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Mr-Fusion
. . . Maybe not modern day.
Reviews
Power of Grayskull: The Definitive History of He-Man and the Masters of the Universe (2017)
Nicely done
For some reason I was expecting something more like "The Toys That Made Us", and was pleasantly surprised to find a well-produced, polished documentary with solid editing and noble intent.
"Power of Grayskull" goes way back to the very beginning, to the original guys that greenlit the toyline and those that dreamt up the details. How MOTU was born from the ashes of a failed Conan license and, through writers of both comic and cartoon,
an entire lore was fleshed out.
For anyone who knows this backstory,
there's probably nothing new here. But it's the presentation that matters. Original artwork, a wealth of interviews and a casual mien offer an easygoing trip down memory lane. And I loved it.
The Jerk (1979)
So unbelievably simple
Steve Martin's effortless charm is on full display in "The Jerk", his first star vehicle, and the opening in a notable line of movies with Carl Reiner.
Like Caddyshack, the plot structure is a little aimless (somewhat saggy in the middle) but the majority of jokes land gracefully. Martin's playing a lovable dimwit (like, impossibly stupid) that bumbles his way into love and wealth and loses both just as easily. The murderous M. Emmet Walsh is completely random, yet results in one of the film's most memorable lines ("He hates these cans! Stay away from the cans!"). Even I was surprised how hard I was laughing through some of this. Even when you know what's going to happen, it's still funny. And a big part of the fun is watching the comic situations build, with usually facepalming results.
You're just not ready for how dumb this guy is, and then it hits.
Christine (2016)
Rebecca Hall is incredible
A fascinating character study of a young newswoman grappling with mental illness (or on the spectrum?). She's smart and capable, deserving of her coworkers' praise but too defensive to accept it. That same insecurity extreme to her romantic life; her loneliness is simply awful. The movie depicts Christine Chubbuck as a person who wants bigger and better, but not at the cost of doing what she loves; she's a human-interest reporter in a newsroom culture that stresses "if it bleeds it leads".
The point I'm getting at here is that the film isn't about the tragedy of Christine as it is her painful life. It's surprisingly empathetic given her place as a TV history footnote, and Rebecca Hall deserves immense credit for her standout performance; it is exceptional. There isn't a lot of they're about this reporter, but Hall humanizes her admirably.
This isn't a shocking story, it's a heartbreaking one. I constantly wanted her to find happiness that just wasn't there.
A Boy and His Dog (1975)
Their banter is reason to watch
Felt like watching a proto-"Mad Max" with all of the fun and excitement sucked right out of it.
I will say that "A Boy and His Dog" is a movie that doesn't fit any type or in any box; entirely offbeat and peculiar. And the dialogue scenes Don Johnson and his dog were easily the best.
. . . aaand it also drags in the worst way. Stone-faced boredom was my biggest takeaway despite Johnson's admirable effort.
It gets real weird in the third act where the horny undercurrent goes into overdrive (there's a "milking" scene that's shockingly funny), and also a colonial USofA cult and a slew of white-face makeup that creeped the hell out of me.
This movie is a curiosity I've finally satisfied but I don't see any revisiting in the future.
Malice (1993)
Unhinged but well-made
Well this turned into a nasty little thriller, didn't it.
"Malice" had my attention based on the strength of the cast, and Alec Baldwin's god-complex surgeon extraordinaire. And there's also the neighborhood's serial rapist to contend with. But by the midpoint, the rapist subplot is swept under the rug, Baldwin's maybe not the villain we all thought, and that's where the real twists and turns begin.
The movie's mixed critical reception suggests something that doesn't hold up under scrutiny after the end credits roll, and I can see that point. But I can also say that the movie held my interest throughout, even as it awkwardly switched gears. They'd aclear-cut wronged party in this story, and I wanted to see him/her win.
Atomic Blonde (2017)
Good lord, the fight scenes
Charlize Theron absolutely dominates in this movie, a stylish, über-violent spy thriller cut from the John Wick cloth. She's brutal, impossibly cool, and she just decimates the thugs standing in her way (wearing the physical abuse like a badge of honor).
"Atomic Blonde" thrives on the fashion, neon and action scenes, not so much on the actual spycraft. Things tend to drag during the debrief scenes, and the song just feels like an excuse for the litany of licensed music.
But that's almost irrelevant because it's really about her; and man, does she deliver. We're all here for the jaw-dropping stairwell fight and it does not disappoint.
Like, at all.
Guilty as Sin (1993)
Lumet delivers
I was pleasantly surprised by this. It's a cut above the standard early '90s erotic thrillers.
