henrylightfoot

Having eagerly anticipated Captain Marvel for years, I wanted to love it. My honest assessment, though, is that it's one of the most mediocre MCU films, which is unfortunate because there is tons of potential in the mix. It's just not fully realized.

The main issue, I would say, is that the directing feels kind of flat, scattered. The guiding theme (Carol's self-actualization) is a good one and there are some scenes here and there that tap into something powerful in support of that theme, but there are very few moments where the film really 'takes off' and transcends. It just kind of bounces around. The emotional content in particular rarely packs significant punch, and unfortunately, for me anyway Brie Larson's performance has something to do with that. Charitably one might call her Carol 'stoic,' but for me it was more distant or stiff, making it hard to connect with the character. Maybe that was the idea, but I think a more dynamic, expressive approach to acting could've worked wonders for this film.

Anyway, there are some really nice supporting turns, especially by Jude Law and Lashana Lynch, and a lot of glorious sci-fi eye candy. And even a really good, emotional subplot that I won't give away. It's just too bad that the whole feels like less than the sum of its parts. Marvel usually manages to more than break even. Hopefully Carol comes across better in future films; Doctor Strange endeared me a lot more in Infinity War than in his self-titled introduction.

Bonus thought: The 1990s setting could've been a blast--I grew up then and was excited to see how this film played with the period--but it feels mostly like an afterthought, a few pinched references. It's probably good that this didn't go full-Guardians of the Galaxy, but at the same time, a mixtape version of Captain Marvel might have been a lot more fun to watch.

Chris Pine gives a pretty understated performance here, and it works well that way. Similarly it's a very good looking film in a way that works to make the setting and events believable, more than going for the wow factor. I was expecting it to be a miniseries and was surprised when it wrapped up, but I was really satisfied nonetheless. Terrific drama, nice ending. A well made period piece with good performances, locations and direction. Definitely worth recommending.

The main thing that appealed to me about this film is good the characters are. The animals really come across as 'people' and the kid who plays Mowgli is fantastic. Phenomenal casting job there. I think that visually it works pretty well and the jungle feels like an immersive, slightly magical place.

Storywise, again the character work is the star. There are some incredibly moving, even heartbreakingly sad scenes, and overall it's a story about values and identity. So that's cool. I'm not sure I'd say that the film sticks the landing, because the ending feels kind of abbreviated to me. That's why I didn't give it a really high grade, but I would certainly recommend it. Just be prepared for a few really heavy bits that might be more disturbing than what previous Jungle Book adaptions would suggest.

The era of prestige TV, combined with the rise of streaming platforms, has given us a lot of good shows up to this point. Shows that get deep into characters, play with format, bring a cinematic quality to TV. I've binged quite a few.

But I've never binged anything as consistently engaging, varied-yet-focused and just plain enjoyable as Maniac. It's like the best parts of Legion and Sense8, two fascinating yet unbalanced shows, tuned to perfect harmony, a waltz through conventions that never loses momentum, or track of the characters at its heart, played wonderfully by Jonah Hill and Emma Stone.

Aesthetically, Maniac is a tactile joyride. It's kind of futuristic but also full old computers and kitschy color schemes and a terrific musical score. It's wonderfully inventive of its own mix of looks and sounds. And the story is super inventive, too. In ways that are, again, fun, but more importantly, rewarding in characterization. Just an amazing, terrific realization of the potential for what a streaming show can be.

The large number of either 1/10 or 10/10 reviews is baffling to me. This film isn't close to perfect, but neither is it remotely a terrible, 'worst of' anything example. The various plot threads are a bit scattered at times, but the core story is very focused, and is personal in nature, which helps keep the whole thing grounded, so that the humor and action are like sprinkles on top.

First of all, the storyline is different from both the first Ant-Man film and all the other MCU entries, which helps distinguish it. The cast, both returning and new, very good. Michelle Pfeiffer and Walton Goggins are both a bit underutilized, but nonetheless they both add to the net chemistry onscreen. There are plenty of fun, easy-to-follow action scenes, and there's a lot of humor, although as with the first Ant-Man film, the offbeat style is hit-and-miss. As someone else pointed out, some of the jokes are telegraphed from miles away, and some of them chase the awkward-decay dragon a little too far. Also, the multiple villainous subplots are all underdeveloped, in spite of the occasions that they give for the heroes to do cool stuff.

