch of characters that mainstream audiences were unaware of, it had a space opera vibe that the MCU really never had up to that point, and it was directed by James Gunn, a man that tends to have a dark and twisty sense of humor and had a director vision that no other directors of Marvel had yet. If this failed, there was NO way Marvel or Disney was gonna try anything like this again and stick to strictly familiar names and brands for the future. Guardians of the Galaxy was a giant leap of faith……that ended up stick the landing big time.

Once again, Marvel Studios was able to strike gold with their most unrecognizable movie to date in Guardians of the Galaxy. It was met with the same love and acclaim that The Winter Soldier got just four months earlier. People fell in love with the characters of Peter Quill A.K.A. Star Lord, Rocket Raccoon, Drax the Destroyer, Gamora, and even a talking tree named Groot, people were enthralled by the visuals and set pieces, people were laughing at the jokes, people were crying at the big emotional beats, and people were rocking to the movie’s awesome soundtrack, which sold like GANGBUSTERS on Apple just weeks after the movie came out. It was so loved and adored that there are those that would argue that this is not only one of the best Marvel movies ever but perhaps their favorite Marvel movie to date, even more so than The Winter Soldier or The Avengers. It was that good!

Just like with The Winter Soldier, Guardians of the Galaxy was a Marvel movie without the big main selling points of their biggest successes with Iron Man and The Avengers. There was no other recognizable superhero to be found or had a tied together plot that made it acquired viewing for Avengers: Age of Ultron. Sure, there was a tease of Thanos himself along with the setup of the Infinity stones but they were never a big focus or distraction that it took you out of the the movie. It was just the Guardians of the Galaxy themselves on their own space adventure and it could not have been better for it.

Looking back on the MCU ten years later to where it is now, I stand strongly on the statement that 2014 was the turning point of the Marvel Cinematic Universe and when it was able to become something even greater! With the success of the MCU slate that year, it was prove that Marvel did have an identity of their own that wasn’t just strictly Tony Stark and his amazing superhero friends! They did in fact have other interesting characters with their own stories to tell and other unique brands that was worth drawing attention to. They could afford to go bolder, weirder, and riskier and it could all end up for the better!

It’s by being able to make lightning strike twice with Captain America: The Winter Soldier and Guardians of the Galaxy that motivated to make other great installments later on such as Thor: Ragnarök and Black Panther along with multiple sequels with Captain America and Guardians of the Galaxy. They didn’t need to rely solely on Iron Man, The Avengers, and Spider-Man once they formed a partnership with Sony to keep the franchise going. They could afford to try out other characters and untested properties to allow their brand to grow and evolve into other things. And I don’t think they would have gone that exact route if it weren’t for the success of their 2014 installments in Captain America: The Winter Soldier and Guardians of the Galaxy.

2014 may not have been the most commercially successful or profitable year under Marvel’s belt nor even the one with the most cultural impact but without the success that Marvel was able to gain that year, there is a good chance the Marvel Cinematic Universe would have looked quite different in the past ten years that what we have seen! I sure hope whatever the future holds for Marvel, that they look back on 2014 as to why that got them to where they are now and NOT learn the wrong lessons from it!

Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire (2024) & Godzilla X Kong: The New Empire (2024) Mini-Reviews

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Here we go! Time for another mini-reviews with the two most recent big movies that just so happens to have the word “Empire” in their titles for some reason!

These two movies are two similar beasts but with one being executed way better than the other. The main reason for that is that one is at least well aware how silly and dumb it really is while the other thinks it’s telling a deep and dark story when it’s really not. The former movie I’m referring to is Godzilla X Kong: The New Empire while the latter is Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire.

To start off with the newest Ghostbusters movie, are we ready to basically come to a conscious that Ghostbusters really didn’t need to be a franchise?! I’m not just talking about the iffy to inconsistent quality of the movies with only a banger animated show and IP licensed video game to speak highly off. It’s more of the fact that it seems as though Hollywood and even the “dedicated” fanbase of Ghostbusters seems to have forgotten whole hardly what made the original Ghostbusters work in the first place.

The reason the original Ghostbusters work is that it embraces it’s silly and bizarre premise fully and made for a funny mix of comedy/horror with a great cast to boost. It was about as well executed as it could have been that basically anything following that was just always going to look inferior by comparison. Ghostbusters II tried capturing that same lightning in a bottle and failed miserably. Ghostbusters (2016) came closer with its leading ladies having excellent chemistry with one another but fell apart towards the end with forced cameos and gags, a needless CGI heavy battle and one of the lamest bad guys in recent memory. Despite the lacking results of those two films, they were at least more than well aware that the strengths of Ghostbusters came from it’s compelling cast and sense of humor throughout.

Then came 2021’s Ghostbusters: Afterlife. While having a very talented cast and a solid first act to the picture, it got weighed down entirely by its overreliance of fan service and taking the material far too seriously than it should have been. It’s almost as if you made a higher budgeted episode of Stranger Things but just added Ghostbusters elements to it. It felt so off that it’s hard to imagine the iconic Ghostbusters song being played in that exact same universe.

While by no means an awful or unwatchable film, Afterlife seems like a far cry for certain fans out there that refuse to let go of their favorite child’s properties as adults and believe Ghostbusters was always meant to be taken as serious as the goddamn Batman. However, it did at least have a beating heart of it’s own and still felt bittersweet to have the whole film being in the hands of the son of Ivan Reitman himself, Jason Reitman.

Now enter Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire, a film that takes all those elements that fell flat about it’s predecessor and increases it TEN FOLD! You got a tone that’s even more jarring and out of place than before, you have so many different characters and plot points that the film has no idea what to do with, the callbacks and references to the original are even more awkward and forced, and even the actual Frozen Empire that the title would suggest really doesn’t play a role until the last third of the movie.

The cast of old and new do the best with what they have, with Paul Rudd, Mckenna Grace, and Dan Aykroyd being the main standouts. And even if every scene with the original Ghostbusters looks as though it was shot as a commercial, they all still feel passionate about playing their iconic characters and will likely delight longtime fans of this franchise. Not to mention, Kumail Ali Nanjiani and Patton Oswalt are always welcome to see no matter what they are in. Thank goodness for this cast because if it weren’t for them, there would be very little to recommend about Ghostbusters: Afterlife.

Maybe I’m just overly harsh because I’ve never been a diehard fan of Ghostbusters nor do I have really nostalgia towards it. Plus, maybe I still have PTSD over the INSUFFERABLE discourse of Ghostbusters (2016) (which is better than this movie, btw)! However, I think even die hard fans will have to admit that it might be time to let this franchise rest on the big screen. There’s plenty of different Ghostbusters medium that anyone can refer to as the definite Ghostbusters follow-up to the 1984 original. Whether it’s Ghostbusters II, the 2009 video game, 2016, Afterlife, and that The Real Ghostbusters animated series, I think the world has had their fill on this franchise.

Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire might be to date the worst movie in the franchise because it seems to completely forget what made Ghostbusters special in the first place. It’s not the ghostbusting, it’s not the lore, it’s not the nostalgia bait, and it’s CERTAINLY not the dark and gritty tone! It’s that special spark of an iconic cast of characters, it’s the right mix of horror and comedy, and it’s that perfect execution of its perfectly unique premise. No amount of expansion of lore or trying to repeat the same dance over and over again is going to replicate that. And unless Jason Reitman and company realize that and inspire to make another movie that captures that entirely, then perhaps it’s time to stop with the ghostbusting and let the legends live on in grace!

Now, for Godzilla X Kong: The New Empire! There are many negative points that I just mentioned with Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire that can be applied to this. It has a plot that is nonsensical and overstuffed, it has human characters that are thinly written, it has plenty of sequences made to revoke the nostalgia for monster fans, and it perhaps takes itself more seriously than it should. However, Godzilla X Kong doesn’t work in spite of those glaring flaws, it works BECAUSE of them and is able to make the very best of them!

Yes, the story is just an excuse to get all the monsters in action but it’s able to deliver them when it counts the most and in just the right spots! Yes, the human characters are thinly written but they are carried by a likable and charismatic pair of actors that are able to make the best of them (Please put Dan Stevens in more stuff!)! Yes, there are plenty of callbacks and references but it all feels earn and feels evaluate the experience rather than hinder it. Yes, there are times where it tries to be emotional but it never goes too far with it to the point where it’s completely somber. To put it simply, Godzilla X Kong: The New Empire is able to make the best of these traditional tropes, even if it doesn’t break or evolve them in anyway!

The action with the monsters connected to Godzilla and King Kong is awesome, especially with a final showdown that plays like the Captain America: Civil War of kaiju movies! The VFX and special effects are mostly impressive, with all the monsters looking completely buyable with not much shots that will take you out of the experience completely. There are some solid moments of visual storytelling with King Kong and his tribe, even if there are certain dramatic beats that feel too obvious and don’t ring home as much as say the new Planet of the Apes reboot. And even their characters are quite thin, the cast do make the best work with what they have and help make the human drama and moments salvageable and sometimes even making them land.

If there is one weak spot, it’s that there are times where Godzilla feels like an afterthought in his own movie despite being the first name in the title of the movie. Godzilla is gone for long stretches of the second act while most of the focus is on Kong interacting with his own kind. It makes me wish we could have had similar scenes with Godzilla visiting his kind or seeing that certain point of view with her but that focus is never really a thing. It’s almost as if Adam Wingard wanted to make another King Kong movie and then another Godzilla vs King Kong movie but Warner Bros wouldn’t let him so he had no choice but to mesh those two films together.

And while I am someone that enjoys a handful of these recent monster verse movies, they aren’t really movies I go back to a ton, only catching up on them whenever it’s on television. I mostly only remember my theater experiences with them and not much else. Heck, I couldn’t tell you what happened in Godzilla vs Kong aside from the title characters brawling if I tried.

Also, in case you are wondering, it is not on the same level as Godzilla: Minus One but I don’t think that it’s trying to be. Minus One was trying to be a smart, human driven story of how society can recover after being affected by a deadly war with a new threat starting to emerge. It’s the kind of movie that even if you took Godzilla how of the picture, it would still work entirely. It was one of the few Godzilla movies that you could describe as being smart and deep but it also had a function brain in its head, knowing when to let the human drama play off along with delivering the stellar Godzilla action when it counts.

Godzilla X Kong: The New Empire doesn’t try to be like Godzilla: Minus One. It doesn’t try to have a point to make or a message to deliver, it wants to deliver exactly on the “kids playing with monster figures” mindset and it succeeds completely. Whereas Godzilla: Minus One felt like a movie trying to win awards, Godzilla X Kong: The New Empire is a movie trying to sell tickets to dying movie theaters. It’s okay to enjoy a well made, cooked, and nutritious steak meal while also enjoying a delicious, messy Big Mac meal every once in a while.

