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Action, Action Adventure, Adventure, CGI, DC Comics, Fantasy, Movie Reviews, Movies

REVIEW: “THE FLASH” (2023) WARNER BROS.

06/19/2023 Peggy Marie 7 Comments

Warner Bros. and DC Studios have faced a long and challenging road in bringing “THE FLASH” to the big screen. With various director dropouts, multiple production delays, and some shocking headlines about the film’s lead, the film hasn’t had what you would call an easy journey. And yet, here we are. Rather here I am talking about a film that did something not many films have been able to do – it made me cry at the end.

Directed by Andy Muschietti, “THE FLASH” follows Barry Allen (Ezra Miller), as he travels back in time to change the events of the past and this time, they are twice the trouble. However, when that attempt, made with nothing but the best intentions, to save his family inadvertently alters the future, he becomes trapped in a reality in which General Zod (Michael Shannon), has returned, threatening world annihilation. With no other superheroes in this new timeline to turn to, Flash/Allen looks to coax a very different than the one he is used to (Ben Affleck) Bruce Wayne/Batman (Michael Keaton), out of retirement. The new/old Batman has stark reservations over Barry’s idea, despite sharing childhood tragedies. This is all to rescue an imprisoned Kryptonian — albeit not the one he’s looking for.

Michael Keaton as Batman (middle), Ezra Miller as The Flash (left) and Ezra Miller as Barry Allen (right)

The Flash manages to balance a lot of elements, including a large cast of characters, with nods to the comic-book storyline, and a bunch of complex multiverse elements. Giving us enough background here and there to remember where we last left off and despite all of the goings on in the background, Muschietti manages to deliver a decent cohesive story that never feels overwhelming or disjointed. Despite the movie’s high-octane action sequences and fast-paced storyline, the emotional aspects are never overlooked. Humour, drama, and heart, are neatly balanced making the audience invested in Barry’s journey and maybe even rooting for him along the way.

Moving on to the cast, Ezra Miller’s performance as Barry Allen/The Flash is quite good. There are moments when you feel “Damn he is so good here right now” but it’s also hard at those exact moments to not experience all his personal real-life problems enter your thoughts as well. Maybe that’s just me, I don’t know. Doing my best to separate the two while watching as Miller breathes new life into this iconic character, giving him with a sense of relatability and vulnerability that makes the character, not the actor, more likeable than one would think. Playing not one but two versions of Barry Allen with distinct personalities and character arcs, Miller delivered completely different performances for each of them. The ability to differentiate and bring unique traits to each side of the characters so that they never felt like the same person, and each added something key to the film. Being tasked with playing an alternate, younger Barry for much of the movie isn’t an easy thing to do, and Miller truly does well at this playing well into his endearing awkwardness and bumbling charm. Despite Miller’s disturbing string of personal scandals, you will find he’s possibly one of the best things about the film – that is – if you can separate the art from the artist.

As for the supporting cast, Michael Keaton’s return as The Batman is undoubtedly a highlight. The actor delivers a darker look at the Batman we all remember as an older Bruce Wayne/Batman, and he’s clearly having a lot of fun with his return as the caped crusader. I think almost anyone who sees this film can agree, when he utters the words “I’m Batman;” there is a chill sent down your spine to be had. Sasha Calle is more than impressive as Kara Zor-El/Supergirl, although we don’t spend as much time with the character as one would’ve liked, she is hypnotizing in her portrayal. As well as being a total badass, Calle brings a level of vulnerableness and sensitivity to the character that makes her instantly captivating, and she shares some touching moments with Miller’s Barry Allen character. Oddly, the least compelling character here is Michael Shannon as Zod. As much I as I j’adore Shannon and pretty much everything he has ever done in his career, this felt like a phoned in performance. Almost like he clearly didn’t want to be there and his character arc as the villain was the least impressive thing about this film. Your villain can make or break a movie and he made barely did it adequately here so maybe it’s lucky he isn’t featured as a main character.

