tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-75903643810188845882024-03-06T01:03:05.974-06:00Fat Jesus ReviewsFatJesusReviewshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16182451361373295175noreply@blogger.comBlogger180125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7590364381018884588.post-86767281434463156232019-12-29T18:28:00.001-06:002019-12-30T14:10:15.103-06:00A Fat Jesus Year End Review<div style="text-align: center;">
Short intro, I wanted to do reviews on a ton of these throughout the year, but got a little busy with life. So here’s my thoughts on 21 films, probably with typos somewhere, I hadn’t more than Tweeted about if I did so far this year. There's probably spoilers, so here's your warning. If you’re interested in my <a href="https://letterboxd.com/fatjesus/list/2019-filmsranked/"><span style="color: white;"><b>Top Films of 2019</b></span></a> or <a href="https://letterboxd.com/fatjesus/list/2010-to-2019top-50ranked/"><span style="color: white;"><b>Top Films of the Decade</b></span></a>, head over to those links! Thanks for reading and hope you’re having a good holiday season and have a great start to the new year! </div>
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<b>Fighting With My Family</b></div>
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Wrestling has been a part of my life since I started watching around Wrestlemania 19. It’s been both a blessing and a curse watching pro wrestling over the years. There’s been highs like watching CM Punk and Daniel Bryan in the WWE in the first half of the 2010s, watching All Elite wrestling start up and getting into New Japan Pro Wrestling over the past half decade. There’s also been lows, like pretty much everything WWE has done, aside from NXT, over the past almost four years. “Fighting With My Family” follows the story of real life WWE star Paige, played by Florence Pugh, and how she broke into the company. This was in the works, with help from The Rock, I presume after she retired, and I'm sure it’s embellished at parts. Pugh was great as Paige and had great screen presence. The family dynamic of the Knight’s are the best part of the film, because Lena Headey and Nick Frost are great as Paige’s parents Julia and Patrick. Her brother Zak, played by Jack Lowden was good as well. My problems come with the mostly glossed over time in NXT, where she exploded in popularity and it felt rushed by the end of the film. If you’re not a wrestling fan, this movie probably won’t work as well, but if you’re a fan of wrestling, there’s a lot to like.</div>
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<b>Detective Pikachu</b></div>
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As someone about to turn 30 and born in 1990, I remember when Pokemania swept the US originally as a kiddo. I had Red Version, my dad and I collected the trading cards, I watched the anime after school, and even all these years later, I can’t let Pokemon go as I’m breeding competitive Pokemon in Sword and Shield. “Detective Pikachu” is the first live action Pokemon film and after seeing it twice, it kind-of loses its luster after your first viewing. The voice acting by Ryan Reynolds as Pikachu was fine, but the rest of the movie seems like a Pokemon nostalgia bomb rather than a coherent story. Not to mention the acting was pretty sub par even when Reynolds’ Pikachu is there. This is loosely based off a Nintendo 3DS game of the same name, and it doesn’t really feel like it has a narrative like the game. The CGI and more realistic Pokemon coming to life on the big screen were great to see, but ultimately, if you’re not a fan of Pokemon this doesn’t offer much to you.</div>
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<b>Aladdin</b> / <b>The Lion King</b> </div>
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It doesn’t really matter which we start with, but I’ll concede that The Lion King was better than Aladdin. “Aladdin” was doomed because of Robin Williams original performance, it took the original to the next level. He was allowed to ad lib and Disney would animate things he did after. Will Smith followed a weak, severely changed script to the tee, that was made worse with poorly arranged songs, and no offense to Mr. Smith and crew, poorly sung sung songs as well. The two leads acting was very bad and the new song added was pretty awful too. The CGI was also bad as well. In “The Lion King” it wasn’t changed like Aladdin was. It was pretty much a CGI shot for shot of the original. The CGI looked good, the voice acting was alright all around, the music was pretty decent, but the changes made to some of the songs and the lack of emotions by the “realistic” CGI made everything feel hollow. Also the new song added to this felt forced and I wasn’t a fan of it either. As someone who grew up with the original animated Lion King and Aladdin, I went into these films with an open mind and came out of them shaking my head and/or wondering why these were made. I mean I know why, money, but there’s no way Disney is actually out of ideas right? My summary of both of these just end up being, “Who are these made for?” Because people like me who grew up with the originals know they’re better and the kids seeing these are probably going to like them less as well, because they’re lesser quality.</div>
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<b>Booksmart</b> / <b>Good Boys</b></div>
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“Booksmart” wanted to be this generation's “Superbad.” “Good Boys” ended up being the middle school version of “Superbad.” These films are pretty much the carbon copy of raunchy coming of age films, one set of kids heading for high-school and one set of teens heading for college. Both have probably far too smart and quippy parents and both get into a situation that has likely never happened to the majority of kids in school currently. Though I think they both did a good job of being somewhat realistic with the plot devices. My problem with “Booksmart” is, I just didn’t relate to it like I did with “Superbad” growing up or even to an extent “Good Boys” here. The acting was fine in both films, though nothing stands out overall. I found myself laughing more with “Good Boys” than I did with “Booksmart” though. “Booksmart” seemed like it was trying to be more serious, which a film branded as raunchy comedy doesn’t need to be. Where “Good Boys ” was always absurd, and while the jokes didn’t always land, there were plenty and quite a lot will probably land for you. If you liked “Superbad” growing up, chances are you’ll like one of these. Did you follow all that?</div>
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<b>The Beach Bum</b></div>
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I almost don’t want to review “The Beach Bum” because it’s just an experience you need to just go in and watch. A soon to be pattern in this post. It’s a haphazard story, led by a brilliant performance from Matthew McConaughey as Moondog. A man who is the embodiment of “go with the flow,” though it doesn’t always flow well. My only real complaint is the length of the film, because I felt that some scenes went on longer than needed and the aforementioned all over the place story. The style is undeniable, if you liked “Spring Breakers” (which I actually didn’t), you’ll love this film and the acting from McConaughey is enough to keep you invested in whatever of the story you can decipher.</div>
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<b>Spider-Man: Far From Home</b></div>
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If “Booksmart” and “Good Boys” were comedic coming of age films, then “Spider-Man Far From Home” is the 2019 comic book equivalent.Not quite as good as “Spider-Man: Homecoming” and coming off of the “Avengers: End Game” finale, “Far From Home” is a fun little movie that adds just enough to the Spider-Man Marvel Cinematic Universe lore to keep the films swinging. The story follows Peter Parker and the crew from “Homecoming” and they go abroad in Europe with their schoolmates. The story is decent enough, the CGI was fine and the acting from the main cast is good like in the first film. The performance from Jake Gyllenhaal as Mysterio was awesome. It’s one of the best villain performances in the MCU, and took the movie up a notch, even though the end result of his plot was kind of bland. If you like Spider-Man or the MCU, this will wet your appetite.</div>
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<b>Toy Story 4</b></div>
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I went into “Toy Story 4” not expecting much and I came out of it pleasantly surprised. It’s not the best Toy Story film, it’s probably the worst of the series. But it’s still very watchable. The animation, which straight up just looks like they were just filming a movie without CGI at times, is amazing. The characters were all the same, though most of the old guard really felt like they were on the back burner for most of the film. The voice acting was good as usual as well and the humor was fun. I just don’t really have anything I feel overly good or bad about this film.</div>
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<b>Midsommar</b></div>
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Midsommar is a beautifully shot film that’s the equivalent of what the film ends up being about. A bunch of modern day hippies in Europe, tripping on hippie juice, while WWE superstar Paige becomes their qween. This film is gorgeous to look at with the landscapes of the small town they’re in. It’s also brutal, because there’s no holding back the way people die or how they end up. The acting is alright, the people in the commune are sufficiently creepy, while the students abroad range from wholly annoying all the way to “I don’t hate this character.” I did like Florence Pugh this. Some of this could be the writing too, as I didn’t enjoy this story as much as I did Ari Aster other feature “Hereditary.” This is the perfect film to grab some friends and just experience and joke around.</div>
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<b>The Art of Self-Defense</b></div>
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“The Art of Self Defense” is a dark comedy that follows a man who was recently mugged and put in the hospital. After he gets out he decided to learn self defense. If you’re into films like “Napoleon Dynamite” or “Fight Club” then this mishmash of styles will be right up your alley. Jesse Esienberg and Alessandro Nivola are the perfect compliment to each other in this film. They’re the perfect amount of awkward and teacher/student dynamic. This film is a smaller feeling film than almost anything you'll see this year, aside from “The Lighthouse.” The humor is as dry as it comes, the story isn't just “random so it’s funny.” Not to mention Imogen Poots is a cutie.</div>
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<b>Joker</b></div>
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The most polarizing film of the year until “Star War: The Rise of Skywalker” released last week was Todd Philip’s take on the origin of the iconic Batman villain “Joker.” The media blitz tried to convince people it was a movie that would rile up the masses. It didn’t. People tried to pigeonhole it into only a group of people “getting it.” That didn’t work either because it became the highest grossing R-Rated film of all time, surpassing “Deadpool” with a relatively decent critical reception. “Joker” is a tense film, that without yet another Joaquin Phoenix masterful performance would likely be worse than it ended up being. There are other characters, but they’re all plot devices. Not bad by any stretch, but no one really outstanding. The story was fine, a younger man, beaten down by life and finally having enough. The message was ham-fisted, but it worked in the context of Joker’s character being over the top. The cinematography was also surprisingly pleasant throughout the film. The copious wide shots of the dreary city and the now infamous staircase just looked good. This is a tense film from start to finish with a fantastic performance that’s made this film worth your time.</div>
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<b>Once Upon a Time...in Hollywood</b></div>
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There were a lot of films that came out this year that left me with that feeling of watching a movie, not just watching a blitz of colors and sounds. “Once Upon a Time...in Hollywood” is my personal favorite of the year. Quentin Tarantino crafted an alternate reality, but one that isn’t so out of the realm of possibility of occurring. Leonardo DiCaprio, Brad Pitt and Margot Robbie played the best lead trio this year. After the film released, I noticed people asking why Robbie was a lead, because of her least amount of screen time of the three. While DiCaprio and Pitt more or less have full story arcs, Robbie plays as the letting you breathe in between scenes. These breathers were lovely. The story was solid, mostly coming to terms with fading out what you used to be. The acting, especially by DiCaprio and Pitt, was outstanding. The music, especially in the driving scenes, was impeccable. Finally, the cinematography and set design was amazing, like near the end when all the stores were turning on their neon lights and signs for the night. And yes, there is a scene of copious violence like in all Tarantino films.</div>
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<b>Hustlers</b></div>
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If you had asked me what I thought one of the worst movies of the year was gonna be based off of trailers I saw while at the movies or watching wrestling or football, I would’ve told you “The Hustler” before watching it. A Jennifer Lopez led film about a bunch of dancers sticking it to the man by taking their money in illicit ways. And while the plot is thin, it’s a movie that is well acted, especially by Lopez and her co-star Constance Wu. There is a lot of little things like framing, settings for scenes (though it gets repetitive at times) and the backstory that goes into the characters that make this a pretty interesting watch.</div>
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<b>Star Wars: Rise of Skywalker</b></div>
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I could go into how this film is rushed, and it is. I could go into how there’s about 400 different expanded universe books that could be made of the plots ran through in this film. I could go into how they had to retcon a metric ton of “Star Wars: The Last Jedi” to try to appease the fans that hated “The Last Jedi.” Only to make the people who liked “The Last Jedi” mad at this one. I could go into somehow Rey just having the ability to Jesus heal people out of nowhere, because why not? I could go into how they reduced Fin to a character with a ton of potential in “Star Wars: The Force Awakens” to someone who said multiple times in this they had something to tell Rey, only to never do it. I could go into the fact that Rey being a Palpatine, while in theory cool, but instead coming out of nowhere, comes off as a desperate plea that Disney’s Star Wars wasn’t out of ideas. I could be going into many more things like that, like the waste of the actually great chemistry between Daisy Ridley, John Boyeyga and Oscar Issac, or the fact they they introduced a ton of new characters during the last film of a trilogy. I know they had to include Carrie Fisher, but the de-aged Carrie Fisher from the training scene looked just as bad as from “Rogue One.” I loved that Harrsion Ford looked like he rolled out of bed for his scene with Driver (which was nice scene.) BUT despite all that, I had fun watching the movie. It felt like a Star Wars film to me. Far, far from perfect, but they did enough things right, like superb acting from Adam Driver throughout the trilogy, continuing to here. Fin and Poe weren’t as useless like in TLJ. Rey is Rey at this point, and her stuff with Kylo was the best stuff in the film. The action was fine, sometimes, and I wasn’t a huge fan of the busy space battle at the end. But for the most part with all the rush and confusion of this film, I enjoyed it much, much more than I thought I would.</div>
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<b>The Nightingale</b></div>
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If “Midsommar” was brutal in a more drug induced fever-dream way, “The Nightingale” is brutal in a more realistic “Jesus, this is gonna be hard to watch for people” way. “The Nightingale” follows the story of Clare Carroll who has her life ripped from her and feels she must exact revenge on the people who took it from her. This film is set in the 1820s in England during the Black War and spares nothing from the viewer. The way Calre, played wonderfully by Aisling Franciosi, and her travel mate played by Baykali Ganambarr are treated and spoken to. The harsh reality of traveling through a country you’re not wanted in. To even just surviving out in the wilderness with only the thought of revenge on your mind. This film is a pretty unflinching look at the lengths people can and would go to when they, quite honestly, have nothing left to lose and the hope that can blossom amidst all of it. If you’re a fan of “The Witch” from a few years ago, you’ll like this.</div>
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<b>The Irishman</b></div>
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Netflix put out actual quality films this year. Somehow The Office machine got Martin Scorsese to stop trashing superhero films long enough to create this mobster epic and release it on their streaming service. This film truly “an epic” because of the supremely crafted story that spanned over three hours long. The story of a World War II vet, Frank Shareen, turned mafia, turned Jimmy Hoffa’s right hand man is wonderfully acted by Robert Di Nero, Al Pachino and legend himself, Joe Pesci. The story that unfolds is a mobster drama, at times a family drama, with bits of humor and brevity thrown in as well. A complete film in almost every way, but for some reason I feel that it didn’t click, and I think it mostly has to do with how the film was presented. These guys no doubt, gave some of the finest performances of the year, but it’s hard to ignore that in the time frame these events were happening. These guys were younger in this story that spanned decades and decades, and needed to look the part. But for a lot of the film, when say, Di Nero’s character was supposed to be in his 40s or so, Di Nero never really looked younger than being in his 60s even with the de-aging. It took me out of the film at times. Not to mention there’s parts in the early going, like the bakery fight, that were laughably bad. This film is very very good, don’t get me wrong, but it’s not without it faults, and if you’re into mobster films, you’ll love this.</div>
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<b>Jojo Rabbit</b></div>
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The film from the man that brought us “Thor Ragnarok” comes “Jojo Rabbit,” a movie that tells the story of a boy in Nazi Germany who has Adolf Hitler as his imaginary friend and a mother who thinks war is senseless is hiding a Jewish girl in their home. This film one that hooks you from the cold open of Jojo conversing with Adolf. The film is irreverent, but tasteful. I never thought it was making light of the terrible things the Nazis did. Instead it poked fun at how they thought about things and how they went about things in laugh out loud ways. Scarlett Johansson, Thomasin McKenzie, Sam Rockwall and Taika Waititi (the director playing Hitler) were all sublime. They were anchored by the performance of Roman Griffin Davis as Jojo, who is funny, charming and above all earnest in how he begins to learn how the world is actually working vs the romanticized version he’s been taught. This film isn’t going to be for everyone, but the ones that keep an open mind and give this a try will be treated to a delightful story and growing up and being able to see that what you think you know, may not be what reality is.</div>
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<b>Knives Out</b></div>
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I wish Rain Johnson had turned “Star Wars: The Last Jedi” into a murder mystery like this, I would’ve liked it about a thousand times more. “Knives Out” works because you know, or at least think you know, what happens throughout the entirety of the film. You change your thought process as new things are presented, that lets you try and guess where everything is heading. The performance from Ana de Armas was amazing. Between her and Daniel Craig, reminding us that he’s pretty good at what he does outside of 007, the film never skips a beat. Chris Evans post Captain America role is great and the rest of the family at the center of this mystery are absolutely awful people you want to see lose. Mothers, daughters, cousins and uncles are all just terrible to everyone, which makes de Armas’ character such a pleasant one in this film. Piecing together this irreverent version of Clue was a blast, and the witty writing (sometimes kind of off putting I’ll admit) make this the perfect film if you just want to veg out and have a good time. Side note, Lakeith Stanfield is becoming one of my favorite Hollywood people.</div>
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<b>Parasite</b></div>
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It’s hard to write anything about this film, because it just needs to be watched. This Korean film by filmmaker Bong Joon-ho was unlike anything I watched this year and it will keep you fully invested until the credits roll. To give a brief summary, a down on their luck family, who will do anything to survive and make ends meet, stumble across something that could get them out of the basement apartment they live in. The acting, from literally everyone is a treat, because everyone was a different role to play. Each person in the main family, especially Song Kang-ho and Choi Woo-shik, the father and son, play both sides of their role superbly. While on the other side of things, Lee Sun-kyun as Park Dong-ik and Cho Yeo-jeong, husband and wife, make a delightful on-screen pairing as well. The story is engaging until the very end and is a roller-coaster of humor, drama and character development. Everything about this film just works and it blew me away when I first watched it.</div>
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<b>Marriage Story</b></div>
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You want a story about emotions. You want a film with acting. You want a film that would make you rethink falling in love, having kids, managing a work/life schedule and doing anything remotely successful in your life while married, then “Marriage Story” is right up your alley. Superbly acted by its two leads Adam Driver and Scarlett Johansson, this film follows the story of Kylo Ren and Black Widow as they begin the process of divorce and all of the bad that eventually comes with it. Their friendships fracture, the relationship between Charlie and his son deteriorates, just when they think everything will be applicable, both lawyer up at the behest of lawyers, money problems galore begin on Charlie’s side, while Nicole has to start coming to terms that she might not be as good a mother as she could be while chasing the dream of acting. This film is not about two people falling out of love, because the note being read at the beginning and end of the film prove that. This film is about two people, who want to move on from each other the right way, get roped into doing it the messy way and have to deal with the reality and emotions that come with it. Oh yeah, Netflix of all places put this out. I’m amazed too.<br />
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FatJesusReviewshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16182451361373295175noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7590364381018884588.post-18237512294339121482019-04-27T12:25:00.000-05:002019-04-27T12:25:11.728-05:00Avengers: Endgame [A Fat Jesus Work in Progress]<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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My critic side would've given this a 4. My inner nerd that's seen all but two of the MCU films in theaters would've given it a 5. So I pleased both sides. And if you're a fan of the MCU you'll be probably be pleased with this film too. Also, look at this slick poster by artist @kazoomori up there.</div>
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I don't know if I'm going to review it fully until I see it again, there's just so much to process. But what I will say is...CAPTAIN AMERICA WAS WIELDING MJOLNIR LIKE A EXECUTING A FINAL SMASH AND ANT-MAN PUNCHED A LEVIATHAN INTO OBLIVION AND WE'RE GETTING ASGARDIANS OF THE GALAXY!</div>
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FatJesusReviewshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16182451361373295175noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7590364381018884588.post-71912228915501111412019-03-09T23:16:00.001-06:002019-04-27T12:17:37.604-05:00Captain Marvel [A Fat Jesus Film Review]<br />
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 16px;">I will not be mentioning any of the social politics and whatnot that surrounding the marketing and lead up to the release of Marvel Cinematic Universe’s 21</span><sup style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;">st</sup><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 16px;"> film, </span><i style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 16px;">Captain Marvel</i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 16px;">. I don’t think it should hold any weight on how the film turned out. Though I will note it did rile everyone up and all sides were probably in some way in the wrong.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">All the films surrounding The Avengers films lately,
aside from <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Spider-Man Homecoming</i>, have
been utterly average at best. <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Black
Panther</i>, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Ant-Man and the Wasp</i> and
now <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Captain Marvel</i>. While all of
these are perfectly okay films and worth a watch, they’re not ones that you
really need to give a second look, because they just don’t and won’t hold up. Even
the mediocre <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Dr. Strange</i> had some of
the most visually impressive CGI in the MCU behind it. Lackluster narratives,
copious mediocre to bad CGI, so-so acting and just a general sense of forgettability,
despite everyone’s insistence that these films are amazing and just as good as
other entries. I went into <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Captain Marvel</i>
hoping it was another overblown situation, like with <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Black Panther</i> but the other way around. But to my surprise, all the
people calling it a mediocre entry to the MCU, weren’t just disgruntled people,
but people like me who just watched a Phase One MCU film in 2019.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Captain Marvel is set in 1995 as Starforce member Vers / Carol Danvers (Brie Larson) is suffering from recurring nightmares about a woman who she has
no recollection of. She is still on Kree Empire’s capital planet and goes to meet with her commander Yon-Rogg (Jude Law.) After sparring and being told she needs
to control her emotions and her powers, her Starforce group sets off on a
mission and are ambushed. Vers gets captured and they probe her mind, allowing
her to remember a bunch of places and people from earth. She breaks free,
fights her way out, and ends up on an escape pod that crash lands on earth. The
next morning SHIELD Agents Nick Fury and Phil Coulson (Samuel L. Jackson and
Clark Gregg) are questioning her when Skrull (the people Kree are warring with) attack
them and a chase ensues. What follows is the account of Nick Fury and Vers as
they journey across the country to try and figure out who Vers is and why she’s
here.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">We’re going to get the good out of the way because while
I think there’s a lot of mediocre in this film, there’s some merit and the film
isn’t a complete failure. I quite liked the “buddy cop” narrative between Fury
and Vers. It’s the time where Brie Larson shines the most and whenever Samuel
L. Jackson is on-screen, it feels like the film gets a shot in the arm. They
have legitimate chemistry and these buddy scenes are some of the best in the
film. You can lump in Fury’s interactions with Goose in the second half of the
film to this as well. I thought the “twist” was done decently well too. It’s
not one that you don’t see coming, but it’s effective in the constraints of the
narrative. I also thought the de-aging of Coulson and Fury were done well, or
at least better than whatever Star Wars has been doing. Not to mention the Stan
Lee opening as well as him reading a <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Mallrats</i>
script on the train were great touches in the live action film since his
passing.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">My problems begin with the story and plot. The first
part is vastly removed from the second part and the climax is like throwing a
rubber bouncy ball in a racquetball room. Like with <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Bird Box</i> last year, I dislike films where you’re jumping around the
narrative or having the viewer fight with the main character’s amnesia or what have
you. I get they wanted the big twist in the middle, but this movie could’ve started
out with the twist and it wouldn’t have changed the narrative much at all. Vers
still has amnesia and the viewer isn’t left in the dark. Look at me, armchair directing
here, like I know everything. Conversely, jumping from Space Force raid, to
buddy cop film, to Dragon Ball Z arc finale is jarring. Most Marvel movies,
even ridiculous over-the-top ones like <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Guardians
of the Galaxy</i> have a structure that works within the narrative presented. <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Captain Marvel</i> does not do this and it
feels disjointed. Like three different parts from three different scripts were pieced
together. It’s not outright bad, but it’s also not the best MCU origins film
either, it’s just lackluster.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">This takes us to the characters and acting, because as
much as the Jackson + Larson combo works, Larson on her own really doesn’t do
it for me in this film. She reminded me of Chris Hemsworth in <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Thor</i>. Mega powerful and can kick ass,
but in the constraints of the film he’s watered down and only shows glimpses of
freedom of character. This is how I feel about Brie Larson, as she has some decent
solo moments, but is very stiff and forgettable. I also don’t like how she just
has powers, never really struggles with her powers, then in the end <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">poof</i> she’s Superman tier. I get the “control
your emotions padawan,” but man that’s such a boring way to let us see her
growing with her superpower. I don’t really watch trailers before films
nowadays since I want to try and experience films fresh, but if I had known
Jude Law was in this, I would’ve been worried. Because hands down he’s probably
one of the worst MCU villains. I cannot name a single moment where he was
effective as a character. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Vers friend
Maria Rambeau (Lashana Lynch) is just kind of there and I only remember the
part where she said she was going to put her foot in the ass of some dude. And
for some reason at the end knew how to fly and alien spaceship. I guess,
because she was in the Air Force it all works the same. She’s just another fine
in the moment, but forgettable character. Ben Mendelsohn as Talos was pretty alright as well, just a solid enough character. The rest of the cast like Dijmon
Honsou as Korath and Annett Benning as Mar-Vell were equally as “they're on the screen
at times.” All these people are okay in the film, but thinking back I’m only
remembering Larson, Jackson and Goose parts.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">I didn’t like a lot of the humor as well. Even though
the dynamic between Larson and Jackson worked quite well, there’s a lot of
forced humor that didn’t go over well. Don’t get me wrong there are a lot of
chuckle-worthy moments and decent gags, but a lot of it fell flat for me. The
Goose stuff was probably the most effective use of humor in the film. Sam
Jackson and a CGI cat shouldn’t work but it does. The score and music also didn’t
really work for me either. I keep thinking about <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Guardians of the Galaxy</i> and how it had a perfectly crafted
soundtrack that worked with each character and scene. This did not have that good
of an OST, like with the humor, the songs felt forced and its score was
lackluster overall. I think films like this try to recreate the magic of <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Guardians of the Galaxy</i> and it never
works out. I’m comparing this to a lot of other MCU films, but it really does
feel like it tried to take elements from all over the place and it just did not
work. I can live with so-so acting and a barebones story and narrative, but if
I must listen to bad music along side that, it really takes me out of it.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">This finally brings us to the CGI. As I mentioned above,
I quite liked the de-aging done in the film and it didn’t detract from either character
for me. But the rest of the film was pretty…shaky. Alright that pun didn’t need
to be made, but man there is a ton of shaky cam in this one. The action itself,
well I couldn’t name really any memorable action aside from the old lady getting
punched and the climax, which is my one big gripe about the film. If I’m going
to see a big budget MCU action film, give me some memorable, non-shaky cam,
non-let’s poop out all our CGI budget on the climax, action. I don’t care about
the airplane stuff, the hand to hand combat stuff wasn’t well choreographed. I swear to God the mission they went on to start the film was shot and CGI'd with a sticky note telling them, “no lighting allowed, make them squint.” The climax wasn’t even
done all that well, but it was better than everything else in the film. I will
say at least the CGI was better in this than in <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Black Panther</i>, I think.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Despite me lamenting <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Captain Marvel</i> is lackluster for about four paragraphs there, it’s
still nowhere near the worst superhero movie we’ve had come out in recent
years. For all its lackluster, it’s still a fairly enjoyable watch. For a two-hour
film that I had this many quandaries with, I really only thought the middle
slogged on. Though I wouldn’t re-watch this anytime soon and I’m really hoping
it isn’t just “Captain Marvel does all the work in <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Avengers: Endgame</i>,” you could do much worse with your time. If not
for Samuel L Jackson though, I’m not sure this would even be watchable.</span><br />
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FatJesusReviewshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16182451361373295175noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7590364381018884588.post-69424055612125060792019-02-23T21:31:00.001-06:002019-02-24T10:19:49.069-06:00The 91st Annual Academy Awards [Fat Jesus' Thoughts]<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGkaXxt0u9zLr3M_FTmdm1Vp9nfrrimEVo17wRslTI15hYIshyxTCLaysRLIczPzIElTCgc6EHzEf1-rw1Tt8JHE2k3mO-n5_xPAJXhLDcoIQ6_fhAFQ5jCqfAwJdhWkwMzv_Wrx97aMk/s1600/65053b3a0a7d33dc8c2c19abc7bd59747da4a9bb5c733e545d67c67840baea90-770x443.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="443" data-original-width="770" height="368" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGkaXxt0u9zLr3M_FTmdm1Vp9nfrrimEVo17wRslTI15hYIshyxTCLaysRLIczPzIElTCgc6EHzEf1-rw1Tt8JHE2k3mO-n5_xPAJXhLDcoIQ6_fhAFQ5jCqfAwJdhWkwMzv_Wrx97aMk/s640/65053b3a0a7d33dc8c2c19abc7bd59747da4a9bb5c733e545d67c67840baea90-770x443.png" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">2018 was a solid year for movies. But, man I have
almost no enthusiasm for who the academy has chosen to be the "top eight
films of the year." I don't get why people praise the academy sometimes,
when it's clear they're never for the people's choices 99% of the time. Could I
be wrong about some of my opinions? No, never. But there's likely is a sizeable
chunk of people out there that do like a lot of the films nominated. I’m not one of them that can't admit a lot of them are subpar. For the first time in a long time I wasn’t jazzed about going
through the nominations. I only gave one of the best picture nods above a 7/10. I liked
a ton of performances this year much more than the lackluster films they were
in. No offense to <i>Black Panther</i>, but should it have really been nominated for
the same award that <i>Moonlight</i>, <i>Birdman</i> or <i>No Country for Old Men </i>won? <i>BlacKkKlansman</i>
was inferior to <i>Sorry to Bother You</i>
and I guarantee it’s purely because of Spike Lee for some reason. Somehow a
film about Freddy Mercury didn’t have the best singing lead actor in it. And we’re
still trying to find the next <i>The Wolf of
Wall Street</i> and newsflash, it’ll never happen. According to Brie Larson, I shouldn't be allowed to comment or review films cause I'm a white male, but I'm going to do it anyway. That'll show her. So, strap in for another
year of the stars patting themselves on the back, but this year it’s with a
slate of films that had better performances than things to say.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<u><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; line-height: 107%;"><b><span style="font-size: large;">Best Picture</span></b><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></u></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Black
Panther<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">I’ve never publicly written (aside from some Tweets)
about <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Black Panther</i>. I’m a huge fan
of the MCU, to no one’s surprise if you’ve been reading my blog, but Marvel’s 2018
offers aside from <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Avengers: Infinity War</i>
were wholly sub-par and lacking. Coming off <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Thor
3</i>, which was awesome, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Black Panther</i>
had a bare bones narrative with one of the better Marvel villains we will never
see again. There were some kind of interesting Wakanda politics situations too. The acting was underwhelming and the CGI was some of the worst in an MCU
film. It also didn’t really expand Black Panther's character, Wakanda or anyone else's lore that
you had to go out and see the film. I felt like I knew all I needed to know
through earlier films as well as <i>Infinity War</i>. This is a puzzling choice to say
the least for a best picture nomination considering it’s literally not
nominated for any other meaningful award (no offense to Best Costume and the
like.)<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">BlacKkKlansman<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">I was on board for <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">BlacKkKlansman</i>
for most of the film. It’s Spike Lee so I knew it was going to be overly politically
charged, but those last few minutes right before the credits really irk me.