While Godzilla X Kong: The New Empire doesn’t do much other than what it’s overall title suggests, it still does make for a fun time at the movies and a movie that is worthy of a discount price on a Tuesday. The action is cool, the special effects are a treat for the eyes, the cast are a lot of fun, and that final monster showdown brawl is certainly going to be one for the ages for monster fans everywhere. I could have used with more Godzilla in a movie and maybe a better attempt at breaking some of these common tropes with movies movie but for what it’s worth, Godzilla X Kong: The New Empire is simply a good enough monster movie that I enjoyed watching. Take of that as you will!

Ranking The 2024 Best Picture Nominations

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Another year, another handful of Best Picture nominees to talk about. This year, the Oscars just so happens to take place on my least favorite day of the year aside from my birthday, Daylight Savings time! I find it bizarre how year after year the Academy Awards keeps flip flopping the date of which the Oscars happen. One year, it’s February. The next year, it’s late March. And the year after that, it’s early March. I don’t understand all of that one bit but whatever.

Just like the last couple of years, there are ten total best picture nominations to talk about and rank. I won’t lie, my opinion might be controversial because I don’t I was as over the moon with some of these as most others were. Part of that might be due to personal preference and/or rewatch value but be warned in case your favorites of the nominees didn’t make it high on my list. But anyways, let’s get on it with it and rank the ten best picture nominations from best to worst.

10.) Poor Things

Every year, you have to have at least one movie on the best picture nominations that you acknowledge is very well made and acted but you didn’t care for it whatsoever. That so happens to be Poor Things for me. Yes, the productions values are great! Yes, Emma Stone is as fabulous as ever! And yes, there are a handful of funny moments and unique shots here and there! But, that still doesn’t change the fact that this feels like a porno than an actual movie with a bloated runtime and an artistic vision that comes across as more pretentious than as a real, honest voice from behind the camera. Maybe I’m just not a Yorgos Lanthimos fan as he has yet to make a film that impressed me but Poor Things is the kind of Oscar bait getting nominated that absolutely annoys me. Try filling up that flash with substance next time Yorgos! Only then that I might be on your side!

9.) Maestro

And speaking of well made films that did absolutely nothing for me, Maestro is one that left me feeling cold. The makeup and cinematography are great and the actors do a fine job in their roles but I don’t think this movies does a very good job on giving you an indication as to who Leonard Bernstein is. He doesn’t seem all that different from any other musicians out there and for a movie that suppose to show otherwise, I feel like I would give more info about them by just looking up his Wikipedia page. Not the worst biopic ever but one that left plenty to be desired for me. And if Bradley Cooper really does win for best actor, this will surely be his “Leonardo DiCaprio winning an Oscar for The Revenant” moment! And no, that is NOT a compliment!

8.) The Zone of Interest

This is far in a way the most experimental film of all the best picture nominations. The Zone of Interest tells the story of Rudolf Hoss and his wife and their desire to build the ultimate dream life for themselves and their family. However, Jonathan Glazer just to tells this story in a rather steady pace, trying to get every lasting moment of getting you suck into the film’s atmosphere and get a clear glance of how crystal clear everything in the film looks. There is admirable ambition to be found here but I still can’t help but feel like it would have worked better as a short film than as a feature length film. The fact it takes about three full minutes for even the first shot of the movie to be seen really sets the vibe of the entire picture. While experimental and unconventional, The Zone of Interest is a film that will surely test your patience and it’s only if you feel like it is worthwhile by the end of it which will determine your perspective on it.

7.) American Fiction

Here’s a film about a black author that is under more pressure than ever to make his stories more “black heavy” to make it stand out for his publishers and other authors out there. American Fiction goes into great insight about how mainstream media can’t seem to make black art without involving the negative stereotypes and racism surrounding black folks. Led by a commendable performance from Jeffrey Wright, this is a tight, witty, and thoroughly entertaining drama that dives deep into its subject matter without being completely one sided about it. If it could have stuck the landing a little better, then it would probably be even higher on the list, While I don’t see American Fiction making too much noise at the Oscars, I do hope it encourages studios to make more drama comedy films like and give Jeffrey Wright more recognition for being one of the very best actors working today.

6.) Anatomy of a Fall

The tagline of Anatomy of a Fall is “Did she do it?” I would make a joke review by saying, “I don’t know about you all but I do think she did it” but the film itself is able to be about more than simply that ringing question that is constantly hear throughout the film. This is quite an intriguing mystery that is filled with constant ambiguity and tension throughout that allows for multiple different perspectives from each of the characters involved, so much so that you will likely find yourself switching sides throughout the entire film. I do wish the first half of the film was more interesting and it had 15 to 20 minutes trimmed out but Anatomy of a Fall does make for interesting and accessible film that those that love a good mix of comedy, drama, and mystery.

5.) Barbie

The highest grossing film of the year is also in the top half of best picture nominees! What easily could have been a by-the-numbers flick for little girls that would have been better off going straight to streaming, Greta Gerwig decides to go beyond that and craft a film about traditional gender roles, identity, and why there should be a proper balance between the matriarchy and patriarchy. Barbie is as clever, funny, and creative as you could expected given the talent involved, with Margot Robbie and Ryan Gosling being a match made in heaven as Barbie and Ken respectively. The world-building is as strong as it could possibly be with a movie surrounding a toy brand that everyone is aware off, each cast member are clearly having the time of their lives, the soundtrack is one you are likely gonna have stuck in your head as soon as you leave the theater, and it feels so refreshing to see a new summer blockbuster that seems to have to same love and passion it does from both in front and behind the camera. It doesn’t all work 100% and there will certainly be plenty of folks that will take issue with the way it handles it’s themes and messages but for the most part, Greta Gerwig is able to make lightning strike a third time in a row and has made herself a new name to look out for. If you’re a woman, you probably already saw this movie and love it. And heck, even if you are a man, watch it yourself and you’ll probably have a good time as well!

4.) Killers of the Flower Moon

It seems like an unwritten role that every new Martin Scorsese film is a lock-in for a best picture nominee but man, does the man keep deserving that honor. Killers of the Flower Moon is once again a winner from the great Martin Scorsese himself. It’s an exceptionally well crafted and brilliantly acted picture that goes to show why Martin might just be the best when it comes to making these kind of period pieces. It’s as every bit of gripping, emotional, and impeccable as you heard, the 3.5 hour longtime while excessive is put to good use, and it’s another reminder why films like this are worth experiencing on the biggest of screens possible. And Lily Gladstone MORE than deserves that Oscar for Best Supporting Actress! It may not be his very best but it’s certainly a film that will leave an impact on you, one way or the other. As we reach Scorsese’s final chapter of his 80-year old life, this plays out as the proper beginning of the end of one of our finest filmmakers who has ever lived. As if we are starting to enter the final chapter of his filmmaking career. Because of that, it’s best to enjoy Scorsese pictures as much as we can while the man is still breathing! Let’s do that and STOP asking the man of his opinions on Marvel movies! Please and thank you!

3.) The Holdovers

While I certainly enjoyed The Holdovers on my first viewing, it VASTLY improved on me on my second viewing. So much so that this isn’t just one of the best films of the nominations, it’s one of the best films of 2023 period! This is a beautiful and heartfelt Christmas drama filled with engaging and lived in characters, a tremendous screenplay, spot-on direction, and great performances from the entire cast. As great as Cillian Murphy was in Oppenheimer, I wouldn’t be surprised to see Paul Giamatti pull up the upset and take home the Oscar for best actor himself. Anything to see him spotted again at a fast food restaurant with an reward in his hand. In all seriousness, The Holdovers is a genuinely excellent film that will resonate with you the more you think about it and watch it. It’s not just a film you will feel eager to watch every Christmas, but also one to watch for someone that don’t feel loved or appreciated enough in their regular lives. To those people, I can see this film feeling like one big warm hug. The fact this is only #3 on this list just says more about how superb the next two films are.

2.) Past Lives

Past Lives makes for a beautiful and touching tale about two friends, separated as children, being reunited as they confront destiny, their love for one another, and the choices they have made throughout the entire life. It’s a deep exploration of the connections we have with ourselves and the ones we care about along with our struggles that helps us define who we are. It’s about two dear friends that went their separate ways but might have an urge to try to relief the good old days in the here and now. It’s perfectly directed, beautifully acted, thematically relevant, emotionally engaging, and uses it’s slow-burn pacing to it’s absolute full potential. It’s a film where it’s ideas within the narrative are executed about as perfect as it could get. Even in an age where certain folks seem to decry the idea of films having important messages because movies just aren’t suppose to have that now for some reason, Past Lives is a reminder why we need films like that. We need films that teaches us the true meaning of life and why we shouldn’t take it or the ones we love for granted. Give Greta Lee the Oscar right now!

1.) Oppenheimer

If were going by pure objective quality, this would probably also qualify as the very best film of the year for me and not just strictly the best of the nominees. Oppenheimer is yet another masterfully made and directed film by the great Christopher Nolan himself, perhaps his biggest cinematic achievement to date. It’s able to tell exactly the kind of sprawling epic story that it aspires to be by acting as a character study first and a biopic second of the infamous man of J. Robert Oppenheimer himself. Every single member of it’s highly recognizable cast is able to completely disappear into their roles and captured their performances perfectly (RDJ better get that Oscar!), it does a great job of exploring the man of J. Robert Oppenheimer (played perfectly by Cillian Murphy) as not just “the destroyer of worlds” but as an impactful flawed man himself, the three hour runtime is put to near perfect use, the score is absolutely riveting and will haunt you in the best of ways, and is able to deliver fully on the theater experience in ways that no other filmmaker than Nolan can do. While it’s not quite my favorite film from Nolan (Inception and The Dark Knight will always be very hard to top for me!), this might just be his most important one to date, showcasing why he will always be a name to attract a mass audience with every film he releases! It’s currently the favorite one to win and if that’s the case, then it will be the second year in a row in which my favorite of the Best Picture nominees will take home Best Picture. It’s time for Nolan to get his due and he will greatly deserve it!

Ranking The Kung Fu Panda Movies

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Kung Fu Panda 4 is now out in theaters and because of that, it’s time to rank all four films in the Kung Fu Panda franchise.

This is a franchise that has always had a special place in my heart. I remember watching the original Kung Fu Panda in theaters and being utterly blown away about how good it was. It really gave you the notion as to why you shouldn’t judge a movie so harshly based off the premise alone. And while this franchise might have a different variation of quality in terms of movies and television shows, that core message still reigns true to this day.

I already did a marathon of the first three Kung Fu Panda movies and a review for Kung Fu Panda 4. I’ll put links to those at the end of the piece. But for now, here are my ranking of the four Kung Fu Panda movies we have gotten thus far.

4.) Kung Fu Panda 4

The worst Kung Fu Panda is unfortunately the one that just came out in theaters. Kung Fu Panda 4 feels like the kind of movie that people were expecting the original Kung Fu Panda to be before seeing it. Relying way too much on water down humor, barebone storytelling, and the most predictable outcomes for the characters imaginable, Kung Fu Panda 4 is a sign that perhaps that this franchise may have ran out of creative gas. Also, The Furious Five being written out to make room for the new player in Zhen certainly doesn’t help either.

