XXX: Return of Xander Cage Review

XXX: Return of Xander Cage
Director: DJ Caruso
Cast Headliners: Vin Diesel, Samuel L Jackson, Donnie Yen, others
Original Release Date: January 20, 2017

     The XXX franchise has never been one for being good in a manner of quality. Nor has it been one for any kind of subtlety. Much like Vin Diesel's other main franchises in Fast and the Furious and Riddick, it excels when it s going as crazy as it can. The same applies here and this time with the right star in place since Xander Cage was the “best” hero for this series that he deserves mention in the title. Sorry Ice Cube but you'll have to (apparently) step aside. Xander is back to the Zone.

The movie starts with something big involving Agent Gibbons(Samuel L Jackson, once again at his usual decent role in something that's always been a sort of prototypical version of Nick Fury) and one of the many smaller cameo roles in Neymar as himself. It's up to Xander Cage(Vin Diesel) to come out of retirement and save the world. Sounds familiar. In many ways it's very much like the same formula as the last two but particularly the first. It drops plots from being too deep in exchange for crazy fights and varying range of humorous quips.

The film essentially boils down to a tale of two rival agent teams (ala Fast 6). The movie attempts to give Xander his own “Suicide Squad”, replete with derivative introduction scenes and colorful freeze frame biographies. Xander takes lead, always the likable protagonist with his edgy tough guy , slightly humorous attitude and the return of the big fur coat. This is why they brought back Diesel, because it's hard not to like him as any (of his many similar) hero roles. On his side he's got strict leader Agent Marke(Toni Collette who does nothing too special) , wisecracking sniper Adele(Ruby Rose), youthful DJ Nicks(Kris Wu), stunt driver Tennyson (Game Of Throne's The Hound actor Rory McCann, always decent), and “comic relief” tech master Becky(Nina Doberev, a low point). This increased ensemble of characters gives Xander more to play off of and expands the scope of action, and leads to some banter and mixed range of humor. But no one quite leaves an impression as Diesel's trademark Xander.

On the enemy team, there's the fierce woman Serena(Deepika Padukone), brutish Hawk(athlete Michael Bisping), wacky jumper Talon(Tony Jaa), and the main foe Xiang(Donnie Yen). It's great to see Donnie Yen appearing in American blockbusters, as he brings a crazy action and humor presence to rival Diesel's. If anything he's just slightly underutilized.

So while the characters, plot, script and all the expected are cheesy as heck as one would expect (and it runs really long at times too, with plot holes) one can't deny the action and excitement. Director DJ Caruso is a great choice as he brings in a decent competency from things such as Disturbia and Eagle Eye. The movie brought back Xander and it's also brought back its increased use of crazy techno and rock music along with “extreme sports”. The action scenes , when they do pop up semi-often through the “witty” dialogue slog are great. There's some cheesily insane things done from skiing through jungles to riding transforming motorcycles over the water. There's zero-gravity kung fu, there's fist-fights in the middle of rush hour traffic. The variety is impressive.

It's the kind of film that if one turns their brain off and likes the players involved that makes for decent dumb fun. It's not a high bar to pass, but it's likely the best XXX to date. It's script and pacing holds it back from the best of FnF, but it's good to have the good elements back and leaves it for a possibly interesting place in the future. 7.1 out of 10

Silence Review

Silence
Director: Martin Scorsese
Cast Headliners: Andrew Garfield, Adam Driver, Liam Neeson, Issey Ogata, Yosuke Kubozuka
Original Release Date(s): December 25th, 2016 (Limited), (Seen in Wide Release January 2017)

 Director Martin Scorsese needs no introduction. The film legend's latest piece, Silence, could be seen as a bit of a departure from the majority of his work. Rather than being set among-st 20^th / 21^st century North America, it travels farther into the past and farther away. However there is precendence for this through some of his work like The Last Temptation of Christ and Kundun. Scorsese has thus a connection to religion, explored here through an intense lense. Silence is a film that will stay with the viewer in its power.

