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Mulan (2020) : Movie Thoughts

Posted by absolutebadasses on September 6, 2020

Posted in: Movie Reviews, Reviews. Tagged: Bori Khan, china, chinese, disney's mulan, Donnie Yen, fairy sister, film blog, film geek, follow, Gong Li, Hua Mulan, Jason Scott Lee, Jet Li, Liu Yifei, love films, Mandy Walker, movie photos, movie reviews, mulan, mulan 2020, mulan review, new zealand, Niki Caro, Tzi Ma. Leave a comment

A young Chinese maiden disguises herself as a male warrior in order to save her father – Disney continue their live-action remakes of classic tales with MULAN directed by Whale Rider’s Niki Caro : Although I was looking forward to watching this at the cinema (possibly on IMAX) Disney had other idea’s and have just released Mulan on their Disney+ Streaming Service : Luckily for me my home cinema is not too shabby so watching my own TV fill up with magical color, jaw-dropping backdrops & visuals that stun you sideways my movie date for the evening truly was a quite magical experience : The movie itself is an improvment over the 1998 animated film allowing it’s director Niki Caro & the Aussie Cinematographer Mandy Walker to really show us, the audience the true scale of the sets & breathtaking action scenes in this live-action version : Of course Mulan has a truly legendary cast including Jason Scott Lee (who’s really good playing Bori Khan), the sublime & beautiful Gong Li, and veteran’s Tzi Ma, Jet Li & Donnie Yen but the real heart of the movie belongs to the energy weilding “Fairy Sister” Liu Yifei who has a screen presence that shines brighter than Mulan’s Phoenix, the scene’s that involve Liu and Gong Li’s characters were spectacular and amongst my favorites in the movie & I believe that Liu Yifei did most of her own stunt work and fight movements : Overall: I really enjoyed Disney’s MULAN it’s a gorgeous film about honor, family & friendship that works equally on the small screen as it would have on the big : Highly Recommended 精彩 ★★★★½

Full of doubt and a whole bunch of misgivings, a young woman travels with her new boyfriend to his parents’ secluded farmhouse – I’ve not read Iain Reid’s novel of the same name but will but will certainly check it out : I don’t think it’s possible to spoil anything about this movie so here’s my thoughts : (I think) the film follows an ageing Janitor who reflects about his long life and what could have been in the most Charlie Kaufman way possible : I’m Thinking of Ending Things contains the most awkward car ride in movie history where you find yourself not only disliking Jesse Plemons character Jake but also starting to question why this girl in the passenger seat played by Jessie Buckley is really with him, as it becomes obvious that she’d rather be elsewhere, the moment the girl recites a poem to Jake made me cringe, the girl’s reaction to the spittle on the corner of Jake’s mouth is uncomfortable and the flashbacks with the Janitor going about his daily chores were filled with a sadness & foreboding : When they finally arrive at Jake’s parents farmhouse I found the tour of the barn scene to be quite creepy and at times unsettling (those poor pigs) : But on a slightly lighter note Jake’s parents are played brilliantly by Toni Collette and David Thewlis who steal each & every scene with their eccentric & often humorous delivery and I love the little musical interludes, the dog named Jimmy and the Dairy Queen scene in particular : Overall I’m Thinking of Ending Things is brilliantly weird, mentally exhausting, strangely sad yet utterly consuming ★★★★½

