Dallas Fisher

    Tag: film

    • Thunderbolts*


      A much different approach to the Marvel genre (yes, it’s a genre now) than I could have ever expected.

      Thunderbolts is a team up movie most parallel to The Suicide Squad, but feels more like it should have been called “The Suicidal Squad”. There is fun to be had within the crew, but the joy is constantly and immediately yanked away from you with the downright sad internal meaning behind everything. Basically the antagonist here is depression. Through multiple scenes of character to character therapy, you get the jist pretty quickly that the villain here is mostly psychological.

      I really like this new theme that Marvel brings into the fold, even if it’s not fully what you want from one of their films. The fight choreography is super solid, without being over the top. It’s the memorable and exciting action that keeps the story moving along at points, just to make sure you remember where you are. I do wish there was a little bit more of it though. Without spoiling anything on purpose, I again wish the danger here felt more believable and not out of reach for our “heroes”.

      The cast does work so well together. There’s not the overly quippy jokes that we usually see in this franchise, but you still get plenty of the laughs. Florence Pugh and Wyatt Russell steal the show, as expected. Everyone else fills their roles perfectly and Lewis Pullman is a surprise hit as The Void. At first I thought we might be in for another weak villain but the look and anti-control of the character really hit. You get a lot of downtime with these characters that feels like reminiscing for them and the franchise as a whole. Most things worked except I was not into the manipulative nature of Juila-Louis Dreyfus’ role.

      This is the most R-rated Marvel has ever been on the non violence side of things. It’s dark, like super dark. Fans growing up with this franchise, and caught up with the shows, should heavily relate to a lot of things here. I may not have fully loved where some of the story went, but this is a solid installment that I give major props to.

      7.2/10

    • Sinners

      Sinners will satisfy fans of any genre.

      Ryan Coogler (Creed) really hasn’t missed yet, and he hits it out of the park here in a way never seen before. He’s a master storyteller and weaves this one around making you feel like you’re watching a superhero film, a western, a romance, and it even has some supernatural mixed in. Never in my life did I think a mashup of this scale would work, yet it does.

      Going into this only knowing it’s a story about twins (Michael B Jordan and Michael B Jordan) returning home to find a new evil in town, everything was a surprise. It’s unfair that Coogler was unable to bring such a scale and weight to a movie, that at its surface, should be a small town story with passeable characters. Jordan is making two roles work in a way that’ll have you believe he’s actually two separate actors. Hailee Steinfeld (True Grit) and the rest of the cast might not get much total screen time, but their roles fit them perfectly as a supporting cast.

      Real life history brings hate and meaning to this movie, with imagery that includes colors and words leaving you knowing exactly what they’re saying. The stylishly perfect costuming may put you back in time, but it doesn’t let you forget about the present. And, don’t let me forget about the music!

      Miles Caton plays Sammie, who is almost the main crux of the entire movie. His Footloose type story brings forward innocence and mystery, but most importantly he brings his voice and music talent. Miles, along with a few other actors, have some of the most important and goosebump inducing musical moments in decades. You’ll be stomping your feet while still wondering where this movie could possibly be going.

      Stories intertwine, blood flows, and awe will take over your body as you watch this unfold. I know it feels like I’m rambling about what could almost be any movie, but this is Sinners, the wildest, biggest, and one of the best movies of the year. You’ll be upset at yourself if you miss it. Go in blind so you can be just as gleefully surprised by its immense cinematography and astonishing story.

      8.7/10

    • The Day the Earth Blew Up: A Looney Tunes Movie

      When Space Jam and a few episodes of Baby Looney Tunes is my only real knowledge of this universe, it’ll be tough to critique. But I can do my best, as it is just an animated movie.

      The Day the Earth Blew up strangely chooses to include only two of its characters, Daffy and Porky, to be in its first fully animated movie in 30 years. Together they are obnoxious, loud, and overbearing. With no one else of interest to play off of, it gets stale pretty fast. I didn’t like or understand why there was an alien in this movie but Marvin the Martian wasn’t used. It’s an animated film, it’s not like he retired from acting.