For those that come to these movies for the action and some laughs, you might get your money’s worth. It’s competently made with great animation, enjoyable fight scenes, and solid voice work throughout but the clever storytelling and engaging resonate themes that have been a staple for this series is just not there this time around. There are moments where it feels like it’s going to get there and makes this stand proudly with the other three films but it instead chooses to take the quick and easy path every step of the way, which is not how the series was up to this point. It’s odd how for a movie that claims to be about change, Kung Fu Panda 4 does very little of that to the overall narrative of the franchise.

3.) Kung Fu Panda 3

Kung Fu Panda 3 is a film that is easy to dismiss when looking at it on the surface. From its familiar plot beats to its toned down humor, it almost feels as if it’s falling into the traps that the franchise has avoided up to this point. However, with seeing how Po’s journey concludes by the end of the movie and at the end of this trilogy, there is something to chew upon greatly here. It really feels like Po has fully 100% lived up to the Dragon Warrior name, just as Oogway hoped he would the moment he chose him.

Yeah, it’s a step down from the first two movies but I mean that in a respectful way. It still has the same heart and resonate themes that the first two movies have and it’s ultimately cool to see where Po basically was given birth at. Kung Fu Panda 3 is to the first three Kung Fu Panda movies what Return of the Jedi is to the original Star Wars trilogy, a solid B+ wrap-up/follow-up to its A++ predecessors. If this was the true ending to this series, it would certainly not be as definite as other series finales but it would have been satisfying all the same.

2.) Kung Fu Panda

If there is one movie out there that is basically the textbook definition of “Don’t judge a book by it’s cover!”, that would be Kung Fu Panda. On paper, this sounds like the dumbest idea ever. A big fat panda voiced by Jack Black learning Kung Fu?! That feels like an idea that came from the same person that thought The Emoji Movie would be a great hit! However, once the movie came out during the summer of 2008, we all could not have been wrong about Kung Fu Panda. This is a movie that is greater, smarter, and more interesting than it has any right to be.

It’s able to use that “Don’t judge a book by it’s cover” mindset that not only acts what most folks thought of Kung Fu Panda when watching it but use that as the central theme throughout the film. And it’s that theme that makes for the perfect way to tell the story of the main character of Po, the titled panda that learns kung fu. We also got terrific animation, superb fight sequences, a wonderful supporting cast of characters, a riveting musical score and amazing character development all the way through. It’s those exact reasons and much more that makes Kung Fu Panda as good as it is and one that stands strongly as one of DreamWork’s absolute best.

1.) Kung Fu Panda 2

Was there every any doubt? Kung Fu Panda 2 is not only as good as the original Kung Fu Panda, it’s even better. It does EVERYTHING you want a sequel to do. It takes the characters into exciting and new directions, it expands upon it’s story and lore in the most logically way possible, the action and animation are taken to the next level, the villain of Lord Shen is given more focus and is used perfectly, and it’s able to act as the best possible next step for the journey of Po as oppose to do just retreating steps from his first go around. Also, the scene where Po discovers inner peace is the series true definite moment up to this point!

As much as folks were doubtful that the first film could work at all given it’s bizarre premise, I believe there was even more doubt that a sequel could work in any way, shape, or form. Clearly the first movie have to be a magical fluke and there’s no way DreamWorks could make lightning strike twice, right?! Right?! Welp, you would be wrong once again! Kung Fu Panda 2 is not only the best Kung Fu Panda movie thus far but it’s arguably the best DreamWorks movie to date and possibly one of the best film sequels ever made period. It’s so good that there’s a good argument to be made that this is where the series officially peaked.

There’s my list. Feel free to share me yours!

And here are links to my Kung Fu Panda retrospectives and reviews!

Kung Fu Panda 4 (2024) Movie Review- Not Enough Skadoosh

Adam1 Comment

If there’s one thing that stuck with me throughout my viewing of Kung Fu Panda 4, it’s how the movie kept reminding me why the initial idea of Kung Fu Panda was mocked to begin with. That premise alone gives the indication that a panda voiced by Jack Black learning kung fu would basically play out as just being a typical slapstick comedy with dumbed down humor made for the littlest of kids, paint-by-numbers storytelling, and the most predictable reveals and morals imaginable. However, the greatest thing about the Kung Fu Panda movies up to this point is how it takes those “judging a book by it’s cover” expectations and cleverly subverted it into something better, smarter, and greater than it had any right to be. While I’m sure there were intentions of that for this latest installment with the Skaddoshinator (I promise that is the only time I will say that!), Kung Fu Panda 4 is basically the exact kind of movie we thought we were getting from this series from the very beginning.

The idea of a Kung Panda 4 was certainly not one that felt necessary but there were plenty of ways that another entry could work. While Kung Fu Panda 3 did bring a satisfying conclusion to Po arc’s in becoming the Dragon Warrior that he had always dreamed of, there was never a feeling throughout the third movie that it was the absolute endgame for the series. A third movie could be a fine stopping point but there was definitely another train coming along the way if anyone wanted to take it. And DreamWorks decided to take that train with Kung Fu Panda 4. I only wish they found an actual reason to want to hop aboard it.

Premise: Time has passed since Kung Fu Panda 3 and Po (Jack Black) finds himself on his last remaining days as The Dragon Warrior. Shifu (Dustin Hoffman) is ready to promote his panda apprentice to being the Spiritual Leader of the Valley of Peace, the highest ranking of all kung fu mastery. Before he does that, Po must choose a worthy successor to take the mantle of The Dragon Warrior.

However, a new deadly foe has emerged with a new shapeshifting sorceress known as The Chameleon (Viola Davis). The Chameleon is someone that has had her own ambitions of wanting to learn kung fu but never got the proper respect to be able to learn it. Because of that, she wants to take matters into her own hands and copy the kung fu from other notable warriors in the series rose gallery such as Tai Lung (Ian Mcshane), Shen, and Kai to become the kung fu warrior she has always inspired to be.

With the Furious Five not being available due to going on their own personal missions and Shifu supposedly aging, it’s up to Po to stop The Chameleon. However, he can’t find the sinister lizard without the aid of a wanted fox thief named Zhen (Awkwafina), who supposedly knows The Chameleon’s location and promises Po she can lead him right to her front door. Po and Zhen go on a journey together to put the new villain out of commission, where the former comes to the realization this might be his final adventure with The Dragon Warrior title and the latter wondering what side she’s actually fighting for.

Oh, and also Po’s two dads, Mr. Ping (James Hong) and Li Shan (Bryan Cranston), follow their son without him knowing because they are so worried that their son, who had already beaten the biggest named opponents out there up to this point, can’t handle a fight against this newest opponent for some reason.

When reading through that plot synopsis, it basically gives you the indication of where Kung Fu Panda 4 head is at every step of the way. Yes, Po has to learn to take his next step in life. Yes, he realizes he has a lot in common with his new wolf companion and new lizard foe than he initially thought. Yes, he has to learn the true meaning of change. And yes, who Po chooses to be the next Dragon Warrior is obvious the moment that character arrives on screen. However, whereas prior Kung Fu Panda movies were able to take familiar stories and add enough layers to it to make them stand out as fresh and unique tales, the plot of Kung Fu Panda 4 can be read like a book that you predict the expected beats five to ten pages in advance.

As I stated in the plot summary, The Furious Five are nowhere to be seen throughout the main film. Yes, there is an explanation given of their absence in an (admittedly) nice 2D animated sequence and they do show up right when the credits start to roll, but they have no presence in the story whatsoever. Whether this was because they wanted to put the spotlight on the new characters or the fact that the studios couldn’t afford to have Angelina Jolie, Seth Rogen, and crew return due to the film’s shockingly low budget is beyond me but fans who were hoping to see them in action in this one will be severely disappointed.

The newest player this time around is Zhen, played by Awkwafina. On paper, this casting make sense. The crew clearly wanted to hire a celebrity actress that has the same range of comedic chops as Jack Black provides to the titled panda himself. However, the reason why Jack Black has always been perfect as the character is how he is able to perfectly mirror the appearance of a fat comedic panda while still nailing the dramatic beats when needed.

Zhen doesn’t have that same gesture as she is just as feisty, parkour, and can handle herself in action as much as Po or even Tigress can. She basically plays out exactly how other characters voiced by Awkwafina have with nothing new added. She is yet another side character that’s snarky, wise-cracking, and might just have a heart of gold underneath. It’s not that the character herself is inherently bad but she’s not interesting enough to warrant having other characters being purposely written out just to make room for her. Zhen is mostly just your average “grey” character and doesn’t offer much to the Kung Fu Panda universe that other better characters in the series haven’t provided.

The main villain of The Chameleon does feel like more fitting character in concept but still feels like wasted potential. While she certainly has a resemblance to Kung Fu Panda 3‘s antagonist with Kai, with gaining the abilities of other notable kung fu warriors, her whole parallel with Po is the one aspect that Kung Fu Panda 4 provides that feels new and refreshing. Both of these characters were underestimated by society due solely to their appearances but went on to accomplish greater things. Whereas Po went on to become the greatest hero, The Chameleon went on to become the greatest villain. The perfect good guy/bad guy dynamic is right here and could be possibly the most compelling one in the series to date if enough time and care was given into it.

Unfortunately, just like with the most interesting ideas in the film, it doesn’t have much interest in exploring it. This matter is just addressed in a dialogue exchange or two and never is given much focus on beyond that. The character herself basically comes across as an excuse to revive other notable bad guys in the series in the hopes that would get more butt in seats.

It’s also strange how The Chameleon claims to have been denied of learning kung fu due to being “too small” despite one of the Furious Five members being Mantis, A.K.A. a literal grasshopper! I guess kung fu warriors are just as racist towards lizards as pandas.

When it comes to the returning antagonists of the series, Tai Lung is the only one that gets enough screen time to warrant being considered an actual role in the story. And by that, I mean he gets a decent action sequence and a couple of laughs and that’s basically it.

The other notable ones are just there for the sake of continuity and nostalgia, with Ian McShane the only one reprising his role. Not to mention, the scenes where Po is witnessing all of his foes in the same place but Tai Lung is the ONLY one that actually speaks is LAUGHABLY noticeable!

I don’t know if this was yet again done due to a lower budget or there was suppose to be an actual arc for Po’s first foe early on in development (which there really isn’t) but those who were hoping that the villains would get the Spider-Man: No Way Home treatment are destined for disappointment as well.