Peter, like most teenagers LOVES his bedroom so when his Grandpa (Robert De Niro) comes to stay he’s kicked to the curb, booted out of his room and moved into the family attic, not happy with this arrangement Peter decides to declare war in an attempt to win his room back : I really like filmmaker Tim Hill he’s has this knack of making me smile and his latest War with Grandpa is arguably his best work (that’s hell of a statement as I’m still a huge fan of Muppets from Space what a classic) : I know some people (boring farts maybe) would say that this type of movie is two a penny & predictable BUT when made well there’s nothing like a good old tug at your heart-strings and laugh till your sides ache family fun movie and War with Grandpa is certainly that : the humor is spot on especially when pitting young versus old, it’s not the story it’s the characters in the movie that win your hearts : the three oldies Robert De Niro’s Grandpa and his two mates Danny & Jerry played gamefully well by Cheech Marin & Christopher Walken are terrific and look in their elements having a good time being friends, kicking about in dodgeball with the kids and looking at young women’s backsides during their walk-about in the park, Walken especially is soooooo funny the faces he pulls is priceless : I also found Uma Thurman & Laura Marano totally awesome and so so watchable, the shenanigans between Mum, Daughter and Russell who plays the boyfriend had me laughing so much throughout : I also found the chemistry between De Niro’s Grandpa and Peter played by the gifted Oakes Fegley who also starred in the wonderful Pete’s Dragon remake back in 2016 to be the backbone of the movie, their screentime was full of hilarity and the lengths they would go to creating havok in their path and get revenge on the other was downright brilliant : also watching Peter’s life in school with his friends was a blast from the past and had me thinking back to my childhood that contained similar senario’s : Overall if your a fan of family comedy with a slice of nostalgia and the chance to watch De Niro & Walken reunite some old magic then WAR WITH GRANDPA is definately for you ★★★★

Although I think Daniel Craig has been one of our weaker 007’s I’ve still really enjoyed his gritty, mostly dark take on our favourite secret agent and NO TIME TO DIE could end up being his best outing yet…. Firstly it’s directed by True Detective helmer Cary Joji Fukunaga and yes he’s also the filmmaker who brought us the brilliant Beasts of No Nation, he’s accompanied by the super talent DP Linus Sandgren (La La Land & First Man) so as a spectacle the film is sure to look bloody awesome : No Time To Die also sees the return of Christoph Waltz as Blofeld and the delightful Léa Seydoux as Dr. Swann but for me the most interesting duo to be cast is Lashana Lynch who plays a female 00 agent that’s shrouded in a little bit of mystery and the gorgeous Ana de Armas who plays a character called Paloma….. are you excited yet? Well if your not then it may be worth mentioning that the main villain of No Time To Die will be played by Rami Malek and the legend that is Hans Zimmer will be providing the film score…. still not impressed? Well I’ve tried…. check out the action packed trailer below and then start a James Bond rewatch and countdown the days until the film hit’s your local theater….

Chadwick Boseman (1977-2020)

Posted by absolutebadasses on August 29, 2020

Posted in: Views. Tagged: 42, Black Panthe, Chadwick Boseman, da 5 bloods, film news, film night, film website, films, Get on Up, Jackie Robinson, James Brown, long live the king, marvel comics, marvel universe, movies, RIP Chadwick Boseman, Stormin' Norman, superhero, T'Challa. Leave a comment

The loss of Chadwick Boseman aged 43 is a crushing blow, a movie star who was only just beginning his journey to greatness : playing Jackie Robinson in 42, James Brown in Get on Up, T’Challa in Black Panther and most recently Stormin’ Norman in Da 5 Bloods Chadwick was already giving us a new hero on the screen, one to look up to and one to look forward to what they did next : he had a smile that would light up the biggest of screens : RIP Chadwick Boseman

The story of a husband and wife that will stop at nothing to find their missing daughter, who vanishes on a family vacation : Peter Facinelli mostly known for his acting work in the likes of the Twilight franchise is behind the camera on THE VANISHED an intriguing new take on the kidnapping genre that Facinelli also wrote basing the movie around something that happened to him many years earlier : the films reunites Thomas Jane & Anne Heche who plays parents taking their ten-year-old daughter Taylor played by Kk Heim and their Pug on a family vacation, the film starts innocently enough with the family happily singing songs whilst driving their RV into a holiday park in what looks like the back of beyond and that’s when the questions start and the unnerving tension starts to build : not all is what it seems and Facinelli really does an excellent job in ramping the mystery up a notch, twisting & turning the story like a car travelling down Lombard Street and The Vanished keeps you guessing right up until it’s nerve-shattering finale : Overall this is an excellent movie with good performances, especially Jason Patrick’s turn as the local Sheriff who’s dealing with his own demons and Alex Haydon as the peculiar looking ground keeper, I also loved the scenery around Alabama so if your looking for a good belter of a thriller then check this one out ★★★★