The movie is set in the 17^th century. In Japan, Jesuit priest Father Ferreira(Liam Neeson) has gone missing in a land where Christians and their priests are being brutally persecuted. In Portugal, Father Valignano(Ciarin Hinds in a very momentary but alright or so role) sends the priests and former students of Ferreira in Rodrigues(Andrew Garfield) and Garupe(Adam Driver) to the East to get him back.

The movie is an epic, dramatic sweeping tale across locations and settings. Whether it be in Portugal, China, or of course the vast majority of the rest of the film in Japan each location is meticulously decorated and shot to bring the viewer back in time. The costumes, the details, the ambiance are so effective. Scorsese and his cinematographic team fill shots with beautiful vistas, mysterious fog, and delicate craft and moving into huts or villages and cities. This realism makes things that much more intense in key moments.

So too does the setting feel alive, as do the supporting cast. Aside from the protagonists its logically a mainly Japanese cast. And from the main supporters to random bit players they are great actors for their parts. There's noble people such as their guide Kichijiro(Yosuke Kubozuka, adding some of the film's only humorous and well done bits), or hidden Christians Ichizo(Yoshi Oida) and Mokichi(Shinya Tsukamoto). There's chilling villains, such as the Inquisitor(Issey Ogata, a standout evil and charismatic performance) and the Interpreter(Tadanobu Asano almost equally evil and charismatic). It makes that some of these characters are not so much named or detailed, as its a film about the differences between cultures, languages, and beliefs in part.

The core priest trio has their own plentiful reasons of benefit. Driver's Garupe is actually in the film for less than one would think but is an interesting companion to Garfield's Rodrigues. The writing, for everyone of course as expected, is well written and deep. The two characters have different approaches on what to do, and have different adherence to the faith. One can see a bit of Driver's now-trademark(thanks Kylo Ren) rage here but he plays someone very benevolent if determined. Neeson's Ferreira too is not so much present often but gives a great performance and plays off Garfield well. Especially as the end approaches their relationship is impactful.

Once again, just like the film Hacksaw Ridge from recently, Andrew Garfield's character and performance is the main highlight. Now here more than ever, he reaches a new height of dramatic skill and talent. All characters have believable costumes and accents, but Garfield especially has a believable emotional journey and character arc. His commitment to faith, his drive to complete his quest, his sadness and happiness is all visceral. He has nuance from the deepest religious rhetoric and seriousness to the even manic insanity. One will feel for his character, and even understand with sadness what he has to do and go through. He has come a very long way from Spiderman indeed. One could not ask for many much better than handling the deep religious themes of the film.

The film's plot and narrative flow are epic and fantastic. While there's essentially no action whatsoever, that does not make things any less exciting or darkly intense. There's dramatic faceoffs, torture, and plans. Its perhaps fascinating that for the most part the circumstances(and some of th characters) were real from history. Perhaps a drawback of the film is its one of Scorsese's longest ever. At almost 3 hours, it's a doozy and at parts it can drag a bit with its rhetoric and walking. But one is never not interested in the drive and excitement of the overarching plot, or in its character's growth.

It took Scorsese multiple decades to finally get this film made in his schedule. One can tell that the wait has paid off in its fine cinematic craft and indepth story and real location shots. It's a dark, religious epic that has character struggles that will stay with the viewer afterwards. Its an emotional tour de force, as one would expect and want. 8.78 out of 10

My Top 10 Favorite Films / Video Games of 2016

Top Ten Personal Favorite Films / Video Games of 2016



Ah 2016... you have been rough to say the least. From personally, to politically, to world wise, and entertainment / notable people passing, it was as they say "the worst of times". But removed from its "2016ness",
there was a solid amount of great media this year, let's focus , here, on that. As always,  if it isnt
listed and is considered to be amazing, i havent likely experienced it at all or enough to make a valid
judgement. Things stay cool eternally..


Top 10 Films of 2016:

1.) Rogue One: A Star Wars Story: For proving that just maybe Disney's plans for a yearly film will work if they are this
good...in its classic OT feel even more than TFA, its intense stakes, its new characters and edgy attitude, and action...wow!