      I struggle to find who any of the plot or humor was written for. There’s nothing really interesting in a mindless zombie formula that has been done dozens of times. The zany interactions between other Tunes is sorely missed. The way the characters speak here is more for the original fans of this franchise, who might not even be alive, and some of the specific situations felt strictly for Gen Z (who probably aren’t watching). You’d have clear propaganda for gum in the same sentence as a fart joke just had to make sure a few generations felt included.

      Animation wise, my thoughts changed from sequence to sequence. At times it was like they wanted to use a variety of styles to make you laugh or bring some contrast to your eyes, but others just looked lazy and forgetful. Mixing looney tunes with human characters has worked, but not when they’re also animated in a different style that’s worse to look at.

      It’s not all bad, as it does have some fourth wall breaks and funny situations that will pull you through some of the muck. I somewhat enjoyed Daffy and Porky feeling more like Spongbob and Patrick more than themselves, and a bit of them looking for jobs was some stupid fun. I couldn’t get over the voices sounding almost nothing like the original characters, and it’s more of what Hobbs and Shaw did for Fast and Furious than anything Looney Tunes.

      5.3/10



      ixing looney tunes with human chaMixing looney tunes with human characters has worked, but r

    • Heart Eyes

      Meet cute, no, meat cut.A new slasher movie has arrived. It’s been a long time since we’ve had a movie like Scream, but Heart Eyes mostly fills that void. It’s set on Valentine’s Day as the killer HEK wreaks havoc on Seattle’s couples. I would say 50% of this film was along the lines of a Netflix rom-com and it actually works. Mason Gooding and Olivia Holt have enough chemistry to carry that half genre of the movie even while being hunted.

      The HEK killer is a messed up Cupid as he uses a crossbow that will go down in infamy as an all time slasher movie weapon. I loved the look of this character and the sounds that come with every move they make. There are some brutal kills that will have audiences howling with a scared excitement as they wonder who is behind that mask. The movie plays out very much like a Scream because of that wander around the killer. I was not very impressed with the reveal of everything surrounding that aspect, as it felt too similar and unrewarding.

      Location scouts killed it as they use what some may call cliche spots for a horror movie, but they’re used in a grand fashion. Blood is spilled throughout and not just from the violence. Heart Eyes is hilariously bloody and filled with needle drops that audiences will enjoy. It’s not going to change any lives, but as far as holiday themed slasher films go, it’s a good time.

      7.4/10

    • Presence

      If you go into Presence thinking it’s going to be the same old horror movie, you’d be wrong. It still starts out with a family moving into a new house where the family slowly realizes something sinister might also be there, but there’s so much more to it than that. 

      Steven Soderbergh turns the genre on its head by making the camera the “ghost”. This method of storytelling adds so much to the intrigue by taking away the audience’s full grasp on what is really happening. Characters will be heard in the middle of sentences, just as a soul floating through a house would experience and that leaves you wanting more. Using the camera as an invisible character makes for unique close ups and long takes that make things more personal. 

      The most important part of this movie are the characters themselves. Lucy Lui is the biggest name in this film, yet she’s the least utilized inside and out. Callina Liang plays our main focus as Chole, who brings an important display of grief and the many ways someone might deal with it. I can’t go any further without mentioning the real star of this movie, Chris Sullivan. Chris plays the dad and he’s the most likeable person I have seen in a film in a long while. I loved what this movie was saying for each of the characters. 

      This film is advertised as “The scariest movie you’ll see this year”, that’s far from the truth. It’s got suspense and drama, but never for the reasons you’d expect. Living in the POV of a ghost for 90 minutes makes you realize the scariest thing about this house isn’t the ghost. 

      Presence is an innovative story that shows movies like Paranormal Activity can be turned into something much deeper. Once you grasp what is really going on is where you notice you haven’t taken a breath in several minutes. 