But generally, this film is light on its feet, has a nice soundtrack and a great sense of visual interest accented by the west coast setting and some really cool effects, and again, a story that is firmly rooted in personal relationships. I found all of that really enjoyable. And just seeing the Wasp in action, finally, is a lot of fun. This film isn't great, but it's like a bunch of entertaining lights strung around a solid emotional core. I like these character and won't forget this adventure of theirs. I hope they get a threequel.

There are two sides to my review: The Last Jedi as a film on its own, and as part of the Star Wars saga. The former is more objective, the latter more subjective. I found this film disappointing on both levels but want to give as even-handed a review as I can.

Firstly, how good is The Last Jedi as standalone cinema? It's hard to find the right word, but I found it to be a surprisingly messy, clumsy piece of storytelling saved to some extent by a few big, shocking, spectacular scenes. Do those scenes cover for the lackluster connective tissue? To some extent, but not nearly enough to merit a rating higher than 7/10 maximum. Significant portions of this film could have and should have been edited out. They serve purely to give screen time to certain characters, but are largely superfluous otherwise. There is also the matter of humor used in extremely counterproductive ways, i.e. appearing at the wrong moments. That aspect of The Last Jedi puzzled me.

There are other points of criticism, but overall being objective I'd give this 6.5/10 on its own merit. It's not as well-made a film as either The Force Awakens or Rogue One, although it is more complex and interesting in some ways. But if I was to have described a Star Wars film to you, a year ago say, by saying that it was complex and ambitious but kind of a storytelling mess full of cringeworthy dialogue and watchable primarily for a few big fight scenes, what would that bring to mind? The early prequels, of course. Yes, those are the films that The Last Jedi has the most in common with, from a technical standpoint.

On to the second point of perspective, TLJ as a Star Wars film. Here, I'd have to be feeling very generous to give more than 2/10. I'll get it right out of the way: I feel that this film assassinates the character of Luke Skywalker. I've waited decades to see him in action again, and never in my wildest dreams imagined that I could be so profoundly disappointed. I feel betrayed, and more than that, insulted. I know, that's strong language, but many of the choices of story, direction and dialogue in this film feel not simply like interesting subversions of expectations, but rather sadistic stabs at me as a longtime fan, as someone who took The Force Awakens as a hopeful indication of the new trilogy's approach, and as someone who has always found inspiration and something special to take away from Star Wars, even the lesser stories. I left the theater after this one feeling sick to my stomach, disillusioned and again, betrayed.

Beyond the character of Luke Skywalker, TLJ largely makes good on its motto of letting the past die. This film doesn't just take a few pieces off the board; it very nearly burns the whole board down, and what's more, seems to take a really perverse pleasure in it. I can't fathom how this film made it past the much talked about censors at Lucasfilm. This neither respects nor feels like Star Wars, and I mean that as a bad thing. There are ways to move beyond the past without trampling it, to do the unexpected without insulting the expectations. Rian Johnson either did not care to do so, or has what I would say is a very weird and twisted notion of what Star Wars is.

Circling back to the prequels, I'm no great lover of them aside from being fond of Revenge of the Sith. But I want to clarify that my comparison of The Last Jedi to either The Phantom Menace or Attack of the Clones is not meant to insinuate that either of those older films left me feeling bleak and disgusted the way that TLJ did. George Lucas may have lost his touch. JJ Abrams may have played one too many nostalgia cards. But I'd take either of them back in a heartbeat after seeing Rian Johnson's work. I'm not sure what Abrams can do with Episode IX or indeed if I can bring myself to go and see it, but right about now I yearn for the days when some minor disappointments about TFA's plot were the extent of my grievances. TFA promised great things; TLJ delivered something else entirely, for better or worse. I say, definitely for worse. Overall, 4/10 for a roughly made and contextually abhorrent movie.

Valerian may be the most egregiously miscast movie I've seen, as far as the lead actors go. The same thing hurt Jupiter Ascending, another ambitious and incredible-looking space opera, but it's magnitudes worse here. DeHaan and Delevigne look like twin siblings and come across as apathetic teenagers, not a couple of secret space agents with romantic chemistry. The acting, the dialog, it just doesn't work. It's not even remotely close.

And that's a shame because as surely most other reviewers have noted, this film is an incredible display of amazing places and creatures and action. It's really something special, but vacant at its core.

If you are a fan of space opera or sci-fi imagery or simply eye- popping spectacle, it's worth watching for those things. But as a satisfying story, Valerian puts a lot of responsibility on the viewer to get past the astoundingly mismanaged main characters.