There was a lot of other ham-fisted political moments too, but they weren’t just
full on egregious. Regardless it was a well crafted enough story, with solid
humor that kept you engaged until the end. My problem is the whole “based on a true
story” thing, so you know Spike embellished the hell out of this. John David
Washington and Adam Driver were great in their roles and pulled off the buddy
cop dynamic well. But, as much as I enjoyed it, I would’ve much rather had <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Sorry to Bother You</i> in this spot. I
think it was, overall, a better made film with a unique storytelling, a better message
everyone can get behind, one of a kind style and great acting.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Bohemian
Rhapsody<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">I love Queen, they have a deep running and eclectic
array of songs and history (both in music and film.) The <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Shaun of the Dead</i> bar scene with “Don’t Stop Me Now” playing while
they beat down a zombie to the song is still amazing. My direct problem with
Bohemian Rhapsody is that it’s everything but Freddy Mercury’s iconic style.
Rami Malek was fine, as was the rest of the cast. But this is a film that, while entertaining and you can tap your foot to, doesn’t do anything your average biopic would, aside from
possibly pushing books (or Greatest Hits albums in this case.) We follow our [insert
main character] as he goes from nobody to getting a taste of fame or glory,
finding love and then we hit the big points of their life until their untimely
death all while getting some cool music or montages in there. Queen’s music is
legendary, Freddy Mercury was one of a kind, but Bohemian Rhapsody is anything
but.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">The
Favourite<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">If this was just another period piece, I likely would’ve
not cared anywhere near as much. But from the first 10-20 minutes, you’re shown
this isn’t just another historically accurate period piece (of course maybe it is,
I’m not the most knowledgeable.) <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">The
Favourite</i> is a dark comedy embellished in all of the best ways. First of
all the comedy and humor is very well done and it’s sprinkled in at time to keep
the average dolt like myself engaged. Second, the performances by Oliva Coleman
(Queen Anne), Emma Stone (Baroness Masham) and Rachel Weisz (Duchess of Marlborough)
were all in top from. Abigail Masham and Sarah Churchill are both trying to
court the favorites of Queen Anne and it turns into a love triangle of one-upsmanship
that goes from a lighthearted affair to much darker places as the temptation of
power creeps into the fold. This might be my favorite Emma Stone performance,
Rachel Weisz is amazing as well, while Olivia Coleman as the queen is perfect.
If I had any complaints it would the length and the fact there’s a lot of
scenes that are long-winded.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Green
Book<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Green
Book</span></i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">
is a lighthearted buddy travel comedy that splashed in the racial tensions of
the 1960s and never really commits to what it wants to be as a film. The story and
presentation are fine and it’s worth a watch. Ali and Mortensen are a great pairing
and it has a feel-good storybook ending. The problem is along the way, there’s
a ton of “real” stuff dealing with racial inequality that doesn’t feel like it
fits in 100% with the film. This is why I say it doesn’t know what it wants to
be. It does a decent enough job of trying to blend happy-go-lucky narrative
with the more serious racial problems present back in the 1960s. I just wish
they had stuck one way or another in our second “based on a true story.” But at
least this one seemed much more faithful than <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">BlacKkKlansman</i>.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Roma<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Roma</span></i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">
is a lighthearted…just kidding. <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Roma</i>
is a drama that tells the story of a housekeeper of middle-class family living
in Mexico City. Apparently, this is partially related to the director’s, Alfonso
Cuaron, life growing up. We see basically the every day lives of Cleo (said
housekeeper) and the family she lives with over the course of two years in the
early 1970s. Let me tell you what, the first half of this movie was not for me
in the slightest. I have no connection or interest in Mexico in the 1970s, it’s
just something I don’t really care about deeply. The character building over
the first half of the film was fine, and the cinematography was great, but I
thought it was utterly dull. The second half of the film for me was a lot
better and I feel like trying to emotionally connect with Cleo and the rest of the
family was infinitely easier to do. Cleo was the best part of this film and
without her influence on the film, it would be dull and completely forgettable.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">A
Star Is Born<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Against all odds, one of the Best Picture nominations
I wanted to see the least, turned out to be my favorite of the nods. I went
into <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">A Star Is Born</i> not even knowing
it was based on another film. I thought it was going to be just another movie
about a singer getting her shot at stardom, and it partially still is. Lady
Gaga and Bradley Cooper have amazing on-screen chemistry. The story is nothing
new and doesn’t break any new ground, but it’s not trying to either. That’s
what puts it a step above the rest, it knew what it wanted to be. It’s an
emotional roller coaster (he said it) of highs and lows between the characters,
telling a complete and satisfying story with well-made and sung music.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Vice<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Ever since <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">The
Wolf of Wall Street</i> came out Adam McKay (with Christian Bale) have been scouring
the world of finance and politics, trying to recreate the magic. Unfortunately,
they haven’t succeeded, but <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">The Big Short</i>
and now <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Vice</i> are very watchable
films. The story of Dick Cheney is probably one that no one asked for and
despite the sublime performances from Amy Adams and Bale, probably isn’t one you’re
going to go revisit with your kids one day. But it is still fairly
entertaining, Sam Rockwell does his thing as George Bush and like with most of
these other best picture nods it suffers from two things. It has length
problems as well shoving the current political climate into a film that has
nothing to do with it.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;"><b>Who I Want to Win: </b>A Star is Born</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;"><b>Who Will Win: </b>Roma</span></div>
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<u><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; line-height: 107%;"><b><span style="font-size: large;">Best Actor</span></b><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></u></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">This category is probably most defined by <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Christian Bale</b> for <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Vice</i> and <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Bradley Cooper</b>
for <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">A Star Is Born</i>. In classic
Christian Bale fashion, he went all out for the role of Dick Cheney and completely
immersed himself in the role If you didn’t know it was Christian Bale, you
might not be able to tell until they cut back to his earlier years. On the
other had Bradley Cooper has been playing the safe but highly effective
character for years now. There’s nothing overly special about Jackson Maine. He’s
a famous country music star, he has some health and drug problems and runs into
his soulmate and they become a power couple. There’s nothing revolutionary
about his character, but he’s still one of the best acted characters of the
year. <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Willem Dafoe</b> for <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">At Eternity’s Gate</i> I have no way of
judging since I didn’t see the film and I find it unfair to judge him based off
his role in <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Aquaman</i> either. <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Rami Malek</b> in <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Bohemian Rhapsody</i> was pretty alright, but the safe narrative and
overall formulaic biopic style never let him have a chance to actually be
Freddy Mercury. So, he’ll probably win. While <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Viggo Mortensen</b> in <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Green Book</i>
was another great character, one we got to see a positive transformation in
from start to finish, but like the movie, the tone of his character never
really knew what it wanted to be during the duration.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 17.12px;"><b>Who I Want to Win:</b> Christian Bale</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 17.12px;"><b>Who Will Win:</b> Rami Malek</span></div>
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<u><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; line-height: 107%;"><b><span style="font-size: large;">Best Actress</span></b><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></u></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Yalitza
Aparicio</span></b><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;"> for <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Roma</i> is
the one everybody has fallen in love with and for good reason. Even as someone
who wasn’t enamored with <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Roma</i>, her
role as Cleo was the driving force for the film and the one character out of
these you can relate to the most. <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Olivia
Coleman</b> for <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">The Favourite</i> was
another astounding performance as the Queen. Not only was the Queen jugging the
fate of her nation, her health seemed to always be at risk, her emotions were
constantly being torn by Abigail and Sarah, also mention she had like a million
rabbits to take care of. Just an absurd number of things pour into a convincing
performance. <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Lady Gaga</b> for <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">A Star Is Born </i>is in the same boat as
Bradley Cooper for me. She isn’t a groundbreaking character by any means. She’s
a woman with talent that hadn’t yet been discovered thrust into superstardom
with her famous musician boyfriend. Gaga plays the role with conviction and
emotion and has the real-life musical chops to pull of the singing. The last
two left are, <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Glenn Close</b> in <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">The Wife </i>and <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Melissa McCarthy</b> for <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Can You
Ever Forgive Me? </i>Gonna be honest, I didn’t watch either of these purely because
I didn’t want to.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 17.12px;"><b>Who I Want to Win:</b> Lady Gaga/Olivia Coleman</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 17.12px;"><b>Who Will Win:</b> </span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 17.12px;">Yalitza Aparicio</span></div>
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<u><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; line-height: 107%;"><b><span style="font-size: large;">Best Supporting Actor</span></b><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></u></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">I liked <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Mahershala
Ali’s</b> <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Green Book</i> performance a
tad bit more than Viggo’s purely because he showed more emotion and vulnerability
throughout the film. That doesn’t save the problems I have that I’ve already
talked about twice with the film. <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Adam
Driver</b> in <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">BlacKkKlansman</i> was
another strong performance. While he’s not the greatest actor in the world, he
brought charm, sensibility and seriousness to the majority of the runtime and,
with <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">John David Washington</b> (why is
he not nominated, he gave a better performance than Driver), keep you engaged. <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Sam Elliott</b> plays Bradley Cooper’s older
brother in <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">A Star Is Born</i>. While it’s
not a role that ever dominates screen time, it’s an emotional role that’s the
driving force behind a lot of the decisions and actions that Jackson makes in
the film. If you know Sam Elliott, it’s a Sam Elliott-esque role. <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Sam Rockwell</b> played George W. Bush in <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Vice</i> and much like Elliott, it’s a role
that never dominates screen time, but makes an impact thanks to the importance
to the narrative. Plus, you can never go wrong with Sam Rockwell. <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Richard E. Grant</b> for <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Can You Ever Forgive Me?</i> is a
performance I have zero ability to comment on.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 17.12px;"><b>Who I Want to Win:</b> </span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 16px;">Mahershala Ali, I guess</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 17.12px;"><b>Who Will Win:</b> Adam Driver</span></div>
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<u><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; line-height: 107%;"><b><span style="font-size: large;">Best Supporting Actress</span></b><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></u></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Amy
Adams</span></b><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;"> for <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Vice</i> would
be the front runner almost any other year. She was the perfect compliment to Christian
Bale. She even had her own scenes and moments that stood out to past Bale being
a powerhouse. She gave campaign speeches, got Cheney out of the dirt when they
were younger, was strong-willed and wasn’t afraid to show it and most of all
she iss a loving mother. Adams pulled it off with aplomb. But then you have
both <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Emma Stone</b> and <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Rachel Weisz</b> for <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">The Favourite</i>. Both for different reasons, both (like Amy Adams)
better than all the nominees for Best Supporting Actor. Emma Stone starts off
as her likable. Humorous and charming self only to get drunk with power and
deliver a performance I’ve we’ve really only seen once out of her (in <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Birdman</i>.) On the other hand, we have
Rachel Weisz. I can’t say I’ve personally ever seen her in a memorable role and
here we are. Starting off as the no-nonsense boss of the women working in the
castle, she truly does have the Queen’s best interests hidden beneath her
seemingly cold demeanor. And her chess match with Emma Stone was superb to
watch unfold. <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Marina de Tavira</b> for <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Roma </i>was the one character nominated
here that I just didn’t care for at all. There was some emotion finally near
the end, but it felt like a “just a mom” role to me. <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Regina King</b> was nominated for <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">If
Beale Street Could Talk</i> but I can’t speak on the performance because I never
got around to watching it.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 17.12px;"><b>Who I Want to Win:</b> Amy Adams/Emma Stone/Rachel Weisz</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 17.12px;"><b>Who Will Win:</b> Regina King</span></div>
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<u><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; line-height: 107%;"><b><span style="font-size: large;">Animated Feature Film</span></b><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></u></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">The
Incredibles 2</span></b><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;"> was bit of a letdown for me. I absolutely,
like most, adore the first film and was expecting good things from the follow
up, but it was just lacking something. The action was fine, the family was just
as charming and it’s worth a watch. There was just something that didn’t click
with me with sequel. <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Isle of Dogs</b>
was a charming little stop motion film by Wes Anderson that tells the tale of a
boy looking for his lost dog in Japan. The only problem is that they have
outlawed dogs to a trash island, the dogs have formed pacts, the mayor will
never lift the ban on dogs and it’s up to a group of dogs to reverse everyone’s
fortunes. Truly one of the more unique animated films of the year. <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Mirai</b> is a charming anime film from
Japan and the first non-Ghibli film to be nominated for an Oscar. It follows
the story of Kun, his father and mother who have recently had a baby girl named
Mirai. Kun is a toddler who is having his whole world changed with the addition
of the baby and copes with the changes by retreated into his mind and trying to
learn to love his whole family again. <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Ralph
Breaks the Internet</b> this is much of the same as for Incredibles 2 for me.
Well worth a watch, good humor, visuals and a solid story, but it’s just
missing something. The scene with all the Disney Princesses was pretty standout
though I will admit. <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Spider-Man: Into
the Spider-Verse</b> not only is it the best animated film of the year, I think
it’s the best movie of the year period. I’ve done a full review of the film
already, but even if you’re not a fan of comic books or superheroes, the story,
style, action, humor, animation and the list goes on and on. You owe it to
yourself to give this a watch if you haven’t already.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 17.12px;"><b>Who I Want to Win:</b> </span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 16px;">Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 17.12px;"><b>Who Will Win:</b> One of the Disney Boys</span></div>
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FatJesusReviewshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16182451361373295175noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7590364381018884588.post-37799989852084194452018-12-26T21:45:00.001-06:002018-12-26T21:45:19.548-06:00What I Played in 2018 [Fat Jesus Video Game Thoughts]<br />
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">I’ve played a lot of new video games for the first
time this year. From 2018 releases like <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Celeste</i>
and <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Super Smash Bros Ultimate</i>, to
older titles such as <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Mega Man</i> for the
Nintendo Entertainment System and <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Metroid
Fusion</i> for the Game Boy Advance. I’ve streamed my adventures listed below
on Twitch to boot. The only games I feel I’ve missed out on are <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">God of War</i> and <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Red Dead Redemption 2</i> (both of which I would have played, had I
still had my PS4.) Also, I don’t feel I’ve missed out on <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Spider-Man</i> for the PS4 since I watched my friend play through it.
I’ve played hacks, ports and even a 3DO game, and while I haven’t played a ton,
I feel that these 26 games were a full year of myself jumping into digital
adventures. I hope you all enjoy my thoughts on what I’ve played in 2018! (After
my top six, I’m going to only being giving brief thoughts.)<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><u><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-size: large;">Celeste</span></span></u></b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-size: large;">
(PC) - 10/10</span><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Celeste</span></i><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">
is already up there as one of my favorite games of all time and is up there
with <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Super Meat Boy</i> and <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Donkey Kong Country 2</i> as my favorite 2D
platformer of all time. It’s not just a jumpy jump game, it has an emotional
nature of the story, beautiful art, precise gameplay, tight controls and
astounding soundtrack. You can pick up this game a play through it in a couple
of hours, or you can spend countless hours collecting Strawberries and doing
the B and C-Sides of the worlds. All of this adds up to one of the most
complete games I’ve had the pleasure of playing in my life.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><u><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-size: large;">Super
Mario Odyssey</span></span></u></b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-size: large;"> (NSW) - 9/10</span><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">I finally got my hands on a Nintendo Switch in
October, and oh boy was I stoked to get my hands-on <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Super Mario Odyssey</i>. As a huge fan of <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Super Mario 64</i> and <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Super
Mario Sunshine</i> growing up, Odyssey falls more in line with those to games
than it does with the Galaxy titles. The game is packed with plenty of
collectables (Power Moons, purple coins and outfits), a wide array of
completely unique worlds and an awesome soundtrack to boot. Even if you’re just
finishing the game and not collecting all the Power Moons and purple coins like
I did, there’s an abundance to do.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><u><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-size: large;">Super
Smash Bros. Ultimate</span></span></u></b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-size: large;"> (NSW) - 9/10</span><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">I’ve already put over 30 hours in <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Super Smash Bros. Ultimate</i> and I haven’t even touched the online
yet. I played a healthy amount of my time has, so far, been finishing World of
Light and collecting spirits. I’ve also done a few of the Classic Mode runs to
hit my nostalgia. Both modes are incredibly varied and highly creative (if a
bit repetitive.) I put quite a few hours into <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Smash 4</i> between my Wii U and 3DS, but it never really captured my
attention like Ultimate has thus far. The unbelievable number of fighters (with
six more to come), what feels like every stage ever, an incredible array of
original, remixed and reintroduced tracks and gameplay that feels more refined
and faster than the previous entry.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><u><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-size: large;">Mega
Man</span></span></u></b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-size: large;"> (NES) - 9/10</span><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">I need to get to the rest of the NES <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Mega Man</i> games because this was a blast
to go through for the first time since I was a kid. I’m still not convinced I
beat this as a kid either. This game is tough, but the gameplay is still very
fair. Each stage is challenging, and you feel a sense of accomplishment
finishing a stage and the game. Not to mention this game has some of the best
music from the NES era.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><u><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-size: large;">Phoenix
Wright: Ace Attorney</span></span></u></b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-size: large;"> (3DS) – 8/10</span><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Ever since I played Danganronpa, I’ve been looking to
get into more visual novels, and the first one I played since finishing <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Danganronpa V3</i> was <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney</i>. The game play is a bit dated, as is
some of the dialogue, but this was a joy to play through. Each case had its own
distinct feel and story. The overall story was great, the characters are memorable,
the music is banging and the gameplay (both collecting evidence and in the
courtroom) will leave anyone satisfied.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><u><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-size: large;">Hollow
Knight</span></span></u></b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-size: large;"> (NSW, 70% Done) - 8/10</span><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">I’d been waiting to play <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Hollow Knight</i> since it came out but never had the opportunity until
now. I’ve never been huge into Metroidvania’s, but playing the game next on my
list really spurred me to getting <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Hollow
Knight</i> as soon as I got my Switch. With great gameplay (both platforming
and power-ups), awesome stage and background design, a huge map, challenging
enemies and bosses, this game so far (I’d say I’m about 70% done at the moment)
hits in all the right places.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><u><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-size: large;">Metroid
Fusion</span></span></u></b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-size: large;"> (GBA) - 8/10</span><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">The afore mentioned <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Metroid Fusion</i> clocks in just outside of my top five. Great gameplay,
awesome design, engaging story and good mechanics, power ups and movements.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><u><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-size: large;">Pokémon
Crystal Clear</span></span></u></b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-size: large;"> (GBC, Open-World Hack) - 7/10</span><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">If you’ve ever played Pokémon over the years, you’ve
been clamoring for an open-world adventure, where you can start off and go
anywhere. <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Pokémon Crystal Clear </i>gives
you an open world, scaling gym leaders, an abundance of starters to choose from,
following Pokémon, customizable music and a litany of other customizable
options.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><u><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-size: large;">Kirby
Nightmare in Dream Land</span></span></u></b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-size: large;"> (GBA) - 7/10</span><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">I’m not a huge fan of Kirby games, I
would say that these GBA Kirby games were the last exceptional ones. <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Nightmare in Dream Land</i> is a remake of <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Kirby’s Adventure</i> and it makes
everything much nicer to look at, listen to and most of all, play.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><u><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-size: large;">Kirby
Super Star</span></span></u></b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-size: large;"> (SNES) - 7/10</span><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">I only put this below <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Nightmare in Dreamland</i> because of focus. I enjoyed traversing a map
and going from world to world more than going to a main menu to go to the
different portions of the game. Though I will concede, that <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Kirby Super Star</i> still has the best
gameplay of all Kirby games.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><u><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-size: large;">Crash
Bandicoot Trilogy</span></span></u></b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-size: large;"> (PS1) - 7/10</span><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">I never had a PlayStation growing up, so I had no
nostalgia for these next two series. I liked <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Crash Bandicoot</i> slightly more than <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Spyro</i>, but as far as platformers go, you can do way worse, even if
you’re playing the originals. Side note, playing Crash 1 blind is absolutely
brutal.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><u><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-size: large;">Spyro
the Dragon Trilogy</span></span></u></b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-size: large;"> (PS1) - 7/10</span><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Like above, you can apply everything I said about <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Crash Bandicoot</i> to <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Spyro the Dragon</i> as well. It’s a decent time and there’s many other
games you could go to from that era that don’t have the same sense of fun
behind them.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><u><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-size: large;">Pokémon:
Let’s Go Pikachu!</span></span></u></b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-size: large;"> (NSW)– 6/10</span><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">As someone who has played every main series Pokémon
game, this is far from the worst, but I’m not giving it an A+ either. The removal
of random encounters was nice, and it was cool going back to Kanto on my Switch
in HD. But, the game is short, made far too easy and packed with <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Pokémon Go</i> gimmicks and has a post-game
that simply not worth doing after a few hours.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><u><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-size: large;">Detective
Pikachu</span></span></u></b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-size: large;"> (3DS) - 6/10</span><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">I played <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Detective
Pikachu</i> after Phoenix Wright and I was hoping for Ace Attorney x
Danganronpa x Pokémon. I kind of got that. This is a short game, with okay mechanics,
a decent story and characters and a vibrant world that just doesn’t quite click
on all cylinders.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><u><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-size: large;">Luigi's
Mansion Dark Moon</span></span></u></b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-size: large;"> (3DS) - 6/10</span><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Luigi’s
Mansion</span></i><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;"> on the GameCube benefitted from its brevity. <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Luigi’s Mansion: Dark Moon</i> is a game
that plays well and has a good story, but I felt like I was doing too much of
the same stuff over and over and over in each different mansion.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><u><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-size: large;">Pokémon
Penumbra Moon</span></span></u></b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-size: large;"> (3DS, Difficulty Hack) - 6/10</span><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">If you want a little more challenge in your Pokémon
games a difficulty hack is the way to go. I felt sense of accomplishment when I
beat Hau and took my place atop the Alola League that I can’t say I felt after
playing the base game.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;"><br /></span></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><u><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-size: large;">Pokémon
Sweet Version</span></span></u></b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-size: large;"> (GBA, Full Rom Hack) - 6/10</span><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">This is a full hack, with all new “Sweet” inspired Pokémon,
pixel art, with an all new type chart and story. Unfortunately, it takes a long
time to learn the new types, it seems like the Pokémon aren’t placed with any
reason and the story is just okay.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><u><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-size: large;">Cave
Story+</span></span></u></b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-size: large;"> (PC) - 6/10</span><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">I wanted to like <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Cave
Story+</i> a lot more than I did. The platforming and power ups were fun and
there were challenging parts too. But I just wasn’t as enamored by the art and
story as much as a lot of other people. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJzUltoq-c9gCdrKySnIouvqgN03iEcZAIsHL6hfVr9Oal6OstTk9-6Hqqa6s8uq_XEFBIVtnzTxK_DSqNXhAXogX20P-Qyg8l7ruWN7THtjP2Yw87lcT_Gv9bz7cz47VktrjGGBRBD8I/s1600/-lAJDM6wRI3l--XuDCXTxL4OmPjRLpJr.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="540" data-original-width="960" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJzUltoq-c9gCdrKySnIouvqgN03iEcZAIsHL6hfVr9Oal6OstTk9-6Hqqa6s8uq_XEFBIVtnzTxK_DSqNXhAXogX20P-Qyg8l7ruWN7THtjP2Yw87lcT_Gv9bz7cz47VktrjGGBRBD8I/s640/-lAJDM6wRI3l--XuDCXTxL4OmPjRLpJr.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><u><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-size: large;">Mom
Hid My Game</span></span></u></b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-size: large;"> (3DS) - 6/10</span><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">If you’ve got an hour, you too can save your game console from
your mother who keeps hiding it from you in ridiculous ways. Take the time
to play this gem that’s sure to get a laugh out of you. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;"><br /></span></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><u><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-size: large;">Comix
Zone</span></span></u></b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-size: large;"> (GEN) - 4/10</span><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">The idea and presentation of <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Comix Zone</i> is great. Unfortunately, this is a game that is difficult
and punishes you as well. On top of that the controls aren’t the greatest and
it’s mired in the arcade style of “you game over, you start all the way over.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;"><br /></span></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><u><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-size: large;">Hatoful
Boyfriend</span></span></u></b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-size: large;"> (PC) - 4/10</span><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">All visual novels aren’t created equal and this falls
into the “tries too hard” portion for me. In <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Hatoful Boyfriend</i> you’re turned into a bird and go to a bird high
school. You do anything a Japanese kid would do, but you’re a bird. Yeah.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;"><br /></span></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><u><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-size: large;">Plumbers
Don't Wear Ties</span></span></u></b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-size: large;"> (PC) - 2/10</span><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">In this 90s misfire turned internet meme, you’re trying
to help a man get together with a woman he meets in a parking lot. The writing,
humor, story, acting in this 3DO title is all just awful.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
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FatJesusReviewshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16182451361373295175noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7590364381018884588.post-86267143696027005802018-12-15T20:27:00.000-06:002019-02-24T23:40:46.692-06:00Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse [A Fat Jesus Film Review]<div style="text-align: center;">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhg-R5I1MMUCVB7TxdBIj6pvkkhxvr_wFoIIot5QN_kEIcjDEzRKA7q305ZcC4RR_F9eTptN29nwM1XY4_BjC3p4fzH82NRCMXBqlAhZi1cUaD_XqOQp1eHw0TCJUoEBo4uF1S2-kDihh0/s1600/16898_spider-man-_spider-verse_-_group_-_4x6.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="750" data-original-width="494" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhg-R5I1MMUCVB7TxdBIj6pvkkhxvr_wFoIIot5QN_kEIcjDEzRKA7q305ZcC4RR_F9eTptN29nwM1XY4_BjC3p4fzH82NRCMXBqlAhZi1cUaD_XqOQp1eHw0TCJUoEBo4uF1S2-kDihh0/s640/16898_spider-man-_spider-verse_-_group_-_4x6.jpg" width="420" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Leap of faith. As you probably know, I’m moving in two
weeks. I’m afraid, emotional, anxious and excited all at the same time. Even
though I’m only moving in with a friend, it feels like that leap of faith I
need to take in my life. I’ve slowed down on writing, I got my small degree last
year, I’ve worked on growing bit by bit on Twitch all the while I’ve been
unable to find work in a barren job market. I feel like I felt three years ago
when I decided to go back to college, stuck and scared. I’ve been here for five years now, I’ve watched countless films and I’ve changed in my views and beliefs about life in general. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">I think it’s fitting that <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse</i> is likely the last film I’m
seeing in theaters here. Spider-Man has been my favorite superhero since I was
a kid. He has also given the superhero genre a jolt on three separate occasions
now over the past three years with his cameo in <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Captain America: Civil War</i>, his first MCU film in <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Spider-Man: Homecoming</i> and this. Sony--who
just released the most bare-boned superhero origin story since <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Thor</i>, in <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Venom</i>--has done a 180 with this animated feature that explores
Miles Morales’ origins as the successor to Peter Parker’s Spider-Man.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Spider-Man:
Into the Spider-Verse </span></i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">follows the familiar story of Miles
Morales (Shameik Moore), a bright teenager living in Brooklyn, New York who gets
bitten by a radioactive spider and starts to become Spider-Man. He meets Spider-Man
(Chris Pine) as he is fighting Green Goblin while trying to stop Wilson Fisk
from starting a particle accelerator to try and access different dimensions, so
he can get his family back. During the fight, as the machine is running, Goblin
holds Spider-Man into the beam which ultimately leads to his death at the hands
of Fisk. Unbeknownst to anyone, reality was bent and a cavalcade of Spider-Men
and Women have been brought to Morales’ dimension and he must work together
with them to save his world and get them back to theirs.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">I’m going to get my negatives out of the way first, because
these are only minor gripes. One, the disenfranchised kid (regardless of
ethnicity) “winning the lottery”, so to speak, to go the better place (in this
case it’s a school) is a dumb trope and doesn’t really need to be done with the
Miles Morales or Peter Parker characters. They have always been portrayed as
smart teenagers who kick their lives into high gear with the advent spider-bite.
You don’t need more of a push to these characters. Motion blur during the action
scenes was used heavily in this. Except it wasn't motion blur, it was a technique known as "smearing." I don’t mind smearing (or motion blur for that matter) for effect, but it
shouldn’t be relied upon as much as it was in this. I know they did it to
accent the comic-book style, but at times it was kind-of distracting. Finally,
the climactic scene seemed a bit rushed. In a film that was almost two hours,
there shouldn’t be a finale that feels as rushed as it did. It’s not that it
was short or unoriginal, but it should’ve stood out as the final fight it was,
at least compared to the rest of the action in the film.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">While we’re talking about the action, it was sublime.
Motion smear aside, the scenes were wonderfully choreographed, and all had
purpose for the progression of the film. Even before all the Spider-people
bleed in and the fights really ramp up, the action was well-crafted and relevant
towards the story. While not as quippy as in the PS4 Spider-Man game, each
fight felt like a Spidey fight because of the signature tone and humor that is naturally
injected by it just being Spider-Man. The integration of the BAMs, THWIPs and
POWs to the background of a given fight were also great touches that added to
the comic-book flare that permeated throughout the film.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">The CGI in the film was beautiful, again motion smear aside, the world, character design and overall vibe of the film. This film is a
stylized comic-book brought to life. As I mentioned above, BAMs and POWs are
all over the places. Comic-book covers are used to introduce each hero before a
brief introduction about their origins and that was perhaps my favorite touch
of the film. Comic-book panels were frequently used to explain things as well.
