Friday, March 19, 2021

Zack Snyder's Justice League - Movie Review


Starring Ben Affleck, Gal Gadot, Henry Cavill, Jason Momoa, Amy Adams, Ezra Miller, Ray Fisher, Connie Nielsen, Jeremy Irons, Willem Dafoe, JK Simmons, Diane Lane, Joe Morton, Ciaran Hinds, Kiersey Clemons, Ryan Zheng, Amber Heard, Jesse Eisenberg, Jared Leto, and Billy Crudup.
Written by Chris Terrio.
Directed by Zack Snyder.

★★★

If it helps, don't think of it as a 4-hour movie. Think of it as a 4-episode limited series.

I thought Man of Steel was a thumbs-sideways and that Batman v. Superman was a let-down, though they both had their qualities. Justice League was a mess and about on par with BvS for me. I thought at the time that Joss Whedon did what he could with the troubled production, but stories have spread since what Whedon's really like to work with, and I felt bad about the personal family tragedy that led Snyder to walk away.

Now he's been granted the ability to tell the story the way he wanted to. Rather than making Justice League I & II, we get a full 4-hour experience. It's not perfect and it still pales in comparison to a similarly-plotted Avengers Infinity War & Endgame, but it's a vast improvement, and I really liked how the movie was able to take its time with these characters. I'd also be curious to go back and watch the 2017 movie again to see how different it was.

Ben Affleck is great as Bruce Wayne, and I was grateful to watch him stretch his legs in the role one last time. He's picking up the pieces after the death of Superman, and he knows he needs more people with special abilities to unite in order to fight what's coming. He has Wonder Woman on his side but he needs more. He tries to recruit Aquaman, Cyborg, Flash, some more successfully than others.

Of all the characters, it's clearest Whedon gave Cyborg the shortest end of the stick. We get full backstory here and a better idea of who the character is, what he can do, etc. Steppenwolf is also a more fully-realized villain here. His design's more impressive, his fighting ability makes more sense, and he has motive beyond Shiny Alien Wants to Conquer Earth. He has wronged his master Darkseid in the past and figures he can get back in his good graces by enslaving Earth for him. We only caught a glimpse of Darkseid in the original but he sure shows up here.

Other actors like Willem Dafoe and Kiersey Clemons, who'd been cut from the original, are able to deliver and expand their parts here, and even ones who weren't in it (like Jared Leto's Joker) pop by.

There are still some Snyderisms I'm not keen on. The sky is always this burnt sienna sheen from the sun in a perpetual state of setting behind some clouds. The slo-mo speed-up slo-mo approach to action scenes can make them seem repetitive. But I for one am happy that after everything he and his family's been through, Zack Snyder was able to return to his baby and fulfill his vision.

Vampires vs. the Bronx - Movie Review


Starring Jaden Michael, Gerald Jones III, Gregory Diaz IV, Sarah Gadon, Method Man, Shea Whigham, Coco Jones and Chris Redd.
Directed by Oz Rodriguez.

★★★

This low-budget indie is like 2020's answer to The Monster Squad. Three pubescent friends discover that vampires have moved into their neighborhood but how do you convince everyone else of a such a ludicrous reality?

There are some funny set pieces, some predictable jump scares, and the ambition of Act 3 only highlights how low their budget had to be. Some recognizable faces are sprinkled in (Alias Grace's Gadon, Joker's Whigham, SNL's Redd, a Zoe Saldana cameo, etc.)

It's 89% on RottenTomatoes, but I think it's really more of a 70% quality. I'd be interested in what teens think of it.

Monday, March 15, 2021

2020 Academy Award Nominations


BEST PICTURE
The Father
Judas & the Black Messiah
Mank
Minari
Nomadland
Promising Young Woman
Sound of Metal
The Trial of the Chicago 7

BEST DIRECTOR
Lee Isaac Chung, Minari
Emerald Ferrell, Promising Young Woman
David Fincher, Mank
Thomas Vinterberg, Another Round
Chloe Zhao, Nomadland

BEST ACTOR
Riz Ahmed, Sound of Metal
Chadwick Boseman, Ma Rainey's Black Bottom
Anthony Hopkins, The Father
Gary Oldman, Mank
Steven Yuen, Minari

BEST ACTRESS
Viola Davis, Ma Rainey's Black Bottom
Andra Day, The United States vs. Billie Holiday
Vanessa Kirby, Pieces of a Woman
Frances McDormand, Nomadland
Carey Mulligan, Promising Young Woman

BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR
Sasha Baron Cohen, The Trial of the Chicago 7
Daniel Kaluuya, Judas & the Black Messiah
Leslie Odom Jr., One Night in Miami
Paul Raci, Sound of Metal
Lakeith Stanfield, Judas & the Black Messiah

BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS
Maria Bakalova, Borat Subsequent Moviefilms
Glenn Close, Hillbilly Elegy
Olivia Colman, The Father
Amanda Seyfried, Mank
Youn Yuh-jung, Minari