The Batman (2021) Movie Trailer

Posted by absolutebadasses on August 23, 2020

Posted in: Trailers, Views. Tagged: alfred pennyworth, Batman, bruce wayne, cinema, Colin Farrell, DC comics, dc universe, dccomics, imax, 이용철, Jeffrey Wright, jim lee, like, love, love films, matt reeves, movie night, oswald cobblepot, Paul Dano, riddler, Robert Pattinson, selina kyle, the batman, warner bros, Zoë Kravitz. Leave a comment

Matt Reeves THE BATMAN will land October 2021 : loving the artwork by the incredible Jim Lee and this first teaser trailer just released has enough UMPH about it to make me sit up and take note : Reeves new movie promises to be very gritty & darker than his predecessors and talk about an inspired cast…. Robert Pattinson as Bruce Wayne aka: The Batman : Jeffrey Wright as James Gordon : Andy Serkis as Alfred Pennyworth : Zoë Kravitz as Selina Kyle aka: Catwoman : Colin Farrell as Oswald Cobblepot aka: Penguin and Paul Dano as Riddler : and that’s only a selection of it’s mouth watering cast : Hope you enjoy the trailer…. the countdown begins….

Ava (2020) – Movie Thoughts

Posted by absolutebadasses on August 22, 2020

Posted in: Movie Reviews, Reviews. Tagged: ass kicking movies, assassin, ava movie, Colin Farrell, Common, film collector, film director, film fan, films, Geena Davis, hit woman, Ioan Gruffudd, Jess Weixler, Jessica Chastain, Joan Chen, John Malkovich, like, love, ma, movie, stephen goldblatt, Tate Taylor, the girl on the train, the help. Leave a comment

Ava is a deadly assassin working for a black ops organization, taking on high profile hits. When a job she’s given goes horribly wrong she is forced to fight for her own survival – Tate Taylor has sharpened his filmmaking skills with 2011’s THE HELP, 2016’s thriller THE GIRL ON THE TRAIN and last years horror MA so I was more than excited and slightly intrigued to see how he faired with his first foray into action films : having watched both movies in recent weeks I found AVA more enjoyable than The Old Guard (which I did enjoy) It’s just that AVA packed the sharper bite, the pace was better and the action scenes were gritty and uncomplicated with Stephen Goldblatt the DP contstantly working his magic with each shot : I also enjoy seeing an actor a little out of their comfort zone so watching Jessica Chastain take on this troubled assassin in a lead kick-ass action role was rather fun, of course Jess looked great and the role was certainly no stretch : AVA is packed with delicious fight scenes with Colin Farrell involved in more than one titantic tussle with the hotel room scene nearing the end of the movie one of my favourites : also there’s this terrific supporting cast with John Malkovich as Ava’s handler, Common (a little under used in my opinion) as the ex-boyfriend, Geena Davis and Jess Weixler as Ava’s mum & sister respectively and Ioan Gruffudd & Joan Chen in small but scene stealing roles : the film’s story follows a familiar path, betrayed assassin seeking justice (so there’s nothing new on that front) but if like me your a sucker for action movies that use less brain power, entertain with a fiesty lady holding the reigns to boot then Tate Taylor’s AVA won’t disappoint ★★★★

ps…. a little bit of trivia for you: the film and lead character was originally titled EVE but for some unknown reason the studio changed it to AVA

A Russian space-ship carrying two astronauts onboard encounter problems on their return to Earth – I really love me a scary, tense, clench your buttocks type of movie and Egor Abramenko’s SPUTNIK really done a number on me : the film is set in the 80s, It’s Russian (so has subtitles throughout), it’s creature design really does makes your skin crawl and it’s lead star Oksana Akinshina is truly out of this world, Oksana plays Tatyana Klimova a physician, a bit of a rebel who likes to do it her way and is recruited by a Colonel of the Russian Army who’s concerned about the well being of one of the astronauts after their return to earth : the story’s really well told, twisting and turning right upuntill it’s thrilling finale and speaking from experience the less you know about Sputnik the better, it’s a first-rate scifi horror that’s well shot and very unsettling ★★★★½