2.) Captain America: Civil War: For truly bringing together the entire existing MCU to date into a intense dramatic
conflict, and yet also for introducing some new heroes and spideys, for being marvel at its most epic yet.

3.) Deadpool: For delivering on a dream, and being as perfect and funny and crude and zany as it should be.

4.) La La Land: For its beautiful music, directorial visuals/art, and story. Craft!

5.) Hacksaw Ridge: For its great performances, and intense bloody WW2 action, and message.

6.) Batman V Superman: Dawn of Justice: For truly starting a new era of DC crossover, bringing a great new Battfleck and intense drama and action.

7.) Doctor Strange: For also delivering a dream, and its surreal visuals and unique action.

8.) Arrival: For its deep intricate intellectual plot, direction, performances, and meanings

9.) Finding Dory: For its charm, emotions, and color.

10.) 10 Cloverfield Lane: Haha what timing, but yes despite the coincedence for its performances, tension, mystery,
and  uniqueness.

Honorable  # 11 to 13:
11.) Fantastic Beasts and Where To Find Them(Vibe!)

12.) Zootopia(Themes!)

13.) Star Trek Beyond(Spectacle!)

NEW RULE( 2015 or prior wider re-releases don't count for me, nor do one night only... sorry,
Will include similiar category in future years...) Doesnt Count Since Originally Released Before 2016/Less Than A Few
Weeks(The Revenant(Leo!), Batman: The Killing Joke(Hammil!!)


Top 10 Video Games of 2016:

1.) Uncharted 4: A Thieve's End: For its incredible visuals, performances, gameplay, and set pieces culminating the series to date both plotwise and game evolution wise.

2.) Battlefield 1: For its incredible visuals, interesting gameplay and varied maps, and touching campaign and not being afraid to go back to roots.

3.) Dishonored 2: For its unique world, deep plot, perfromances, and truly offering varied ways to complete something

(I would put the first two episods of Telltale's The Walking Dead Season 3/ New Frontier here,but since it is episodic
starting this year its kind of hard to put...but woah, choices and emotion and etc..what reminder of quality, and so) 4.) Kirby: Planet Robobot: For its crazy spectacle, music, and level design, fun, and unlockables.

5.) Overwatch: For being an important new change and trendsetter in the FPS genre, colorful visuals, world lore, and polish, and free updates plan.

6.) Gears Of War 4: For bringing back that feel one missed, intense story, and even intenser gameplay scenarios and combat while looking great.

7.) Watch Dogs 2: For being what number one should have been. Wacky, stuff to do, San Francisco adaptation, options...fun

8.) Titanfall 2: For its intense and evolved multiuplayer gameplay, smooth performance, and actually a great, well done, varied campaign.

(Would out Telltale's The Walking Dead: Michonne series as well, it all did come out this year, but its a bit hardto quanity episodic point and clicks as games,...but it did have great emotion, action, and vibe and even moreso music..)  9.) Pokemon Sun And Moon Versions: For serving as a tribute to the franchise while shaking up its core formula, a greatvibe, plentiful new ideas offering both the usual new era Pokemon experience while also feeling fresh with features.)

10.) Inside: For its dark ambience, sound design, and intensity.

Honorable  # 11 to 13:
11.) Deus Ex: Mankind Divided(World!)

12.) DOOM(Brutality/Old-Schoolness!)

13.) Street Fighter 5(Changing/Options!)

Doesn't Count But Great Re-Releases/Mostly Same Games/Mobile/Etc:(Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess HD(Refine!),
Ratchet and Clank (PS4) (Beautiful!),Pokemon Go(Simplistic Popularity!), Call of Duty: Modern Warfare Remastered
(ClassicnessPlus!)

La La Land Review

La La Land
Director: Damien Chazelle
Cast Headliners: Ryan Gosling, Emma Stone
Original Release Date: December 9th, 2016 (Seen Later in Month)  


   Damien Chazelle astounded the world with his intense, jazz infused Whiplash in 2014. That film was as infused with as many great soundtrack and visual moments a it was with powerful performances. Chazelle has a touch of directorial gold, and so when he makes a film at the head one should pay attention. He turns his attention to a classic style Hollywood(both in setting and style) musical in La La Land. It is every bit as a treat as the praise makes it out to be.