So, while Shannon’s performance as the villain doesn’t knock you out, The Flash does do a good job of showcasing Barry’s powers, with action sequences highlighting the powers in creative ways, from dodging bullets and phasing through walls to simply punching bad guys and saving lives. All the while ‘teaching’ the other Barry how to use these same powers offers the films moments of comedy as well. While the action scenes are slightly let down by some messy cheap looking CGI, by 2023 standards at least some of the computer graphics in here look a bit phony and almost cartoon-like at times. Even with all that, there are more than a few sequences in here that might just leave you on the edge of your seat.

With some great action sequences and relentless narrative, The Flash can be a fast-paced, exhilarating ride. However, the film could’ve benefited from slowing down in certain moments to allow the audience to fully appreciate the character development and emotional beats. Certain scenes or plot points fly by too quickly, leaving little time to at moments to connect with the characters or fully grasp the weight of the situation. Had the film taken a bit more time to slow down and explore these moments in greater detail, it could have elevated the depth of the story and made for a more well-rounded and probably for many, a more satisfying watch.

Going back to the CGI briefly as although the film is one of the biggest and most expensive of the year, a lot of the CGI falls short in a very noticeable way. While certain scenes are nicely done with the CGI working alongside the camera to create the visuals, others look like video game cutouts or effects from the early 2000s. It’s a shame that it does fall as short as it detracts from the overall watch and prevents the audience from fully immersing themselves in the story.

It would also be remiss to not mention all the cameos – of which there are so many some just aren’t meant to be spoiled – though that seems to be de rigueur amongst the haters on social media. Even if you hate it, don’t spoil films for others – it’s not a good look. Ever. And while some made me gasp, and some made me smile – however you feel about it all is up to each individual. For me, the reveal at the end of Barry with his mother Nora Allen (Maribel Verdú) was the one that broke me. If you’ve lost your mother – than this too will probably resonate and hit you as well.

Despite a few pacing issues and some of the not so good CGI for a movie of this size, The Flash delivers a decent watch experience that with more heart than expected and balances the humour and action. BUT… it also falls into many time travel, multiverse formulas that can drag the rather predictable story at times. Overall, it’s a mixed bag that was enjoyable enough – if you can separate the art of film from the lead actor of the film.

Stay for the end credits.. and by end..I mean all the way through all of it.

Grade: B-

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“THE FLASH” FROM WARNER BROS PICTURES IS OUT IN THEATERS FRIDAY, JUNE 16, 2023

Review Screening: Tuesday, June 13, 2023 ~ Courtesy of Warner Bros.

Action, Action Adventure, Adventure, CGI, Crime, Movie Reviews, Movies

REVIEW: FAST X (2023) UNIVERSAL PICTURES

05/19/2023 Peggy Marie 1 Comment

Harkening back to the days of old when the Fast franchise first started Tyrese was still a supermodel,Ludacris was still a rapper and Jason Momoa was running around shirtless on the beaches of Baywatch – Here, Fast X begins 10 years in the past making it the end of Fast Five which was the one that found Dom Toretto (Vin Diesel), and his impromptu family pulling off a heist against Brazilian drug lord Hernan Reyes (Joaquin de Almeida). Turns out Reyes had a son, Dante (Jason Momoa), who has spent the last decade growing up planning an extravagant scheme to avenge his father’s death. It also features a touching memory of how it all started including of course, the stunning Paul Walker and it truly was glory days being all about the cars. Now the “family” now possibly has more branches than Game of Thrones.