A fragile young woman, who has tried to escape her dark past, returns to the family’s estate for a funeral. She must relive her previous traumas and confront the true source of her family’s guilt – With flashes of Kubrick and Argento Christian Neuman’s directorial debut is one of the BEST psychological horror movies for many a year, from it’s unravelling story that untangles the deeper you get, it’s giddy inducing camera work to it’s sumptuous use of color SKIN WALKER is a must watch, a film that will sit comfortably amongst my favorite movies of 2020 with a phenomenal performance by Amber Anderson who takes us on a ride through the broken and disturbed mind of human emotion : also great to see horror veteran Udo Kier giving us another creepy turn and hat’s off to Ferreira Virginia for her terrific costume design’s that fit so well in Neuman’s haunting landscape : So if your after a well written, spine-tingling Film Night then I’d highly recomend Skin Walker my words don’t do this movie justice… it’s that good ★★★★½

The Tax Collector (2020) – Movie Thoughts

Posted by absolutebadasses on August 9, 2020

Posted in: Movie Reviews, Reviews. Tagged: Bobby Soto, Cheyenne Rae Hernandez, Cinthya Carmona, crime lord, david ayers, david ayers the tax collector, film, film blog, film fan, gangster, gangster movie, George Lopez, like, love, love films, mexican, movie geek, movies, Shia LaBeouf, the wizard. Leave a comment

THE TAX COLLECTOR is written & directed by Suicide Squad’s David Ayer and sees Bobby Soto & Shia LaBeouf’s enforcers collecting money for an LA crime boss known as The Wizard when things start getting ugly after a rival family want a piece of the action and eliminate the competition : I’ve been a big fan of David Ayer’s since he dropped Harsh Times back in 2005, his style of gritty no nonsence action is my jam, so why did I find myself struggling to connect with this his latest movie offering? : Well for starters the movie lacks any depth, you really don’t get the chance to like or dislike with a passion any of the main players as there’s no backstory, the only thing I took from the film’s early exchanges were that David (Soto) worships his family who live a good life and that’s pretty much it in a nutshell, even Creeper (LaBeouf) who from the offset seems to be an exciting prospect has no story, he’s a poorly written character that the director fails to utilise and capitilise on : I was a bit surprised by the quality of some of the scenes throughout the movie, the feel of which I get when watching a rap video, polished and forgettable and what’s with the dialogue being spoken so low? at times it was quite annoying : BUT nevertheless all is not lost The Tax Collector has some badass on show in the form of Cheyenne Rae Hernandez who plays the rival familes muscle and George Lopez in a small yet effective turn as Uncle Louis, I loved their performances and they certainly added much needed spice to the overall picture : Overall The Tax Collector is not a disaster, it’s certainly worth a watch and I’m confident it will make the studio a shit load of money but I can’t help but think the film was rushed and in my humble opinion a slight misfire from a filmmaker that has a lot more to offer ★★★

Movie Memories

Posted by absolutebadasses on August 8, 2020

Posted in: Views. Tagged: along came polly, Ben Stiller, ben stiller comedy, comedy, comedy gold, film fan, film geek, films, humor, john hamburg, like, love, movie blog, movie humor, movie love, movie website, Philip Seymour Hoffman. Leave a comment

Looking for a smile this weekend? then we got it covered…. Ben Stiller and the late GREAT Philip Seymour Hoffman sweating it out in 2004’s Along Came Polly from director John Hamburg – this particular scene has it all, it’s dialogue is crazy, the humor is gross-out at it’s most… well gross-out and it also showcases the brilliance of Hoffman in full flow, I still can’t believe he’s gone…. but take a load off and watch this 3 minute clip for a smile, a tear and at it’s finale a roaring belly laugh that may force you to dust off the dvd and watch the full thing 🙂