"Guilty as Sin" is a cat-and-mouse game between the hotshot defense attorney and the defendant she knows is guilty. The movie works because it's well-constructed and laid out but the casting is solid too. Rebecca De Mornay is a convincing courtroom shark, good survival instincts, and she's pretty sympathetic. It's fascinating to see Don Johnson as a malignant narcissist and he clearly relishes the opportunity. Also, he's pretty out there, just a grade-A sleazeball. It's his ability to plan things down to the minute details that gives the movie its tension. You don't have to buy him as the homicidal madman, just the guy who though of everything. And I had no problem doing that.
Friday (1995)
Hasn't lost its luster
As I understand it, "Friday" was made in response to the grim depictions of the hood in other movies from the early '90s. And being a white kid from the Midwest, I'm in no position to challenge it's authenticity.
Seen here, it's an anything-can-happen neighborhood on an aimless weekday, prefect for this kind of slacker movie. It's an easygoing hang-out movie, and what struck me is the naturalistic feel given to it by the cast. There are good performances across the board and it amazes me how many lines I've heard over the years elsewhere that stemmed from this movie. It's kind of a one-liner goldmine and, stating the obvious, an ideal launching pad for Chris Tucker's superstardom.
Birds of Prey and the Fantabulous Emancipation of One Harley Quinn (2020)
A much-needed separation
It was a brilliant move cutting ties with both Jared Leto and "Suicide Squad" in general. Margot Robbie really gets to shine here, playing a character she obviously cares about, and I think she's a riot. She's as lethal as she is wacky (case-in-point: her love affair with an egg sandwich). The action scenes are as "comic book movie" as it gets but they're all women laying waste to roomfuls of bad guys (read: a lot of fun); Ewan McGregor's clearly having a ball here as Roman Sionis, second-tier villain extraordinaire; and The Birds of Prey make a pretty good team that deserve a sequel (unlikely though that may be). I quite enjoyed myself with this movie.
The Negotiator (1998)
Man, that's a hell of a cast
To be perfectly honest, the expectations weren't all that high with this one, but it certainly exceeded. "The Negotiator" is a tight, well-written cop thriller with solid pacing and the huge benefit of Samuel L. Jackson and Kevin Spacey; the former is a cop that's desperate to expose a frame-up before he's abused by the legal system, and the latter is just trying to get hostages out of the building. But both of these actors are pros and elevate the already decent material.
As much as I tried, I couldn't really poke holes in the story's setup; and then all of a sudden, things really take off and I was along for the ride til the end. It certainly helps that both characters are hostage negotiators trying to read one another and adds a certain tension to their scenes. It's funny, I remember seeing the TV spots back in '98 and thinking "well, that doesn't look good at all." And I stand humbly corrected.
Ghosts of the Abyss (2003)
Presentation is way off
It's a lot like the ending scene in "Titanic" (1997), as the camera moves through the downed ship and we go back in time to see it in its heyday. A very romanticized rebirth, so to speak. That's the spirit of "Ghosts of the Abyss", but this time, James Cameron journeys to the actual wreckage with really expensive cameras and, using documentary footage and old photos, gives an idea of the decadence that used to adorn the now-decayed metalwork. And all of this in a concise sixty minutes.
But this is actually a fraction of the overall movie, because Cameron expresses it like a stagey Discovery Channel special. Lots of running time is spent on a crew we barely know, drama over a trapped camera robot, even the news of the World Trade Center attacks as they happened. Don't get me wrong, if I'm part of that crew, I'd want that included in the movie, too. But trivia has it that this 60-minute film was culled from *nine hundred hours* of footage, and I would much rather see more of the ship.
My Life (1993)
Coming to grips with fate
From the outset, with that John Barry score, you just know you're in for some serious tear-jerking. And "My Life" does not disappoint, nearly to a fault.
There are two things that make it worth the emotional drain. One, the subject matter, and nothing is more universal or imperative than mortality; in this case, Michael Keaton is battling terminal cancer while his wife is months away from giving birth to their first child. Two (and this is above all), his is an exceptional performance. You absolutely feel for the guy as he's videotaping life lessons for his unborn child; he plays it with such sincerity. Nicole Kidman is no lightweight here, dealing with her own anguish, and both are seasoned actors elevating the material.
This will knock you square in the chest, but I cannot speak highly enough of Keaton in this movie.
American Graffiti (1973)
Right time, right place, right nostalgia trip
"Where were you in '62?"
Well, I can tell you where I wasn't: in existence yet. I'm pretty sure this is why "American Graffiti" didn't take hold in me like it did for a generation.