Perhaps the biggest disappointment of Kung Fu Panda 4 is the way it handles the humor. If you are someone that felt that Kung Fu Panda 3 went too far with its slapstick humor, it’s unfortunately just like that here but even worse. There’s too many jokes that feel extremely forced and are just not funny at all. Too much of the humor feels like it’s only there to keep the toddlers entertained and not because it works in the heat of the moment for the characters. Yes, all of the Kung Fu Panda movies have plenty of humor but they always felt perfectly timed and made sense for the characters without feeling out of place.

With Kung Fu Panda 4, the jokes are nonstop and feel like they are only there because the writers couldn’t figure out how to keep the main story engaging so they just threw in some random jokes in the hopes that it would be good enough to push the whole thing forward. It’s like the worst kind of humor in Marvel movies increased ten fold. There’s only so many times where you can hear Po say skadoosh without it getting tiring real quick.

To gain to the more positive side, the animation is quite breathtaking, which is all the more impressive considering the film’s 85 million dollar budget. Everything looks bright and colorful, able to expand on the same art style from the previous three films while being able to modify it for this to be far in a way the best looking Kung Fu Panda film to date. All the locations of new and old are beautiful to look at, especially the scene with Po in the valley of peace. Even the distractingly out of place models for all the new characters (which feel like they came straight out of Zootopia) can’t take away from this film being a visual treat for the eye.

The action scenes themselves are as dynamic as you would hope for in a Kung Fu Panda movie. It still has that sense of choreography, rhythm, and pace that has always made the fight sequences in this series stand out as well as they do. I enjoyed some of the earlier bits of Po guarding the valley of peace along with the scenes involving him and Zhen fighting together or against each other. While I can’t think of a set piece here that holds a candle to the best ones in the previous three films such as the fights with Tai Lung and Shen or the one between Po and Shifu, along with wanting more lasting action in the climax, they do deliver when it counts the most.

The voice cast is able to do the best with what they have. Jack Black is as perfect here as Po as he always has been, clearly bringing so much love and passion to our favorite panda. Viola Davis gives a great and menacing voice performance as The Chameleon, making the character stand out more than the script will actually allow her. It’s neat to see Ke Huy Quan get a voice over role here for a character that feels like a mix between his characters from Loki and Everything Everywhere All At Once. Dustin Hoffman has shown age as much as the character of Shifu himself (Then again, the man is 86 years old!) but still fits the role like a glove all the same. Ian McShane seems excited to be back as Tai Lung, even if his role isn’t as big as I hoped it would be. Even James Hong and Bryan Cranston are able to get moments to shine in the film’s few funny moments as the two fathers of Po. And as I said before, Awkwafina as Zhen plays out exactly as you would expect a character voiced by Awkwafina to play out, so take that as you will.

I imagine there will be plenty of people reading this review that think I’m being too harsh and overly critical of a movie clearly designed for children. If you think that, that’s completely fine but Kung Fu Panda to me has always been much better than that.

The series’ greatest trick in the past was having you thinking it would play out like your stereotypical “critic proof” movies for kids but when you watch the movies themselves, there is something much more than that. Kung Fu Panda 4 feels more in line with what the series was originally thought of as being on the surface level, almost as if it was made by Illumination than DreamWorks.

For those that come to these movies for the action and some laughs, you might get your money’s worth. It’s competently made with solid animation, fight scenes, and voice work throughout but the clever storytelling and engaging resonate themes are just not there this time around.

There are moments where it feels like it’s going to get there and makes this stand proudly with the other three films but it instead chooses to take the quick and easy path every step of the way, which is not how the series was up to this point. It’s odd how for a movie that claims to be about change, it does very little of that to its overall status quo.

I don’t know if it had to do with a supposed rushed development, lower budget, or running out of creative gas but Kung Fu Panda 4 feels like it was only made to keep the franchise brand going and not because anyone had a unique enough story to tell for it.

If the series continues to stick to it’s initial six-movie arc plan that DreamWorks envisioned back in 2010, then they better find a way to spice things up for parts five and six if they want anything after Kung Fu Panda 3 to be worthy of existing.

As an animated film for kids, it’s passable at best. As a Kung Fu Panda movie, there’s just not enough skadoosh this time around.

Other comments:

  • Yes, Jack Black’s version of Baby One More Time is awesome and the biggest standout of the entire soundtrack.

  • There is actually a scene in the movie where Bryan Cranston has a little Walter White in him as Po’s biological father.

  • Who in a million years would have thought that Puss in Boots: The Last Wish would be by far the best DreamWorks sequel in recent memory and NOT Megamind 2 or Kung Panda 4?

  • Yes, I watched Megamind 2. It’s probably the most pointless sequel I’ve ever watched!

  • Oh and Mr. Beast makes a voice cameo in this one! That’s cool I guess!

  • Also, Po’s dads are so gay! Just saying!

Ranking The Films of Denis Villeneuve

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This weekend saw the release of one of the most highly anticipated movies of the year with Dune: Part Two, directed by the one and only Denis Villeneuve. With that film expecting to be the biggest hit of 2024 thus far, what better time than any to rank all 11 films that have come from the great Villeneuve himself.

Denis Villeneuve is an interesting name when it comes to well known modern filmmakers. While he may not be as big of a household name such as Steven Spielberg or Christopher Nolan, he still does seem to be common favorite among film lovers, as he seems to always nail it when given the most pressure to do so. Even there are those that don’t care for his work or are currently high rolling at comments he’s made involving the push for longer films and film dialogue being devalued, they have to respect all the man has been able to accomplish thus far in his career.

With Dune: Part Two now out in theaters, the man has directed 11 motion pictures thus far. It’s time to take a look back at each one and see how each one ranks among the other. This is my best to worst ranking of the films directed by Denis Villeneuve!

11.) August 32nd on Earth

Denis Villeneuve’s weakest film thus far just so happens to be his very first one. There is a compelling and moving story hidden somewhere within August 32nd on Earth, a story about how times flies by quicker than one would expect and we will just never accomplish all the things we want to do throughout our lifetime. However, you can tell this is when Villeneuve was still trying to get his foot through the door and let his voice be realized on screen. The journey the characters are going through can’t quite match up with the overall scope of it along with not being able to stick the landing. It’s no disaster by any means but this is when the man’s unique filmmaking techniques had yet to be ironed out. That being said, you know you have gone to places when your worst film is the very first one that you have made.

10.) Maelstorm

Well, here’s the movie that’s about the most WTF thing imaginable when saying it out loud. We follow a young business woman named Bibianne who kills a fishmonger in a accident, disposes of the body, and then proceed to fall in love with the dead man’s soon. Oh, and it also happens to be narrated by a talking fish. Even when describing the main premise, Maelström is actually a simple pyschological thriller and has that mix of suspense and black comedy that not many of Villeneuve’s movies have. There are times where those two tones clash with one another but it’s worth a watch for yourself just to see if you are able to get into what it possibly the craziest thing that Villeneuve has ever done. I’m sure the narrating fish would approve.

9.) Polytechnique

Here’s the one Denis Villeneuve film that is based off a true story. Polytechinque dives into the 1989 massacre of students at Montreal’s Ecole Polytechinque, which saw the death of 14 women. Villenueve’s attempt to tell this tragic and haunting tale through three different points of views is ambitious but is lead to mixed results. While putting the spotlight on topics surrounding women’s trouble roles in society and reckoning with violence is admirable and done relatively well, the black-and-white visual style leaves the film feeling much flatter than most of Villeneuve’s films. Although, considering we are still having controversial debates surrounding the subject matter of this film literally 35 years later is deeply sad on the real world’s part. Even so, Polytechinque is able to set the stages for Villeneuve’s best French-language film, Incendies, later on down the road, which helps make this feel like a nice beginning of the end of his run with French-language films.

8.) Enemy

Here’s the film that is most remembered for it’s absolute effed up ending. We see Jake Gyllenhaal playing two different characters named Adam and Anthony, with the two becoming intertwined in each other’s lives and at literal war within themselves. Enemy acts as far in a way the most ambiguous film in Denis Villeneuve’s library, offering more questions than answers as to what version that Jake Gyllenhall is suppose to be the real person in the story. And of course, who can forget that ending which definitely left plenty of viewers tangled in webs, quite literally. I still can’t 100% say if Enemy works the way it was intended but it certainly kept me thinking all the way through which I imagine was it’s true goal. I’m sure Spider-Man would be proud with this one!

7.) Sicario

Here’s the film that saw Thanos and the Wolfman needing the help of Mary Poppins to fight Mexican drug cartels. In all seriousness, Sicario is a rock solid film that makes for probably the one film in Denis Villeneuve’s filmography thus far that can be seen as a straight up action film. The entire cast is fantastic here with the notable standouts including Benedict del Toro being completely terrifying as Alejandro Gillick, Jon Bernthal being as brutal and intense here as he is as the Punisher, Josh Brolin being reliably good as Matt, and Emily Blunt standing strongly as the lead and lone female presence of the picture. Credit also has to go to the masterful editing, gorgeous cinematography, and action sequences that are among the best of Villeneuve’s career. It’s rather inconsistently paced and the story itself is among the most conventional of Villeneuve’s films but Sicario is still damn good regardless. The fact this is in the middle-of-the-pack in this rankings says more about this director’s impressive track record than it does to devalue the true quality of this film.

6.) Dune: Part One

The first chapter of Villeneuve’s sci-fi adaptations of Frank Herbert’s work of Dune is a remarkable and impressive visual achievement that was made for the big screen. With it’s enormous scale, diverse cast, and world building like we haven’t seen before in recent memory, this sci-fi epic is just ready to insert itself into every book of “movies you must watch before you die” imaginable! Even after how impressive Part Two delivers, Dune: Part One still can’t help of getting too wrap up of being the first part of a story with pacing that feels a tad too slow and the overall feeling of the best still having yet to come. Even so, Dune is still able to accomplish feeling like a modern day Star Wars the way is has been hyped up to be and is practically destined to become the next big sci-fi epic that Hollywood will desperately try to copy and replicate with iffy results.

5.) Incendies

Among the last of the foreign released films in Villeneuve’s rose gallery, Incendies is still more than welcome in being the top five on this list. This is the film that pulls absolutely zero punches whatsoever and doesn’t shy away from the harsh realism of society. You think everything is going to be alright for one moment and then the rug will be pulled right from under your feet. Villeneuve is able to continue that bleak and complex storytelling that he is well known for along with providing what is hands down the best twist out of any of the films he’s done. Even once you know what it is, it will still be on your mind days after seeing it. Big credit also has to go to Melissa Desormeaux-Poulin with her emotionally powerful performance that helps carry the film. Even with all of his other dark and moody films on display, I don’t think there is a film that Denis Villeneuve has made that has haunt me the way Incendies did.