Similar to its predecessors in the lengthy franchise history, and its spin-offs, the benign plot is beside the point in contrast to the stunt-tastic CGI spectacles. This one is full of the usual cars action, but that’s what it’s all about – as let’s be real, no one is going to a Fast and Furious movie for the acting or the dialogue,and here is no different. There are points where the audience is laughing, but it’s more at the movie absolute ridiculous delivery of dialogue (yes, I’m looking directly at Vin Diesel here), than with it. The plot, quickly explained without spoilers, involves Dante going after the family. He lures Dom, his wife, Letty (Michelle Rodriguez), and their pals Roman (Tyrese Gibson), Tej (Chris “Ludacris” Bridges), Han (Sung Kang), and Ramsey (Nathalie Emmanuel) to Rome, where a bomb goes off right outside the Vatican. The explosion gets pinned on them, forcing them to split up in different directions and go into hiding. Meanwhile, Dante has set his eyes on revenge with Dom and Letty’s son, Little Brian (Leo Abelo Perry), who goes on the run with Uncle Jakob (John Cena). Yep, you got it, it’s all over the place.

Back also is Mr. Nobody’s daughter Tess (Brie Larson), trying to spring Letty from a blacksite prison, where she’s being held alongside none other than ruthless cyber-terrorist Cipher (Charlize Theron), who isn’t the villian in this one. Little Nobody (Scott Eastman) is here as well; Diogo (Luis Da Silva Jr.) also as quick cameos from Queenie (Helen Mirren), Mia (Jordana Brewster), Hobbs (Dwayne Johnson), and of course, Shaw (Jason Stathom). It’s like they threw everyone and then the kitchen sink in for good measure. But wait, we aren’t done – Abuelita (Rita Moreno), is also here for a quick family scene (you thought I was joking about more family sides than GOT), Bowie (Pete Davidson – yes, Pete Davidson is in it), and adding in some new supporting role faces with one of the better characters here, Aimes (Alan Ritchson), and Isabel (Daniela Melchior), a Brazilian street racer.

Jason Momoa as Dante in Fast X, directed by Louis Leterrier.

The film takes you from Los Angeles, to London, to Brazil to Rome and location-wise, it’s all done fairly well. The biggest addition by far is Jason Momoa, as he takes what would usually be just another running on fumes ending – channels his inner Jack Nicholson, and blasts this villain role right out of the full ham sandwich, flamboyant sociopathic park. He brings this whole film up a plus level grade all on his own and makes it worth the watch. The film pretty much ends telling you what to expect next and even though they claimed this is the last of the Fast & Furious many, many incarnations – it will most likely go on for many years to come in various forms. Lastly, a little bit of a surprise plot twist at the end – a surprise guest star as well, to wrap it all up, though not as neatly as one would think.

As usual..stay for the credits.

Grade: C+

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“FAST X” FROM UNIVERSAL PICTURES IS OUT IN THEATERS FRIDAY, MAY 19, 2023

Review Screening: Monday, May 15, 2023 ~ Courtesy of Universal Pictures

Action, Action Adventure, Animation

REVIEW: “THE LEGO MOVIE 2: THE SECOND PART (2019) Warner Bros.

02/05/2019 Peggy Marie Leave a comment

The Lego Movie took the much-loved plastic childhood toy and built it into meta-comedy franchise that played equally well for kids and adults. Already spawning a more than one spin-off, including the truly not for kids The Lego Batman Movie, now comes the sequel to the original, The Lego Movie 2, which is fast & frenetic in it’s pacing, even if not exactly fresh.

In truth, this “THE LEGO MOVIE 2” doesn’t stray too far from the original, picking up briefly where its predecessor ended, when the Duplo toys arrived to cause havoc. The story then moves on five years; Bricksburg is no more and now our Lego friends live in Apocalypseburg, a Mad Max-style nightmare, complete with a half-buried Statue of Liberty (nod to Planet of the Apes??!!). Only Emmet (Chris Pratt), our orange-vest-wearing construction worker hero, is his same almost annoying, upbeat self. He’s even built a house for his love, the Goth-clothed Lucy (Elizabeth Banks). But then along comes an alien, General Mayhem (Stephanie Beatriz), capturing all Emmet’s friends and shipping them off to the Syster System to do the bidding of Queen Watevra Wa’Nabi (Tiffany Haddish), who wants to get married and zeroes in on Lego Batman (Will Arnett).