As a cultural artifact, I totally get it: cast of pre-famous faces; all of this classic cars; the soundtrack, my god, the soundtrack! It was primarily the story that I found sort of dull, which I know would break my parents' hearts, but it does settle into a lull after a while. Of all the characters we hang with during the story, Dreyfuss is the most interesting, and my interest waned when he wasn't the focus.
One thing this film does very well is capture that aimless anything-is-possible feeling on the last night of high school. And it's fascinating to see Lucas flexing autobiographical in the movie that helped "Star Wars" get financed. That right there is film history and I am all for it.
The Client (1994)
Hi-powered cast makes all the difference
Another one of those movies you remember having seen but none of the details. But "The Client" pleasantly surprised me, and as hard as I am on Joel Schumacher as a director, he really seemed to fit here. The casting is certainly airtight. For a newcomer, Brad Renfro hits it right out of the park and Susan Sarandon is absolutely wonderful. I can't remember a character I've rooted for harder than hers. The real shocker here was the normally milquetoast Will Patton; here, he is a conniving police officer, and he is a real piece of work.
I think any nitpicks I had were script-related; it's Grisham to a fault,and the ending is very Hollywood. But these are easy to dismiss in the grand scheme of things.
Congo (1995)
I should've gone with the Rifftrax version
I remember going to see this in 1995 (and who with) but details about the movie have always been hazy. I know I walked out of the theater not really sure why I didn't like it, and there's a scene with Laura Linney and some lasers. That's all I remember.
Which is probably for good reason because it's not very good. You can see the kind of matinee jungle movie they were going for, but they never really *went* for it. There are moments of weirdness sure, but they're few and far between; bizarre line readings, funny accents and whatnot. "Congo" has the ingredients for a good bad movie, it just can't quite make the sale.
I did get my hopes up when Ernie Hudson appeared in full adventure mode (he's really the best part), but things just flatlined from them on.
Y'know what would've really helped throughout this? Bruce Campbell, the '90s b-movie king. He's here for like two minutes, criminally underused. It's "The Hudsucker Proxy" all over again.
Wild Things (1998)
A steamy slog through the swamp
As a teenager living in a house with HBO, this made for pretty good T&A, and there are standout scenes in that regard. Honestly, I can't say for sure that I'd ever seen "Wild Things" from start to finish before today, but it's no longer a question.
And once is enough; just completely bored out of my skull.
Eventually, you get to a point where the brain's wired a little differently with age, and this movie does nothing for me; not the setting, the characters, the score, even the myriad plot twists. Except Bill Murray, whose inexplicable appearance injects welcome comic relief. And then he's just gone.
And I really missed the guy.
Barbie (2023)
Good, clean summer fun
Really didn't know what to make of "Barbie", given the marketing, so it was never really on my radar. But eventually, my kid goes on about it at length and the cultural fervor starts getting the the ol' curiosity piqued. So, here we are ...
And it delivers; I think it's a fun movie with great dance numbers, phenomenal sets and excellent performances from both Robbie and Gosling. I love the use of practical effects in creating a living playset, and most of the jokes at Mattel's expense land pretty well.
The most common criticism I've heard is that it's preachy; and maybe it is. All I can say for certain is that it spoke to everyone in my household (we're all feminists here). We can probably all agree it is a lot better than a Mattel movie has any right to be and honestly, Margot Robbie is fantastic.
Phone Booth (2002)
Give it up for Colin Farrell
One of those lazy afternoon movies; it's streaming, it's only 81(!) minutes, how bad could it be? Yet somehow, it still tanks. "Phone Booth" rocks a killer hi-concept hook and a pretty good script, but also the near-overdirection of Joel Schumacher. It's just all very distracting.
Kiefer Sutherland's unmistakable rasp is also somewhat clumsy because he doesn't sound like he's on the other end of a phone. It's crystal-clear voice-over material that sounds more like Ron Howard on Arrested Development. Such an easy fix in post, but it creates a dissonance whenever he's speaking.
Look I'll be honest, nothing about this movie worked for me. But give Colin Farrell a hand for carrying the whole thing while trapped on a payphone. It is a solid effort.
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem (2023)
Big fan
Pretty much everything I've wanted in a TMNT movie for decades, just a ton of fun in the theater. I'm as surprised as anybody that we have Seth Rogen to thank for this, but hey, whatever works. And there's plenty to be said about the art style borrowing from the Spiderverse movies, but it just fits. The Animation is vibrant, kinetic and absolutely lends itself to both the action and the humor. The whole movie looks like the margin drawings of a high schooler's notebook, that unrefined pencil and marker aesthetic.