The unique colorized style (and in your face soundtrack to an extent) remined
me a lot of the Jet Set Radio series. It was a sensory masterpiece and you
never want to take your eyes of the screen. I would compare the animation
heavily to the incredible “real world” CGI used in <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Doctor Strange</i> had a few years back. Everyone’s suits and style
looked great and stayed true to their comics designs. I also highly enjoyed the
imposing size of Fisk (Liev Schreiber) and the unique style of Doc Oc and Aunt
May (Kathryn Hahn and Lily Tomlin). Seeing Scorpion, Prowler and Tombstone was pretty great as well.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Miles and Peter B. Parker (Jake Johnson) were written and
voiced quite well and will satisfy fans of both main Spider-Men. Spider-Woman /
Gwen Stacy (Hailee Steinfeld), was fine, but I honestly enjoyed her not being
the love interest of Miles--even though that’s what is planned for a sequel. It
was refreshing not needing a love interest because there’s so much emotion in
just the origin stories of Gwen and Miles. While the agony of both Peter Parker’s
in the film also fuels any emotional connection you would want to make. The
rest of the cast including Nicholas Cage as Spider-Noir, John Mulaney as
Spider-Ham and Kimiko Glenn as Peni Parker all have a unique voice, even if
they’re relegated to supporting role. I feel like all the people in Miles’ family,
are just alright in the film and seem more generic than anything else, even
though his father and uncle are central to Miles becoming who he is.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">The story isn’t anything revolutionary, it’s the story
of almost every Spider-Man movie, show, video game, ever made, but it works. I’m
not huge fan of--like I said above--handing out an upgrade to a disenfranchised
for the sake of doing it. I think it’s to make Miles more relatable, even
though he’s very relatable already. You don’t have to force the “you worked your
way to this school by winning a competition and then working hard.” Just let
him go to the school, we know Spider-Man alter egos are usually bright
teenagers, you don’t have to politicize everything. Everything else is enough of
a twist or homage to this established and beloved origin story. I’m not a fan
of the whole “we are Spider-Man” thing from the end, but I get the marketing
power behind it. I more related to the “leap of faith” element throughout the
film and think that is the aspect people should be focusing on more. I think
taking that leap of faith in your life to get to where you need to be is a much
more realistic message compared to “YOU TOO CAN BE SPIDER-MAN!” I enjoyed it
because it’s the most faithful adaptation of Spider-Man we’ve seen to date in a
film. As much as I like Tom Holland’s MCU Spider-Man, Phil Lord and Christopher
Miller have totally encapsulated the essence of a Spider-Man comic in this.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">I don’t feel I need to say much more about <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse</i>. It’s
a well-crafted, visually striking film, with a competent story, great design, genuine humor, good
voice acting and engaging action sequences. If you’re a fan of Spider-Man, this
is the film for you. It has minor problems and I have some minor gripes, but this
is the most I’ve enjoyed a film so far this year and I can’t wait to give it a second
watch.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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FatJesusReviewshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16182451361373295175noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7590364381018884588.post-2767310394522176862018-04-30T21:56:00.001-05:002018-05-07T17:43:25.022-05:00Avengers: Infinity War [A Fat Jesus Film Review]<div style="text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Avengers: Infinity
War</i> is the culmination of one helluva ride over the past decade or so. There’s
not much of an intro I need to make for this film cause if you’re anything like
me, over the past 10 years you’ve been devoting yourself the cult of the Marvel
Cinematic Universe. You’ve shunned all non-MCU Marvel films aside from <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Logan</i>, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">X-Men: Days of Future Past</i> and <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Deadpool</i>.
DC and their DC Extended Universe is nothing more than a hollow imitation with
Zack Snyder’s bleak mind turning everything black and white. Not to mention the
Dark Universe was put to death, thankfully, before they made “Dracula vs Wolfman:
Supernatural Brawl.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Marvel has meticulously crafted a world with fully fleshed
out characters and interconnecting storylines that, while lighthearted and
mostly safe and superficial, were all intended to lead where we are now. There
have been ups; <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Iron Man</i>, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Captain America: Winter Solider</i>, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Guardians of the Galaxy</i> and there have
been downs: <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Iron Man 2</i>, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Thor 1&2</i> and <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">The Incredible Hulk</i>. But for the most part, despite if you think
the MCU is “dangerous for filmmaking” or think “it’s just a superhero franchise,”
it’s been working and successful for a decade.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">This is a much different format than how I usually do
reviews, but this is very different than any other film in the MCU. <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Avengers: Infinity War</i> is set directly
after the events of <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Thor: Ragnarok</i>,
and Thanos (Josh Brolin) is beginning to acquire the rest of the Infinity
Stones that he doesn’t have. It is up to nearly every superhero we’ve seen thus
far to band together to save the earth and the rest of the Universe from Thanos’
evil plan.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">When I say “nearly every superhero,” I mean that in
the most literal sense of the words. With the exception of Ant-Man and Hawkeye,
I think I noticed just about every living member of the MCU/Avengers getting their
time to shine throughout the run-time of the film. Iron Man, Captain America,
Thor, Black Widow, Spider-Man, Black Panther, Hulk, The Guardians of the Galaxy
team, Loki, Dr. Strange, Scarlett Witch, Vision, War Machine, Falcon and Bucky
Barnes and that’s not even counting side and supporting characters. To go into this
think that it wouldn’t be a giant mess, you’d be nuts. It was one of my
concerns going into the film, how are they going to juggle about 40 million
characters and it not be a confusing mess? But to my, and seems like most of
the worlds, surprise, it was competent and quite easy to keep track of.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;"><i>It was one of my concerns going into the film, how are they going to juggle about 40 million characters and it not be a confusing mess?</i></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">This film doesn’t really have a plot. It also doesn’t
have character building, since they’ve been doing it for the past decade. This
is the mysterious Thanos’ film and boy did they deliver. The one constant MCU complaint
is a villain that is one-note and lame. Side note: If you’re not familiar with
the MCU, from probably at least <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Avengers:
Age of Ultron</i> onward, it’s going to be a confusing mess. Even without
seeing <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Black Panther</i> (the film) yet,
I feel as if I know the character since he’s been in a lot of other films to
this point. Which is why I think a lot of critics are being overly harsh towards
the film. They’re not getting people who have been soaking in the series for
the better part of a decade, and they may likely be people who just go see
films to review them. But, for someone like myself, who has seen nearly every
film in the MCU, and know and have grown up with these characters, this is
easily the MCU’s most grandiose film to date.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">This is why Thanos’ was so important to this film, he’s
been the mysterious bad-guy that they’ve been talking up forever. The biggest
bad guy in the universe and they need to keep an eye on him cause what he’s
plotting is massive. Well, that finally arrived in Infinity War. You want to know
the story and motives behind the MCU Thanos’, well you get it. He’s easily the
most interesting a fleshed-out character in the film (not hard to do), you know
exactly why he’s trying to do the insane thing he’s trying to do and learn that
he’s not doing this on a whim and he has reasons why he’s doing this. They may
be malicious and insane, but they are valid reasons that are in-line with his
character. Not only that, he’s not hesitant to take what he wants. We don’t
just learn about him and why he’s doing what he’s doing. He does it. Thanos
goes out and takes what he wants and does what he wants to further his cause.
Josh Brolin voices the all CGI mastermind perfectly. Thanos isn’t just a bad
guy, he’s a father, has emotions (and shows them) and is trying to achieve a
life-long goal. This is the Thanos origin story with The Avengers fighting
throughout space on the side. Even his lackeys are very strong threats and are presented as such. They are actually pretty cool in their own rights. Everything Thanos-related was done so well.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<i style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 16px;">Thanos goes out and takes what he wants and does what he wants to further his cause.</i> </div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Speaking of The Avengers, the movie is titled that
right? So, what exactly are they doing? They’re broken up and rearranged into
fun little teams that are trying to prepare to stop Thanos. Thor, Rocket
Raccoon and Groot go off on a deep space mission to get Thor’s hammer back.
Iron Man, Spider-Man, Dr. Strange, Star Lord, Drax, Mantis and Nebula are on
Thanos’ home world (with Strange in possession of the Time Stone) waiting on
his arrival. While, Captain America, Widow, Black Panther, Wanda, Vision, War
Machine and the rest of the people above I didn’t name, are in Wakanda trying
to figure out a safe way to get the Mind Stone out of Vision’s forehead. These
three teams are what keeps this movie from being a cluster of a mess. Combined
with the Thanos’ story, these three distinct story-archs intertwine effortlessly
through each other. This is a long movie, but for the most part there’s not a
lot of down time and nothing feels overly long. If it was just a mindless mash
of heroes fighting Thanos and his army, for two hours, with quips everywhere
this film would not have worked. But having the people we’ve come to know have
small stories throughout the runtime, while we get to learn about the biggest villain
we’ve yet to fully see, it just works.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">I saw this in 3D and it’s fine. I don’t think seeing
this in 3D vs 2D impacts the film at all. Some greenscreen stuff stood out a
little more, but I’m so used to noticing bad greenscreen, I’d have noticed either
way. The 3D enhances the stellar CGI of Thanos, who is all CGI, all the time,
but still prefer my films in 2D. There’s some iffy spots with him, but overall,
he looks superb. This goes with most all of the CGI in this film too. Everyone
looks great and even with some shaky cam during action scenes and the abundance
of CGI, it’s never really noticeable. Marvel put their A-team on this film. This
is a CGI-fest, you shouldn’t be surprised about that if you’re watching it. But
it is the best CGI we’ve seen thus far in the MCU.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<i style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">Thanos rained a moon down on the battlefield, while elsewhere Thor and Wanda flex for the sake of flexing.</i></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">The action is some of the best in all of the MCU as
well. It’s not just “RAWR I CAN PUNCHER HARDER THAN YOU” or “RAWR I CAN SHOOT
THIS BEAM HARDER THAN YOU.” Well it kind-of is for the Wakandan fight, but any
fight involving Thanos quickly devolves to having to try and use some sort of strategy
because Thanos lifts and doesn’t skip leg day. Hell in almost the entire movies, he doesn't even have all of the Infinity Stones and is still terrorizing all the heroes. The best part of action comes
with all of the unlikely pairings of characters, some we’ve yet to even see
meet each other in the MCU. The fight with Thanos on his home planet is
amazing. Dr. Strange is epic, the CGI for the magic being flung between him and
Thanos is gorgeous. The whole fight between the heroes and Thanos is expertly
executed and feels like it’s right out of a battle-oriented anime. Thanos
rained a moon down on the battlefield, while elsewhere Thor and Wanda flex for
the sake of flexing. I mean, </span>Thanos took this page out of the ol' anime playbook and it was awesome.<i> </i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt;">The rest of the action is your standard MCU affair, but
the new pairings of characters and situations give you a reason to pay a little
more attention than you might normally during an Avengers flick.</span></div>
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<i><i>Thanos took this page out of the ol' anime playbook and it was awesome.</i></i></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">I’m kind-of at an impasse with this review because I
think I’ve touched on everything I want to touch on. While on the other hand I
want to just keep going and think I'm forgetting so much stuff since I want to give the film a rewatch. (I’m assuming if you’re reading this) You know all the
actors for everyone I’ve mentioned, which is why I didn’t bother to list out
every actor. The film is well over two hours, and for someone like myself, who
has been invested in this series for a decade, the time flew by. There’s not much
in the way of music aside from the score, which is fine. This is also a film
that, while lighthearted and has the vintage “MCU quips,” is very much a darker
film that what most are used to in the MCU. There are a couple of wonky moments, that I initially thought were really ham-fisted in there, but when you consider a few things Dr. Strange says, it all makes supreme sense. I loved the whole presentation and
progression of the film. The shock value moments don’t hit as hard (because
most of us know the line-up of films to come) I applaud Marvel for taking risks
with the plot and characters.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">If you’re a fan of the Marvel Cinematic Universe you’re
going to love this film as it’s the culmination of a decade’s worth of build-up.
If you go into this to just watch the latest summer blockbuster, you’ll likely
be confused and disappointed. If you don’t like superhero films or are a
hardcore DC fan, you’ll find ways to hate this. But to hardcore nerds, like
myself, that have been watching and growing with these characters over the past
18 films, this is a more than adequate film that has given us everything we’ve
been hoping this build up would lead to.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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FatJesusReviewshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16182451361373295175noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7590364381018884588.post-60034868841996859072018-03-03T20:19:00.001-06:002018-03-04T09:14:08.101-06:00The 90th Annual Academy Awards [Fat Jesus' Thoughts]<div style="text-align: center;">
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There's never ever any reason to get gung-ho about the Academy Awards. Every year they get things right. Every year they get things wrong. This year though, is unforgivable because "<i>The Emoji Movie</i>" is nowhere to be found. A true travesty, go "<i>Suicide Squad</i>"! The 90th edition is actually one of the best line ups of nominees of the past few years in my opinion. But, everything I want to win will lose because of old white men, diversity or whatever the excuse will be. There's a ton of variety in the films chosen, unless you were animated in Japan or about emojis, and I think they mostly got everything right about the best things that came out of 2017. I wrote a metric ton about this years better categories. I didn't proofread a sentence of it either, and if you make it all the way through without pulling your hair out you deserve to win the lottery. Thanks for always reading these if you do every year. I hope my thoughts push you to hate a film you may have liked or go out and watch a film you may not have considered before.<br />
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I'll be Tweeting during the event tomorrow night from my main Twitter, so if that tickles your fancy be sure to throw me a follow. (Don't highlight this with your cursor: <span style="background-color: #444444; color: #444444;"><b>also be sure to check out my Twitch channel where I wrote a lot of this blog on stream. Link is at the bottom of the blog!</b></span>)<br />
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So without further ado, enjoy my ramblings about rich people getting richer by pretending to be other people on a screen and my thoughts about if they did well or not!<br />
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<b><span style="font-size: large;">-<u>Best Picture</u>-</span></b></div>
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“<i><b>Call Me by Your Name</b></i>”</div>
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This film follows the daily life of a kid in northern Italy who learns the he may not be as sexually exclusive as he thinks, when a graduate student is invited by his father--an archaeology professor--is invited to live with the family over the summer of 1983. "<i>Call Me by Your Name</i>" is film has no plot, but following the lives of Elio and Oliver as their relationship blossoms keeps your attention. This is a very emotional film--as a lot of Oscar bait is--but you connect with Elio and Oliver because they are genuinely intriguing and complex characters. Elio is more than just a kid struggling with his sexual identity, he's a bright kid who, while awkward, seems to grow from his struggles living up to what he thinks Oliver's standards are. On the flip-side, Oliver is your typical cocky American hunk who weasels his way into Elio's senses with effervescence and charm. Timothée Chalamet and Armie Hammer nail their roles expertly as Elio and Oliver respectively, while the supporting cast--especially Michael Stuhlbarg as Elio's father--were on point. I wasn't a fan of the length of the film, this is a hefty watch at over two hours, there's some dragging scenes, and I feel like outside of Elio, Oliver and Mr. Perlman, there's not a lot of memorable characters. I can give that a pass--sort-of though--because this is a nice character study between Elio and Oliver. This isn't the film for you if you're into really anything to do with the Marvel Cinematic Universe, but if you want to expand your tastes, or even just want to try a new genre of film, you could do much worse than "<i>Call Me by Your Name</i>."</div>
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“<i><b>Darkest Hour</b></i>”<br />
I don't want to watch this so I didn't, suck it Academy. I heard Gary Oldman was very good in this but I'm just not huge on war films overall and don't really want to watch this one. Sorry, Winston.</div>
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“<i><b>Dunkirk</b></i>”</div>
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I feel like if I had seen this in theaters, IMAX, full surround sound with the literal bombs and bullets literally whizzing by my head, I would've gotten into this way more. I'm not a huge fan of war films, but "<i>Dunkirk</i>" is a war film I appreciate because Nolan takes out the tired and overused "war movie" cliches and lets the viewer follow the plot without all the nonsense. There's no scenes with "the boyz'" sitting in a circle talking about their family and how they need to survive to make it back to their pregnant wife, etc. You're thrown into a war and you keep up with the action. Whether it's a family using their boat to try and help soldiers who can't make it off the island, or following a Spitfire pilot who takes command mid-mission and patrols the seas to help fellow countrymen. The acting is great because it's people surviving. There's no speeches about rallying together to get through the situation, just selfless people helping a victim of a bomb get help or getting in a family boat to help ferry people. There's tension, there's gore, there are extravagant explosions and everything you could possibly want in your war film, without the abundance of cliches riddled into every scene. I wasn't huge into the film because of my lack of connection with any of the characters. I don't need the cliches, but more than just subtle hints at background and backstory would be nice. There's not a lot of dialogue throughout the film and it's very east to immerse yourself in the world of the war. But for me personally, I just didn't have that connection with anyone on the screen. "<i>Dunkirk</i>" is a great war film, but it doesn't have the connection with characters that I look for in my highly thought of films. It has all the recipes for a great war film and hits on everything perfectly. The style, score, brutality of war is all there, but I prefer other Nolan films to this.</div>
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“<i><b>Get Out</b></i>”</div>
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Jordan Peele went from sketch comedy to writing one of the most talked about horror films of 2017. I see "<i>Get Out</i>" as more of a thriller than horror, since it has a lot of social commentary--and I didn't really think anything in the film was outright "horror"--but I don't think it's what defines this film either. Are there racial undertones and things that parallel things that are going on in the world? Yeah, but maybe not to the literal extent of "underground mind-transfers of white peoples consciousness into a superior black person's body." There's whitewashing, body envy between races and any of the other plethora of tension that is happening in the world today. But if we get down to it, this is a film that takes the concept of mind-transfer and makes it seem somewhat plausible, instead of just mad scientist fantasy. With sharp wit, a well rounded--if not a little plot armored--main character and a supporting cast that does their job supremely. The story isn't a completely original idea, it boils down to a man has to fight out of the horror-filled dungeon of his crazed captors. But, the mind control, mind erasing and transfer part of the plot was a pretty nice subplot that I wish I hadn't known about from the trailers before hand. It still ranks up as one of my favorite films of the year and it was partially because it was such a surprise. It didn't look like anything special and I was wary of seeing after all the copious praise for it. It shattered my expectations, because I didn't think it would actually live up to the hype, but Peele went out and made something that defied expectations. I would personally rather have "<i>Baby Driver</i>" has the rouge Best Picture nod this year, but "<i>Get Out</i>" is worthy as well.</div>
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“<i><b>Lady Bird</b></i>”</div>
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Saoirse Ronan has been in a ton of films over the years that I have highly enjoyed. Between "<i>The Grand Budapest Hotel</i>" and "<i>Brooklyn</i>" over the past few years she's emerged as one of the best young actresses in Hollywood. "<i>Lady Bird</i>" is a quirky indie coming of age film that in most ways is the polar opposite of "<i>Call Me by Your Name</i>." Maybe they're more a like the more I think about it, what with the whole "homosexual boyfriend" thing that ends up happening in both. It's a comedy filled film that follows a girl who insists that people call her Lady Bird and wants to attended an Ivy League college, but doesn't really have the grades and her parents don't have the money to get her there. When this film gets emotional, it hits hard, but in-between it's a good mesh of character development, plot progression and laugh out loud humor. Lady Bird is a hyperactive speeding train that gets us from scene to scene and has the presence to carry all the scenes as well. The plot isn't anything to write home about, there's a lot of humor cliches, but this film is also a quick paced, good-natured romp. One that leaves the viewer with a sense of joy at the end--even though the ending is kind-of abrupt and ambiguous.</div>
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“<i><b>Phantom Thread</b></i>”</div>
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I wanted to like this film more than I did. I went into it with huge expectations, as most people do with Paul Thomas Anderson films. I adore "<i>There Will Be Blood</i>," I liked "<i>The Master</i>" and I even enjoyed myself watching the mess that was "<i>Inherent Vice</i>." "<i>Phantom Thread</i>" failed to click with me beyond the great performances from Daniel Day-Lewis--shocker--and Lesley Manville. This is a love story about an older man, who is a famous fashion designer, who meets a waitress in the countryside and becomes infatuated with her. Reynolds Woodcock (Day-Lewis) has an extremely controlling personality, but is loaded with charisma and genius as well. On the other side Alma (Manville) is a determined, skillful and almost innocent woman who becomes Wookcock's muse and eventually assistant. The two have a tumultuous relationship, with all the highs of a couple falling in love and the bitter lows of of a relationship that is on the rocks. Daniel Day-Lewis is superb in his role and is extremely committed, but this is not a surprise to anyone who has ever seen him in a film. Lesley Manville was superb as well. It was like watching a heavyweight boxing match with Manvillie and Day-Lewis went blow for blow with each other. My problems aren't with the acting, I just couldn't get into the story in the slightest. It was a very slow film, a very long film, that never had anything for me to latch onto personally. I couldn't identify with with the tortured love story between the two leads, the backdrop--while extremely authentic and gorgeous--couldn't hold my interest either. Nothing quite clicked for me other than the extremely committed performances from Day-Lewis and Lesley Manville, which was the thing keeping me hanging on by a thread throughout my viewing.<br />
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“<i><b>The Post</b></i>”</div>
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Oh man, I wanted to be all over this film. We had annual Best Actress nominee Meryl Streep and Sheriff Woody himself, Tom Hanks. We also had Steven Speilberg, the man who was the helm of Indiana Jones and Back to the Future. "<i>The Post</i>" on paper is stacked, along with a very competent supporting cast including Bob Odenkirk and Sarah Paulson. The story the film tells is a meticulous tale of the journalists at The Washington Post to publish the Pentagon Papers, documents detailing then US's involvement in the Vietnam War. The acting is what shines in this film. Hanks has really rounded out to an actor that I can enjoy in almost any role. Meryl Streep is the perfect counter to that because as the saying goes "you can never go wrong with the Streep." The story itself is interesting and engaging, while the acting is top tier, but where "<i>The Post</i>" falters for me is the overall presentation. Spielberg is a great director and has made a ton of critically and commercially successful film that pushes the boundaries of directing. You could say Spielberg has a way with getting his films to stand out and have that extra pzazz that other films don't. but I don't get that impression with this film. While the acting is great and the attention to detail is fine, it doesn't really stand out all that much from other drama's or political thrillers you can go out and see. "<i>Spotlight</i>" from 2015. is a film that I really liked with almost the same premise as this. But it has the flair and tension intertwined throughout the film that "<i>The Post</i>" is lacking. Where as "<i>The Post</i>" seems very formulaic and safe in comparison, albeit it the acting in this is much better than in "<i>Spotlight</i>." This is still a very worthwhile film, but I think it could've been better than it ended up being.</div>
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“<i><b>The Shape of Water</b></i>”</div>
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Guillermo del Toro is a very up and down director for me. I loved "<i>Pacific Rim</i>" but I wasn't huge fan of "<i>Hellboy</i>" and "<i>Crimson Peak</i>." So going into "<i>The Shape of Water</i>" I wasn't really sure what to expect out of it, aside from hearing about the fish love. Sally Hawkins plays a mute woman in the Cold War era, Elisa, who works at a government secret government facility as a cleaning woman. One day the facility receives a creature, an amphibious fish man, in a tank that Elisa identifies with and becomes close to. We see the emotional ups and downs of a mute woman who is trying cope with her disability, falling in love with, and identifying with something for the first time in her life. Hawkins has an outstanding performance without utter and word and the rest of the supporting cast is spot on. Michael Shannon is a perfect villain, Richard Jenkins as Elisa's neighbor was a great stability source, while Octavia Spencer shined as Elisa's bestie work gal pal. The middle of the film was a bit of a slog, but the beginning of the film, the lore introduction and characterization was great. The last act of the film was really good as well and gave almost everything in the film closure. If you're into romance and drama films this is for you. With a stellar performance from Hawkins, solid writing and amazing visuals--as with most of del Toro's work--"<i>The Shape of Water</i>" is a film that's worth your time.<br />
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“<i><b>Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri</b></i>”<br />
This film was my favorite from 2017. Granted I still have a few more to catch up on, but I think they'll be hard pressed to top "<i>Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri</i>" for me. This is the perfect drama film for a person like me. Heavy on the drama, amazingly acted, plot heavy, while the humor is dark, quick witted and topical--in a way that doesn't make you groan. The ensemble cast are all stellar and I don't think there's a bad performance of the main three, Francis McDormand, Woody Harrelson and Sam Rockwell. This should be abundantly clear since all three of them earned nominations for Best Actress or Best Supporting Actor. I'll touch on all three of them below, but the film itself does the powerful performances well. Set in a small town, it really encapsulates the feeling of living in a small town where everyone knows everyone. You have an array of types of people as well, the good natured woman trying to do right by her family--that's really torn apart--and will do absolutely anything to protect them. One cops struggling with the rise of not being able to do whatever they want carte blanche. While the other one is overcome emotionally with the cancer eating away at him and struggling between his love for his family (and city) and not wanting to suffer anymore. This film isn't afraid to pull any punches either. Because as quickly as you'll be chuckling at the absurdity of something Mildred has done or said, you'll get hit in the emotions with something happening to Sheriff Bill Willoughby and his health. The story is highly original and that takes this to another level for me as well because if you asked me if I thought it was original or adapted, I'd honestly say adapted, which is a testament to Martin McDonagh's continued excellence in writing films. If I recommended one film from 2017 or even just the Oscar nominations overall it'd likely be "<i>Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri</i>."</div>
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<b><span style="font-size: large;">-<u>Best Actor</u>-</span></b><br />
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<b>Timothée Chalamet</b>, “<i>Call Me by Your Name</i>”<br />
I touched on Timothée Chalamet's role as Elio going through the best picture nod, and I want to expound on my overall thoughts on the actors, so that's mostly what I'll be doing for these next few categories. Like I mentioned above, Elio is a kid that never really had his lifestyle or morals really challenged it seems. Elio is a teenager that is obviously very intelligent and thinks he has his path through life figured out. That is until this Jewish American male heartthrob comes in and makes him rethink his sexual identity. It seemed like throughout the film, Elio was struggling between his girlfriend and his secret lover. Like there were two halves of his mind fighting over what he thought he knew, as well as this new--almost forbidden fruit--that was placed in front of him. Chalamet was seamless in character. Not only showing that he could play the piano (at least I hope it was him actually playing it), but getting fully committed into any scene with either Armie Hammer (Oliver) or Esther Garrel (Marzia). The awkwardness, the longing, the smitten-ness, the discovery of himself were all on full blast as Chalamet had a powerful performance as Elio Perlman.<br />
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<b>Daniel Day-Lewis</b>, “<i>Phantom Thread</i>”<br />
What more is there to say about Daniel Day-Lewis that hasn't been said over the past at least three decades? I'm going to keep this short because if you've watched any Academy Award caliber films in the past 20 years--whether you agree with their choices or not--there a high likelihood that you've seen a masterful, committed performance out of this man. My feelings about "Phantom Thread" overall aside, Day-Lewis is in peak form as Reynolds Woodcock, an eccentric fashion icon with seemingly no regard for anyone, that meets a young waitress and falls for her. Even if the film in't your cup of tea, it's easy to see why he's one of the most committed actors of all time.<br />
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<b>Daniel Kaluuya</b>, “<i>Get Out</i>”<br />
This is a bit of a surprise still that "Get Out" has gotten this much love from the usually stuffy Academy. While I don't think it's best film of the year in a lot of regards, it stuck in my top couple of films throughout a lot of the year. I usually don't like to mention ratings, but I only gave one film this year above a 4/5, that's Three Billboards. Back to the topic, Daniel Kaluuya's role in "<i>Get Out</i>" is the centerpiece of the film and he essentially holds up almost every plot point in some form or fashion. Chris Washington is the black guy with the smoking hot white girlfriend. She finally gets to take him to meet her parents for the first time. Amidst all this, he's calm, charming, cracking jokes and even dealing with some racism and general "meeting the parents" cliches. This extends through a lot of the film too. At this point he's involved with the meet the parents plot and the leaving his best friend to care for some of his stuff plot (minor, I know) all while dominating screen time. As the film gets more weird and absurd, Chris is at the center of it all still. The hypnosis of the mother, the exchange with the blind guy at the garden party, meeting another black person that seems way to out of place for this century, not to mention the creepy interactions with the maid and handyman as well. Every single person that has any consequence on the plot is touched at some-point by Chris Washington. From humor, to fear, to paranoia, to just human interactions, Kaluuya plays his character with aplomb and this is honestly a well deserved nomination.<br />
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<b>Gary Oldman</b>, “<i>Darkest Hour</i>”<br />
Like I said above, I had really no desire to see this film. I've heard nothing but good about this performance, so naturally Gary Oldman is going to win here and my ignorance about the film will come back to bit me.<br />
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<b>Denzel Washington</b>, “<i>Roman J. Israel, Esq.</i>”<br />
I had zero idea what I was getting into when I started watching "<i>Roman J. Israel, Esq.</i>" Going back a doing some research on the film I had no idea it was from the same man, Dan Gilroy, that directed and wrote "<i>Nightcrawler</i>" my second favorite film from 2014. This film has a lot of problems though and isn't quite the same level of awe that "<i>Nightcrawler</i>" and Jake Gyllenhaal's performance gave me. Denzel is on another level in "<i>Roman J. Israel, Esq.</i>" though, and is easily the best part of the film. He gives a polarizing performance and could easily win the award for Best Actor as a dark horse. Roman Israel is a lawyer, activist and savant who is working at a law firm when it's owner has a heart attack and slips into a coma. This forces Israel to find work elsewhere. A bigger firm hires him and while he wants to keep his humble do-gooder roots, we watch as he slips into the out for himself layer cliche. Denzel plays all sides of his role expertly. The humble person willing to help anyone, the conflicted lawyer only wanting to improve the system, the activist who doesn't take anything from these so called "activists" of current year and finally, the conceited, greedy, self-centered part of Israel are on conveyed to perfection. I felt bad for his character as the film wore on cause we saw just how much of a good person Roman Israel is, that seeing him slip into what he hates hurt. Denzel made "<i>Roman J. Israel, Esq.</i>", that was admittedly all over the place at times and the film is worth the watch for Denzel alone and he wholly deserves this nomination.</div>