Emmet sets out on a rescue mission, but it’s only when he meets Rex Dangervest (also Pratt) – a future version of himself – that he learns to toughen up in this mean world. Once again there is plenty of fourth wall-breaking, plus more pop culture references than you can shake a stick at with everything from 2001: A Space Odyssey, Twilight, to Back to the Future. The cameos even get really weird, with Bruce Willis turning up as a sort of Lego John McClane from Die Hard at one point. The problem with all that, while it might be entertaining for some adults, kids have no idea what these references are and the plot is lost on them, hence they then get bored.

With some cute styled like musical scenes, there are show tunes galore – the best being Catchy Song, which also gets plenty of airtime here. Repetition does weigh it down, with the breakneck pacing ironically causing the film to drag at times, again especially draining for the kids, with Mitchell’s insistence on wham-bam action almost as tiring as Haddish’s talkative shape-shifting Queen.

So all in all, The Lego Movie 2’s insistence on never slowing things down to take a breath can be almost tiring as at times it felt as though there were too many events and gags crammed into a scene. But with Richard Ayoade voicing a talking ice cream, the inventive humour that made the first film special, can still shine through at times. Just probably more for adults than for kids.
Grade: C
@pegsatthemovies

Media Review Screening: Saturday, February 2. 2019 ~ Courtesy of Warner Bros.
“THE LEGO MOVIE 2: THE SECOND PART” IS OUT WORLDWIDE AS OF FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 8, 2019

Action, Action Adventure, Adventure, DC Comics, Fantasy, Movie Reviews, Movies

INSTA-REVIEW “AQUAMAN” (2018) Warner Bros.

12/20/2018 Peggy Marie 19 Comments

Two things I never thought I would see. 1. #NicoleKidman in a DC superhero movie or 2. Another DC superhero movie. 😁 okay kidding on the latter – but as most of already seen this with an early overseas debut..I will be quick about even the the film was so very very loooong.

#JasonMomoa is back as #Aquaman and sharing the screen with him is #AmberHeard as Princess Mera, who visits him on land to tell him he must accept his rightful role as ruler of Atlantis even though he is a half breed as his father Tom #TemueraMorrison is ‘surface dweller’ and his mother is a queen. #WillemDafoe is his mentor Vulko..and a terribly mis-cast #PatrickWilson is his half-brother King Orm.

There is so much backstory involved here, much of it so densely written you have a hard time following as they don’t actually make it enticing enough to do so. You have a lot of violence moth above ground and even including it’s very own underwater straight out of ‘Gladiator’ Coliseum battle.

The whole Atlantis concept is quite stunning and well done. A huge strong point of the film itself. But random characters like Black Manta #YahaAbdulMateenII aren’t played well except to let you know early on what #Aquaman2 will be about.

Momoa does single handedly save this one as best he can with a plot that is truly all over the place and much too long and drawn out. And by far, this is not a film for children in the slightest. So will I recommend it for DC fans – sure because they did finally bring something a bit new to the table.

Grade: C
@pegsatthemovies
Media Review screening Wednesday, Dec 19, 2018 – courtesy of Warner Bros.
“AQUAMAN” IS OUT WORLDWIDE AS OF FRIDAY, DECEMEBER 21, 2018

Action, Action Adventure, Adventure, bad movie, CGI, Comedy, DC Comics, DC ComicsC, Movie Reviews, Movies, Uncategorized

REVIEW: “SUICIDE SQUAD” (2016) Warner Bros.