BEST ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY
Mank
Minari
Promising Young Woman
Sound of Metal
The Trial of the Chicago 7

ADAPTED SCREENPLAY
The Father
Ma Rainey's Black Bottom
Nomadland
One Night in Miami
The White Tiger

BEST ANIMATED FILM
Onward
Over the Moon
A Shaun the Sheep Movie: Farmageddon
Soul
Wolfwalkers

BEST INTERNATIONAL FILM
Another Round (Denmark)
Better Days (Hong Kong)
Collective (Romania)
The Man Who Sold His Skin (Tunisia)
Qu Vadis, Aida? (Bosnia & Herzegovina)

BEST DOCUMENTARY FILM
Collective
Crip Camp
The Mole Agent
My Octopus Teacher
Time

BEST PRODUCTION DESIGN
The Father
Ma Rainey's Black Bottom
Mank
News of the World
Tenet

BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY
Judas & the Black Messiah
Mank
News of the World
Nomadland
The Trial of the Chicago 7

BEST FILM EDITING
The Father
Nomadland
Promising Young Woman
Sound of Metal
The Trial of the Chicago 7

BEST VISUAL EFFECTS
Love & Monsters
The Midnight SKy
Mulan
The One and Only Ivan
Tenet

BEST COSTUME DESIGN
Emma
Ma Rainey's Black Bottom
Mank
Mulan
Pinocchio

BEST MAKEUP & HAIRSTYLING
Emma
Hillbilly Elegy
Ma Rainey's Black Bottom
Mank
Pinocchio

BEST SOUND
Greyhound
Mank
News of the World
Soul
Sound of Metal

BEST ORIGINAL SONG
"Fight for You", Judas & the Black Messiah
"Hear My Voice", The Trial of the Chicago 7
"Husavik", Eurovision Song Contest
"Io Si (Seen)", The Life Ahead
"Speak Now", One Night in Miami

BEST ORIGINAL SCORE
Da 5 Bloods
Mank
Minari
News of the World
Soul

BEST ANIMATED SHORT
Burrow
Genius Loci
If Anything Happens I Love You
Opera
Yes-People

BEST DOCUMENTARY SHORT
Colette
A Concerto Is a Conversation
Do Not Split
Hunger Ward
A Love Song for Latasha

BEST LIVE-ACTION SHORT
Feeling Through
The Letter Room
The Present
Two Distant Strangers

Sunday, March 14, 2021

Last-Second 2020 Oscar Nomination predictions


Nominations will be out tomorrow so here are my last-second guesses.

PICTURE

Ma Rainey's Black Bottom
Mank
Minari
Nomadland
One Night in Miami
Promising Young Woman
Sound of Metal
The Trial of the Chicago 7

Maybe: Da 5 Bloods, News of the World
Should Be But Won't: The Outpost

There will likely be 9 nominees, so there's my top 8, and I think one of those two titles will be the final one.

DIRECTOR

Lee Isaac Chung, Minari
Emerald Ferrell, Promising Young Woman
David Fincher, Mank
Aaron Sorkin, The Trial of the Chicago 7
Chloe Zhao, Nomadland

Maybe: Regina King, One Night in Miami
Should Be But Won't: Josephine Decker, Shirley

ACTOR

Riz Ahmed, Sound of Metal
Chadwick Boseman, Ma Rainey's Black Bottom
Anthony Hopkins, The Father
Delroy Lindo, Da 5 Bloods
Gary Oldman, Mank

Maybe: Steven Yuen, Minari
Should Be But Won't: Kingsley Ben-Adir, One Night in Miami

ACTRESS

Viola Davis, Ma Rainey's Black Bottom
Vanessa Kirby, Pieces of a Woman
Frances McDormand, Nomadland
Carey Mulligan, Promising Young Woman
Rosamund Pike, I Care a Lot

Maybe: Andra Day, The Unites States v. Billie Holiday
Should Be But Won't: Elizabeth Moss, Shirley

SUPPORTING ACTOR

Sasha Baron Cohen, The Trial of the Chicago 7
Daniel Kaluuya, Judas & the Black Messiah
Bill Murray, On the Rocks
Leslie Odom Jr., One Night in Miami
Paul Raci, Sound of Metal

Maybe: Chadwick Boseman, Da 5 Bloods
Should Be But Won't: Michael Stuhlbarg, Shirley

SUPPORTING ACTRESS

Maria Bakalova, Borat Subsequent Moviefilms
Glenn Close, Hillbilly Elegy
Olivia Colman, The Father
Amanda Seyfried, Mank
Youn Yuh-jung, Minari

Maybe: Jodie Foster, The Mauritanian
Should Be But Won't: Elizabeth Debicki, Tenet

ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY

Mank
Minari
Promising Young Woman
Sound of Metal
The Trial of the Chicago 7

Maybe: Another Round
Should Be But Won't: Palm Springs

ADAPTED SCREENPLAY

The Father
First Cow
Ma Rainey's Black Bottom
Nomadland
One Night in Miami

Maybe: The White Tiger
Should Be But Won't: The Outpost