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<b><span style="font-size: large;">-<u>Best Actress</u>-</span></b><br />
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<b>Sally Hawkins</b>, “<i>The Shape of Water</i>”<br />
Sally Hawkins doesn't say a single word in this film and it's one of the best performances of the year. Regardless of what you think of "fish love," Hawkins performance as a mute cleaning lady working at a secret government facility, who falls in love with a humanoid fish creature is awesome. from the start we're shown a kind-of meek, yet determined, Elisa who is stuck in a monotonous rut it. We watch her grow with her cleaning lady friend, neighbor, the Amphibian Man and even the man antagonist. She is shown to be stronger than her disability, yet down to earth enough to be relatable at times to anyone who may be watching the film. Hawkins has laugh out loud moments as well as gut wrenching moments, showing off a great range for someone who doesn't speak a line of dialogue. Were there better performances this year, I think so, yes. But, don't take anything away from Sally Hawkins, because carrying a story with this much humor and emotion is tough to do with dialogue and she manages to do it without any.<br />
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<b>Frances McDormand</b>, “<i>Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri</i>”<br />
Oh man, from the moment we meet Mildred Hayes, you know she's the type of no-nonsense mother that we've all had interactions with at some point in our lives. One of the first times we see her is when she's driving past the three billboards--the catalyst for the film--and the words "Raped While Dying", "And Still No Arrests", "How Come, Chief Willoughby?" flash across your eyes for the first time. Her son who is with her is shocked and Mildred herself looks is ready for the backlash that is to follow. This is further evidenced by the tongue lashing she gives a priest who comes over to let her know that people don't like her. Did I mention that Chief Willoughby has pancreatic cancer? Well, I did above, but that's not the point. She's in the very small minority in town that doesn't want the billboards down, which leads to beef with everyone that she doesn't back down to. Friends, family, businesses, the cops, no one is safe from the mother who just wants justice for her daughter. McDormand plays the role perfectly, adding the right amount of dry humor, emotion or vigor to the scenes as needed. Her performance in enhanced by the other two leads, who I'll get two later, as the scenes involving McDormand, Harrelson, Rockwell or any combo of the three are the best parts of the film. I'm not sure how the film will actually fare in the show itself, but if even just one award went to this film it should honestly be for Frances McDormand's role as Mildred Hayes.<br />
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<b>Margot Robbie</b>, “<i>I, Tonya</i>”<br />
I don't know why I avoided "I, Tonya" film for so long, but I really wish I had watched it sooner. I enjoyed myself and Margot Robbie was a treat as Tonya Harding. Now I don't know figure skating in the slightest and had no idea about the whole controversy surrounding Harding going into those Olympic games. Regardless of if this film portrays these events in an accurate way, they do it in a realistic and entertaining way. Robbie embodies the Tonya Harding we're given to a tee. The hopes, dreams and aspirations. The bitter lows, emotional turmoil and abuse (both parental and spousal). We see all facets of Harding in this film. Harding's triumphs, her flattering and funny moments, as well as the downright brutal low points are present. This film has a lot of dark comedy, but it also has a lot of emotionally charged moments that could hit someone close to home. Margot Robbie handles both sides of the character--and story as a whole really well--but the shortcomings in "<i>I, Tonya</i>" aren't because of this fantastic performance. <br />
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<b>Saoirse Ronan</b>, “<i>Lady Bird</i>”<br />
Catholic people are crazy man, and I'm taking Saoirse Ronan's portrayal of Lady Bird--yes she insists people call her that--that there are poor Catholic teenage girls out there who are forced to live out zany quirky adventures, like the one we're treated to in this film. Alight, maybe there's a lot of teenage tropes in her character, but at her core she's a sincere teenage girl who is trying to find her way late in high-school. Not the most original character, but a character is only as good as the person playing them and Saoirse is impeccable. She captures the struggling, moody, almost schizophrenic nature of a teenager to a tee. Lady Bird is a rebel, she stands for something, even if she doesn't know what it is. She's not afraid to let you know any and everything that darts through her brain, almost like a cat with a laser pointer. She's awkward with people she's not close to (family and friends) and she's even more awkward with her significant others in the film as well. Lady Bird has no filter so there are plenty of times in the film where absurdity flows just as regularly as self-realizations. I'm echoing my thought from about, but Saorise Ronan is one of the best young actresses in Hollywood right now and the range she hasn't done in her roles thus far is impressive. Is this her best role? Probably not, but it's definitely the most fun one in this category.<br />
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<b>Meryl Streep</b>, “<i>The Post</i>”<br />
Hey guys! Gather around! Because Meryl Streep has garnered yet another Academy Award nomination! I'm beginning to think she could just start a vlog on YouTube or a cooking show on Twitch.tv/CookingWith Meryl and get nominated for those as well. In all seriousness though, Streep was the best part of of "<i>The Post</i>." And if you've been watching film for any amount of time you know who Meryl Streep is. She's a certifiable legend who never seems to come off as bad in any role. Year after year she finds roles that she takes to that next level. As I mentioned above in my thoughts on "<i>The Post</i>" as a whole, I feel like it was missing that pzazz to make it pop for me. The story is told well, but the directing seemed very formulaic. The acting on the other hand, at least from Tom Hanks and Streep are superb. Streep plays Katherine Graham who is the first female publisher of a major American newspaper (<i>The Washington Post</i>), and her efforts to publish the Pentagon Papers--which are detailed records of of the United States political and military involvement in Vietnam. It was truly a man's world in the early 1970s and Katherine is a strong willed, well spoken, highly intelligent woman who took charge. She did what needed to be done to get these damning documents out for the public to see. The character is written very well and Streep's performance is a highlight of a good film that just missed it's full potential. Streep is always perfect in roles--both in immersiveness and realism--so I need to stop singing her praises cause I can't really say anything that hasn't already been said.<br />
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<b><span style="font-size: large;">-<u>Best Supporting Actor</u>-</span></b><br />
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<b>Willem Dafoe</b>, “<i>The Florida Project</i>”<br />
I'm really, really glad that "The Florida Project" got a nomination in a "higher up" category. This film is an underrated "day in the life of," type film with strong performances all around, led by the always great DaFoe. He really did get into grandpa mode for his role as Bobby Hicks, as he had to corral Moonee and her young mother Halley all while dealing with all the problems of running a hotel next to Walt Disney World. There's drama between all characters, but it always seems to come around back to DaFoe in some form or another. He's charming, helpful, funny and stern when he needs to be. I think this is a film everyone should give a chance, even if the ending is pretty polarizing.<br />
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<b>Woody Harrelson</b>, “<i>Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri</i>”<br />
How can you not adore Woody Harrelson as Chief Willoughby in “<i>Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri</i>”? This is a film full of deplorable people, doing deplorable things, all trying to shake monkeys off their backs. Meanwhile, Chief Willoughby is a tortured sheriff, one with terminal cancer, a young family (wife and two daughters) trying to make the most of his final time on this earth. He's sympathetic to Mildred, tries to help Jason Dixon become a better officer and the scenes with his family are just plain heartwarming. Like most characters in the film, his arc comes to an unsavory and jarring end. But, he's the nicest person in the film, and that makes his story arc and performance all the better.<br />
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<b>Richard Jenkins</b>, “<i>The Shape of Water</i>”<br />
Elisa had a father in this film and it was Giles. The two had a seamless relationship and Richard Jenkins was great at bringing out things you may not have noticed because of Sally Hawkins mute character. He's charismatic, a symbol of stability and most importantly a voice of reason for Elisa at times. The true definition of a supporting character, he never outshines the lead, but still comes off well because he's a good character in his own right. I don't have much to say about Richard Jenkins performance because it was just really good.<br />
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<b>Christopher Plummer</b>, “<i>All the Money in the World</i>”*<br />
Like with "<i>Darkest Hour</i>" I had no real desire to see this film at all. While I'm sure the performance is good, I haven't seen the film and I have no frame of reference to judge.<br />
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<b>Sam Rockwell</b>, “<i>Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri</i>”<br />
Man, Sam Rockwell is a--pardon my informality--charismatic dick in this film. Think Tony Stark, but if he were an ignorant, poor racist. You want to hate Jason Dixon so much, because he says and does some of the most truly despicable things in the film. But, on the flip side, his blissful ignorance about everything and his general bumbling cop act gave me belly laughs at times. It's not often that a film has three actors/actress' that have three separate stories being told that isn't a jumbled mess. “<i>Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri</i>” manages this very well and it shows because Martin McDonagh (who should've been nominated for Best Director) knows how to handle characters in a very unique way.</div>
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<b><span style="font-size: large;">-<u>Best Supporting Actress</u>-</span></b><br />
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<b>Mary J. Blige</b>, “<i>Mudbound</i>”*<br />
Like with "<i>Darkest Hour</i>" and “<i>All the Money in the World</i>” I had no real desire to see this film at all. While I'm sure the performance is good, I haven't seen the film and I have no frame of reference to judge.<br />
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<b>Allison Janney</b>, “<i>I, Tonya</i>”<br />
Allsion Janney as Tony Harding's mother LaVona is for lack of a better term just an abusive bitch. She's a character that makes you wince and makes you grit your teeth when she's on screen because she just drips malice. Even when Tonya was younger, LaVona is heavily abusive with both Tonya's dad and herself. I never quite understand how some actors can get into roles like these because, whether or not we're presented with the true LaVona Harding, the one we're given is such a horrible human being. Janney is superb in the role in the same way a great heel in professional wrestling is great, she makes you loathe her. The out for herself attitude, the pageant mother-like mentality and the fact that she would just be generally rude to almost everyone at the drop of a hat makes her the most vile person in these nominations. That's crazy because there's three people nominated from "Three Billboards."<br />
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<b>Lesley Manville</b>, “<i>Phantom Thread</i>”<br />
So, why is Lesley Maville nominated for Best Supporting Actress here? Why isn't Vicky Krieps nominated for literally anything as Alma Elson? Krieps, like Day-Lewis, had an astounding character and performance, moreso than the actual film turned out to be for me, as a whole. Her and Day-Lewis had a chemistry that was just amazing as you felt the love, hate, lust, bitterness, etc, that the two had for each other oozing out of a given line or scene. I know I turned this into gushing about a person not nominated, but I'm utterly confused as to why Day-Lewis' handler so-to-speak (official title of sister) in the film is given such high praise with this nomination, when one half of the best part of the film isn't even nominated. Manville was fine, but maybe because I didn't really zone in on anything else other than Day-Lewis and Krieps performances, that what Manville did went unnoticed for me.<br />
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<b>Laurie Metcalf</b>, “<i>Lady Bird</i>”<br />
Marion McPherson has a problem on her hands through the whole of Lady Bird because the title character herself is honestly a terror. Laurie Metclaf plays the mother hated by her teenage daughter because she's a teenage daughter, greatly and at times you would things she's the devil antagonist. But if you look beyond what Lady Bird sees her mother as, you see a woman who is at the end of her rope. Her husband isn't doing so hot, her daughter is about to leave for college (perhaps one she can't even get in) and the whole family seems to be in a constant state of drama. Her chemistry with Saoirse Ronan is awesome and the scenes when they're at odds, or even just driving in a car or trying on clothes are some of the best parts in this film.<br />
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<b>Octavia Spencer</b>, “<i>The Shape of Water</i>”<br />
Man this film is nominated EVERYWHERE, and while I didn't like it as much as other films, the praise is definitely well deserved. I said it somewhere up there that I thought the whole supporting cast of this film was stellar and this includes Octavia Spencer as Zelda Fuller, Sally Hawkins characters best friend. Well I don't know if they're best friends, but Zelda signs for her at work. I don't really know what to say about her other than, much like Richard Jenkins, she is the epitome of a great supporting character. She is a good character that has heartfelt, concerned, humorous, and emotional moments. Also--like Jenkins--never really outshines Hawkins. </div>
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<b><span style="font-size: large;">-<u>Best Director</u>-</span></b><br />
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“<i>Dunkirk</i>,” Christopher Nolan<br />
If you go back and read my first few links on "Dunkirk" as a whole you can see why I liked Nolan's direction with this film so much. It's a war film, yes, but it's not one that spoon-feeds you every piece of information until you get to the next explosion. It's realistic, it's brutal, you get glimpses of the characters lives and backstories though visual queues. It's a film that rewards you for paying attention and not just turning your brain off.<br />
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“<i>Get Out</i>,” Jordan Peele<br />
If you had told me after I saw "<i>Get Out</i>" last February that it would be nominated for Best Picture, Actor, Director and Original Screenplay at the f'ing Academy Awards in 2018 I'd have told you to stop giving into the hype THAT much. I'll be the first to admit that I was skeptical going into the film as well, but Jordan Peele crafted a film that, whether you liked it or not, got everyone talking. The twists, the social commentary, the writing, just everything about the film worked. This was a highly unique film that took what everyone thought it was going to be and turned it on it's ear. I'm excited for what Peele's next endeavor is going to be.<br />
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“<i>Lady Bird</i>,” Greta Gerwig<br />
I first heard of Greta Gerwig when "<i>Frances Ha</i>" blew up in 2012 and I really didn't get or like the film when I watched it at the time. Looking back with five plus years of film watching under my belt, I probably still wouldn't like it, because it's not a film for me. "<i>Lady Bird</i>" I was much more interested in and it's mostly because of Saoirse Ronan, because she's a treat. We're using the word quirky for the final time in this post--I think--and it really describes all these types of indie films and a lot of the stuff Gerwig has done. The scenes are fine, the acting is good, the story is alright, but it has that indie vibe slathered all over it and I'm still not sure if it's a good or bad thing.<br />
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“<i>Phantom Thread</i>,” Paul Thomas Anderson<br />
Paul Thomas Anderson is a director that you're either gonna like his films or hate his films. He has a certain style and even if he's jumping around genre's between his films, his methodical attention to detail is always apparent. This film is no different and the attention to detail--in both characters and things like sets and camera angles--is astounding. Not to mention Daniel Day-Lewis in his last acting role goes out with a bang, as the two were rocketed back into film goers eyes with the fantastic "<i>There Will Be Blood</i>"and continue to dominate with "<i>Phantom Thread</i>".<br />
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“<i>The Shape of Water</i>,” Guillermo del Toro<br />
I wasn't sure I was going to like "The Shape of Water" as much as I did just because del Toro is such a hit and miss director for me. I'm not sure if it was his direction or Sally Hawkins performance that struck me the hardest with this but I did enjoy myself. The acting was great, the story was alight and I liked the overall style of the film as well. I don't think he needed to do anything too special, because the acting and writing was so on point. I'm not sure I said anything useful there, but if I did, I hope you got it.</div>
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<strike>“<i>The Boss Baby</i>,” Tom McGrath, Ramsey Ann Naito</strike><br />
"<i>your name.</i>," Makoto Shinkai<br />
Instead of talking about "<i>The Boss Baby</i>" I'm going to be talking about a film you've probably not heard of unless you're a weeaboo like myself. If you don't know what a weeaboo is in current year, I'm astounded. It's a slang term that refers to non-Japanese people who enjoy the Japanese culture a little too much.<br />
Anyway, the film I'm going to be talking about here is "<i>your name.</i>", an anime film that came out in Japan over the summer of 2016, but made it to the states in early 2017. "<i>your name.</i>" follows the story of a high school Mitsuha who lives in Itomori, Japan as well as a high school boy, Taki, who lives in Tokyo. Mitsuha out of boredom wishes to be a handsome boy in her next life and then begins intermittently switching bodies with Taki. The two leave notes for each other, influence each others lives for the better and eventually the Taki becomes engrossed in a supernatural race against the past to save Mitsuha from grave danger. This film isn't as much of a real-life parallel as "<i>A Silent Voice</i>" but this is a helluva ride from start to finish, with some of the most beautiful animation you're likely to see. There are some plot holes, but this a romantic drama that hits hall the right notes otherwise. The characters are great, the voice acting is amazing, the story is highly unique and it's just a pleasure to immerse yourself in.<br />
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“<i>The Breadwinner</i>,” Nora Twomey, Anthony Leo<br />
I think a lot of the animated features I'm touching on have a ton of themes that are just as heavy as those of their non-animated counterparts. "The Breadwinner" is no different as it focuses on the story of Parvana, a young girl living in Taliban controlled Afghanistan. Her father is taken away after a young, irrational Taliban member thinks he was insulted by him. Now Parvana must pretend to be a boy, since the family is without a male relative, to provide for the family until she can get to her father and get out of the oppressive place they're in. This is a startling film that shows how backwards the middle east can be at times. Not with just its regard to religion, but how it treats its own people, both women and men alike. While I don't know how accurate some of the scenarios are, from what I've learned over the years the events of this film probably aren't too far away from the truth. This is a rough film to watch at times so it's not for the feint of heart, but it's a film that will likely stick with you as the story, characters and voice acting are all stellar.<br />
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“<i>Coco</i>,” Lee Unkrich, Darla K. Anderson<br />
It's the Oscars so Disney and Pixar are here! As usual with Pixar this is a gorgeous looking film. It follows the story of Miguel, who is banned from listening to or making music by his family. The ban is because their great-great-grandfather, a musician, left their great-great grandmother. Miguel is extremely talented with a guitar, but can't shine because of his family. On the Day of the Dead, Miguel gets transported to the Land of the Dead and must band together with his family to get back and bring music back into his life. The story is fine, very Disney/Pixar, so you're know what you're getting out of this. You also know that the voice acting and the animation will be top-notch. The Land of the Dead is a vibrant colorful wonderland. The music is also really good and the main song of the film is a really good tune. "<i>Coco</i>" works well on all levels, as expected from Pixar.<br />
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<strike>“<i>Ferdinand</i>,” Carlos Saldanha</strike><br />
"<i>A Silent Voice</i>," Naoko Yamada<br />
Like "<i>The Boss Baby</i>" above I'm going to talk about a different film entirely here and you should likely see it over this "<i>Ferdinand</i>". Sorry, John Cena.<br />
"<i>A Silent Voice</i>" came out in Japan in fall of 2016, but worldwide in 2017. It follows the story of Shoya Ishida, a boy who in grade school bullies a deaf girl, Shoko Nishimiya, and it makes him become an outcast from there on out. In high school Shoya is still socially rejected, and now depressed and suicidal, but still has the desire to make things up to Shoko, his mother and former friends. This is a deep film that hits you hard emotionally and makes you actually angry at some of the things young Shoya does. Kids are unforgiving at times and the film doesn't shy away from that. The mixed of emotions from Shoya throughout the rest of the film are only matched by the sadness that permeates from Shoko throughout the entire film. There are anime cliches, but the writing, voice acting, art are all superb. Not to mention the overall the story is a powerful one about bullying and how it affects everyone, not only at the time, but later on as well.<br />
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“<i>Loving Vincent</i>,” Dorota Kobiela, Hugh Welchman, Sean Bobbitt, Ivan Mactaggart, Hugh Welchman<br />
I was quite surprised by this film because I kinda just went into it on name alone. "Loving Vincent" follows the story of a man who is investigating the death of Vincent van Gogh a year after it occurred. The man talks to everyone who was in van Gogh's life around the time of his death and tries to figure out the circumstances behind what actually happened. This film is the first feature film to be animated entirely by painting. The voice acting is great and the art is absolutely unique and wonderful to look at. The story is kind-of odd and at times feels too preachy and out of place. But if you're a fan of van Gogh's art or just a unique film to look at, then "<i>Loving Vincent</i>" is worth a watch.<br />
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FatJesusReviewshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16182451361373295175noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7590364381018884588.post-55892332443146942552017-07-07T14:04:00.000-05:002017-07-07T14:04:26.346-05:00Spider-Man: Homecoming [A Fat Jesus Film Review]<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Sony's back with Spider-Man, head for the hills! Wait, Andrew Garfield is gone? Yes, no more emo Peter. Marvel is in control of the film? They haven't outright failed with an MCU film yet. Was it better than Rami's first couple of films? Yes and no. Well hell yeah then! "Spider-Man: Homecoming" is the second foray of Peter Parker into the Marvel Cinematic Universe. His first appearance being in "Captain America: Civil War" was stellar. Tom Holland is someone who was an unknown going into the MCU and now he's a bonafide star. The rest of the cast was pretty alright, the story was kinda bare bones, the CGI and action are okay, while the emotion and humor are top notch. As an MCU origins film it's one of the better ones. The original Iron Man still tops the list, but I'd put this film just ahead of Ant-Man and Dr. Strange.</div>
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"Spider-Man: Homecoming" is set after the events "Captain America: Civil War" and follows the story of Peter Parker / Spider-Man (Holland) as he juggles school, life, superpowers and hunting down Adrian Toomes / Vulture (Michael Keaton). We open with Toomes and his construction crew cleaning debris from the wreckage after the Battle of New York, they get booted from the job as the government is taking over the work. They end up with a piece of alien tech and decide to start up a criminal organization. Jumping to present day, we learn that Tony Stark (Robert Downey Jr.) doesn't think Peter is quite ready to be in The Avengers, so he resumes his studies at school, where he recently departed the decathlon team, against Aunt May's (Marisa Tomei) wishes. One night after Peter stopped Toomes men from robbing a bunch of ATMs he sneaks back home only to be greeted by his best friend, Ned (Jacob Batalon), finding out his secret identity and wanting to be his 'Guy in the Chair.' With the school abuzz about Spider-Man the two get invited to a party held by senior Liz (Laura Harrier), who Peter likes. Peter leaves the party to get some air and notices a fiery blue explosion in the distance and saves a local gangster, Aaron Davis (Donald Glover), from more of Toomes' men. Thus begins Peter's hunt for Toomes, because he realizes that he is a bigger threat than Tony and Happy (Jon Favreau) think.</div>
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The first thing you notice about this film is that it has a character driven tone, alongside humor and emotion, with action sprinkled in. Peter Parker, played superbly by Tom Holland, is introduced to the MCU with a bang. You learn about his knowledge from his decathlon prowess, his humor and wit from any encounter with anyone and his emotion from most of the final act and his interactions with Stark. Peter Parker is a great character and I think playing the younger 15 year old fits the big screen much better than the older Parker from Rami's films. Elevating the character is the performance by Tom Holland. He's gotten the comics version of Parker down better than Tobey and the overall character much better than Garfield. The Spidey quips are on point as well, better than Deadpool, fight me. We also get a great character in Adrian Toomes played by the great Michael Keaton. Toomes isn't just a bad guy being a blackmarket-like dealer because he's evil. We learn why he becomes what he does, the government taking one of his biggest jobs, he is loyal to his crew--for the most part--and puts his family before anything else. He also doesn't mix work with play. Toomes is one of the more interesting villains because he's not hellbent on taking over the world like almost everything else in the MCU. The earth isn't at stake or anything of the sort, but the menacing of Vulture and his crew, if left alone, is not lost on Peter. Michael Keaton is superb as Toomes / Vulture, he's one of the best villains/characters in the MCU. He feels real and has conviction, not to mention he's one of the best acted villains, right up there with Loki. Showing you don't have to be a big-time baddie to hold weight. Plus, Peter and his interactions throughout the film are spot on.<br />
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The rest of the cast is okay. What more is there to say about RDJ as Tony Stark? He's got charisma with everyone, although I want more out of him and Spider-Man since his and Hollands rapport is off the charts. Favreau always has a fun role in these MCU films as Happy, especially when you have Stark razzing him all the time. Marisa Tomei is far too beautiful and it's quite distracting thinking of her in that way as Aunt May. But the character works because Peter is really young, so Aunt May can be younger too. The younger guys around Peter for most of the film are okay. There's not enough of Zendaya as Michelle Jones, but she's got some good comic relief (and possibly a Taylor Swift shirt at one point). Donald Glover's small role as a gangster is fun and his couple scenes with Spider-Man is funny. The same with Hannibal Burress' bit role as their PE teacher, like I mentioned this film has legit laughs. Ned is great comic relief and a great friend to Peter from start to finish and is played well by Batalon. "Do you lay eggs?" I hope they finally finish that LEGO Death Star model. Harrier as Peter's love interest Liz is okay, and seeing Flash Gordon (Tony Revolori) as a smug rich kid bully was kind-of weird. I'd be remiss if I didn't mention all the hilarious Captain America PSAs throughout the film as he tries to teach kids how to be moral like himself. "So your body is changing, I know how that feels..."<br />
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The story itself is pretty basic, but the characters and emotion elevate it. Without Holland, Keaton and RDJ this could be forgettable. Holland, especially in the final act, carries the film and the scene before the air heist showcases emotion not usually shown in the MCU. The dialogue is fast paced and full of humor and life. The opening vlog with Peter going through the events leading to the Civil War fight and to present, is a great opening to the film and really sets the tone. Not only that, the Keaton scenes have an air of malice behind them. Finally, the RDJ and Tomei scenes are like watching a couple parents trying to help out a growing boy. If you've seen a MCU origins film this isn't too much different. What sets it apart is a couple twists and great charisma an emotion from Holland and Keaton. The action is alright and despite what people say, the trailer does not spoil the whole film, it's a little deeper than something like "Transformers." The neighborhood chase scene, the bank robbing scene as well as the final set piece are all pretty good. There's a few wide-shots during scenes in the film that I thought were awesome. The music is fun and Marvel is doing great with all their scores and OSTs this year. The CGI is okay. The Spider-Man suits are look great, the scene where he's getting to know Karen (Jennifer Connelly) is another example of the character building in the film too. The closing line of the film is pretty fitting as well. Just about everything is this film is fun and there's not much that is "bad" that's worth nit-picking over to me.<br />
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"Spider-Man: Homecoming" feels a lot like "Iron Man" from way back now. A great film that introduces a huge charismatic hero that will be with us for years to come. Peter Parker / Spider-Man is an awesome character, and while it may not be better than say "Spider-Man 2," as a whole I think it captures the essence of Spider-Man much better. As I've echoed this is funny and more emotional than most of the MCU films. Tom Holland is great, Michael Keaton is awesome and the rest of the supporting cast doesn't detract. I'm looking forward to more Spidey interactions with the rest of the MCU going forward, there are so many awesome potential combos with people. Because lets face it, Spider-Man is the best Marvel hero.</div>
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FatJesusReviewshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16182451361373295175noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7590364381018884588.post-13514544704873314312017-06-02T01:26:00.000-05:002017-06-04T15:13:29.949-05:00Wonder Woman [A Fat Jesus Film Review]<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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This is the film that DC Extended Universe needed. They needed a win. "Man of Steel" was average at best. "Batman vs Superman: Dawn of Justice" was a letdown. "Suicide Squad" was an Oscar winning nightmare. So to think that a solo Wonder Woman film--an origins story as well--could be the jolt the DCEU gets, is marvelous. Gal Gadot was pretty good in her considerable on-screen role. Yes, I know she was in Dawn of Justice, but it was a supporting role at best. Chris Pine was also on point as well throughout the film. The supporting cast of Amazonians as well as the WWI infiltration team were all pretty good too. The first half of the film is a sight for sore eyes as we get some color in the DCEU, but alas it was fleeting, because it goes right back to the dark grey pallet for the second half.</div>
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"Wonder Woman" is set after the events of "BvS: Dawn of Justice." In present day Paris, Diana Prince / Wonder Woman (Gadot) receives the original copy of the picture of her that Bruce Wayne sends to her in the previous film. Attached to it was a note saying that Bruce would love to hear her story sometime. This is when we fade back to the WWI-era to the island of Themyscira. Wonder Woman, then known as only Diana, was born and raised here. The island is inhabited by only Amazonians. After Ares corrupted mankind and killed the other gods, women were given this island with some of Zeus' last strength, to keep them away from man's evil corruption. Diana only wants to be a warrior, but her mother, Queen Hippolyta (Connie Nielsen), forbids it. Eventually Hippolyta knows she cannot anymore. Years later, after a sparring session in which Diana exhibits a feat of strength that marvels the rest of the Amazonians, she goes off to be with her thoughts and a plane crashes into the coast in front of where she is. Diana proceeds to rescue the pilot Steve Trevor (Pine). He is running from Germans, who find the protected island and attack one of the beaches. During the skirmish, the Amazonians take casualties and take Steve into custody. Using the Lasso of Truth they find out about the Germans, that World War I is happening and Trevor has a key piece of intel that could help end it. Diana decides that it's her duty to help end this war and--against her mother's wishes--leaves with Trevor to help end the violence. Once in Europe, Diana and Steve set out to try and turn the tides of the war in Germany. Because an evil is lurking just on the outside, waiting to end the truce that is being formed and keep the war from ending.</div>
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This film works because of Gal Gadot's portrayal of the innocent, yet committed, Diana. Chris Pine is also instrumental, because he give yet another good performance. Almost any character he portrays, he does it in an extremely efficient manner. But, back to Gal Gadot. I'll be honest, I didn't have a huge amount of faith in her. I still think she doesn't quite look the part. She doesn't look like the bigger and buffer Wonder Woman we're used to seeing. Even worse I thought her part in BvS: Dawn of Justice was only okay. I wasn't sure she could carry a solo film. Gal Gadot is emotion in a popcorn flick genre with this performance. Don't get me wrong, I still think a lot of the MCU is much better--or at least on par--with Wonder Woman. But, Gadot as Diana in this film go where a lot of superhero films don't, to emotions. She's sad to leave her homeland and feel genuine pain for all that's happening in the war. Once she gets to Europe she wants to help everyone and everything. She wants to end the was an beat Ares, but she also wants to help literally everyone along the way. Her overall innocence and her ignorance to the real world, provided emotion, a bit of humor and fueled conflict as well. Diana is a decently written character in which a good performance by Gadot elevates it overall. Switching sides we get Chris Pine as Steve Trevor, the English spy that Diana saves near the start of the film. Pine has got great timing and does a great job of trying to help Diana learn the ropes in the world she's been dropped into. Most of the humorous happenings in the film, occur when the two are at odds about real world vs Themyscira. But it doesn't end at humor, the two have pretty solid chemistry and the serious, more emotional and action filled scenes between the two work well. There are a lot of small moments in the film where you get that tag team inkling. That being, knowing someone well enough that you could just look at them and know what was going to happen. Steve Trevor isn't new, he's a grizzled spy/war veteran that just wants to do one final bit of good in his life, when a woman hit him out of nowhere and helps him get there. Another example of a decently--but cliche-ridden--character, elevated by the performance of the actor.</div>