08/05/2016 Peggy Marie 7 Comments

Writer/Director David Ayer’s “Suicide Squad” starts off strong. With a booming, kick-ass soundtrack taking us through the introductions of characters and giving us a bit of the backstory on each so we know at least who they are. Unless you’re a major DC Comics fan, you probably don’t recognize every single character of the Squad. The new action movie teams up a bunch of bad guys as a last resort to take down an even more evil force. For those of us that don’t read the comic books, I found this not only helpful, but gave us some fun sides of the characters to boot.

We’ve got Deadshot (Will Smith) the assassin who never misses, Harley Quinn (Margot Robbie) the aslyum doctor who fell in love with her patient who then gave her shock treatment to make her crazy, Boomerang (Jai Courtney) the Aussie who’s boomerangs are like drones and really doesn’t give a rats ass about anyone but himself, Diablo (Jay Hernandez) in essence a firestarter, Killer Croc (Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje) is self-explanatory and lives in the underground sewers, Slipnot (Adam Beach) an escape artist of the highest caliber and whilst not really a ‘Squad’ member, we have Katana (Karen Fukuhara) and Archaeologist/Enchantress (Cara Delevingne) and of course our Joker (Jared Leto). You’ve also got the ‘soldier’ side to it all with Rick Flagg (Joel Kinnaman), Lt. GQ Edwards (Scott Eastwood) and our head honcho who proposes and is responsible for putting the ‘Squad’ together, Amanda Walker (Viola Davis). And yes, along with our bit part from The Batman himself, Ben Affleck, we understand why they are, who they are and where they are.

Sadly, no one here can save the convuluted mess of a storyline and bad dialague. The characters are so off-balance and poorly acted, most especially I’m looking at you Will Smith & Cara Delevingne. Robbie’s character would have fit much better in a re-make of the 1970’s classic The Warriors (one of my fav. movies btw) and she probably could have made something with it. Here she limps along trying to be funny but falls completely flat. Only the Joker and Boomerang really pull out the stops and make it work for their characters and you know it’s really bad when even Viola Davis strains to pull off her dialogue as even somewhat believable.

The first 1/3 of this film is definitely worth the watch. Anything after that I can’t guarantee, except of course the ending because it leads us into Suicide Squad Part Deux. I would try to describe the plot, but don’t want to give away how just plain ridiculous it is and really, everyone should just see and judge for themselves anyways as it’s all just CGI.

And just in case you’re really itching to get out of the theatre, you only have to wait until the first set of basic credits is done to get your ending Bat-fix in..not the whole long credit roll. Somewhere in this series is a good movie, so stay, and let’s just hope Part Deux has more to it than this one did.

Grade: C-
@pegsatthemovies

Media Review Screening: Tuesday, August 2, 2016 ~ Courtesy of Warner Bros.
Nationwide Release: Friday, August 5, 2016

Action, Comedy, Drama, Fantasy, History, TV

10 top TV shows I’m watching right now

04/07/2015 Peggy Marie 8 Comments

And you should be too!! It’s been awhile since I’ve done this list and so many shows have come & gone..too many of my favs ending their series runs like Sons of Anarchy, Breaking Bad, Mad Men & Justified all in the same year for crimeny sakes. Luckily a few good news ones have popped up and I will be updating this every few weeks from now on. Now onto some great TV….

THE RED ROAD (Sundance Channel)
Martin Henderson & Jason Momoa are really outstanding in this show. They play the best hardcore ‘frenemies’ I’ve seen in quite some time in a show that’s refreshingly different from the same ol’ cops & robbers genre.

THEBLACKLIST (NBC)

James Spader.. enough said. He is fantastic here. Add in a now all grown up-looking amazing -from 90210 –Ryan Eggold doing some decent work and Diego Klattenhoff stepping up in a good supporting and you have yourself a pretty damn good show. Megan Boone as the female lead, for some reason can be the only thorn in my side in some episodes though most everything revolves around her. I also love the complete diversity of what this cast does.