4.) Blade Runner 2049

I don’t think there is a sequel that seemed like the definition of a bad idea than Blade Runner. The original was a sci-fi epic that was way ahead of it’s time and had multiple different ending that did not demand a follow-up. However, Villeneuve makes what seemed like a near impossible task seem easy as Blade Runner 2049 acts as a more than worthy companion piece to the original Blade Runner. It’s able to expand upon it’s ideas and concepts of the original surrounding identity and purpose while showcasing some of the most impressive visuals and cinematography ever put to film. Ryan Gosling is able to carry the film completely as Officer K and Harrison Ford’s return as Rick Deckard is perhaps even more satisfying than his return as Han Solo and Indiana Jones. Also, Ana De Armas might be objectively the most beautiful woman on the planet! I could have done with a shorter length and without Jared Leto’s presence whatsoever, but Blade Runner 2049 is still a great case of a dangerous stunt being performed perfectly. Even if Denis Villeneuve ultimately regrets taking the mantle from Ridley Scott’s original cult classic, this is still an example of a legacy sequel done right and he should have nothing to be ashamed about the end results of this whatsoever.

3.) Prisoners

For many film fans out there, this was likely their first exposure to Denis Villeneuve. Prisoners is a dark, bleak and depressing look on child abduction and parents facing their absolute worst fear of losing their only children. Hugh Jackman and Jake Gyllenhal give incredible performances here, Roger Deakin’s cinematography is absolutely impeccable, and the mystery behind who kidnap their children is able to keep you guessing and have you on the edge of your seat the entire way through. Btw, NO, the ending is NOT ambiguous and should be common knowledge that it got resolved! Even with a runtime of two hours and thirty three minutes, Prisoners makes for an incredibly intense and gripping thriller that will have viewers understand the bleak reality of parents not always being there for their kids and the lengths they will go through to save them. This was admittedly my first Denis Villeneuve film that I watched and man, what an introduction that was!

2.) Dune: Part Two

If Dune: Part One acted as Villeneuve setting the training wheels on his bike in motion, Dune: Part Two sees him being able to successfully take those training wheels off and pushed that bike down the hill with good graces. Nearly all that set up that amounted in Part One has immensely satisfying pay offs in Part Two. The action and set pieces are taking to a whole new level, every single member of it’s talented, stacked cast get their own moment to shine, the cinematography is absolutely jaw dropping and makes the IMAX experience 100% worth it, and it’s able to push all the right buttons on making a perfect sequel, instantly comparable to the likes of The Empire Strikes Back, The Two Towers, and The Dark Knight. This is an instant sci-fi classic that will likely go down as one of the best cinematic experiences that I along with others will have all throughout 2024. Even if it’s not quite my favorite film of Villeneuve, Dune: Part Two will likely go on to be his most successful film to date and one that shall get the attention of the remaining moviegoing audience that aren’t yet familiar with his name.

1.) Arrival

It’s quite fascinating how Villeneuve’s recent comments about how he encourages longer films nowadays and doesn’t encourage dialogue in films when perhaps his best film to date is Arrival, a film that’s not only a slim 116 minutes long but is the best film about language that I’ve ever seen. Despite those odd comments, this still remains one of the best, riveting, complex, and most emotionally satisfying sci-fi films I’ve seen in the past decade. A film that at it’s heart is not only about language and communication but also about the whole world coming together to prevent the worst possible outcome between the human race and extraterrestrial intelligence and encouraging only the best one imaginable. Amy Adams gives an absolutely powerhouse performance alongside her fellow cast members, Denis Villeneuve’s direction has never been better than it has been here, it’s exploration of communication and how to respond to other alien species is fantastic, and it has one of the most beautiful scores for a film I’ve ever heard. Plus, if you don’t get a little misty eyed by the end, you are a robot. Brilliantly directed, written, and acted, Arrival is Denis Villeneuve’s best film to date and one of the best sci-fi films I’ve ever seen period.

About Chris Stuckmann’s Madame Web “Review”

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I never thought I would be doing ANOTHER piece talking about Madame Web. As a matter of fact, it was around the time that Chris Stuckmann posted his Madame Web “review” that I posted my piece on why it’s time for Sony to give Spider-Man back to Marvel. And it’s around the time of writing of which Bob Chipman, A.K.A. Moviebob, just uploaded his take on this trivial matter that I’m about to do my take on.

In all seriousness, Madame Web came out last month and was universally panned across the board by professional critics and those that actually had the guts to watch that turd in the wind in theaters. And while there has been stupid discourse over the financial bombing and lackluster quality of that movie, most notably that the sole reason it failed is because female led superhero stories don’t work because….women, the most obnoxious that I’m still seeing back and forth on social media weeks later is on Chris Stuckmann’s take on the movie, or most notably about the studio politics and behind the scenes drama surrounding it.

In case you don’t know who Chris Stuckmann is, he’s been known as one of the main film critics on YouTube since around 2010. He would do reviews on the latest movies that are playing in cinemas, video analyses of certain key films, and specific videos talking about the state of cinema in general. Outside of Jeremy Jahns, he’s probably been the biggest and most influential movie reviewer on YouTube for the majority of the 2010s.

However for the past few years, Chris had been working to become a professional film director, making his feature length film debut with a project titled Shelby Oaks. In 2021, he announced on his channel that he will stop doing videos where he critiques film to take his first few steps into filmmaking and now mainly uses his channel to discuss films that he actually enjoys.

For longtime viewers, this felt like a decision that was long coming. Even before semi-retiring as a film critic, he has stated constantly that he doesn’t enjoy dogpiling on movies due to how that negative mindset has impacted the state of film criticism on the internet, so much so that he stopped doing worst movies of the years lists after 2017. That right there practically gave you a direction of where his head was at for his future on YouTube. Not to mention, making a platform out of showing love and passion for film and NOT contempt seems like the logical way to go for someone who is working to become a filmmaker. Considering we all live in a time where negativity attracts the most attention on the internet, especially in regards to entertainment, it does seems like a refreshing change of pace for someone as big as Chris Stuckmann to use his popularity to support the good side of cinema instead of always fueling fire with the bad.

However, shortly after Madame Web came out, Chris decided to make a video talking about it. It wasn’t so much about the quality of the film itself but more of what likely went on from behind the camera and the film production at Sony Pictures. And because of that, the internet didn’t react so kindly to that video.

Most were outraged at the fact that Chris didn’t make the whole video about tearing down Madame Web and swearing off everyone involved with that movie. There were those that claimed he’s only doing that to save face in case he one day gets a shot on working on a major franchise with a major studio. While I can understand an argument or two on that, the majority of the response what I’m seeing is the fact that people are angry with the fact that Chris himself didn’t do an angry rant on the movie where he’s constantly shouting and isn’t joining along with the rest of the internet to tear an obvious bad movie down a new a**hole. And what I say to that is, you all need to CHILL THE F**K OUT!

First off, never once in that video does Chris claim that he wanted to do a review on Madame Web. As I mentioned before, his main goal with his channel is to celebrate good films instead of tearing down bad films like the majority of the internet does with anything nowadays. Why in the world would he make an exception with Madame Web? Because everyone else is doing it?! Because it’s a Marvel/superhero movie?! Because it’s a female led movie?!?! What would be the point of him doing that? Doing a negative review on that is no longer in his character so why would he feel compelled to do that?!?!

Heck, he literally states at the beginning of the video that it is NOT a review of Madame Web and there’s plenty of other folks out there that have reviews for it for everyone else to read, watch, or listen to. That right there should have given you all the info you need to know that is NOT a review of Madame Web, assuming the title of the video didn’t give that away entirely.

For anyone that actually bothers to watch the entire video instead of an out of context clip on Twitter and Facebook, you would know that Chris himself just wanted to give an insight has to how the film industry operates when it comes to most of the bigger franchises IPs out there. Now that he is within the industry and likely has associates who have worked on some of these franchise IPs, he now has a bigger understanding as to how things tend to work in the film business.

The whole point of a video is to put a spotlight on corporations like Sony and how they basically have control and say over how their big films go. In that, it’s not always on the cast and crew for why a product turns out so bad, it’s on the studios and their constant micromanagement of said film. Because at the end of the day, they are the ones that greenlight a movie and have totally say onto how things should go doing production of said film. What is so wrong with stating something so INCREDIBLY obvious?

As I mentioned in my piece about Sony last month, all you have to do is look at the treatment they have been giving our favorite web swinger since 2007 to prove Chris’s points. They are the ones that wrecked Spider-Man 3 by forcing Sam Raimi to include characters he didn’t want to. They are the ones that drove the Amazing Spider-Man film series into the ground by over budgeting, overplanning, and not having a proper direction for that franchise. They are the ones that are making these unnecessary Spidey villain origin stories that no one is asking for. And if reports are true, they are the ones that are rushing MCU’s Spider-Man 4 to get it out by next year despite the MCU being too packed in 2025 and they likely don’t even have a finished script for it yet. Who do you think is more at fault with the results of those movies mentioned? The cast and crew of those pictures or Sony themselves? If you say Sony, then congratulations you got the point of Chris’s video!

The thing is I’m sure all of us would KILL to do a Spider-Man movie if we were given the opportunity to do so. We all have our own version of Spider-Man that we would love to share with others all over the world. However, even when you get a chance to work on one, there’s a good chance that vision will not match the studios. As I mentioned before, they are the ones that chose the direction to go and whether or not your vision is the one they want. And if they refuse, you either have to sit down, shut up, and do what they say or you would just quit entirely. This is a real world we live in and the studios won’t just hand over their massive franchises over to you and let you do what they want just because. They have to approve of everything.

In the case of Madame Web, Sony are the ones that approved the quality of that mess, not director S.J. Clarkson or writers Kerem Sanga, Claire Parker, Matt Sazama, and Burk Sharpless. Sony could have said “No!” to the movie they made and have it reworked into a better film but they didn’t. However, because the majority of people that watch said film don’t know how big movies are made, they just put the full blame on the cast and crew for the outcome of the movie they saw and NOT on the studio that greenlighted it. Because of that, it’s the creative team behind the movie that will suffer the great casualties from Madame Web and NOT Sony Pictures! Once again, this is what Chris Stuckmann was talking about!

And even if all of this has NOTHING to do with the video, why do you need ANOTHER review that’s just nonstop bashing Madame Web?! You already have hundreds to thousands other YouTubers for you to do that, as stated by Chris at the literal START OF THE VIDEO! You have mainstream critics that panned the hell out of the movie, so much so that it will likely go down as one of the worst reviewed films of 2024. You have an audience that didn’t bother to go and see it and Sony will likely lose a TON of money as a result. This is the equivalent of kicking a horse that’s already dead! Just stop! THE DAMAGE HAS BEEN DONE!

I do want to make something clear that I am NOT against film criticism. Even in an age where we have YouTubers making overlong and tedious movie reviews that talk about how said film is “OBJECTIVELY BAD!” which is non stop nitpicking with the mindset of a CinemaSins doppelganger, I do think critical feedback is important in the hopes of more quality films in the future. However, I don’t think Chris Stuckmann contradicts that because quite simply, he is no longer the man to go to in this regard. He himself has confirmed that and everyone has to simply expect that now.