While evoking the great musical flicks of yesteryear, the setting is in modern times LA. This allows it to take a jest, positive and critical, at SoCal lifestyle which will resonate with those who have any familiarity with the area. Soon after an incredibly bright, rousing opening number we meet our two leads.

The narrative is essentially a standard romantic drama / comedy. The two main leads are Mia(Emma Stone) who is an aspiring actress and Sebastian(Ryan Gosling) who is an aspiring musician. The plot unfolds across seasons and circumstances through their romance. There's other character's besides them but none get much focus aside from the effective use of side characters in musical numbers. Chazelle makes a reunion with JK Simmons to play an effectively humorous jerk of a restaurant owner in Bill. Real musician John Legend (with a kind of different part bringing one of his songs in tow) shows up in a sincere role as Keith who is important to the plot.

The two ones who will stick out are Gosling and Stone. Their rapport, chemistry, and dialogue between each other is great. Both traverse a range of emotional feels, and delight the audience to laugh, feel romance, or cry in their various situations. They both are great singers, dancers, all giving their best. Emma Stone in particular gives a fantastic performance and getrs much of the narrative focus. Her singing as well will leave one with chills.

That is because the music, both instrumental and the frequent (but not overbearing) musical numbers are astoundingly, amazingly gorgeously composed. The soundtrack by Justin Hurwitz will leave one humming forever, dancing forever. From joyous horns, to the frequent use of jazz styles(important to the narrative), to strings and lyrics and more it's both very classic Hollywood and modern artistic flair.

Damien Chazelle also in a way is a musician in his visual style. Even more than Whiplash, La La Land is a work of visual art. Each shot has great cinematography and close-camera-care. The use of colors, sunny LA, set design is all wonderful especially in a key end scene. It is at times surreal and magical, dancing in the stars and so on. These moments make La La Land truly special. While it can be a bit long and typical, it will leave an impact to the viewer through its candy of visuals and music and charm. That's what good movies do. 8.8 out of 10

Assassin's Creed Review

Assassin's Creed
Director : Justin Kurzel
Cast Headliners : Michael Fassbender, Marion Cotillard, Jeremy Irons, Ariane Labed
Original Release Date : December 21, 2016

  Video game films have had overall a , to say the least , hard time reaching success in Hollywood. Games and films can be such different mediums that there's a clash between experiences. Now as for Assassin's Creed there comes an interesting question... How does a linear adaption of one of the most famous open world games work ? It does sometimes....

   After some questionable time jumps between 15th century Spain and the protagonists childhood , we meet the 30something Callum Lynch ( Michael Fassbender ) in the modern day on his death row end. He is saved from his end by Sophia Rikkin ( Marion Cotillard) of the mysterious Abstergo foundation.

  The main crux of the AC series , and here , is that Abstergo has a technology known as the Animus that allows one to travel into a vision and control of their genetic ancestors and learn from them. Sophia and her father Alan(Jeremy Irons) act as the villainous force , wanting Callum to tap into the life of his Spanish ancestor Aguilar(also Fassbender in a silly long costume  wig ), a member of the Assassin's Brotherhood of secret warriors.

  The movie is thus separated into a bit of two disparate storylines.  The 15th century quest of Aguilar and his assassin comrade Maria ( Ariane Labed) is the films best stuff , for the most part . Director Kurzel shows a beauty seen in his past work Macbeth, with gorgeous costumes, scenery , and swashbuckling action. The jumping and parkour and combat is right out of the originals and is solid medieval fare. While it doesn't use its Spanish setting to much more than historical context with some Moors and the Inquisition.  In these parts , Fassbender and Labed are decent in their coolness , and trials against henchmen like the Black Knight ( Denis Menochet, also playing Abstergo security in a bit of cleverness ).  However, while there is some cool stuff it is a minority of the overall film and reaches a cliffhanger that never really resolves itself .