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The rest of the cast is portrayed well, though are pretty forgettable in all honestly. The Amazonians felt stiff, but it may be because they're essentially gruff and tough Greeks war goddesses, still thriving in their own society. Robin Wright and Connie Nielsen were okay as the mother and aunt of Diana in the early going. On the other end, the WWI dream team were considerably more fun, but if you asked me where Eugene Brave Rock entered as Chief for the first time, I couldn't tell you. Ewen Bremner and Saïd Taghmaoui, as a drunk sharpshooter and master of disguise respectively, were both fun roles that stood out in the second half of a film that dragged badly at times. Steve Trevor's secretary, Etta Candy (Lucy Davis) was probably the most fun and memorable of the bunch. Bringing some solid comedic moments to the early going. The directing was okay as Patty Jenkins is already leagues ahead of Zack Snyder's DCEU films. So that's pretty cool. We just need to get Snyder's name of DCEU stuff completely now. The plot was typical superhero origin story, though it did have a bit of a plot twist sprinkled in, as well as a decent enough love story. I was afraid it would feel too much like "Captain America: The First Avenger," so I'm glad that the story took on a different approach. The bad guys overall were pretty weak, like in most superhero films. An angel dust snorting German commander (Danny Hudson), a face-wrecked mad scientist inventing Mustard Gas (Elena Anaya) and an old man masquerading as Ares (David Thewlis). All were underwhelming, though like the rest of the non-Gadot or Pine characters acted decently enough. Overall the plot was fairly standard, the story took on a life of it's own while the supporting cast did well, but were mostly forgettable.</div>
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With all the good, this film does have a lot of problems. The CGI near the end of the film in the final action sequences was just plain bad. While the rest of the CGI throughout the film was adequate at best. While I wasn't expecting it to be as good as "Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2" or "Doctor Strange," it shows that it's nowhere near that quality. The action is pretty forgettable aside from the town rescue scene which is probably has the best action in the film. The beach fight near the beginning of the film was pretty fun as well. But, if you're going to have a two plus hour superhero film you don't want only two points of action to stand out. Another problem is right there, the length. This is a long film and while the first act is pretty good, the second act and finale devolve back into typical DCEU as of late. It's just too long and the middle portion leading to the climax drags a lot. This devolving includes going from beautiful vibrant island colors to dark tones for the rest of the runtime. DC hates color. There's an overabundance of slow motion as well. I noted that about three minutes into the film slo-mo was already happening. Not only that, the shaky cam whenever the Nazi commander did his drugs was unintentionally hilarious. Also the Wonder Woman song--you know the song--that was interjected during random action points, felt forced rather than just using some sort of score piece. There was a lot of confusing moments during the climax as well, both in the story and CGI where I simply didn't know what was going on. Maybe a second watch will clear some things up for me. DC also needs to use title cards to tell us where we're jumping to as well. Though this movie isn't as confusing as "BvS: Dawn of Justice," there's a lot of places they travel to and throwing up a "Germany, 19xx" for a few seconds wouldn't hurt at all. Finally the ending monologue form Wonder Woman before the credits roll was pretty cliche-ridden as well and not hugely needed. Especially after that walk though the crowd to touch Trevor's picture and the current day holding of his watch moments before. DC has made a stride with this but there's still a lot of things that it could do much better.</div>
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"Wonder Woman" is no joke, it's a competent enough DECU film (arguably the best thus far) that gives DC the cinematic jolt it hasn't really had since Nolan's Batman films. You just read about it's plethora of problems above, but the overall supporting cast and characters were solid if not forgettable. The writing and story have some emotion behind them and did their own thing, even though it's pretty cliche and confusing at times. Finally, Gal Gadot and Chris Pine have fantastic chemistry and the duo give us entertaining, humorous and emotional performances."Wonder Woman" isn't the second coming of superhero films, there's just too many problems for me too look past, but it's a fairly entertaining film that worth a watch or two.</div>
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FatJesusReviewshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16182451361373295175noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7590364381018884588.post-73575437293261440042017-02-25T20:42:00.001-06:002017-02-26T10:28:36.568-06:00The 89th Annual Academy Awards [Fat Jesus' Thoughts]<div style="text-align: center;">
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Now I try to do one of these fancy schmancy posts about the Oscars every year. I think I'm starting to be a little more loose with my writing and just say my uninhibited thoughts on a given film. So I'm going to try and bring that into what I've been doing with these posts over the past number of years. I used to reserve this posts as my "one big serious post of the year." The Oscars! They're important and infallible! Not so much. There's gonna be off the cuff remarks and "humor." My opinion over the years has started to widen and mature (or deteriorate, I suppose). The Academy Awards are not the end all be all, the biggest and probably most influential--maybe--but you shouldn't take everything they do as gospel. They're too white. They get it wrong. They don't nominate the right things. My responses to all this is don't take them as seriously. If you like the films they nominate, great! If you don't like them, that's cool too! Only two films the nominated for Best Picture are in my top 10 for the year ("Hell or High Water" and "Manchester by the Sea"). There's no need to gung-ho and political about what Hollywood wants you to think is the best. raise the films that you like and adore. "Green Room", "The Nice Guys", "The Witch" and "Nocturnal Animals" are all great films that may be nominated to little to nothing, yet are better to me than "Lion", "Hidden Figures" and "Fences" (which are all perfectly solid films.) I think I'm rambling. Watch, enjoy, complain, do what you wish during the Academy Awards this year, but don't let something as silly as rich people giving each other awards get under your skin. Don't let it consume you and let's talk about some films! (I'm not going to go over all the nominations, but I'm hitting all the bigger categories.)</div>
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<b><span style="font-size: large;">-Best Picture-</span></b></div>
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<i>Arrival</i></div>
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This is easily the best sci-fi film of the year. Great acting, especially by Amy "I'm Not Nominated for This, but Natalie Portman is for a Film No One's Seen" Adams. She's broken out in a big way this year doing this, "Nocturnal Animals" and (if you can count it) "Batman v Superman." This is a smartly written, supremely acted and told in a great manner. The CGI was pretty underrated and not really distraction at all, so points for the production as well. The story is pretty unique and the climax is superb.</div>
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<i>Fences</i></div>
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I had no idea what I was getting into when I watched this. I didn't know it was adapted from a play. I didn't know Viloa Davis was a supreme presence on-screen (though her role as Rose Lee Maxon certainly helped.) I also didn't know how much a single person could talk on screen in a film. It felt like Denzel Washington said enough dialogue to write fill three novels. I see why people liked it and Viola Davis' performance was grand, but it was not for me.</div>
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<i>Hacksaw Ridge</i></div>
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Mel Gibson, that Jew hater! Amirite? Getting off the cuff early, eh? If he's gonna keep directing films like this (like he's really done his whole career) then I'll keep praising them, regardless. I'm not a "war film" guy, but "Hacksaw Ridge" is one that crafts that feel good tingling in your heart with hyper-realistic war violence. Yeah, those two go together all the time! The story is based off of a biography of Desmond Doss, and while Gibson may have embellished thing, this feels accurate enough to history. The war scenes that make up most of the second half of the film are grisly, dark and you get sucked into the battle unfolding before you. On the flip side, the feel good energy and never give up attitude of Andrew Garfield as our focal point hero. I loved it personally, but I can't really see it getting to much traction as a true "Best Picture."</div>
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<i>Hell or High Water</i></div>
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This is my favorite film out of the best picture nominees this year. I did a few on it last month, so I'll cliff notes here. Jeff Bridges and Chris Pine lead a trio (with Ben Foster) on a gritty (not as much as "Hacksaw Ridge") wild west inspired bank heist film set in our modern times. Think "No Country For Old Men" meets "The Assassination of Jessie James." Jeff Bridges proves he still has the acting chops, if not more refined than in recent years. Chris Pine, who I always pretty much saw as Captain Kirk, shows that he can pull of serious stuff. While Ben Foster can probably play any role well. I wish this would win for best picture like "No Country For Old Men" did, but I just don't think it can get past the "assumed" winner.</div>
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<i>Hidden Figures</i></div>
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The biggest pure feel good film nominated here is "Hidden Figures." This is also based on the true story of three African-American women who were instrumental in helping John Glenn get to space for the first time. Taraji P. Henson, Olivia Spencer and Janelle Monae are the leads as they play Katherine Johnson, Dorothy Vaughn and Mary Jackson, respectively. All three women are mathematicians, with Jackson setting her siting on being a NASA engineer. This isn't about them single handily saving the missions, but it does show they they were an instrumental part of the machine. This is film set when racial segregation was still kicking in America as well. While this is certainly about that, it's more about breaking down barriers and letting your work shine above all, no matter you gender or race. These three women seemingly helped change NASA and also helped a man get into and return from space (for the first time) safely. They were women, they were black and they were smart. The story was fine, the acting was good and everything wrapped up nicely. This is probably gonna go down as one of the most popular films to lose Best Picture (if it loses). </div>
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<i>La La Land</i></div>
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Fun film. Solid characters. Good music. Oh man, 'La-la Land' is LA! It's gonna win. (I liked this film.)</div>
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<i>Lion</i></div>
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My friends and I watched M. Night Shamalamadingdong's "The Last Airbender" to start out this 2017. Don't ask me why. But, the guy who played Zuka is the lead in this. This film about a kid who gets lost in India as a child and is eventually adopted by Australian parents, who starts an emotional journey to find the home he once knew. Dev Patel is pretty decent, Rooney Mara is okay, Nicole Kidman and David Winham are fine and the kid who played young Saroo was great. It suffers from a formulaic approach to a story that needed unique direction to set it apart from the "it'll all be alright in the end" vibe I felt throughout the film. Don't get me wrong, the acting was fine and the story was cool, but it just didn't grip me like other films in this category or this year in general.</div>
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<i>Moonlight</i></div>
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This film is about the life of a gay black man growing up and coming to terms with himself. On the surface it's your typical "Oscar-bait" film. I didn't know anything about the plot going into "Moonlight" and despite it's kinda wonky last act, it's probably the most invested I found myself watching a film out of this list. I'm not gay. I'm not black. But, I don't need to be those get into the phenomenal writing of the characters in this film. I'm not sure if Janelle Monae is the first actor/actress to be nominated in two separate Best Picture films, but even her supporting role as Teresa in this is fantastic. Everyone feels real and not like a character in a film. Mahershala Ali as Juan, Chiron's father figure and Teresa's husband, was sublime in the first couple of acts of the film. Young Chiron, played by Alex Hibbert, helps set up the supporting cast and the story. Where teenage and adult Chiron (Ashton Sanders and Trevante Rhodes, respectively), are both the heart of the rest of the film and keep us engaged until the credits roll. Moonlight may be "Oscar-bait" but it's some of the best bait I've gone after in awhile.</div>
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<i>Manchester by the Sea</i></div>
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This film, oh man, what an emotional roller-coaster. While not as gripping for me as "Moonlight," "Manchester by the Sea" is a heavy film. From start to finish you see the struggles of a man who has been through A LOT. I don't want to spoil the actual progression of the film, but Casey Affleck is out of this world as Lee Chandler (my favorite performance by an actor), a handyman working in a small town in Massachusetts. He's gets a call that a family member dies and has to take their son in as guardian. The other half of his story up until that phone call, is told in the form of flashbacks on Lee's life until he hit rock bottom. This film is a deep, introspective look into the life of a man who has--pardon for lack of a better cliche-- been to hell and back. Affleck is the driving force behind this film and his supporting cast is perfect. This should be seen by more people than it has.<br />
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<b>Who I Want to Win:</b> <i>Hell or High Water</i>, <i>Manchester by the Sea</i><br />
<b>Who Will Win:</b> <i>La La Land</i></div>
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<b><span style="font-size: large;">-Best Actor-</span></b></div>
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Casey Affleck (<i>Manchester by the Sea</i>)<br />
As you just read above, I think Casey Affleck had the best male performance of the nominees. He gets so deep into the character of Lee Chandler it's astounding how easily I forgot this was a character. The flashbacks, the current plot weave Lee effortlessly throughout the story. Highly emotional and exceptionally real, Casey Affleck was superb.<br />
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Andrew Garfield (<i>Hacksaw Ridge</i>)<br />
Spider-Man! I mean, Desmond Doss! Andrew Garfield's best performance since "The Social Network," shows that he's pretty alright when the film is capable. Like the first half of the film, it starts off awkwardly. But, once they get to the actual (kinda embellished) ridge and battle, he takes over. Garfield is the guy who keeps the film ticking and he does a pretty good job with it.<br />
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Ryan Gosling (<i>La La Land</i>)<br />
Ryan Gosling was alright in "La La Land." He's not a singer, so I was impressed he didn't sound awful. I do like too, that he actually played the piano (at least in the earlier scenes). He story arch was pretty cliche--like most of the film, if we're being honest--but he was perfectly good as Sebastian Wilder. <span style="font-size: xx-small;">I think he was better in "The Nice Guys" last year.</span><br />
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Viggo Mortensen (<i>Captain Fantastic</i>)<br />
Didn't see the film, so I can't really comment on his performance. This category is loaded, if he somehow wins, the one guy in Vegas who bet $1000 on him winning Best Actor is probably gonna be a rich guy.<br />
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Denzel Washington (<i>Fences</i>)<br />
Washington, as Troy Maxon, said more word in this film than I've likely said since the start of 2017. Good Lord, his dialogue is overpowers everyone (but Viola Davis), but I guess that's who the Troy Maxson character is, completely controlling. Denzel, who also directed and produced this, gets in deep and probably deserves to win. I just liked Casey Affleck so much.<br />
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<b>Who I Want to Win:</b> Casey Affleck<br />
<b>Who Will Win:</b> Casey Affleck, Denzel Washington</div>
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<b><span style="font-size: large;">-Best Actress-</span></b><br />
Isabelle Huppert (<i>Elle</i>)<br />
Didn't see. Where's Amy Adams for <i>Arrival</i> or <i>Nocturnal Animals</i>?<br />
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Ruth Negga (<i>Loving</i>)<br />
Again, didn't see. Where's Taraji P. Henson for <i>Hidden Figures</i>?<br />
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Emma Stone (<i>La La Land</i>)<br />
I liked Emma Stone the most in "La La Land." Like Ryan Gosling, her singing was perfectly fine and her character in general was fun. She was the most relateable in the film and generally had the better humor. Also like, Gosling, her cliche story line is overcome by her ability to get into her character.<br />
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Natalie Portman (<i>Jackie</i>)<br />
Didn't want to see. Jesus, it really looks like I hate women, huh? But, where's Sasha Lane for <i>American Honey</i>?<br />
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Meryl Streep (Florence Foster Jenkins)<br />
Obligatory Meryl Streep nomination. Though *I heard* she was really good in the film, despite it being fairly mediocre overall.<br />
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<b>Who I Want to Win:</b> Emma Stone<br />
<b>Who Will Win:</b> Emma Stone, Meryl Streep</div>
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<b><span style="font-size: large;">-Best Supporting Actor-</span></b><br />
<b><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></b>
<img src="http://thecoost.com/wp-content/uploads/hell_or_high_water.jpg" height="265" width="400" /><br />
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Jeff Bridges (<i>Hell or High Water</i>)<br />
Damn, do I love older actors in closer to modern day westerns. Tommy Lee Jones in "No Country For Old Men" and now Jeff Bridges as Marcus Hamilton in this. "Hell or High Water" becomes a mediocre flick if Bridges isn't on his A-game. Fortunately, Bridges brings a gritty--yet down to earth--style to a Texas Ranger that is nearing the end of his career. He has the best moments and dialogue in the film and his scene with Chris Pine near the end of the film was exceptional.<br />
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Mahershala Ali (<i>Moonlight</i>)<br />
Like Janelle Monae, Mahershala Ali is nominated into two separate Best Picture films. He was fine in "Hidden Figures" but "Moonlight " is another animal. He plays Juan, a drug dealer, who starts to mentor (with the help of Janelle Monae's Teresa, his wife) a kid, Chiron, whose mother is an awful drug-dealing prostitute who treats him terribly. The scenes at the kitchen table and beach with younger Chiron are sublime. While his first confrontation with Chiron's mother was intense. I'm really hoping Ali wins this category, but it really is stacked.<br />
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Dev Patel (<i>Lion</i>)</div>
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Don't ask me why. But, if you told me that the kid who followed up killing it in "Slumdog Millionaire" (I still think that was a fine film) with playing Zuko, in what is considered one of the worst films of all time, would now be nominated for Best Supporting Actor, I'd would have probably done nothing. And here we are after a probably run-on and confusing sentence. I thought Sunny Pawar, the kid who played the younger Saroo Brierley, was more impactful, but Patel carried the second half of the film pretty hardcore.</div>
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Lucas Hedges (<i>Manchester by the Sea</i>)<br />
This may seem out of place, but if you've seen "Manchester by the Sea," then you'll know the reason he's nominated here. He's not only the 'Yang' to Casey Affleck's 'Yin,' but he's the thing that keeps Lee Chandler's character going in the second half of the film. As much as Chandler wanted to be the guy renting out a basement, helping people with handiwork, he needed Patrick Chandler more than he let on. Hedges is smart, composed and kept up with the emotional pace of this heavy film.<br />
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Michael Shannon (<i>Nocturnal Animals</i>)<br />
I'm glad "Nocturnal Animals" got this nomination because I quite enjoyed it. The plot within a plot was fun, despite the overall revenge plot being rather predictable. Michael Shannon, as Detective Bobby Andes is not a character in the main plot. He's one in the book, which has one of the subplots of the film. Confusing right? Anywho, Shannon is scary fun as the character in the book is so heightened. He's not quite cliche, but he's not overly original either. Shannon plays him straight down the line as well, he doesn't stray to far enough into the cliche and that's what make him work.<br />
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<b>Who I Want to Win:</b> Jeff Bridges, Mahershala Ali<br />
<b>Who Will Win:</b> Mahershala Ali, Lucas Hedges<br />
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<b><span style="font-size: large;">-Best Supporting Actress-</span></b></div>
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Viola Davis (<i>Fences</i>)<br />
This is one of those performances that you know is an all-time classic, so to speak. Once she was nominated, she was probably going to take the award. Davis' role as Rose Lee Maxson was transcendent. Her powerful presence, sincerity, and pure emotion was a wonder to watch. She interacted with the rest of the cast, especially Denzel Washington, expertly. You see her range from laughter to sorrow to joy and hope. Davis' performance was my favorite thing about "Fences."<br />
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Naomie Harris (<i>Moonlight)</i><br />
Remember the abusive mother of Chiron from "Moonlight" that I mentioned earlier? Well Naomie Harris was the one who played Paula. Her early scenes with Ali and Hibbert, set the tone about her vices. Her later scene with Rhodes in the third act was powerfully emotional. You hate her like Chiron does early on. As the film matures and grows up with Chiron, you start to see her in the light he does. She's hurt him, but she hass recognized what she's done and is truly trying to fix the wounds she inflicted. I would've liked to see Janelle Monae nominated for her role as Teresa, but Harris' performance was just as good.<br />
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<br />
Nicole Kidman (<i>Lion</i>)<br />
The weakest of the five nominees is Nicole Kidman's performance as Sue Brierley, Saroo's Austirilan adoptive mother. She may be the weakest of these five, but behind Patel, she was my favorite character in "Lion" You saw true kindness in everything she tried to do. You saw the pain she felt when her kids were at odds. You saw the love and accepting in her heart when Saroo's told her about the journey to find her family. Kidman was casted well and she delivered a great performance.<br />
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Octavia Spencer (<i>Hidden Figures</i>)<br />
I don't think there's too much to say about Octavia Spencer's performance in "Hidden Figures" as Dorothy Vaughan. She was great. The chemistry between her, Henson and Monae was incredible. Not only that, her character was written well. I'm sure there was some embellishing, but she was seamless between supportive friend, amazing mother and caring supervisor. I still think Henson should've been nominated for anything, but it's great that one of the three got nominated for anything.<br />
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Michelle Williams (<i>M</i><i>anchester by the Sea</i>)<br />
Like Casey Affleck as Lee Chandler, Michelle Williams as Randi, Lee's former wife, is a tale of two halves. You see a very different person in the flashbacks than what so you in present day scenes. William and Affleck tread that line very well. The different degrees of emotion is astounding. Like Chandler, Randi has gone through a metric ton of rough times and is just trying to keep going despite it. You see love and pain alike. You see the highs and lows. This is the most emotional film I watched last year and Williams did a fantastic job with her role as Randi.<br />
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<img src="http://media.vanityfair.com/photos/57ea83970a8ec0db67d1fe82/master/pass/viola.png" height="242" width="400" /><br />
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<b>Who I Want to Win:</b> Viola Davis<br />
<b>Who Will Win:</b> Viola Davis<br />
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<b><span style="font-size: large;">-Best Animated Feature-</span></b></div>
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<i>Kubo and the Two Strings</i><br />
The stop motion film you've likely seen if you're looking for animation from 2016. "Kubo and the Two Strings" was a fun ride. The animation was top notch and that's the selling point for Kubo. What it may lack in great voice acting or fleshed out characters, it makes up for with a beautifully designed world and characters. The plot is pretty standard, the voice acting is okay and the characters are kind-of thin. But overall, Kubo is pretty alright, if not for seeing the animation and design alone.<br />
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<img height="211" src="https://s.aolcdn.com/dims-shared/dims3/GLOB/crop/810x429+0+271/resize/660x350!/format/jpg/quality/85/https://s.aolcdn.com/hss/storage/midas/59553cabaf1139f62fcba203d76db8c9/204317236/moana+poster.jpg" width="400" /><br />
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<i>Moana</i><br />
I may be a little biased, but this was my favorite film of 2016. I know, I'm a 26 year old man, but "Moana" made me feel some feels, man. The second Disney animated offering released in 2016 to earn a Best Animated feature, did so in a more traditional way. with the whole singing plus "princess" route. "Moana's" score and soundtrack were my favorite of the year. While the animation, voice acting and story (even though it felt a bit rushed near the end) were all superb. The Rock was great as Maui, while Auli'i Cravalho--both singing and voicing--as Moana was outstanding. I really want "How Far I'll Go" to win Best Original song as well.<br />
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<i>My Life As a Zucchini</i><br />
The lone film I haven't been able to see off of the nominations. *I hear* it's great. And if it does indeed win over these other four, that same Vegas guy who bet on Viggo Mortensen, will have a lot more money to gamble away during the baseball season.<br />
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<i>The Red Turtle</i><br />
If Ghibli's gonna release a film, it's probably gonna get an Oscar nomination. I liked "The Red Turtle," a mostly silent film that follows the story of a man who is trapped on a desert island who suddenly finds a mysterious turtle that changes his life. Beautifully animated with a good story and great score, this is a fine nomination. Though if I'm going to have an anime film nominated this year, I'd have much rather it been "your name." by Makoto Shinkai.<br />
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<i>Zootopia</i><br />
This was near the top of my favorite films for most of the year. It was eventually passed by only "Moana," "Captain America: Civil War" and "Hell or High Water." I loved (almost) everything about this film, and that it was more than just a kids film. It didn't outright scream "prejudice" and "racism." It did touch on it in a way for kids to be able to get acclimated with a heavy subject at a younger age. The story was surprisingly deep, the animation was top notch and the voice acting was great as well. The only thing I really didn't like was the music, it just didn't work for me or this film.<br />
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<img src="http://static.srcdn.com/wp-content/uploads/zoootpia-box-office-record.jpg" height="200" width="400" /><br />
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<b>Who I Want to Win:</b> Moana<br />
<b>Who Will Win:</b> Zootopia<br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b>-Best Director-</b></span><br />
Damien Chazelle (<i>La La Land</i>)<br />
"La La Land" is projected to be big winners. They've cleaned up everywhere. I'm not convinced it was the best film, but I an convinced that Chazelle was the best director. He took what easily could've been just another musical, and turned it into a great overall experience. His musical numbers are the best parts of the film and bring out the best of the people involved. From "Whiplash" to this, he's one of the best people going right now.<br />
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Mel Gibson (<i>Hacksaw Ridge</i>)<br />
Did I already make a "Mel Gibson hates Jews" joke? Does he even still get hate if he's allowed to appear like he did last year and get nominated like he did this year? Who knows? What I do know is Mel Gibson, even with his embellishing of things, made a damn fine war scene. His attention to detail was incredible in the second half of the film. The last half of "Hacksaw Ridge" is some of the most grisly and brutal war footage you'll ever see. Overall, "Hacksaw Ridge" was pretty good too.<br />
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<img src="http://esq.h-cdn.co/assets/16/43/640x320/landscape-1477344363-barry-jenkins-04-david-bornfriend-courtesy-of-a24.jpg" height="200" width="400" /><br />
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Barry Jenkins (<i>Moonlight</i>)<br />
"Moonlight" is a very intimate film. The one thing I wanted to point out while I was watching, was the use of tight shots of the face as well a only framing the person talking. Rarely in a scene would there be a wide shot or the whole room. You were always with the person talking, seeing that person as something was happening to them. At times it was pleasant, at times it was emotional. Jenkins found the perfect style that this film needed.<br />
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Kenneth Lonergan (<i>Manchester by the Sea</i>)<br />
Man, Kenneth Lonergan had it easy. He was given a supreme script and story. Superb acting by Casey Affleck, Michelle Williams and Lucas Hedges. All he had to do was film it. (Don't worry, I know he did more.) Everything looked great and this was a well oiled film that clicked in every single aspect.<br />
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Denis Villeneuve (<i>Arrival</i>)<br />
I still think it's a crime that Amy Adams did not get nominated for this film. Denis Villeneuve did a great job of bringing this short story to life. The best stuff was the scenes inside the alien spacecraft and the flashbacks. The darker tone of this film, a lot of black, overcast skies and grays in general, lend to the confused and scared feeling of the world. Definitely the weakest of the bunch, but a well deserved nomination nonetheless.<br />
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<img src="http://cdn2.thr.com/sites/default/files/2016/11/la_la_land_-_embed_2_-_h_-_2016.jpg" height="266" width="400" /><br />
<br />
<b>Who I Want to Win:</b> Damien Chazelle<br />
<b>Who Will Win:</b> Damien Chazelle<br />
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FatJesusReviewshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16182451361373295175noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7590364381018884588.post-81730576938265080622017-02-19T16:08:00.002-06:002017-02-25T20:46:06.676-06:00Fifty Shades Darker [A Why Did I Watch This "Review"]<div style="text-align: center;">
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<b>**This review and post has naughty language, inappropriate "jokes" and thoughts about a naughty "film." Don't ever view this film..and possibly this review.**</b></div>
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"Fifty Shades Darker" doesn't count as a real film. So I'm not going to give it a real review. I gave "Fifty Shades of Grey" a review. But, nope, not this time. The first film was bland, boring and worst of all not nearly bad enough to properly make fun of. I honestly can't remember any of it. Nor will I likely remember any of this film by the time next February rolls around.</div>
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"Fifty Shades Darker" goes above and beyond the first "film." They make sure no conflict goes immediately unresolved. It's as if they were blasting through six episodes of a soap opera in the mid-1990s. It got dialogue from local internet fan fiction forums, probably including ones for Vin Diesel. They brought the unnecessary helicopter back and let it crash. There's just so much to digest in this, I can barely comprehend all that happened. There's no plot in this, by the way. There's no plot in the first one. How are these being legitimately watched by people?</div>
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The leads, Dakota Johnson and Jamie Dornan have the chemistry of two rocks on a mountain. At least they were better in this than in the first "film." In scenes, they "act" as if they're off-brand Barbie and Ken dolls that a 5-year old is playing with. While the beautiful and vibrate setting of Seattle is perfect setting for the muddled fifty shades of dark colors and misery. The tone shifts from boring, to bewilderment, unintentional comedy, to awe, to dissecting reality and finally making peace with the deity you believe in.</div>
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Oh right, the sex. Yeah, there's sex scenes. There's front boob, side boob, side butt, butt butt. There's also sensuality with awkward dialogue, almost rape (don't worry, that got resolved in five minutes like all other "conflict"), missionary position, Mormon position and finally, you guessed it, the ever kinky and totally outrageous, missionary position! For a series that prides itself on pushing the envelope, there sure is a lot of safe stuff when it comes to the "controversy" they're trying to create.</div>
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"Fifty Shades Darker" is better suited to the people's actual imaginations that are reading the "book" series (Ew), than it is being a "film" for them. Because there is no way that this watered down, badly acted, badly written, badly everything'd "adaptation", can get more out of the people that want to see it, than actually fantasizing (Ew) can.</div>
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<b><span style="font-size: large;">-Commentary From The People I Watched With-</span></b><o:p></o:p></div>
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"Ah, the bright and vibrant sweeping shots of Seattle."</div>
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"Nice boat, does it come in
heterosexual?"<o:p></o:p></div>
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"How did they do anal in missionary
earlier?"<o:p></o:p></div>
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"He's gonna go down on her again and
she hasn't even sucked his dick."<o:p></o:p></div>
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"Look at those special f**k
pants."<o:p></o:p></div>
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"Did you just say "The Boob
Titties.""<o:p></o:p></div>
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"Is he gonna eat those (panties)
instead of dinner?"</div>
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"F**king kill her!"<o:p></o:p></div>
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"Holy shit, he has The Force."<o:p></o:p></div>
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<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: center;">
"Wow, hey, the tension got resolved
in one scene again!"<o:p></o:p></div>
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"This sounds like the music in
"God's Not Dead.""<o:p></o:p></div>
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"He's Batman dude."<o:p></o:p></div>
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"Oh, he's subbing to her now.