Season 2 has been a parade of clichés framed in great production design. This season finale takes an interesting turn in mirroring that of the first season, except that now it's Wil instead of Amberle who is sacrificing self and in the process leaving someone behind. Fortunately, he's not actually gone and that's a good thing because as much as Shannara could technically keep shifting the reins to a new hero each time out, Austin Butler is the heart of this show and it would have to dig very very deep to work without him.

The big panoramic shots of Leah with its lake and dam, are visually quite nice. The downside is that the city has once again been the least interesting place in the show as Arbolon was during S1. And the acting associated with the Leah scenes has been...pretty dire. That doesn't change and "Blood" is once again an abbreviated look at the city, this time under siege by the waters that define it. Cool ideas, mediocre overall execution.

Eretria is a terrific character as played by Ivana Baquero, but her story this season has been too much of a gloss-over. Her dance with the darkness has felt like little more than a distraction good for moving the plot forward, much like her bland relationship with Lyria. Can Eretria persist and find something engaging to do? Hopefully.

But Wil Ohmsford has always been the best part of the show because Butler has exactly the right presence to play a reluctant-yet- believable fantasy hero. He has physicality, empathy and a way with dry wit. And his plot line has again been the most watchable because he has been paired-up with S2's one great new addition, Mareth. Malese Jow somehow manages to act in this setting without the awkwardness that's plagued all of the other new characters. She's a gem, here, and that's why it was doubly sad for her to lose Wil and doubly a relief that she actually didn't, in the end. There is hope.

S2 has largely broken the mold of S1, and it hasn't been easy or terribly enjoyable for me. Without the Ellcrys to focus the narrative, things have wandered through some pretty lackluster territory. But on the other hand, Shannara does have a chance to build a future unencumbered by questions about Amberle or the lingering presence of Bandon. Maybe just maybe, Season 3 will find its own identity and tell some sort of fresh, engaging story. But please work on that dialogue and acting, Shannara.

It's fun to see everyone together and some of the more intimate character-based scenes are nice, but far too much of this film consists of overwhelming spectacle that is undercut because of how utterly uninteresting the villain and main plot are.

JL deserves credit for its fights not being weightless. There is a sense of impact and the action is very loud. A few of the big sequences, particularly one involving the Amazons, even qualify as imaginative and enjoyable. Not enough, though. In Wonder Woman, the good stuff was most of the film and the underwhelming CGI boss could be overlooked. Here, the balance is flipped.

The good news is that Gal Gadot is still luminous as Diana and some of the newcomers (Cyborg, Flash) have readily-evident potential. The DC films could start getting better from here, or in the case of WW, get back to being good. I'm thoroughly unimpressed with this iteration of Batman, however. We knew we had it good with the Nolan trilogy, but only now do we see just how good we had it.

Six episodes into S2, through "Crimson," this show is really a pros and cons case. There are some great new things, and some not-so- great. Malese Jow is terrific as Mareth, I still think that Austin Butler, Ivana Baquero and Manu Bennett are aces as Wil/Eretria/Allanon and some of the scenes looking into the Ohmsfords' past have been really poignant. Even Bandon, S1's seemingly random guy with a haircut, has turned into a decent character. He got the better of the new haircuts, sorry Wil.

But S2 feels a lot more like a run-of-the-mill cycle of clichés without the Ellcrys quest to hold it together and few of the new character are making the show better. I've defended The Shannara Chronicles' acting which I found solid during the first season, but things have taken a turn for the worse. The dialogue isn't helping but many of the actors, particularly the new ones, seem to be rushing through their lines without taking the time to develop the rhythm and accent in a convincing way. Maybe they're being hurried but it has often been really, really cringeworthy by any show's standards.

I also think that the show is trying to set up a bit too much in the way of possible story concerns, particularly as regards Eretria. It's very busy but not in a distinctive or particularly compelling way on the whole. Certain things work, such as the chemistry between Wil and Mareth, but the palace scenes, this time in Leah instead of Arborlon, are once again the dullest part of the show.

There's still potential for this season to go someplace interesting and if it lasts beyond S2, maybe even to find its footing as something bigger than just a projection of the Elfstones book. But it's not there yet. Too many subplots, too much bad acting and not a distinctive enough narrative voice. Right now, it's still fun to watch but deserves the criticism it receives more than ever. Mixed bag.