   The modern day stuff is not quite as interesting by any means. While Fassbender is decently cool as Aguilar , his Callum is...not the best protagonist. At times he gives some emotion and coolness, but it's mixed in with silly rants and martial arts visions of the past that are laughable. The enemy Rikkin characters do not impress , with perhaps Irons being an OK exception. Lynch's father (Brendan Gleeson) shows up in a poorly explained moment and is decent but also all too momentary.

  The movie devolves into cheesy mania in the present tense as it goes on. There's side characters who don't do much (such as Michael K Williams ' Moussa), there's ok but silly action and uprisings, there's questionable turns from the games logic and general quality . There's plot holes and cliffhangers here too.

  The movie gets alot wrong from the source, which is a shame. Because the world of the Assassin's and Abstergo / the Knights Templar (!) Has told at at times epic saga . But here there is lack of explanations, mixed bag of acting, and a wonky plot. Buried within though is some cool medieval action and slightly dramatic set pieces . 7 out of 10

Star Wars: Rogue One Review

Rogue One: A Star Wars Story
Director: Gareth Edwards
Cast Headliners: Felicity Jones, Diego Luna, Donnie Yen, Alan Tudyk, Ben Mendelsohn, Many Others
Original Release Date: December 16, 2016

                After years of being in a subdued state (and depending on one’s views of the prequel trilogy, even longer) the Star Wars franchise gloriously returned in all of its beloved space opera wonder in 2015’s The Force Awakens under Disney. Almost immediately after the news of that Episode VII, plans also were revealed for something else… “Anthology” films, side stories in theaters on the years the main episodes were not. Although there is a plethora of precedence (Though no one’s missing out on anything by skipping the Ewoks films or The Holiday Special) this is the first time there’s been a deliberate effort to show as different a perspective as possible to the main saga.  Rogue One: A Star Wars Story is adapted from a mere line of text from the 1977 A New Hope: “Rebel starships, striking from a hidden base, have won their first victory against the evil Galactic Empire”.  It’s with much awesome delight that the movie is far more than just a sentence. The film is a massively fun, action packed, and powerful time within its span and within the Star Wars timeline and franchise as a whole.        

                The film, in the first of many experiments to make it (effectively) unique, drops the classic Star Wars intro story crawl and theme song to a scene in present time. Instead, the franchise’s first ever flashback / time jump is shown before a traditional film style logo. In the early years of the Empire after 2005’s Episode III: Revenge of the Sith, the Erso family are in hiding on a remote world. Galen Erso(Mads Mikkelsen) is wanted by the Empire’s Director Krennic(Ben Mendelsohn) to finish the Death Star against his will. Events transpire, leaving new important characters in important predicaments.

                Years later, a now adult Jyn Erso(Felicity Jones) is a prisoner of the Empire. She is rescued by the Rebel Alliance, and finds herself on their base planet of Yavin 4. She soon teams up with more Rebel allies such as Cassian Andor(Diego Luna), his droid K-2SO(Alan Tudyk) and more to find her father and his information on the fearsome Death Star.

                It’s logical that the movie takes a medium between the semi-straightforward adventure style of the Original Trilogy, and The Force Awakens, and the perhaps overly intricate Lucas-style narrative puzzles of the Prequel Trilogy. The first act is an extra-whirlwindy rush of momentary different planets and informants that offers some neat location variety but stops just short of letting what’s going on sink in. Things more than make up for this as characters and elements old and new are brought into the fray.