I can maybe understand if you used to watch Chris Stuckmann and weren’t aware of his more friendly turn to discussing films that you might have an initial negative reaction to this. However, for those that have known this since 2021, what exactly are you trying to accomplish here? Another bad review of Madame Web isn’t going to change anything since there’s already been a million of them since the movie came out. It’s like the equivalent of picking up on the poor nerdy kid in school who has no friends and is constantly being picked on. Everyone else is doing it so that means I should do it too! If that’s the mindset everyone has in regards to this, then that just goes to show you how far proper film discourse has fallen.

The vile reaction to Chris’s video is just more proof of different times we live in now. Gone are the days where a film is loved and acclaimed by everyone with an occasional contrarian or two. Gone are the days where we can have a simple discussion and explain why a certain film just doesn’t work. Gone are the days where we can even make simple videos about how simply making a film is not as black and white as it seems. Now, it’s just going on and on about how “woke” or “anti-woke” a certain film is and whether or not it fits into one’s preferred political parties’ “agenda” or gives more ammunition in this so-called “cultural war”. It’s just stupid discourse after stupid discourse with no end in sight.

If you disagree with Chris Stuckmann’s take on what might have gone wrong behind the scenes with Madame Web, that’s fine. If you preferred when he was a film critic and had no problem with critiquing films, that is fine too. But if you are someone that is mad with the fact he is not joining along with every big name YouTuber in making Madame Web their whipping boy (or in the case of this movie, whipping girl) of the moment, then that says more about you than it does for Chris.

The funniest thing about this all is that Chris himself makes it perfectly clear that he did not enjoy Madame Web whatsoever. He might not directly say that but if you just read between the lines, it’s painfully obvious he agrees with 99.99% of the population in that Madame Web is a bad movie. The fact that people are angry at him anyway is the real master stroke on this sick cesspool we call film discourse in the year 2024!

And I am SO not prepared as to how Kung Fu Panda 4 will fare into all of this complete BS!

Come to think about it, perhaps that’s why DreamWorks hasn’t bothered to properly market that movie. Even they know that if too many people are aware of its existence, then Po’s next movie will too will get needlessly dragged or roped into this pointless war surrounding entertainment. Po is innocent and deserves so much better than what grifters or the “woke” crowd are gonna force him into by next week.

If only Roger Ebert was still around. He would find a way to stop all of this nonsense!

Kung Fu Panda 3 (2016) Retrospective- Finding Your Inner Chi

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Well, I’d be skadoosh-ed! It’s already been EIGHT years since the last film installment of the Kung Fu Panda series came out. Of course, that will change very soon with the release of Kung Fu Panda 4 coming next month but that once again showcases just how fast time can really fly! To top off this Legend of Awesomeness marathon, let’s take a look at Kung Fu Panda 3!

Kung Fu Panda 3 has had a rather complicated response when it comes to the fans of the series. There are those that view it as the perfect culmination of the series thus far, there are those that view it as the Return of the Jedi of the original Kung Fu Panda trilogy, i.e. a solid B+ follow-up to A++ predecessors, and there are those that view it as a major disappointment, believing that it was basically a rehash of the first two movies and it felt too dumb down for little kids. While I can understand all possible view points, I think it’s a bit more complicated than that.

The criticisms that I’ve heard of this movie are relatively fair. It does have an overdose of child friendly humor, it has a much more lighthearted tone compared to the first two films, and it’s not nearly as good as the first two films. However, the main point I’ve come to disagree with in regards to this film is those that claim that this is just a rehash of the previous two films and offers nothing new on its own. That could not be anything further from the truth. Yes, there are similarities here and there but that’s always going to be the case the further you go along with the series. The main thing Kung Fu Panda 3 has going for it compared to the first two is seeing Po not just turning into his own Kung Fu master but he is able to turn into that version of himself that he always dreamed off, most notably the dream we saw at the beginning of the first film. How is he able to accomplish that? Well, by mastering chi of course.

For those that don’t know what chi is, chi is basically like the Kung Fu Panda equivalent of the force in Star Wars. To what Shifu describes in a very Obi-Wan Kenobi way, chi is a life force energy that can be found in all living things. It surrounds us, it penetrates us; it binds kung fu together. In all seriousness, it can act as a power for kung fu. It can be used to stimulate life, heal living beings, or grow flora. Most importantly, this is the one power that Master Oogway himself hoped the Dragon Warrior would one day unlock. Not just to prove himself to be the mighty dragon warrior that can enter the gates of what is basically the Kung Fu Panda equivalent of heaven but he can pass the mantle of the mystic staff to the next Kung Fu Warrior who is worthy of it. This acts as the next step in Po’s journey but how exactly can he achieve this great power? By reuniting with his own previously thought extinct kind!

At the very end of Kung Fu Panda 2, there was a cliffhanger that saw a mighty panda, who seems to resemble Po’s real biological father, is still alive along with plenty of other pandas out there. It wouldn’t be until five years later where we the audience got confirmation that was indeed the case. Earlier on in the movie, we see Po meet his father who gave birth to him named Li Shan, voiced by Walter White himself, Bryan Cranston. It’s then we find out that there are still pandas out in the world and have camped at a secret panda village. A panda village that just so happens to tie into the main conflict with the main villain of the picture, Kai, voiced by J. Jonah Jameson himself, J.K. Simmons!

For a bit of backstory, we discover that Kai and Oogway were once brothers-in-arms and that Kai saved a wounded Oogway from dying. He saved him by taking him to a secret village full of pandas, where he was healed after they were ambushed. The pandas there taught the two of them the power of chi. Whereas Oogway used that power of chi for the method of healing, Kai used that power to take chi away from others for his own personal power. This forced Oogway to battle and banish him to the Spirit Realm. By revisiting that secret panda village, Po is hoping to learn Chi from his father Li to defeat Kai while Shifu and the Furious Five prepare to protect the valley.

Now, in hindsight, having the pandas tie into the backstory surrounding the main villain and the original Kung Fu Master in Oogway can be seen as quite contrived. It was always stretchy enough that you just had a bad guy in the previous movie that had something to do with the death of the main character’s parents, which wasn’t even hinted at in the original film, even if the film handled all of that INCREDIBLY well. Now, you have a panda race that was originally written off as being extinct somehow serving a role in healing Oogway and involved with Kai’s drastic turn to the dark side. However, there is one element that makes this whole thing work.

You see Li claims to know the power of chi but refuses to teach his son how to chi until he remembers how to be a panda again. From eating, sleeping, and interacting with his whole kind, Po is rediscovering the true meaning of being a panda. However, as Kai starts to strike with his desire goal to erase Oogway’s legacy and steal the chi from every living kung fu master out there, which he is able to successfully due to Shifu and four of the furious five members, Po must learn how to chi from his dad quickly. The problem though is that Li doesn’t really know how to chi and lied to his own son to prevent losing him again. That right there is what helps make this story work.

Yes, the liar reveal is a very common trope among movies, especially kids movies. But, that really allows the world of Kung Fu Panda to be build upon more fluently and not have it being bog down by common cinematic universe tropes where EVERYTHING MUST BE CONNECTED! These really aren’t the pandas that was able to heal Oogway and bare witness to Kai’s evil turn, these are just ordinary pandas that don’t know the first thing about chi or really anything to do with kung fu. This is yet another misdirect that could ruin an entire film if not done properly but it’s able to do it well enough because it plays a role in Po’s arc in the film.

The main thing about Po in this movie is not just having to learn chi but pass his knowledge of kung fu onto others. He attempts to train the Five before but fails to do so. He must try it again but this time teach the village of pandas and his father, Mr. Ping (who I forgot to mention is along for the ride too). Except this time, Po realizes that he can’t teach others kung fu by intimating his style but must build upon the styles of others by using the everyday activities from pandas. Just like the way Shifu trained Po in the first film, Po must find unconventional ways to train his fellow panda bears. With step one of Po learning to become a teacher being completed, now must come the part where Po must learn how to chi.

Of course, Po wants to take the easiest way imaginable to be Kai. Face him head on, get close enough to him, and use the wuxi finger hole to send him back to the spirit realm. And as usual with movies, it’s not that simple. Kai reveals that the technique only works on mortals and that he is a spirit warrior. Because of that, Kai is able to recall the chi and beat Po. With the villain gaining the upper hand and Po failing to learn the power of chi, it must be very doom and gloom for the hero. How can Po actually save the day this time? By beating the bad guy at his own game!

To save all the others, Po grabs Kai and sakdooshes himself and Kai to transport them both to the spirit realm, the place which chi basically originated from. I guess if Po was unable to master chi in the real world, might as well go to the place where that power came from to be able to do it. Of course, Po can’t do this on his own. It’s with the help of his father and the entire panda village, they are able to unlock their own power of chi and pass it on to Po. As it turns out, it’s finding one’s true self that is the key to unlocking chi. It’s Po reuniting with his kind and the help from his friends that he was able to rediscover himself once again and learn the true meaning of chi. Because of that, he’s able to use his chi to destroy Kai and his weapons and save the day once again.

It’s then we get into the scene that not just Kung Fu Panda 3 has been building too but perhaps the entire trilogy up to this point in general. In the Spirit Realm, Po is able to reunite with Oogway. The wise old master tells Po that the reason he chose him to be the Dragon Warrior is because he saw the potential in both to master both kung fu and chi. Now that he has been able to successfully do both, he passes the baton to Po by making the Dragon Warrior his true successor as Grand Master and gives up his mystic staff to him. Po then uses that wisdom, knowledge, and staff he now has to pass on what he has learned to the pandas and residents of the Valley of Peace, teaching them all the true meaning of kung fu and chi. Now, Po has become the ultimate Kung Fu Master he has always dreamed of since the beginning of the first film. He has truly earned the titled name of Kung Fu Panda.

Kung Fu Panda 3 is a film that is easy to dismiss when looking at it on the surface. From its familiar plot beats to its toned down humor, it almost feels as if it’s falling into the traps that the franchise has avoided up to this point and that it’s starting to become a shadow of it’s former self. However, with seeing how Po’s journey concludes by the end of the movie and at the end of this trilogy, there is something to chew upon greatly here. It really feels like Po has fully 100% lived up to the Dragon Warrior name, just as Oogway hoped he would the moment he chose him.

This movie is not only about Po learning to become a teacher, a master of chi, or becoming that ultimate kung fu warrior he has always dreamed of, it’s about Po learning to find the best of all these worlds when it comes to being the Dragon Warrior and a panda. He doesn’t need to compromise one end or the other, he’s willing to do them all. He can still hold onto his two daddies and his Kung Fu family at the same time just like how he can master kung fu and chi at the same time. He just needed to find that version of himself that was willing to do it. In this case, he just needed to learn to find his inner chi.

And that about does it for my Kung Fu Panda retrospective marathon. Sorry, it took a little later in the month to get around to it but I had other things in February that I wanted to cover first.