      8/10

    • Wolf Man

      Are Werewolves the same as the Wolf Man seen in this movie? I genuinely don’t know, and this movie doesn’t really help get me any closer to the answer.

      Leigh Whannell’s take on the wolf man is similar to The Fly. It’s a slow burn that focuses on relationships and puts us right in the middle of a troubling time for our characters. 

      It’s a very tight movie in the way that we really don’t get to learn more than maybe three characters’ names, and we spend a lot of time inside of a house. I was hoping for a deeper exploration into the character dynamics outside of just giving the daughter mottos and catch phrases. 

      Visually, Wolf Man is a 50/50 film. There are shots of the mountains in Oregon that are breathtaking, and Leigh professionally moves the camera around in a way that will have you guessing where things are coming from at all times. BUT, someone should have paid the light bill. I’m willing to admit it was partially a theater issue, but at the same time, it was very difficult to see what was happening in general. 

      The practical effects on the wolf man are incredibly done, even if I do find the cryptid pretty ugly. Christopher Abbott does a fantastic job with his physical acting and giving the crowd something to bloody cheer for. I also found using the perspective of the wolf man and his struggles particularly fantastic. The best part of this movie has to be the sound design though. It’s brilliant in many ways from elevating the screams to misdirecting you around the small things. 

      Wolf Man is frustrating at times, yet has some great practical effects and direction. You’ll get bored with the characters and won’t really even know who to feel bad for. 

      6.8/10

    • Den of Thieves 2: Pantera

      Heist movies should have interesting and complex characters, scene stealing locations, and entertaining heist related moments sprinkled throughout. This instead has too many characters doing almost nothing heist related while switching locations dozens of times for no apparent reason. If you were also impressed with nothing of importance happening for the middle two hours in the original, you’re in luck again. 

      If you saw the first film in this franchise, you’d know that Big Nick (Gerard Butler) was going through relationship problems while also trying to track down the bad guys. This added complexity to his character and intrigue throughout the movie, but in the sequel they completely removed him and that aspect out of L.A. It makes him boring with nothing to lose and honestly feels like they just couldn’t get his wife’s actor back. At least Gerard has some comedy chops on display here, but it still barely works with who he has to play off of. 

      Nick tracks down Donnie (O’Shea Jackson Jr.) overseas where he is now eyeing the diamond exchange. Ice Cube Jr. is doing a HORRIBLE French accent, but only some of the time. Nick and Donnie teaming up in this movie makes no sense in the way that they explain it. They also have no chemistry, and I think Jackson is the reason for that. The title’s subtitle is also shoehorned in with one word and then completely forgotten about, making it a pointless subtitle. 

      A lot of the plot is pushed further along throughout the movie just so they could have the characters waste time doing dumb things together to try and prove that Donnie now trusts Nick. This trust makes no sense when he is clearly there for him and the money he stole out of L.A. A majority of the dialogue is some of the most forced, made up things I have ever heard just to make the players on the teams sound smart. 

      I really wanted to see them butting heads more to add some of that complexity back into this story’s arcs. Instead we get dozens of short scenes with generic, European “bad guys” with no personality. There is tons of pointless and elongated scenes where no-name characters are saying things twice because they had to make them all speak different languages. 

      This is the longest feeling movie I have seen in awhile. I don’t think the directer (Christian Gudegast) took the time to make sure edits happened because there are too many instances of characters doing and saying nothing on screen. It feels like they just kept rolling in between takes and left the cameras on the actors while they were taking a deep breath or two. 

      We get a wee bit of espionage with some sneaking around buildings, but it’s so poorly shot and scored that even if I was interested in what was happening, there was no tension to pull from it. The big “heist” this entire movie is building up to was the most pathetic excuse for one I have ever seen. You barely know who you’re looking at and why these people are where they are. The only reason I can see why they set this climax where they did was to brag about getting permission to film there. 

      This “heist” movie is a major disgrace to the genre. It’s so boring and quiet that I was better off just listening to the couple next to me’s commentary. 

      3.2/10