                The film, as often is with Star Wars, is jam packed with great characters and performance. The core Rebel protagonists in this are not well established heroes, both literally to viewers nor within the film’s universe. They are edgy, outcasts, criminals which makes things interesting. The film is led by Jyn who is certainly her own spin of ‘Wars heroine. While she may lack the charisma of Rey or others, she brings a fierceness , street smarts, and criminal angle that add a slightly dark nuance to her. Felicity Jones gives some decent work at times, including a resounding speech or few. Her best stuff comes when she is with her father Galen and there’s great emotional performances at work between her and Mikkelsen. Mikkelsen is also very fascinating and sincere if shortly in the film.  Some of her other best scenes are with Cassian Andor, the squad leader. Luna brings an edge of his own to the character, feeling so gritty and real in his role as Rebel Captain with a serious attitude and equally dark past.  The “warlike” main trifecta of characters is rounded off with K-2S0. Alan Tudyk extremely shines amongst the cast, delivering what may be the best Star Wars droid ever. He’s almost like a Bender from Futurama or Star War’s own HK-47 from older materials: he’s smart, sassy, a bit mean, and hilarious. That’s not to say the movie doesn’t have other humor with its leads, as the writing is great aided by the committed performances. It’s that classic Star Wars feel from a new grounded angle and crew.
                The ensemble cast of characters continue to overall impress from all sides. Soon the main crew grows to include two “Guardians of the Whills”( a lore reference sure to excite deep franchise fans, of which at times things get very deep) in Chirrut Imwe(Donnie Yen) and Baze Malbus(Jiang Wen). It’s neat to see Star Wars add two Asian actors in such main roles. Perhaps stereotypically, or perhaps perfectly considering Lucas’ original inspiration, the two play very Jedi-like characters. Yen’s Chirrut is another show stealer, a devoted and humorous blind master of the Force in a new way with his staff and bow. His interactions with the fierce heavy machine gun toting Baze played greatly by Wen are also great.  Others on the protagonist or similar side are less impressive.  Imperial pilot defector (guess you weren’t the first Finn!) Bodhi Rook (Riz Ahmed) has his slight humorous and heroic moments but fades into the tapestry of things. It’s really cool to see the connective characters in Rebel Alliance top command of a younger Mon Mothma(Genevieve O’Reilly, from a Revenge of the Sith deleted scene!) and an older Bail Organa(finally played once again by Jimmy Smitts) who are important to the lore but do little else besides look the perfect part and drop some references and plot development.

                A great unique point to the film is found in some of these supporting roles. The most obvious is found in people like Cassian/Jyn/K2 but also in Saw Gerrera(Forrest Whitaker). Whitaker’s character Saw (originally from The Clone Wars animated show but it’s not mandatory plotwise) is crazed and leads an even more reckless independent brand of Rebel-like Partisans. His role is short, not too impactful but some regard of important in filling out the world which honestly makes sense: the Rebels were fractured ,and did bad things of their own. The movie is about shades of grey, moreso than perhaps any of the other 7 main SW main films, and whether it’s via characters or factions. It asks really interesting questions of this famed universe but not without compromising the fun, intensity, and action.

                It’s no surprise that the Empire gets much less sympathetic showtime. This is them at the height of their power, proving once again the elegant and epic-ly grim connections between the Prequels and Originals.  The primary villain is found in Director Orson Krennic(Ben Mendelsohn). Mendelsohn is a unique, often villainous talent and here he brings a powerful evil performance. He will stop at nothing to bring his Death Star and, of particular interest to the audience, impress his Imperial superiors. This allows for the reason to bring in THE Darth Vader (James Earl Jones, so great to be typing that name for the first time in over 10 years in cinemas). His role, possibly more than any similar cameo in recent Hollywood history, must be seen first hand to experience the awesome. That awesome is every bit as intense and evil as the legends, and hearing the familiar JEJ talk will give one chills. One could wish for more , but what we do get is incredible.  Less incredible is the choice to bring back a CGI Grand Moff Tarkin(played here, aside from Peter Cushing’s likeness, by actor Guy Henry).  He too looks just right out of 1977, but is clearly not a real person if almost there. Despite the surrealness , his interactions with Krennic and the Empire perspective moments are solid and fitting to the timeline.

                Once the movie gets going, it gets going to an amazing well done degree. Director Gareth Edwards is known to be a proud Star Wars fan, and like JJ before him, this bleeds through in every heartfelt aspect. The physical props, the sweeping energetic score (not done by Williams but here by an alright filler Michael Giacchino), the future sheen with an analog old school sensibility.. it’s all here. Perhaps even  a bit moreso than The Force Awakens, it feels like its cut out of the same cloth as the Original Trilogy though with its afromentioned unique identity. Edwards as well gives more beautiful  sweeping, natural breathing room to his shots and action moments which is a speck of his style but otherwise blending into the Star Wars taste.