A bunch of friends hire a medium to hold a séance via Zoom during lock down but get much more than they bargained for as things quickly go wrong when an evil spirit starts invading their homes : HOST is directed by Rob Savage and filmed during this years coronavirus pandemic : As a rule I’m not social media friendly and have never used the likes of Zoom so I had low expectations going in but HOST really rattled my cage : The movie has a short runtime (just under the hour) but it’s very atmospheric and at times I was chewing on my finger nails (the attic scene and Haley being dragged across the room really freaked me the frack out), you keep hearing noises, looking for things in the shadows and the silence at times is deafening : but for me the movies real haunt is those crazy good ladies above who really do capture the essence of being played with by some supernatural entity, their facial expressions keep the whole shit real and create moments of complete and utter dread especially throughout the second half of the movie when all goes pete tong : So if you scare easy & suffer from any pre-existing heart conditions then please avoid HOST BUT if you love being scared and fancy watching something that may keep you up at night then this horror gem is worth the watch – PS… don’t forget to take a shot everytime someone mentions the word astral-plane ★★★★

One year after the brutal murder of her mother, Sidney Prescott and her friends are terrorized by a new killer : Written by Kevin Williamson & Directed by Wes Craven SCREAM is the BEST HORROR MOVIE in the last 25yrs : From that shiver inducing Dimension Film logo before the film starts, it’s smart edgy blood soaked script, the shocking start to the movie that nobody saw coming & the great Homages to horror movies of yester-year the film always delivers and to this day continues to blow my mind : Scream totally re-invented the genre from a director who already owned the scares in the 80s with his freaking great horror A Nightmare on Elm Street but unlike Elm Street Scream uses horror cliches and a whip smart script that’s incredibly funny yet utterly terrifying at times : The way Craven used horror films as the backdrop to Scream was a pure joy to watch, pictures such as Elm Street, Friday 13th, The Exorcist and of course Halloween got nods and even Wes makes a brief cameo as a school janitor dressed in that iconic Freddy Sweater, that small moment alone made me smile sooooooo much : Also let’s not forget the contribution it’s young fresh cast made, stars that were not household names such as Neve Campbell, Matthew Lillard, Rose McGowan, Jamie Kennedy & Skeet Ulrich all helped Craven’s blood lust come to life and create a new horror franchsise : The scene in the movie when Randy explains to his drunken friends about the Rules on How to Survive a Horror Movie whilst watching Halloween is one of my favorites, he pauses the film stands before the TV and tells his audience….. No.1 : Never have Sex…. No.2 : Don’t drink or do drugs…. and finally never ever ever say “I’ll be right back…” it’s sheer brilliance : I remember watching SCREAM in New York when it was released in the cinema, I didn’t know anything about the movie – I came out 2hrs later shouting, laughing and looking over my shoulder for Ghostface for the rest of that evening, what a movie BUZZ ★★★★★

Ripley is rescued by a deep salvage team after being in hypersleep for 57 years during which time LV-426 has been colonized, but contact has been lost. A bunch of colonial marines along with Ripley are sent to investigate : Written and Directed by James Cameron ALIENS is the BEST MOVIE SEQUEL OF ALL TIME, it was filmed back in 1986 for $18 million (yep your reading this right) and in my opinion it even betters Ridley’s first movie for pure action, suspense and incredible effects : For my latest rewatch I decided to revisit the Aliens Special Edition which contains a VITAL 17 minutes of extra footage : those extra scene’s really do add to the great characters that we have grown to love and hate over the years, adding much more depth and filling some of the theatrical release plot holes such as Newt’s backstory, more stunning panning shots on LV-426, extra scenes involving the marines and more of Hudson’s badass humor : One thing that doesn’t get mentioned too much is the film’s terrific action score by the late composer James Horner, considering the time restriction and conditions Horner found himself in during filming his atmospheric, bruising and deliciously heart thumping score certainly left it’s mark, receiving an Oscar Nomination and contributes greatly to Cameron’s movie : One of my favourite scenes in the movie is when Ripley takes it upon herself to go and rescue the marines after Gorman decides to have a meltdown, it’s a hand in the mouth moment that’s exhilarating to watch as she’s straps Newt in and takes control of their vehicle, but in fairness each and every scene in ALIENS are so damn good : There’s no doubt if your a fan of the franchise and have not seen this special edition then and get out and buy a copy & of course it’s just another excuse to submerge yourself in some mind blowing scifi by one of the masters of the genre James Cameron ★★★★★