I will have my review of Kung Panda 4 sometime next week. I’m not sure how to feel about that movie considering the disturbing lack of marketing for it, almost as if DreamWorks is trying to hide it from the whole world. I hope that it’s able to do what all of the Kung Fu Panda films have done thus far and find a brand new story to tell with Po where he learns something grand that progresses his character forward. I guess we’ll see if it’s able to do that next month!

Once again, thanks to everyone that clicked on these pieces of each three films. I hope you enjoy it and look forward to more content on this blog!

Dune: Part Two (2024) Early Movie Review: Denis Villeneuve To The Rescue

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There are times to where being a fan of cinema is difficult! There are times to where there are so many duds and whimpers that get released simultaneously that you wonder how much more you can take! How much time and money are you willing to spend to watch a motion picture that’s not even good enough to be a simple three out of four star flick! In the case of films kicking off in the first two months of 2024, I don’t think I can recall a year that has gotten off to such a worst start, so much so that the only film that I would give a solid three out of four star recommendation to is….Lisa Frankenstein of all things.

Night Swim started off 2024 with the exact OPPOSITE feeling I had walking out of 2023 with M3GAN, Mean Girls was a painfully mediocre musical that didn’t do it’s source material justice, Bob Marley One Love was a safe, disposable, by-the-numbers bio pic, The Beekeeper and Argylle had their moments but they got way more overly complicated than they had any right to be, and everyone knows how much of a trainwreck Madame Web was. There is also one movie that hurt me dearly that I can’t post my review of yet because I’m not sure I’m allow to because there’s been no review embargo for it thus far.

Suffice to say, movies quite suck right now, even for someone that tries to be as optimistic about them as possible. Thankfully, we have the great Denis Villeneuve here to safe us all with his outstanding follow-up to the very good Dune: Part One with Dune: Part Two, a film which by the way wasn’t even suppose to come out last year but got pushed back due to the strikes. Regardless of the timing of it’s release, Dune: Part Two is exactly what fans hoped it would be and so much more!

If Dune: Part One acted as Villeneuve setting the training wheels on his bike in motion, Dune: Part Two sees him being able to successfully take those training wheels off and pushed that bike down the hill with good graces. Nearly all that set up that amounted in Part One has immensely satisfying pay offs in Part Two, the action and set pieces are taking to a whole new level, every single member of it’s stacked cast get their moment to shine, and I can’t recall a film in recent memory that such stellar cinematography that it 100% makes the whole experience worth seeing in IMAX. This is an instant sci-fi classic that will likely go down as one of the best cinematic experiences that I along with others will have all throughout 2024.

Premise: Paul Atreides (Timothee Chalamet) unites with Chani and the Fremen while seeking revenge against the conspirators who destroyed his family. Facing a choice between the love of his life and the fate of the universe, he must prevent a terrible future only he can foresee.

What is made the most apparent about Dune: Part Two is how much Denis Villeneuve clearly understood the assignment with his second trip in the world of Dune. He knew exactly the plot threads that he had established in Part One that needed to have immense payoff in Part Two. With the first film taking the majority of it’s runtime to establish the lore, world building, and who these characters are, the second film shows you manages to deepen all of that and show you just everything that the world of Dune is capable off. That’s not to say that everything is tied up into a complete bow exactly by the time two and a half hours has flown by, but it’s clear the kind of story that Villeneuve left hanging in the last one is able to be continue and reached a definite conclusion in this one. This definitely makes for a perfect case as to why not only splitting Dune into two movies was actually justified but it also acted as a necessary evil.

I’m sure there will be plenty of folks claiming that Dune: Part Two is to Dune: Part One what The Empire Strikes Back was to the original Star Wars. While that is an 100% accurate comparison, it’s able to learn the “right” lessons from that game changing sci-fi masterpiece that came out in 1980. It’s not only bigger, better, and bolder than it’s predecessor because of how “dark” it is, but because it’s able to use an unconventional structure of storytelling to push all the right buttons on making a perfect sequel. Dune: Part Two is able to challenge it’s characters, expand upon the mythos and lore, and deliver the kind of visuals and set pieces in all the ways that the first one was unable to provide, while making for a completely mesmerizing and memorable theater experience in it’s own rights. It’s not trying to be overly dark for the sake of it, it’s just trying to stand out by pushing measures in filmmaking that only Dune: Part Two could ever provide.

Of course, we once again follow Paul Atreides, played perfectly by Timothée Chalamet, right where we left off in his journey from Part One. Still carried by all that burden from trying to avenge his father’s death and his family’s legacy from the Harkonnen, we see Paul being pushed beyond his measures to stop the conspirators from messing up his life and future even further. While he now has new allies with his new love in Chani and the Fremen, it’s ultimately himself that has to make the tough decisions throughout. Tough decisions that might put an end to the terrible future he constantly sees in his dreams but might come at the expense of those he loves and the overall fate of the universe.

It’s the type of conflict that Paul and the other characters have that makes each choice they make all the more intriguing. Similar to The Empire Strikes Back (I promise this is the last comparisons I will make with that), Dune: Part Two knows the best way to make the stakes more personal is to constantly put it’s own characters in constant peril throughout it’s entire runtime. After all, during a time of war, desperate times call for desperate measures. What you do in the short run could absolutely impact you in the best and worst ways in the long run.

Much like last year’s Oppenheimer, it’s incredible just how much the effort of the entire cast and crew working through the picture is clearly shown on the big screen. Once again, letting every single penny of it’s 100 million plus budget feel properly used on the big screen. This has easily one of the best, most talented, and quite frankly hottest talented ensembles for a film that I’ve ever seen. Regardless, of how big or small their roles are, they are all able to stand out in their own way.

While Timothée Chalamet was solid in Part One, he’s on a completely different level here, feeling much more free willing and unhinged in his performance. His screen presence is felt every single time he steps in front of the camera, giving the perfect kind of energy and depth needed to carry a picture with some of the best and most acclaimed actors surrounding him. A lot of that has to do with Part Two being able to explore that darker side with Paul as he is forced to make decisions as he takes his big steps into becoming a war leader, the decisions that he seemed unwilling to make in the first one. As much as Chalament nailed playing the typical pretty white boy role in the past, he is able to come to his own here as being an absolute movie star that can carry his own presence and even be great in action sequences. Between the commercial success of Wonka and the likely success of this, I would expect his agent’s phones are gonna be ringing like crazy come next Monday.

Making for the perfect equal to Chalamet’s Paul is Zendaya’s Chani. There’s a strong argument to make that she is basically the beating heart of the story. She not only has a role that feels much more expanded this time around but the arc that Chani goes through is the direct reflection of what Paul has, being put in a difficult place during war that may cost those they love for victory. She shares perfect chemistry with Chalamet and makes for one of the most compelling on-screen romances in recent memory. It honestly made me realize just how much I miss these kind of romance stories that don’t resonate much in most mainstream franchises today.

The rest of the returning cast of the first one are just as great to see again as before. Rebecca Ferguson continues to be a force to be reckoning with as she always is in every movie that she is in, Josh Brolin as Gurney takes a while to come into the picture but that energy that Brolin brings is still present, Dave Bautista as Glossu Rabban is giving more screen time than before, and Javier Bardem not only seems like he’s having the most fun out of everyone but he has surprisingly great comedic timing throughout the film. I could have used a bit more of Stellan Skarsgard as The Baron though.

In terms of the new players, they all own their own weight completely and fits perfectly along with the rest of the cast. Christopher Walken is completely buyable as the great Emperor of the film, being able to make the role more of his own than I imagine the character was in the books. Florence Pugh is equally great as the Emperor’s daughter, at times feeling like the narrator or guiding viewpoint of the antagonists of the film. Lea Seydoux, Souheila Yacoub, and Anya Taylor-Joy might not get as much screentime as some might expect but they absolutely sell their roles with the limited screen time they are given. The biggest stand out of the newcomer is Austin Butler as Feyd-Rautha. Butler kills every moment that he is given throughout the film, perfectly combing the mix of being charismatic, menacing, and an absolute blast to watch whenever he is on screen. As a matter of fact, there’s about a 15 to 20 minute period where the film focuses perfectly on him and took time away from the main character and I did not care one bit. That right there should tell you all you need to know about how awesome Butler is as a main bad guy of Feyd-Rautha.

From a technical component, words are not enough to describe how much of a beautifully crafted and well made film this is. There is not a single categories of filmmaking on display that is not worth a nomination for next year’s Oscars. The visuals are absolutely breathtaking with not a single flat shot to be found here, the sound design is impeccable and first perfectly with each individual scene, the editing is the exact definition of Oscar-calibar, each action set piece is treated with incredibly impressive fight choreography and jaw dropping sequences (the biggest stand outs being the first sequence in the desert, Feyd-Rautha’s ceremony introduction, and the final 45 minutes in general), and Hans Zimmer is even able to outdo himself with a score that is as captivating and chill-inducing as before.

While everyone on the creative team deserves all the credit in the world, a special shout-out has to be given to cinematographer Greig Fraser. Fraser has already done amazing work from behind the camera with the likes of Zero Dark Thirty, Rogue One, and The Batman but it’s his work in both of these two Dune movies that have stood out the most for me. These films would not be as good as they were if they were unable to let it’s visuals and imagery do the majority of the talking (and that’s not just because of Villeneuve’s recent “anti-dialogue” comments). After all, it’s the overall look and feel of the world of Dune itself that helps differentiate it from the rest of the sci-fi genre out there. Take that a way and these new Dune films would not be what they are. I know it’s early in 2024 but I would be shocked if I see a film that is as beautiful to look at as Dune: Part Two, which should make that Oscar a slam dunk for Mr. Fraser.

Dune: Part Two is just about as good as it could be regardless of any way you look at it. If you look at it as being the right follow-up to Part One that leaves seasonings for a possible third film with Dune: Messiah, you will get that. If you look at it as being the saving grace of 2024 in cinema thus far, you will get that. Heck, if you are just looking for a great sci-fi flick regardless of how it compares to other sci-fi flicks of it’s kind, you will get that as well.

There are certainly nits you can pick such as the first 15 minutes being a tad slow, some actors not getting as much time as you expect, and a wrap-up that doesn’t so much act as a definite end and more leaves an opening to Dune: Messiah. Even so, this is the cinema experience as it’s finest. The kind of experience that is fading away by each passing day. I don’t know if Dune: Part Two will act as the beginning of the end of cinema as we know it or the start of something more hopeful and uplifting for the future but no doubt, those that are excited for this upcoming picture will surely get their money’s worth.

Rock on, Denis Villeneuve! Just please provide less controversial takes for the near future, please!

Other comments:

  • Yeah, I don’t agree with Villeneuve’s comments on dialogue but I’m not gonna destroy him for it either. He just needs to be like Christopher Nolan and not let his ego get the better of him.

  • Austin Butler as sure come a long way from being that boyfriend character in Zoey 101 that no one liked to playing an antagonist that forces Drax the Destroyer to kiss his feet.