Symbolism."<o:p></o:p></div>
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"The fire burns with the passion of
1,000 suns."<o:p></o:p></div>
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"All the oxygen can see her boobs."<o:p></o:p></div>
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"She's not even bottomless."<o:p></o:p></div>
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"I like this movie cause it reminds
me of shit."<o:p></o:p></div>
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"He's planking."<o:p></o:p></div>
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"Guys, if you don't know (yet), he's
rich."<o:p></o:p></div>
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"Hey look, it's Graeme."<o:p></o:p></div>
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"Hey look a helicopter again."<o:p></o:p></div>
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"They inserted this [movie long]
conflict in the last 15 minutes."<o:p></o:p></div>
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"HOW IS HE ALREADY THERE? THEY JUST
FOUND HIM!"<o:p></o:p></div>
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"OH MY GOD, DANIEL BRYAN!"<o:p></o:p></div>
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"Sometimes this music is ill-timed
and always bad."<o:p></o:p></div>
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"[Missionary] It's kinky,
Matt."<o:p></o:p></div>
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<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: center;">
"Are they hyping up the third film like MCU would?"</div>
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<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: center;">
"Yo, we only have to wait a year to see part three?! THIS IS LIT!"</div>
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<b><u><span style="font-size: large;">-Actual Lines/Things in the
"Film"-</span></u></b><o:p></o:p></div>
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<o:p><br /></o:p></div>
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<o:p>Text: Dream of me</o:p></div>
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<o:p>Reply: Maybe. Thanks for tonight. Laters Baby.</o:p></div>
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<o:p><br /></o:p></div>
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<o:p>"I think we should take it slow." *Later in the scene we have the first sex scene*</o:p></div>
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<o:p><br /></o:p></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: center;">
<o:p>"You know that's off-limits."</o:p></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: center;">
<o:p>"I'm gonna need a road map"</o:p></div>
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<o:p><br /></o:p></div>
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<o:p>"I'm too dressed."</o:p></div>
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"No, you're not putting those in my
butt."<o:p></o:p></div>
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"I don't know whether to worship at
your feet or spank you."<o:p></o:p></div>
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<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: center;">
"I wanna marry you."<o:p></o:p></div>
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"Why?"<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: center;">
"My arrival into the world isn't
something I feel like celebrating."<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: center;">
"It's after midnight."<o:p></o:p></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: center;">
"I'm not tired."<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: center;">
"Wait, so this whole time, I had the
answer in my pocket?"<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: center;">
"You taught me how to f**k, Elena. Ana, taught me how to love."<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: center;">
*The Chronicles of Riddick poster on the
wall*<o:p></o:p></div>
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*The pointless second proposal after she already said yes to the first proposal.*<o:p></o:p></div>
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FatJesusReviewshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16182451361373295175noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7590364381018884588.post-10764563141207552442017-01-07T19:29:00.002-06:002017-01-07T19:29:55.348-06:00Hell or High Water [A Fat Jesus Film Review]<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Ahhh 2017. Donald Trump is going to be president. MTV is racist. Buzzfeed is still prevalent for some reason. 2016 was so bad nothing could possibly go wrong in 2017. So, for my first review of the year, before things inevitably hit us like a meteor hitting the planet, I had to do it on "Hell or High Water." One of the best western crime dramas in recent memory, Jeff Bridges, Chris Pine and Ben Foster, anchor a drama filled heist-spree that never goes over the top. Jeff Bridges proves he still has fantastic acting chops, while the relationship between Chris Pine and Ben Foster is as authentic as you'll see in a film from last year.</div>
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"Hell or High Water" follows the story of two brothers living in West Texas, Toby and Tanner Howard (Pine and Foster). Toby is divorced, while his brother is an ex-con. Tanner, being a wild-card, often frustrates Toby. They knock off a few Texas Midlands banks one morning. This draws the attention of Texas Rangers and Marcus Hamilton (Bridges) and his partner Alberto Parker (Gil Birmingham) are put on the case. Marcus is closing in on retirement and teases his partner about being half Mexican and Indian. Two brothers and two Texas rangers then engage in a game of cat and mouse, with nothing but the rural lands of Texas as their backdrop.</div>
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The grit, realness, and authenticity are what makes this film work. There's action, but it's not overly done. There gun fights and car chases, but they're not over-done. The story doesn't bring much new to the table, older lawman figuring out the plan of two younger criminals. What it does do, is make the characters relatable and grounded in reality. It gives us great cinematography of West Texas small towns landscapes. Just about every aspect of "Hell or High Water," aside from the cliched plot outline, is refreshing and adrenaline inducing.</div>
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This starts with the performances from the leads. Ben Foster, as Tanner Howard, is a firecracker. He's the most high-energy person in the film and brings the most intensity to every scene he's in. The brotherly exchanges with Pine, especially the scene in the casino and the second bank robbery, were awesome. You watch him slowly devolve throughout the film up until his climax. Chris Pine, as Toby Howard, is the smarter and more calm and collected of the two brothers. He's the brains behind the bank robberies working, for the most part. He's also the more established character. We find out about his family life, divorce and plans for after this spree. The scene mid-way through the film, where he wails on the guy at the gas station, as well as the climax of the film, are contrasting scenes that show the range of his character. Finally, Jeff Bridges, as Marcus Hamilton, is the anchor of the film and proves that his acting ability is still there. Hamilton reminded me of Tommy Lee Jones' character in "No Country For Old Men." The cliched retirement angle is prevalent, but the humor, knowledge and rapport with his partner Alberto Parker (Birmingham) is perfect. A slightly racist, wise-cracking, smarter than the bad guys and completely bad-ass Texas Ranger, going out on his own terms was a pleasure to watch. The whole last act and climax of the film saw Bridges at his finest.</div>
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The overall acting is what sets the tone, lets us fully enjoy the phenomenal cinematography and the well done action. The small town shots, the small town people and the sweeping shots of landscapes drove the point home that this area of West Texas was not as well off as other places in the US. This is not a bright film, a lot of it takes place during the day, but the film gives off a dusty badlands color vibe. The car chases weren't full of unnecessary explosions. The bank robberies, with the exception of the last one they do, are smaller and intimate. There are gun fights, but they're sensible for the most part. There's some gore, but it's used for shock value and finality. Everything that supports the acting--the story, action, colors, tones--is crisp and keeps you invested until the credits roll.</div>
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"Hell or High Water" is probably the best crime film of 2016. "The Nice Guys" is the opposite of this in almost every single way, not that that's a bad thing either. It's about going to extreme heights, with the characters, acting, dialogue and plot (which is wholly original), combining to make a fun film. "Hell or High Water" goes for the more realistic approach. The acting is what resonated with me much more than in "The Nice Guys." It's a western that's light on the western, but taps into its essence when it's needed. Pine, Foster and Bridges give astounding performances in a film that people should give a watch.</div>
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FatJesusReviewshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16182451361373295175noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7590364381018884588.post-4823979223560782312016-12-17T20:24:00.000-06:002016-12-17T20:25:31.794-06:00Thirty-Eight 2016 Films I Never Reviewed [Fat Jesus Tweet Reviews]<div style="text-align: center;">
Now I haven't done a blog post in quite awhile. I got busy with school this semester. So, for my last post of 2016, I decided to do Tweet reviews of films that I never got around to doing actual reviews of over this past year. It might be a cop out, but I hope you get the gist of what I thought of all these films. I'm pretty sure they're in alphabetical order as well, so feel free to scroll through them all at your leisure! There may be typos too cause these are Tweets and I'm lazy. (I saw a few in my screen caps that I'm far too lazy to change haha.)</div>
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Anyway, thanks for reading everything that I posted this year! Be sure to have a Merry Christmas and Happy New Year as well!</div>
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FatJesusReviewshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16182451361373295175noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7590364381018884588.post-20383063620014128982016-08-05T18:51:00.000-05:002016-08-05T18:51:01.460-05:00Suicide Squad [A Fat Jesus Film Review]<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Alright you comic book and
superhero nerds out there, I’m back! This time with a review of the most hyped
DC film that didn’t go over well with the critics, since the last ten DC films
that didn’t go over well with critics. That’s right, I’m talking about “Batman
& Robin.” Just kidding, this time, it’s “Suicide Squad!” It’s my birthday
today and coincidentally it’s also opening day for the superhero-villain group
of self-harm. Now the critics have been really rough on DC this year, “Batman v
Superman” didn’t go over so well and neither has “Suicide Squad.” I’m on the
other side of the boat than most every critic out there. I thought BvS was
alright, and “Suicide Squad” is a further step in the right direction, as DC has finally
started to build their expanded universe.<o:p></o:p></div>
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“Suicide Squad” occurs after the
events of “Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice.” Government official Amanda
Walker (Viola Davis) assembles a team of the world’s most dangerous criminals
to undertake high-risk missions for the United States government. These
criminals are; the deranged girlfriend of The Joker (Jared Leto), Harley Quinn (Margot Robbie),
an elite hitman and assassin that has never missed a shot, Deadshot (Will Smith),
an ex-gangster with pyrokinetic powers, El Diablo (Jay Hernandez), a crazed Australian
bank robber, Captain Boomerang (Jai Courtney), a monstrous cannibal that has
the body of a crocodile, Killer Croc (Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje) and a spec-op mercenary
Slipknot (Adam Beach). Under the command of Colonel Rick Flag (Joel Kinnaman),
as well as his bodyguard Katana (Karen Fukuhara), the group must go into the
heart of Midway City and stop Dr. June Moone (Cara Delevingne). She is a former
recruit for the squad, who is possessed by an ancient witch called the
Enchantress, who is hell bent on destroying the world. This ‘Suicide Squad’ is
not keen on being used, or working together, but along the way realize that a
bigger evil than all of them combined is threatening the planet’s existence.<o:p></o:p></div>
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I've been keeping up with the overall
thoughts coming out from the world over the past couple of days leading to the
release of the film. I can honestly say that the most accurate thing I’ve
seen, from everyone, is that it feels like two different films patched
together. This also comes on the heels of reports that the films, was in fact,
reshot in a lot of places in the wake of BvS reviews and reception. This is a
film that has the flashes of the Marvel quips and humor, but the muddled
stories that DC have been putting out with their last couple of films. I liked
the humor and character writing, I thought it worked well in a lot of places.
Harley Quinn, The Joker (at times), Amanda Walker and even Deadshot have some
great humorous moments. All of the members have their moment to shine in the
film too, which is a welcome site that no one is left out. The problem comes
with the plot. The only reason the squad is even needed at all, is because the
squad was created in the first place. Not only that, the cliched “honor among
thieves” in done so often, it’s hard to get excited because we knew the bad guys
were going to be good guys and save the world. Let Harley Quinn escape near the
end and make Joker more central to the story. Those would be my two biggest
fixes, rather than paying Jared Leto lead money for a supporting role at best
and letting the predictable happen. Other than that my biggest complaints were
the length, it felt really draggy at times, the forgettable/underwhelming villain (Sorry, Cara) and the reshoots probably didn’t
help things either.<o:p></o:p></div>
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The acting was pretty damn good
too. Margot Robbie was a fantastic Harley Quinn, in both the current and
flashback scenes, and really captured the dark, quirky, evil humor that The
Joker made her brain into. Speaking of The Joker, Jared Leto was pretty good. I
don’t think there was enough of him overall to truly judge him, but if he’s in
the solo Batman film with Ben Affleck, oh man, that could be perfect. Will
Smith is another standout as Deadshot. I was a bit worried about how he would
do as Deadshot, but he was the charismatic lead they signed him for. The first
scene in midway where he went berserk and killed literally everything on the
frontlines by himself, was probably the most badass moment in the film. Finally,
Viola Davis as Amanda Walker, the government agent, with her take no prisoners
attitude and the means to control these criminals, provides the only reason the
plot ever moves. Not only that, she has moments of badassery that one ups
everyone. Everyone else is fine in their roles, especially Jay Hernandez as El
Diablo, who gets awesome in the final act alone, and it keeps the story that is
on life-support afloat. The action is fine throughout as well. There are a few
scenes with Batfleck kicking ass and the second half of the film has pretty
consistently good action until the credits roll. The music and score we’re
alright too. It felt like they were going for a “Guardians of the Galaxy”
vibe, but came off as cramming too much recognizable music, rather than a good
sensible mix.<o:p></o:p></div>
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“Suicide Squad” is DC’s better film
of the year. But, not by as much as people would lead you to think. If you
never saw “Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice” the extended cut it’s worth your
time, it’s marginally better than the theatrical cut. On the other hand, “Suicide
Squad” is working DC’s way towards the Marvel recipe of action and humor. If DC
wants to take a page from Marvel, then they need to build off of this, then they could make comparable films. The humor is there, the action is alright, the
casting is great as well. They just need the coherent stories and they can keep it rolling. I liked “Suicide Squad”, the problem is the bad and meh are
REALLY bad and meh. This all being said, “Suicide Squad” is worth a watch, and
DC is marginally improving.</div>
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FatJesusReviewshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16182451361373295175noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7590364381018884588.post-58421904768756723722016-06-06T17:07:00.000-05:002016-06-06T17:07:57.532-05:00John Wick [Fiverr Fix]<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<b><u>**Disclaimer! This is a review asked for by a friend of mine through Fiverr. If you'd like to request a film review please head on over to this link, <a href="https://www.fiverr.com/fatjesusreviews/write-a-500-word-film-review-on-any-film-of-your-choosing?extras=42455399"><span style="color: white;">HERE</span></a>! It will help me out in a small way if you choose to do so!**</u></b></div>
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Keanu Reeves is the first big action star for us kids born
in the late 90s. You had your Arnold’s, you had your Seagal’s, you even had your Willis’.
The “Matrix” changed all that, as we finally had Neo to satisfy our action hero
needs. For Reeves it’s been a very hit a miss career ever since, that’s
including the second and third Matrix films. Well, Keanu fans, don’t fret,
because 2014’s “John Wick” is the action film you’ve been waiting for. Now that
I have finally seen the film, and not just heard the good things about it, I’m
on board for the sequel that’s coming out early next year.<o:p></o:p></div>
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“John Wick” follows the story of John Wick (Reeves). He has
recently lost his wife, Helen (Bridget Moynahan), and after her death he receives
a puppy, Daisy, that she sent to him to help him cope. The two bond quickly and
one day at a gas station, three Russian mobsters ask to buy Wick’s car, to
which he refuses. Unfortunately, the mobsters follow Wick home, beat him down,
kill the puppy and steal his car. The mobsters have no idea what they’re about
to unleash, as Wick, the Russian mobs (former) best assassin, is about to go on
a revenge fueled retribution spree.<o:p></o:p></div>
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This film is a return to form for the former top tier action
star Reeves, as everything in this action-thriller works. The setting of New
York City is used quite well as decapitated buildings and extravagant hotels
are torn asunder as Wick fights to find who killed his dog. He’s also surviving
the multi-million dollar hit that was placed on him too. The darker tones and
shadow filled places and characters add great depth to the film. This is further
enhanced by the melodic soundtrack which sounded awesome. This is more than
just your typical action film as well, as Keanu, Michael Nyqvist (Viggo), Ian
McShane (Winston) show the depths of this almost mythical and unbelievable crime
syndicate. Finally, the action is what anchors “John Wick.” Second unit directors
and stunt coordinators from “The Matrix” trilogy are used in this and it’s
clear they can still put on a damn good show. The fight scenes are quick, fluid
and look brutal. Not to mention there’s a ton of them, so you’re not sitting
around waiting for the action to flare back up. Each punch seems like it’s
breaking bone and every shot to the head from Wick is greatly satisfying.<o:p></o:p></div>
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“John Wick” is one of those films that sinks its teeth into
you and never lets go until the credits roll. We get a lot character depth out
of a lot of the main characters, most notably John Wick. This is an action
thriller that’s deeper than just, “man blindly rampages to satisfy his need for
revenge.” The look and feel of the film are astounding, while the action and
score are brutal, fluid and electric. Man, I really wish I’d watched “John Wick”
much sooner.</div>
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FatJesusReviewshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16182451361373295175noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7590364381018884588.post-48813657436563003402016-05-19T16:18:00.001-05:002016-05-19T19:23:49.069-05:00Gods of Egypt [A Fat Jesus Quick Hit]<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Jesus H. Christ what the hell did I just watch? Now, I normally don't go out of my way to write purely scathing reviews, unless you count <span style="color: white;"><a href="http://fatjesusreviews.blogspot.com/2015/02/fifty-shades-of-grey-fat-jesus-quick-hit.html"><span style="color: white;"><b>"50 Shades of Grey."</b></span></a> </span>But, "Gods of Egypt" is a film, if you can even call it that, that takes the concept of bad CGI and turns it into a running gag. No this is not a comedy, this is a film that takes a star-studded cast, 140 million dollars and a loose guesstimation of Egyptian mythology and turns it into 2 hours...wait hold on, this was two hours? Why? What? How? I can't believe I actually watched this...</div>
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"Gods of Egypt" follows the story of Bek (Brenton Thwaites) and Horus (Nikolaj Coster-Waldau) as they fight against the new mad king Set (Gerard Butler) after he takes over the throne. This is an alternate Egypt where the earth is flat and the gods live among the mortals. You can tell who the gods are by their size, golden blood and their ability to Animorph into super-powered animal-headed deity forms. (No, I am not making this up.) During the overthrow, Set takes Horus' eyes, leaving him powerless. He also steals his Queen to be, Hathor (Elodie Yung). Bek's girlfriend --fiancee, wife, not really sure-- Zaya (Courtney Eaton) gets taken as salve to the new government. She helps get Bek the plans to steal back one of Horus' eyes and after he does the two are caught. As they run, Zaya is fatally shot with an arrow. Bek goes to Hours to give him his eye back and ask for his help as the two journey across land and space to try and save Zaya and all of Egypt from Set's apocalyptic plans.</div>
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This is CGI the film. From start to finish you're loaded with completely noticeable CGI backgrounds, god to animal transformations and copy and paste crowds of people in the background. This wouldn't be so awful if the CGI wasn't so unbearable. This film is loaded with motion blur and PS3 level design animal transformations. Nothing is seamless and everything looks like it was made in a rush. That is the theme of "God of Egypt," hastiness. The story winds on and on, with a lot of it being pointless filler that made it seem like it justified the 140 million dollar budget. The story itself is bare-bones, because this is a "bad guy takes over, good guy loses and emotionally scarred pretty boy has to change his ways to save the earth" story. Cliche in every aspect. Yet this film spends an hour and a half trying to build one dimensional characters that really didn't matter because the CGI was the focal point of everything. I will give it to Chadwick Boseman and Elodie Yung, Thoth and Hator. They had fun with their roles and actually gave some of the more okay moments of this disaster. Gerard Butler has gone back to his trend of playing King Leonidas in every role. Nikolaj Coster-Waldau is pretty good on "Game of Thrones," but here he's pedestrian at best. Finally, I legit thought Bek and Zaya were Aladdin and Jasmine knock-offs for a solid portion of the film.</div>
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"Gods of Egypt" is the worst big budget film of the year by a landslide and might be the worst big budget film I've seen since "Jupiter Ascending." The acting, though they were given nothing to work with, is abysmal. The story is a cliched mess. While the CGI that is supposed to help out at times, is poorly done and looks terrible. I can't recommend much of anything at all in this film. I will say, at least three of these actors have other things going on, "Daredevil," "Black Panther" and "Game of Thrones." Because this was clearly a film that they were held hostage to make, that is the only logical explanation I can think of. </div>
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FatJesusReviewshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16182451361373295175noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7590364381018884588.post-24454513693285826342016-05-18T20:50:00.001-05:002016-05-18T20:50:43.343-05:0010 Cloverfield Lane [A Fat Jesus Quick Hit]<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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"Cloverfield," you know that 2008 found footage action horror film about a giant alien monster --that's not Godzilla-- rampaging around New York City? Well, I'm on the side that it was a pretty solid film. The monster was cool, the POV was done well and the overall feel was fun. Never did I think that a spin-off, or "spiritual successor" as the makers call this, like "10 Cloverfield Lane" would ever be born out of that film. But, here we are in 2016 and John Goodman, Mary Elizabeth Winestead and John Gallagher Jr. are apart of one of the best sci-fi thrillers of the first half of the year.</div>
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"10 Cloverfield Lane" follows the story of Michelle (Winestead). She leaves New Orleans and drives through rural Louisiana after a fight with her boyfriend. On the radio she hears about blackouts in major cities and when she gets a call from Ben (her boyfriend) she gets distracted and gets into an accident. Some time later she wakes up and she is chained to wall in a basement. Howard (Goodman) enters the room and informs Michelle that she was in an accident, that an unknown attack has taken place on earth and that she is in a bunker under his home. Michelle them meets Emmett (Gallagher Jr.) who saw the attacks and took shelter in Howard's bunker as well. Time begins to pass as the three start to "live" in the bunker, but tensions begin to rise as Michelle and Emmett start to think that Howard is hiding a big secret.</div>
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This is a film that builds tension very well. This isn't a horror, but there are times where things get pretty creepy. This is partially due to the great writing that the screenwriters gave to the actors. The story is great, the characters are engaging and realistic and the atmosphere is eerie from start to finish. Without giving much away, this is a sci-fi thriller set in a bunker after an attack on the US and possibly the earth. The three people begin to try and wait out the attacks, but things get hairy as dissension, uneasiness and distrust. This makes the mystery aspect thrive from start to finish. The other part is due to the fantastic acting by the three leads. John Gallagher Jr., as Emmet, was a great middle ground character. As I'll talk about soon, Winestead is almost pure good, while Goodman is that menacing evil throughout the film. The meek guy that seems kindhearted is a great compliment to both of the other leads. Winestead, as Michelle, is the post-Apocalypse innocence that the planet will inevitably need. She is a kind girl stuck in a wholly unfortunate situation. She sees the goodness in Emmett and she is always wary of everything Howard does. We see her go from silent "damsel in distress," to a leader that has what it takes to survive. Finally, we have a committed and outstanding performance from Goodman. The lurking evil, the hidden agenda, the secret past, the mysterious knowledge of everything going on. Howard is everything you expect a psychopath and Goodman embodies it. I mean come-on, no one can leave and he's had this bunker ready for years. I almost wanted a tinfoil hat in the background somewhere.<br />
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If you liked "Cloverfield" and are at all interested in a spin-off that may or may not be in the same world, then "10 Cloverfield Lane" is for you. Even if you aren't a fan of the "first" film, then this is a good enough psychological thriller to satisfy anyone's appetite. The story is solid, the atmosphere is ominous and the acting, especially by John Goodman, is committed and convincing. In the first part of 2016, it's probably the best thriller so far.</div>
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FatJesusReviewshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16182451361373295175noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7590364381018884588.post-19498516070638485302016-05-12T18:54:00.000-05:002016-05-12T18:54:40.067-05:00The Witch [A Fat Jesus Quick Hit]<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Horror films are my jam. Lately though, as almost anyone with a pulse knows, there's maybe three or four good horror films that come out in a given year. The first big one for 2016 is definitely "The Witch."A bleak, dark, dreadful horror that builds tension from the opening scenes of the film until the credits roll. This film builds tension much like "It Follows," but it's much better at conveying the fact that nothing is going to get better for the family whatsoever. "The Witch" is one of those horror films that nags at you because it truly has nothing redeeming that happens at all over the course of this, just pure creepiness.</div>
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"The Witch" follows the story of a man named William (Ralph Ineson) in New England in the 17th century, who is exiled from a Puritan plantation. He and his, now banished, family-- wife, Katherine (Kate Dickie), daughter, Thomasin (Anya Taylor-Joy), son, Caleb (Harvey Scrimshaw) and fraternal twins, Mercy & Jonas (Ellie Grainger & Lucas Dawson)-- build a farm next to a forest. After several months, Katherine has a baby, Samuel, and one day while Thomasin is playing with him, he vanishes. A witch has taken the baby and Katherine now spends her days praying and crying. Things continue to deteriorate with the entire family as William and Katherine begin to have martial problems, a black goat, Phillip, that wanders onto the farm, begins to make the twins act crazy and Caleb even gets lost in the woods and comes back in miserable shape. William and his family are going through the toughest time of their lives, but will they make it through or succumb to darkness.</div>
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"The Witch" is a horror film with the best atmosphere that I've seen in forever. The dark and grey tones, the ominous and eerie score and the cinematography is what makes this stand out above other horror films as of late. The establishing shots of the farm and the forest are beautiful. It gives that sense of dread, while making you think, "I'd never want to come across this forest on a hike." The score that accompanies this is great as well. There's no points where jump scares are employed and the tension that the music brings is truly unsettling. The acting is fine. Ralph Ineson is pretty good as William. He brings that sense of urgent to every scene and he gets better as William descends into madness. Anya Taylor-Joy is also great as Thomasin. She is the last bastion of innocence left in this neck of the woods. While the "did she, didn't she" aspect kept the mystery of the witch in the forest alive until the end. The deaths are outstanding, especially when you start getting midway and through the end of the film. They're not overdone and they look great. Bloody, creepy and above all, realistic. The supernatural aspect is there but understated as well. You see the witch for a moment, black goat Phillip, is a great medium, and watching the family descend into madness is satisfying.</div>
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"The Witch" is a great atmospheric horror film that relies on it's look and tension. It's built so well that you're in a complete state of uneasiness throughout the duration. The story is fine and the acting is alright as well, but it's the menacing feel, the dark tones and the looming feel of death is what makes this horror work. There's nothing "good" about this film and that's what makes it so great. If you're in the mood for a great looking horror film, that makes you uncomfortable from start to finish, then "The Witch" will be perfect for you.</div>
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FatJesusReviewshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16182451361373295175noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7590364381018884588.post-22711832634247799352016-05-10T18:08:00.000-05:002016-05-10T18:08:07.184-05:00The Jungle Book [A Fat Jesus Quick Hit]<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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When I heard that "The Jungle Book" was getting a new live-action film and another new animated film to come later, I was intrigued. More so for this live action version, because I thoroughly enjoyed "Cinderella" from a last year, another live action re-imagining of a classic Disney cartoon. Jon Favreau has always been a director/producer I've enjoyed. The "Iron Man" trilogy, "Chef" and now "The Jungle Book." The cautious interest was whisked away about 10 minutes into the film as the gorgeous scenery, great CGI design and awesome voice acting gets you into this film from the get go. Sure, you probably know the story, but this is presented in such a good way you won't care.</div>
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"The Jungle Book" follows the story of Mowgli (Neel Sethi) a young boy who is raised by Raksha (Lupita Nyong'o), an Indian Wolf, that with her pack, led by Akela (Giancarlo Esposito), raises the boy from infancy. He is brought to them by a black panther, Bagheera (Ben Kingsly) who periodically checks upon the boy and teaches him things and how to live in the jungle. One day, during a drought, the animals that live in the jungle gather at the watering hole. A scarred Bengal tiger, Shere Khan (Idris Elba), catches the scent of Mowgli, and since a human scarred him, vows to kill the boy. This causes Akela's pack to send Mowgli away, for fear of attack from the tiger. Bagheera escorts Mowgli from the jungle, into the safety of the outer lands, where Mowgli meets a sloth bear, Baloo (Bill Murray), and gets to learn about the world outside of the only home he's known for the first time.</div>
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The things that stand out in this incarnation of The Jungle Book is the beauty of it all. The CGI animals look beautiful and realistic. So while they are CGI it's not distracting as if they looked CGI, if that makes sense. To go along with the CGI, the voice acting is some of the best you'll hear all year. The menacing tone of Elba as Shere Khan, the motherly love from Nyong'o as Raksha, the father-like teaching of Kingsly as Bagheera and the just plain fun in the voice of Murray as Baloo are all outstanding. Scarlett Johansson has a nice little part as Kaa, an Indian python, while a singing Christopher Walken as a mammoth orangutan, King Louie, will grab your attention. Neel Sethi as Mowgli is another high-point as he plays the part well and has great timing in all the lines he delivers and all the scenes he's apart of. The story is a hybrid of the original adaption and the original Disney film from 1967. It's got a darker tone overall, but there's still a lot of fun to be had. Especially when Mowgli meets Baloo for the first time and onward in the film. There's a serious tone, that pushed aside long enough at times, for fun shenanigans and even a few musical numbers.</div>
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All of this adds up to a fun as hell film. I like Disney's re-imagining of their own classic animated films. As I said above, "Cinderella" was good and I think "The Jungle Book" was even better. A great film from start to finish, that has exceptional voice acting, beautiful CGI and scenery and a solid hybrid story that will satisfy anyone watching. "The Jungle Book" just a fun time for all and you should definitely make time for it.</div>
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FatJesusReviewshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16182451361373295175noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7590364381018884588.post-60758301579120565252016-05-06T20:29:00.001-05:002016-05-10T16:47:47.567-05:00Captain America: Civil War [A Fat Jesus Film Review]<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Alright people who are seen as nerds because you watch over-sized fights with heroes packed in spandex (no this isn't a pro wrestling review), it's time to assemble! 2016 has already been littered with superheroes. "Deadpool" made us laugh hysterically. "Daredevil" (on Netflix) let us watch beautifully choreographed fight scenes. "Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice" let us...nap for a few hours? But now, NOW, we're ready for Captain America's third film, <strike>The Avengers: Fighting Between In-Laws</strike> "Captain America: Civil War!" Those those of us that got a bad taste in our mouths because of BvS, never fear! Civil War is that balance of drama, action and humor, that BvS was sorely looking for. Chris Evans and Robert Downey Jr. lead our ensemble cast in it's most adult film in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, so far. There's larger than life action sequences, humorous quips that fit the tone and a pretty good story wrapping up everything perfectly fine. Civil War will make Marvel fans overjoyed and with the addition of new faces, Marvel keeps stacking future films even more now. Big time spoilers below, duh.</div>