For me, the biggest present under this Christmas tree is the age-appropriate cast. Their chemistry is incredible and the turtles actually sound and feel like teenagers for once. As much as I gravitate towards Mikey in any given iteration, Donatello had all of the killer one-liners here; I loved Micah Abbey's performance.
Maybe it's because of this Summer's frustrating movie season, but I left the theater with a real high after this. If the turtles needed a reboot, this was the way to go, and I enjoyed it from start to finish. Even that feels like an understatement ... I had a blast!
Harley Davidson and the Marlboro Man (1991)
Manly, dumb, entertaining, it all applies
A '90s riff on "Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid", with the two outlaws robbing a bank to save their favorite dive bar.
For the most part, "Harley Davidson and the Marlboro Man" is a laid back futuristic western with most of its charm found in the dialog scenes. And it's not bad, despite the critical beating it received.
Are there cracks showing? Absolutely. The bad guy is a sneering Daniel Baldwin for Pete's sake; that, and it feels *very* 1991. The chemistry between the two leads doesn't work for me because Mickey Rourke looks like he desperately wants to be anywhere else.
But I keep coming back to this every so often on the strength of Don Johnson, who's fully committed to the project and yields most of the laughs.
The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent (2022)
A fading movie star and his biggest fan
This is a love letter to Nicholas Cage that I never really saw coming, but left me thoroughly entertained. He is a ton of fun in this movie, fully embracing the off-the-wall concept and sharing a delightful chemistry with Pedro Pascal. A good deal of the film is spent on the aimless conversations between the two, and these scenes are a joy to watch.
The story is chock full of goings-on, and while the midsection does sag a bit, I loved the overall vibe and the transparent celebration of Cage's ... *checks notes* ... "nouveau shamanic acting ability". The marketing for this movie may have been a head-scratcher, but I had a lot of fun with the end product.
Children of Men (2006)
Rough going, but so worth it
Somehow even more relevant today than it was in 2006, "Children of Men" depicts a bombed-out London, under fascist rule and full of internment camps, all stemming from a plague of infertility.
It's a dystopian nightmare that yields an ounce of hope in the form of a pregnant woman and her perilous road to safety. The source of the crisis is never explained, but it just feels too plausible not to get under your skin.
And Alfonso Cuarón has a knack for doing just that. The acting in this movie is excellent, but the direction is superb. Cuarón thrives on heart-pounding long takes and, done poorly, the camera work would come off as gimmicky; instead, it just adds to the unbelievable tension.
Fair warning: you'll grow to like various characters and you will be gutted by what happens to them. It's a beautiful and painful experience, but also deeply human.
The Mighty Ducks (1992)
"You mess with one duck, you gotta deal with the whole flock"
As advertised, a light Disney sports movie, but it's about hockey, and that might as well be a cinematic B-12 shot (even a bad sports movie is better if it's on the ice). I found myself invested in the story and it didn't take all that long either.
Emilio Estevez does a great job here. You can feel his frustration with having to face down past failures and dealing with this big ol' mess of a team; but then he starts to care and overall spirits really pick up. And the kids are funny in their own right, it amounts to a pretty solid effort all around.
"The Mighty Ducks" doesn't aspire to be "Miracle" or "Slap Shot" and there's charm in that. I really enjoyed myself here.
Haunted Mansion (2023)
IP gets dusted off for (yet another) go-around
In the moment, for what it is, I mostly enjoyed "The Haunted Mansion" as a nice distraction on a Summer afternoon. I saw it with family and they really seemed to like it. But would I be interested in revisiting it in the future? Eh, probably not. It's a good twenty minutes too long, oddly low on laughs and high on that green-screen processed look. I just kept thinking back to the last time we did this, and the Muppets version is better.
That said, I really liked Lakeith Stanfield in the movie, the guy kills it as a grief-stricken loner; and that's really what the movie is, a story about loss (which I think is handled well enough). It's just that it's couched in a Disneyland movie that ultimately feels half-hearted, and never as fun as the ride.
Space Cowboys (2000)
The right people for the job
Eastwood leads a cast of rock-solid veterans in a comic space fantasy/adventure full of dad humor and ... well, a fairly cliched story of old space jockeys coming back to show the grasshoppers how it's done.
Space Cowboys isn't thoughtful sci-fi, but it's well-acted across the board and the effects hold up very well. It also doesn't hurt that the camera sure does love these guys (Tommy Lee Jones especially). The running time is on the long side and almost feels like two movies in one; but I enjoyed it for the most part, and the final shot is a real grabber.
Good luck getting that Sinatra song out of your head.