THE GOLDBERGS (ABC)
I’m sorry but their “Ferris Bueller” episode a few weeks ago was so so so very spot on and had me laughing harder than I have in some time. Every episode brings me back to what at the time, I thought was the worst period in my life.. turns out it was the best and Wendi McClendon-Covey kills it every single week as the mom. The whole family is just so spot on.. If you’re not watching this show, you clearly didn’t grow up in the best decade EVER!! 🙂

BROOKLYN NINE NINE (FOX)
SURPRISE! Another comedy for me which is unusual because I’m very picky on my comedies as shockingly enough, I actually prefer them to be funny. And this one is. The whole cast is so deadpan spot on and work so well together I can’t stop laughing each and every episode.

12 MONKEYS (SyFy)
I’m telling you..Syfy channel has been rocking it and really stepped up their game in the last few years. This show being one of the reasons and one of the best ones on TV right now period. Each episode has upped itself a notch and Aaron Stanford, Kirk Acevedo & Amanda Shull truly take this show to the next level. So granted it took me 3 episodes to realize it was based on the Bruce Willis/Brad Pitt movie, but give me a break, that was 1995!!!

BROADCHURCH (BBC AMERICA)
You know I love my British dramas. The first season of this show was mind-bogglingly good. Then they tried the American-ized version Gracepoint with a great cast, including David Tennant whom they said ‘couldn’t be understood by audiences in the U.K. version’ reallly.. I had no problem and still have no problem understanding him, but the U.S. version was quite awful. So now we are on Season 2 and it’s carried on from season 1 so well which I think was the big question everyone had. Could it be as good? The answer is yes.

THE GOOD WIFE (CBS)
After a spectacular Season 5 where this show had some of the best writing I’d seen in a while for network TV.. Season 6 came back with a new firm, Florrick, Lockhart & Agos and has been a bit of a roller coaster at times swinging back n forth between good at times, but a bit confusing. But as of this past Sunday, WHOA! Don’t miss this show people.. it’s what Scandal etc. wish they could be.

VIKINGS (HISTORY)
So it’s probably not exact history, but then what really is. We don’t know how the Vikings sounded or exactly what language they spoke, but we do know a lot of their history based upon their gods and what happened between them & the Christians. And we know they discovered America way before Columbus did and were amazing navigators & shipbuilders for their time. We also know that they were true warriors and yes, raided other countries to death. Travis Fimmel has found his calling in this role. He is perfect as King Ragnar and Clive Standen as his brother Rollo is just plain badass.. oh did I mention they are hot..well yeah, they are but the show is also reeeally good and Kathryn Winnick as the bad-ass Lagertha tops this cast off showing true girl power. This is not only a well done good show, it’s entertaining as end all.

MAD MEN (AMC)
Where would we be without Don Draper??!! Much less entertained in my opinion. This show has stunned us, made us look back in our pasts to see where our futures are.. reminded us of a way things were done not all that long ago, and done it so stylishly we’ve all just fell in love with it. The fact that this show is one of the shows I love that is ending, makes it all the harder to look forward to these last episodes. Don, Peggy, Ken, Pete, Betty, Joan, Harry, Roger and all the rest whom we grown so fond of..let’s smoke one last cigarette together while mixing a drink at work..at noon!

JUSTIFIED (FX)
Oh Raylan..oh Boyd.. oh Ava.. how I will miss you so. I wouldn’t know where to begin or end with how much I love this show and how good this final season is. We are at the very end, and 3 things I will miss most.. the witty amazing dialogue, the fantastic acting by Timothy Olyphant, Walton Goggins, Joelle Carter, Jacob Pitts, Erica Tazel and Nick Searcy along with the rest of the absolutely fantastic co-stars & guest stars that have made this show, and the opening song.. Something I never fast forward through. Oh and producers/directors/writers/FX network ~ can you please give Rachel (Erica Tazel) & Tim (Jacob Pitts) there own spin-off show..pretty please.

Peggy at the Movies