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"Captain America: Civil War" is set one year after the events in "Avengers: Age of Ultron." It follows the grudge match that breaks out between Captain America/Steve Rodgers (Evans) and Tony Stark/Iron Man (Downey Jr). The Avengers B Team, that consists of Captain America, Natasha Romanoff/Black Widow (Scarlett Johansson), Falcon (Anthony Mackie), Wanda Maximoff/Scarlet Witch (Elizabeth Olsen) and James Rhodes/War Machine (Don Cheadle), take down Bock Rumblow/Crossbones (Frank Grillo), who stole a biological weapon in Lagos. During the fight, Maximoff is forced to contain a massive bomb blast, but it still levels the floor of an office building. Upon return home, Maximoff is visibly shaken by what she did. The US Secretary of State informs the group that the UN will be establishing a governing body to control The Avengers and use them when needed. The team is divided, with Stark taking one side and Rodgers taking the other. During the meeting in Vienna, a devastating bomb is detonated, killing King T'Chaka of Wakanda and his son T'Challa/Black Panther (Chadwick Boseman) vows to kill the bomber, who is identified as The Winter Solider, Bucky Barnes (Sebastian Stan). After Captain America tries to get Bucky out of the country, they are captured by US intelligence. While Bucky is being interrogated by Helmut Zemo (Daniel Brühl), he is reconditioned by him to escape and does, solidifying the need for him to be caught. Tony Stark assembles his team to stop Rodgers team from causing further damage. In the Avengers biggest misunderstanding, Team Iron Man, which includes Vision (Paul Bettany) and Spider-Man (Tom Holland), takes on Team Captain America, which includes Ant-Man (Paul Rudd) and Clint Barton/Hawkeye (Jeremy Rinner), in a fight that may tear apart The Avengers for good.</div>
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I see a lot of people, taking a political stance with regards to Civil War. While this is a political thriller, I don't think it's really fair to compare it the current political landscape happening in the United States right now. Nor do I want this review to turn into "Trump this" or "Hillary that." So with that being said, I'm going build a wall around my (real life) political thoughts and try to keep it about the film itself. The film itself, by the way, was pretty amazing. You expect a MCU film to be full of action and humor, since that's been their MO since the first Iron Man film. This one though, takes a turn for suspense and drama, with action built in and humor on the side (and swinging in at you during the middle.) This film is a power struggle and an action drama. Not to mention we get to see the results and consequences of characters growing with their lives and powers. </div>
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We have Steve Rodgers having to struggle with the reality that he simply cannot not get involved in conflict. Not to mention, for a good portion of the film, Rodgers is almost blinded by his loyalty to his 100-year old friend, Bucky, despite what he's doing. Not to mention Peggy Carter has passed away and he's dealing with a new steamy relationship with Sharon Carter (Emily VanCamp), a relative of Peggy herself. Tony Stark on the other hand is dealing with the fact that throughout his life, people have left him. His parents died, Pepper has asked for a break and now The Avengers may be breaking up. Wanda Maximoff is young and learning to deal with the effects of her powers, (which look like she's already one of the most powerful of the group). Vision is learning about literally everything and on top of that he's trying to figure out the Infinity Gem that's on his head. Hawkeye is struggling with retirement, while Ant-Man and Peter Parker has have only had their powers for a limited time. For God's sake, we saw War Machine lose the use of his legs. It's one of the darkest things to happen so far in the MCU and I think it's a turning point, for the direction. Everyone is not the simple superhero we've come to see them as, we're seeing them as real people, or beings, for the first time. They're stronger than us and have powers we don't understand, some would call them freaks, while others a security concern. They see it as them trying to protect us and being (almost) rejected. Gone are the let's team up, hurl one-liners and smash baddies. We're learning, as they are, that there are consequences to everything they do. I think Marvel got that viewers will pick up on all this faster than DC did. So, I can see where Tony Stark was coming from this whole film, people need to be kept in check at times, because as the old quote goes, "Absolute power corrupts absolutely." The Avengers have don a ton of damage, and as we see in this, killed a lot of innocent people. Hell, handling Sokovia better, would've eliminated Zemo from ever losing his family and turning his life towards breaking up The Avengers. I can also see where Steve Rodgers is coming from. If a terror attack or invasion is happening, you need to be able to act. Not have your hands tied waiting for people to decide if it's the right move or not. I never chose sides, like they wanted me to. Because if they had just dug a little deeper and didn't dial everything up to 11 immediately things would've gone smoother perhaps. But in a world where things need to happen now, both Stark and Rodgers had to do what they thought was right, as quickly as possible. Pile all of this together and you have a pretty great story that I thoroughly enjoyed.</div>
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All this is written superbly as the Russo Brothers are setting up the next phase of the MCU supremely. It simply won't be "The Avengers Take On Thanos." We have a whole cast of evolving characters we get to see grow even more in the coming year, so the casting for these guys is as important as this film is. We know that Robert Downey Jr. is Stark, while Chris Evans is entrenched as Captain America, and so on with the rest of the main team we've seen for 13 films now. But what about the others, such as Daniel Brühl as Helmut Zemo, Paul Rudd as Ant-Man, Chadwick Boseman as Black Panther and Tom Holland as Spider-Man. Well, we get more glimpses into our new heroes in this, more than I even thought we were going to get. We'll start with Paul Rudd, since he had the smallest role and we've seen his film already. Rudd is as charming as he was in the first film and he's even gotten new moves since we saw him last summer. He's got a great comedic presence and a great sense of humor, so anytime he's involved it will be great. We'll be seeing Chadwick Boseman as Black Panther in a stand alone film next, so we'll see the full extent of what he can do, but so far it's great. His mannerisms are awesome and the suit and fighting style of Black Panther is awesome. The tunnel chase scene between Bucky, Rodgers/Falcon and Panther was amazing. While outside of the suit, he has a commanding presence on the screen. Finally, Tom Holland is a Spider-Man that I'm already in love with...and his unusually hot Aunt May too, wasn't expecting Marisa Tomei. In this we learn that Peter Parker is exceptionally smart, really young, has had his spider powers for about six months and is ready for his standalone adventure. His movements, suit, one-liners and fighting style were a great mini-introduction to his character. I was not expecting this much of the new Spider-Man to be in here, but he, Black Panther and Ant-Man bring a fresh dynamic to to The Avengers action. All while, Helmut Zemo added that bad-ass bad guy arc. Played perfectly by Daniel Brühl, he doesn't have powers, but he knew what he was doing from the get go. Stoic, unforgiving, vengeful, prepared and most of all, one step ahead, his plan worked to perfection in getting the team to implode from the inside out. Whether he's in jail or not, Zemo, dealt a major blow to The Avengers psyche.</div>
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Transitioning to the action, the airport fight scene was absolutely stunning. Team Cap vs Team Iron Man in what turned out to be a blast. I loved seeing Spider-Man fight for the first time. The pairs of combatants, the mini-chase between Spider-Man and Bucky & Falcon, Iron Man vs Scarlet Witch & Hawkeye, GIANT MAN OUTTA NOWHERE, the "How old is this kid?" line, Spidey vs Cap, all the way to the ending of the fight I wasn't expecting in the slightest. Everything about the scene, showcased everyone's powers perfectly. Plus, these new guys haven't even got to mesh with Thor or Hulk yet, so there's even more to look forward to. Alongside the the tunnel chase, (Bucky transitioning to the motorcycle, oh my) these two action scenes stole the film. With the end fight between Iron Man and Bucky Barnes & Captain America coming in a close third. That scene was more driven on emotion and drama as it's the finality of a fight that I don't think any of The Avengers wanted to fight. The action, was powerful, fast-paced (sometimes blurry thought and that's one of my biggest gripes with the film) and most of all, fun. Spider-Man, Black Panther and Ant-Man have now proven they can hang with the big boys on screen, which makes me want to see even more of them in their stand alone films and in the MCU going forward. My biggest problem with Civil War is, like I said above, the blurriness. Maybe it's just me, but there were a lot of points where I thought there was a noticeable CGI blur, that kind-of took me out of the moment. Nothing crazy, or something that would make me hate the film, but these kinds of things shouldn't be that out in the open with a film of this scope. </div>
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"Captain America: Civil War" might be the most complete Marvel Cinematic Universe film to date. For me personally it's right up there with "Guardians of the Galaxy" and "Captain America: The Winter Soldier," as being the top three in the MCU. The writing is evolving to make our heroes, and villains, more relatable. The cast keeps growing, as it should, if this is going to end with a battle with Thanos. The acting is also improving, as everyone plays their roles to perfection. Thirteen films in and Marvel keeps finding ways to keep this long drawn out plan fresh. Sure the CGI fights and team-ups have been in all the films, and we've seen this superhero craze go nuclear. But, I think if not for Marvel tweaking each film, making each film, almost uniquely independent from the rest of the MCU (you could almost watch any of these as stand-alone stories) this idea would've ran dry years ago. Marvel is getting more technical, they're getting more mature, they're getting more humorous (by way of less one-liners blitzed at you) and they're getting bigger. Most of all, they're telling single stories, that when combined, will end with one of the biggest battles in comic and film history. Civil War is but a small battle in the scope of this unfolding universe.</div>
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FatJesusReviewshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16182451361373295175noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7590364381018884588.post-63748554604773195272016-04-05T21:10:00.000-05:002016-05-06T15:41:36.213-05:00Wrestlemania Weekend Thoughts From A Guy Who is Half Happy<div style="text-align: center;">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4_nAFFSqRJFcsmYmVY7a3-WX-bqSK6tY3SkWAFFYzSIY8R9h_KAIa3DzvfKSphPLSWEnQCa0Bkz8tMxh1WXyqwl3o7vHo_i0s845CLXejRhnOBInmqbfdvuRZSy7i31xY5rLUkuqg1BE/s1600/new-WWE1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="223" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4_nAFFSqRJFcsmYmVY7a3-WX-bqSK6tY3SkWAFFYzSIY8R9h_KAIa3DzvfKSphPLSWEnQCa0Bkz8tMxh1WXyqwl3o7vHo_i0s845CLXejRhnOBInmqbfdvuRZSy7i31xY5rLUkuqg1BE/s400/new-WWE1.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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WWE (World Wrestling Entertainment) and NXT it's developmental/sister program is the most widely known pro wrestling company on the planet and have been for quite awhile now. I'm sure most of you have heard the names of Hulk Hogan, Ric Flair, Stone Cold Steve Austin, The Rock and John Cena, so you know wrestling's biggest names over the past 30-40 years. Aside from Dwayne getting his yearly WWE appearance checks and Cena still going strong, most of what you probably watched "back in the day" are probably all gone from headlining the product on a weekly basis. There's still a lot to talk about after WWE's Superbowl last night, Wrestlemania 32, and if you remember my article on NJPW, I'm probably not going to be as enthusiastic here. Major spoilers ahead probably. Most all pictures used were taken from WWE.com too.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsuIVFo5hjWXLxpav17BN3VaEZVX-1EMlPiKkQMBZarAa4xrJbfAW3aJ1l8dGzabpfkrj_Ft4Md2zY5IdckPIIO1aUUj3dgGglmLY9Po7jPKrFODzHKZSDyiFcy_OFBADUHXj51PYcOaM/s1600/wrestlemania-32-logo.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsuIVFo5hjWXLxpav17BN3VaEZVX-1EMlPiKkQMBZarAa4xrJbfAW3aJ1l8dGzabpfkrj_Ft4Md2zY5IdckPIIO1aUUj3dgGglmLY9Po7jPKrFODzHKZSDyiFcy_OFBADUHXj51PYcOaM/s400/wrestlemania-32-logo.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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I'd like to think I'm a WWE fan boy. I've been watching faithfully since around Wrestlmania 20. From the WWECW revival, to the Raw Guest Hosts, to Mike Adamle, the switch to three hours, the shift from TV-14 to TV-PG and into the reality era. I've been through most all WWE has transitioned through the last 12 years. But the past year or so, at least on the main roster side of things, WWE has been painfully average at the very best. Vince McMahon is dead set on shoving Roman Reigns down our throats. After the fans fought back with deafening boos and general dislike of anything Reigns has done over the past two years, he finally captured the WWE World Heavyweight Championship last night in the main event of what turned out to be, including the preshow, an almost 7 hour affair. I don't hate Reigns, I just hate that it seems like he's not learning. His promos are still a mess, his move-set is still limited and turning him heel or at least giving him actual programs with people, would do wonders for him, or at least start to help him look better. This is all after two years now too. I get he primarily was a tag team wrestler before these past two years. But, unlike Seth Rollins and Dean Ambrose, who grew up in the indies, Reigns was not ready to be a singles guy, much less the face of the WWE.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvp4neGpMA1plM0BdmtRI442bskHQd5JiIFUCw3ckyx9iM71jPSTTlZWU7_Mqdfsc2qKqS7r88-EPIZSHMvrYiZMmb9-ZPuzea1Vr9ZVDZNfF2z6QiYbx_fzHAA0tsoaJeK22nJJTnILw/s1600/536_WM32_04032016rf_11098--24bb9ff1b5a3dc60cd8689de032eab4b.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvp4neGpMA1plM0BdmtRI442bskHQd5JiIFUCw3ckyx9iM71jPSTTlZWU7_Mqdfsc2qKqS7r88-EPIZSHMvrYiZMmb9-ZPuzea1Vr9ZVDZNfF2z6QiYbx_fzHAA0tsoaJeK22nJJTnILw/s400/536_WM32_04032016rf_11098--24bb9ff1b5a3dc60cd8689de032eab4b.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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Triple H, the savior of WWE and the pioneer of NXT, the show that's hard to dislike, was given the WWE World Heavyweight Championship. Their mistake with his title run from the Royal Rumble to Wrestlemania, is that NXT is arguably better than the main roster right now. This is the "reality era." We know Triple H, outside of "The Game" is a major part in the company and has made NXT into a showcase. Where indie darlings and homegrown talent clash together to have meaningful matches and emotionally investing storylines. This is due to Triple H, or Paul Levesque, if you want to get completely real. The fans hate Roman's character and the fans love Triple H cause of his NXT work, so it was clear every time Triple H was out there, he was going to get cheered. Even against Dean Ambrose at Roadblock (his best match over the title run) the fans cheered. When he cut long-winded promos, calling us sad and pathetic for not taking our lives by the throat, some of which were alright, they didn't boo him.</div>
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On the flip-side, we have Reigns, who can't cut promos and is booed out of every arena. Even last night at WWE's biggest show, Vince's baby, during his main event in front of 100,000 (*cough* 95,000) people, the boos were so deafening, he turned down the crowds mics. Something done on Smackdown to try and get people over, replacing boos with cheers and vice versa, Vince did it at the biggest event of the year. All of this to try and get the man no one wants to see as champion (right now) "over" with the audience, that he has to know despises him. Because Vince is almighty and if he wants face Roman as champion, it's going to happen. If reports are true as well, Reigns will be main eventing Wrestlemaina for the next two years.</div>
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Now WWE won't and shouldn't bend to our fickle desires. I most certainly am a fickle fan when it comes to pro wrestling. Anyone invested into anything they like becomes this way. And who knows maybe in the coming months and years, Roman will develop. But you don't develop a character while he's on top of the company, especially if that hated person is a good guy. He can't talk and is hated by the fans. You could argue that's what John Cena did too. But he was built up from a heel rapper to where he got to, he wasn't just given the spot after a few years cause of his heritage. Reigns is probably a cool dude, I don't know, but what I do know, is that how they're presenting him now, is not working at all. All of Roman's post-Shield matches he needs to be carried in, even his good ones, see with Daniel Bryan from last year. The face of your company should be capable on the mic and in the ring.</div>
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Enough about Reigns debacle, let's get to all my 100% correct thoughts on everything that went on from NXT TakeOver Dallas until last night's Raw. We'll start with Wrestlemania, since it was the longest. So. Long.<br />
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The ladder match for Kevin Owen's Intercontinental championship was pretty well done. The entire world knows it should've been a one on one match between Sami Zayn and Owens and we also know WWE needs to have their big non-Money in the Bank ladder match ladder match each year. The match was fine, it got cool people into the match, you've gotta think Neville and Cesaro would be in this over Stardust and Sin Cara, no offense to them. Injuries suck. Zack Ryder is totally deserving of holding the belt. This also frees up Owens and Zayn to feud with each other or other people over the summer.</div>
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AJ Styles and Chris Jericho continued their feud that was pretty much over after Jericho was beaten at Fastlane. Hopefully they just leave them at 2-2 and don't force Styles, arguably the best wrestler on the planet into an overlong pointless WWE storyline as his introduction to the company. The match was fine, but we've seen just about everything they can get out of each other in the last three months.</div>
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The New Day is the most over group in the WWE right now (and can hold their own in the ring) and The League of Nations is filled with great talent. I just don't get how we were forced into a Raw-level match at Wrestlemania for these two groups. It wasn't for the title, it wasn't 4-on-3, which begs the question why it wasn't for the titles. Sheamus, Rusev, Wade Barrett and Alberto Del Rio vs The New Day in even an elimination tag match, would have done wonders to what amounted to a pointless match between the feuding parties. Plus Rusev's stunner sell was amazing.</div>
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Dean Ambrose vs Brock Lesnar, for me, was what I thought was going to steal the show. Instead, we got a short match in which Ambrose didn't look good and Lesnar looked the same as he always does. I love Lesnar, but this is not how you book him. Nor is it how you use Ambrose. Ambrose was built as a guy who was going to fight Lesnar until the bitter end. Instead he took some suplexes and didn't even kick out of the lone F5. It did nothing for Lesnar overall and hurt Dean, the guy who has been heavily cheered and has been working his ass off all year.</div>
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The women's title is back. No more "Divas." And we get a match, up until the last 10 seconds is still worthy of being called the best of the show. The rumors of WWE dropping the hideous Divas Championship and replacing it with the WWE Women's Championship again, was supposed to happen tonight on Raw. Instead, Lita unveiled the new belt, which looks good, and let us know the first, new, champion would be crowed. Becky Lynch, Sasha Banks and the last Divas Champion, Charlotte had one helluva triple threat match. Was there a few miscues, sure, was the ending unneeded, absolutely, but the match as a whole reminded me why wrestling is awesome. Banks' entrance, the moonsault from the top rope Charlotte pulled, the fighting spirit of Lynch. All three women showed they belong in the main event and stole Wrestlemania. Get Ric Flair away from all these matches too, he adds nothing and takes away so much.</div>
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Undertaker is getting ever older. Shane McMahon is a madman. This match settled nothing and was pointless. Shane was supposed to be change we all want. But this is Vince McMahon, the change we all want is stamped out by Undertaker for some reason. Plus Shane jumping off the top is the kind of insane stuff Dean Ambrose should be doing. That spot alone made Ambrose using a few weapons in a no DQ Barred Streetfight look like nothing.</div>
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Baron Corbin won a Battle Royal involving Big Show, Kane, Shaq and Tatanka. I don't even know, but the only better choice would've been Tyler Breeze.</div>
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The Rock lit his name on fire, gave props to and then slandered The Wyatts in the same sentence, beat Erick Rowan in a 6 second match and brought out Cena (who probably should've won the Andre the Giant Memorial Battle Royal) to get the crowd going? This was all a mess and everyone, but Cena really, looked meh.</div>
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Finally in the main event, which I talked about at length above, Triple H and Roman Reigns, who don't have much chemistry, competed in to most predictable main event in Wrestlemania history. Stephanie McMahon looked great and Triple H's entrance as a whole was awesome. The match however, was boring. The spear through the barricade and the spear to Steph were neat. But Triple H trying to work a match while Reigns only threw punches and spears, does not a good match make. Not to mention after six and a half hours of WWE, four and a half if you didn't watch the preshow, there was nothing left to like.</div>
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NXT on the other hand had a weekend to remember. The NXT brand is more than just WWE developmental sub-branch as it it often putting on higher quality feuds and matches than the main roster. They have homegrown talent like Baron Corbin, Enzo Amore, Colin Cassady, Jason Jordan, Chad Gable, Scott Dawson and Dash Wilder. Not only does the WWE work with this talent, they're bringing in indie and international stars. The last few years have brought in people like Sasha Banks, Bayley, Becky Lynch, Asuka, Sami Zayn, Kevin Owens, Apollo Crews, Finn Balor, Samoa Joe and Shinsuke Nakamura.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHhLPhtPvzqgyf7qAQfDLxdgLFWRCMLStSNw3K2CFbFTme70ExUnyGoG42u7NnruB8NDapAi9C3KqpYIsP6jmK8asvDRMReoB4oghd52fPFfXB2YCJGvmQV-DLh9Ug5JNpBmxsxwJWe6Y/s1600/takeover-dallas.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="195" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHhLPhtPvzqgyf7qAQfDLxdgLFWRCMLStSNw3K2CFbFTme70ExUnyGoG42u7NnruB8NDapAi9C3KqpYIsP6jmK8asvDRMReoB4oghd52fPFfXB2YCJGvmQV-DLh9Ug5JNpBmxsxwJWe6Y/s400/takeover-dallas.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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NXT TakeOver: Dallas continues in a long line of NXT specials or PPVs, whatever you want to call them. Usually about two to two and a half hours, they show case five or so of the biggest matches and stories that NXT has going. Going into Wrestlemania weekend NXT had a lot to prove. And boy did they prove it, by putting on a better show than Wrestlemania itself. NXT is story and character building, with great matches to go along with it all and TakeOver: Dallas was no exception.</div>
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American Alpha and The Revival for the NXT tag titles was fun as hell. Chad Gable and Jason Jordan are the new Worlds Greatest Tag Team (Shelton Benjamin and Charlie Haas.) Hell, Jordan even uses a modified Angle Slam. One day Kurt Angle will come back and the ovation will be thunderous. They're decked out in red, white and blue and Gable has competed in the Olympics. They are a BLAST to watch. High energy, sound in the ring and know what they're doing. Not to make light of The Revival, Dawson and Wilder. They're a throwback tag team that have been getting better with each match. Love the comparison people are making to Arn Anderson and Tully Blanchard. Though it doesn't seem like many people like them all that much. Smashmouth and beatdown can only get you so far nowadays, but I'm still a fan. Either way, Gable and Jordan won in exquisite fashion and gave The Revival their best match so far. Fast paced, everyone looked good and everything flowed really well. I loved that the two teams actively tried to save their partners from moves, instead of just letting them take them. A really nice touch. I hope these two teams can get a feud going. It set the tone for the show in a big way.</div>
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In the low match on the card that was still pretty okay, in Austin Aries vs Baron Corbin. Austin Aries, a guy I left off of the list up there, cause there's so much talent being brought in, clashed with Baron Corbin, who just keeps getting better at being a dick-heel by the week. A year ago I loathed him, now he's growing on me as a jackass bad guy. Aries is getting older, but hopefully this fresh NXT look can help elevate him and the rest of the people on NXT up a notch. This match showed he can work WWEs slower style against a big man. When we do see him unleashed more it will be great. Corbin also showed that he can hang with these indie guys, even though he ate the pin he looked good and had some good moment.</div>
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In the match of all the years in WWE NXT, the King of Strong Style himself, Shinsuke Nakamura, debuted to a rousing ovation against Sami Zayn. No one could've guessed that Wrestlemaina weekend, for the NXT brand, former NJPW World and Intercontinental Champion and King of Swag, Nakamura himself would be facing Sami Zayn. Sami Zayn, who I think could reach Cena levels of popularity has the improving mic skills and the amazing skill-set need to be a top star. But back to Nakamura. He strikes hard, he has the charisma of a God and always looks good. You can't not like him and if this was your first time seeing him you were in for a treat. Everything from his dope theme, to his oozing character, to his hard-hitting knees were showcased. You got emotionally invested in what was WWE biggest debut in a long while, while appreciating Zayn even more as he heads to the main roster. The back and forths, the realism, the passion and the excitement. Nakakura, if he continues to bring this type of energy, and WWE lets him, can be a top star, no doubt about it. Plus he didn't really looked like his stiff, hard strikes were scaled back too much. He brings out the best in his opponents and Zayn had his best match in WWE to date here. Go find this match and watch it twice. Nakamura has arrived.</div>
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Bayley the most bubbly and unsuspecting woman in WWE had held the NXT Women's Champion since last August going into last weekend. Asuka, the joshi (women's wrestling in Japan) style, hard striker, much like Nakamura, from Japan has been on a war path in NXT leading to TakeOver Dallas. She's undefeated, ya know? This was the hardest match of the weekend to predict cause both of these women have shown they can go. The two, despite having not wrestled on TV before delivered a great match. The crowd was behind Bayley all the way and she looked good. You could tell she had never been in a match with Asuka, because of the pace of Asuka, Bayley looked a little slow at the start, but as the match went along, she got much more comfortable. Otherwise this match was a great Asuka showcase. We've seen Bayley, we know her and she adapted well in this match. We didn't really "know" Asuka until now. Now she has complete credibility. She will kick and submit anyone in NXT. I'm really excited for Asuka and Bayley going forward in NXT.</div>
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Finally in a stellar main event, The Demon, now with chainsaw, Finn Balor defended his NXT championship for the second time against the Samoan wrecking ball, Samoa Joe. Now, their first match at NXT TakeOver: London was fine, but it was missing something. This match was not missing that something. Balor looked like a champion on the ropes and Joe looked like a monster ready to kill. There was brutal back and forths, Joe was cut up the hard way early on and then it became a monster fighting refs, doctors and a demon, and looking unstoppable doing it. Taking nothing away from Balor, Joe made this match way better by being the machine we've seen over the years. His moves were great and he looked ready to kill anyone and everyone. The ref stoppages weren't too bad, I get it, it's WWE now. It made Joe more angry and that's fine by me. Balor was great as always. On NXT TV he's fine. But he always adds that extra oomph to TakeOver specials. I thought Joe was winning once the final part of the match was starting, but that didn't happen. So I guess Bulletproof, Balor Club, Bullet Club, whatever, with Karl Anderson and Luke Gallows will debut in NXT in for awhile before the main roster. This was a great min event and if it was Joe's last NXT match, the main roster better be ready. NXT needs to get ready as well because Nakamura and a Club is on the horizon.</div>
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*All of the above was written before Monday Night Raw from last night.*<br />
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The Raw after Wrestlemania! Usually one of the best Raws of the year, and WWE has decided to take what makes it special and making a video package and a spectacle, instead of it just being an understood thing. Either way after a sub-par at best, Wrestlemina, Raw was primed to have big debuts and shocking moments. Except booing Roman Reigns, because that was a given.<br />
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Vince McMahon started the show by making Shane McMahon the GM for Raw for tonight, rendering the last month of build and the match with Undertaker useless. At least we got the awesome spot of Shane leaping.<br />
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The New Day are still as positive and awesome as ever. League of Nations booted Wade Barrett after their loss to New Day. Then after they kicked him the Wyatt Family attacks the three remaining members. I'm confused, but this probably all but confirms Barrett is leaving this summer. I'm not terribly excited either, because Harper is injured it severely limits match potential.<br />
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Sasha wins again. #LegitBOSS<br />
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Did not expect Apollo Crews to make his main roster debut, but since they're not using him in NXT, he's more than ready to be promoted to the main roster. With the amounts of NXT alumni on the main roster now, an NXT stable or "The Future" stable at some point. Breeze needs to stop being jobbed out, but Vince doesn't think NXT can draw, but loves big muscly men. So Crews must have him ripping his hair out. I like Crews, I hope he doesn't turn into Lashley 2.0, cause Crews has mad appeal.<br />
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Reigns promo went "Come on guys. I'm not a bad guy. I'm not a good guy. I'm THE guy." Who writes this shit, cause it makes the good guy and face of your company now look even more unlikable. Then he challenges anyone to come out, so Chris Jericho, AJ Styles, Kevin Owens and Sami Zayn come out. The all brawl around him ending with Jericho getting speared. When we get back from commercial Shane makes a fatal four way for the No.1 Contender-ship between those four men, the main event. Praise be to Shane. He's getting better on screen (again) and would be a pleasure to see weekly in all honesty.<br />
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Big Banter. PRESENCE. Baron Corbin has arrived. After winning the Andre the Giant Battle Royal he makes his Raw debut. In a solid match up, until the mind boggling double count-out, Corbin showed he can hang with with the main roster. It's helps that it was Dolph Ziggler too. He's always really under appreciated.<br />
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Zack Ryder vs The Miz for Ryder's new Intercontinental Championship happened. Fine match. Then The Miz got in Ryder' dads face, who pushed him down. Then the lovely Maryse (Miz' wife) hopped the barricade and slapped Ryder's dad. Allowing enough of a distraction for Miz to regain the IC title for the fifth time. How bizarre, poor Ryder, and good to see Maryse back. Rematch on Smackdown.<br />
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The Vaudevillains are debuting on Smackdown this week too. Underrated as hell. Let's see how they are used in this huge tag division. Hopefully they don't go the way of The Ascension.<br />
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Charlotte pissed off the women's division and got shook up by the vocal crowd during her official title presentation. They all left, and Natalya stayed to tell her to be a little more humble. It seems like these two are heading for a title match. Which is fine, they had a great NXT match awhile ago and their match at Roadblock was fine too. I don't get why Sasha isn't involved at this point. She has still not been pinned in any form aside from the draw with Lynch. Maybe they'll get to work with Paige and Emma going forward, that would be awesome.<br />
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The Usos and The Dudleys. Meh. Enzo Amore & Colin Cassady debuting?! What a moment! Enzo was fire, Cass looked great and the crowd was white hot.<br />
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Kevin Owens killed Sami Zayn in the back prior to the main event. Boo. But The Swiss Superman Cesaro is back! Yay! Now Zayn and Owens can feud too! Yaay! This main event, for the first man to lose to Roman Reigns. Everyone looked stellar and the pop for Cesaro was great and he looked good. An actual match, with real stakes without a DQ or interference to finish Raw was nice. Did not expect AJ Styles to take it, but damn am I happy he did. Even though he's probably going to lose, I think, Cesaro, Zayn, Owens and him are the ones that can lead Roman to a good match.<br />
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I watched 12 hours of WWE and NXT programming over the weekend between TakeOver, 'Mania and Raw. Wrestlemania was too long, TakeOver was just right and Raw was alright. There's going to be a lot of people who swear of WWE, but I think the summer build should be fine with Zayn, Styles, Cesaro, Owens, etc in the fold on the main roster. The women are getting better and better, Sasha, Becky, Charlotte, Paige, Emma, Nattie, etc, could have actual programs soon. While we can look forward to more Nakamura, Balor & Anderson/Gallows, Bayley, Asuka in NXT soon. Not to mention Ibushi, HELL YES, is rumored to have signed and the Global Cruiserweight Series will happen as well. But this is still WWE, over produced and not ready to fully commit to new stars that the fans want to see, but they're slowly turning. When they do finally make the leap, it's going to be awesome.<br />
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To end I'm going to highlight my six favorite things about Wrestlemania weekend. Thank you for reading this long-winded diatribe about WWE after it's biggest weekend of the year.<br />
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<b>6. Finn Balor vs Samoa Joe, NXT TakeOVer:Dallas, 4/1/16</b><br />
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<b>5. Shane McMahon jumping off the Hell in a Cell cage, Wrestlemania 32, 4/3/16</b><br />
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<b>4. The Revival vs American Alpha, NXT TakeOver: Dallas, 4/1/16</b><br />
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<b>3. Bayley vs Asuka, NXT TakeOver: Dallas, 4/1/16</b><br />
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<b>2. Becky Lynch vs Sasha Banks vs Charlotte, Wrestlemania 32, 4/3/16</b><br />
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<b>1. Sami Zayn vs Shinsuke Nakamura, NXT TakeOver: Dallas, 4/1/16</b><br />