  • It really is impressive how more organic the pacing feels here compared to Part One. Even the slow moments didn’t feel as outrageously slow to me as they did in Part One.

  • And btw, I’m not joking about that prior point. Austin Butler literally forces Dave Bautista to kiss his feet and that is so satisfying to see. No offense to Drax!

  • I’m definitely curious to watching these two films back-to-back the way they were initially intended and see if the five and a half hour complete experience makes it all for the better.

  • And for those wondering, yes, Dune: Part One would have found a spot on my Best Movies of 2021 list from either the honorable mentions category or my main top 10. I still have my issues with the pacing but no doubt, it’s a great cinematic achievement with the kind of visuals and world building I always love for my sci-fi. Rock on again, Denis!

Kung Fu Panda 2 (2011) Retrospective- The Perfect Villain

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After the surprising success of Kung Fu Panda in 2008, a Kung Fu Panda 2 just had to be made. As a matter of fact, according to DreamWorks CEO Jeffrey Katzenberg, they were looking to do a complete saga’s worth of Kung Fu Panda installments with at least six total. However, with DreamWorks, it’s clearly one step at a time by focusing on one distinct chapter at a time, especially in regards to Kung Fu Panda. We would end up getting a follow-up the original Kung Fu Panda three years later with 2011’s Kung Fu Panda 2.

As much as folks were doubtful that the first film could work at all given it’s bizarre premise, I believe there was even more doubt that a sequel could work in any way, shape, or form. Like what else could you do with a follow-up to Kung Fu Panda? Have Po be a bumbling idiot and learn the same lessons that he already learned the first time around? Clearly the first movie have to be a magical fluke and there’s no way DreamWorks could make lightning strike twice, right?! Right?! Welp, you would be wrong once again!

Kung Fu Panda 2 is not only as good as the original, it’s even better. It does EVERYTHING you want a sequel to do. It takes the characters into new and interesting directions, it expands upon it’s story and lore in the most logically way possible, the action and animation are taken to the next level, and it’s able to act as the best possible next step for the journey of Po as oppose to do just retreating steps from his first go around. It’s not only the best Kung Fu Panda movie thus far but it’s perhaps one of the best DreamWorks films ever made and even one of the best sequels of all time period. Not just in animation but in all films in general.

However, there is one strong element that’s able to hold this entire film together. One element that was perhaps a bit lacking in the first film compared to everything else going on. That is no other than the main villain of Shen, voiced BRILLIANTLY by Gary Oldman. Don’t get me wrong, Tai Lung was a fine antagonist overall but Shen easily blows him and any other antagonist in this entire series out of the water. The key to making a perfect sequel is to have a perfect villain. And Kung Fu Panda 2 is able to succeed GREATLY in that regard.

What makes Shen the best and most interesting antagonist of the entire series is his connection to Po. Unlike with Tai Lung and Kai, Shen is a villain that actually has a tie-in to Po’s past. Throughout Kung Fu Panda 2, you get a deeper dive into Po’s tragic past that was largely glossed over in the first film. A past that actually saw him with his fellow kin of pandas and his own biological mommy and daddy. However, there was one awful night where a good chunk of Po’s kind was wiped out and executed. That execution came from an army of deadly wolves that was lead by none other than Shen himself. It’s that connection that Shen has with Po that makes the conflict between him the most personal and engaging of the entire series.

Switching over to Po for a second, Po at this point has embraced his new life as The Dragon Warrior who now fights greatly alongside the Furious Five. However, he still has plenty to learn throughout his journey. One main component being that Po must achieve inner peace. Inner peace is a concept within the Kung Fu Panda universe to describe a peaceful state of mind and spirit. In the words of Shifu, it’s the ability “harness the flow of the universe”, enabling one to do basically the impossible. In a way, this is almost like what I imagine the special power that Po thought he was going to get with The Dragon Scroll but never got.

However, there is one road block that constantly gets in the way whenever Po tries to achieve inner peace throughout the course of the film. That being what happened the night that Po lost his parents, that night which was caused by Shen and his army. With that terrible memory he still has in his head that has come back to haunt him, finding inner peace seems impossible for Po because he can’t seem to put his past behind him. Something which Po can only be achieve once he discovered what happened that night. Unfortunately for Po, the only person that can answer that is Shen himself.

After Shifu sends Po and the Furious Five on a mission to Gongmen City after learning that Shin killed Kung Fu Master Thundering Rhino, Po is basically giving no choice put to confront his past head on in the hopes that it will unlock the secrets to not just inner peace but a brighter future as well. Shen, in this movie, is looking to do the unthinkable and destroy kung fu once and for all. He plans to do this by committing absolute genocide around China with cannons, hoping that will wipe out every single Kung Fu member and tradition.

The two first encountered with one another when Po and the Furious Five surrender to Shen and his army. However, Po claims he has a plan in motion and surprisingly enough, it succeeds. He’s able to catch Shen off guard and has the perfect opportunity to put an end to him right there but he doesn’t. The main thing that stopped him was symbol of Shen’s armor. It’s that exact same symbol Po saw with him when confronting bad guys at the village and it’s the symbol that calls back to that night where Po lost his parents. Because of that distraction, Shen escapes and destroys Gongmen Palace with his cannonade.

Tigress and the Furious Five demand to know why Po held back at stopping Shen. Despite initially hesitating, Po gives in and reveals that he believes that Shen knows what happened with his parents on the night that he lost them. With Po lacking clear focus on his mission, Tigress orders Po to sit the rest of the mission out and let the Furious Five handling it, refusing to let her friend get killed. But of course, Po can’t help himself and must seek answers from Shen. Not only will those answers make his past clear but it might just help unlock the inner peace hidden within himself.

Because of that eagerness, Po disobeys Tigress’s orders and goes to confront Shen himself. When Po demands answers from his new connected foe about what happened that night, Shen tells him that he was in fact there at night and watched as his parents abandoned him. That’s right! According to the words of Shen himself, it wasn’t him that caused Po to be separated from his real parents, it was themselves. With Po being horrified off the truth, that allows Shen to shoot the panda through his cannon, leaving him plenty of miles away from his fortress.

What I find the most fascinating about that exchange is that I don’t think Shen himself believes he is lying to Po there. Yes, he is clearly not telling the truth about Po’s parents abandoning him but I don’t think he himself realizes that. The main reason for that is with Shen’s own experience with his parentage. That experience which had fuel him into using his kung fu for evil and destroy China.

It’s revealed early in the film that the peacock rulers of Gongmen City actually invented fireworks for the purpose of peace. However, the ruler’s son, Shen, discovered that the gunpowder used to make the fireworks can also be used as a weapon. Once Shen’s parents take notice to their son’s sudden obsession with using fireworks as armory, they consult a soothsayer, who tells the two that if their son’s continues down this path of wrongful and sinful behavior, he will be defeated by “a warrior of black and white”. Overhearing of the prophecy, Shen believes that this supposed warrior has to be a panda, which is why he send his army of wolves to execute the pandas from all around the world, hoping this would lead to the prophecy not being fulfilled. Horrified by the panda genocide, Shen’s parents banished their own son from the city as he is no longer the boy they have come to love.

When saying that backstory out loud, you can actually get a sense as to why Shen would believe that Po would abandon his parents because he believes that is what parenthood is all about. With the way he was abandoned by his own parents, he only assumes that’s how the meaning of life is for everybody. Yes, they had ever right to do so but not in the eyes of Shen. This is because how much evil has blinded him from being the one good peacock he had the potential to be. The one that was able to use fireworks for good and not evil. The one that might have been able to fulfill his destiny and rule over Gongmen City for his parents. The one that would allow his past not to define him but only consume him. That right there spells out the perfect parallel that Shen has with Po.

However, the main difference between the past that Po and Shen share is how Po responds to learning the full truth about the tragic night with his parents. After getting blasted out of the cannon, Po is rescued by the soothsayer, the same one that was with Shen when she told the prophecy that caused him to wreck havoc. She tells Po all about the panda genocide and encourages him to face that past head on. It’s the only way that Po can do what he has been looking to do all movie long, achieve inner peace.

It’s then we get to what is not only hands down the best sequence in the entire franchise but one of the best scenes in any animated film period. This is the moment that the entire film has been building to. This is the moment where Po finally achieves inner peace. As Po unlocks the inner peace within himself, he is able to remember his father fighting off Shen’s army while his mother hid him in a little crate, drawing off the army so her son could survive. While the fate of his father is unknown, it basically all but confirms that Po’s mother is truly dead. It’s unlocking inner peace that allowed Po to unlock his past.

However, Po doesn’t have to be like Shen. He doesn’t have to let his past define him and motivate him to use his powers for evil. Instead, he can heal himself, leave the past behind him, and motivate himself to use his knowledge of kung fu for not just for the greater good but for a better and more uplifting future that awaits him. After all, he has already accomplished a great many things already during his time as the Dragon Warrior, as the rapid clip show of the events of the last two movies would show. This is where everything comes full circle for Po and this entire series in general. At the end of the day, Po is not Shen. Po is Po and he needs a hat!

One final master stroke of Po’s and Shin’s story is how both used their powers that they unlocked from their past. Shin is able to use the cannon of fireworks in the hopes that it would destroy China while Po is able use the knowledge of inner peace in the hopes that it would save China. However, because Po is the one that learned to not let his past define him, it is him that emerges victorious where Shen is defeated in the end. Whereas Po embraced his past as a scar that is a part of him forever, Shen embraced his past as a wound that never healed. Most of all, Po learned what Shen failed to. That the only thing that matters for yourself is what you choose to be in the here and now, not in the before or later. Because of that, Po was able to save the Furious Five, his master, and most importantly, all of China and kung fu from Shen.

When people talk about the best Part Twos of all time, a main strength that each and every one of them has is the perfect villain. The Empire Strikes Back had Darth Vader. Spider-Man 2 had Doc Ock. The Dark Knight had the Joker. And when it comes to DreamWorks Part Twos, Shrek 2 had the fairy godmother and Puss in Boots: The Last Wish had Death in the form of a wolf himself. Kung Fu Panda 2 has Shen and it’s all the more perfect for it.

There is an old saying that the hero is only as good as it’s villain. If that is indeed true, then I don’t think there has been an antagonist in any DreamWorks movie that was able to fit the exact meaning of that with Shen himself. Shen to this day is still the best villain in the entire Kung Fu Panda franchise and one of the best villains I have seen in any animated movie! I can’t imagine Kung Fu Panda 2 being the perfect sequel that it is if it wasn’t for Shen’s strong presence throughout the entire film. He make for a perfect parallel to Po and just makes for the perfect side of a coin in general.

If you are an inspiring screenwriter that is looking on how to make the perfect villain for your story, look no further than with Shen in Kung Fu Panda 2.

Next up: Kung Fu Panda 3– Finding Your Inner Chi