                The visuals , whether they be creatures, planets(which are the most in one film in long time and diverse from ancient Jedi desert metropolis Jedha to tropical Scarif to classic A New Hope forest Yavin 4 and more) to the Stormtrooper armor, guns, vehicles(walkers!!) it’s all  gorgeously shiny yet also real. This becomes especially enjoyable in the action scenes. This perhaps is some of the most action in a single Star Wars film ever. There’s a plethora of ground and space action peppered through the adventurous experience. Dozens of troops on each side and gigantic ships in orbit not seen since Return of the Jedi.  The stakes heighten things even more, and if one desired a Star “Wars” movie, they got it here. One will feel more and more on the edge of their seat as the ending Act 3 explodes into essentially one long, constant, and increasingly epic battle to get those plans via whatever that may entail. Without(as one can assume with the street level heroes…) a lightsaber duel in sight, the ending arc and excitement becomes some of the franchises’ finest . The ending in particular will leave one speechless , and perfectly sets up the future.
                That’s the film’s overall take away. It’s as nearly perfect a tie between the events of Revenge of the Sith and A New Hope there can be. There’s some of the varied worlds and political nuance of the PT, with the swashbuckling action and visuals of the OT. Questions are answered and new ones are asked. While at times things can be a bit rushed in both plot and characters, and while there’s some slight mistakes, it’s a movie a Star Wars fan will surely love. It has the very rare aspect of making not just itself a greatly enjoyable ride, but improving the meaning and stakes of the film’s preceding and following it in the Star Wars timeline. It’s the gritty frontline combat movie we always wanted, with a meaningful classic Star Wars lense(although with a only a couple too many other references less excusable at this point) and familiar feel.  Even a non-fan will find a somewhat self contained exciting galactic heist film. The Force, once again, is strong with this one. Disney’s spinoff plan is off to a great start with the one of the best movie prequels ever.  9.77 out of 10

Bad Santa 2 Review

Bad Santa 2
Director: Mark Waters
Cast Headliners: Billy Bob Thornton, Tony Cox, Kathy Bates
Original Release Date: November 23rd, 2016


 If it weren't for the first Bad Santa, there wouldn't have been the modern trend of edgy comedy films seen in things like The Night Before. Years later, the main crew(and more) return in Bad Santa 2. It earns some gold amidst its stocking of coal.

Years have passed, just as in real-time, since the first film and Willie Soke(Billy Bob Thornton) hasn't changed much from his criminal, holiday posing days or in fact hasn't changed at all. He still is a drunk, a jerk, a pervert, and a comedian. Events transpire to bring him back with his sidekick little friend Marcus Skidmore(Tony Cox) to a charity in Chicago. Events even bring back the now 21 year old boy Thurman Merman(Brett Kelly) with them as well.

There's a lot of pretty good comedy between these three just like the first. The humor is edgy and swearingly vulgar filled but that's what one would want for this film. It also helps that there's a strong new additon in Willie's mother Sunny(Kathy Bates). She manages to even out-darkness Willie. Another ok if barely involved addition is charity director Diane(Christina Hendricks) who is less of a humor and romantic lead than the first film's.

The core scenes where it's Thornton interacting with Cox/Bates/Kelly are realy funny. The larger formula possibly even out-humors the first film. But all of the holiday gimmicked edge has been done before. It's that blend of dark, edgy, and even a bit of dramatic melancholy emotion that stands out.

The core plot runs in circles a bit with some alright moments of action and espionage. Like the first, it's about a heist. Here it's one specific location and tighter knit. But that makes the stakes a bit sillier and lower.

 There's not much else to say about this one. It's got a funny bad Santa in Thornton, with some good new characters like the mom in Bates and the grown up Thurman. But it's more of the same as the first with less of the satire and uniqueness. But one will laugh tis the season. 6.95 out of 10