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FatJesusReviewshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16182451361373295175noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7590364381018884588.post-26629497538173809762016-03-25T00:15:00.000-05:002016-03-25T01:42:25.831-05:00Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice [A Fat Jesus Film Review]<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Like many of you other comic book fans, superhero nerds and "<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sk2Gh4_iZQY"><span style="color: white;"><b>You da bomb in Phantoms, yo!</b></span></a>" enthusiasts, "Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice" was finally supposed to be DC's answer to the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Zack Synder is back directing and is aiming to set up DC's Justice League in the coming years. Henry Cavill, who I thought was alright in that film that was "Man of Steel" a few years ago, Ben Affleck aka new Batman, Jesse Eisenberg as "Mark Zuckerberg" Luthor and Gal "I don't look Amazonian, but I'm Wonder Woman" Gadot are the four leads in this. Though you could totally see that Lois Lane, played by Amy Adams, has more story and screen-time than her. Unfortunately for Synder, his track record is far from perfect and concerns that have been building as the trailers and tidbits have been filtering in are founded in a lot of places in this film. Nonetheless Warner Brothers have staked a lot in this build towards the Justice League. It's just too bad that what could've amounted to a great story, with meaningful characters and cool action, is turned into a bleak, dark decent into the egos and tragic backstories that overtake everything else in the film.</div>
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"Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice" takes place in the aftermath of the General Zod and Superman (Cavill) battle in Metropolis at the end of "Man of Steel." Bruce Wanye (Affleck) is trying to get to Wanye Tower during the fight and watches and Metropolis is torn apart. Fast forward a year and a half and the world is either embracing Superman as a god that will save them or wondering if he will turn on them. Wanye is on the side that blames Superman for killing the thousands of lives. Tech mogul Lex Luthor (Eisenberg) is also under the same mindset, asking the supreme court to use newly found Kryptonite to have an ace in the hole. What follows is a cat and mouse game between Superman battling with his own identity on earth, Lex Luthor plotting a grand scheme and Batman fighting past his inner demons to take down a planet-wide threat. With Wonder Woman lurking in the background, the world will be forever changed after this battle is over.</div>
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This film goes by quickly and it's two and a half hours. Much of the first half of the film we're jumping around from location to location at blazing speeds like we're looking at different paintings while on a bullet train. Metropolis, Gotham, the desert, old Wayne Manor, along with flashbacks, dreams, phantoms and time bending. A lot of things happen, and it's though to keep an idea of where we are in the film at a given moment. It's like a machine gun of locations and scenes that could use major editing if an eventual extended cut is released, because watching this film could be pretty confusing at times. To go along with this blitz of scenery, we get a bland and similar character portrait of four characters. Lois Lane, who is eternal damsel in distress plot device and used a bait throughout the entirety of the film. Lex Luthor, who is more psychotic and unhinged, than I thought he'd be. Almost Joker-like at times for some reason. Superman, who is now earth's tangible god, is struggling over whether or not being a god is helping or hurting humanity. Batman, who is well, Batman. All of this makes for an incredibly bleak film that's very dark from start to finish. There's not much that the actors could've done with what they were given as everyone was as good as they were going to be all things considered. Ben Affleck is a great Batman and was the standout of the film for sure There's a few spots that will make you smile, but as a whole the tone is very grim and I really wasn't expecting it to be this downer. Either way the writing of these characters and the overall story is such a bad way to deal with everything that it brings up. Wonder Woman is around too, but we only get a glimpse into her powers and style. What we do see is pretty bad-ass desipte me not being totally down with her look. They shoehorned, into the middle of the film I kid you not, a scene where she looks at .AVI's of the upcoming Justice League cast (Flash. Aquaman and Cyborg). It was such a jarring, unsubtle and unnecessary scene, I wonder why it was included in the middle of the film. Take a cue from your successful rivals and be more subtle with your self promotion.</div>
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Most notably "Batman v Superman" brings up the idea of God, having a god, hating god or not believing in a god altogether. Not only that, if this god were real and in front of us, do (or can we) control him. Superman is now this earth's god. Saving people in dire need and keeping a semblance of peace seemingly anywhere in the world. The, of course, United States government is the lead on possibly corralling Superman. But it's never fleshed out as more than an outspoken senator trying to get Superman to come before the court. For a bit, we're shown what Superman has done in the 18 months since the first film. At times we're shown him saving a woman in a crowd of worshipers, while in others there's a huge crowd aiming to have his head. But this is all it ever amounts to. Batman tries to keep the "idea" alive, but as the film moves along it becomes less about this big world changing man and more and more about the plot moving forward and the bad guys being triumphed over. You could argue the slow ending after the final climactic battle brings the idea full circle, but if it hadn't been forgotten amidst the CGI beat down before the closing moments would have felt better than it did. I certainly don't think Superman, or one overall god, would be the man who unites the world into one kumbaya either. Though that idea is nice, I'd rather not have religious wars and attacks, I don't think one man alone will ever untie the world in a perfect way like this. All this is muddied because of the backstories and inner turmoil of Superman and Batman seeping into everything, so it's all a moot point anyway.</div>
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All in all "Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice" is a long film that feels completely rushed, has bland characters and only alright CGI. Even Affleck and the Wonder Woman dive in couldn't help a lot of this. The dark tone is at times overwhelming and the choices for the characters personalities is odd at best. I thought the drama build amidst all of this was good and if the character insight and development was better, it could've be great. The action, when it does ramp up near the end is pretty fun, though I wish they had chosen one iconic story instead of mashing two (The Dark Knight and The Death of Superman) into this film. Can we get Snyder away from superheros too, he peaked at "The Watchmen." I'm not sure if I actually liked the film yet, but I know for sure I didn't hate it. There's good things and a lot of missteps that people will no doubt harp on relentlessly. This is probably worthy of the hate it's getting, but that doesn't mean that it's that bad. This is a dark toned film with iconic characters and alright action. Let's just hope the rest of the build to Justice League isn't this middle of the road. </div>
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FatJesusReviewshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16182451361373295175noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7590364381018884588.post-90281851708289038592016-03-03T23:44:00.003-06:002016-03-24T22:21:29.899-05:00Zootopia [A Fat Jesus Film Review]<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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This is the first big animated release of 2016, "Zootopia!" Disney, at this point, is releasing two, sometimes even three, if we're including Pixar, films a year. They are all pretty awesome too. So whenever Disney Animation releases a film, even sans Pixar, they are well worth all of our time. With recent hits like "Tangled," "Frozen," "Wreck-It Ralph" and last years "Big Hero 6," "Zootopia" has been on my radar ever since they released the hilarious Sloth trailer last year. I went into to this only knowing it would be a police-like mystery set in a world where the population is anthropomorphic animals. I left it feeling good. I laughed and I was entertained, but I was also a bit surprised, cause at times "Zootopia" really makes you think. It's not just mindless, fun animation film, it gets you thinking about what's going on in our world a little bit as well.</div>
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"Zootopia" follows the story of Judy Hopps (Ginnifer Goodwin) as she becomes the first bunny to become a police officer in the ZPD (Zootopia Police Department), a dream she has had ever since she was a little rabbit. She is assigned by Mayor Leodore Lionheart (JK Simmons) to the ZPD 1st Precinct. Unfortunately, she is assigned by Police Chief Bogo (Idris Elba) to parking duty, while most of the other force is looking for a bunch missing animals from all around Zootopia. One day, Judy unknowingly helps a fox, Nicholas Wilde (Jason Bateman), and his "son" con a bunch of people and make some cash in a seedy way. The next day, in a way to redeem herself, she takes part in a police chase of Duke Weaselton (Alan Tudyk) through the rodent part of Zootopia, eventually catching him. She is chastised by Bogo, due to all the damage that was done. Before she is fired, she agrees to help one of the missing animals' wife, look for her husband. Bogo gives Judy 48 hours to find the missing otter and she quickly figures out that one of the last people to see Mr. Otterton was in fact, Nick. Judy returns the favor by hustling Nick and the unlikely duo of a fox and a rabbit begin an investigation into what is happening to all of these animals.</div>
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I'm half surprised there wasn't some sort of scene in black and white at some point in this film to give at least a little bit of a nod to the crime noir genre. This film is bursting with top notch animation from start to finish that has really been Disney Animation's m.o. for the past couple of films. Not just focusing on character design and story, which were both good in this film, but the overall look and feel of a huge bustling city. Take Zootopia from this film or think about San Fansokyo from "Big Hero 6." Zootopia is divided into a ton of different areas for all different types of animals and we didn't even see them all in the film. What we did see looked fantastic. Downtown city life, rural farm land, a cold and snowy tundra, a glimpse of a desert, a lush rain forest and even a huge imposing waterfall complete with haunting fog. </div>
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There's a bunch of different backdrops in the film and they all look good and work well within the confines of the story we're being told. The animation, design of the characters and everything going on around them was great as well. Buildings, cars, streets and the like all have a unique charm or feel to them in a given scene. There's humor in Judy meter maid cart, there a twinge of horror when Nick and Judy are in the icy cold limo and there bustling action in the subway car scene. This is amplified by the fact these animals look good. The fur, horns, hooves, tails, etc on a given animal look great, and even though most are wearing some form of clothing, you don't lose the sense they are animals underneath all of it. Judy and Nick stand out the most as you see them for most of the duration. They're never an eye sore, as most everything you see in this film looks polished. The voice acting is top notch as well and Goodwin and Bateman provide great depth to this bunny and fox combo. The additional voices such as Simmons, Elba, Tudyk, Jenny Slate, Tommy Chong and Octavia Spencer add depth to the supporting cast that has a lot of good moments throughout the film. Bonnie Hunt and Don Lake are awesome as Judy's parents too.</div>
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The story itself is pretty engaging as well. Beyond the main plot, there's a lot of things Disney likes to sneak in for parents to notice or lessons that we all can learn from. Starting with the plot and throwing things in, the mystery aspect, with the double twist was done pretty well. Though it felt a little rushed moving towards the final act, the pay off and ending scenes were really good. The humor, songs and colorful animation will keep the kids happy, while the adults have a pretty fun mystery to try and unravel. There are chase scenes, running gags, nods to horror, Breaking Bad and The Godfather, all while keeping the colorful theme of entertaining everyone from start to finish. </div>
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The biggest thing I wasn't expecting was the parallel to real life we got from Judy. <b><u>This will probably be the most spoilery part of my review, so if you don't want that, skip to my last paragraph.</u></b> Judy is a flawed character with lofty goals and ideals as well. She finally reaches these goals at a point in the film, but then shows a side of her that I wasn't expecting. We'd seen her good nature and loyalty throughout the whole film and suddenly she is discriminating against the "predators" she'd been saying the whole time were only part of history. Throughout the film, she thinks that "Zootopia" is free of all the animalistic impulses of their ancestors and insists she does not think the animals that used to hunt her kind, would do so now. I don't think this makes Judy a bad character, it makes her like us in a lot of ways. Racism, or in "Zootopia" 'preadtorism,' is something we don't shine a light on in ourselves. We see it, we know it happens, but we never think we're the ones doing it, until we actually do it. I don't want to get preachy in this review, but we think of ourselves as past it. That "racism is just in the past," or, "someone else is doing it, not me, "when there is clearly a ton of it still going on today. In the film it brought Judy to her lowest point, the point where she had to make a change and make amends. Now, us as humans can do the same thing. Realize there is still racism, or predatorism, out there and don't turn a blind eye to it and call someone out if they're doing it. It's a simple lesson for kids to begin to grasp watching this, while giving us adults something substantial to chew on.</div>
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"Zootopia" is a wonderfully animated film with a great score, a fun, colorful world and characters that will make you laugh as well as think. The film is just a shade under two hours, but it never feels too long or too draggy, so you can hunker down and prepare to get engrossed. The finale might be rushed a little bit as well, but nothing is glaringly wrong about this film. It has got to be the earliest of front runners for the 2017 Oscars, and rightfully so. The message, the voice acting, especially by Goodwin and Bateman, and the overall look and feel of "Zootopia" is one that anyone can get into. This is an animated film that kids and adults will equally enjoy. I can say that I already cannot wait to give this one a second viewing. "Zootopia" is one you shouldn't pass up.</div>
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FatJesusReviewshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16182451361373295175noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7590364381018884588.post-12915035497867029372016-02-28T15:02:00.000-06:002016-02-28T15:24:49.220-06:00Fat Jesus' Preview and Predictions For The 88th Annual Academy Awards<div style="text-align: center;">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxt5YSLmGMtBH0iYhSkEjM_zRQ0CVSxWP5CvoKfM6Gq6sFfZuvX1iETDuMMSkksB-HiP9HFkwbEYyk975jbKQHOZ3bmwEKeq4onpKJYAtrgW13KdKhoxWLCt3FZ7jprWP37foGsVl0Uyw/s1600/1026521-nominations-88th-academy-awards-unveiled_0.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="233" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxt5YSLmGMtBH0iYhSkEjM_zRQ0CVSxWP5CvoKfM6Gq6sFfZuvX1iETDuMMSkksB-HiP9HFkwbEYyk975jbKQHOZ3bmwEKeq4onpKJYAtrgW13KdKhoxWLCt3FZ7jprWP37foGsVl0Uyw/s400/1026521-nominations-88th-academy-awards-unveiled_0.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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I've done massive blogs over the past few years chronicling the Academy Awards, or the Oscars if you will. But, I feel like hitting the big points of the show that everyone cares about is the best way to go. I'm not going to go over things like sound mixing or sound editing. These are obviously massively important, just not to the average movie-goer that just wants to turn their brain off for a few hours. Not to mention I think this year was pretty lacking for film overall. I had my favorites from 2015, but after those 15, maybe 25 films, there was a big drop off for me. The huge controversy over the lack of diversity was a big story was well, and I hate a lot of these nominees and thought quite a few of them could've been switched out for much better performances. In any event, I'll be touching of what I have determined to be the 100% end all be all of the awards show this year. Chris Rock should be a great host this year and won't hold back at anything going on in Hollywood currently. By the way, these are all my thoughts and I'm picking what I liked and loved this year, and who I want to see win. Not necessarily who is going to win. So, thank you for reading and/or sharing this, if you do, and I hope you like my little bit of thoughts on film's whit--I mean biggest show of the year!<br />
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<b><u>-Best Picture-</u></b></div>
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The Big Short</div>
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Bridge of Spies</div>
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Brooklyn</div>
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Mad Max: Fury Road</div>
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The Martian</div>
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The Revenant</div>
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Room</div>
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Spotlight<br />
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I had seen all but "Bridge of Spies" by the time the official nominations for Best Picture this year were announced. I have now since seen all eight of these films and I can safely say these are probably the best that The Academy were going to put in this list. *cough* "Creed" and "Straight Outta Compton" *cough* Probably the biggest surprise being that "Mad Max: Fury Road", my personal favorite 2015 film, made the cut, being a pure action film. The rest are really good picks too. These were films non-superhero, animated or Star Wars, that were high on my favorites this past year. "Room" and "Spotlight" landed near the top of my favorites, as they were spectacular story and acting-wise from start to finish. In "Spotlight", Michael Keaton, Mark Ruffalo and Rachel McAdams were amazing. While in "Room" Brie Larson and Jacob Tremblay were perfect. "The Martian" and "The Revenant" had big time performances. Leonardo DiCaprio went all out while Matt Damon carried "The Martian" to way more than what I was expecting. While "The Big Short", "Bridge of Spies" and "Brooklyn" had big time stories headlined by great performances from Christian Bale, Tom Hanks and Saoirse Ronan. I wouldn't be shocked to see any of these actually win, but I the likely candidates for me are "Bridge of Spies," "Spotlight," "Mad Max: Fury Road" or "The Revenant." Also find a place for "Creed" on this list, Academy, it was awesome.<br />
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<b><u>Who I Want to Win</u></b><br />
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<b><u>Who Will Win</u></b><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiV0VfSaLe9yKVeRZBdxVRTIigiCqD6NaPAXLg8g6YLDugYQ0yNzTjra-a4__bX2WIP7r0ON-e5zorNKGkf6m2Q_g58Z3DQt5VJlxADOZ18iudV0a69BHUjgUI7-lAWyeP2bIKuJYKK-GA/s1600/mad_max_fury_road_wallpaper_1920x1080_by_sachso74-d8r49ti.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiV0VfSaLe9yKVeRZBdxVRTIigiCqD6NaPAXLg8g6YLDugYQ0yNzTjra-a4__bX2WIP7r0ON-e5zorNKGkf6m2Q_g58Z3DQt5VJlxADOZ18iudV0a69BHUjgUI7-lAWyeP2bIKuJYKK-GA/s400/mad_max_fury_road_wallpaper_1920x1080_by_sachso74-d8r49ti.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<b><u>-Actor in a Leading Role-</u></b></div>
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Bryan Cranston (Trumbo)</div>
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Matt Damon (The Martian)</div>
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Leonardo DiCaprio (The Revenant)</div>
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Michael Fassbender (Steve Jobs)</div>
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Eddie Redmayne (The Danish Girl)</div>
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This is a HUGE example of The Academy being out of touch with what I think everyone else is seeing on screen. Trying to force Eddie Redmayne down our throats after half of a good film in "Theory of Everything" from last year. And I'm not sure anyone in the world has actually seen "Trumbo." No offense to Heisenberg himself. The two glaring omissions that would be on my list are Michael B. Jordan, who was spectacular in "Creed." As well as O'Shea Jackson Jr. for his performance in "Straight Outta Compton." Oh, these guys are African-American? Maybe that's why they're not on this list. Michael Fassbender was leagues better than Ashton Kutcher as Steve Jobs by the way. Even so, I don't think anyone would win over Matt Damon or Leonardo DiCaprio. Damon took a good film in "The Martian," and made it into a enjoyable science fiction action thriller set on Mars. While DiCaprio turned in a performance that made "The Revenant" really good, from only really okay, in my eyes. I think it's finally Leo's year, but I wouldn't be shocked of Damon somehow won.<br />
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<b><u>Who I Want to Win</u></b><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg71s5YhH__azIl3NuE_2wgdDHLaTzMhI3ePFHoJSiagCFWHLUdP0uhVDJGzMfTCYH8sYGJYPsPwoMmhV5wQwVtlP5P5SAqQcITPCOBFuK-I2V7f3d4zESpHFfKBOWd7hU_hPTN3eca5sI/s1600/leonardo-dicaprio-s-new-film-how-the-revenant-became-a-living-hell-dicaprio-in-the-r-529541.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg71s5YhH__azIl3NuE_2wgdDHLaTzMhI3ePFHoJSiagCFWHLUdP0uhVDJGzMfTCYH8sYGJYPsPwoMmhV5wQwVtlP5P5SAqQcITPCOBFuK-I2V7f3d4zESpHFfKBOWd7hU_hPTN3eca5sI/s400/leonardo-dicaprio-s-new-film-how-the-revenant-became-a-living-hell-dicaprio-in-the-r-529541.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<b><u>Who Will Win</u></b><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg71s5YhH__azIl3NuE_2wgdDHLaTzMhI3ePFHoJSiagCFWHLUdP0uhVDJGzMfTCYH8sYGJYPsPwoMmhV5wQwVtlP5P5SAqQcITPCOBFuK-I2V7f3d4zESpHFfKBOWd7hU_hPTN3eca5sI/s1600/leonardo-dicaprio-s-new-film-how-the-revenant-became-a-living-hell-dicaprio-in-the-r-529541.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg71s5YhH__azIl3NuE_2wgdDHLaTzMhI3ePFHoJSiagCFWHLUdP0uhVDJGzMfTCYH8sYGJYPsPwoMmhV5wQwVtlP5P5SAqQcITPCOBFuK-I2V7f3d4zESpHFfKBOWd7hU_hPTN3eca5sI/s400/leonardo-dicaprio-s-new-film-how-the-revenant-became-a-living-hell-dicaprio-in-the-r-529541.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<b><u>-Actress in a Leading Role-</u></b></div>
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Cate Blanchett (Carol)</div>
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Brie Larson (Room)</div>
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Jennifer Lawerence (Joy)</div>
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Charlotte Rampling (45 Years)</div>
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Saoirse Ronan (Brooklyn)<br />
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I've seen all but "Carol" from this list, but I never wanted to see this in the first place. Everyone loves Cate Blanchett, but I think she's only alright. Maybe it's me being a 25 year old man, and her always being in these deep, long, romantic dramas, that only work for me if I'm in a really adventurous mood. I found Jennifer Lawernce only okay yet again in her annual David O. Russel film with Bradley Cooper. Charlotte Rampling was fine in "45 Years" as well. I'm a the point where I'm not going to watch Oscar-bait simply because it's Oscar-bait. I'm not calling "Carol" Oscar-bait, but there's a lot of bait throughout all these nominations this year, as there is every year. The two big ones though, and I think no one else would have a shot against, are Saoirse Ronan in "Brooklyn" and Brie Larson in "Room." Ronan delivered a great performance of an immigrant leaving her home to come try to make it in America. While Larson delivered a spectacular and emotionally investing performance in "Room" that simply blew me away. I really hope she wins.<br />
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<b><u>Who I Want to Win</u></b><br />
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<b><u>Who Will Win</u></b></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhy_bEBiHLksYz7Dj-6acARUd4lhy426eOo2Li_fHhx5sVNvCLyMxR_vNwCUDuqfemaDGHbcpO4QJdvr-ch_NUtisQuQ8vQ4hsHcI8yjJTMELcP7FR7s-SYFkcxKNXrzInVPt0Usw2VTw0/s1600/room-brie-larson-2.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="198" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhy_bEBiHLksYz7Dj-6acARUd4lhy426eOo2Li_fHhx5sVNvCLyMxR_vNwCUDuqfemaDGHbcpO4QJdvr-ch_NUtisQuQ8vQ4hsHcI8yjJTMELcP7FR7s-SYFkcxKNXrzInVPt0Usw2VTw0/s400/room-brie-larson-2.png" width="400" /></a></div>
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<b><u>-Actor in a Supporting Role-</u></b></div>
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Christian Bale (The Big Short)</div>
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Tom Hardy (The Revenant)</div>
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Mark Ruffalo (Spotlight)</div>
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Mark Rylance (Bridge of Spies)</div>
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Sylvester Stallone (Creed)</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
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I like everyone here! Everyone had great supporting performances in the films they were nominated for. This shouldn't be a long one for me to type out since I really don't mind seeing anyone from this list win. Kind-of wish that Michael Keaton had been nominated for "Spotlight" too cause everyone in that film was on point. In any event seeing Stallone winning for "Creed" would also be a win for Michael B. Jordan who was, as I stated above, unrightfully snubbed. Mark Rufflao is always awesome and seeing "Spotlight" get love tonight would be pretty sweet.<br />
<br />
<b><u>Who I Want to Win</u></b><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhB7OjuItY064FxZ5qD1oyEdDxCbyxZEnU0RBB1U1bq-0W2mVHeF_-OB6DSKFJfhaE35aMJO3Emj7vzVbUsa95QK0WTjjaMzWijJDBeVFkJKTweUPemIJeqk-w0YEcBuBVOrGT9Z78-wR8/s1600/mark_ruffalo.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="247" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhB7OjuItY064FxZ5qD1oyEdDxCbyxZEnU0RBB1U1bq-0W2mVHeF_-OB6DSKFJfhaE35aMJO3Emj7vzVbUsa95QK0WTjjaMzWijJDBeVFkJKTweUPemIJeqk-w0YEcBuBVOrGT9Z78-wR8/s400/mark_ruffalo.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidrYsIK3mKLICHicH06Q1Ko-iFVlF4faSq1cZOTvOrzeVBxREkbiNbgQYlXRe-NNQdtG7O_y22qjyF4GeRTcJoRyzemzaMQn-72lSUfRlL5dhXwhswVGCavf1i3a1-_GkZPSyhO67kIzc/s1600/Sylvester-Stallone-creed.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidrYsIK3mKLICHicH06Q1Ko-iFVlF4faSq1cZOTvOrzeVBxREkbiNbgQYlXRe-NNQdtG7O_y22qjyF4GeRTcJoRyzemzaMQn-72lSUfRlL5dhXwhswVGCavf1i3a1-_GkZPSyhO67kIzc/s400/Sylvester-Stallone-creed.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
<b><u>Who Will Win</u></b><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgswXKuwu8Y8uU2RnAr7YIPh0KURi-KNMVTXj7h6_hBZgVvEqpESyDmzBEHA_5-P-aHI8wXBAYvLJOEheavovE20CWFTjaHIszNNeBTseSI__p_tj-imuc1ZLLd40SjdmnwCKs0jajXHkg/s1600/mark_ruffalo.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="247" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgswXKuwu8Y8uU2RnAr7YIPh0KURi-KNMVTXj7h6_hBZgVvEqpESyDmzBEHA_5-P-aHI8wXBAYvLJOEheavovE20CWFTjaHIszNNeBTseSI__p_tj-imuc1ZLLd40SjdmnwCKs0jajXHkg/s400/mark_ruffalo.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOGAYmjJL4Qw-5t9v4i_yGDMSK1R5jBfojZAODQiJGes17hSr-oA5Y8zEaT1f2NKdBbYJtMP0DVrzBdeCTGoqjvU8LM4taHFqPv0lUa2Uh6aCQl1-q8CNQoCqkFG6GKgluMfvYtniiX3k/s1600/bigshort.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOGAYmjJL4Qw-5t9v4i_yGDMSK1R5jBfojZAODQiJGes17hSr-oA5Y8zEaT1f2NKdBbYJtMP0DVrzBdeCTGoqjvU8LM4taHFqPv0lUa2Uh6aCQl1-q8CNQoCqkFG6GKgluMfvYtniiX3k/s400/bigshort.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<b><u>-Actress in a Supporting Role-</u></b></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
Jennifer Jason Leigh (The Hateful Eight)</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
Rooney Mara (Carol)</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
Rachel McAdams (Spotlight)</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
Alicia Vikander (The Danish Girl)</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
Kate Winslet (Steve Jobs)</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br />
I've only seen "Spotlight," "The Hateful Eight" and "Steve Jobs." I thought Jennifer Jason Leigh was great in Tarantino's latest film. While I think the whole cast of "Spotlight" deserved nominations in all honesty, and I really would like to see Rachel McAdams take home the gold tonight. Rooney Mara is always fine and "Carol" has a lot of buzz behind it. Kate Winslet, for "Steve Jobs," has been nominated and won awards over the years as well. Plus she was really solid in the film. Go McAdams though, we're not biased here in this preview.<br />
<br />
<b><u>Who I Want to Win</u></b><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOEaTZDP8fyxsc0E31l8fahOsIQK5hHpsS9jIjEuONCnMLZ_q54xgBO0ocvSVL3PtyGtrhtOs_Nk8i9g14kwYJhDNKWAWx5e9NV2ln1HxHdDpFxAXL9Ab-birPpEtSkt0GAqtpP8wkq5Y/s1600/maxresdefault.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="247" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOEaTZDP8fyxsc0E31l8fahOsIQK5hHpsS9jIjEuONCnMLZ_q54xgBO0ocvSVL3PtyGtrhtOs_Nk8i9g14kwYJhDNKWAWx5e9NV2ln1HxHdDpFxAXL9Ab-birPpEtSkt0GAqtpP8wkq5Y/s400/maxresdefault.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
<b><u>Who Will Win</u></b><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOEaTZDP8fyxsc0E31l8fahOsIQK5hHpsS9jIjEuONCnMLZ_q54xgBO0ocvSVL3PtyGtrhtOs_Nk8i9g14kwYJhDNKWAWx5e9NV2ln1HxHdDpFxAXL9Ab-birPpEtSkt0GAqtpP8wkq5Y/s1600/maxresdefault.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="247" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOEaTZDP8fyxsc0E31l8fahOsIQK5hHpsS9jIjEuONCnMLZ_q54xgBO0ocvSVL3PtyGtrhtOs_Nk8i9g14kwYJhDNKWAWx5e9NV2ln1HxHdDpFxAXL9Ab-birPpEtSkt0GAqtpP8wkq5Y/s400/maxresdefault.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<b><u>-Animated Feature Film-</u></b></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
Anomalisa</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
Boy and the World</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
Inside Out</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
Shaun the Sheep Movie</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
When Marnie Was There</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br />
I love animated films. I grew up with them, as most kids did. I never really grew out of watching them, I more, expanded my horizons. I don't think nowadays you can only be someone who watches Disney or Pixar. You have to watch people making stop motion films like "Anomalisa." You have to, at this point, be watching almost everything that Studio Ghibli puts out, like "When Marnie Was There." Finally, Pixar, is still a force in the world of animated film and is as good as ever. "Inside Out" was my favorite animated film from 2015 and it could arguably be film of the year in some peoples minds. I would be pretty surprised if "Anomalisa" or "When Marnie Was There" beat out "Inside Out." All are worth your time though.<br />
<br />
<b><u>Who I Want to Win</u></b><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWzKbo8do2KxjqEOxsXJU0_Je5mel5o4mpclsmG1CuBP3QsFDM9d8d-b0GVQgCL3NcUMZ3_c6LHW7uGrRmvpm17aJQ4lqg6o7E4o34KJejq67aaHb_ssTzQqb2qoVx4pJIHlsWUUyFAic/s1600/tumblr_nctz98zcCF1qb7xt1o1_400.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="206" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWzKbo8do2KxjqEOxsXJU0_Je5mel5o4mpclsmG1CuBP3QsFDM9d8d-b0GVQgCL3NcUMZ3_c6LHW7uGrRmvpm17aJQ4lqg6o7E4o34KJejq67aaHb_ssTzQqb2qoVx4pJIHlsWUUyFAic/s400/tumblr_nctz98zcCF1qb7xt1o1_400.png" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
<b><u>Who Will Win</u></b><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWzKbo8do2KxjqEOxsXJU0_Je5mel5o4mpclsmG1CuBP3QsFDM9d8d-b0GVQgCL3NcUMZ3_c6LHW7uGrRmvpm17aJQ4lqg6o7E4o34KJejq67aaHb_ssTzQqb2qoVx4pJIHlsWUUyFAic/s1600/tumblr_nctz98zcCF1qb7xt1o1_400.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="206" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWzKbo8do2KxjqEOxsXJU0_Je5mel5o4mpclsmG1CuBP3QsFDM9d8d-b0GVQgCL3NcUMZ3_c6LHW7uGrRmvpm17aJQ4lqg6o7E4o34KJejq67aaHb_ssTzQqb2qoVx4pJIHlsWUUyFAic/s400/tumblr_nctz98zcCF1qb7xt1o1_400.png" width="400" /></a></div>
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<b><u>-Directing-</u></b></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
The Big Short (Adam McKay)</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
Mad Max: Fury Road (George Miller)</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
The Revenant (Alejandro G. Iñárritu)</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
Room (Lenny Abrahamson)</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
Spotlight (Tom McCarthy)<br />
<br />
The director, a lot of the time, is someone who can be emotionally insensitive and seen as almost tyrannical. While more often than not, this is completely true, all the films we ever watch are helmed by one of these men. I think all of the directors of all these nominees were great. But the two that stand out for me are George Miller for the simply dazzling display throughout "Mad Max: Fury Road." His direction and storytelling through film is partly what has gotten Mad Max this far. After last year's "Birdman," Alejandro G. Iñárritu has followed up his surprising "one shot" film, with "The Revenant." A film that has a breathtaking performance, is visually stunning, but in my opinion is lacking in a lot of other places. Though I think it's a big possibility any of these guys take home the big prize, it should be one of these two.<br />
<br />
<b><u>Who I Want to Win</u></b><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgneqFBKUrNYsvnIA7rC5F92Mu9dEmpdpQPLEcsrfoDVkhDCJ9sl4ROIh0n136EzyGxL2gmxSdYZ8UPSfAKA3rS6ttiUCyGWRwWqEhZyYo1CsPSdB06h2xj0zeGdz20JYmk4iu8T3kHlQk/s1600/Mad-Max-Fury-Road-Tom-Hardy-George-Miller.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="223" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgneqFBKUrNYsvnIA7rC5F92Mu9dEmpdpQPLEcsrfoDVkhDCJ9sl4ROIh0n136EzyGxL2gmxSdYZ8UPSfAKA3rS6ttiUCyGWRwWqEhZyYo1CsPSdB06h2xj0zeGdz20JYmk4iu8T3kHlQk/s400/Mad-Max-Fury-Road-Tom-Hardy-George-Miller.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
<b><u>Who Will Win</u></b><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDRH_2SNjRcV0HbQyZHQZXoIsFXzziHZLeuVoDoTyxY6SM4FXU7SVvfRfhbIpkEC4Gxcmyowxtg_alWnfpT33Ox-b46e5mmJftrLAA2Sn6Qt7YQlUnQCZYr_QFsvCIWdNYFAQr0XMofSM/s1600/27REVENANTJP3-master675-v2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="265" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDRH_2SNjRcV0HbQyZHQZXoIsFXzziHZLeuVoDoTyxY6SM4FXU7SVvfRfhbIpkEC4Gxcmyowxtg_alWnfpT33Ox-b46e5mmJftrLAA2Sn6Qt7YQlUnQCZYr_QFsvCIWdNYFAQr0XMofSM/s400/27REVENANTJP3-master675-v2.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
<b><u>-Film Editing-</u></b><br />
The Big Short<br />
Mad Max: Fury Road<br />
The Revenant<br />
Spotlight<br />
Star Wars: The Force Awakens<br />
<br />
It has been said, and pretty much documented as well, that if you're nominated for the Film Editing category, that you'll have an amazing chance to win Best Picture. With the exception of last year's "Birdman," 33 out of the last 34 nominees in Film Editing went on to win the big one. Now obviously it's cool to see Star Wars being nominated, it's probably not going to win. Sorry, Lucas. I could honestly not tell you who is going to take home best picture, so picking between the remaining four here would be a nightmare. I would lean towards, like in my Best Picture picks, "Mad Max: Fury Road" or "The Revenant" to win here, and likely, go on to win the big one.<br />
<br />
<b><u>Who I Want to Win</u></b><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsLCmmgNbULJaw-VSuUpkJERBfY-u8nRhnut7bpthU_4utvahYp4PtCx2XYt6-rtHp6DfXOfgCZRSq2MezC7mPC3VQJGq2Ar0M4TR4lNyTOFQTQgS-E1hd3GptM0bo26CbgHROJ-16Fjo/s1600/mad_max_fury_road_wallpaper_1920x1080_by_sachso74-d8r49ti.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsLCmmgNbULJaw-VSuUpkJERBfY-u8nRhnut7bpthU_4utvahYp4PtCx2XYt6-rtHp6DfXOfgCZRSq2MezC7mPC3VQJGq2Ar0M4TR4lNyTOFQTQgS-E1hd3GptM0bo26CbgHROJ-16Fjo/s400/mad_max_fury_road_wallpaper_1920x1080_by_sachso74-d8r49ti.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
<b><u>Who Will Win</u></b><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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